Converging with the sky to summon a purple and orange haze, Shiva's incomprehensibly bright figure bares its outstretched arms like fangs, the crushing mass of their downward arc setting the very atmosphere aflame as if to signal the coming apocalypse.

From the tainted sky, a firestorm of lava pours toward the earth. Standing in its way, however, are the countless sky-high trees beneath us. The lava pelts down on their peaks, but fails to burn through their leaves and branches, creating an ocean of lava atop the trees.

"You're able to tune, now?" Mary asks, careful not to take her eyes off the arms that draw ever-closer.

"I am," I respond, gritting my teeth to curb the blood threatening to expel from my mouth. "But it looks like I have some help. Even if the trees are impervious to flame, the lava should still seep through. Unless it’s being frozen solid before it can get through my defense."

Mary and I both glance at Mirei, who stands firmly near the platform's edge, eyes closed and fists clenched. The lava gradually turns to ice over the great expanse of forest, rising like a frozen ocean as more lava falls, only to freeze.

"Take a break, Mirei," Mary calls out, stepping to the edge beside her.

"Why?" Mirei asks, her facial features smoothing over as she breaks focus.

"Because the moment you let off the gas, the ice should melt at extreme speed before fully crystalizing," Mary remarks, brushing her long hair out of her face before cracking her knuckles. "Which will create a shit-load of vapor."

As she predicts, the ice transfigures into a massive layer of mist, rising rapidly toward us. Mary, as if beckoning it, brings her arms to her sides before throwing them skyward. The mist projects itself, like rain falling upside-down, toward the six arms.

"Now I see," Mirei exclaims cheerfully, clenching her fists once more. As the mist approaches the arms, she freezes it, creating another frozen ocean which smothers them all at once. Their momentum briefly stagnates, before the sound of shattering glass resounds through the sky.

The ice splinters as the hands crash through them, sending shards the size of icebergs toward us. Mirei releases her hold, and the ice turns to vapor just before crushing us. Mary swiftly reacts, redirecting the manufactured waterfall before sending it smashing into Shiva's hands once more as Mirei freezes it.

And once more, the hands break through, shattering the wall of ice. The girls continue this strategy in circles, only managing to slow the downward arc of the six arms. Before long, their output lessens, and fatigue begins to show on their faces. However, they continue, until the arms come within a stone's throw.

A deep breath leaves my lips as I extend my arms downward. Outstretching my hands, I pull as if uprooting grass. Several trees spring up, shooting past us and toward the incoming hands.

The two closest hands are met with crushing force by the trees, and their momentum slows significantly. After them, two more are stopped short just a mile away from our platform. One more is stopped before it can cut that distance in half, but the topmost right arm of Shiva breaks through one tree after another, shattering their monumental frames into thousands of pieces. The splintered, fiery shards rain down toward us like a barrage of giant spears, along with an avalanche of lava.

"Mirei!" I shout in a commanding voice. She instantly reacts, throwing her hands over her head and back down. A small dome of ice spawns around us, covering the platform in thick layers like plexiglass. The falling tree shards crash into the ice around us, booming like artillery fire as they scatter below, never piercing Mirei's dome.

"That one isn't stopping," Mary cries, her voice quivering as she stares at the incoming hand. "And it's coming right for us… what’s next, JC?"

"This is the last tree I can handle," I gasp as blood drips from my eyes and mouth, and veins throughout my body burst, giving my skin a bluish tint. As the last tree approaches the hand, Mary snaps her head to the ascending tree's top.

"JC…" she mutters, shock emanating from her voice. "Those cultists… they're on that tree."

I look to where she points, and see a dozen people clinging to the branches, raising their arms toward the unstoppable hand. They're too far to make out their exact number or faces, but two of the figures strike me as familiar.

Before I can change the tree's course, however, Shiva's hand closes mercilessly around the tree's helm, obliterating everything inside of its closed palm. Frozen, I watch as the hand opens back up and continues its relentless course.

"It was only a small number of them," Mirei says in a soft voice despite her struggle to maintain the dome of ice. "There were so many cultists before. That means that only those few insisted on coming here."

"Which means the rest must have taken shelter with the rest of the townspeople," Mary mutters, the energy in her voice rising with every word. "Then, your words, JC, and our efforts... meant something."

