Chapter 26: Letting Go
Onboard the Watchtower, Batman was situated in the medical bay, bandages on his torso and around his head. His cape and cowl hung next to the bed, leaving his head exposed so J'onn could better tend to him. Soon, he began to wake up, groaning in pain as he tried to get up. J'onn quickly tried to stop him, placing a hand on his chest.
"Easy." he said softly. "Do not try and get up. You have a concussion and two cracked ribs."
"I've had worse." Batman replied.
J'onn relented, then took the cape and cowl from where it hung, offering it to Batman.
"I only removed it so I could ensure you were unharmed." He informed the Dark Knight. "No one else has seen your face, I assure you."
"Thanks." Batman replied, putting the cape and cowl back on. "What about Le Fey?"
"She got away." J'onn admitted before looking down in shame. "I... apologize. My hesitation led to her escape and your injuries. Perhaps Etrigan is right. Perhaps Morgaine has tainted me."
"Don't let him get to you." Batman insisted. "He's been hunting her for centuries."
"But he is telling the truth." J'onn went on. "She showed me my family. My wife, my daughters… Seeing them again has been a dream I've held for so long. The idea of holding them in my arms once more… it was too much for me to resist."
He clenched his fists, a layer of sorrow in his voice as he spoke again.
"You have no idea what that means for me."
In a rare display of emotions, Batman placed a comforting hand on J'onn's shoulder.
"Actually," Batman told him, his voice softer than usual, "I do."
...
Back at Hickman's place, the party was in full swing. Guests were dancing all across the room as Hickman showed the three heroes around.
"Home theater, complete gym, game room," He listed off, "as well as a collection of some of my most favorite pieces of art."
He brought them to a particular statue of a warrior woman
"Take this one for example." He told them. "One of my personal favorites. It's a genuine Greek-
"Roman." Diana cut off.
"Excuse me?" Hickman responded.
"It is a roman copy of a statue of Artemis." Diana explained.
"How do you know?" Hickman challenged.
"She's pretty knowledgeable about these things." Aquaman insisted.
"It stood in a temple for Diana, her Roman counterpart." Diana went on.
"No relation, I'm assuming?" Flash guessed.
"None." Diana replied. "But, I did provide the pose for the artist."
"A model?" Hickman noted. "Impressive. I could set you up with a gig."
"Anyway," Flash cut off. "We're here for a particular piece of your collection."
"What do you know of the Philosopher's stone?" Aquaman asked.
"Ah, the crown jewel of my collection." Hickman sighed wistfully. "Right this way."
He then led them to his bedroom, which was filled with more ancient antiques, including a strange rectangular stone sitting on the headrest of his bed.
"When I was working on castle excavations for Castle Branic, I came across this baby." He explained. "It changed my life. Pretty soon, I had everything I ever wanted: money, cars, women."
He leered at Diana as he said the last bit, which just seemed to set Diana off.
"Are you telling me you possessed the most powerful relic and the world, and you used it to get money and women?" She questioned hotly.
"What else is there?" He asked.
All three heroes just rolled their eyes.
"You know, if you wanted to punch him, we'd totally understand." Aquaman commented.
Before anything else can be said, the entire manor began to shake. The front doors opened and a massive whirlwind came roaring inside. It began attempting to pull everyone inside off their feet, flinging them into walls and the ceiling. Unwilling to be tossed about, Aquaman planted his trident into the ground, grabbing hold of Flash to keep him steady. Diana merely planted her feet and caught Hickman by his robe, keeping him from flying off as well. After a bit, the whirlwind died down as Morgaine and Mordred entered, the former eying the stone maliciously.
"At last, after all these years," She declared. "The stone is mine!"
"Not yet!" Wonder Woman defied.
She tossed Hickman asode, diving for the stone. As Morgan blasted at her, Aquaman moved and blocked the blast with his trident.
"You're not the only one with magic, lady!" Aquaman boasted, sending a shot of power back at her.
Diana managed to get the stone, immediately diving for cover behind some of the antiques on display. Morgaine shot at her as Diana continued to hide.
"Flash!" Diana cried out, getting his attention before tossing him the stone. "Run!"
He caught it and ran off in an instant, a livid Morgaine trying to blast him as he did. Unfortunately for her, all she hit were a few artifacts and a large painting on the wall.
