Chapter 102: Goodbye my friends

-The Coronation Afterparty-

As a custom, the coronation would be followed by a grand ball and afterparty. The civilians were allowed to mingle with the nobles and it was a time where everyone was equal in status. The ballroom of Castle Firestone had been decorated for the first time in years. Grand chandeliers of burning orange light Dust and plates of food on large tables were spread across the hall. Unlike the ballroom of Luxalia, this one was much larger, with enough room to comfortably fit a small army aside from the royals. The floor was polished black marble, the pillars were made of silver.

It was simple, yet powerful and elegant, suggesting that the presence of the High King was enough to make it grander than any party.

Leandra, Hadar and Sharlene of Luxalia were awaiting Ruby and Nova at the forefront of the ballroom as the couple had to resist the instinct to bow, as for the new King and his consort to bow would be unbecoming of the newly appointed status. Instead the trio bowed their heads in respect.

"We'll talk more in detail later," Hadar said with a warm smile as he pat Nova on the shoulder, "I believe my daughter wishes to speak with you." He and Sharlene left to dance.

Leandra put her hands on her hips as she stared at them with pride, "I knew you guys were special when I first laid eyes on you. My semblance is never wrong." She tapped her eyes.

Ruby let out a light giggle as she leaned on Nova's shoulder, "Leandra, how have you been?"

"Oh you know, keeping busy, but not nearly as busy as you two, holy shit. King in a matter of weeks, you really are speeding through this aren't you?" she pointed out, "I take it our enemies aren't letting up are they?"

Nova shook his head, "No... so neither should we. As soon as these festivities are over, it's back to business."

Leandra pouted at him, "Boo, you just got out of a fight and you're running back in there? Do you have a deathwish?"

"No, but we don't have the luxury of reprising," he responded, leaning on Ruby, "Even if we want to rest, we need to use every chance we can to prepare."

The lion princess rolled her eyes and stepped between them, taking Ruby by the shoulder and looking at Nova with a side glance, "Hey, if you leave this beauty alone I'll be mad," she hugged Ruby, "Or maybe I can take his place, what say you Rose?"

Ruby sputtered and backed away, "No thank you? My heart only has room for one man in my life."

Leandra winked, "I'm not a man, you could always take a female consort of your own when you become queen."

"Sorry but I already have that spot taken too," Ruby smirked.

Leandra blinked rapidly, "Uh... who...?"

Nova snickered and turned into female form as she tapped Leandra's shoulder, "Me."

As Leandra gazed upon the king turning into a girl before her very eyes her cheeks flushed as Nova disentangled her from Ruby and spun her, "Nice try though."

Leandra snorted as she stopped spinning, "I'm joking you two, still... damn," she bit her lip eyeing female Nova, "Our new King fits both bills, nice to see some female representation in power."

Nova shrugged and went back to Ruby, "What can we say? We aim to please."

Ruby swatted Leandra playfully, "No oogling my woman," she kissed Nova's cheek and hugged her possessively.

Leandra feigned offence as she held the back of her palm to her forehead dramatically, "Oh woe is me, unable to nab a spot in the hottest power couple to exist." A few moments passed as they all burst out laughing. "Seriously though, when is the wedding?"

The couple looked at each other then back at Leandra, "When this is all over."

-The War Council Meeting-

Nova sat at the head of the table with Ruby and Luna while the rest of the team, now known as the royal council, were now all sitting around him. King Hadar and Queen Sharlene of Luxalia sat to the left with Princess Leandra, Queen Marina and Sami were sitting to the right next to General Corvus.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Hadar bowed with a smirk on his face as he gazed at Nova with pride, "I can finally say that with confidence now."

Nova gave him a half-smile, "Please… skip the formalities here. We need to get down to business and discuss the plan going forward."

Corvus nodded, "Indeed sire, based on current affairs, we would need to reclaim the Aeros Kingdom before advancing into the forbidden lands. The wall young Gauge erected should serve as a good vantage point for safety."

Oscar folded his arms, his eyes flashing green as he shifted to Ozpin, "I can provide some insight."

All eyes turned to Ozpin as Nova spoke, "I was wondering when you would show up again."

Ozpin smirked, "I believe this has been a long time coming but, from an old king to a new one, hail, your majesty," he bows.

