The Last Shade VI: Illusory Dream

Chapter 21

Kiel, spent, sat down on one of the chairs that still looked somewhat intact, tipping his head back. It was too dark to see now, but he could tell the barrier overhead was still in place, most of it resided in his body after all, and it constantly called out to the rest not assimilated with him.

What is my purpose here? Surely, there has to be one.

Kiel wondered if he was to write down the true history for posterity, briefly entertaining the thought of jotting down his years upon years of experience.

That isn't feasible.

Just the memories he could remember with high enough clarity were enough to overwhelm an entire library of books, and it was too time and material consuming. The special trait memories had would also end up devouring his mind as well- the more one lingered in the past, the more of themself they would lose.

In that case, he would only detail certain events, especially the last one that had ended everything. Together with Bean's notebook that had his own recent experiences in it, the ones who discover his writings will learn the truth.

Oh, first I need to translate all my writing into Common, Kiel thought to himself. Once all this is done, my purpose can be considered fulfilled.

Kiel gazed out the window that had lacked a panel or glass for decades.

After that, the past should obediently return to where it belongs.

———~~<~>~~———

Several months later, Kiel, with his crown in its original place, placed his backpack on the ruins of the wall that had once separated the two kingdoms. He took a moment to appreciate the irony that only when the two kingdoms were at war was the wall that divided them insignificant, laid waste by their own hands and willpower.

Surrounding the backpack with a small dome, he made sure it was thin enough that a human's touch would break it, yet strong enough to withstand the elements. The barrier that had once covered the kingdoms and prevented anyone's approach had been absorbed by him earlier in the day, and after assimilating completely with it, he now knew how to control it like his own frost powers.

Beyond creating this dome, Kiel would never use this new power again, for its very existence felt extraordinarily disgusting to him. Kiel looked around one last time at the kingdom he had helped prosper, then took to the skies, making the long flight back to Nephilim.

Beneath him, the two kingdoms shrank till they became specks and vanished, Kiel bursting above the thick cloud coverage, his home now just a few metres from him.

Everything looked the same from when he had last left- the island in pieces, with pieces of it and debris from buildings floating in the air. Locating where he had lain for thousands of years was simple- the thicket of tall and sharp icicles was still in place, albeit with some broken from Short's axe.

Sitting where he had lain, Kiel built up his courage, stilling his heart for what he was about to do. Closing his eyes, he gathered his willpower, focusing on his internal condition. It was far worse than he had thought- he was like a vase that had broken into numerous pieces, the barrier's pale blue existence glueing together all the fragments. He had well and truly become one with the divine creation, the sole reason why he had managed to be alive. Likewise, his clothes had the barrier integrated into its threads, giving them that mysterious self-healing feature.

Gritting his teeth, Kiel expunged the barrier from his body, an expense of pale blue shooting from his body to cover the entire horizon. Unable to bear the stress of forcefully removing the very thing that had been holding his human form together, the thing his body had already recognised as part of itself, Kiel's body collapsed, its internal cracks growing in severity as they spread rapidly.

Kiel's body, which should have been long dead deteriorated at a shocking speed, Kiel looking at his hand that lay beside his head, not sure when he had fallen. A deep line scored itself across his wrist, his whole hand snapping off.

In his dazed state, he seemed to see Escarcha and the other Shades standing before him, though their faces were blurred and Kiel couldn't tell if they were happy, disappointed or sad.

Tiredness filled every fibre of his being, and he let his eyelids slide shut, his breathing bottoming out. Kiel's ice crown shattered into numerous segments that rained down, and as the last of the divine barrier that had been supporting him exited, his body lost its integrity. It broke apart like dry plaster, an icy gale picking up and sweeping the fragments into the sky. Turning into trails of speckled light, they took flight into the heavens, leaving only the fragments of what was once the ice crown on the ground.

———~~<~>~~———

The youth stood in a daze in a vast expanse of whiteness, his slender form wreathed in wisps of clouds, the sparse light reflecting off his long silver hair and shimmering blue robes.

From the dense fog before him, a tall figure slowly emerged, a hand and then a forearm pushing through and stretching out towards the youth. He stared down at the hand with its defined joints and various calluses, feeling a sense of familiarity from it.

"Come, everyone's waiting for you."

A strong wind blew, banishing the fog and clearing the youth's vision in an instant. Kiel looked up at his old friend, tears prickling his eyes as he smiled.

"Reinhardt."