"My Neaman!" Hickman cried out in despair.
Morgaine then turned towards him, blasting him with magic from her eyes that caused him to cry out in pain. He fell to the ground, his body morphing as his arms melted into his torso. His mouth expanded, swallowing his entire face as he ripped through his robe, becoming a large, jagged toothed worm. The worm roared, charging at Diana. She flew up to try and stop the worm, only to get her leg caught in its mouth. It slammed her into a wall, prompting Aquaman to leap onto its back to try and help.
"Alright ugly!" He shouted. "Drop her now!"
Aquaman then stabbed the creature in its neck area, causing it to drop Diana before whipping the atlantean off. He went flying through the wall, out of sight of Diana.
...
Inside a beautiful pool room next door, two drop dead gorgeous women were swimming and enjoying the water. Suddenly, their play was interrupted by the wall exploding and Aquaman landing hard in between them. They screamed and scrambled backward as Aquaman pulled himself to his feet.
"Ladies." Aquaman greeted. "You might wanna run."
They looked up and saw the worm crashing through the wall after Aquaman. They screamed in horror before running for their lives. Aquaman then took note of his surroundings, realizing that the pool area was being fed by a natural spring. Grinning widely, he spin his trident, summoning a massive stream of water which he launched at the worm. It hit the worm hard, sending it crashing through the wall and onto the dance floor. Flash saw this and skidded to a stop, his eyes going wide.
"Uh-oh." He let out, tucking the stone onto his belt before turning to his teammates. "You two handle the worm. I'll get everyone to safety."
"Sure." Aquaman quipped. "Leave us with the hard job."
Flash ignored him and began zipping through the crowd. One by one, each of the guests began to disappear. They reappeared outside the house, safely on the street and on the other side of the property gates.
Back inside, Aquaman and Wonder Woman continued putting up a good fight against the worm. Aquaman spun his trident around to keep the worm back as Wonder Woman flew up and socked it on the jaw.
"Sorry, Harv." She told him.
As they continued to fight, Morgaine scanned the house, trying to catch sight of Flash. When she was unable to make him out amidst the red streaks he left in his wake, she let out a snarl of outrage.
"Enough of this!" She snapped.
She thrusted her hand outward, summoning the stone to her. Outside, Flash managed to get the last of the people to safety, only for the stone to start flying off his belt. With a yelp of surprise, he grabbed the stone, digging his heels into the ground to try and keep it from going back to Morgaine. Unfortunately, this proved a useless endeavor, the power of the spell too strong to stop.
"Guys!" He called over comms. "A little help!"
"Kinda busy here!" Aquaman replied, shooting at the worm.
With no one to help him, Flash could only watch as he was dragged ever closer to Morgaine. She held out her hands for the stone, but just as she was about to grab it, a jet of flames struck her in the stomach. The spell ended, Morgaine went flying backward, and Flash landed hard on his butt. Flash turned and saw Etrigan standing in the doorway, smoke billowing out his mouth.
"Why do you stay?!" He demanded. "The day is won! You have the stone, now run, Flash, run!"
"She's all yours." Flash remarked, running off.
As he disappeared from sight, Morgaine pulled herself from where she'd landed, staring down Etrigan.
"Stand aside, beast." she commanded.
"We stood aside for thee before." Etrigan growled. "But now, we obey thee no more!"
He immediately blasted at her, but she easily blocked the blast before returning her down.
"Is that truly the best you can do?" She taunted.
She kept blasting at him until he was knocked to the ground, groaning in pain as he struggled to move. Morgaine hovered over his prone form, her eyes glowing menacingly.
"Now, to put an end to Merlin's infernal servant, and his counterpart." she declared.
She then fired a massive blast of energy at him, only for Wonder Woman to land in front of him and block it with her bracelets. The power sent her skidding back a bit, but she still held strong. Morgaine just had enough time to look surprised before Diana threw her wrists together, sending out a shockwave of power that ripped through the estate. Morgaine ended up smashing hard into the house as Diana grabbed Etrigan by the back of his shirt and Aquaman by his wrist, taking off into the sky.
"Your power's strong, but not enough." Etrigan warned. "The witch's life has not been snuffed."
"We'll worry about that later!" She told him.
