Try to Wake, Try to Escape

Epilogue: The Nightmare's End

Shu ran through the halls quickly, all of his wounds healed and his energy restored by a burst of adrenaline.

So close... We're so close, Spryzen!

"I know. Keep running!"

He wove through the long halls, running past sleeping dragons and dogs, noting with curiosity that the snakes were gone. He ran through the fountain room and more hallways, soon stopping in front of one final door.

It was a simple metal door, but the edges chipped away to reveal a simple, wooden door, not unlike the one at the Aoi bakery. Shu took a moment to catch his breath, resting his forehead against the door and closing his eyes, unresisting as a few tears slipped down his cheeks.

I'm coming, guys... Then we can go home to Beigoma... I miss it so much. Despite the smile on his face, he let out a soft sob and lifted his head, opening the door and stepping through it. The last pedestal room was different from the others- the walls were untouched, with no carvings, and there was a shaft of sunlight shining down on the pedestal. The sense of finality was welcomed, and Shu began to make his way to the pedestal.

"You know what to do. Return your ax to the pedestal, and you will awaken." Shu brushed the tips of his fingers over the stone surface, frowning. "What's wrong, Shu?..."

"If I return the ax, I have to say goodbye to you... Right?"

"You are right, sadly. I cannot follow you into the waking world. Not like the others can."

"... I won't let it be goodbye forever. I will retrace my steps back to that river and I will find you, Legend Spryzen. I swear it on my life."

"Then I will eagerly wait for our reunion. But for now, I must say goodbye to you, Shu."

Shu looked up to the ceiling, smiling sadly as he adjusted his grip on his ax. "Goodbye, Spryzen... I can't wait to see you again."

He waited, but his Bey spirit said nothing else. He tore his gaze away from the ceiling and placed his ax on the pedestal, watching as it began to melt away...

Then he looked to his hands and realized he, too, was melting. Instead of stumbling back, he staggered forward and began to fall, closing his eyes as darkness closed in on him...

Unlike when he woke up in his mind, he was cold, and instead of fabric he only felt steel underneath him. Every bone, every muscle, and every nerve in his body cried out in complaint as a deep ache and heavy exhaustion set in, threatening to have him lay where he was forever- willing it to go away.

The grumbling and growling he'd grown accustomed to had also changed to mechanical whirring and high-pitched beeping. It was certainly familiar, but his brain was too muddled to remember where he'd heard it before.

Then he heard something else- voices clamoring, excited, happy, maybe even teary? He forced his eyes to open and everything suddenly lurched into sharp clarity- he was in the Snake Pit's laboratory. The voices he heard were his friends, all celebrating their hard earned victory and Shu's release. The reason he felt cold was because he was still coated in the liquid from the suspension machine.

"Shu! Shu, you're finally back!"

The red-eyed Blader managed to pull up, lifting his gaze and coming face to face with tear-filled brown eyes. "... Valt, it's you..." He gasped, suddenly feeling his throat tighten. He looked to Rantaro, Ken, Wakiya and Daigo- who was still dripping with suspension goo- and he didn't have to say anything before everyone enveloped him in a warm hug.

Shu was finally free from the nightmare, he was finally with his friends again. He was so relieved that he found himself sobbing again, tears streaming freely down his cheeks. The others were all crying too, just as relieved as he was.