This is Farewell

"We'll always be together right..?"

I opened my eyes, "is the portal closed?" I suddenly sprung awake thinking of the immediate situation at hand.

I looked around the surroundings, there was no gigantic portal in sight. I let out a deep breath, thank god it worked.

In the pile of corpses, a pair of snow white ears poked out into view.

"Peko-chan!!!" I yelled out happily while running up to her.

In a tearful tone Pekora muttered "Ru-chan..." looking at the ground.

"What are you crying for you dummy, just get up already will ya." I tried to hold her hand but my hand phased through her hand just like a ghost.

"Eh..."

"RUUU-CHAN!!!" Pekora cried harder amidst my confusion.

"Ah... I guess I died, did I." I held my shaking hands, tears began flowing down my cheeks.

Soon, Noel, Flare, and Marine all came around Pekora to comfort her.

"The chaos gate has been terminated, we ended the wars of all wars Pekora, we couldn't have done it without Rushia's sacrifice." Said Noel.

"She knew what had to be done,"Noel added.

Marine wiped away Pekora's tears, "Pekora..."

Flare stayed silent and seemed to be reflecting on her actions. "I should be the one that went in instead of her. I'm sorry Pekora." She turns around and leaves.

"I'm sorry everyone, to cause so much pain to all of you." I stood beside Pekora lamenting that dying isn't as painful as this.

"Peko-chan, my astral projection cannot last long in this world, I need to go back to the underworld to sustain it. Even if you can't hear me, don't you dare forget me okay?"

I summoned a portal to the underworld, took one final glance at the rest of them then I left...

—---------------------20 years later—----------------------

I returned to the mortal plane to see how my friends were doing.

And when I reached there, Pekora was seemingly waiting for me on a bench. The place the war ended has become a plaza inside a city. In the center of the plaza there was a statue of Pekora, Flare, Marine and Noel. On the bottom there were a plague writing "The 4 Heroes of Light"

"It seems that I have been forgotten after all..." i sat next to Pekora

"Ru-chan..." said Pekora

I looked at her sitting on my right.

"We all went our separate ways after the war, Noel got herself a territory and peerage, Flare went back to her tribe and Marine became a Nun."

"As for me... I'll be always here waiting for your return." Pekora vowed

It was at this moment, a mechanical butterfly flew into sight and landed on the palms of Pekora's statue in the square.

"Cause you'll forever be a part of us."

Unconsciously tears started flowing down my cheeks

"Thank you Pekora, Marine, Flare and Noel, no matter in what shape or form, we'll always be together..."

Pekora looked at me, "Ru-chan?"

"Took you long enough tehee~"