"And that's the key to conquering this world," I reply, smiling at her back.

"But how do we fight each other to win Aku’s power?" she follows, her tone reverting to its earlier melancholy. "It looks like I'm the only one that can move... if only that meant this thing would disappear into space."

"The only option is to fight in the deep dream world," I exclaim, drawing the attention of both girls. "I don’t like it, that's the only way we can buy time, too, since time passes differently there."

"But that's just tuning, isn't it?" Mirei asks in a labored voice as she continues to maintain her ice. "I thought you couldn't anymore? Even your power to manipulate nature has collapsed."

"I have to get to Aku," I mutter. "Then I can do it."

"But how?" Mary asks, brow raised.

"Hit me with your lightning," I answer with haste. "Try to kill me. That may be the only way I can project like I used to."

"What?" she exclaims, facing me with a terrified look. "What if you actually die? You're already weak…"

"This is my world, Mary," I respond. "I won't die so easily. You should know that better than anybody."

"But..."

"Mary, hurry," Mirei urges. "It's almost here; I can't hold much longer!"

Mary's frantic eyes flicker back and forth from Mirei to me, and time seems to stop as we lock eyes.

"You know, even without my goals in leading us here," I whisper softly, latching onto her gaze. "I would have sought your trust, Mary. I would have wanted to work together. That's because…"

Her eyes narrow as she stares unflinchingly at mine.

"I've loved you for a very long time, now," I declare with a weak smile. Her eyes open wide, and her mouth falls open.

"During our time together in this world, before this game began," I continue, "I had time to get to know you. I fell in love in a way I'd never experienced before. For the first time, I didn't feel like I was bound to a duty or just going through the motions due to a sense of obligation. Even though I was pursuing my goals, that time I spent as your manager was the only time I truly felt like a person living in this world. Everything I experienced before it in the real world was only a daydream, in comparison. Living with you, even in this fake world, was life at its fullest. I may be a broken person, but I know it’s a very real love. And it isn't something that Aku felt - I can say with certainty that it was only me."

"Do you have to do this right now?" Mirei cuts in, her voice shaking with frustration. "It's making me feel less inclined to keep this avalanche from crushing you like a slug."

"No, Mirei," I respond with a smirk. "I must make it very clear that my feelings for you are very different from my feelings for Mary."

The dark-haired beauty turns redder with every word, her expression undergoing a mix of fluster, shock, and anger.

"Because while Aku's feelings had an impact on my obsession with supporting you, I alone loved Mary here in this world. When I was with her, I thought that I might just give everything up for the chance to take the other half of her heart for myself, along with the rest of-"

Before the word can leave my mouth, I see a glimpse of Mary's murderous glare before a flash of light leaves her hand and strikes me head on.

For a moment, I enter the void of darkness. I recall the sobering sound of my mother's voice, and the sight of the starry sky. With a slow breath, I leave my body, and float away in the same silvery form I assumed as a child.

With a glance at Mary, who stares at my figure in disbelief, and Mirei, who begins to loosen her hold at the sight of my projection, I propel myself skyward. Through the falling tree shards and lava, I fly, toward the gigantic godlike entity.

Close enough to see the surface of the fiery star, I search for the one I know well. I spot him, standing in solitude whilst staring at his empty hands. Reaching my blurry, silvery hand out, I make for Aku. Suddenly, Shiva’s last free arm turns its attention on me. Like it had with the cultists, it swiftly and mercilessly clamps its fingers shut around me.

At that moment, I feel the trees under my control break and fall toward the earth as the other five hands bare down on the dome of ice surrounding the girls.

My projected body is folded and compressed, smothered into static by the hand. However, I maintain my outstretched hand, and free it from the overwhelming grasp.

"Move, Indra," I call out. "You have no right to get in the way of another Celestial connecting with its counterpart."

"Such pertinence," a deep voice growls from within the oversized hand as it squeezes me harder. "That one is a lower Celestial, yet you think I am obligated to listen to you?"

"You have the Director's memories," I respond, struggling to maintain my projection. "His information should have revealed the magnitude of mine and Aku's history. I have business with you, too, but I need to settle things with Aku, first."

"Indeed, I am interested in your answer," he growls with a hint of satisfaction akin to the Director's. "Take me with you, so that I may watch this resolution of yours."

