Chapter 24: Calm Before the Storm

Later that night after everyone had gotten some much needed food, water, and rest, the entire council met in the war room.

For some reason, Tabby had a feeling this would be the final time they met before someone lost this fight. Whether it would be Olivier or Tabby and her friends…that was too early to tell.

"Thank you for joining me, my friends," Nerevor began. "To begin, Griffin has a security report on the ward. If you would, Griffin."

Griffin stirred in his chair, bleary-eyed but still sitting up straight. "The watch hasn't seen anything unusual in the tactical sense. After you blew away the opposition earlier, they haven't tried to push the ward at all. However, we've been watching some of the trucks surrounding the big building where they've been building…whatever it is. Some of them have moved, and they're starting to travel down the line. All of the watchtowers and scouts confirm that they're moving parallel to the ward we've put up."

Vanessa scowled and shook her head. "Why do I have a feeling that this is one of the final moves before the endgame?"

"It is," Floyd said. "Hale seemed confident that the bomb is almost complete. I think Olivier is setting herself up to be in a position where she can't lose…or at least, a position where she controls everything."

Griffin snorted. "Then she's almost gotten what she wants. While you three were gone, reporters started coming in from outside the city, through the southern gate. Olivier's slowly turning the press on her side."

"Making us look like the bad guys," Tabby finished. "Arceus, she's going to have the entire country against us by the time this is over."

"Let us handle one problem at a time," Nerevor said as he raised his hands. "Do any of you have any speculations as to what Olivier may be building?"

Zero chuckled. "You mean does Floyd have any speculations?"

No one agreed, but no one disagreed either. Slowly, everyone around the table turned to look at him, though he remained impassive. "I will go and scout tonight. Maybe I can give us a bit of warning."

Nerevor nodded. "Very good. Now we will come to the subject of the bomb. Will the three of you fill in Griffin and Zero as to what you learned from Hale?" They did so, Griffin and Zero sharing nervous glances throughout the story.

"A few days, then," Griffin said. "I guess it wasn't a bluff."

"And the fact that he thinks Corinth and Olivier really can beat us," Zero started. He sucked in air through his teeth. "Sounds pretty bad to me."

"We did manage to bring back a variety of spells and tomes that will help us," Vanessa said. "They're mostly for the Ground and Fire magi, as the Elites will be more susceptible to those types of magic than anything, being undead."

Zero shrugged. "I mean, cool, but it doesn't change the fact that Floyd's the only one that can kill 'em."

Tabby made eye contact with Ren from across the table, and before Tabby could even wordlessly threaten her, Ren began to speak. "Oh, so Tabby didn't tell you? You must not want all the credit then. I get it though. You're too young for everyone to be kissing the very stones where you walk and—"

"What she's trying to say," Floyd interrupted, "is that Tabby figured out how to punch through the enchantments on the Elite Guard armor. It's just a matter of teaching your other initiates."

Even Nerevor looked surprised as he turned towards her, hope glimmering in his blue eyes. "Well, uh," Tabby stammered, starting off strong. "It's just…I mean, Regigigas was the one who used Brick Break—"

"Which most people wouldn't have figured out on their own," Vanessa added with a smile.

"Well…I…point is, yeah I figured it out. It's just a layer of Reflect, Light Screen, and Aurora Veil wrapped so tightly that we couldn't discern it. I don't know how we missed it the first time to be honest." Tabby quickly realized how condescending that sounded and sputtered. "I mean…not to say anything…ah, man…"

Nerevor boomed out a laugh, causing everyone to glance at him with amused looks on their faces.

"You're right, Tabby," Griffin said, a pleased expression on his face. "We shouldn't have missed it the first time. You've clearly become smarter and stronger. We're proud of you, kid."

"Yes," Nerevor said after he'd mastered himself. "And I would assume that you used a Defog strong enough to break those wards? That means you are now proficient at the very least in two types of magic. Well done, well done indeed."

Tabby felt her face flush with heat, and she couldn't keep the stupid smile from creeping up on her face from the compliments. Nerevor's was one thing, but she'd always looked up to Griffin for staying strong during the hard times. That compliment made her feel…accomplished.

She still gave Ren the stink eye for putting her in the spotlight like that though.

