Iris.

She heard the name, and at first did not even recognize it as her own. It passed through her mind like a ghost, fleeting and intangible and bewildering.

Iris.

It was more insistent now, and this time it did not merely flit through, but instead flung itself across her consciousness and latched on. Coming to awareness, she found nothing but darkness and an unusual warmth like that of a summer breeze enveloping her.

Am I dead? As the words escaped her, she realized she could not determine exactly how they did so: she took no breath, felt no movement of her lips, no vibration of her throat. Indeed, though she sensed the warmth surrounding her, it puzzled her, as an attempt to wiggle her fingers or shift her arms went unheeded by phantom limbs.

No. Open your eyes.

Willing herself to comply, her vision flooded with bright light, and with it came a noisy rush of air into her lungs. The world amid the light was blurry, disorienting. She blinked again and again, pressing her lids firmly shut each time, warm tears pouring over her cold cheeks.

Finally, the light softened, and her surroundings came into focus and took shape. Around her, the sky stretched endlessly, a vast pool of glimmering stars splashed against deep, ocean blue. The silver shimmer of the moon bathed her in light, and looking down she found the dark, malevolent metal of the Oblivion was gone. Her body was swathed in gleaming white silk flowing over her like water, her bare feet peeking out from beneath it, and below them, darkness.

She struggled to focus her eyes, finding fuzzy swatches of color in the shadows. They seemed to engorge, and all at once she realized that she was descending into them. The shadows revealed themselves as trees, dark foliage flecked with slumbering blossoms. Shifting her gaze back to the sky and turning her head, she caught the distinct silhouette of Mount Fuji stretched across the horizon.

Aokigahara. It occurred to her briefly that perhaps she should have been frightened, but as her feet and legs submerged into the forest's darkness an overwhelming calm remained. She passed through the gnarled, black branches unscathed, and her eyes moved to her feet as they came to touch the ground.

"Iris!"

She knew that voice. Warm, strong, and tinged with unbridled joy, it preceded pounding footsteps and a bolt of burnt orange glowing against the forest's shadows. Seconds later, she was swept up in a powerful embrace, feet effortlessly lifted from the mossy ground.

Kento hugged the diminutive body against his, whirling around on his heels with the woman in his arms. Hearing the small laugh she released made his heart jump.

"Hey, hey, easy," Sage chastised, "she could be hurt!"

Hardrock quickly but tenderly placed Iris back on her feet, stepping back to place her at arm's length and examine her. In her peripheral, she saw the flashes of familiar colors: red, cobalt, emerald, aqua. Ryo, Rowen, Sage and Cye moved to join them. Her gaze moved across each of their faces in turn, and finally a relieved smile and breathless laugh cracked across her face. The smallest sparkle of tears in her eyes mirrored those now threatening the five of them as well.

Kento's lip trembled before he moved in to embrace her again, this time joined by his friends who enveloped the caretaker in their arms. She managed to worm her arms out of the hug, tenderly cupping each of their heads in turn and pressing a kiss to their faces.

As the warriors relinquished their hold on her, Iris caught glimpse of the other figures lurking among the trees with them. A rough, rugged looking man with wild blue hair and a pallid, green-haired man each knelt on one knee in the grass. Had she not recognized the armors they were wearing, she most certainly would not have known who they were, their exposed visages unfamiliar. But gazing on them long enough now she also saw the deep, cross-shaped scar and beady, purple-lidded eyes she could pinpoint as belonging to Cale and Sekhmet.

Her eyes followed them to find Dais, once again in his trademark magenta armor, wavy silver locks catching the scant moonlight piercing the trees. He was seated fully on his knees, and as she squinted to discern his figure, her blood ran cold. Two dark, dusky indigo legs stretched out from across his lap.

Iris pushed out of the Ronins' arms and past them, feet light across the mossy forest floor as she ran to Dais. Her heart thundered in her chest as she approached, Sekhmet and Cale looking up before bowing their heads quietly to her; in his arms, the Warlord of Illusion cradled Anubis. Auburn hair clung erratically to his pale face. Ashen lips hung slightly agape. She watched and waited for the brown coat to rise with his breath, but none came.

Her vision blurred with tears as she sank to her knees at his side. Dais's eye moved up to watch her momentarily, his gaze softening. Quietly, he reached out to offer the man's body to her, surrendering him to her arms and backing up to rise on one knee and bow his head.

