"And so the world ends," Hope said.

Lightning nodded solemnly. "Game over."

They stood side by side in the Ark, watching as the planet below them went up in flames. Soon, those flames would reach the Ark, ending Hope's and Lightning's lives too. They'd done their best, but it hadn't been enough. Time was up, and the world was ending.

Is Bhunivelze watching this? Lightning wondered. Is he still alive somewhere?

Moments later, she got her answer. She felt a weird, somewhat familiar sensation in her chest that soon spread all over her body. Her vision blurred, and she could feel something wet roll down her cheeks. As the sensation continued, she began to recognize its components. Fear. Sadness. Loss. Shame. The emotions washed over her with a frightening intensity. During her days in Nova Chrysalia, all she'd felt was numbness. Now, all those repressed emotions were returning all at once. Bhunivelze were no longer in control of her. She was free.

"He's gone," she said out loud to her companion. "I think… I think he's dead."

"I think so too," Hope said in a voice that was way deeper than it should have been.

Lightning turned around to face him and found that the boy standing next to her was no longer a boy. Instead, she was looking at a young, handsome man in an Academia uniform. Hope was back in his real body again. She took a step closer to him. It was the first time she got to see him as an adult in person. She'd watched over him from Valhalla, but she'd never really thought about the fact that he'd actually outgrown her by a couple of inches. It was strange, but she decided that it was a good kind of strange. Being around someone who looked like a kid but behaved like an adult had been pretty disconcerting. This body suited him better. Too bad he won't get to keep it, she thought, a pang of anxiety piercing her chest. They would both die soon, and she had to admit that it scared her.

"What's going to happen to us?" she asked him, her voice trembling. "Etro is dead, and now Bhunivelze is too. Is it even possible for us to be reincarnated when there's no new world to be reincarnated in? What's going to happen to all the souls we saved?"

Hope glanced at Yggdrasil and the unfinished world growing on its stem. "I honestly don't know."

They stood in silent for a moment, watching as the flames from the burning planet got closer and closer to their artificial moon. The Ark had begun to shake, and the screens hanging over Hope's desk had all turned blank.

"I'm sorry," Lightning said in a low voice.

"It's not your fault," Hope immediately replied. "You did your best. There just wasn't enough time."

"That's not what I meant." She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for breaking my promise to you, all those years ago. I'm sorry for abandoning you."

He gave her a melancholic smile. "You don't have to apologize. Not a day went by where I didn't miss you, but I never blamed you for leaving me. You only did what had to be done." He took her hand in his. "You know, right? That I've always… You know?"

Lightning looked at their joined hands. His hands were so much bigger than they used to be, and they seemed to fit perfectly together with hers. She glanced up at him, studying his face. His features were sharper and more mature now, but he was still Hope. Her Hope. His eyes were full of honesty and desperation. In that moment, Lightning felt like she could truly read his thoughts.

"I know," she said. "Of course I know."

He sighed in relief. "Good. The world is ending, and I just… I just had to make sure you knew."

He cupped her face in his hand, gently caressing her cheek with his thumb. She leaned into his touch. She wasn't sure why she did it, but it felt right.

"I can't believe I'm losing you again," he murmured. "I just got you back. I don't want to lose you again." His eyes roamed over her face until they fixed on her lips. He swallowed hard.

"Hey, Light… Can I...?"

She smiled at him, her eyes filling up with tears again. "Yes."

He tilted her head back and kissed her softly on the lips. When he tried to pull back, Lightning tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled him back down. She wasn't sure why she did that either, but it felt right, too. Hope wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

"I love you," he whispered between kisses. "I love you. I've always loved you. I love you."

Before Lightning could say it back, the Ark had already exploded.