"With this in mind, I will instruct that every fighting mage is to be accompanied by a Pokemon or Flying type expert capable of using Defog wherever Elite Guards are likely to be present." Nerevor looked at Zero. "Now, my friend…tell us about your evacuation plan."

"Right," Zero said, standing up and leaning over the model map of Snowpoint. "Alright, so listen. Nobody here likes the Southern Quarter. I mean, they were rude, lots of 'em are anti-magic, blah blah blah. Problem is, I'm from the Southern Quarter. Got family down there and not everyone down there is bad. They just get lumped in with all the bad eggs. So especially with this new info from you guys, I think we gotta get everyone here and everyone from down there out before it's too late."

"Out?" Tabby asked. "We can't exactly take them out the southern gate, no way Olivier would let her hostages go that easily."

"Mmmmaybe not," Zero admitted, "but something Nerevor said got me thinking…what if we didn't use the land?"

Vanessa snapped her fingers. "The boats."

Zero nodded. "For our out-of-universe friend here, there's a boat that stays in our port called the S.S Spiral. It'll take you to the Battle Zone 'cause the ocean currents to the east are way too rough to even try to surf on."

"If we could get civilians, sick, and wounded on that boat, we'd be talking about way lower stakes during the fight," Griffin said. "And…and if need be, we could abandon the city safely if it comes down to it."

"It'd be tough," Vanessa said. "There are about million people here in Snowpoint. We can tell our people to get out easily enough, but what about the Southern Quarter? To say nothing of the East and West."

"Leave that to me," Zero said. "They've got a soft spot for me…kinda. They'll listen."

"And if they don't?"

Zero shook his head sadly.

Vanessa sighed. "I guess that's the best we'll be able to do."

"With luck, we won't have to evacuate," Nerevor said. "But your plan is a good one Zero. This coincides with our last strategy. Vanessa."

"Right," Vanessa said. "From what I've been told, the bulk of Olivier's army and the Liberated are here, right in front of us to keep us from leaving. If anyone opens that barrier and tries to storm through, there's going to be casualties on both sides. I suggest that instead of trying to go through them, we go around them."

"How?" Floyd asked. "I thought the ward only extends out a certain distance from the Northern Quarter. They'll have patrols out around the borders."

"They will," Vanessa said, "but I doubt they'll be underground."

Silence filled the room as one-by-one, they all grasped her plan.

"That…could work," Ren said slowly. "Dig a tunnel under them, pop up behind them and take them all unawares."

"It's certainly an aggressive strategy," Griffin said, frowning.

"It is," Nerevor agreed, "which is why it is our best strategy. Corinth's betrayal made me realize that I have a habit of not beginning the fight when I should. Even with this ward, I merely boxed us in and allowed the enemy to strike at their leisure. Olivier will not expect me or any of you to risk the entire conflict at the throw of the dice."

Floyd nodded. "The best type of punch is one your enemy doesn't see coming. But as soon as Olivier realizes what's happening, she'll try to stop you. I don't think she necessarily wants to blow up Snowpoint City; Hale made it sound like her plan is to dominate Snowpoint, to reshape it using a nuclear deterrent as leverage. If she can, she'll storm down from Central Tower and kill you all herself if that's the easier option."

Ren grinned. "And this is the part where we say 'Don't worry, we got this'."

"The day this all goes down, you'll have to fight without me," Floyd said. "Ren, Onyx and I will go to fight Olivier alone."

Immediately, Tabby heard herself, Vanessa, and Zero protest, while Griffin and Nerevor stayed silent, glancing worriedly towards Floyd and Ren. Floyd let them all voice their (rather loud) sentiments, then took a deep breath. "I know it sounds crazy. But Olivier's Plate is the Ghost Plate. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Dark is super-effective against Ghost, right? I have two powerful Dark types on my team now, to say nothing about my own powers. If I can restrain or cut Olivier down, the whole thing ends, period." He pointed at both Tabby and Vanessa. "The two of you saw the hidden message in Regigigas' chamber. All of the types are connected by my type of power. It won't make any sense to send anyone else. The most you'll do is get in the way."

"No we won't!" Tabby exclaimed, standing up. "We ran straight through Snowpoint Temple together! You'll need all hands on deck and we—"

"Tabby," Nerevor said.