I feel his grip loosen just slightly, but it's enough to move. Mustering enough strength to make my consciousness writhe, I carry the enormous hand with me, closing the last bit of distance to where Aku is.

He looks up, revealing dazed eyes behind a static helmet's glass visor, which reflects my outstretched hand. Before he can turn in the opposite direction, though, I grasp onto his opened hand. The moment we touch, the world shifts.

I find myself in an imitation of my body, standing upon a shaking wooden pier. The girls are standing in front of me, staring at the thrashing ocean’s waves underneath us and the stormy sky above.

"It worked," Mary mutters, glancing at me with a conflicted expression. "How did you bring us with you from so far?"

"The same way I brought you to the train the moment I changed the world from a simple replica," I reply in a cold voice, both girls narrowing their gazes on me.

"And when the world reset for the second and third rounds," I continue, walking past them and looking down the pier where someone wearing a suit and an astronaut's helmet stands alone, holding something bright in his hands. "I projected into your consciousnesses, and tuned your bodies to where I was."

"What else?" Mirei asks, her voice quivering. "What else did you do to us? What did you put in our heads when you were there?"

"My tuning ability," I answer, walking on without checking their reactions. "So that you would be the ones changing the world; I would be a mere guide, so that you could be the narrators of your own story."

"So… everything about the structures of our worlds…" Mary stammers, standing still. "What we thought was Aku carrying out your subconscious tuning… really was us…"

"It's still true that Aku carried out the tuning, but you were the ones that dictated it," I respond as my footsteps halt. "I only determined which of you would be in control of each round. So, I didn't actually lie to you about your changing the world. I didn’t do anything, until this round."

"But…" Mirei says in a faltering voice, taking a step forward. "You did lie. You told us that our emotions made the world change in our favor, that our worlds were changed by who showed stronger dreams."

"But now you've just told us that you shifted the tuning power to us before-hand," Mary adds in a sullen voice. "So, my round didn’t shift to my dreams because of anything I did… like I've been saying, it's all just a farce."

"Yes, but I didn’t know I was lying," I mutter, keeping my gaze on the one standing in the distance. "Because, when I shifted the tuning power to each of you, all memories of the ability, and my plans, went with it, and laid dormant inside you."

"Exactly as I was thinking," Mirei exclaims, stepping closer to me. "That's why I somehow felt compelled to believe in this plan of yours during my round. Because the plan itself was buried somewhere deep in my head. It was similar for Mary, wasn't it? That’s what made her believe you honestly wanted her trust.”

"You sure guided us, huh?" Mary seethes, stomping after Mirei. "By manipulating us on a level we never could’ve imagined."

"I can't deny that," I answer, fastening my pace as they draw closer.

"But it was a double-edged sword," Mirei declares with a smirk as her frail figure passes ahead of me. "You helped make us strong enough to beat you, after all!"

"That's right," Mary adds, pulling my arm to curb my speed as she runs by me. "You wanted us to become strong enough to help you get here, but we might be too strong for you now!" She runs ahead, brushing by Mirei on the path to where Aku stands still.

I run after them, as fast as my legs will take me. Quickly catching up to them, I push them aside and continue ahead, but they stand their ground, push back, and pass me again. They push each other before I catch up, the three of us vying for the finish line.

"You know, Mirei, I did remember a key component of my plan during your round," I remark, pulling her backward as I pass her. "Making you both strong enough to be leaders in this world was crucial. Because, if someone had to remain here and continue to maintain this world, it couldn't be me. The people only took my direction to solve the crisis the cult was causing, but it wasn't lost on them that the cult was acting according to my will, even though I denied them. I used that, too. To show you both that I'm not worthy to remain here. But you are, because you're strong enough, thanks to everything you've been through. The people know that, too."

"You've really thought everything through, haven't you?" Mary chides, shoving her elbow in my face as she pulls ahead. "That's still up to us though, isn't it? How to use the strength we gained by tackling our dreams... so, let's stay here together, JC, and let the girl who should’ve already won… return!"

"You know that can't work," I cry, grimacing as I push past them once more. "Neither of you will be able to live long in your real bodies, no matter how strong you've grown here! And even then, you'll live that short, painful life without the other!"

