((This chapter is told in third person, not in Darian's perspective.))

EPILOG: RETURN TO A NEW TOMORROW

When Kaede awoke, he was surrounded by a powerful radiant light. He basked in the warmth of the light feeling healed of all his wounds. For the first time in a long while, he was at peace.

From the intensive light, the figure of a silver dragon, with a long slender snake like body, appeared before him. "Kaede..." It said in the most melodious voice he had ever heard. "How are you faring?"

"Who are you?" Kaede asked nervously.

"I am Cathriana." The dragon's voice replied with gentle tenderness. "I am the one who summoned the Warrior of Light."

Kaede bowed his head and said shamefully. He muttered, "I...Please forgive me..."

"You are not the one who should be begging for forgiveness. I am the one who asks for yours."

He was taken aback. Why would a great deity ask for his forgiveness, especially one that was supposed to be his enemy? "Why? I was the one who was destined to end the world. I was the one fate chose as the Bringer of Chaos."

"There is no such thing as fate and no one has a predetermined destiny." Cathriana replied sourly, as if simply speaking the words 'fate' and 'destiny' were nothing but an ill burden. "Fate, by human terms, is nothing more than the supposed "plans" we deities create. We have no plans."

"I don't understand." Kaede admitted.

"I did not plan for you to be Bringer of Chaos no more than I wanted Darian as the Warrior of Light. Every human being is in control of their own destiny, a word that is mistaken as a life guided by the divine."

"Are you telling me Darian and I were not 'destined' to be the Warrior of Light, and the Bringer of Chaos? You didn't select us at the beginning of our lives and decide that was the path we would take? And please, tell me why you were trying to apologize to me."

"I'm sorry for what had happened to you." She said. "I could not prevent the Demon King from taking you. I should have done my best, but I only saved one life the day you were selected."

"Then, that means..."

"You do not have to continue living your life believing you are a monster. You were never meant to be the Bringer of Chaos. Return to your era and live in peace."

"My era?"

"You're home, child. You can go home now."

The light began to fade and he found himself in the busy streets of a city. His home. People walked by him as they went about there normal lives. A few people bumped into him while they talked on their cell phones. He took in the sights around him in disbelief. It can't be! He dashed along the side walk, pushing aside anyone who got in his way. He made his way to an empty ally way and fell to his knees. "My world, and the other world...They're the same? I was spirited away to the past?"

"That is correct." Cathriana replied. Her enormous body hovered above the city, but only Kaede was able to see her. "Welcome home."

Kaede's gaze shifted to the ground and he began to sob. "It doesn't matter if I go back now. I can never be whole again. Not without Echo..."

"You must not dwell on the harsh times. Remember only the pleasant ones." Cathriana said.

"I can't look back on those without remembering all the horrible things I had done." He choked back tears. "Why did the Demon King chose me to be the Bringer of Chaos?"

"Because I stopped him from getting his first choice." Cathriana said. Kaede pushed himself up and turned to her once more. "What do you mean?"

Cathriana chuckled, but sorrow traced through the laughter. "Care to know a secret, Kaede?"

"A secret?"

She nodded. "One that I wouldn't reveal to anyone before. Darian was not the one who was originally chosen as the Warrior of Light."

"She wasn't?"

"No..." She said somberly. "The Demon King wished to summon a being from the future and have that being restore him to power. I knew of his intentions and I waited to see whom he would choose. I was shocked when I saw him reach for one particular child, whom had a great amount of darkness built up within their heart.

I knew I couldn't allow him to select this child as his warrior. In order to prevent Fomortiis from obtaining his first choice, I had to shield the one he was after with my own power. In doing so, that person became my Warrior of Salvation. Darian was originally...going to be summoned by the Demon King to be his Bringer of Chaos."

Kaede shook his head. He couldn't believe it. She was supposed to be the one to end the world? "But how? Why?" He asked.

"It is as I said; Darian had much darkness built up in her heart. If you were to know her from this world, you would realize she was completely different person. The Demon King saw her hate and despair and chose her to be the Bringer of Chaos. I managed to ward him off before he could select her, for if she were to be the End Bringer..."

"What would happen?"

"Darian's darkness would crush this world. Kaede, you were by far more pure of heart than she. You were the perfect candidate to be corrupted. I couldn't defend you, for I protected Darian in order to save this world. For that, I am terribly sorry."

Kaede felt bad for it, but he was quiet happy to hear this. He wasn't the first candidate to be Fomortiis's chosen one. But to think that Darian was supposed to be… That was hard to believe. "Why would you want someone like that to be the Warrior of Salvation?" He asked.

"By wiping her memories, she would become someone else entirely. Her past was forgotten, thus she had no reason to hate. There was one other reason that both the Demon King and I targeted her. She had an ability that few humans her age have; to be able to kill and feel no remorse."

Kaede cringed. He had seen her in battle before and seen how she could tear her opponents apart and not seem to care at all. But he wouldn't have guessed that she didn't care about taking a life. "How could she be able to do that? I went to bed every night feeling awful about killing someone."

"It is as I said before. Her darkness is powerful, so powerful to where she had no longer cared about the lives of others. Most humans didn't matter to her... Luckily, she managed to keep that ability even after removing her memories. It is a horrible reason, but that is another reason I wished to have her as my warrior. The last person I had sent to the past didn't have that ability and it took him a while to adjust to it."

"Me and Darian weren't the only ones you sent to the past?"

"I sent one other person into another era. That human played an important part in changing the coarse of history. Had he and his comrades not succeeded, we would be living in a different world entirely. He returned to the present when his task was complete, just as you did. Although, it will soon be for nothing..."

"Why is that, Cathriana?" Kaede asked. A few people gave him odd glances as they passed by him. They would turn to see what he was talking to, but they couldn't see the radiant dragon in the sky. Kaede hadn't even noticed the odd looks he was receiving.

"A darkness is growing in the present time." She explained. "This very instant, the past is being rediscovered and soon, an ancient evil will be free to walk the earth."

"Fomortiis?"

"He and many others. Monsters, dragons, and more."

Kaede reached into his pocket and found his Dragonstone. It was nearly identical to Darian's but his was a transparent black color with a red cross in the center. He held it tightly in his hand. "As long as I wield a sword and take dragon form, I will do everything in my power to prevent this darkness from spreading."

Cathriana smiled and her massive body began to disappear into the heavens. "You will not be alone." Her voice echoed through Kaede's mind. "Heroes of the past and present shall come together to defeat this growing evil."

Kaede stood there for a few minutes. His memories flooded back into him and he could recall the life he had in both the present world and the past world. He glanced at the Dragonstone in his hand then to the spot in the sky Cathriana had been.

I will repent for the sins I committed in the past by fighting for the future. He thought to himself as he began the walk back to his home, an apartment building in within the capital of Frelia.

Echo... He remembered the one person he had ever truly loved. The little Sage girl, Echo. For you, I shall live every day with the memories of you. I can never love another the way I loved you, but I have a feeling you are still watching over me from a better place. We'll meet again, I know it.

Wait for me, my love.

THE END

(( God! Can you believe it? I actually finished this story. It's been a long journey, but Legacy of Chaos has finally come to it's end. I'm going to go celebrate now. Until reality hits me that I still have a sequel to write. As I'm sure you can guess from the epilog, there is going to be a sequel. One that combines FE 7, 8, 9/10. Hope to see you soon in Generation of Unity.))