Final Chapter: I'm Home
3 weeks later:
Emilia walks into their bedroom to see Aster, still sleeping in his bed.
She gave a disappointed sigh then said:
"Hey Aster! You're still asleep!? Wake up! Its morning, you idiot!"
As she touches Aster's cold hand, a sudden feeling of doom began to rise inside her mind
"Aster..." She said "Don't you dare!"
She then began to shake Aster but to no avail…
A few minutes later:
Paramedics were called to the house and confirmed Emilia's worst nightmare…
The Old Veteran has passed on…
"Noway..." Emilia said in a shocked tone "...He cant be... No..."
"I'm sorry Ma'am..." said the paramedic "He's dead..."
As the paramedics transport Aster's body to the morgue, Irvin arrives at the house.
"Mom..." he said as he sees the paramedics loading Aster's body into the car.
"He's dead, Irvin..." Emilia said as she tears began to fall from her eyes
2 days later:
Irvin walks into Emilia's bedroom. His mother was holding Aster's old Militia uniform…
"Dad's Militia Uniform...?" Irvin said
Emilia nodded and a silence followed after...
As tears began to fall from her face, Emilia saw a piece of paper in the breast pocket.
Picking it up, it was Aster's last written letter…
Letter content:
Emilia,
By the time you read this, I may be dead… Where do I begin? I'll start with an 'I'm sorry'…
I'm sorry I had to leave you behind without telling you… 2 weeks before I visited the graves of our comrades, I was diagnosed with a terminal illness that would have killed me before I could even reach the 50th anniversary of the war…
But I couldn't accept that because I still had regrets… So I made sure that you knew nothing and continued to fight and ensure that I survive...
On that day, she found me, Emilia… The young girl we rescued back in Fouzen… I'm glad that I was able to tell her… Despite remembering a few painful memories, she made me realize what Croix said when he told me that I'd understand 'it' soon enough…
Life is full of shit, you know that… So much pain & suffering and yet we still fight on as if we can escape those things… But now I see that these painful events are what drives people…
These things are what drives change… And without them, we wouldn't be able to learn & grow and be like what we are now… I now understand…
Without the painful loss of my parents, I wouldn't have found such great friends… If we didn't lose Riverwood and Yuell, we wouldn't have tried to become stronger… If Morris and Flunky didn't die, Croix wouldn't have been able to figure out that he hasn't moved on yet and grew stronger because of that... There's another side to the story, I guess…And its funny that I only understood all these things just now, during the final days of my life...
That's why as a final note, I want you and Irvin to know that life IS full of shit and will continue to throw shit at you until you die… But you guys must remember that no matter the hardships, there is always a silver lining behind it… Please show this to Irvin too so he could teach his kids about this life lesson that many people overlook… And tell him that his dad loves him…
And Emilia, don't worry about me… Don't cry… Don't even feel sad for me… I'm contented. I lived my life to the fullest and have a loving wife & son. I'm happy that I managed to live in this world, despite all the pain & suffering I had to endure… And even now, as I feel death calling to me, I'm still smiling as I write this letter… I love you, Emilia. I'll cherish all those moments we spent together, even the times when we were in opposite sides… Live well and live long…
Oh yeah, and I have a feeling you're calling me an idiot right about now...
Forever yours,
Leon 'Aster' Claes
Back in Aster & Emilia's bedroom:
"That idiot…" she said as tears begin to fall from her face
"Mom…" Irvin said as he tries to comfort his mother
"Your father…" she said "…an idiot till the end… an idiot… a real moron… he never learned..."
The two then hug as Emilia cries in her son's shoulders…
4 days later:
Randgriz War Cemetery:
It was the final day of Aster's funeral. Among the visitors were his former squadmates, Popuri and an elderly Welkin Gunther.
Emilia was the last to give a eulogy for her husband…
Emilia's Speech:
He was a great man… Although, he had idiotic tendencies, he always tried his best for his comrades and especially, for me…
I saw how the war truly affected him and I only found out a few days ago that he had recently moved on from it… And apart from that, I have also learned something else…
Everyone, to those of you with families… Cherish them… Your father, mother, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles… Cherish all of them! Make it a habit to appreciate their value while they are still alive and no matter what life brings, face it head on. Don't falter because life's greatest teacher is suffering…
A few minutes later:
As Aster's coffin was lowered into the ground, Welkin and Rick approached the widow
"Don't worry about him..." Welkin said "He's in a better place now..."
"I know…" Emilia replied
"Do you think he has any regrets?" Rick asked
Emilia smiled and said "Don't worry, he's as happy as he could be… Because he's home…"
-The End-