"No! He can't—"

"Tabitha," Nerevor repeated, a warning this time. Tabby bit her lip in frustration but sat down. "Mr. Floyd, we appreciate your volunteering to go by yourselves, but do you honestly believe you can defeat her? I imagined you would have many of us beside you when the time came."

Ren shrugged. "It makes the most sense. Like we've been saying, we've killed things a lot more dangerous than some roided-up tramp with a god complex. We'll be fine." Floyd nodded in agreement, and the argument was officially lost on Tabby's side.

"Moron," she muttered under her breath.

"Before we adjourn," Nerevor said, "Mr. Floyd, what is the status on the flight system of your car? I must say, the prospect of a flying car with that armor plating would be useful for deterring crowds from forming."

Floyd shook his head. "I know how to fix it, but we can't. Just like how our steel is different from the steel here, so are the materials and technologies. The things I need to replace the parts literally don't exist yet."

Ren frowned. "What's broken, Boss?"

"The basic hovering system and some of the flight drive's cooling."

"Buuuuut not the thrusters?"

"No." Now it was his turn to frown. "Why?"

"Yo, Griffin," Ren said, and the man arched his eyebrow, nonplussed. "You know Olivier's legion of Magnemites and Magnetons and Magnezones? Have any of them been shot down recently?"

"I suppose it's possible," Griffin said with a shrug. "Why?"

"Put up a bounty offering money to anyone who can shoot down at least…mm, four of any Pokemon in the Magnezone evolutionary line and bring back the, er, scrap. I've got an idea. Boss, you'll have to scout without me."

"That's fine," Floyd said. "Are we done here?"

No one had anything else to offer, and the meeting was adjourned.

###

Floyd dipped into the night to scout.

The enemy was incredibly lax, to the point that Floyd was sure he probably could have infiltrated their setup on foot if he'd really wanted to. Many of them had put down weapons or put Pokemon back in their Pokeballs for the night instead of leaving them on watch. He saw many card games, many easy sleepers, and many opportunities to ravage the army.

He took none of them.

Because even a single alarm would bring the entire stock of Elite Guards crashing on his head.

There were likely more than what Nerevor had seen since they'd been gone at the temple. They always moved in groups to one position, stopped, then went completely still despite the abysmal chill of the night. Being undead likely had its advantages. Sometimes the Liberated would speak to them, and they also wisely moved in packs, especially when approaching the armored soldiers. The Elites always answered in that buzzing, droning voice, not a hint of emotion in any of their words.

Floyd left them alone, though he tried to get a rough headcount of the enemy. Unfortunately, he didn't have nearly enough time in the night. He didn't dare fly or do anything that required the use of his power. The Elites would sense it, to say nothing of the Liberated. So he silently prowled the deserted rooftops above the enemy camp, leaping into the empty sky and gliding silently through the night when patrols stepped from the roof exits to gaze out. The wraithcloth cloak turned their eyes from so far away, and anything they saw, they'd chalk up to a trick of the light. By the time they'd double take, Floyd would already be miles away. He made it out of the militarized zone and zipped to the top of the tallest building he could find, gazing at the distant specks of Olivier's army and the Northern Quarter all together.

Sanctuary was beautiful, in a way. The ward surrounding it was mostly invisible, but at the very tops where the clouds began to form, a pink glow filled the deep black of the night sky, giving the impression of an aurora rippling across the sky. The quiet was also beautiful, but terrifying. It was the calm before the storm, the pressure that metal undergoes in the final moments before it's bent too far and finally snaps.

Bomb or not, the relatively quick siege would be ending very, very soon.

He tapped the temple of his helmet, the lenses zooming in. He watched the border of the ward, tracking several vehicles that chugged along even throughout the night. They were large trucks with tarps over their large backs; likely they were stocked to the brim with troops just in case; patrol cars. There were also strange motorcycle-looking devices…though they weren't…?

Floyd sighed, suddenly thankful Ren wasn't here.

The vehicles were speeder bikes. Floyd recognized them instantly from the sounds they made. A few of them passed him far, far below to race back to Central, and their high-pitched whines sent him reeling back to the few bright spots of his childhood when he'd grown up watching the Star Wars movies.

That didn't matter though, because Floyd saw something else along the border. A truck that was much different to the other patrol trucks had stopped, guarded by a few men who stood shivering out in the cold. An arm raised above itself, reached into the bin it carried on its back and inserted a glowing…something into the ground. It was a metal disc about as large as Vanessa's Excadrill made of black metal with blinking blue lights fitted into the edges. He barely managed to take pictures of it before it was forcibly screwed into the ground and packed away beneath the earth.

