EPILOGUE

I hear Ase moaning in frustration behind me as I took her hand across their home.

The day was still young and with permission from Dad, I quickly ran to Ase's tent in order to invite her to our weekly thing. Ase was just a few tents down from ours within our village as I heard Auntie Theresa's drones fly above us to which I heard from Dad that she and Sir Colin had a project to bring about seeing electricity to be functional across the entire community. Whatever that means, it seems she was busy as I quickly got there just in time as Aunt Hannah was talking with the other grown-ups about… important stuff.

Ase was my best friend! The bestest of friends with the many children in the village. She was unique! She was fun, and even if she was a mute we had a connection that I'm sure we both enjoyed. Ase was also Aunt Hannah's daughter, which I had trouble thinking about since while Ase had tan skin like Aunt Hannah's, she had white hair on her head that extended to her shoulders. Other kids found her weird and scary, but I find her cool and even Aunt Hannah loves her so much!

Dad told me that years ago when I was born, before the village was created, Ase was one of the orphans that had no parents anymore and Aunt Hannah took her in as her own daughter. That was the day I realized that you didn't need to come from your parents at all to be their kid, they could come if they chose you, which was cool! I… I think so?

Anyway, Ase was my friend and when I got to her tent I quickly explained that we would be late for our thing later that day so we needed to move. She frowned at me with a pout but she came along… just in time for Aunt Hannah to come inside the tent and look at us.

"Oh… well, good morning Keith. How are you?" my aunt said, she smiled at me warmly as she gave a little kiss on the top of my head. I then saw Ase reach for her mom as my aunt quickly giggled and gave her a kiss too, plus a hug! Like how Dad hugs me.

"I'm well Aunt Hannah. I was about to take Ase along for-

"You don't need to say it. I'll give you my full permission… but only if you promise that my dear Ase doesn't get mud in her dress again."

"Hmph!" Ase moaned with both arms crossed as my aunt laughed.

"Sweetie, you don't know how tiring it is to wash your clothes. I love you but you need to respect how my back gets in pain from washing all of them."

I snickered as Ase frowned at me for not taking her side, only for Aunt Hannah to hear someone calling out for her at the entrance of their tent.

"I guess that's for me." she then looks at me. "Keith, can I trust you to keep that promise for me?"

"I will!" I say as she smiles, then she sighs before me.

"Your dad was a wonderful man, Keith. Don't you forget that okay?" she said as I nodded, serious this time as glimpses of a distant memory came into my head. "He would have loved seeing you grow up."

I nodded at her before I ran into her arms and embraced her instinctively.

I felt Ase join in as well and Aunt Hannah smiled as she tightened around me for a few seconds.

"Thank you," I say as we pulled back. Whoever was at the entrance of their tent asked for my aunt again and we both smiled. I take Ase's hand into my own as we wave at Aunt Hannah. We ran out of the tent and I heard my Aunt talking with the other stranger before we were out of range.

"Danny! Any luck remembering anything of note?"

The balding man rubbed the back of his head as he smiled. "I'm sorry… this old fool can't even remember his own complete name and I'm barging into something important with you."

"No, no really… I was just coming out-

We left them completely as we ran around the village. The local townsfolk was fun and they waved and called out to us along the way. Even my Aunt who was previously named Narwhal winked back at me much to my blush as Ase slapped the back of my head.

We continued on, admiring the newly built roads as the council of this village, one held in position by Sir Colin and Aunt Theresa were doing their best to rebuild and expand our domain. Our village was called Yggdrasil, mostly because of the beautiful flower tree that loomed over the hill, and as much as our place looked simple, many looked up to it being that it was the very first.

Ase and I ran into the marketplace where posters of Aunt Sarah filled some of the stalls, most of them about her business which was selling goods like fruits and other necessities. We even bumped into Dean, one of Dad's friends who smiled down at us.

"Hey, would you look at who it is?" He says as a second later we see a very pregnant Vicky, Aunt Sarah's niece smile at us with her radiant grin.

"Oh look at you two! I wish our kid would be as cute as them!"

"Vicky…" he chastised as the two laughed at us and Vicky even gave Ase an apple.

We continued on with a smile as we waved at them.

On the way there I also saw Missy! My Aunt's friend was being helped by her wife, Tammi. Guiding her because she was blind. They warmly smiled at us and wished us a good day as they walked towards a café tent that recently opened.

Eventually, we reached the end of the village, where the road lead up to the tree. As we got there we saw the Numberman or Uncle Kurt who was silently tending the garden around the tree. He nodded at us without any other word as we got to our destination.

The Yggdrasil Tree. The most important monument in our world says my dad as me and Ase look around and see the many monuments, flowers, and candles left under its wake. In the center of it all, was the staff, a tall structure near the base of the tree where the sash of my other daddy….

Was placed in.

I reached for it and kissed the sash as Ase looked at me.

We then started praying in front of it a few minutes later in silence before we both sat at the base of the tree. We rested our heads on it as we watched the sun set by the horizon. Eventually, we saw stars.

Our eyes both looked at them in awe as I felt Ase rest her head on my shoulder.

The mute girl smiled at the stars the same as me as we both relaxed.

She then squeezed my hand.

"F-Friend… K-Keith… M-mama… good civilization." She said as her red crimson eyes closed and she drifted to sleep on my shoulder.

I smiled at her as I remembered my other dad.

My eyes slowly turn to tears as I smile…

And close my eyes.

We both rest our heads on the bark of the tree, and I feel someone holding us.

Holding us into her arms with a bright smile…

Like an angel, watching over us in hope for the future.

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"She's waking up." A voice said.

"Get the thing Kokuto… her head's still damaged from the bullet hole to the skull."

"R-Right! Uh, how do we know she'll be cognizant?"

"Well, that entire thing only grazed parts of her brain that aren't that important, so… she'll probably have issues remembering things."

A woman opened her eyes towards the two voices. She had no understanding of any word they spoke of… and she had no memory of any kind to react properly to her process of awakening.

Steadily, she looked at the two people before her.

One was a woman with red hair, and another was a young man with glasses as the red-haired woman moved her head closer to her as if inspecting her like an experiment.

"Hm. D'you have sweet dreams miss? Or was this the first time anybody's done bullet surgery on your skull?"

"M-Miss Touko! W-Why'd you ask such a sudden question?"

The woman once known as Fortuna could only close her eyes again.

Completely lost in her current predicament for she had no memory left to grasp.


AN: Special thanks for all my readers! I… I feel so emotional ending it there. God… I was so happy on my part writing this piece.