The King rolled his eyes and snorted, "Alright Oz, seriously now, where do we find Salem? If we want to defeat her we need to either drag her out or take the fight to her front door. If we march an army across the lands, wiping out every Grimm in our path then both of those things can happen"

Ozpin folded his arms, "If she is still staying at our old castle, then it'll be to the far North West, near the eye of the dragon… here…" he brought out a holographic map of Pandora and pointed to the location. "The pools of destruction should be spread across from the island in the West to the top of the continent where she resides."

Ruby got serious, "The pools… those that spawned the Grimm? Like the one we saw at the Shrine of Destruction?"

Ozpin nodded, "Indeed lady Rose. Salem, with her inability to die, managed to transport the black ichor away from the shrine and to our old castle. It's how she makes her Grimm."

Marina who was listening intently spoke up, "So we're planning a head-on fight? No convoluted strategy, no scouting… just full-on assault?"

"In the past, we've tried to strategize, but Salem has always been one step ahead. Now… we'll do the one thing she's been doing to us this whole time… and that is to strike first before she has a chance to." Ozpin confirms.

Hadar leaned forward and clasped his hands over his chin, "And how do we intend to kill the unkillable?"

Nova reached into his pocket, bringing out the storage cube containing the relics as he tossed the item, summoning the three relics onto the table.

"The Relics of Knowledge, Destruction and Choice," he points to the lamp, "First… we ask the last question to the relic of knowledge, then use the crown of choice's last charge to determine our course of action. Our hope is that the relic of destruction can be used to destroy her."

"There's one more of these, right?" Sharlene asked as she eyed the items.

"The staff of creation, it is currently in Salem's possession." Nova confirms, "However… bringing these 3 items together comes with the risk… we're banking it all or nothing. If we lose, Salem gets the four relics and the world is destroyed. It's the plan with the highest risk and highest chance of success."

Ozpin nodded, "Well… that is true…"

Leandra frowns, "If I'm getting it right, if you guys lose she destroys the world anyway right? So… it makes sense to me."

Nova took the relic of knowledge, mulling it over in his hands, "I've been debating on what question to ask… between Salem's plans or how to kill her. Oz," he turned to the immortal, "You said the sword of destruction can destroy anything… right? Is that limited to tangible or intangible?"

Oz frowned, "As far as I know… there's no limit.

Nova nodded, "I know what to ask then." He held up the lamp and uttered the words, "Jinn."

All at once time stopped in the room as the other royals looked on in amazement as the blue smoke spiralled out of the lamp, forming the spirit.

Jinn let out a long stretch as she yawned, gazing at the new king and smiled, "Ah… I see you've finally attained your true purpose, my king." she bowed.

Nova looked on in amusement, "Jinn. we'd like to ask our final question."

"Oh? What is it you wish to know?"

Nova took a deep breath, "How do we use the sword of destruction to sever Salem's connection to immortality?"

Jinn had a broad grin, unlike the usual amused smile she spoke, "Finally, I've been waiting for this question for millennia." she summoned an image of the sword and then a series of web-like connections made of golden thread appeared as an Image of Salem with her heart exposed.

"To remove Salem's immortality, you must first expose her heart, where her soul resides, aim the sword at these invisible threads," she pointed to the golden thread, "It will be difficult… but upon slashing these threads, you can destroy her immortality, leaving her vulnerable for a short time. After this, you must use the power of the Silver Eyes to petrify then destroy her within a 30-second window before the threads regenerate."

Ozpin frowned as he looked at Jinn with confusion, "If… why didn't you tell me this before when I asked how I could kill Salem?"

Jinn chuckled, "Since that was my last question I'll give you this one for free. My design was to be specific, you asked me how you could kill Salem. You can't. Your heart won't let you, and that destiny was not yours to have," she said cryptically.

If what Jinn implied was true… then she had an idea of what the threads of fate had in store, this brought forth a myriad of questions everyone wanted to ask, but fate was once again cruel.

Jinn's body began to be sucked into the lamp as she gave Ruby and Nova a sad smile, "I wish you all the best of luck… of all my holders in the past, you two were by far my favourites."

Ruby gave her a sad smile, knowing fully well this would be the last time any of them saw her. "Goodbye, Jinn."

"Goodbye, children of destiny," as the words left her lips, her body was absorbed back into the lamp as time returned to normal… the blue light within the lamp dimmed to a dull grey as the relic clanked onto the table, inanimate.

Nova swallowed, he was getting tired of saying goodbye, his hand reaching for the crown when Ozpin stopped him.

