October 27, 2100

New Newtopia, The Old Continent, Amphibia

News of Anne's return had quickly spread throughout Amphibia. Many outside of Wartwood doubted it, since hoaxes about one or more of the Calamity Trio returning had been present ever since they left in the first place, but eventually Anne visited again and again in different areas. These visits were less personal than the first, since Wartwood was the only place in Amphibia where anyone she truly knew well was still alive. But still, seeing how much Amphibia had changed and grown over 80 years.

This time around, Anne's visit was particularly exciting, not just because she was there, but because this time she brought someone with her.

Marcy Wu had long believed that out of the Calamity Trio, she would be the first to go. It only seemed natural that her chronic clumsiness would cause some fatal accident. But despite all odds, she reached the ripe old age of 93 and died peacefully of natural causes. And now she got to achieve her childhood dream of being an anime space goddess (for longer than 5 minutes).

"Wow! Look at this place!"

Marcy was in awe of the rebuilt Newtopia. In some ways, it looked similar to how it did before King Andrias got the music box, but there were many visible differences showcasing the changed world Amphibia now was. The buildings reflected newt, toad, and frog architecture, with even a few olm elements sprinkled in. Andrias' rigid caste system was gone, and now amphibians of all species peacefully cohabited in the new metropolis. The old castle was torn down, as were any other symbols of the Core and/or the Leviathan dynasty.

Taking inspiration from certain Earth organizations, Amphibia was now ruled by a group of Paladins from all over the continent. The Paladin system was officially egalitarian, though unofficially some members held greater influence than others. (Not everything goes away so quickly!) Lady Olivia, Grime, and the other original Paladins kept and expanded on many of Marcy's reforms to Amphibia's law system, and while never Paladins themselves, the Plantars helped shape the new legal system since they were the only Amphibians with any long-term exposure to Earth.

Marcy excitedly greeted all the amphibians who had seen her arrival. "I have so many questions about everything that's happened here!"

"I would be happy to answer them, Master Marcy." A blue newt wearing a somewhat fancy outfit stepped forward.

"You called me master," said Marcy, somewhat surprised.

"It's merely an honorific title, but it was agreed that you would retain it."

Marcy smiled. The anxiety-ridden part of her feared that Amphibia would hate her for being the host of the Core, but it seemed her fears were unfounded.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lady Olivia II, Paladin of New Newtopia."

Marcy gasped loudly, possibly loud enough for the whole city to hear. "Does this mean my favorite real-life ship sailed!? YOU MUST TELL ME!"

Olivia II smiled. "If you're referring to my great-grandmothers Lady Olivia I and General Yunan, then yes. I hear they were quite fond of you, Master Marcy."

It seemed Anne wasn't the only one who can have actual stars appear in her eyes.

"Oh frog! Oh frog! Oh frog!" Marcy waved her arms in excitement and then tackled Olivia II into a massive hug. "I can't believe it!"

"Would you like me to start showing you around, Master Marcy?

"Of course!" Marcy summoned a notebook and pencil so she could take notes. This wasn't necessary, since being an all-powerful multiversal Guardian gave Marcy a perfect memory, but she still liked to keep physical records for sentimental value. "Oh, but before we start…" Marcy started to get nervous. "Could you could call me… Aunt Marcy?"

Happy tears came to Olivia's eyes. "I would be honored, Aunt Marcy."

Renaissance Garden

Unlike Anne who took multiple visits to see all around the rebuilt Amphibia, Marcy wanted to see as much as possible on her first visit. Being able to teleport freely made visiting dozens of places easy. Marcy took Olivia with her everywhere she went to explain things. Something the Calamity Trio discovered pretty quickly is that being all-powerful doesn't make you omniscient. Oh well.

Marcy started with all the places she didn't get to see during her first visit to Amphibia: the old Toad Towers, Ribbitvale, Gardenton, Proteus and Quarreler's Pass, and even the Curiosity Hut! ("Reminds me a lot of this place I went to in Oregon- will have to research further.") She later visited familiar locations like the Calamity Gem temples and eventually Wartwood. Marcy was so in awe of Anne's statue that she tripped and knocked it over just like what happened with the old statue all those years ago. Luckily with god powers it was an easy fix.

The last stop on Marcy's return trip to Amphibia was one place Anne hadn't been to: King Andrias' grave.

It made sense. Andrias was pretty much only an adversary to Anne, but to Marcy things were much more complicated. It was probably a stretch to say he loved Marcy but he clearly cared for her. They bonded, they played games, he made her feel wanted. But he also betrayed her trust, stabbed her, and gave her to the Core as a host. Yes, he ultimately turned against the Core in the end but that didn't erase everything that happened. She couldn't forgive him. No, she wouldn't forgive him, but despite it all she just couldn't hate him.

So here she was now, standing in front of a simple stone marker which read: "King Andrias Leviathan— Destroyer and Healer" . It wasn't an elaborate grave, just a plot of land that Andrias set aside in one of his gardens to be his resting place.

"How did he die?" asked Marcy somberly.

"After the end of the Calamity War," explained Olivia, "Andrias refused any and all offers to repair his cybernetics. He cheated death for a thousand years and eventually time caught up to him. At first it was relatively minor. His eyesight began to fail, his muscles started twitching, stuff like that. After a few years, he began to really deteriorate. His breathing became very labored, his bones became delicate and fragile, he started to age faster. As the years went on his condition worsened as his muscles atrophied and his vision broke down completely and his mind started to wander.

"It was clear he wouldn't make it past the 11th year. He had lasted longer than expected without his enhancements, but his body basically started falling apart. By the end he was blind, feeble, and practically senile, but never stopped helping repair Amphibia. He vowed to atone for his sins until the day he died and he made good on that promise."

Olivia produced a sketch of Andrias drawn three weeks before his death. Marcy noticed that his face looked uncomfortably similar to his father's, with a long beard and wrinkly skin. His once giant limbs had shrunk to the point of being just skin and bones. He was sitting as he had long since lost the ability to walk, but honestly he looked so happy .

"I guess this was what he needed after all," said Marcy.

She walked forward and placed her hand on the gravestone. "Goodbye, Andrias."

Wartwood Swamp

Marcy dropped Olivia off in New Newtopia before returning to Wartwood to meet up with Anne. She greeted everyone in town again and headed for the Plantar farm. Anne was playing with young Tulip Plantar, who excitedly ran up to Marcy upon seeing her.

"Marcy! You're back!"

Marcy crouched down so she could give Tulip a proper hug. "And you're even more adorable than you were before." Tulip giggled when Marcy gave her a little boop.

Marcy and Anne continued playing with Tulip while also leaving to have a separate conversation. ("These god powers are so cool, Anne!")

"So, how was it?" asked Anne.

"It was just a grave," said Marcy. "A peaceful spot for someone who had a peaceful end." She sighed. "I don't know, I guess I was expecting something… grander. But either way I laid those unresolved feelings to rest alongside him."

Marcy's excited mood suddenly returned with a new vengeance. "But otherwise I had a great time!"

Anne wrapped Marcy in a hug and kissed her before listening to her describe her tour of Amphibia, content that she was able to put her past trauma behind her.

Anne, Marcy, and eventually Sasha would always have each other.