THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

KEVIN DRAGONROAD POV:

"I guess I should be used to it by now." When I open my eyes, I am once again in a different place. It has happened so many times now that I don't think I could ever be surprised about it anymore. 

Though this time, it is a bit surprising to see Two in front of me. We are sitting around a fire, and he throws a branch or two into the fire from time to time, without saying anything. The fire doesn't increase as he does it though.

"I guess it is over for good this time, right?" 

"What can you possibly be talking about?"

"Everything. I did use all the power I had left to strike Veronica and Tatiana isn't even dead so it must be all over." 

"Then why are we still here?" 

"What?" Two looks at me with annoyance.

"If it is over, why are we still here? Shouldn't we move on?" 

As if to answer his speech, a white door appears in front of us. 

"So, it was really over then." But why do I feel so heavy? Why can't I stand up? 

I did everything I had to, right? There is nothing left for me to do. There is nothing else that I should be able to do. 

"It was a truly messed up life, right?" 

"You really think so?" Now, instead of Two, Frankher is the one who is sitting there. Ah, I see what you are doing. 

"So, you died as well, huh." 

"Are you coming?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, there is nothing left to do, right? Though I have some regrets, I think it was the best I could have done." 

"What about the world then?" 

"You were never one to care much about the world, you know?" 

"Ah? Really?" Excafol, who is now sitting, looks at me and smiles. 

"Yeah. Or at least, that's what I think. You mostly cared about understanding it after all. Though I still wonder how you ever managed to handle a woman like Selene."

"Like you are one to speak, brat!" Selene's voice now resounds in my ears. 

"Fufufu. I guess you are right. I did find my own little forceful gems after all." 

"Moreover, you cared about the world even more than any of us." No, you are wrong.

"If there is someone who seemed to care about it, it would be you, mom." 

When I look at Selene again, she is there now, sitting with her legs crossed, her back straight and a smile that rival the fire heating us up.

"Is that how you saw me?" 

"I didn't really care at a time. When I was left alone, I only wanted revenge. To survive, find my parents and take revenge for their betrayal. But deep down, I knew it wasn't the case. From the day I awoke my Angas, the feeling of sadness that I found deep inside myself that day, I never forgot it." 

"I…I couldn't…" 

"Yeah yeah, I know. We never able to talk about it properly. Though, I don't think there was really anything to talk about. They made your choice, whether you were ready to face the consequences or not, they still made their choice. Just like me, I made a choice, even though I couldn't bear to face the consequences, I still made it." 

"My son, you-"

"Isn't it a bad thing to use my mother while talking to me, God Varian?" When I look at my mother again, it is that god who is sitting there this time. As I thought, he was the one I was talking to all this time.

"Hm…You have a good intuition." 

"Not really, but I guessed you would be the one I should see now since the time you gave me was at its end." 

"I see." 

"What will you do? Will you be able to bring Cissa back?" 

"Cissa?" 

"Yeah. There would be no point in bringing me back, right?" 

"Why?" 

"Because I am weak, emotional, unable to do the right thing. There are way too many reasons." 

"Are you really that afraid of facing them?" 

"W-what?!! No!!" 

"Sigh…You guys are really not different from dragons, huh…"

"Eh?"

"You are surprised, right?" 

"Of course!! Cissa kept saying how weak-minded we are compared to them! Even the others I met the other time…Wait, where are they? I thought they would be here to mock me." 

"There is no need to mock the soul of someone who did his best." Like a gong of a bell, the god Varian's voice…the thing he just said, strikes my heart and I feel myself getting relieved of something.

"Did my best, huh…I could have done so much better though." 

"Fufufu. That's a mystery we will never uncover, for we only live once after all. But are you sure you want to end it here? Isn't there any last wish you would like to fulfill?" 

"A wish?... Not really, but a promise, maybe. To make sure they all see a better tomorrow. I did promise Eorland that I would do it after all. But can I really do it, though?"

"Why not? Aren't you the dragonroad? Is there really anything you cannot do?" 

"There are millions of things I ca…" God Varian looks at me with joy and a warm smile. 

"You can do it, don't worry." 

"Tch. There really is no way I can argue with you. But I still think bringing Cissa back would be better." 