"Wait… the crown should only be used on the precipice of the climax. If you use it now then there's no telling what choices it could present to you. I suggest we wait until we're knocking on Salem's door." he said.

The king retracted his hand as he nodded, "Alright, I trust you Oz."

Nova looked at the other royals, "Well, there you have it. We know how to kill her," the words felt heavy on his tongue. The end of this war felt very real for the first time in a long time. "The Kingdoms of Remnant are sending over their soldiers within the month. At that time, we should begin moving our faces, occupying space in the badlands to give ourselves room to breathe because right now, Castle Firestone can't hold everyone."

Corvus nodded and folded his wings, "I agree, sire. With the joint forces, we can reclaim Aeros."

"Good, begin preparations, we'll move through the King's Passage in two weeks," he turned to Marina, "With the storm gone, how long would it take for us to reach the island to the East?"

Queen Marina frowned and ran the numbers in her head, "If the weather permits… and we get guidance from Jormungandr… then about two hours?"

Ruby glanced at Nova's broken Agniseki and then at Marina, "Then we'll leave tomorrow. First thing in the morning."

It was a short ride from the ports of Oceanis to the island. Nitro and Sami sat together opposite to Nova and Ruby. His face was pale, his skin a shadow hollow of its former glow as his eyes held dark, sickly circles around them.

"Nitro… you've been looking worse and worse every day, are you sure you're okay?" Nova asked with deep concern marring his features.

Nitro let out a hollow chuckle, "I…" he contemplated telling them his plight as Sami's eyes urged him, but he held back. "I'm fine, the wounds are just taking a little longer to heal than I thought."

Nova frowned, "Then… maybe the shrine of creation can heal you as well? It couldn't hurt to try."

Nitro had a small smile grace his lips as he said, "Yeah… maybe a miracle might happen."

While this might have fooled some, Hex knew better. She knew her brother better than anyone… this wasn't his usual optimism.

As the boat landed and they disembarked, they were greeted with a tiny island that was barely the size of Oceanis' town. A single tiled path stretched from the beach to the interior of the island's forest. The path itself, overgrown by weeds and vines as vibrant nature reclaimed its land. There were no signs of sentient life on this beach, suggesting that no one had set foot on this island in years.

How could they? These waters were previously impassible due to the magnetic storm.

As the team moved toward the center of the island, a large mountain-like landform could be seen out of the tree line. The dark brown dirt and stone ascended into the sky followed by a set of overgrown stone stairs chiseled into the rock's design that led toward a crater-like peak.

"Looks like this is it, it's kind of what we saw back in the vision we saw with Salem," Oscar confirmed as he watched the stairs ascend. "Oz just confirmed it. We're here."

They began to ascend the grand staircase as Hex tugged on Nitro's shirt, making him hang back. "Bro, what's really going on?"

Nitro gave her a grimace as he sucked in a breath, "If all goes well here… then you don't need to worry."

"You're… dying aren't you?" Hex asked in a hushed whisper, not daring to meet his eyes.

An ice-cold knife of guilt stabbed into Nitro's heart as he watched his sister sulk, the subtle shaking of her body, the tears that threatened to escape her eyes. He reached out and touched her shoulder comfortingly, "Yeah… but neither you nor I can stop it. We all have to die someday, Hex."

"Does Nova know?"

He shook his head, "Our leader doesn't need that headache on his shoulders right now. Everything is happening so quickly, Hex. The dominoes have started to fall and fate is done waiting." he said uncharacteristically deep of him.

The Shrine of Creation looked almost exactly like it did in Jinn's vision, except… it wasn't as shin or golden as it looked back then. The grand marble pillars and stone paths were shattered and crumbling, vines overtook the creation and the once golden tree that sat in the center was dying. Its leaves had all but fallen to the ground, covering the once bright blue waters in a blanket of autumn rust.

Nova squatted next to the edge of the water and dipped his arm in, "What now?"

Baba Yaga hobbled forward and squinted at the waters, "The healing properties are all but gone… try jumping in."

Nova blanked, "Really? Just jump in? Is that all it takes?"

She looked at him morbidly, "What do you expect? Magic chants and giant gods? It's mostly gone… if dunking Salem in the water is what caused her immortality then…"

Nova sighed and took off his shirt, stripping down to his shorts as he jumped in.

"Nitro… you should go too," Hex motioned her brother.

He shook his head, "Baba Yaga said the magic is almost gone… what if there isn't enough?"

