Anemoia Echoes

Sayonara Blue Star (56)

Suddenly Dartz snapped back to reality, as the blue light dissipated in small orbs around her. She felt the weight of Aikasuyuri in her arms, She realized her arms had returned to normal and her body was without a scratch. She searched for the rest and saw them bunched up together. "Guys! Aikasuyuri is!" She stopped in her tracks and finally took notice. "..." She slowly walked closer to them as she heard crying and grieving. They were surrounding Rigel and she set Aikasuyuri down near them before she collapsed on her knee.Shaman had Rigel lying on her while sitting up, as her tears shed a constant stream down her face. Rigel barely holding onto his life as Roz Asteri was holding her hand to the chest trying to heal him but it seemed that his body was no longer recovering. The toxic Horizon Energy had been too much on the body of Rigel. Shaman was holding onto his body with her life. "Rigel! We can't lose you already!"Tiger clenched her fist. "He can't die right..." She was on her knee next to Rigel's side. "Right..." She was in denial. Roz Asteri stayed silent as she kept trying to heal Rigel.Consta only sat quietly as she tried to hide her feelings then looked away in pain. Deyla shed tears quietly. Dartz grabbed Rigel's hand. "No, no, no... You only just return us..." Her tears dropped down her cheek. Rigel held onto Dartz's hand and barely raised the other hand to hold onto Shaman's embrace. "Sorry...my body won't...last..." He smiled at them. "I'm glad...I met...all of you..." His eyes were tired from staying open while his clothes were stained in his blood and damaged. "Please...live...your...best..."

Dartz begs. "Please stop...I don't want to make this our last conversation..."
Rigel looked at Dartz. "This...is..our...last..."
Deyla looked at Shaman. "Shaman, I know you've been wanting to say it so...please do it before he goes...I don't want you to regret it..."
Shaman looks at Rigel as she gently lends his head up for him to look. Her droplet of tears fell upon his face. "Rigel... I love you..." She couldn't stop crying from her aching heart. 
Rigel softly looks at Shaman and responds to her confession. "If...we...had...little more...time...I would...take you...to see...a starry sky...we..can..treasure..." 
Shaman could only respond with a cry and held onto Rigel.
Rigel's body began to slump down more and breathing slowed down even more.
Consta spoke up. "Why do people like you guys die?" She clutches her hands together. "Why are we immortal-like in our existence but people like you guys are..." She has given up and shed more tears without crying.
Tiger covers her face and cries. ... after all we have done... this is it..."
Rigel looked at each one of them and gave his last regards with the last of his energy.
 
"Dartz"
"You're my first friend...and my dearest...friend Dartz. You're...a treasure...worth keeping"


"Shaman"
"I...would...love...to give...a...chance to experience...love...with you...Shaman"


"Tiger"
"You're so tough, Tiger...Always...handling...everything...so it is okay...to cry..."


"Consta"
"When...spoken my name...I was happy...we could start to be... friends...but this is my...goodbye... Consta."


"Deyla"
"You're always...looking out... for those around you... always comforting them...Deyla... thank you for supporting them..."


"Roz Asteri"
"You're free...my pink star...be a star in the open sea...that shines brightly..."

Rigel smiled at the Heroes once more. He felt his body give out, as the light fade from his eyes.
He suddenly broke into millions of tiny pieces of blue-light glass-like particles. That flowed into the air. Yet only his cap he wore fell into the lap of Shaman.

Dartz tries to reach out for the floating particle that was once Rigel then her hand falls to her lap. "Goodbye...Rigel..." She covered her face in pain.

Shaman felt the weight of Rigel disappear in her arms and body. She grabbed what was left of him and held it tightly in her chest. "Rigel...." She leans forward holding tightly to the last part of who she fell in love with. She cried with all her heart at the loss they had today. 
The rest of the Heroes were broken by this loss, they all held together. Crying their grief out together as Roz Asteri only watched and hugged them to comfort them all. 

-A week has passed-

Dartz and Roz Asteri were together at the Horizon Ward. 

Dartz asked Roz Asteri. "So I heard you're leaving right?"

Roz Asteri nodded. "I'm leaving for a long while."

Dartz looked down and asked. "So, your commander was Rigel all along right?"

Roz Asteri sighs. "Indeed, he was my commander... he told me to watch over you guys... he told me what I should do and what I needed to do. Nevertheless, he never told me why or what is needed but I'm glad to become your friend in the short time we have." She rubs her arms. "Although I never understand why I have this strange sense of familiarity with you all being your friends makes it all the better." 

Dartz accepted her true honesty. "I assumed Rigel told you to keep quiet on certain things did he."

Roz Asteri nods. "Indeed he did, but even he doesn't understand why it needed to be kept on the down low. He always told me he felt like he was under the influence in a sense." 

Shaman appeared in the Horizon looking for Roz Asteri and Dartz.

Roz Asteri looked at Shaman. "Funny enough, that cap from the commander looks good on your head.  The hat was gift from me to him, and now it is his to yours."

Shaman was wearing the Rigel's cap on her head. "Does it look good on me?" She felt a little embarrassed wearing it but she wanted to stay connected to it and held what was dear to her. She quickly jumps over to their location. "Aika still hasn't woken up yet, so how come you're leaving so early."

Roz Asteri smiled at Shaman. "I got places to go. I'm no longer under a commander, he told me to be free as well then I shall go. Oh wait! he did leave me with one more message a while back before the Clover District, and this is for you Dartz." She handed Dartz a note.

Dartz took the note to open it and began reading it. "Dartz, probably when this message is given to you. I have more than likely passed on. I'm certain you want to journey beyond what you have been stuck to, I had a feeling you are an adventurer type of person. So you asked Roz Asteri about the one in a cloak." She felt like this note was useless but she smiled at the note. "You messing with me...even after death." She looked at Roz Asteri. "So who is this one in a cloak?"

Roz Asteri smiled. "You should seek them out, I'm certain they will help you on your journey if you decide to go exploring. I haven't personally met the individual, but I certainly have seen them around. I think you can handle finding it, I believe they're some kind of observer."

Dartz was confused. "Observer?" She felt a sense of familiarity with the word.

Roz Asteri then turns around. "Well, that is all Dartz and Shaman. I have already sent my regards to the rest before we were here." She turns her head to look at them. "Sayonara!" She turned into a pink star that flew up into the sky with blazing beauty and disappeared. 

Shaman sigh. "There she goes... all this is over... I think we can finally rest." She touches the cap on her head. 

Dartz turns to look at Shaman. "Rigel's cap does fit on your head..." She looks at the note in her hand. "Well, I think I want to travel once we can rest up. I want to see what this reality has for us... This is our normal life now..." She sighs. "This game is Vrchat right? I don't know if this is correct or not anymore?"

Deyla suddenly appeared in the world. "Hurry up! Come here! Aika! is waking up!" She quickly dropped the portal for them. "Hurry!" She quickly hopped back into the world she came from.

Shaman and Dartz smiled at each other and nodded. They ran towards the portal that would bring them back to the home world. Leaving the Horizon Ward behind. 

The Heroes of the Horizon finally can rest. 

-End of Chapter-

(Horizon Arc End)