"Why not take that chance, if it means we can save Mary?" Mirei exclaims, pushing between us and grabbing my right arm. "You don't even know how strong we've become, JC. The lengths we've gone when you weren't watching…" She pulls my arm across her body, and plants it firmly onto Mary's chest.

Mary's face goes white as I feel her soft bosom, my hand pounding as if my own heart lay within it. My own face goes white, however, as I realize that it is not my hand punding. What I feel in my hand, rather, is the furiously beating heart inside the girl who should no longer have one.

"When did you…" I gasp, unable to move anything but my legs.

"When you wondered where we were while you were running around stopping the cultists," Mary answers, grabbing my hand and shoving it into my chest. "With a lot of luck and even more drugs, we pulled off the most ill-advised heart transplant ever heard of, and recovered in time to punch you in the face. "

"But how…"

"It was thanks to your friend, Killian," Mirei adds with a smile. "It was my way of compromising with Mary, so that we could work together on connecting our wavelengths. And we were the ones that made it happen, too."

"What about you?" I ask, glancing at her chest.

"Here," she says nonchalantly, taking my hand and placing it on her chest, causing mine and Mary's faces to go white once more. "I didn't give it all back, of course. She was graceful enough not to ask for that. So instead, I kept the half I recently took, and gave her the half that I originally took, which also held what little bit of my own heart that remained. That way, I retained the strength I gained in my world, and she regained a piece of herself she's long missed."

"That's wonderful," I declare, a big smile breaking over my face as I retract my hand. "You both outgrew my expectations, and ended up stronger than I ever imagined. That's perfect, then… because now, I can trust that you'll be okay here by yourselves."

"You really are dead set on going back alone, then," Mary mutters, her sullen eyes piercing my heart. "Even though it's possible to return with one of us, instead of Aku's power. And you talk about us being strong enough to remain, knowing that we’re just going to disappear with this world once you leave with Aku's power. But you won't return without it, will you?"

"I have a dream I must grasp," I answer, breaking ahead of them as we close in on the motionless Aku. "It's that simple. I told you I would use you both to reach my goal, didn't I? Regardless of my feelings for you. That’s what it takes to win."

"Your goal," Mirei says, unable to reach me with her outstretched arm. "Is it really to preserve your own mind? To prevent your weaknesses from taking over your heart?"

"That's part of it," I answer, focused on the goal ahead. "I'm about to discuss that with Aku." With one last lunge, I reach out and grab onto the ball of light in his arms. "Because this is my victory."

Just as I touch it, their hands reach my back. Everything seems to freeze, as the ball of light grows within my hand, blocking everything else from sight.

"We know," Mary whispers, as the two of them push my back ahead softly. "After all, if our innate trust in you was ever going to work, we would have to assume your plan was something we could really believe in, despite everything you've put us through."

"What?"

"You were comforting us all the way through, weren't you?" MIrei gently adds. "Telling us to trust that you would make everything okay. We realized that whenever we traded hearts. That feeling surfaced in both of us, for some reason. So, know that we're trusting you not because you manipulated us into it, but because we saw into your heart and chose to believe in the answer you'll find. For us, for yourself, and for these worlds we've been living in together. Even if that answer does forsake us… it's up to you now."

Before I can utter a response, the bright light overtakes us, and the world shifts once more. I'm standing on the same pier, but the girls are gone. The sky and ocean are acting as normal, and the beachside villas line the boardwalk.

"I never thought we would make it here," the low voice belonging to none other than Aku seethes behind me. I turn to see a teenage boy with a thin frame and long, ragged hair- the boy I once was.

"This is the first time we've talked face to face like this," I respond with a chuckle. "Even in the deep dream world, there's always a barrier preventing us from truly seeing each other."

"That is our nature," he says, smiling in return. "Two sides of the same coin. Yet through all of the iterations and worlds we have created, we have never been able to have a conversation like this.”

"The worlds we created…" I mutter, narrowing my gaze on the younger version of me Aku embodies.

"That is why you came here, isn't it?" he responds, turning his back while maintaining eye contact. "To explore the root of your dreams; this dreamscape that you've created time and time again. Shall we take a walk?"

He leads the way as we stroll down the boardwalk. Various paths lead to different stalls manned by smiling faces and exuding either savory festival smells or whimsical folk music. The water underneath the pier is as calm and blue as ever, reflecting a sky unblemished by a single cloud.