The three flew off into the sky as Morgaine got to her feet. Upon realizing her goal was now out of reach, she let out a primal scream, the entire house exploding from the sheer power she released before she vanished. Hickman, now a man once more, came stumbling out of the wreckage, clad only in underwear as he flopped onto his driveway.
…
In the Watchtower, the League placed the Philosopher's Stone into the Vault, one of the highest security areas onboard. The second Flash set it down, clamps locked onto it and an energy shield surrounded it. Flash then removed his glove, scanned his handprint, and the vault door closed.
"There." Flash declared. "Now only registered Leaguers can get to the stone."
"I'd like to see Le Fey try and come after it now." Aquaman boasted.
"Be careful what thou wishes for." Etrigan growled. "She'll hunt the stone for evermore. You think you're safe amidst the skies? She'll steal the Stone before your eyes."
"Well, aren't you the ever present ray of sunshine." Aquaman remarked. "We have the stone, she doesn't, and nobody save for the League can even get up here. As far as I'm concerned, this mission is over. So why don't you go find another house to haunt."
"You call yourself a hero and king?" Etrigan snorted. "I call you a worthless human being."
"I don't need to take this from a living gargoyle." Aquaman dismissed, walking off.
"He didn't mean that." Diana insisted.
"No, he completely did." Flash corrected. "What do you have against Aquaman anyway?"
"King Arthur was a noble man, one of honor and good will. To see another with his name, it makes me feel quite ill."
"Because he reminds you of what happened back in Camelot." Batman deduced. "Of your betrayal."
Etrigan snorted, then walked off.
"I think you hit the nail on the head, Bats." Flash noted.
…
Out in the Watchtower's observatory, J'onn was wandering around, his thoughts in utter turmoil. The voices of his family continued to echo in his mind, begging him to return to him. He tried to force them out, unable to handle the sorrow and anguish they brought with him. In desperation, he slammed his head against the glass, screwing his eyes shut. As he did, the voices went quiet, to which he cautiously opened his eyes. To his surprise, he found himself looking out at Mars, little more than a red light in the distance.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" A voice that was NOT his family, or the League, suddenly declared.
J'onn jumped, turning to see a translucent version of Morgaine hovering next to him.
"It truly was a paradise, for a time." She went on, looking out at the stars.
"Leave this place." J'onn told her. "You are not welcome here."
"I am not here." Morgaine corrected. "I am still in England, but I wanted a chance to talk. You've seen my power firsthand, seen what I can do. With the stone, I can do so much more."
"That is why you will never have it." J'onn insisted.
Morgaine chuckled slightly.
"Oh come now, Martian." She said. "Haven't you figured it out by now?"
The landscape before him suddenly shifted to that of Mars, both he and Morgaine now standing before his old home.
"I can return what you have lost." she promised. "I can restore the peaceful utopia of Mars, your family. I can give you what you've been missing for all this time. But, I need the Stone to pull it off."
J'onn was speechless at the prospect, to embrace his family once more. It almost sounded too good to be true. As he thought about it, the landscape melted once more, returning him to the Watchtower.
"Think about it." Morgaine told him before fading from sight.
…
Etrigan remained in the watchtower, having found a perch above some hanging monitors. He remained there like a gargoyle, staring down at the League as they went about their duties. Wonder Woman spared him a glance, meeting his eyes before shivering.
"I'm starting to share Aquaman's disdain towards Etrigan." She commented to Batman. "When he looks at me, it's like he's looking into my very soul."
"I'll admit, he's an unsettling being, but I'd rather have him with us than against us." Batman replied.
All of a sudden, the lights began to flicker before going out altogether. Etrigan instantly jumped off his perch, baring his teeth.
"It was too easy, I should have known." he growled. "Beware heroes, we are not alone."
Out of the shadows, the hordes of evil Morgaine has summoned back in Camelot began to appear. Batman and Wonder Woman took defensive positions as the lights came back on. Flash and Aquaman came running in at that, seeing the horde and instantly joining them.
"Whoa." Aquaman let out. "Where'd these guys come from?"
"Morgaine must've sent them." Batman deduced. "They're after the stone."
"Then they've come a long way for nothing." Wonder Woman declared, pulling out her sword.
She then darted forward, slashing at several monsters as Etrigan shot fire at the. The fire seemed to do little as the creatures simply passed through it. Batman then grabbed a bola from his belt, tripping one up, but its brethren just kept coming. Flash sped around punching one after the other, but it never seemed to be enough.
