291 291: End of an era
It was a bright day. The abyss had finally calmed down and those who had survived felt lucky to be so.
There were a lot of people who were mourning the loss of thier loved ones but just as many people were celebrating as well. The abyss had finally disappeared, leaving behind the broken earth and a small amount of residue.
The ground which had been difficult to even step on once was regular and ready to see the light of day again.
And it happened just in time for the floating cities to land on the ground. Without magic, it was no longer possible to sustain their floating.
A lot of people lost their livelihoods that day but no one was angry or upset over it. Finally, an era was coming to an end.
The place that was celebrating the hardest was the Rocx Academy. They were the side that had lost the most and also gained the most. They were the true heroes of the day.
And the one who had ended everything. Aurora was busy making rounds. She wanted to see everything she had saved and everything that she was willing to leave behind.
“Aurora, are you sure you are alright? It had only been a few hours since the abyss disappeared. You should be resting right now.”
Rita sounded concerned and for good reason. Her arm was held in a cast which was binding her chest as well. She would not be able to use the arm again but she was lucky to be still alive.
Rita eyes Horas, the one standing at Aurora’s side. He had been following Aurora ever since she had left the abyss. His presence had caused everyone to stand on alert.
But he had done nothing but follow Aurora around. And since Aurora had assured everyone that he did not mean any hard, they had all allowed Horas to do what he wanted to.
“You should not be concerned about me Rita. see, I am all right and it was not like I suffered any grave injuries. I am perfectly in shape to be walking around.”
Aurora assured Rita, knowing that she did not believe her. But Rita chose to let her go for the last time in her life.
It would end up becoming the biggest regret of Rita’s life in the future.
“I see. It is nice to see that everyone is happy in the end. Also, I am glad to see that we both turned out alive in the end.”
Rita sounded glad and Aurora felt guilty for what she was about to do to Rita. It was something Rita would not be able to forgive Aurora for but Aurora still decided to take this step.
“Rita, come here right now. Some people are here to meet you.”
Aurora looked up toward Rex as well when he called Rita over. Aurora recognized Rita’s maids, the ones who had brought her up.
Rita had tears in her eyes at seeing her maids again. She might have grown up but she could forget the ones who had been kind to her at the start.
“Go to them. They have missed you a lot.”
Aurora shoved Rita a little, giving her the courage to take the first step. And as soon as Rita took that one step, the next one became easier and easier for her.
In the end, Rita was gone before Aurora could come to terms with her absence but she was not bitter.
“Are you done saying your goodbyes? I saw you moving around the whole day and we do not have much time left.”
Horas reminded Aurora, his voice flat but concerned. He had been a good guard for Aurora, following her around the whole day.
But Aurora had not forgotten the real reason Horas was here. He was here to keep an eye on Aurora and to make sure she kept up her side of the bargain.
He might be related to Aurora genetically but that did not mean Aurora understood how his mind worked. Besides, Horas was loyal to the abyss, not to Aurora so that changed things for her.
“Can you wait for one more hour before we reset the clock? There is one more place I need to go before we head out.”
Yes, there was one last place Aurora needed to head out toward in order to make sure everything was settled.
None of the people on this earth would remember a human named Aurora, nor would they remember a goddess or the abyss. They would all be able to live out their natural life-spans and all it would require was for Aurora to leave this planet with the abyss inside her.
“I will give you time but do hurry up.”
Aurora waved her hand as she hurried toward the last place she needed to go. And it was also the place where Clove would be waiting for her.
It was the cemetery where most of the dead gods had been laid down to rest. Both Clove and Ava were there but they did not speak up.
The silence was tense before Clove broke down into sobs.
“You are going, right? I wanted to prevent this ending by any means necessary but I became the catalyst for it in the end. Are you angry at me?”
Clove was crying her heart out but Aurora did not have the heart to go over there and comfort her. She could not bring herself to even move from her current place.
At Clove’s side, Ava stood there monotonously as well. She did not say anything but her eyes were accusing Aurora of running away.
“You know, I don’t blame any of you for what happened. You were both just trying to reach the ending that was suitable for you. In the end, it was the circumstances that led things to be the way they are.”
Aurora assured the pair, trying to make them understand her point of view.
Since this was the last time they would meet, Aurora wanted to carry some nice memories in her heart.
“You are an idiot. We could have thought of some other way to resolve the situation. There was no need for you to sacrifice yourself.”
Ava finally snapped, her anger seeping into her voice. This was the first time Aurora had seen her this angry and she could not forget that blazing orb Ava called eyes.
It was not a good feeling to be glared at by the snake zoodiac but Aurora bore it considerably well.
“You both are free to curse and cry about me but do not lose hope. I am sure you will miss me even when you have no idea who I am. So I wanted to take this time to say – be happy and live a healthy life.”
Aurora could feel her time running out. The abyss was urging her to come back now and the time was starting to move back.
The one who realized that first was Ava, her senses were still connected to the abyss.
“Aurora, don’t. There is no need for you to-“
“Good bye and enjoy a happy life. I am sure that you will be happy this time around.”
The earth stopped moving before it began to go in the reverse direction. Everything was reverting to the time before the abyss had established its dominance, and things were just how Clove had wanted them to be in the first place.
Aurora was happy to see it all happy but she was also bitter to be sitting out on the lives of her loved ones.
“Now then, it is time for us to leave. We have more planets to conquer and more to see.”
The abyss extended it’s hand toward Aurora and she took it. Flashes of light passed through her mind. Aurora saw the places the abyss had destroyed and ones that it had devoured.
It’s memories blended into her mind, their presence becoming one.
And it a new beginning as well as a new end for all. This chapter of the abyss had come to a close.