"Well, I think so as well. But sadly, I was forbidden from acting directly any further." 

"Eh? But then, how are you-"

"Hm…Let's say that you aren't dead so I don't need to bring you back." 

"Ah, I see." You mischievous little schemer.

"Hey, I am not mischievous, okay?!" 

"Ahahaha! That's the part you don't like?! Ahahaha!!" 

I stand up and go to God Varian. 

"Thank you, for giving me a chance to make things different. Thank you, for giving me the power to change my fate and the fate of all those around me. Thank you, for the life I lived." 

"You should thank your own goddess for that. And keep it secret that you saw me again, okay?" You are really a scheming one.

I don't think I lived the best life there is. There were bad moments. There were some really bad moments. But there were moments of happiness as well. There were times when I wanted to die so badly everything was darkness around me. And thinking about it now, I can never thank you two for showing me the way. 

Farner, you who said you would be my pillar…Lanuvel, you who said you would show me a different future…I won't ever be able to repay you both enough after you filled the void that I had in my heart.

"So, are you going?" 

"Yeah. I will finish what I started, if it isn't finished already, that is." 

"I will see you later then." 

"Yeah, see you in a bit." 

***

"Hey! You shitty dragon! Wake up already! If I am alive then you must be as well, right?!!" 

The first thing I hear when I emerge back to reality is Thando's voice. How? Why did he come? No, wait, I can't feel William's soul…So you went ahead of me, huh... It's okay, I will see you soon, friend. 

"Ugh…" You guys can't even let people sleep in peace for a moment? Damn…

I don't even know how I can stand up but my body seems to be so light. I feel like I am floating already. It's like my body is made of cotton right now. 

"Ke-Kevin? Wha-" Farner's voice sounds so scared right now. Don't worry, I am here now. Everything is going to be okay.

"Can you hurry up?! I won't be able to hold it for too long!" 

"Kriekk!!" 

My vision is so blurry I can barely see in front of me. My hearing is still good but it seems I can't speak. I don't really know what is happening but judging by the feeling Thando's soul is transmitting to me, it seems he is slowly getting corrupted. 

"Urgh…" 

No matter what I try to say, my mouth only produces groans' noises. Also, I thought my body was light but I am surprisingly slow while I walk. 

"No!! Don't do this!! We can still fight!! We will help you guys!!" Farner…The gentle and strong. Farner, the decisive and courageous. Farner, the cute and aggressive. Whether it is you or Lanuvel, there are so many sides of you that I never thought existed, there are so many I would have like to discover. 

"Hey!! Do you not hear her?!! Just wait for a bit and we will-" 

Ah, Excia. I don't think there is much I can say about you. Of the three of you sisters, you are the most mysterious to me. You were never truly fond of me but I don't think you ever hated me as well. Which reminds me, I don't hear the voice of the most loving sister you guys had. I hope she is okay as well.

"Does it look like we can afford to wait right now?!!" Come on, Thando. You know they don't mean it, right? 

"Just hurry up already. I can feel my arms anymore." 

"Kriekk!!!" 

What is that thing that keeps screaming so uglily? I can only feel a huge amount of power coming from a crystal in front of me but…Ah, I see. It must be the core Tatiana mentioned. So Thando manages to take it out of Genesis. I wonder how he did it. Maybe that's why Willhem is dead? 

"Kevin…Please. Please!! Don't do this!! Whatever you are trying to do, don't do it!! Please!!" 

Right when I reach Thando and place my hand on my shoulder, Farner's voice resounds so powerfully my ears burst. I can't hear anything anymore now. But it's good. It's good to know that the last thing I heard was your voice. You, who said you would become my pillar. Now, it is time to repay you and become your pillar as well. The pillar for your better tomorrow. I look in the direction where her voice came from before I couldn't hear it anymore and smile. It wouldn't do any good to show you a sad or crying face now, would it?

"I…Preg…child!!" 

As I release my last ounce of power left together with Thando and fly to the sky, I hear…Well, I think I heard something Farner said. Hm…it must have been my imagination. I was not quite the imaginative person though. 

'You truly weren't. You shitty loser.'

'Yeah, I did lose our fight in the end, right? Fufufu…'