(A/N: No, I don't remember what Duma fully looks like nor do I remember what his attack patterns were in Echoes. Yes, there is a very short epilogue after this chapter.)

They walked in silence. There weren't much Mirages—after Jedah fell, it didn't look like there were any. Scenarios that the Robins had taught him replayed in Itsuki's thoughts. They could end this, saying goodbye to the Mirages again. It could take moments or hours to get to Duma and defeat him.

Itsuki wondered if they were really strong enough for this. Normally, he had faith that they would be able to overcome whatever came at them—whether it be Mirages or concert rescheduling or anything else. The silence left him with the time to think, which was probably not all that good considering what he was thinking of.

Finally, they came across something mildly resembling a dragon. Still several feet away, the dragon had one large eye and was overall huge. Judging by how Celica tensed and Alm paused to stare, Itsuki could make a guess at who it was.

"This is Duma?" Itsuki asked the two.

"Yes," Celica replied. "The end is close, now. Make sure everyone is ready—this may take a while."

Itsuki looked back at everyone else, but there was no need to repeat what Celica said. Everyone had their weapons ready, waiting for their chance to take down this final threat. He was oddly reminded of something Barry had said before they left: You're gonna be up against the final boss. Fight your best, do what you need to do, and then you can sit back and relax while the credits play.

It both made sense and it didn't. Putting it in gaming terms, this final battle could be compared to the final boss in a video game. He could, at least, say that the stress was similar. But there were greater risks—failure could result in more than a game over.

Turning back to Alm and Celica, he gave a firm nod. "We're ready," he said.

"Let's start this battle, then," Alm replied. "Me and Celica will come up from the front. The rest of you can try to sneak up from the back. It might take a long time, but the best route would be the slow and steady one."

Itsuki nodded again, and gestured for the others to follow him. Alm and Celica went in the other direction, and the area was large enough that he couldn't hear what either of them were saying—and yet, Duma took up most of the space.

Alm and Celica caught Duma's attention, and the battle began. Duma didn't even notice the Masters at first, instead focusing on Alm and Celica. After a few attacks, however, he did turn his attention to Itsuki and the others. Scattering to hide from his attacks and then reappearing a few moments after, it felt like they were just hitting wooden sticks against armor. Just enough to be obnoxious and draw attention, but not enough to do any damage.

Still, after two hours, Duma let out a growl and seemed to attack more. Two more hours, and his attacks had slowed—but he wasn't giving up quite yet. Three hours, and he started snapping, swinging his tail and talons around in an attempt to lay an attack on someone. It was getting tiring, but no one was seriously hurt (and if they were, Duma seemed more focused on the people attacking him as opposed to the people who were trying not to get hit).

By the eighth hour of fighting, Duma seemed defeated. Even though he laid on the ground, everyone still made hesitant moves to attack him—he was still alive, after all.

Itsuki walked over by Alm, who was standing by Duma's head.

"We'll need your sword to put him to rest," Alm said as soon as Itsuki was close enough. "After that, all hostile Mirages summoned by Duma should be gone. Me and Celica will return to our world, as well."

Itsuki nodded, and walked up to the massive dragon. Then, he plunged his sword down.

…

Unlike their walk to Duma, their walk back to Fortuna was much more cheery. They had defeated not one dragon, but two—bragging rights they could only share under a fictional context, yet bragging rights nonetheless.

Everyone was waiting for them in the Bloom Palace. The Mirages were happy, and Maiko was quick to ask them for the exact details; the Masters and Mirages even quicker to explain every last thing that happened, from when they left Fortuna to the present.

Everyone but Itsuki left to get some much-needed rest, but he wanted to stay with the Mirages a bit longer.

Tiki came up to him, her bright smile faltering and revealing a bit of sadness. Her voice, when she spoke, held the same emotions. "We'll be leaving by tomorrow," she announced.

"So soon?" Itsuki asked, a bit disappointed.

"Alm and Celica want to go back as soon as possible, and everyone else wants to make sure that no one in our world is hurt," Tiki explained. Her sad smile was instantly replaced by another, genuine one. "But don't worry! We'll come visit, I promise. I'm still going to do that concert!"

Itsuki found himself smiling and laughed a bit. "I'll make the needed preparations, then."

Tiki giggled as well, giving him a small wave. "Well, goodbye for now, big brother." She headed back to the other Mirages, who seemed to be making preparations to leave.