"Now, I don't believe you could have come here, to the root of your dreams and the heart of the dreamscape, without understanding what it is, correct?" he asks, smiling.

"It must be something I realized at the end of the previous iteration, when I resolved to end the cycle," I respond, breathing calmly as a soft breeze stirs my firmly slicked back hair. "Part of the plan that I devised, and the memories I lost when I transferred the tuning power to Mary. Yet, even having regained the rest of my memories, I can't fully reform the fragments of that key piece of information."

"What, if you had to theorize, do you believe it is, then?" Aku asks, turning down a path leading to several villas.

"The root of my dreams," I mutter, gazing inside the window of the first house. Inside, imitations of my parents laugh as they sit at a table, opposite a young version of me. "I must have created this dreamscape subconsciously, using your Celestial powers to do the tuning. Taking it a step further, I must have subconsciously summoned you here for that very reason."

"I can put it in even simpler terms than that, for you," the young boy responds as he watches the happy family inside the house. "This place was created by the very phenomenon it's named after- your dreams. It was first created when you lost your home and wandered the countryside with me in control of your body. During that time, you were living inside your dream, using this place as its base. And to add to that, you subconsciously created me for the purpose of tuning your dreamworld; the only instance of a Celestial being born from its counterpart, rather than Shiva's natural process."

"When did I do that?" I mutter, staring at him in disbelief.

"When you first projected toward the stars," he responds, grinning back at me. "The moment your mother first showed you something abnormal relative to your earliest years' experience as an innocent child. You, sensing danger to the environment you instinctively wanted to protect, conceived a means to protect it. Amazing, isn't it? The power of a child's innocent dreams..."

"What I wanted to protect?"

"All that you see around you, I presume," he says, gesturing with his opened hand toward the boardwalk's main drag filled with festival-goers; families with children frolicking about, friends singing, and couples dancing, all without a care.

The folk music fills the air with a sense of home as I watch the happy people, before turning back to the house, where my parents now sit with an older version of me.

"A simple, happy future," I mutter softly. "A life so normal I could innocently dream as far as the stars. This place is meant to create the possibility for that future."

"That's exactly right," the boy whispers, turning his back to me. I follow him, and gaze into the window of the house across the first.

Inside, an imitation of the present me sits at a small table, raising glasses alongside two beauties whom I know well. Mary looks happier and freer than she ever could have, while Mirei laughs more heartily and carefree than ever.

"You created me so that I could take care of things in your place, and you created this world so that you could pursue your own happiness, without leaving behind the ones that matter most to you."

I turn back to the first house, and hear the clicking of a shutter as I blink to stop a tear. The scene changes again, showing an even older version of me a sofa next to a casually-dressed Mary, who holds an infant in her arms as she rests her head on my shoulder with a full smile.

The shutter clicks as I blink again to find another scene in the opposite house. Mirei sits at an exquisite piano, dressed in red Christmas garb and happily playing for a red-faced Mary and me as we empty our glasses. I blink again as I circle around, and watch as my parents hold the same infant, tears in their eyes as Mary and me watch them with content grins. The shutter clicks once more as I turn away, begging the images to stop playing out. The scenes change in both houses, but the welling tears blur my vision.

"So, let me take up your duty, as I was born to do," Aku mutters softly beside me. "This world will exist as long as one of us remains here. So, stay, and live your life as you've dreamed for so long. You've met the requirements to win; all you need to do is state your choice. I will handle the rest."

The festival music slowly draws to an end, leaving only the sound of waves softly splashing the underside of the boardwalk.

"I want nothing more than to be with them," I utter in response, doing everything in my power to keep the welling tears at bay.

"Yes, of course you do," Aku responds in a soft, encouraging voice.

"But that is not my answer," I declare, blinking my blurred eyes clear without a shutter’s click. The houses, people, and long boardwalk are gone, leaving just a small stretch of the pier and a shocked Aku in front of me.

"I'm going back," I continue, gazing at the young me unflinchingly as his eyes grow wider. "I know now that you were fighting to maintain the cycle not only to preserve yourself, but to protect the weak me who couldn't grow strong enough- the one that always won out over the strong me. Thank you Aku... but I no longer need you to do that."

