Author's Note: I wrote two separate endings (with some similarities). Both advance the story to the same point, and I want to end up writing an ending where he gets back to the past (present? I dunno; his real time). We'll see if I can get it together or not.
The difference between the two endings is marginal. This one is my preferred ending, but the other is slightly less detailed and he discovers the discovery differently. I suggest you read them both anyway.
Thanks for reading this far, and I hope you enjoy.
"Skip. Skip. Skip." Ezreal was sick of rocks. No matter how much different information he could get on them thanks to PEARL, they weren't what he was looking for. "PEARL, stop scanning. I want to see for myself."
"Scan terminated. Let me know if I can be of further assistance."
"Roger that." As he took another look around, he noticed a splash of color in the distance. He wasn't sure how he had missed it; the vibrant pink standing out against the murky browns and greys of the horizon. "PEARL, magnify please."
He instantly wished he hadn't given the order. His heart felt like it had dropped out of his chest and there was a sudden tightness in his throat. The color he had first noted out of the corner of his eye now showed itself through PEARL's magnification to be a brilliant pink belt with white detailing. He had personally removed that belt far too many times to mistake it for any other, and seeing it without its owner was a very disconcerting feeling.
"Pearl, take me over there." He wasn't sure what he was going to see, but he had to know what had happened. If there was even the slightest chance that Taric had made it through the disaster alive, he had to follow up on it.
A familiar pink glint caught his eye the moment he arrived, and he instantly tore at the dirt and debris. Moments later, he recognized the hammer he had never seen Taric without. It struck him as particularly treasonous that the gems in the hammer were so bright and full of life when their owner was nowhere in sight.
Or was he? His stomach lurched sickeningly as he noticed a pale object protruding from the earth. He had been in enough tombs and archaeological digs to recognize bone when he saw it, even when mostly covered by dirt. His head reeling, Ezreal reached out for something to hold himself steady. This proved counterproductive as his hand found its way to a smooth surface he instantly recognized as Taric's shield, abandoned and half-upright in a pile of rocks, earth, and what Ezreal knew were bones that belonged to the hand.
After he had finished losing what little was left in his stomach, he stumbled to his feet once more. He knew what he had to do now. He glanced around for a suitable object, until he finally found a stone slab perfect for his needs. "PEARL, I need to carve into this rock, okay? Not enough to go through; just enough to make a clear indentation."
"Processing request."
Soon after, he had finished. It wasn't the most eloquent of words, he decided, but it would do. He didn't have much practice in this type of thing, after all.
Here lies Taric, the Gem Knight
Never shall there be a man more
gracious in both love and friendship.
He shall be dearly missed.
Ezreal sighed, brushing away a traitorous round of tears. He glanced to the belt that had brought him here, then picked it up and pressed it to his face as though by doing so he could bring Taric back to life. After several moments he shook his head, clearing his mind momentarily.
"PEARL, start scanning for temporal disturbances like the one you sensed before I found you. Maybe there's a way out of here."
"You will be informed the moment I find one."
The voice went silent once more, leaving him to his grief. Taking one last glance at the gravestone, Ezreal wrapped the belt around his neck, fastening it tightly so he would never lose it. "Taric, I'm going to get home, I promise. I'm not going to give up on you." With that, he activated his jetpack and started off in the direction from which he had come determined to make good of his word.