Floyd was willing to bet that if he asked the men in the watchtowers, they'd confirm that the same types of trucks were the ones driving up and down the border. But why? Were the devices explosives, perhaps? Something to open up a hole in the ground for the army to get through? That could work; it was just be the flipside of their own plans. But why would Olivier do it out in the open? To bait a response?

The answer came to him as he sat crouched upon the edge of his building, the wind tugging at his cloak.

It was all for show.

With the media presence, Olivier couldn't afford to look like the bad guy lest the Pokemon League come falling on her head. Something like this was more or less a hostage situation, and the best way to control a hostage situation was to play for time. There was no way that Olivier would be able to starve them out, but if she could force them to stay where she wanted while she built up her army even more, or worse, managed to perfect her little bomb beneath the Hub…well, she'd have all the power she'd ever need.

He called Ren through the car's phone, and luckily she responded near instantly. "Your favorite Absol is now on the line, speak and be heard," she chirped.

"You sound cheery," Floyd remarked, smiling behind his mask.

"Oh, I am," Ren said. "I really think my idea is gonna work, so long as Griffin gets me what I need. Speaking of needs, what're you calling for?"

"I need you to tell the others Olivier is preparing a circumvallation forcefield outside of the ward."

He could almost hear Ren frowning as the gears turned in her head. "Hold on, why would she do that?"

"She wants us where she can keep an eye on us and starve us out to the public," Floyd answered. "It won't work, but it'll go a long way in making her look like the good guy."

"So how do we beat it?"

"We'll keep to Vanessa's plan," Floyd said. "I have a feeling the things they're putting into the ground are…diodes, I suppose. If you take one out…"

"The whole thing falls apart," Ren finished. "Well, alright. Do try to get back inside before they put it up though. I'd hate for you to catch a cold sleeping outside."

Floyd chuckled. "Love you, princess."

"Love you too, Boss."

The call ended and Floyd turned his attention towards his last stop before he could go back and get some more rest: a large radio tower of steel that towered over the majority of the buildings, its edges blinking with red lights in the night.

###

Tabby woke up three times that night.

The first was when Ren had burst through the door and loudly exclaimed at 1 in the morning that Olivier was creating a massive forcefield to let them out on her own terms. Tabby, who had been slobbering over her open tomes for almost an hour, only half-heard her and went back to sleep, too tired and over-worked to care about much else.

The second was when Floyd arrived back from his scouting trip and let her know he was back safe. That had made her feel better, and she drifted into a deeper sleep than she had earlier.

The last was when her entire room began to shake, knocking one of her potted plants and a few picture frames to the floor with a crash.

Her eyes snapped open, and flames swirled to life around her hands. Blitz, who'd passed out on the couch, leapt up on all fours sensing her distress and scanned the room.

It was coming from outside their room, not from inside.

The two of them ran to the front entrance of Sanctuary and onto the street, along with almost the entire residency of Sanctuary not on watch. Just like before, a dome of light, blue this time, shot up from just outside Nerevor's ward, arching up a little bit higher than his too. The sheer volume of energy caused the earth to moan a rumbling song that shook the foundations of the buildings and put all of the hairs on Tabby's body on edge. As every tendril of energy reached the peak of the dome, the rumbling subsided, a blue tinge filling the remnants of the Northern Quarter.

"We're trapped," a man mumbled next to her. "We're…we're doomed."

"Not entirely!" Nerevor's voice boomed over the large crowd. Every head swiveled to meet his eyes at the top of the steps to the entrance. "Every fighting man, woman and Pokemon is to meet inside for a war council! Olivier has made the last mistake of her weak siege! Come, my friends! Let us fight!"

###

The shield was up.

Olivier made her assistant repeat the words three times over before she truly believed it, and even then, she had to see it to believe it. The dome of blue energy had completely encircled Nerevor's ward, effectively beating them at their own game. If they wanted to remove the diodes, they'd have to come out from their little hideaway and expose themselves far too much to her forces. From there, Olivier could claim it was an attack and pick them off at her leisure.

And, the shadow whispered inside of her, it would give her more opportunities to increase her powers.