"This isn't what you promised me." It was the smallest whimper, barely audible as it rasped past the woman's lips. Iris reached her fingers up to tenderly brush the errant hairs away from Anubis's face, its lifeless chill threatening to rob her of breath entirely. "You said you would never leave me again."

Cye pressed his curled fingers against his lips and closed his eyes. Kento's brows furrowed and he willed himself to turn away, his heart wrenched against his ribs. Ryo struggled to swallow the tightened lump in his throat, and looking to his friends he found Rowen's lowered head and even Sage's stoic face marked with tears.

A faint, metallic jingling stirred their attention away. A glimmer within the darkness, and just as abruptly, the familiar figure of the Ancient One emerged, glowing ethereally among the shadows. Though he tried, Ryo found himself unable to will his voice to speak; he simply parted his lips and lingered wordlessly before pressing them shut again.

"Ronin Warriors," the monk declared, "you did it. Talpa and his evil Dynasty are no more. It is my honor to stand among you."

He saw the attempts at smiles that flickered across their faces, but the melancholy was undeniable. He gently tipped his hat in acknowledgment to them, then walked forward through them toward the Warlords.

As he approached, Dais, Cale, and Sekhmet rose slowly to their feet and turned to meet him. Words failed them as they gazed on the monk, who merely offered a soft smile in return.

"You are free." He paused to observe them. "Your armors have been cleansed of Talpa's wickedness. Perhaps now you can discover their true purpose. Protector, healer, peacemaker." The Ancient nodded to Cale, Sekhmet, and Dais in turn as he spoke.

"But what do we do now?" Cale inquired slowly.

"Yes, what happens to us without the Dynasty?" Sekhmet added.

"You now have a choice to make," the monk replied. "To return to the Nether Realm, or to remain here in the mortal world."

"The modern world would never accept us," the serpent confessed quietly.

"The Nether Realm will require protection. To ensure that no other such as Talpa rises to power again."

"Then I will return to it," Cale affirmed.

"As will I," Sekhmet echoed.

The monk's head shifted to acknowledge Dais. He was silent for a long moment, and slowly he turned his head over his shoulder to peer behind him. Catching only glimpse of Iris's figure in his peripheral, he returned his attention to the monk.

"I choose the mortal world."

He saw the slight turn of his former comrades' heads, though he easily ignored them. The Ancient seemed only to nod knowingly.

The rings of his staff reverberated, and silently he reached his arm out to offer the talisman to Sekhmet. The serpent's brows furrowed, but finally he obliged, fingers coiling around the staff as the Ancient surrendered it to him. A vivid flash cut through the forest's shadows, and the monk now revealed the glimmering golden sword that had defeated the demon emperor. He brought its blade to rest across his open palm and offered it wordlessly to Cale. The Warlord's eyes skimmed the mighty sword before his hands cautiously lifted to meet it, and its wielder withdrew his own hands.

"The staff and sword of the Ancients will help you in your endeavor," he stated. "Allow their light to guide you."

The men respectfully bowed at their waists to him. He took a step forward, coming nearly nose-to-nose with Dais. Instead of addressing him, however, he merely nodded his head. Dais accepted the gesture and stepped aside, revealing Iris behind him.

The Ancient One took a moment to study her. She had cradled Anubis against her now, his temple rested on her chest as she rocked slightly back and forth. A soft hand lovingly stroked his hair as if comforting a child, her free hand clasping one of his. Her breath escaped as occasional, brief sobs, drawn in through quivering lips, and her eyes had not budged from her husband's face.

The monk lowered to his knees at Anubis's free side.

"Iris." She made no move to acknowledge him, and an empathetic smile came across his lips. "Svnoyi." The name was spoken with a tenderness that finally coaxed her to look up, exposing a rosy, tear-streaked face. So much pain. "You destroyed Talpa. You saved humanity." Awe and admiration punctuated his words. His hand rose from his side and came to rest on her hand holding Anubis's as it lay against his chest. "But it came at great cost."

He paused as a pained, guttural cry cracked through her teeth. The sound of something so deeply broken it could never be repaired. "You have given so much more than should have ever been asked of you." Her head lowered and her eyes clenched shut as she struggled to stifle herself. "I can never truly repay you for all you have done. But there is one final exchange I can offer."

The Ancient One's free hand reached up and his fingers came to rest under her chin, gently lifting it. He leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her forehead. "Thank you, old friend."

A comforting warmth flooded the chilled forest air. For a brief moment, the mossy stench of the earth vanished, overtaken by the sweet scent of cherry blossoms. Threads of gold glimmered and spread through the monk's robe, rapidly growing until he was illuminated entirely in a bright glow; its intensity forced all those present to close and shield their eyes.

