Prologue: The End
In an instant all will vanish and we'll be alone once more, in the midst of nothingness...
I climbed.
The earth was between my toes. Dry on top, baked by the days of sun it had enjoyed, but damp and spongy underneath from some forgotten rainfall. For the first time in my life, I wanted to run. I wanted nothing more than to run right to the top of that cliff and carry on going. Now I finally knew what to do. This was all I could do. Not just for him, but for Tamaki, too, and Haruhi, and to put the world back to rights. A life for a life.
"This is it," my phantom whispered in my mind, breathless with excitement. "That's right. This way. This is your reason."
Even standing there right at the top of the cliff, there wasn't much wind. A good omen. One more step, and the world would be how it should be. Without me in it.
Down in the hole, lingeringly, the gravedigger puts on the forceps.