You have no idea how depressed I was when I finished this game.
I love it to bits.
Kudo's to drinktea, who is easily keeping the Noerah fandom afloat, in any manner possible.
And possibly one my favorite fanfic author's. Such an inspiration.
In reality, Noel was no better than Caius and he hated it.
He hated how all he'd worked for just backhanded him in the face. He hated that no matter what he'd said or done, the future had been left in ruins anyways. He'd hated how he'd had to watch people die his whole life, one by one. He hated that people he'd never met were going to die because of him and he felt heart wrenching agony as the only hope he'd left in the world died in his very arms.
He would grow to despise himself, for being the one to deliver the news to Hope, to be unable to look him in face when the words struggled to leave him. Sit in mourning, while the world literally fell to pieces. Accept the painful truth that Serah had known the consequences and embraced them. Accept that it had been her choice in the end and that he had no say in what happened. To know that this probably would have happened despite his best efforts.
The worst part was the complete abruptness of the moment, the sudden interruption of their laughter and celebration—her smile. It was like the world wanted to prove how easily all their efforts could be thwarted, how easy it was to reach in and snuff out the spark of life. Cruel irony, considering how often he'd mentioned how easily humans died. How they weren't strong. It was like Caius had taken a final say in his happiness; if Yeul couldn't exist for Caius, Serah couldn't exist for Noel.
It didn't matter that she still had a ghost of a smile left, or that she looked more relaxed than he'd seen her for days. It didn't matter that she'd fought her very best today, or that she'd grown so much throughout the time they spent together. It didn't matter how old she was, where Snow was, what happened to Lightning, or even that Hope was five feet away, protecting Mog. None of that mattered, because even now, knowing that Serah was the one who died, he felt like he was dying too. Brushing her hair out of her face, he could mentally see a stream of their memories ingrained in his eyes.
Pulling her close against his chest, he took a deep breath and attempted to pull himself together. He was no better than Caius, searching for a world where a loved one could survive, failing in the end no matter how hard they tried. Losing a loved one, be it a dear friend or someone as close as family. The breeze whipped up a fading strawberry scent that could only be Serah's and he felt his heart grow hard when the smell of smoke began to overtake the air. Suddenly, he was glad Serah wasn't here anymore. It would have ruined her to know that they—no, he failed. As her self-appointed guardian, he was supposed to protect her, no matter what the circumstances. She would never know they went wrong, that they doomed the world and all they worked for was for naught.
He would always be the one to bear that burden.
Cradling her limp form on his lap and in his arms, he closed his eyes. He was the last hunter. He would always be the one who would fix the mistakes of others. He would always be her guardian.
Even if she was no longer there for him to protect.