Just as abruptly, the light dissipated, and the forest was plunged back into darkness. Opening their eyes and squinting to help them adjust, the warriors found themselves alone in the clearing, the Ancient's spectral form now absent.

Iris's lips trembled and she managed a small, sharp breath as she searched the immediate darkness for the monk. A scattering of soft pink blossoms was all that remained, strewn across the mossy soil. The blooms swiftly withered, blackened, and curled up.

She felt the smallest twitch beneath her fingers. Furrowed brows looked down to her hand, certain she had only imagined it. But another twitch followed, the tips of Anubis's fingers shifting in her grasp. There was a sudden gasp, gurgling and cracking as if breaking through lungs full of water. His lids fluttered, struggling to open, but soon she saw the deep, ocean green sparkle of his eyes.

He let his gaze shift around the darkness before settling on her. As the fog obscuring his mind parted, he felt the warmth of her fingers as they held his, and he offered them a small squeeze. He felt cold, almost numb, but recognized the slow beating of a heart that seemed to skip and bound erratically in his chest before growing constant. "Iris?"

The name brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes, quickly spilling over her streaked, flush cheeks. A confused but overjoyed sob escaped the woman and she released his hand to wrap her arm around him, pressing him into her body.

The Ronins took a few small steps forward, craning their heads to decipher the commotion. It was Ryo who first saw the Warlord's feet shift, and finally he appeared as though life had been breathed into him fully as he reached his arms up to embrace his wife.

"He's alive," Wildfire confirmed.

"The Ancient," Rowen murmured, "he must have given his life to trade for Anubis."

A forlorn silence settled heavy on the men as the realization struck.

"A sacrifice worth making." Cye's gentle voice broke the stillness. "That's what he always said, isn't it?" Returning their gaze across the trees, Iris had helped Anubis into a seated position, her arms wrapped desperately around his as if he might disappear if she let go. She wept freely now, every pent up emotion spilling over to rack her body as her husband hugged her tenderly against himself.

"You're right," Sage agreed, nodding slowly.

Cale knelt before Anubis, who gently patted Iris's back to gather her attention. Drawing back from him, she turned to face the jackal, and Sekhmet knelt to join him.

"My lady," Cale said, bowing his head respectfully. It was a greeting that brought her to tilt her head, bewildered by its civility.

"You have the heart of a true warrior," Sekhmet acknowledged, "and you have saved us all."

"This is where we leave you, my friend." Cale's gaze moved to Anubis. "We shall return to the Nether Realm, and see to it that this threat does not come again."

Anubis nodded. "Perhaps we will meet again, in another lifetime."

"May that be many long years in the future." Sekhmet offered a soft expression and a hand to his former comrade, a gesture that was kindly returned and then exchanged with Cale.

Iris suddenly looked around as a thought crossed her. Finding Dais standing a few steps away, she carefully got to her feet and walked to meet him. Their eyes met wordlessly, and in hers he saw a slight melancholy. She reached her hands out to him, palms up. His own ivory hands stretched out to meet them.

"I have chosen the mortal realm." His voice was resolute, and the change in her face was almost immediate as her eyes lit up. "If you will have me." Her reply came without a word, her hands releasing his to allow her arms to coil fully around his shoulders. The hug was sincerely, if awkwardly, returned.

The Ronins had joined them now, and Cale and Sekhmet turned to greet them. Their exchange was brief, respectful nods and only five parting words:

"Be vigilant," Cale remarked.

"Farewell, Ronin Warriors." Sekhmet raised his staff, the rings vibrating and ringing softly. The landscape seemed to warp around them, and abruptly they were gone, a brief glimmer like stars lingering in their place before vaporizing entirely.

"So what happened to the Oblivion?" Kento's question came slowly, cautiously.

"It's gone." Iris's reply left no doubt.

"You're sure?"

"I can feel it," she confirmed. There was a soft smile, but a tinge of sad longing lingered in it. Her eyes moved across the dark, shadowy trees, previously the heart of her armor. "There's no more darkness, no emptiness in this place now."

"So you're mortal again," Rowen deduced.

The words hung on the air in a haunting stillness. Anubis rose slowly to his feet, his steps still wavering and unsteady as he limped to his wife's side and brushing his fingers gently down her arm. Iris looked down at his hand before curling her fingers around it, and this time the smile that came across her face had no looming melancholy beneath it.

"A second chance at a normal life."