She was filled with such glee that she didn't even bother to hide the shadows away. They expanded over her quarters like a Scyther ready to lunge on prey, hounding for blood.

"Do not worry," Olivier whispered to herself, "there will be all the blood you want and then some."

A mad grin split her face, one that widened as she checked her computer for the day and saw the message from one of her top engineers.

"Have a car ready at the base of the tower," Olivier said into her intercom. "I want to be at the Hub in thirty minutes."

She swept off to change into her most prolific wear, both to impress and dress for her role as Governor once again. The media would be out in full force today, and one had to keep up appearances.

Just for a little longer.

Her crazed laugh bounced off the walls of her bedroom as she began to change.

###

Sanctuary was in uproar.

Some people were shouting about how this was the end, how Arceus had forsaken them and they were all going to die very, very soon. Others tried to calm those people down by shouting over them, which lead to a whole lot of shouting for no goddamned reason.

There was a darker undertone to all of the shouting, radiating from the younger amongst the fighting force. Maybe, their minds whispered, maybe Corinth was right. Maybe Nerevor really was just an old fool.

Ren couldn't agree with that. Nerevor was an old fool, but he wasn't just an old fool. He had plenty of other redeeming qualities about him too.

"This is it," Ren heard Floyd say over the roar of the audience.

"Hopefully we know what we're doing," Tabby said. "I went over fifteen different moves last night, I haven't practiced any of them and my head feels like it's going to explode."

"I certainly hope not," Floyd said, bumping Tabby's arm with his elbow. "We're going to need those brains of yours here soon."

Tabby grinned at him and Ren did her best not to throw up.

"ATTENTION!"

The Boomburst rippled over the crowd, and everyone in the hall fell completely silent, looking up at Nerevor. He looked old and tired, so very tired, but he was standing tall, something Ren had to respect. "Thank you. First, I must commend each and every one of you for remaining here today. With the luck of Victini and the will of Arceus, today and the days following will be cemented in our history as the first steps towards a liberated and truly free Snowpoint City. I would ask for a free and unbiased society towards magi, but one cannot have everything, so this will have to do." That got a hearty laugh out of the crowd, which was good. Morale was still yet to be broken. "With the help of our far-from-home friends and our brilliant leaders, we believe we've come up with a proper strategy to break Olivier's army and finally send her to the jailhouse where she will face a trial for all of her crimes…should she choose to submit, of course. Vanessa."

Vanessa stepped forward, wearing a long coat that covered her clothes. "As I'm sure you're all aware, that forcefield is up right now. It's not supposed to protect them as much as it is to keep us locked in here. Olivier wants every single person in here exactly where they are so she can make the demands once that bomb is ready to go off. So unless you all want to be stuck with me for another extra months," the men groaned good-naturedly, and Ren saw the ghost of a smile touch Vanessa's lips, "then I suggest you do as I ask. Any of my students that I deemed experts in the Ground type, any individual over 16 with Ground type Pokemon, and anyone else who is in good enough shape for a fight will meet with me after this meeting."

She nodded and stepped back while Griffin and Zero stepped forward. "Alright boys, girls, Pokemon, or maybe somethin' else in between, I've also got something to say. Real, real soon, I'm about to give the greatest radio talk you've ever heard! It's gonna be crazy, so crazy that it'll hopefully have the civilian population of an entire city flocking towards the S.S Spiral on the Eastern Docks. When it goes down, my buddy Griffin," he clapped the older man on the shoulder, "is gonna be having you all working together to get as many people as possible on that boat. We can't afford to leave a single person behind in case things go south!"

Griffin nodded. "If you're a part of the security detail, the Night Watch, or the Morning Watch, you'll be with me. I also need a select set of any magi that are good with the Flying type."

"And that leads riiiight into me," Ren said, drawing up to full height. She had the pleasure of seeing the few who didn't know she could talk let their jaws hang to the ground. "Hi, hello. Talking Absol, right here. Anywho, yeah, there's gonna be fighting, and a whole lot of it. Our very own Tabby came up with the oh-so-clever method of taking down the defenses on those Elite Guards we all know and hate. The select few Flying experts that aren't going with Griffin are going to be pushing up with the main force right down Sanctuary Road. Vanessa's forces are gonna swoop underground and disable that shield, and we need to be ready for when she does." She felt her air of levity leaving her as she slipped into the tones Floyd used when telling people what to do.

