Summary

At the end of time and the world, Caius and Yeul are granted their eternal rest. They sleep peacefully now in the Chaos while a new God of Death watches over the Unseen Realm. For the Goddess is dead and someone must take her place in the Unseen Realm.

Notes

Fair warning there will be allusions to death and suicide but never explicitly described. Suppose you would already know the drill concerning Chaos etc.

Noel had made it. He made it right to the shores between life and death. The same place where he had first met Etro's guardian. The woman who very nearly became the new goddess. On the brink of complete exhaustion Etro had brought him here as if telling him to not give up yet. This time Noel came by choice, it wasn't fate or an accident.

He always came by choice and he was always forced to leave.

One time he was prepared to chain himself to a pillar but he wasn't sure whether it would help. After all there was no time limit to being reborn again but most people didn't have memories from their previous lives to even think about the choice.

This time he found himself lying by the shore once again basked in the faint glow of the Unseen Realm's light. He heard a shuffle and felt the sand beside himself shift. His lips curled up into a smile, the God of Death was here and this time Noel had a different plan to stay

'You're stupid.' The God said.

'How many more times are you going to do this? You have a life, lives to live. Stop wasting them.'

Noel stood up, stepping a way for a moment to shake the sand off his body.

'The real question is how many times are you going to ask me that question?' Noel countered, the God sink his head to knees.

He looked strangely small this time. Wearing garb reminiscent of those given to Etro's chosen complete with an opaque shimmering gold cape littered with stars that didn't appear to befit a God of Death but a man who dreamed of saving the world.

'You can't stay here. No matter how many times you ask, no matter what you do to try and stay. I will not let you.' The God said hotly.

'I'm not asking, I'm telling you.' Noel turns around to face the light, reaching for the distant pull of Chaos. He hoped that if he absorbed enough it would stop him from being reborn. After all it can't be good to run around with so much Chaos, considering what had happened to the last world. There was also the chance that he could be consumed and thus his soul lost in the sea of Chaos.

He walked back over to the God and kneeled down to bury his face in his hair, hands slipping around his shoulders.

'I hate you.' It sounded wet like the first time he'd said it.

Noel pressed a kiss to his head before walking away. He knew each time he came back it hurt him more and more. He just needed to make his residency permanent.

The trip to the dead Goddess' throne was short. There was no need to rush in a place that had no time but he did, the sense of urgency came quick, igniting like fire, pushing him to run the distance. He didn't realise he was gasping for breath until he found himself staring at the stone floor.

The Chaos felt thicker here, the concentration unchanging around the giant crystal that used to be Etro's own throne. Noel moved swiftly up the broken stairs, only to pause as he heard whispers. He spins on his heel looking around wildly for the source. He thinks to call out the God's name but he hears the whispers again, then a voice of a girl.

'Are you sure about this? There is no going back.' She said.

Noel sighed in relief. The voice was unmistakeably Yeul's but he wasn't sure if it was the Chaos speaking or her. Had both Yeul and Caius' souls returned to the Chaos and finally found peace? Noel would have to ask later.

He makes the rest of the way up and sits down, making himself comfortable by placing his hands on the armrests. He closed his eyes.

He felt doubt beginning to creep into his voice as he spoke.
'My mind's made up. If this is the price I have to pay to stay with him, then I'm prepared to pay it.'

'For someone whose soul may be lost you don't sound very sure. You already know that he is changing, the person that you once knew may disappear completely in time.'

'He...He's acting as if this is his salvation but it's not. And this...this is the only way.' Noel frowned, it sounded like a question.

When he opened his eyes again he saw Yeul standing in front of him, fiddling with a blue bellflower. She appeared the same as ever from his memories, happier times in a dying world. He wondered if this Yeul was the one he knew or a different Yeul from a time they hadn't met.

She looked at him, smiling softly.

'If this is your salvation.'

Noel's mouth felt dry as he closed his eyes once more, trying not focus on the distant cries of his name.

End Notes

[Cross posted on A*3]

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