Ashton Andrews and Flame Brooks

Ashton looked at Sandra, then Flame, then said, "I want to go back - I'm tired of Lugnica. So many crimes I can't atone for, so much blood on my hands... I'm broken. I'm sorry if this is cowardly, but I am broken."

Seeing Flame die, however temporarily this time, was the second-to-last straw. The last straw was hearing that there can be nothing done for Hiro. "Hiro's death will forever haunt me. If there is no way to make up for that... Just send me back."

Flame walked over and enfolded his boyfriend in a light hug. "Ashton. You did what you thought would save the group - All of us. And quite frankly, things would be worse if not for you. Sometimes, Bittersweet endiings and half-victories are all we can hope for." A smile, "Perhaps the next generation here would have a better future than what came before."

He then looked at the others, expecting their disapproval, "So I and Ashton are going home. Sorry for being burdens and taking the 'cowardly' choice, but we just want to go back to our family."

---

At some point, Alistair had retrieved his phone, turned it on, and had been inputting something into it. He was still paying attention, however, and listening to the two young men was beginning to irritate the haughty man. "Really? I'd have thought this week-long getaway might've helped you both get over that pessimistic attitude. You'd both be better off without it. You both did fine aside from tha----"

Alistair then paused suddenly. "Wait, it's only been a week?" he closed his phone.

The realization dawned on him. What felt like months, or year even, had only taken place over the last week? What kind of bullshit was that? All of his suffering, all of his achievements... were made within the past week? He genuinely felt like more significant events happened here in this world than anything he'd ever experienced on Earth. How was that even possible? Truly, it took him by surprise.

Well, no matter. What was important was his decision. Would he return to the life he once had, or stay here? Seemed like a rather obvious choice though. He looked at Sandra. "Do you, or any of those others understand exactly what world I was stolen from? A convenient one, that's what. One with internet and air conditioning, with cars and cellphones! Much less random death and girls who can't appreciate my respectable dancing capabilities, too." he added pointedly.

"Still... I suppose I'll be staying behind."

The obvious answer. Alistair Archibald was a man of his word. He did not intentionally break promises and he always repaid a debt, for not doing so is something only a coward would do. He prided himself in being much more than that sort of being. And with the promises he'd made, he was going to be here too long to return home. He still had that date with Captain Crunch that hopefully would end with his cheeks not being red and his abilities as a dancer not being questioned. He also had to repay Irene for her hospitality. And even the good doc, Donovan, hadn't been forgotten. Though of course the priority here was the promise he made to himself.

"Stopping the High Council is something I can get behind. They're not getting off so easily, not after what they've done." he eagerly awaited the day when they were no more. He couldn't imagine anything giving him more satisfaction.

Alistair intended to hand his phone to someone returning to their world, as it now contained a message that would hopefully provide some closure to his family. Not that he cared that much about them, but it would feel wrong to just let them think he went missing. That would be leaving the wrong impression! Given that he'd never again turn up, they might get wrong idea that he was mugged and killed or some other unfitting death for a man such as he. Naturally, he wasn't returning home and it was HIS choice. He wrote some story about finding his true self by taking a lifelong journey or something. They probably wouldn't buy it, but he'd already written the story and he wasn't going to rewrite it for them.

The reality was that this was just an excuse to send his phone back so he wasn't reminded of how inconvenient this world was in the future, anyways.

Death count: 1
Reset Count: 4

---

Ah...they were back in the manor.

Chieko's legs wobbled as she relaxed her stance. Ugh, she really just wanted a nice place to just...sit for awhile. The brunette tried not to show it as much this time as she looked at each person gathered. Crunch, Vertti, Flame, Ashton, Allistair...she listened to what Sandra and Crunch had to say, silently mulling over the situation as it was presented to her. They could go home? She could just forget everything that happened this past week?

That sounded nice. She could just...forget all this happened. The death. The fighting...but what about Quill? Chiyo? Truthfully, Chieko didn't have much back on earth to go back to. She wasn't all that close with her parents. Her little sister was just about the only thing she'd go back for, but...she was a useless big sister anyways. She could get along just fine without her.

"...Hmph, fleeing so readily?" She cast a glance to Flame and Ashton. "And here I thought you were better than that, but fine. In your absence I shall do what I must." She looked over to Sandra. "I shall stay here as well." She wasn't certain about all this high council business still, but she did know that she would have to stop Talus or whatever else was left of him. Not that anyone else needed to know about her life on earth. It was much better here, even if she ended up mostly alone. She could still be a hero, even if she was. Besides, being a Loner was the staple of any good hero.

maybe she could finally check out that adventurer's guild...