Ah, telling people what to do. So refreshing.

"Squad A, you'll be composed of mostly Fire experts. You guys are gonna burn those Elite Guards to so many crisps it'll be impossible to tell what's what. Now normally their armor would turn aside your magic, but that's where Squad B comes in. Squad B, we need anyone who remotely knows how to use the move Defog, whether its Pokemon or human. Along with knocking out their defenses, you'll be fanning the flames and giving us an extra kick in our firepower. Squads C and D, you all will be our melee. Any Fighting type experts, we need you on the front lines with your Pokemon. Once Elites start dropping, you're going to see these things start falling to the ground." She nodded and Floyd unsheathed his lightsaber. A few of the wounded flinched away from the blade, while everyone else gazed in awe. "When you see them, pick them up so they can't use them. These things will quite literally cut through anything they come in contact with for the most part, and they definitely work on the Elites. Instruct all of your Pokemon to use Brick Break to smash through the wards on their armors. E and F, you're the reserves. Use wards, the wind, the friggin' ground, space, I don't care. You make sure the Liberated won't pinch us in the streets, and we might have a shot of winning this thing."

"How do we know that your plan is going to work?" one woman asked. "You've included virtually everyone here. Does this mean…does this mean we're abandoning Sanctuary?"

"Yes," Nerevor answered. "The wards on the building will remain as they were before, but the wards around the entire quarter we've secured will go down. It will allow me to bring my full powers to bear."

"You didn't answer her question," another man said, and Ren noted once again that both questions came from around Corinth's age group. "How do you know this will work?"

Corinth's little regime had been built on the fact that Nerevor hadn't exactly been straightforward or been the commander-in-chief that his people had needed him to be. Maybe he did see it or maybe he didn't, but regardless, if morale did break on the battlefield, they'd definitely lose.

So someone needed to tell them the truth.

"We don't," Ren admitted. "There's a good chance we could completely smash Olivier's army outside the wards and there's a good chance that everyone here is either taken prisoner or is killed in the battle."

Silence answered her. Floyd stirred a little next to her, but kept quiet.

"Everyone here knows exactly what you're fighting for, yeah?" Ren asked, raising her voice. "You don't want that son of a bitch Corinth to kill your wives and husbands and children and Pokemon, and you all definitely don't want that bitch Olivier ruling for another…I dunno, let's say fifty years, do you?" She shrugged again. "Truth be told, I don't give a damn. This isn't my city, and anything that happens here won't matter where I live. But what everyone fighting here has in common is that we all have something to lose. If I die here, I never get to go home. You! The little stick that asked if the plan would work! You got someone you love that you're fighting for?"

The man blushed at the attention. "My fiance…he said he wants to get married after the siege is over."

Ren nodded. "And you, pigtail-girl! What about you?"

She also blushed and patted a Pokeball at her side. "My little Marill. I wouldn't want anything to happen to her…"

"And there you go! I'm willing to bet I could ask everyone in here and no one would say they had nothing to lose! Am I right?"

"YES!"

"So let me ask you this, men, women, and Pokemon of Sanctuary; are you going to let this jumped-up bitch of a Governor ruin your lives for a second longer?"

"NO!"

"Are you going to sit here with your tails between your legs and wait for the perfect opportunity to present itself while Olivier does what she pleases to your city?"

"NO!"

"Then you tell me what the fuck you're going to do!"

"WE WILL WIN! WE WILL WIN!"

The chant carried on by itself for easily a good five minutes, and the momentum Ren had gained over the crowd probably could have lifted the entire building off of its foundation and dropped it on Central Tower. Ren's sensitive ears rang with all the noise, but her heart had started beating a mile a minute, the fire in her blood howling for a good fight, a victory.

"Hell yes you will," Ren muttered, her voice easily swallowed by the noise. She blinked in surprise as a hand ruffled the fur on top of her head. Looking up, all she saw was one of Floyd's rare, beaming smiles as he mouthed, "Nice job."

The crowd might have needed her magnificent hype speech, but for Ren, that was all the motivation in the world.

A/N: Fantastic news; the story is finished. I won't say anything more than to expect a new chapter every day until the story has been finished and you see that Completed icon at the top. We'll talk more at the story's end, see you at the epilogue.