In the Shadows We Fight (for justice and ourselves)

The Answers to 49 Questions

A young adult sat on the ground. His jeans became muddied with the dirt and grass bending beneath his weight. The wind tousled his hair like an old friend seeing him for the first time in a long time. The sun washed over his face like two warm hands holding his cheeks up to the sky, looking affectionately into his bright blue eyes that matched the expanse above his head. He smiled, pressing his back further into the stone slab he was using as a backrest. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but a sense of security washed through him as if this fleeting moment could protect him from whatever threats were on their way to him.

"How are you? I'm doing pretty pog, thanks for asking," The young adult said. He closed his eyes, words easily falling from his lips. "It's been a month since we've seen each other. A lot of shit has happened. You probably weren't aware, but don't worry! Reporter Innit is here to deliver the news to the residents of the afterlife.

"Drista has taken up your mantle as Dream. With her new powers, she's quickly rose the ranks and she decided to use your name. It's confusing as shit for me, but she refuses to change her name. She's a stubborn fucker like that. She's a good hero, though. She's doing her best to live up to your dream of having a perfect world. The world is still shit, but it's... better, I guess. You would be proud," He said. Drista had come out the Totem of Immortality. She had been upset with him for the longest time for trying to kill her, their hero, and himself. He never truly learned which one of those targets made her the most upset. Even when they reconciled, she never told him. All she did was inform him that 'Dream' was going to be her new hero name as she tried to reform the world. She asked for his help in this endeavor.

"Snowchester and the Red district are both being taken care of by Big T. Croupier helps him, sometimes, but he's doing super good on his own. Ender is there with him. They are both reforming Snowchester as best they can. Last I heard, the Captain and that Sparklez guy is there. Apparently, Sparklez is Big T's uncle. Yellowjacket never knew his mom, so he didn't have many memories of that side of his family," The young adult explained. When he was at the hospital, Tubbo and Ranboo had visited as often as they could. Reforming two notoriously corrupt districts was a lot of work. They reformed the structure as a republic, allowing the people to vote for their leaders instead of being forced underneath the hero who was the strongest in the area. Tubbo was temporarily in charge until the system could fully be established, and he was thankful for his temporary administration. He, Ranboo, the Captain, Sparklez, Lilka, and Croupier had all joined forces. Croupier had additional allies and resources, so it was almost too easy to get everything in order.

"The Blade has gone into retirement. He's focusing on farming. He's not as terrifying when he's wearing overalls with a carrot sewn onto it. He still runs the Syndicate. I visit from time to time. I'm not part of it, but I'm on somewhat good terms with the people. I missed Nemesis, and Crowfather makes pretty good food." He went to the Antarctic District a lot more often. He liked spending time with Techno in the fields. Sometimes, Techno would tell him stories, but it was more often that Tommy was filling the silence with his rambling. He was able to reconnect with Niki, and they came to term with all of their emotions between their civilian and secret identities. She usually had some sort of dish for Tommy when he came over. He was allowed to sit in Phil's office as the man worked. Tommy sometimes helped since he knew how to do paperwork, years of being a hero sharpening his skills, but he usually engaged in quiet conversation.

"Banshee chose the path of repentance. He's a piece of shit, but... but he's doing his best. He's disbanded the Pit. He's apologizing to a lot of people... It's nice, I think." Wilbur was putting in effort. Wilbur was trying his best to make everything right, and he couldn't fault Wilbur for trying. Some things would never be okay, but some things could be if Wilbur tried to make them that way. He spent a lot of time with Wilbur these days. They still chatted late into the night over communicators, but they were meeting in real-life more often. Wilbur was trying new hobbies to fill the void his villainy left, and he was growing fond of music. Wilbur had even written a few songs, and he loved them all.

"The heroes corrupted by the Egg have been saved. The Warden has dealt with the Egg itself. The rest of the heroes are trying to clean up their act in order to preserve their power. All it took was a fucking rebellion to get people to behave," He laughed. Sam was still running the cafe where the four sidekicks met what had to have been more than half a year ago. He went there often, and he spent most of his time eating the free food made for him by Sam and playing with Fran. "Combust had retired to the Kinoko district. Unfound is still running around. I thought you would want to know about them."

"Integrity has left Las Nevadas district. He was pissed at me for a little while because I killed Punz. I guess his relationship with Punz was just as complicated as the rest of our relationships with our heroes. He eventually came around. He still wishes I didn't fucking do it, but he doesn't blame me anymore. I'm glad to have my friend back," He admitted softly. He never wanted to have that glare directed at him again. Purpled had nearly killed him the moment he said Punz had died because of a bomb he placed. Purpled left, going off the grid for a few weeks. Purpled came back to find him. They screamed more than they talked, but they did come to some sort of truce. This truce morphed from a tense comprehension to a bitter understanding to a melancholic acceptance. Purpled never apologized for leaving and he couldn't apologize for letting Punz die, but they each found that in the way they spoke and laughed together, forgiveness was easily given.

"I got to know your new sidekick. He isn't a bad person. He's... well, he reminds me of you in a lot of fucking weird ways. The two of you are both people who want to do moral things, but sometimes end up going about it in an immoral way. He just doesn't have your charisma. Most people fucking hate him. I guess that might be why I like him. Most people find me annoying at first." Eryn was a violent person, but he had this sense of justice in his heart that never wavered. He was saddened by the news of his hero's passing. Eryn didn't blame him, though, he just remarked that bad things happen. That was the start of their friendship.

"As for me, I think I have the best fucking gig of them all. I've officially moved to Logstedshire. It isn't a district. It's a training ground for new heroes and sidekicks. I'm in charge of it. I get other heroes to come down from time to time, but it's mainly me, Henry, and Sally teaching these people how to be heroes. Enforcers are there to help us. Clementine and Beau are also there, but Clementine isn't cut out for teaching and Beau likes being an informant. At Logstedshire, we make sure that no one ends up like you... or Minotaur... or Punz... or any of the other fucked up heroes the association keeps employing. I mean, fuck, man, how do they end up picking the worst Prime damn people to be 'heroes'? They need to read a fucking dictionary." He liked working at Logstedshire. He had gotten used to living off the land with his new friends. His allies from inside the walls of Essempei helped him set up an official camp with multiple buildings and a large enough food source to feed everyone. They had many instructors, too. Royal and Kistune arrived because Fundy heard Sally was there. Wilbur visited from time to time, and Techno came to make sure no 'government' was happening. Tubbo and Ranboo determined they would move out to help once Snowchester was taken care of, and Sparklez would visit often if Tubbo was there. Purpled visited every once and awhile. Other people came, too, and they had promises from some heroes that they would retire to teach.

"Everything has finally settled," The young blonde said with a heavy sigh. He pulled himself to his feet, stretching his limbs out. He stretched his hands to the sky and arched his chest to help pop his back. He relaxed, his arms falling to his sides as he looked down at the grave he had been leaning on. Clay Wastaken, the man behind the hero Dream, was laid to rest here. Dream's grave was somewhere else with dozens of weeping crowds surrounding it. This grave was for the people who knew the man behind the mask. Or, for the people who thought they knew.

Tommy Innit, the hero Reverie and head instructor at the Logstedshire camp, was standing at his former hero's grave. He nodded down towards it. "Rest in peace, Clay. The world will never be simple, but it will be okay."

Tommy walked away, returning to the bustling streets of Essempei.