"We're getting outflanked!" Diana shouted. "Where's J'onn?"
…
J'onn flew through the halls of the Watchtower, seemingly oblivious to the fighting going on above him. He phased through the floors, appearing before the vault. He used his handprint to open the door, revealing the Philosopher's stone.
…
Back with the other Leaguers, their fight with the monsters carried them to the observation room. Batman managed to knock one monster off the platform before engaging with another. Aquaman used his trident to block several sword strikes before performing a massive sweep, knocking them back. Flash sped back and forth, punching one monster after another. As he came to a brief stop however, one of the monsters hit across the face, allowing others to do the same. He did his best to fight them off, but they were starting to overwhelm him. Wonder Woman managed to kick one monster back, but was hit by another, putting her next to Aquaman.
"There's too many of these things!" Aquaman exclaimed.
"I'm open to suggestions!" Flash shouted back before getting hit again.
"What we need is a strong maelstrom," Etrigan insisted, "to send these things back where they came from!"
Flash perked at that, then quickly began running around the monsters, picking up speed with each rotation.
"Thou hast proven thyselves a constant vice," Etrigan declared, "By my command, thou shall be ice!"
A powerful wave of energy shot out from his hands, slowly covering the monsters in ice. Flash's constant speed accelerated the process.
"Greater speed, tis what we need!" Etrigan yelled.
"You got it!" Flash replied, going faster.
Flash kept running faster and faster, causing the ice covered monsters to start breaking to pieces, until finally, they all shattered. Flash skidded to a stop, the bits of frozen monsters falling like hail around them. Aquaman brushed bits off himself.
"Well that was disgusting." he deadpanned.
"Hey, it worked." Flash replied, running up to him. "That's good enough for me."
"Why didn't J'onn answer our call?" Diana questioned.
"Maybe these things spread elsewhere in the tower." Aquaman suggested.
"Don't be daft, the answer's well known." Etrigan snarled. "The Martian is gone, and with him, the Stone."
The four Leaguers all looked at each other in dread, but decided to head to the vault just in case.
…
As feared, the vault was empty. There was no sign of the stone, or J'onn.
"I warned thee once, I warned thee twice!" Etrigan howled. "But none would listen to my advice!"
"Maybe because we don't like selling out friends!" Aquaman challenged. "Did that cross your little demon mind?!"
"Back off pretender! I'll hear no more!" Etrigan snapped before turning to leave. "I'm going alone to even the score!"
"You will not!" Wonder Woman declared, standing in front of him. "If you intend to do J'onn harm-!"
"The Martian's fallen for desired vice." Etrigan interjected. "Now the traitor must pay the price."
"Enough!" she let out, slapping him across the face.
Etrigan rubbed his cheek.
"We waste our time while you four fume." He told them. "With the stone, the witch will seal our doom."
"Hate to admit it, but he's right." Flash agreed, speeding in. "the Javelin's gone, and J'onn's security code is still punched into the hanger controls."
"We need to talk J'onn down while we still have a chance." Batman insisted.
"Hard to do since we're stuck up here." Aquaman remarked.
"Not for long." Batman replied, activating his comms. "Cyborg, we need a Boom Tube, now!"
…
J'onn flew the Javelin towards the tower where Morgaine and Mordred were staying. Inside the tower, Mordred sat in anticipation of their upcoming victory.
"I still can't believe it, mother." He let out. "After all these years, I'm finally getting my kingdom!"
"It has been an arduous road my son," Morgaine admitted. "But it will be worth it."
"I need a castle, one of my very own." Mordred insisted. "This dusty old tower is no place to rule."
Morgaine shot her magic all throughout the tower, transforming into that of a Medieval castle. The room they were in became a majestic throne room with a proud throne for Mordred to sit in.
"This is but a small sample of what is in store, my son." Morgaine promised. "With the stones power, I can make this reach the world over."
Mordred laughed in anticipation as he ran over to his throne and leapt into it. At that time, the Javelin landed just outside. J'onn came out and flew over to Morgaine with the stone in his hand.
"Ah, the final piece arrives." Morgaine mused. "Come forth, my noble knight."
