He was gone. The mad Legatus of the XIIth Imperial Legion of the fallen Garlean empire was gone. His desires were fulfilled, despite how fleeting the spark that spurned them onwards was ignited. His mirror had given him his grandiose final performance – a thunderous flurry of steel against steel, power against power and resolve against resolve – and the self-serving Garlean had taken his final bow.
Was this life a burden?
Zenos may have had one distinct desire serving as the impetus to his life's conclusion, but that did not mean the Warrior of Light felt the same way. No. Her life was resplendent in its existence. Radiant in its very nature. Its origins could be traced back to the ancients themselves. But her existence rose above them. It soared over them. They created and she and her companions pushed those creations to the very limits of their existence. Hades had said it himself. Not even the ancients could have brought mankind this far.
The ancients lived to create to their hearts' desire. They reveled in their utopian paradise of Etheirys.
Zenos died in search of a fleeting spark of fulfillment in the smoldering ashes of life's fire. A final blaze of glory in battle against the only woman he ever considered his equal. He reveled in his own demise, for in that moment, his life found meaning.
The Warrior of Light embraced both life and death for in both – she found meaning. To live was to experience love, laughter, happiness and fulfillment. The great highs of life. To live was to experience sadness, anger, loss and despair. The great lows of life. The ebbs and flows of her journey forced her to embrace both but it made her strong. It made her tough. It lifted her up and it pushed her forward. When a single step was too great a burden, it lifted that burden from her very soul and gave her the momentum to go on. She had purpose. She had meaning. She had loved ones. She had everything she could have possibly needed.
She didn't need utopia.
Death was easier when you had people you were willing to die for. She would sacrifice everything for her loved ones. She would sacrifice everything to save the star. She did not fear death if it meant saving others. She did not fear death if it meant the completion of her journey. She had experienced more in a few short years than most would experience in their lifetimes. She did not long for death, but she was ready for it. She had loved ones beyond the veil. She had him.
She didn't need death.
The ultimate fulfilment was not in battle to the death. The fulfillment came from living to battle another day. The ultimate fulfilment was not in perfection. The fulfillment came from overcoming flaws, evolving and growing. Overcome one battle and grow stronger to fight the next. Improve one flaw and focus on another. Listen. Learn. Act. Hear. Feel. Think.
Zenos' last breath did not mean she had to exhale her own as well. There were still miles and miles to go before she slept. Before she returned to the place where all souls must go after they complete their final journey.
The lifestream.
She gazed up at the stars above her, the serene skies at the edge of the universe beckoning her tired, aching body into sleep's sweet embrace.
And then the still of the battlefield was shattered.
The teleportation pad hit the ground hard, jolting a small spark of life back into her body as it clanged against the ground. She opened her eyes wide as it started to glow.
A saving grace? But from whom?
And then she saw him.
He sighed dramatically at her, shaking his head as he moved towards her from across the battlefield. And then the corners of his lips lifted, and he gave her a small smile. He knelt beside her and she felt his cool hands brush over her aching wounds, inspecting the Legatus' damage. She stared at him in shock, her body frozen as his touch sent small jolts of electricity through her body. Her expression changed.
She was confused, "I thought you left."
"Yes, well, that was the intention darling, but then you deigned it necessary to fight in yet another battle even though your wounds had barely a second to heal from the first."
"I didn't exactly have a choice. He would have pursued me regardless."
"Yes, well the Legatus is not a patient man," he breathed as his hands started to glow against her skin and she felt her wounds closing slightly.
"I wonder who he gets that from," came her retort and she watched as he rolled his eyes in mock irritation.
"This will keep you conscious at least, until you return to the Ragnarok. Consider it my final parting gift."
"Yours or Hythlodaeus'?"
At that, a small smirk graced his lips, "Although it is true that Hythlodaeus conveyed to me a few choice words upon learning of your predicament," he trailed off as his hands stopped glowing and he moved the activated teleportation pad closer to her body. She knew they only had about a minute left, if that.
"I came here of my own volition, darling," he continued and watched as the glow from the teleportation pad encircled her body, "And this is where we say our final goodbyes."
He made to stand and was startled when the warrior's hand reached out to tightly grab his wrist.
"Hades, wait!" came her urgent plea, her eyes welling with tears, "I don't want you to go."
His eyes softened as he heard his true name fall from her lips. He closed his hand over hers, "You know as well as I, that I do not have a choice."
Her panic rose as she grasped his wrist even more tightly, "Then promise me something. Please."
His eyes were filled with a mixture of emotions, but he obliged the warrior's request, "What is it?"
"Promise me you will wait for me in the lifestream," her voice cracked and sobs shook her body as her tears openly streamed down her cheeks, "Promise me!"
He removed his hand to stroke a thumb soothingly over her cheeks, wiping away her tears, "I promise."
"And not just because I'm some half-faded memory of your precious Azem. Promise it because I'm me."
His eyes became serious then and he leaned forward to press a gentle kiss against her lips, "You are you, darling, and I would not want it any other way. I will wait for you. Beyond this life and into the next, I will usher you into my arms. I will wait for you. This, I promise you."
He was starting to fade, aetheric sparks swirling around his body.
The glow from the teleportation pad started to flicker around her petite frame. She would be torn away from him in a matter of seconds.
"Hades!" she pleaded desperately as she met his lips in a passionate, searing kiss. It was tinged with sadness but also with hope.
They broke apart and she whispered her final words against his lips, "I love you."
"I love you too."
And then they were both gone.