Sami grits his teeth and grabs him by the shoulder, "You really are testing my patience babe."

Baba Yaga saw the exchange, Luna looked on, her eyes tearing up as she silently backed away, not daring to look at what came next as if she knew already the events to come.

As Nova swam in the lake, his body felt warm, and cold at the same time. Instinctively his powers began to react to the magic as the warm glow enveloped him but flickering out quickly as if the magic was trying to work but failing.

"To heal, it must take… for there must be balance…" Baba Yaga whispered as she grasped onto Nitro's arm. "Go on, boy. Only you can fix this."

"What do you mean?" Nitro asked, tilting his head.

She beckoned him down and sighed, whispering something in his ears that no one could hear.

Nitro's eyes widened in horror, then after a few moments calmed down as he swallowed hard. He walked to the edge of the water and turned to his team, then to Nova and then back again to Hex as he spoke.

"I… It was a long journey to get here," Nitro said with a sad smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Fuck this is awkward…"

Weiss tilted her head, "What's wrong Nitro?"

The shift in the atmosphere went from awkward to serious as Luna shook her head and latched onto Ruby, burying her face in her back. She couldn't take this.

"Guys… I… I just want to say thanks. Thank you, for being my friends, for being my family all this time. It seems, our journey together has come to an end and… I don't regret anything."

Sami swallowed hard as he realized what was happening. Tears forming in his eyes.

"Look… I don't have much to say because words can't really express my feelings, and I was never good with them anyway." He looked at the sky and a single tear rolled down his eyes, "I'll be watching over you from above so… take care… okay?"

Before anyone could react properly, before the gravity of his words could sink in, Nitro unwrapped his bandages to reveal the gaping wound in his side that never closed. There was no blood but a deep, purple almost black wound filled with miasma. The skin around it had turned purple and his leg was all but destroyed.

"This… is it for me, so… goodbye, my family. I'll see you guys in the next life or something," he saluted and jumped into the lake.

Nova watched everything with morbid horror but he couldn't say a thing as the moment Nitro jumped in, the lake glowed bright gold and both men were sucked under the water.

"What's happening?! Ruby?! Can you hear me?!" Nova screamed in his mind as water began to fill his lungs. He could see Nitro swimming up to him while they were both being pulled to the bottom of the endless lake.

"Nova?! Are you okay?! The lake is glowing really bright and…!" suddenly nothing, as Nova's mind went blank.

The golden light began to surround him as he awoke in his mind space. He was sitting in the field that he'd watched before, the picnic, the peace. This time there was no nightmares of blood and gore, rather, the peace and serenity persisted.

Nitro walked up to him and pat him on the shoulder, his arm was solid and firm, filled with strength as he said, "Nice dream world you got here," he said beaming, He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt patterned in red with white floral patterns and a pair of gray shorts.

Nova blinked rapidly and spoke up, "Huh? What are we doing here?"

Nitro shrugged, "Beats me, but hey… at least in here I don't feel like I got run over by a train."

The dragon king and his best friend began to walk, ignoring the festivities as Nitro looked around, "Everyone is so happy here. Is… is this what you envisioned the future to be?"

Nova could only smile and punch his shoulder, "Yeah… is it too much to ask for?"

"Maybe," Nitro said somberly, "You… know what I meant when I said those words up there right?"

"I…" Nova faltered as he looked into his friend's eyes, "Nitro, please man… you can't do this to me. I just found out Adam is dead and I… I can't do this without you. I can't handle any more death…"

The wind blew a warm gust through the air as Nitro sat on the grass, gazing up at the sky.

"I'm not ready… fuck this crown on my head I need my brother!" he knelt down and reached for Nitro.

He met him halfway and grasped his forearm, "You've been ready to end this fight for a long time. You're stronger than you think."

"NO!" Nova yelled, tears pouring down his face as he cried, Nitro pulled him in for a tight hug, "I'm not strong enough!"

"You've worked hard to get to this point, so just a little further man," Nitro comforted him.

"Worked hard?! Nitro, I've been fucking gifted this power. Sure I trained to be a Huntsman, but to get to this level, all I've ever done is fight and lose!"

"And that's not working hard? Sure you didn't spend decades training to be a warrior, so what? The experiences and the quality of fights you've had up to this point moulded you into the king you are. We're not kids anymore, Nova, we've been through hell and survived, that's what makes us strong, that's what makes YOU strong."