J'onn walked forward, prepared to give the stone to her. Suddenly, a Boom Tube opened up between them, allowing the League and Etrigan to leap through. Cyborg had joined them, going wide-eyed at the sight of Morgaine and Mordred.
"Whoa, and I thought the demon was weird." He muttered.
"It's been that kind of day." Aquaman replied, pulling out his trident and blasting at Morgaine.
Morgaine held up a magic shield to block the blast before returning in kind, knocking him back. Etrigan immediately ran towards J'onn, tackling him aside before throwing a ball of magic at Morgaine. She batted it aside as Mordred fired a few magic blasts of his own, causing Flash and Wonder Woman to move back.
"So the kids got a few tricks of his own." Flash noted.
"The rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Wonder Woman remarked.
"Get out of my castle!" Mordred ordered, blasting at them again.
Meanwhile, J'onn and Etrigan continued fighting for possession of the stone, with Etrigan pinning J'onn to the ground.
"You were a fool to take her deal!" Etrigan swore. "Morgaine's promises are never real!"
"Stand aside, demon!" J'onn yelled, punching Etrigan aside.
J'onn got back up and began moving towards Morgaine again, only for Etrigan to move in front of him and punch him into a wall. He punched J'onn a few more times before he fell to the ground, dropping the stone. Etrigan picked it up as he stood over J'onn.
"She has promised to use the stones power to restore Mars." J'onn told him.
"Whatever she promised, it is a lie. Your reward's to watch this world die."
"I don't care, this is my last chance for happiness." J'onn pleaded. "My last chance to embrace my family!"
"Your family's dead! Your planet's dust!" Etrigan shouted. "These folly dreams are doomed to bust!"
Etrigan tried punching him again, but J'onn quickly went intangible, allowing the punch to pass through him. He quickly turned solid again to strike Etrigan in the back of the head, knocking him into a pillar. J'onn quickly grabbed him by the throat and took the stone.
"I'll not be denied!" J'onn promised, tossing Etrigan aside.
As this was going on, the rest of the League was still trying to hold of Morgaine and Mordred. Cyborg his behind a corner, getting off shots from his arm cannon when he could.
"So this is seriously Morgaine Le Fey?" Cyborg questioned. "As in the batshit crazy witch who tried to kill King Arthur?"
"Yep!" Aquaman confirmed. "The very same! Now got anything in that swiss army body to stop her?"
"Working on it!" Cyborg replied. "Let me try something."
Cyborg then rounded the corner and fired a sonic wave from his cannon, causing Morgaine and Mordred to hold their heads in pain. While Morgaine managed to blast Cyborg in response, Flash managed to speed in from behind and grab Mordred.
"Playtime's over, kid!" Flash declared.
"Mother!" Mordred yelled.
"Unhand him!" Morgaine yelled, blasting at Flash.
Mordred dodged before the blast his Flash, knocking him to the ground. Aquaman ran towards Morgaine, but she quickly blasted at her. He shot at her in return, the two blasts colliding with each other. Seeking an edge, Morgaine fired at the column behind him, causing it to collapse right on top of him, knocking him out. Just then, Wonder Woman's lasso wrapped around her, allowing Wonder Woman to begin pulling her in. Morgaine just grabbed the lasso and sent a surge of energy coursing through it, causing Wonder Woman to cry out in pain before falling to the ground. Batman ran over to help her, but the magical feedback surged through him as well, knocking him back.
Meanwhile, Etrigan sent out one fire blast at J'onn after another, the Martian dodging every blow in desperation.
"Blast you coward, come out and fight!" Etrigan taunted. "Art thou afraid to face my might?!"
Thinking fast, J'onn phased through the floor, avoiding another fire blast as he phased up from behind him and started attacking his mind.
"Nothing will keep me from my loved ones!" J'onn declared. "Especially not you!"
Etrigan howled in pain at J'onn's mental assault, the Martian's tactics too much for him to handle. All of his past memories flooded his mind: his failures, his losses, his greatest regrets. J'onn saw first hand the horrible story Etrigan had told them of Jason's past, witnessed Jason's family's death as if they were his own.
By the time it ended, Etrigan fell to the ground, his form reverting to that of Jason Blood. The man weakly looked up at J'onn as the martian grabbed the stone, preparing to hand it over.
"I know… how you feel." He wheezed. "Not a day goes by… that I don't miss my first family. But, nothing can bring them back..."
