"Nick!"

"!" He knew that voice. It was her!

Phoenix turned to see Maya standing at the door. Tears falling down her cheeks. Relief started to swell in him.

"M-M-M-MAYA!" He shouted.

"Mystic Maya," Pearl shouted. She was just as shocked to see her. After all they never thought they'd see her again. Pearl started crying in relief. "Mystic Mayaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

They ran towards each other arms stretched out. When they hugged, they all felt immense relief. It was over. It was finally over.

Engarde was arrested. Adrian was proven innocent. DeKiller released Maya. And now Maya was safe. She was finally home.

Phoenix felt tears as he ran his hands over Maya's back. But they were happy tears. A sign that all was right in the world again.

With only some hesitation, the three pulled apart. Each taking in the others. Maya was the first to break the short silence.

"Oh, Nick I knew you would come through! You got Engarde convicted, like I knew you would. And on top of that you even rescued me!"

Phoenix couldn't help but laugh a little. Leave it to Maya to make the worst day of his life seem so easy in retrospect.

"Well of course I did! You know I would never desert you! But we sure pressed our luck during the trial," he said. He couldn't wait to put this awful day behind him. "You're really lucky to be alive!"

And that was true. If Franziska had just shown up a few seconds later. Honestly, he knew he was never going to take time for granted again.

Maya just smiled. "Whatever. Whatever. Look it's over, ok?" Phoenix couldn't help but nod. "Besides if I did croak." She leaned it with a sly smile on her face. "I would just come back and haunt you like a bad ghost through Pearly!"

Phoenix couldn't help but step back a bit. 'Is it really that easy to do something like that.'

Maya took his and Pearl's hands. Gratitude showing in full force.

"Thank-"

Someone screamed.

All heads in the room turned.

"What the hell?" Edgeworth said. Maya jumped a bit, not realizing he was there.

One of the bailiffs got out his nightstick.

"Stay here!" The group turned to him. "I'm going to go-"

"Bill," the other bailiff said. Everyone turned. Horror filled their eyes.

His arm. It was fading away, piece by piece.

"J-Jerry…," Bill said. Jerry's eyes rolled and suddenly he was gone. Only a pile of dust remained.

Pearl screamed. So did Maya. But everyone else was too shocked to even blink. Let alone scream.

It took a second, but Phoenix eventually found his voice.

"Wh-What the hell was that!?" He screamed. He turned to Edgeworth.

Edgeworth just stood there. He was still aside from some slight shaking. His face white as a ghosts.

"Edgeworth?" Phoenix said. He could hear Pearl and Maya's continuing screams. Edgeworth turned. His eyes wide.

If he was going to say something, he was interrupted.

They heard a crash. Then car alarms. Then more screams.

'This isn't real,' Phoenix thought shaking his head. 'It can't be. Not after everything.'

Mustering up all the strength that he could he grabbed for Maya and Pearl and walked outside. Maya staggered but followed, holding onto Pearl with all her might. Edgeworth then followed.

Outside was a madhouse.

People were running all over the streets with absolutely no sense of direction. Officials were attempting to keep the peace. But it was clear that it was pointless.

Phoenix stood there, watching in horror as more and more people started fading away, leaving piles of dust where they stood.

"Mr. Edgeworth!" They turned to see Gumshoe running towards them. Despite the panic, Maya couldn't help but cringe when she saw his head injury.

"D-D-Detective," Edgeworth said, finally finding his voice. "What the hell is happening!?"

Phoenix clung to Maya and Pearl. Pearl stood there clinging to Maya's leg.

"I-I don't know!" Gumshoe said, clearly panicking. "But HQ has ordered a state wide emergency and that we have to get the civilians somewhere-"

He didn't finish the sentence. Before he could even register what was happening, he too faded to dust. Much to the horror of his friends.

"NOOOOO!" Maya screamed.

"Detective!" Edgeworth screamed.

Phoenix just blinked. The shock was too much. 'How could this be happening?'

Suddenly he felt his grip on Maya and Pearl loosen. He froze.

'No. Not them too. Not little Pearls. Not Maya.'

He shook as he looked down, feeling slight relief that Maya and Pearl were still there. But that relief was short lived as he realized what that meant.

He lifted his arm. It was disintergrating. Just like the others.

"Edgeworth," he muttered. Edgeworth turned. So did Maya and Pearl. But that was becoming difficult to see. Everything was going dark. His body was going numb. By the time his eyes rolled back, he didn't even have the energy to scream.

He thought he heard Maya scream, "No! Nick!" but it was too hard to hear. It was too late. He was already dead.

It was surprisingly painless.

Sometime later, Edgeworth managed to get the girls back to his house. Pearl sat on the couch curled up in a ball, frozen in shock. Maya wasn't doing much better, either. She constantly rubbed her arms, just to keep herself from falling apart.

Edgeworth sighed, turning off the TV.

They have been trying for hours to find out what was happening, but there efforts were near futile. They only knew a small portion of what happened. There was a massive media blackout on all levels. No one could, or rather was allowed to, talk.

But through various connection Edgeworth learned that whatever happened, didn't just happen in the city. The district, country, maybe even the world was effected by whatever catastrophic event happened. But as to the how and why was almost completely unknown.

Their best guess was that it had something to do with the reports of a small extra-terrestrial invasion in New York a few days prior. And while Edgeworth did vaguely remember hearing about the incident, he knew he pushed it to the back of his mind.

He thought it was a hoax to be honest. And there was the case at hand to worry about.

Now he wished he had listened to those reports.

He sighed again.

Efforts to contact their friends came up with truly devastating results. Lotta Heart and Larry Butz have confirmed their survival. And even though Larry was Larry, Edgeworth couldn't help but find some relief in that.

But others were not as lucky.

Will Powers, the Judge, and that old security lady, were among those presumably dead.

But the worst part was hearing about Franziska.

At first he prayed that a lack of response was because of her little stunt at the courthouse just minutes before Maya's return. Before everything went to hell.

But those prayers were dashed as it was confirmed that she too was a victim of this catastrophic event.

Edgeworth gave up trying to keep a brave face on and slumped down next to Maya who similarly followed suit.

Edgeworth tilted his head back along the couch.

He couldn't help but wonder if Engarde made it. One part of him hoped that he didn't. But the other part couldn't bring itself to care.

'Gumshoe, Wright, Franziska,' he thought. 'I hope you're ok. Wherever you are.'

And with that, he finally let out one tear, not knowing what to do from here.