"I only ever made it because of you guys," Nova spoke his voice barely a whisper.

Nitro sighed took him in the arms and looked him in the eyes, "Just because I'm going to be gone, doesn't mean it ends here. You've come too far to let it slip away… and… Baba Yaga told me something."

Nova faltered at the mention of the woman, "What?"

"She said that the only way to heal the Agniseki and to activate the lake was to give a soul, a life of equal meaning. The gods… they worked on balance. To prevent the lake from being used like before, the god of creation put a price on it. To heal one must hurt… and the Agniseki… it could only be healed by giving my life energy."

Nova's mouth dried up, "I don't understand, how could she know all of this?"

Nitro shrugged, "Hell if I know, but you saw Luna's reaction right? They know something that the rest of us don't." he said ominously. "We live in a world where magic is real, maybe she's seen the future or something."

"That's a load of bullshit if I've ever heard it," Nova snorted as he stared at the ground, "The future isn't set in stone, we make our own destiny… so why do you have to die?!"

"I don't know… but I was dying anyway," Nitro said casually, "Onyx's miasma was eating me like a cancer. I figured… if the lake can't heal me I might as well give my life on my own terms."

Nova scoffed and took a deep breath, "So… this is it huh? No more miracles? No more saving graces?"

Nitro shook his head, "Sorry man, but this is where my story ends. The torch is still in your hands… so carry it to the finish line for me. Okay?"

"I can't accept this, I don't… I don't want to lose my best friend!" Nova cried again, his tears streaming down more.

"You won't lose me, I'll be part of the Agniseki from now on. So… don't mourn me, and don't host no damn funeral you got that?!" Nitro pulled him into a noogie and said, "You don't have time to worry about that, you can mourn me after everything is over."

Nova laughed emptily as he finally calmed down and gave a genuine smile, "Fine… but when I die, I'll come find you and kick your ass in heaven for dumping all of this on me."

"Sure," Nitro said warmly as the grass began to fade, a golden light shining above, "Looks like time's up."

Nova latched onto him, giving him one last tight hug, "Goodbye… my brother."

Nitro hugged him back, tears finally flowing from his face, "Goodbye, my king."

As the light blinded Nova, the dragon awoke deep in the water, just in time to see Nitro's body turn into a golden light and get sucked into the Agniseki, as the gem's crack healed instantly like a welded metal. Light returned to the stone and Nitro's body was disintegrating.

Nova could only watch helplessly as Nitro's energy entered the Agniseki, a warm, comforting feeling washing over him, as the salt of his tears mixed with the fresh lake water.

A burst of water shoved him to the surface as he landed on the banks of the shore, sputtering the water from his lungs as he stood up groggily.

Everyone rushed to his side as Ruby held his hand, looking over the healed Agniseki, "Is it done?"

Sami swallowed hard and spoke, "W-Where's Nitro?"

Nova looked at everyone with a bitter smile as the tears kept running down his face, "Nitro is… he'll be with us… always." he said holding out the gem.

Hex fell to her knees, Luna held Oscar for support. The others could only stand shakily as numbness and depression began to settle in.

"He said… not to mourn him, we can host his funeral after the war is over…" Nova said, trying to find his voice.

Weiss, holding back her tears and failing, said, "W-Why…? H-He… oh god…"

"He's not gone, he's just… one with the stone now. He… said he was going out on his own terms… Onyx's miasma was already killing him with no cure. I…" Nova tried to find the words but even he still felt raw.

Ruby, swallowing her pain hugged him silently before turning to the team, "Nitro… sacrificed his life to give us a fighting chance again… so let's not waste it. As he said… we can mourn the dead later…"

"I think I speak for all of us when I say that Nitro was more important than we can ever say with words… so… I promise you, Onyx will pay for everything he's done, and… when it's all said and done, we'll honour Nitro with a hero's funeral."

Hex let out a hollow laugh as she smiled through the pain, "Yeah, that loser deserves at least that much…" she sucked in her sadness and clenched her fists.

Nova held onto Ruby's hand for dear life as he put on a brave face, "Come on… let's get to work…"

Short chapter I know but I couldn't put this in the same chapter as the coronation. A lot is going to be happening very fast as the end rapidly approaches. I apologize for killing off Nitro... but I had planned this from the very beginning of the story. And in the coming chapters, you will possibly hate me even more, but I promise, there is a happy ending planned. It's not going to end in tears... maybe...