"Ignore him." Morgaine told him. "The stone. Give it to me."
J'onn turned away from Jason as he walked towards Morgaine. As he did, though, the visions of Jason's past continued to play through his head, causing him to grit his teeth in pain. However, that's when the voice of Henry Moss cut through the memories.
"It won't do us no good to wallow in pain." He recalled. "We'll just end up isolated and alone, and that's just not right."
He closed his eyes to try and drown out the voice, focusing on the illusion of his wife reaching out to him.
"J'onn…" she called to him. "Please, come home."
He nearly gave in at that, but Moss' voice returned once more.
"Find something or someone that makes you happy. It won't be the same as before, but that's okay. Sometimes to move on, you have to let go."
Those last two words echoed over and over as J'onn held up the stone towards Morgaine, who reached out to grab it. Suddenly, J'onn crushed the stone in his hand, much to her shock.
"No…" Morgaine let out. "What have you done?! I could've given you your family! Your whole world could've been yours again!"
"The price was too high." J'onn replied. "I can see that now. You can no longer control me."
"Did… did we lose, Mother?" Mordred asked in disbelief.
"Only this battle." Morgaine replied. "But not the war."
Morgaine then summoned magic that caused her and Mordred to disappear. Once they were gone, the magic over the tower disappears as it reverted to normal. One by one, the Leaguers picked themselves up and saw no trace of Le Fey.
"So… did we win?" Flash asked.
"We did." Batman confirmed.
"My friends, forgive me." J'onn pleaded. "I was so desperate to reclaim my new home, I was willing to sacrifice my new one. I can only hope you can accept my apologies… and my resignation from the Justice League."
He turned to leave, but Jason stopped him, catching him by the arm.
"Wait." he insisted. "The demon was wrong about you. You redeemed yourself this day."
"I owe you a small part of that." J'onn told him. "Seeing what Morgaine did to you… it helped me realize what I was really doing."
"Then you are a wiser man than I." Jason replied.
He prepared to walk away, but this time, J'onn stopped him.
"If I may ask, you told me you missed your first family." J'onn recalled. "What did you mean by that?"
"You asked the demon about the woman in the painting." Jason recalled."Her name was Glenda, a historian I met in 1972. She became my new family, restoring my ability to feel and reminding me that while my family is gone, I can still know happiness. I'd like to think the same can be said for you."
He placed a hand on J'onn's shoulders.
"I am cursed to walk this earth alone until Morgaine's defeat, but you hold no such burden." he went on. "Do not let your past keep you from enjoying the present, or looking towards the future."
With that, Jason walked off into the night. J'onn just watched as Diana walked up to him.
"You know we don't want you to leave." Diana told him.
"I am aware." J'onn replied. "I've also given some thought to what you said, and the tragedy of Jason Blood's life. He and I are similar in many ways, but there is one major difference."
"What's that?" Diana asked.
"I am a Martian." J'onn answered. "I'll live longer than he will, and unless I find some way to connect with humanity, I will live out that time totally alone."
"Where do you think you'll start?" Diana asked.
"I have a suggestion." Batman spoke up.
He pulled a black cell phone from his belt, offering it to J'onn.
"Speed dial 2." he instructed.
J'onn nodded as he pressed the button and waited for an answer. The line clicked, and a familiar voice answered.
"DEO, Dr. Miller's laboratory."
"Kari?" J'onn replied.
"J'onn!" Kari answered happily. "Hey! Haven't heard from you in awhile. How are you?"
"I… have been good." J'onn replied. "I was… wondering if you would like to… do something together sometime."
"Well, if you're not busy, I could use some help on a Kryptonite experiment I'm running. I'm testing its reaction to different levels of radiation and a second set of hands would be great. Oh! And if you could swing by Big Belly Burger, that would be great! I kinda skipped lunch today."
"Of course." J'onn replied. "Though it might take me a while to get there."
"Got ya covered, J'onn." Cyborg promised, opening a Boom Tube.
J'onn smiled before returning to the call.
"I will be there soon." J'onn promised.
"I can't wait." Kari told him.
J'onn then hung up and turned towards the team, smiling.
"Thank you." He told them.
"That's what friends are for." Aquaman insisted. "Now get going."
J'onn nodded before walking through the Boom Tube, ready to finally embrace his new life.
