29. The Aftermath


The first thing everyone did was take the time to recover as much as they could.

Calista was worn out from keeping Dagran and Zangurak at bay for the past one-hundred years. She needed rest, despite her worrying over Zael, crying over her now-dead companions, and wondering what happened in Lazulis and the Gurak Continent after she sealed herself into the Outsider's half.

Zael managed to persuade her to rest, and it was easy to do so. He ended up resting beside her to make sure she didn't try to get up in the middle of the night.

The next day, Zael and Calista were still tired, but they knew their job wasn't done yet.

They had to get the Outsider back into the sky, into space. Which meant going all the way back to Stargazers' Tower.

But first, they had the Gurak to deal with; the ones that were still alive to deal with. With the power of both her authority and intimidation, with Zangurak's demise, she made all the other leadership figures in the Gurak come speak with her to spread the message; Zangurak was dead, and would not be coming back, but she desired not conquest but peace between Lazulis and the Gurak. The others were skeptical under she showed off her power as one of the Arganan family, and with Zael wielding the Outsider's power by her side, they had no choice but to believe her.

Arrangements were made to get back to Lazulis, where Calista made similar announcements after reclaiming the castle. The humans rejoiced, and even some of the Gurak did. Zael wondered if the people he met, like Ariela, were still okay when he previously left them. Were they still alive to see the new changes? He hoped so.

Spreading this news took the entire day, and soon they had to rest again. Zael felt odd, being hailed as a savior, and even with Calista by his side, it felt strange knowing that he was still alive with her to control Lazulis, while all the rest of the people he knew were already dead.

That night, he thought he overheard Calista and her uncle speaking to each other privately, but he let them speak privately. He didn't want to disturb them, after all. He just hoped they had enough time to reconcile.


The next day, they did what they had to do: Go to Stargazer's Tower and return the Outsider to space with their combined powers. The Outsider was a world seed; it wasn't supposed to stay here forever, after all.

They held hands as they cast the necessary magic. Zael remembered the Sorceress telling them what to do, back when he, Calista, and Therius went to that secret chamber the day before the Gurak ruined everything. Both halves of the Outsider burst out from their respective areas, glowing red and blue, before rising higher in the sky, getting close to each other.

Zael had to close his eyes when they shone even brighter, but opened them as he sensed it fade. The two halves were now one, glowing a soft white light.

The now-united Outsider rose higher into the sky, still glowing. Zael watched it until it was completely out of sight.

"Where do you think it's going?" He asked, looking towards Calista.

Calista offered him a weary, soft smile. "Off to another world. Creating other places. Either way…at least Lazulis can be in peace, now. And the Gurak Continent, too."

Zael swallowed, before looking towards the ghosts of their companions. None of them were vanishing from sight, at least not yet. "What about all of you?"

Yurick sighed, looking around. "Well, it's not like we can really do much in this state. Mirania…?"

"I'm unfamiliar with what ghosts do after dying. Other than haunting the place, that is." A soft chuckle left her as Yurick visibly shuddered, and Zael remembered him being very afraid of ghosts, back at the haunted mansion. "If you need us, Zael, we'll be here."

"I just hope that we can have a good drink or two despite being dead," Syrenne groaned. Zael noticed that she leaned against Lowell's shoulder, and he noticed Lowell smiling lightly at her, a mischievous look in his eye. "I'd hate to miss out on that."

"I'm sure we'll figure something out." Lowell murmured into her ear, and Zael's gaze shifted towards Therius, Asthar and Arganan.

"I'm sure you'll need all the help you can get with reestablishing Lazulis." Arganan finally managed, his gaze softening as it drifted towards Calista. "If you want that, that is."

Calista offered her uncle a smile. "Of course I want that. I can't guarantee you'll like all the changes, but it would be nice to have your counsel."

"Asthar?" Zael asked.

"Therius and I were thinking of heading back to the Empire." Asthar managed. He had a serious expression on his face. "We doubt anyone can see us other than you and Calista, Master Zael, but it would be good to know of what has developed since a hundred years ago."

"It would actually be quite helpful. " Calista managed, nodding. "We'll have a lot to catch up on, after all."

"Thank you." Therius managed, bowing lightly before straightening himself. He looked towards Zael and Calista both with an expression Zael couldn't quite interpret. The white knight was never the easiest to read. "I just hope that we can be of use…"

"Don't put yourself down." Zael assured him. "If it wasn't for your help, as well as Asthar, Arganan and everyone, we wouldn't have been able to make it to Calista in the first place."

"He's right," Calista managed. "I have all of you to thank for your help."

He noticed Therius faintly smile. "You are right. Forgive me."

"So," Calista took a deep breath, looking towards Zael with a more serious expression this time. Both of them knew that they had to get back to the castle, and overlook restructuring, figuring out peace treaties and catching up on what happened since a hundred years ago. Lazulis depended on them. And to an extent, the Gurak, too. "Are you ready?"

Zael nodded. "I am."

Saving the world was one thing. Putting things back together after they were broken for a hundred years was a whole other thing.


Zael and Calista spent a long time figuring out peace treaties with the Gurak, reestablishing connections with the rest of the Empire, and rebuilding Lazulis. The ghosts of their friends and companions lingered around them for the rest of their lives. It was oddly comforting to Zael to have their company, even if they weren't alive themselves.

The Gurak and the humans began to be at peace with each other, sharing their gifts with each other. With the Outsider gone, both the island and the continent began to flourish again with new life.

Zael knew that healing would take time. He didn't know if he and Calista would live long enough to see it all restored. A hundred years of damage did not easily go away.

But at least they started the healing process, and got rid of the root of the problems in the first place. And if that was all he could do after a hundred years of fighting, of suffering, of grieving – then Zael knew that at least he'd done something good for everyone, in the long run.

He could live with that, with Calista by his side, until whenever his final breath came.


Author note:

Thank you for reading this fanfic. It initially started as a standalone oneshot, last year, before growing into a 29-chapter fanfic this year. I didn't realize it was the 10th anniversary of the game until after I already posted a few chapters, and I realized that I wanted to focus on finishing writing and updating this fic to honour this anniversary. The Last Story was and remains a major influence on my writing. Without this game's existence and the opportunity to play this game when it was first released for the Wii back in 2011/2012, I'm not sure how I would have been affected creatively in future years.

I definitely do plan to continue writing fanfics for The Last Story, no matter how big or small the fandom will be. I will always continually wish for a remastered version of this game or a sequel/connected game within the world of the The Last Story to come out, even though it's unlikely. Whether you're a new fan discovering The Last Story or someone who's played this game since it first came out reading this fic, thank you for your support. It means so, so much to me and I appreciate all the love and support you've given this fic.

I hope that you read future fics of mine, whether it be in this fandom or others, or even my original works published elsewhere. I also hope that they give you a sense of magic and wonder like The Last Story did for me.