Epilogue

Time passed. Or it didn't. Hope couldn't really tell. The distant sun never moved from its position in the sky; she felt neither hunger nor fatigue; her wounds did not heal nor fester. It was as though she had been suspended.

The Crowfather answered whatever questions she had with an impatient tone. Eventually he taught her to talk to the crows, if only to give her someone else to bother. The birds weren't much better company than their father, but at least there were a lot of them. They took to calling her "sister", taking turns to perch on her shoulders.

Hope had been watching the sky, willing the cold sun to move when a familiar mangy crow swooped from the gloom and perched on her knee. Dust let out a morose croak. The Crowfather wasn't far behind.

With a silent, knowing look, he handed her the mask. She ran trembling fingers across the deep scores in the bone, the eternally furrowed brows and the dark eye sockets. She blinked back the sting of tears from her eyes, curling around the mask.

"You bastard…" she hissed, "you promised you'd come back…"

Dust tapped the top of her head with his beak as though in consolation.

Hope felt the cold hand of the Crowfather on her shoulder. "Do not despair, Little One. The Horsemen are eternal. He will not go back on his word."

She didn't answer him.

It was getting harder to care. Hope was alone in an alien world with nothing but crows for company. Her home was nothing but a plain of ashes being devoured by demons. And now it seemed as though she was to be trapped in a timeless tomb along with the dead.

The Crowfather noticed the changes. She didn't talk as much and spent most of her time looking out over the plains. Dust never left her side throughout. It was as though she were wilting the longer she stayed.

But then he saw it, through the eyes of one of his children. A great dragon fell, the blood of an angel was spilt and the seventh seal was shattered. All of Creation trembled as eon's old rules bent for just a moment, just long enough for a single life to escape the void of the Well of Souls. The Crowfather was almost annoyed. Only the Horsemen would have the audacity to test with the laws of creation as much as they did.

But that meant that soon the balance would shift and the destiny of Creation itself would be decided.

Dust noticed them first. His head perked up, letting out a short squawk and flying off into the darkness. Hope, confused by what had the bird so excited, followed after.

Four figures, tall as giants, made their way through the gloom, radiating power and might before them. Clad in armor, their very steps shook the earth. Hope took a fearful step back as Dust swooped past, alighting on one of their shoulders with a delighted croak. Hope started. It couldn't be…

"Hello again, Little One," said the man leading the others. Though Hope did not recognize his face, there was no mistaking the voice; deep and rumbling as an open tomb.

For the first time in one hundred years, Hope smiled.

Aaaaaaaaand epilogue! NOW we're done. Maybe. I have a few ideas for little silly one-shots, but that really depends on whether or not people are gonna be interested in seeing more of dear Hope and her ridiculous escapades with the Horsemen.

Just for a point of reference, I took a few creative liberties with Darksiders lore in order to make this work. Hopefully people won't get too pissed off about that. I needed somehow for Hope to stay out of things so that events would play out in the end like they do in canon, which meant that she couldn't go with Death to the Well of Souls. She might be stubborn and reckless, but she's not stupid enough to believe that she could stay alive around him for much longer. So I took the route of letting the Crowfather babysit her for a little while. I feel like its not too far of a stretch to say that the Land of the Dead would be time-static: The torturing of souls can feel like an eternity while only lasting for so long. I dunno, what do you guys think?

I'm also speculating that the Horsemen would return for her after events that would probably happen in Darksiders 3: Final battle for the Earth and all that jazz. Humanity would be fully restored and it would be safe for Hope to return home.

Wow, apologies for my random-thought ramble down here. I just felt like it would be good to justify my reasoning behind some of the choices I've made. I hope you all enjoyed coming on this journey with me! And who knows, maybe you'll stick around for more!