His gaze slowly sinks, a weak smile forming on his thin face. "But I won't absorb you, or obliterate you, or take your powers back with me," I declare, staring firmly at the boy, who raises wide eyes once more.

"I will sever our connection for good, making me as normal as I've always wanted to be, and leave you here with our combined power- to protect this dream of mine."

"That may end the cycle and save this world, and the girls' lives here, but what about the other world?" he asks, failing to hide the desperation in his eyes. "All this time, we've worked toward the goal of using my power to protect your world from Shiva!"

"I have a plan for that too," I answer, resolute. "You won't have to worry about that, or Shiva and the harvesting of energy, ever again. Just live here. You've wanted that for a long time, too."

"And what about you?" he asks, making an expression more mature than his appearance should allow. "You're choosing the path that will see you left with all the scars! You're going to throw away your own happiness for the sake of your duty?"

"I will pursue my own happiness in the world I've been running away from for so long," I respond, smiling softly. "And I will also follow through with my own responsibilities. I can't promise you I will find happiness, but I will dream greater, and strive for a more proper life than I ever have. Isn't that enough?"

"...if it is enough for you," he mutters, smiling weakly as a white light rises from the sea and slowly envelops him from the feet up. "Well… our time together was short, but I suppose this is goodbye."

"Goodbye, Aku," I say, reaching my hand out. He hesitantly follows, and our hands clasp firmly. "I'm sorry for forcing all the hard work onto you, all this time. I only have one job left for you. Please, take care of this world. Take care of the girls."

"I’ll do what I can," he answers in an innocent, youthful voice and with a bashful grin befitting his childlike features- an expression I would have never been able to make. "Thank you, JC."

His teeth flash before me as our hands are severed by the enveloping light, leaving me alone on the small cutout of the pier.

"Bravo," a deep voice cows from the calm sea behind me. I turn to find a man with the face of the Director, but long locks I could never even picture the man sporting. In addition, he boasts six arms, all folded as he sits cross-legged, floating across the water like a leaf.

"Indra," I mutter, narrowing my gaze upon the intimidating figure.

"I will admit, you have left me entertained," he says with a lifeless grin. "Now, are you sure you want to leave this world to that fake Celestial you created? And give him full control over the power you should, by all rights, be keeping for the sake of your real world?"

"Like I said, I have a plan," I respond curtly. "I'll cut to the chase. I want you to lead Shiva away from this world at once. Do not bring any more ruin to this place. Furthermore, I want you to stave off Shiva's assault on the real Earth for as long as possible."

The humanoid Celestial sits silently as his grin turns slowly into a trembling chuckle. Suddenly, he begins laughing hysterically at the sky. "Audacious! To think a lower being could be so audacious! Do you understand what Shiva is? Do you really expect me to influence the creator of everything? Audacious indeed!"

"You are the topmost right hand of Shiva," I answer, not flinching at his display of mockery. "You should be able to figure something out."

"Then, the more important question to ask," he growls, all signs of amusement gone from his wide-eyed, nearly murderous expression as he opens his arms wide. "Why would I take orders from you, whom I came here to devour? Because you showed me a bit of fun here? Because you managed something unprecedented by weaponizing the oxygen created from your trees to slow Shiva's descent? Or because you are an anomaly who created a lower Celestial? Shiva is not interested in such trivialities, and neither am I!"

"I will bring you all six of your own arms," I declare, staring him in the eyes with conviction as his raised arms threaten to strike like pythons. However, he freezes all movement at my words, his facial muscles tensing.

"I will find the three you have not yet met, and assemble all six for you. I know from the Director's memories that you want this. So, let's make a deal."

His expression loosens, and he slowly reforms his lifeless grin as his arms lower. "Very well. It seems that I could not rely on my counterpart to locate them all, but since it is you doing it… I can agree to those terms."

"Thank you for your graciousness." I offer him a short bow, before turning away.

"Will you not be so audacious as to ask for a hand in fortifying this world while I am here?" he asks curiously.

"No… I trust Aku to handle things. It may take time, but he will tune this place, and help it recover from its wounds. Now, if you'll excuse me, there is somewhere I need to be."

"Very well," he says in a fading voice. After a moment, the white light that enveloped Aku washes over the pier with the waves, and captures me within it while I take one last look at the faded city beyond the shoreline.

