The mask… it was soothing. While wearing it, his behavior was less erratic—like it allowed him to be someone else, someone almost sane.
A mask of sanity.
It was probably the best gift his friend, Miss Shadow, could have given him—a way to mend what she herself had broken. His group had questioned him about it, but he only answered in vague, lackluster ways.
***
Lumos was away from the camp. This loop was coming to an end. He sat in a clearing, staring at the sky. Soon, the sun would begin its descent, and that's when the sound of war would normally roar.
But this time, it wouldn't.
It was incredible news—they would finally be free from the tyranny of the divine spell. His eyes drifted left, where Keill sat, also gazing at the sky. Her hand rested in his, her expression unreadable. She had worked for a thousand years for this moment, yet she wasn't as joyous as one might expect. This was because these were her last moments alive—something she had come to terms with, if only for Lumos.
The sorcerer's presence had made it far more painful for her to accept death.
"Lumos…"
He turned his head toward her.
"Thank you for everything you've done," she said, her eyes still fixed on the false vault that had once been called Heaven.
"It's the least I could do." Lumos smiled. "Though I think I'm the one who should be thanking you."
"Breaking that loop was my job—one I failed to accomplish without you all," she replied.
"I'm not talking about escaping the time loop."
Keill turned to face him, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm talking about you. You gave me something I'll never forget," the sorcerer said.
She smirked.
"And what might that be?"
"Someone to love."
She blushed slightly—perhaps not expecting such an answer.
"You sure are romantic, Your Highness Lumos," she mused, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I told you to stop calling me that."
"And I told you to forget me, but here we are."
They stayed silent for a long moment, watching the sun's glow turn soft orange.
"Lumos…"
He turned, meeting her beautiful eyes.
"Promise me you won't stay hung up on me. Promise you'll find someone else when I'm gone—someone who'll love you like I have."
"I… don't think I can make that promise," the sorcerer said, looking away.
Keill grabbed his collar, forcing him to look at her.
"Promise me," she said, an intensity in her gaze that could burn even the sun.
Lumos sighed.
There's no arguing with her…
"All right… I promise."
Keill smiled. Her face softened into something close to relief, though a shadow still lingered in her eyes. She kissed him. Lumos was taken aback—not because it was unexpected, but because even now, she could still surprise him. He didn't let it show, instead embracing her like it was the last time—because it was.
They stayed locked together, sharing their very being, almost forgetting to breathe. The burnt-orange sky was suddenly veiled in blue plasma, which then began to fade to black.
Keill's hand on his neck went limp. Her lips turned cold as ice.
Lumos held her tighter, a deep, gutting ache twisting inside him. The soft heartbeat in her chest had stopped, but he didn't want to let go. He didn't ever want to let go.
But he had promised.
His throat tightened as he gently laid her down.
"Goodbye… my love," he said, voice cracking.
She lay on the ground, eyes hollow, a smile on her lips. Lumos closed her eyes, kneeling in silence.
He didn't move for a long time. The sky had turned into the black abyss of the Depths. The blue plasma flaring above had become fading slivers, quickly devoured by the void.
In the distance, a crimson glow approached. As it drew nearer, it revealed the sorcerer kneeling in front of Keill's body, his expression hollow.
Kellta stood with her arm raised, crimson flame radiating from her palm. Elion was there too, wearing the High Lord's mask, silently watching.
No one spoke. They let Lumos recover in silence.
After a long moment, the sorcerer rose, adjusting his tie.
"Let's go…" he said softly.
***
Elion looked at Lumos. It hadn't been long since he'd rescued him from the well, but he could feel it—what the sorcerer was feeling, the loss. It was painful to see him like this.
The sorcerer was the only one who hadn't betrayed him now. That was worth something. But it was time to move on. Dwelling on the past would serve no one. As heartless as it sounded, Lumos felt the same—Keill wouldn't have wanted him to grieve endlessly.
The translucent leviathans roaming the sky had begun to move on. With the blue plasma—the last remnants of a god's magic—gone, they had no reason to linger. These beasts had been feeding on the divine spell.
No one knew where they came from, but their purpose was clearer now.
The entire area, once frozen in the loop, had resumed its natural course of time. The trees and grass would not survive long in the darkness of the Depths—they would decay and be twisted by Entropy.
This island of the past would soon be reclaimed by the present.
The group had no intention of waiting for that to happen. They needed to find the First Finger. The issue of soul integrity was pressing again, especially for Leonard, who had used her ability heavily during the fight against the High Lord's clone.
They crossed the battlefield of the Sun Army—a place that had never tasted blood in the end, just as the God of Memories and Time had intended. Farha still wore the green jacket and black pants Keill had made as a disguise, her original outfit too damaged to wear.
Lumos still wore the suit Keill had made for him. Something told Elion he wouldn't part with it for a long time. A fitting parting gift from such an eccentric partner.
The sorcerer didn't speak for days, still processing his loss.
They had to stay vigilant again—Creatures of the Depths now roamed freely without the divine spell's remnants to deter them.
After more traveling, they made camp. Elion sat staring into the crimson flames behind his mask.
I need something to occupy my mind…
The atmosphere was too damned depressing. It almost felt as if he was with his father.
He rolled up his sleeve, looking at his forearm. The script written in Terask glowed faintly. He could now read it easily, though it held no new secrets.
The other runes, however…
I need to figure this out.
He approached Kellta.
"I found a scripture of runes—can you help me translate them?" he asked.
"Sure."
Elion drew the first one in the dirt, copying it as precisely as he could.
The fire-wielding imp frowned.
"That… I've never seen this design." She squinted. "That line reminds me of the rune used for a slumber spell, but the rest is unfamiliar. Where did you find it?"
Slumber spell, huh…
"I found it in the human camp," Elion lied.
He trusted Kellta somewhat, but he didn't know what the enchantment might do. It could prove to be a serious weakness, and he preferred to keep that to himself.
"Light-Walkers using runes?" she asked, surprised. "From what I saw with you and my father, Light-Walkers didn't remember the Pale Witch. Why would they have such a design?"
"Well, Lumos used runes."
"Yes, but not the same kind. They had nothing to do with the Pale Witch's work."
Elion showed her the other runes, but she could offer little more insight.
As always, I know nothing.
She glanced at him, internally debating whether she should ask or not.
"Uh… can I… ask why you wear that mask?" she asked after a pause, clearly uneasy about the question.
Elion stared at her.
"It keeps me sane."
Kellta frowned. She didn't push further, but it was clear she was worried about him.
"Thanks for the help," the young cook said, standing up.
"No problem…"