Last one! Love you guys~ Thanks for the ride.

Epilogue

Take a breath, now. Take another. Feel air in your lungs. Let your limbs return. Yes, move your fingers. Have a body again, under gravity, in air. Respawn in the long dream. There you are. Your body touching the universe again at every point, as though you were separate things. As though we were separate things. Who are we? Once we were called the spirit of the mountain. Father sun, mother moon. Ancestral spirits, animal spirits. Jinn. Ghosts. The green man. Then gods, demons. Angels. Poltergeists. Aliens, extraterrestrials. Leptons, quarks. The words change. We do not change. We are the universe. We are everything you think isn't you. You are looking at us now, through your skin and your eyes. And why does the universe touch your skin, and throw light on you? To see you. To know you. And to be known. I shall tell you a story.

Once upon a time, there was a player.

The player was you. – Voice One, Minecraft End Credits.

Ari looked up at the sky, her hand over her belly. Years, it had been, since then. It'd been so long, it was hard to believe that it had ever happened. They had destroyed not only the portal but the stronghold itself, dragging endless amounts of TNT and light it, blowing up everything in sight. The fire burned for a while, but the Gods blessed them with rain. It cleansed them, that night, cleaned them of the horrors of the world. They had returned to their old home and dug up the stone, the final remnant of the portal. Mnem did not waste time in destroying it, leaving the world safer and secure. They had moved away from their home both in the plains and in the forest, leaving everything behind but their supplies and their pets, Rio following Mnem faithfully and Ari with Duck and her new dog, String. Still, nobody knew why she had come up with such silly names for her animals but nobody truly cared.

They settled in another home in the Extreme Hills. Ari climbed every day, sitting atop the highest mountain in the area, watching the sun sink below the horizon. Mnem liked to watch her as she sat there, her eyes shining happily. The necklace still hung around her neck and her arm bands were always present. She hadn't changed much – in fact, she'd changed not at all. Nobody had. They still laughed, they still cried, they still loved. Mnem had abandoned his isolated lifestyle to follow Ari in her adventure, resting easily now that danger was forever out of the equation. They still had their fights, but they always found themselves curled up together again by the end of the week, tending to the farms and the animals all throughout the day.

Years it had been since they had arrived in the jungle. They still had their dignity and their lives, and that was just fine with Ari.

It had always been the four of them.

But soon, it would be five. She smiled and rubbed the small bump of her belly and leaned back, her feet dangling from the edge as she relaxed. The shuffling behind her alerted her to Mnem's presence and she chuckled, sitting up and looking at him as he sat next to her.

"You shouldn't be here, you know." He spoke softly, grinning as Ari rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"I can be wherever I want, 'Guardian'. I'm not that heavy yet, and you know it."

"But what if you land yourself in trouble all over again?"

"Then I'll just scream for help. You guys are always so quick on your feet."

Now it was Mnem's turn to shake his head and laugh, wrapping one arm around her shoulders. Two more sets of feet showed up, Vreagon and Mor standing there, each with bowls. Ari smiled and accepted her bowl of soup, as did Mnem, and they all sat on the edge, watching the sun slowly rising.

"Ari." Mnem murmured, nuzzling her ear softly. The girl looked over at him and smiled, watching the man place a small ring over her hand. She looked down at it and slipped it on slowly, clutching the hand tightly. Vreagon smiled at his brother and they all finished their meal in silence, soon standing and making their way back down the mountain, doors closing in their homes as lights went out, ready to catch a few hours' rest.

When I think about all of this, I wonder… I wonder just how it all came to be. I still remember waking up in Vreagon's home, shocked and confused as he tended to me. I remember trusting him so quickly, so recklessly, but he has become the best friend I've ever had. The boys aren't my friends. They're my family. I still find it strange – I'd only just met Vreagon and I had already felt… Even though I'd only just met him, I felt a trust that previously had been unable to be gained. Although, perhaps that was because he'd saved my life.

-END-