I wake to find myself back within Indra's grasp. However, just as my projected form begins to fade to nothing, the massive hand throws me downward. Like a comet I fall straight through the dome of ice just as it melts to vapor, and crash into my real body, throwing it onto the multicolored grass.

From my back I watch as the monumental body of Shiva ascends into the atmosphere, shrinking away until the twilit sky is left with but a few clouds. Without any sign of lava, ice, lightning, or wind, we sit in silence atop the flat-topped, sky-high tree.

"You did it," Mary mutters weakly from behind me where she sits on her knees in the still grass, her glazed eyes meeting mine with disbelief and longing.

In her arms lies the weakened figure of Mirei, coughing blood as she wipes the sweat and hair from her forehead, before shielding her eyes to watch the sun’s rays shine through the remaining clouds.

"It's really… over," the frail girl whispers, lips trembling as tears well in her eyes. "But, we did it together, Mary."

"Yeah," she responds, managing a pained grin. "But JC… what was your answer?" Her smile fades as she turns her expectant gaze back to me.

"I…" Unable to look her in the eyes, I stand to my feet and watch as the sun’s rays seem to multiply and flicker like spotlights around us, the horizon glowing bright purple and orange as it turns to dusk. "I’m going back alone."

"Right…" Mary mutters, almost lifelessly. "That's what this whole thing was for, after all. I understand now, so don't worry. Just don't forget we existed, okay?"

"Wait, Mary," Mirei says, lifting herself from Mary's arms to her feet. "There's more, isn't there?"

"Yes," I mutter, looking back at them with a soft smile. "I decided I don't need Aku's powers, so he's going to stay and maintain this world. You two are strong enough to stay alive here, aren't you?"

Mary stands to her feet alongside Mirei, and the two stare at me in complete shock, not moving a muscle.

"W-why?" Mary mutters, her hoarse voice hardly reaching me. "How could you not need him?"

"No…" Mirei replies, her eyes growing wide. "All along… this really was your plan. You had it hidden deep inside your heart, from the last failed iteration. It grew stronger as it came closer to your turn, which is why I felt it so strongly. After you regained and expended your tuning ability, you finally recovered that memory in full, right?" Surprised by her deduction, I merely nod my head.

"It was a gamble, though," she continues, gazing sternly at me. "You didn't know what you would do to prevent the destruction of the real world, but you knew from Aku's memories in the last showing that the answer was in the Director's memories."

"That's right," I mutter, nodding in confirmation once more. "I won because I finally became strong enough to figure out how to end the cycle. And that was through trusting you two, believing in your strength even without my plan. I may have cheated a bit by hiding my plan within the tuning ability in order to gain your trust, though."

"You earned my trust fairly," Mary mutters, her eyes flickering as she looks away with reddened cheeks.

"Like I told you earlier, the same goes for me, strangely enough," Mirei adds with a weak giggle.

"Really?" I whisper to myself, gazing at my empty hands. Taking a deep breath, I close them gently as if holding onto something delicate. "I'm glad I have that, at least."

"And you did all that to save us, since we couldn't be saved in the real world," Mirei continues, her voice trembling. "Or, even if it wasn't all for us, we’re being saved, regardless."

"You both became strong enough to save yourselves," I respond, offering my sincerest smile.

Unable to hold back, she begins sobbing. Mary, who moves quickly to console her, begins to weep involuntarily as well as the two hold each other.

Suddenly, a loud rattling sound fills the air, followed by a rhythmic puffing. A billow of steam rises from beneath us, overtaking the sun’s rays. A moment later, the sound of compressed air being released takes the place of the rattling, and a black steel train appears before us, wrapping around the tree-top island as if it had climbed some invisible tracks.

"It looks like Aku has come for you," I declare, smiling softly. The girls stare in awe as the passenger door slides open on its own, revealing a small, dimly lit compartment. I rush over to the single-step entrance and hold out of my hand. "Well… shall we take one last ride together?”

Wiping their eyes dry, the girls hesitantly approach the train. Mary first steps forward, blinking nervously at me before grabbing my hand and stepping into the compartment. Mirei follows, offering me a weak smile.

