SKYFIRE PARADISE

Beneath a scorching sun, a stone plaza stretched out for miles on end in front of the Tower. Currently, it was occupied by tens of thousands of people, turning it into a sight of the sea of people. Young, old, tall, short, men, women… there was no clear division between the masses, as if they just lined up by the order of arrival.

At a terrace-like platform erected from the side of the Tower, Lynne was currently standing, looking down, gobsmacked. Next to him was a chuckling Thalia, Y’se and Principal. Today was the day those who wished to leave were supposed to leave, but, instead, every last living soul in the Paradise had gathered before the Tower, all looking up.

Lynne felt his heart tighten as if strings were being pulled out forcibly. Among the crowd, he spotted countless wounded, countless paralyzed, countless scarred. It was a sight to behold, one that a man can only dream up in his youth. When, before him, endless sea of people gathers and looks up, their eyes brimming with expectation.

“Aren’t you glad, lil’ bro?” Y’se said, chuckling. “By the way, I was the one who created the plaza.”

“Aah, look at him acting all shy-like,” Thalia said, smiling blissfully as she stared at Lynne’s bashful expression. “It’s adorable.”

“Now, now, don’t tease him so much,” the Principal said, stroking his beard. “He may run away.”

“… aah, you guys are annoying,” Lynne mumbled. “Did you know all along?”

“Of course, he he,” Thalia said. “Besides, only an idiot would think anyone would leave after what you showed them.”

“Goddammit, now I’m getting nervous…” Lynne said.

“Want me to flash them?” Thalia asked. “Then their attention will be on me.”

“Nah, those two things are mine alone,” Lynne said, glancing sideways. “Well, at least for now…”

“For now? Oh…” Thalia said in a low tone, her cheeks blushing slightly. “I see…”

“Oi, can you two stop flirting already?” Y’se grumbled. “They’re waiting for a speech. Time to rouse them! Fire them up! Show them just how fucking awesome my lil’ bro is!”

“… didn’t I already do that? Isn’t that the reason they’re here now?”

“You’re a King now,” the Principal said, smiling, as memories of Lynne flooded into his mind; from that little child with sharp tongue, he had become a man who can sway the hearts of people. “And your people await.”

“… yeah.” Lynne said, taking a few steps forward and suddenly lifting up into the air lightly, standing on the fence, looking down.

There was no murmur or chatter, only expectant silence. Not even a child’s cry could be heard coming from below. Underneath the blazing sun, people awaited with patience. Awaited for their King to speak.

“Some of you are holding your breaths,” Lynne amplified his voice through Magic, causing it to resonate well beyond the plaza, into the distant mountains. “You could die like that, you know? Oi, I’m your King, aren’t you supposed to laugh when I make a joke?!” a burst of laughter quickly bashed against the echo of his voice, causing him to chuckle lowly. Aah, how desperate. Thalia thought. I-is he really a King? Y’se thought. Ho ho… Principal thought.

“Last few days,” Lynne continued. “I ventured outside, gathering treasures and whatnot, just so I’d have enough to give to all those who left. Looks like I’ll be able to keep all those things to myself,” his tone was playful, but quickly turned serious as did his expression. “Before anything else, I offer my condolences for anyone who’s suffered a loss, and my apologies. After all that, to see so many of you standing here before me, only a dead man would stay calm and indifferent. All the trust you’re giving me today, I swear I’ll pay it all back.”

“Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not anytime soon,” he continued. “But, one day I will. Right now, I’m young and foolish and can only do so much. Without all of you here, I would be just another boy fawning over his dream, King of nothing and no one. I’ve decided to name this small Kingdom of mine Skyfire Paradise. Skyfire to mark the start of who I am today, and to remind me of people who gave me the first push onto this journey. Paradise to mark what I want this little home of ours to be.”

“It won’t be easy, but I’m determined to turn my dream into reality. Just like I am, I want you all to pursue your dreams all the same. Whether they station you here, or take you to the ends of the world, don’t falter. Fight until the very end. Today, you have truly crowned me your King, and I’ll accept that crown and wear it with pride. For as long as it’s standing atop of my head, I’ll do my utmost best to protect all of this and all of you, that I vow. Thank you… truly, from the bottom of my heart and soul… thank you for trusting me.”

“Three, two, one,” a faint voice echoed out beneath. “YOU’VE SHOWED US ETERNITY, NOW WE GIVE IT TO YOU!!!” startled, Lynne nearly fell back from the fence but was held up by Thalia who smiled at him.

“Doesn’t it feel great when dreams come true?” she asked.

“Yeah…”

“Alright, alright,” Y’se suddenly flew out and spoke. “Great speech lil’ King, great response lil’ guys down there, it’s all fantastic. Now get back to work! Tonight we’ll be throwing feast that will make even gods envious, so make sure you starve your bellies barren and your throats dry!!!”

“AYE, AYE!!”

As people beneath dispersed, Lynne and others walked back into the Tower. Principal, with the help of Joana, had already formed a new Council, which will be in charge of all decisions while Lynne is away. As he was already considerably weak, Lynne decided to enter secluded meditation alongside Thalia tonight.

Surrounding a floor-leveled table filled with bottles of Heavenly Ale were Lynne, Thalia, Y’se, Principal and Parsia. Surrounding these people were the sleeping monkey, the frozen bird and the small, snoring panda cub.

