The sky is a bright, clear blue.
The sun is shining down upon the pale, towering spires of Crystallis.
In the distance, two Time Mages are chatting amicably as they make their preparations to explore the nearby Ruins.
And to your left, is the mentor that you've taken to referring to as Maestro, at his insistence.
"Well, if what you're saying is true… you've just gone through an extremely long-winded and rather convoluted experience."
Your mouth curls into a small smile.
"That's certainly one way to put it. I can recall the events as clear as day, and even now, I'm still struggling to make sense of everything that's happened."
"I'll say. Sometimes, I wonder if the eventual fate of all Time Mages is to wind up with a nervous breakdown over watching other Time Mages abuse their abilities for increasingly convoluted reasons, when they're not abusing those powers themselves."
"Oh?"
"Looking back, I'd say it makes a little too much sense for it to be a simple hypothesis rooted in idle speculation. I was considered by many to be the greatest Time Mage of the modern era and the Lady's prophesized Hero to boot, and what did that amount to? Nothing."
"Maestro…"
"Aside from mastering the subtle applications of rapidly cultivated Yucandra for practical applications of Nature Magic and Time Magic… it's not like I had anything important to do with those powers. We were living in an era of peace and prosperity, so I had nothing but time on my hands, both metaphorically and literally."
"Hm… on that note, it's been a while since I watched the projection you left for me in your mansion. I was curious about your experiences with… Crysta… but… I don't want to pry if you don't want me to."
Maestro takes a deep breath.
"Well, if you saw the recording, then you already know the important conclusions that I came to. Crysta and I were students of magic at the University in Crystallis, then researchers of the ancient Ruins that sprawled across the land, and then… bitter enemies in a war. And in the end, a very small part of me always wondered why she did it. And now that I know why, it all seems… childish, in retrospect."
"Childish?"
"Yes. Well, no. Well… that's one thing that comes to mind. We spent so much time and energy fighting each other over an absurd, convoluted, world-shattering secret that she chose to keep to herself, and so many innocent lives were lost because of that stupid war!"
You can't stop yourself from turning your head away at that, and Maestro notices.
"I… you… no… that's not… oh, damn it all… you know I didn't mean it like that, didn't you? You said it yourself, during your story. You aren't her."
"I know." you sigh. "I know that's true, factually speaking. That's what I said to Ardo, at the end. Both because it was true, and because that's what he needed to hear so we could finally put an end to the war between humans and the Rena. But it's been lingering at the back of my mind, and I don't know what to do about it."
"Crisbell…"
"For a long time, I was shocked and horrified by all the terrible things that the Empress did. She started a war that claimed the life of Cristopher's brother and so many other brave souls. She exploited the goals of Enzo, Rhallus, Galley, Volcano, Lava, and Kari… all so she could build up another army. She claimed to have the cure for Glass Lung just so she turn innocent people from Cinder and Ceniza into her unwilling soldiers. And in the end, she destroyed the Ruins because she believed that sacrificing hundreds of thousands of people was a better alternative than letting Ardo wipe out humanity to save the Rena."
"…"
"And the worst part, that means that it wasn't just her who believed that. I too, believed…"
"Now hold on, Crisbell-"
"The exact same thing."
"..."
"Because despite everything… she was me. She was a different Crisbell who went through the same exact experiences that I went through… and… lost her resolve. She couldn't think of a way to end the war peacefully, so she used Matias's machine to go back in time and destroy the Ruins for that one, single purpose."
Maestro taps his fingers on his covered elbow.
"She told me the full story, you know. For so long, I was eagerly chasing after any piece of information I could find about the grandmother I never knew. I didn't know who my parents were, so I thought that the Empress could been my mother, but that was just a foolish thought because I had no idea what I was doing. The first time we beat her, I was in a daze. I'm not sure why I saw a vision of Ardo holding a younger version of me in his arms, because he certainly wasn't my father. I'm not even sure why Matias brought up the possibility in the first place. Even as the Empress was using her influence to push me into helping her destroy the ruins though that visit to Rainbow Lake, he was pushing me along as well. Pushing and encouraging and nudging me into doing what he needed me to do, and I never questioned it. I was stumbling around in that dark, just like my grandmother, the Lady, and the Time Empress, all of whom were different versions of me."
