Epilogue - A Bittersweet Goodbye

Months passed, after my estranged father, General Naoryuu arrested from his illegal mining and child abandonment, the world seemed normal, except my home; the wilderness—was harsh, leaving the broken trees, logs shattered covered in ash, smoke drifting, my father's project discontinued, abandoned, the woods peace at last.

The glimpse of the dinosaurs in the distance emerged, free one last time from their cage; couple of Brachiosaurus moved, their offsprings followed behind them, then juvenile triceratops playing around the clearing, pythons slithered from the darkness, fish leaped from the flowing surface and landed back on the water.

I observed them like a silent guard, keep an eye from the dangers lurking behind, sat on the road fence, staring at the landscape of the forest, my long ponytail billowed from the wind, I took a long deep breath, the scent of nature and wild lingers on the air.

Then a slow and careful footsteps grew louder, followed the soft voice.

"Kyou-san?"

I shift my attention from the woods, glanced over my shoulder, I've realized it was Rosetta Shizuku. A soft spoken student from Aonogami Academy and she loves growing plants, wearing her casual attire, asked softly.

"Can I sit?"

"Sure, why not?"

She sat beside me, her curled horns catching from the sunlight, her long hair billowed behind her, we've both observed the defrosted area surrounded by living animals. She shift her gaze at me, break the silent.

"You know? I can help you to plant some trees, just like the same tree you live."

My eyes wide in surprised yet relief through my chest. "R-Really, you do!? But how— oh, I forgot. You're a nature person, huh?"

"Yep, I am. So we have no time to relax, let's get started shall we?"

"Us? Alone but… Rosetta, how are we supposed to—"

"No need to worried about that. I'll call the backup."

I glanced over my shoulder, Rosetta was right; Hiku and the rest of her team was here, to rebuild the wilderness once again with their help. Hiku grinned, already on her knight armor, hands on her hips.

"Alright, Dino Queen. Let us handle this!"

I gave her a smirk, rising myself from the road fence, approaching them. Hiku extend her hand, spoke softly.

"You wanted to become a team like us?"

I stared at her in disbelief, something stirred inside of me almost… excited? Despite my pierce look and my T-Rex feature, they accept me who I am, not just an apex predator, just a person living in peace.

Without a warning, I clasped my hand against hers, give her a slight smirk played on my lips. Sylvia smile, axolotl frills fluttering.

"Welcome to our team, Kyou."

"Let's do this."

~~~

We've spent planting some seedlings deeper on earth together, with Rosetta's magic the more trees grew faster because of her kindness, the wilderness became a wild more than just a construction site, the normal growth took for years, but this clearing become woods once again. Birds landed on the bench, chirping happily, wild animals emerging

My enormous brother emerged from the shadows, still wearing his saddle, his footsteps arrived before I does, that familiar percussion, each impact gentle tremor through the sole of his feet rather than the ground shaking of threatening.

He's been here when our late parents, alongside our siblings died from the ambush, but now, the entire forest safe, he always moved like that around me, he learned early when he was a small cub with me, playing together since childhood—the last bloodline of his ancestors.

He emerged from the treeline slowly, he grew, the saddle still on his back— worn, familiar and made with love by Grandma Sanyu, she's taking care of us when I was unconscious during the near execution, alongside something behind him, my eyes widened in shock, I'd realized there was another rex like him, he found a new mate.

My brother rex find me, he always followed my scene when I wasn't around. Rosetta's eyes lightened up in excitement and squeal, Hiku and the rest lift their gaze from their planting, staring at the two T-Rexs in front of them.

"Brother…"

Hiku doesn't say anything, she stay silent, respecting my space as the massive rex lowered his snout, slowly, deliberately as the same motion from my inner realm—from the memory of my brother, but his own version was different, rougher, less graceful and more honest than that. He exhaled through his nostrils.

I didn't move immediately, there's something stirred through my chest doesn't had a name— not a grief, nor relief; something that lives from the distance where the two feelings go when they're too large either enough for category, he's been here with my side for years, but now… that though arrives in these woods after whenever comes next to me.

I stepped forward, pressed my forehead against his snout, the way I have done since I protect him from the lurking predators behind. His eyes never leaves my form, amber and unhurried, they finds mine and here, whispered.

"Thank you for everything, brother…" my voice was low with sob, tears flowing silently through my vision. "But now… I'll let you live your own without me."

My brother purred, doesn't understand, just pressed his snout further. From the distance, Sylvia tells the others to give me some space for a moment, even Rosetta almost crying, linked her arms around her girlfriend's, nobody argues.

Nor words always the language between the hybrid girl and her T-Rex brother, this is the last final goodbye to him— I ended my journey in the woods, leaving it behind to start a new chapter in back in reality.

~~~

I unbuckled his saddle off with Hiku's assistant, leaving him free… without my present, he nudge his snout one last time before he turned eventually, not abruptly from the same deliberate when he arrived, he lifted his head let a thunderous roar reverted the woods. 

The tree lines accept him as his massive form disappearing from the sections until the movement of branches marks where he is, his mate gave a gentle nudge on my chest before she followed after him…

The forest was silent, birds return from the clearing, I sobbed silently with a bittersweet smile played on my lips, wiping the stray tears from my eyes, Hiku and her team approached my side, Hiku placed her gentle hand on my shoulder—a silent gestured of comfort despite my brother was now live by his own—and his mate.

The wind howled above as we're job done and left in the wilderness, the broken world will rebuild with effort.

~~~

From the shadows, Grandma Sanyu on her goddess form observe from the shadows, her caretaker and the male rex stared in the horizon, watching the vehicle moving forward to the pathway. She gestured them to retreat from the shadows, the wilderness was officially living in peace.

The End.