Post-Game

“The goddess explained that everyone in that world has the power to create worlds. Through the forms of media they create. Art, comics, stories, games, etc. It’s a power they’re completely unaware of. As a result, they’re constantly creating other worlds where people can live and be happy. Sure, some face strife like we have, but in the end, we’re the ones who can change our fate for the better.” Rosso states.

“Wow,” Leo says. “Oh man… All those stories I wrote as a kid! I hope they’re alright!”

“They’re fine. They continue to live and thrive on their own.” Remilia smiled.

Her family begins to slowly disappear.

“Looks like we’re outta time,” Gramps says as he places a hand on both of their shoulders. “I wish you two the best he says.”

Rosso and Remilia hug Arte tenderly.

“I love you,” Arte states.

“We love you two,” Rosso states.

“Now we can rest easy knowing you’re going to be alright,” Remilia adds.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got Leo by my side.” She smiles and holds his hand.

“Thank you for allowing me to meet Arte. She’s changed my life.” Leo smiled.

“Take good care of her,” Rosso says.

“I will,” Leo promises.

Her parents and grandfather fade into shards of yellow light before flying into the sky. Arte leans on Leo as the light begins to fade on them, and they’re cast into darkness. It reappears, however, as they open their eyes. As Arte’s eyes focus, she notices she’s staring into the ceiling of her dorm room. She sits up in the bed and notices her arm is missing. The pain was gone, and she ran her hand along it. Caius walked into the room and nearly dropped his items in his hand.

“You’re awake!” He exclaimed.

“How long have I been out?” She asks

“It’s been a few weeks,” Caius says.

“Can I get five more minutes?” Leo says from the opposite bed.

“Nope.” Arte chuckled. She looked down, noticing her clothes were different.

Both she and Leo were wearing striped pajamas.

“The nurse changed those for you.” He added. “And I’m sorry about your arm… It was terribly damaged, and we couldn’t reattach it.”

“It’s okay. All things considered, I’d say I got off pretty light.” She grinned wryly.

“Even so… You guys did it! You saved the school and maybe even the world.” Caius states. “Now that you’re awake, what are you planning to do?”

“I think… We’re gonna travel the world.” She looked at Leo, and he nodded. “That pillar of ichor had to have caused some issues for other people as well.”

“We might as well go around starting by fixing our mistakes,” Leo smirked.

“Right.” Arte agreed.

“Well, I was figuring you two might need a medic with you. I wasn’t much help last time because I was tending to the injured, but I could really be there for you both.” Caius states.

“The more the merrier, right?” Arte asks.

“Yeah, I agree,” Leo says.

“Then it’s settled,” Caius smirked.

“By the way, all your gear is in the dressers beside you.” He says. “I’ll go grab the nurse real quick.”

After getting a check-up, Arte and Leo put their outfits from Sky back on. They visited Valeria and the Dean’s graves. They both had tombstones on the campus that read “A valiant defender of the students.” Arte smiled at their graves and kneeled by them with Leo.

“It wasn’t long that we spent with you, but we’ll never forget you, while on our travels.” Arte smiled.

“Thanks for saving me, Valeria,” Leo states.

After visiting the graves, they checked on each of the students who had been influenced by the Warpainter. They were doing well, and Arte went to visit Kerri. Kerri herself didn’t remember Arte, but she apologized for blinding her eye nonetheless. Following that, they went back to town and spoke with Milq and Emerald, who officially became a couple. After saying their goodbyes, they were on the road again, this time walking to their next destination with Caius.

“So where are we headed first?” Caius asks.

“I was thinking Myrania.” Leo rested his arms behind his head.

“I did hear they had good food there,” Arte added.

“Of course they do! That's my home after all.” Caius says.

“I forgot you were from Myrania,” Leo says.

“Born and raised.” He says proudly.

“Maybe we can be the first to clear the reverse palace,” Arte suggested.

“Clear it?” Caius questioned.

“Yeah, we know a few things,” Leo smirked.

Caius crossed his arms.

“There’s no way.” He states.

“Who do you think cleared all the dungeons in Valmanhyn?” Arte turned back.

“That was you two?!” He questioned.

“Yup,” Leo says.

“No way!” Caius exclaimed.

“I was also thinking we could get a mage to round out our party,” Arte says.

“Well then, there’s no better place than Myrania, the magic kingdom, after all,” Caius states.

"I happen to know a good mage in Myrania," Leo says.

"A good mage, hm?" Arte questions.  "It's not for the reason I think it is, is it?"

"What gives you that impression?" Leo questions.

"She's about yay high, thighs thicker than both of mine put together.  Most popular... Mage in the country... Maybe..." Arte held her arm slightly above her head.

"She was the most popular with the players for... A few reasons. She still is an amazing mage, though."  Arte thought.

"What mage is this?" Caius looked down at her thighs and measured the distance mentally before turning to them both. "Is she really even a mage?"

"Yeah, she has a troublesome situation, but we can solve it," Leo remarked. "And she's a good mage to boot."

"It'll be reassuring to have more manpower," Caius states.

"Oh sure, Caius." Arte laughed.

"I swear, her magic is gonna be valuable, it's not for any other reason!" Caius exclaims. 

Walking along the highway, they casually chatted amongst each other as they continued their journey through Crystal Quest. A game connecting two friends across worlds, a friendship untouched by the hands of time and all else. They met many people and connected with them through their journey, though things didn’t always go to plan, they learned, loved, and grew through those experiences. 

The End.