"Well, for what it's worth… considering how and why Matias… Ardo… betrayed you, I'd say you handed the situation as best you could. It's like I said before. There's only so much we Time Mages can do with our powers. And even with the ability to manipulate time, we can't make everyone happy."
"I know, Maestro. It's just that… during the final fight with Ardo… I saw how powerful he was. He nearly wiped us all out with one spell, and I was deeply afraid. I couldn't shake the feeling that our cause was hopeless, and that the only way to undo my mistake was to do what the Empress did and travel back in time to when she met Relo Willhelm von Astron. I was tempted to give up on everything we fought for."
"…But you didn't, Crisbell."
"But I didn't. Because… Cristopher encouraged me to not lose hope. He suggested using my time powers to undo the damage that Ardo's attacks were inflicting, and that was barely enough to end the fight in our favor."
"But it was enough. Your powers were more than enough, in fact! Just as they were in Cinder when we worked together to stop that lava wave. Just as they were when you managed to move an entire planet-wide civilization over three thousand years into the future! If that isn't a testament to how capable you truly are, then I don't know what sort of proof you're looking for at this point. Don't be daft, stupid girl."
That puts a small smile on your face.
"Thank you, Maestro. I've missed being able to talk about these sorts of things with you. Just as I miss all of the friends I left behind, back home."
You close your eyes, and think of the world you've left behind.
Narim must be beautiful, this time of year.
The children at the orphanage must be growing up by now, and you hope that they weren't too disappointed when they realized that you wouldn't be able to honor your promise to them.
Adri is probably hard at work, constructing new inventions to make life better for the people of St. Clarity.
You hope that Sophia and Armando are doing well.
The floats in Neva Tulira must be impressive as ever.
You wish Lucio, Franny, and Oropen the best of luck with keeping the museum and the university up and running.
Cristopher must be having his long-awaited date with Rysa, right about now. You're not entirely sure of how Willhelm would feel about his reluctant protégé and his adopted niece… but you can certainly speculate.
Fenia, Volcano, Galley, and Lava must be working tirelessly to fix the damage wrought upon Cinder and Ceniza.
Kari and Zas are likely taking a moment to visit the grave of their father, Zero.
You assume that Mother Lucia, Mother Lau, and Mother Assan are still working to spread word of the Lady to those in need of guidance.
And K… is most likely wandering across the land, in search of new experiences. That's what he had been doing long before he met you, after all.
"So, what do you see, Crisbell?"
You have the feeling that things are going to be alright.
But there's still one final loose end that needs to be taken care of.
As the wind begins to pick up, you observe the faint silhouettes of Relo and Crysta, way off in the distance, long before things between them went sour.
They seem happy.
"So, I assume this is farewell, for now?"
"It appears so, Maestro. I know that our time was brief, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless."
"Time is a fickle thing, Crisbell. People are always complaining about not having enough of it, but that's mostly due to how people choose to perceive it. I, for one… huh?"
Willhelm pauses, not sure what to do with the limbs, neck, and face that are currently invading his personal space.
"You always tried to hide it, but we both knew that you cared about us. That's why you always encouraged me to learn from my experiences while childing Cristopher for being rash. That was your way of caring. It's why Cristopher told me that he wished he'd been a better friend to you, and that's why I felt the same as well. Thank you for everything, Willhelm. And goodbye."
The wind builds up to a roar, and everything is swept away…
…
…
…
"We actually did it. I'm… home. I'm finally home."
You tilt your head in the direction of the rasping voice.
"I'll… no! It can't be!"
You open your eyes.
"It's… it's you!"
And you give your friend a warm smile.
"… Hello, Matias. I'm back."