I step inside, and the door closes behind me. The girls sit in the lone seat of the small leather booth with a plain black wall and a small window. There are no decorations on the steel walls, and no fireplace. Only the seat, the window, and the door which I lean against. The train begins rattling once more as it descends from the sky.

The girls gaze out the window at the sparkling sun’s rays cast upon the forested city, some of its buildings still smoldering.

"How are we going to rebuild the city?" Mirei asks in a whisper, staring intently at the ruined metropolis. "Rather, the world?"

"That's up to the three of you, now," I respond, craning my head toward the head of the train.

"Working with Aku, huh," Mary mutters, shifting in her seat closest to where I stand. "It’ll be a new beginning for him, too."

"Yes, I'm leaving him in your care,” I reply with a smile. "Please be sure to give him a haircut, for me."

"What is he, our child?" Mary quips, raising a brow at me before turning white. Having processed her own words, she quickly averts her gaze, hiding her expression from me.

"So, you saw that part of my last dream, too?" I ask in a modest voice, scratching my head awkwardly.

"Yeah," she mutters under her breath, her cheeks reddening.

"Well, I suppose I'll just jump out, then," I declare in a gimmicky tone, throwing the door open and letting a strong wind swarm me.

"Hey, aren't you taking your embarrassment a bit far?" Mary shouts, regarding me with desperate eyes.

"You're going, aren't you?" Mirei cuts in softly, gazing out the window as the scenery changes to a vast ocean.

"Yes," I answer with a smile. "This is actually the only way I can return, since I won't be using Aku's power to transfer my consciousness back.

"Are you sure that will work, though?" Mirei asks, her eyes still glued to the window.

"Not completely, but in theory, it should trigger a response from my real body, making me wake," I answer as I step down and lett the wind hit my back.

"You don't sound all that confident," Mary jabs suspiciously, her expression growing more conflicted by the second. "By the way, Mirei, are you feeling a crushing impulse to sleep?”

"Yeah," she answers, still looking out the window. "I suppose it's the stress on our hearts and bodies catching up to us, right?"

"You did undergo major surgery earlier," I reply with a smirk. "You're lucky this is still a dream world. It may be hard on your bodies going forward, but I know now that you'll keep that same strength you've shown, through tomorrow and far beyond."

"That reminds me," Mirie remarks, her voice quivering as she finally turns her head to reveal teary eyes. "You've made us hurt quite a bit, JC, so before you go, I want to hurt you some."

My smirk fading, I nod at her to continue.

"I'll make sure to keep playing my music, because you made me feel like I was living for something with your messages of support. So, will you continue to support me?"

I nod, my mouth forming a pained grimace. "Of course, I will. I will always be your biggest supporter. Thank you for giving me purpose, as well."

"What a shame," Mary exclaims, working up enough courage to smirk despite her conflicted expression. "You have these two beautiful women you've spent so much time wooing, and you're throwing it all away to go be around a bunch of old guys. To think, you could have had all your wildest dreams come true."

"That's just cruel," I chuckle, unable to look her in the eyes.

"Fate is cruel, after all," Mirei whispers through trembling lips before resting her head on Mary's shoulder. Her eyelids slowly droop shut, her breaths repeating a gentle rhythm. Mary follows, nestling her head on top of Mirei's. As her eyelids grow heavy, she offers me one last glance.

"I guess this is goodbye, for the last time," she mutters, her expression so vulnerable it brings me an indescribable heartache. I find myself unable to speak, so, instead, I steal her gaze for just a moment longer. Finally, sensing her body is at its limit, I bite my lip and turn to the open air.

"I'm glad we could be together for so long. Goodbye, for the last time."

The moment her eyes close, a lone tear escapes. I take in one last glimpse of their beautiful sleeping faces as I step off the train, and take a great fall.

Wind pushes and pulls me from all sides as I'm thrown toward the ocean far below. My eyes close instinctively, but can't stop the tears from pouring out. "I want to stay together," I mutter to myself as I continue falling for what seems like an eternity. "I want to stay with you."

The fear of falling and being crushed overflows, but is rivaled by that desire. "I want to stay with you both…"

I raise my gently clenched fists to my face, and through my closed eyes I make out their bright outline, looking as if they're holding some great light within them.

"...but it’s time for me to wake from this long, long dream."

And so, before the light I’ve managed to catch may burn out, I open my eyes, and wake to another world.