The Burden of Destiny | Sequel to The Aura Within

Epilogue

Hope looked up at the beautiful statue resembling none other than Soul Fraverden. She had heard from Haku that Queen Rin wanted to have a memorial for both aura guardians despite there not being corpses to bury. The queen made sure that everyone who walked passed this part of Rota knew about the heroes who sacrificed their lives for them. Their good deeds for humanity would forever be counted for centuries to come. After all, the legacy they left behind served as a reminder to future aura guardians what may come from their destiny.

Before all of this Hope didn't know if walking the path of an aura guardian was for her. The only reason she trained with Nicholas for five years now was to control her power. She had questioned if she would ever live up to her predecessors' legacy. At the time, people had constantly compared her to Soul due to her uncanny appearance. Hope hadn't known that they were indeed so much alike until they met while Hope was in limbo. After meeting Soul for that brief moment, Hope realized that the path she walked on had never been pushed onto her; she was meant to do it.

The blonde woman knelt down and placed a white lily before the statue. Gallade once mentioned how much Soul adored white lilies among other things. Truth be told, she had learned everything there was to know about Soul from him. Hope remembered how invested she was as Gallade counted many stories about her. Apparently, she had joined the Rota Knights to become what her father had been. Soul adored her father and looked up to him greatly. That was why she worked so hard to become the person she used to be when she was alive.

A bittersweet smile formed on Hope's lips when she recalled her relationship with her own father. Even though their meeting was brief during the time she was in limbo, she was pleased that they both made up. She was more than happy that there was finally closure between them. Her father could now rest in peace, along with her mother and brother. Part of her hoped that her family met Soul in the afterlife. After all, they were practically related.

"There you are."

Hope stood up and looked over her shoulder. Levi stood behind her wearing that smile she adored so much. She turned around and smiled at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Levi responded by wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Here I am." She giggled before pressing her lips on his cheek. "I take it the talk with Thorin went well?"

"Pops did say he knew it was coming from a mile away," Levi assured. "Honestly, I'm starting to think that I'm pretty predictable too."

Hope's smile fell into a line as a thought occurred to her. She unwinded her hands and lowered them until they rested on Levi's chest to pull him back slightly. The sudden coma she fell into had changed the way everyone saw the world. New perspectives were seen in a different light, and she came to terms with going on this quest on her own. Hope looked up at Levi with worried eyes.

"You don't have to do this, Levi," she assured him. Her voice betrayed her, for Levi heard her sadness. "This is the place you grew up in and spent the large portion of your life in. You have family and friends here. You've made memories here, both good and bad. I would never ask for you to leave all of that behind just to keep me company. I'll totally understand if you want to back out now."

Levi shook his head. If there was anything he learned throughout the war against the Obsidian Knights, it was that aura guardians were burdened with a destiny so heavy. He had faith that Hope was strong enough to endure it, but he also knew that he wanted to be there by her side.

"Hope, I'd follow you to the edge of the world if it meant being with you," he spoke in a soft voice. "I almost let you slip away from me twice, and I won't make that same mistake a third. I love you too much to let it happen again."