“You really look like shit, they weren’t kidding,” Parsia said, looking at Lynne. “Where’s all the flesh and meat people are supposed to have in-between the bones and the skin?”

“Shut up, I can’t even look myself into the mirror anymore,” Lynne cried out. “I can’t wait to recover.”

“Yeah, nobody will take you seriously as a King with that kind of a body,” Y’se fanned the flames. “You’d just shame yourself.”

“Oi, are you my big sister or a big devil?!”

“Eeh? Where’s the rule that states that I can’t be both?”

“Now, now, don’t bully him so much,” Thalia said. “He--”

“Stop, stop, I know you have no good intentions! It’s fine to just drink and not speak, okay?” Lynne interrupted her quickly.

“Eeh? But everyone got their turn. How am I going to sleep if I don’t make fun of you when everyone else does?”

“… why the hell did I propose to you?” Lynne grumbled.

“Because you want to stuff her with babies, ho ho,” the Principal joined in at last, causing both Thalia and Lynne to immediately blush red and look away from each other. “Aah, wonderful youth.”

“I gotta say, that was truly bold,” Y’se said, smiling. “How many are you planning on popping out, huh Thalia?”

“I think one is too much if it’s the offspring of the two of you,” Parsia said. “I feel sorry for the generation your kid is a part of…”

“Oh, now that you mention it, indeed.” the Principal said. “I hope I live long enough to see.”

“Aah, I’d like a cute, shy niece if possible,” Y’se said. “I’d dote on her to all hell!”

“… this is your fault.” Thalia said.

“Shut up, it’s not like I don’t know it’s my fault,” Lynne fought back. “I just didn’t think we’re surrounded by adult-looking children.”

“… who the hell did you spend time with for the past six months?!!” Thalia growled back at him.

“Now, now, it’s not good if papa and mamma fight,” Y’se said. “What will the poor little Y’se Junior think, huh?”

“Don’t go naming our kid dammit!!” Lynne and Thalia exclaimed at the same time, immediately blushing even more.

“Ha ha ha, ooh, that was adorable, ha ha ha!” Y’se said as the room broke out into laughter. “Still, I gotta say I’ll miss you two.”

“What’s a year to an old hag like you anyway?” Lynne grumbled as Y’se eyebrows twitched.

“Old hag, huh… is that a proper way to address your big sister, you cheeky brat?”

“Well, it’s time to bid our farewells for now,” the Principal said, interrupting the staring contest going on between Lynne and Y’se. “Get back to us better and stronger, okay?”

“And fix those brains of yours.” Parsia added. “If you don’t, I may just leave the position you forced me into.”

“… oi, can’t you not threaten to abandon King’s seat before you even properly sat on it?” Lynne said.

“Be careful, you two,” Y’se said as everyone except Thalia and Lynne got up. “We’ll wait for your return. Oh, I’ll take good care of this little guy,” Y’se said as she picked up the panda cub. “He’ll become much fluffier and fatter by the time you guys return.”

“… don’t ruin him like you ruined yourself.” Thalia said cheekily.

“Tsk. Like husband like wife. You truly make a grandiose pair of moronic brats.”

“Bye bye, old hag.”

“…”

The previously chatty room suddenly turned silent as everyone except the two left. There were no more preparations to be done, and all that was left was to pick the moment to enter the secluded meditation. The two drank in silence for a few minutes, finishing off all the remaining bottles.

“You were serious, right?” Thalia suddenly asked.

“About what?” Lynne asked back.

“… about, you know, having kids…”

“… y-yeah, I was.” Lynne said, looking down. “You?”

“W-well yeah, one day I mean… I-I could consider it…”

“Pft.” Lynne suddenly broke out into light laughter.

“What’s so funny?!”

“It’s a rare occasion to see you acting so bashful,” Lynne said pulling her into his arms. “To me, it sounds like you’ve already considered it.”

“Oi, can’t you not voice my thoughts out loud?”

“Honestly?” Lynne said, stroking her black hair gently. “I wish I could skip everything and get to that point. You, me, crying brats… I think I’m gonna make that my next dream.”

“… brats? Who said anything about plural? Don’t get ahead of yourself!”

“Aah, you’re giving so much adorable service,” Lynne said, smiling wryly. “If you keep it up, I may change my mind about entering the seclusion and just take you away and disappear.”

“… shall we?” Thalia asked.

“Yeah.” Lynne nodded as the two got up. “You know that I love you, right?”

“Hm? Where’d that come from?” Thalia asked as the two moved toward the already secured spot where they’d enter the seclusion.

“Don’t know. I just feel as though I don’t say it often enough.”

“Love you too,” she said, smiling brightly. “Now, let’s go and get stronger. And beat some more ass once we get out.”

“Oi, you were supposed to say ‘and get married once we get out’ to complete the moment we were having!”

“Oh! You’re right… completely forgot.”

“… why did I ever propose to you…”

“To shoot some babies into me, obviously.”

“Tsk.”

The two quickly found their way to the hidden chambers and sat into meditative poses across from one another, merely a meter of separation between them. As the surrounding world prepared to celebrate, the two prepared to undergo a massive journey together. In silence, tranquility between the two emerged; although words sparked calm hearts, between them silence was enough for understanding to emerge. Understanding that this was just one of the many journeys the two of them will undergo together in the future.