Vertti's Manor
Deaths: N/A

---

...what happened, Mie wasn't entirely sure. One second she was watching quite amused as that human by the name of Aerith sliced open Fritzi in the most amusingly deranged fashion, and then everything was just...over? Just like that. Her Blessing wasn't alerting her to any danger, Fritzi was dead and everything seemed to mostly just be quiet...but where was Vertti? Mie wasn't concerned, of course, but she did have a deal to keep after all. If she was still alive she needed to make sure she was going to keep it.

So Mie moved back to Vertti's study, away from Fritzi's body before she could be seen by the guards or anyone else. She didn't have any intention of even being slightly implicated in anything. On a less serious note...these bandits really did make a mess of her mansion, didn't they? Tsk, she was going to need to make them pay for all the repairs, if any of them were left alive.

...

"...Jeez, what is wrong with me?" Mie exhaled, shaking her head. "Marriage? With Vertti of all people. Ahahaa, wow I've made some bad decisions but this still has to be my worst one yet." She chuckled lightly, reaching the study. Locked? Well, not that it mattered to her. She pilfered a Key to the place earlier, of course.

Opening the door, Mie looked at the people present.

"...I don't remember inviting a cheap male stripper, a couple of lost orphans, and a girl that looks like she has as much social skill as a wet rock in my house." Mie closed the door behind her, walking over to the desk and taking a seat on it. Stretching, she didn't seem to entirely mind just inserting herself into the situation and not even caring what was going on. "So, Vertti...I hope you're not going to back out of our deal, hm? You're not going to break this little foxes heart now that we're done with this whole...business are you?" She flashed Vertti a decidedly toothy grin.

Chieko blinked. Who was this small sassy lost child?

After everyone stated what they wished, Mie invited herself into the room. Sandra watched with mild irritation as the fox woman mocked everyone and turned to shoot one last hair razing line at Vertti. But she had not been idly waiting in her seat when Mie appeared. As soon as the fox entered the room, Vertti stood up and walked towards her. When Mie finally spoke to her, Vertti was already standing right beside her. The aristocrat placed her hands on Mie’s face.

"You can call me Linnea."

Vertti did not give Mie time to react, and closed the breach between their lips. Mie flailed her arms a bit before Sandra tossed a coat over them

”Alright, Lady Vertti wants to stay I guess. Not that I’m surprised.” She looked to Ashton and Flame. ”I guess you two are the only ones going.” Sandra raised her hand and pointed at Ashton and Flame.



”I’m surprised to see you go so soon. I don’t know what happened back there, but I wouldn’t be standing here if you weren’t there.” Ashton and Flame’s bodies started to go transparent, and red lights flickered all around them. ”A shame we didn’t get to know each other better. May you find peace in the world you wake in.” In the moments following, Ashton and Flame would vanish into the shadows of the room. There would be no trace of them, nor Alistair’s phone.

---

Jameson would wake up outside his church. He would wave the entire thing off as a dream seconds later.

Yuuki would awake beside the girl he was running with. He would continue to run through the snow with her, putting as much distance between his father and himself as he possibly could. The world of Re Zero taught him to fear his father even more.

Hilda would wake up in her kitchen. She became a far more cautious person after her return, figuring that someone must have drugged her.

Aaron Yang left the world committing suicide, but woke up in a hospital. Having experienced death many times, he decided it would be best to wait for it to come naturally next time. He became a carpenter and would eventually make a living as a motivational speaker.

Ashton and Flame would wake up where they were taking a walk. If not for the fact that they held Alistair’s phone, or the fact that they had a shared dream. Ashton’s pain would heal with time though. He would grow up into one of the world’s greatest doctors, and save many lives. Every once in a while, they would hear the voice of Od Laguna beckon to them in their sleep.

Their jouney in the fantastical world of Re Zero was over. Their quest ended, and Lord Talus lay in ruin along with his nefarious scheme. But for those that stayed, a new adventure awaited…

Chieko, Alistair, Vertti, and the other natives had their work cut out for them. Priestella was spared from more racial conflicts thanks to Crunch’s story, but it would be a long time before relations between the humans and demis mended. Especially with the high council trying to bait them to attack each other. But they had lost the favor of the artificial witches. Whether they were damsels that needed to be saved or heretics that needed to be killed was unknown.

And then there was Aerith, who was all by her lonesome. She knew where the witches were, and she would do anything to be reunited with them. She would have many run ins with the party as they attempted to cleanse the lands of the high council.

All of this might leave one wondering how it will all end.

A tale for another time perhaps…

FIN ~