Celestial Ruins

Nebula: "Brother! Wait, brother?!"

I'm kneeling on the ground, crying slightly.

Nebula: "How are you alive? I thought Mitsurugi killed you!"

Sun: "She did... But for some reason, I'm back in this timeline."

Nebula: "But how...?"

Sun: "I don't know either... I was watching everything from someplace."

Nebula: "Did you see..."

Sun: "Yes, I saw everything. Slinger, she was... sorry for what she did. And I threatened to kill her several times..."

Nebula: "And for good reason. Even if she didn't want to betray us, she did. She always had the choice to trust us."

Sun: "I know, but..."

Miguel: "Man, you did everything to save us. Everyone did their best. Thank you, really."

He places his hand on my shoulder.

Sun: "I'm the one who should be thanking you all... if you hadn't won, I'd probably be in another timeline right now."

Nebula: "Sun, about that person... the one who did everything to you..."

Sun: "Anima... she's the goddess of this world."

Miguel: "I thought you were."

Sun: "I only created it and a few characters, like Sun and Nebula. But I have no control over what's happening."

Miguel: "I know, pal. So, is she our enemy?"

Sun: "She's also my creation... but I'm not sure if she's on our side or not. She's revived me many times, but she's also the reason all the bad things are happening..."

Nebula: "I don't think wondering will help unless we have a way to contact her."

Sun: "She did say something about me being too weak to handle her cosmic power. That's why I keep reviving stronger. To adapt to it."

Miguel: "But how many times is enough, hm? A dozen deaths, a hundred... infinite, perhaps?"

Sun: "That's probably why she told Sol about me... She orchestrated the whole thing to make me stronger."

Miguel: "Couldn't she, you know, just give you more power? Not the cosmic one, just make you stronger."

Sun: "I don't know... She's probably bound by some rules of this world."

Miguel: "Then she ain't a goddess."

We chuckle.

Sun: "Yeah, but I guess we could say the same about me. Everyone is subject to rules, no matter their position."

Nebula: "Brother, I... you know how magic can break some of the rules of this world, right? Am I strong enough to contact her? I have tried it, but..."

Sun: "It's no use, she's not a goddess for nothing. We need to get much stronger first."

Miguel: "Do you have any ideas that don't include you sacrificing yourself at the end?"

Sun: "Yeah. I created some small floating islands with equipment on them. Let's find them, because our destination is above and beyond."

Miguel: "In space?"

Sun: "Close enough."

Nebula: "Right now? We are healed, but what about you?"

Sun: "I'm good. I don't know how many lives I have now, but I feel physically fine."

Nebula: "Okay, but please don't put yourself at risk... I can't heal much."

Sun: "I know. Healing and resurrection spells are extremely expensive because I didn't want people to keep coming back from the dead."

Nebula: "That's... cruel."

Sun: "Hey, my world didn't even have magic. We were stuck with boring rules all the time."

Nebula: "I'm kidding, brother. I'm more than grateful for everything you've done."

Sun: "It will all be wasted if we don't get stronger quickly."

Nebula: "Just don't rush it, okay? Otherwise, you might end up dead for real this time."

Sun: "I won't."

I jump and fly skyward.

Nebula: "Hey, wait for us!"

She puts up a barrier around herself and Miguel and flies to catch up with me.

We fly for dozens of kilometers, enjoying the sky. It's sunrise, so the clouds are painted with a golden light. The breeze touches my face, soothing my previously worried skin. 

I pause in midair to gaze at the sun. With my solar compatibility and heightened senses, my eyes don't hurt.

Nebula: "Do you see something?"

Sun: "No, I just... I'm not used to this view yet. Which is great, because I don't want to get tired of this world."

Miguel: "Are you talking about the entire planet or this region? Because the world is way bigger than this. And even if you get tired of it, there are more worlds to explore."

Sun: "Really? How do you know about other planets?"

Miguel: "It's obvious this isn't the only one, even if you created this one alone. How many other worlds are created by people like you?"

Sun: "In my world, there were all kinds of stories. I doubt they're all real, but we can dream."

Nebula: "What if we create stories here? Will there be more worlds, until they are infinite?"

Sun: "Probably. Timelines are already infinite, so worlds might as well be."

I look around and see some small floating islands.

Nebula: "Do you want to go there?"

Sun: "No, let's just... enjoy the moment for a little while longer. You said not to rush it, right?"

Nebula: "Right, I'm sorry."

Sun: "You don't have to apologize all the time, Nebula. Be a little more selfish."

Nebula: "But that's a negative trait..."

Sun: "Overthinking is also one. If you keep telling yourself you're going to fail, you probably will. But if you believe you'll succeed, your chances of success increase."

Nebula: "I'm not sure if that's how it works..."

Sun: "You just have to find the balance. It's difficult, but we are here for you. Right, Miguel?"

Miguel: "Of course. I was thinking about what you just said. I want to explore new worlds, but I'm scared and I don't want to leave you behind if you decide to stay here."

Sun: "Follow your dreams, Miguel. If that's what you want, you should do it, at your own pace, of course. But don't let us chain you down."

Miguel: "But I owe you so much..."

Sun: "You don't owe anyone anything. It's not your fault you're here. So it's not your fault if your decisions affect some petty individuals."

Miguel: "You're not petty..."

Sun: "Sorry, I let my original personality slip. I mean, don't care what others think. If you want to choose a path, go ahead and choose it before others do."

Miguel: "If you say so... thank you, Sun and Nebula. Thank you, really."

Finally, we fly to a nearby island. Clouds support it, and other lesser ones rise above it, simulating a biotope. One of the small clouds transforms into a female spirit and stops us before we set foot on the island.

She points her finger at us, some clouds surrounding us and threatening to release lightning.

Miguel: "Sorry, this one is new to me."

He snaps his fingers and the clouds dissolve. The spirit lowers her hand and flies away.

Sun: "That quickly?!"

Miguel: "Yeah, she's weaker than us. I only managed to stun Mitsurugi for a few seconds, but this is light work."

Nebula: "Is she on our side now?"

Miguel: "Yeah, a new spirit for my collection. Which is interesting, because my summons tend to evolve according to my level."

Sun: "This one isn't a legendary beast, so you can summon her whenever you want. But if we encounter a great storm spirit, it might be a bit stronger than us."

Miguel: "Not nearly as much as Mitsurugi, I hope."

We step onto the island. There are some trees and vegetation, but what catches our attention is a golden room in the center. We open the door and are greeted by an armory.

In each corner of the room, there is an armor stand with a weapon specific to each class.

Sun: "Suit yourselves. No one's been here before, probably."

Nebula: "Who created this place? I mean, who built it? Aren't we stealing from them?"

Sun: "I didn't put much thought when I created these islands. They were just there so the main character could plunder them, so I don't think there's an owner."

Nebula: "What about the storm spirit?"

Sun: "She's just a common enemy on these islands. She's probably here to test whether we're strong enough or not."

We look around the armor stands. One of them holds a rifle.

Miguel: "Slinger would have loved this one..."

Sun: "I doubt it. She loved that relic she had more than any other weapon."

Nebula: "What about the armor?"

Sun: "That's one of the reasons I wanted to come here. They grant you the ability to fly. It's perfect for you, Miguel."

Miguel: "Seriously?! Will I finally be able to fly?"

Sun: "Only when you have it. So try not to break it while you're in the air."