The Last Archon

Millie.

It's been two hundred years since the last time I've seen you.

I still fondly recall the memories we had together, even before we were summoned.

I still remember your beautiful smile, how you laughed and joked with me, how you stood beside me and the rest.

I still remember how you defended us, right up until we were summoned.

You sacrificed your friendships with dozens of people just for us.

I fondly recall how you took the lead of our band of misfits after we were summoned to fight the mad king.

I remember your confidence as you commanded us into battle.

A battle everyone but me were prepared to die in.

A battle you all sacrificed your lives for me.

I remember how you unhesitatingly sacrificed yourself to save me from the mad king's blade.

I recall Atlas using his very life to cast permanent buffs onto me.

I remember Aria sacrificing her life to give me the chance to slay that mad king.

It's been two hundred years.

Not a single memory of you has faded.

With each passing day, my regrets grow.

I wish I could have confessed, even before the summoning.

I wish I'd had the confidence to admit my feelings for you.

I wish I could have spent the rest of my life with you.

But, it's far too late for that.

Two hundred twenty years too late.

As I write this, my regrets are mounting, burying me beneath them.

At this point, all I can do is remember, but even that will end soon.

I'm dooming this world, not just because they sent us to die.

They will keep raising mad kings, and keep sending Archons to die.

But the Archons that survive are cast aside like unwanted trash.

They spat upon your memory, defaced your grave, and exiled the only survivor.

I will use my soul as the catalyst for the ritual I am about to perform.

I know that you'll never read this, but I feel that I must at least leave a piece of you in this world.

We may never meet again, not in this life, nor the next.

By cutting off a world from the Multiverse, I'm separating myself from the cycle of reincarnation.

But I believe I'm doing this for good. No more summoned Archons will suffer, no more mad kings will be raised, no more mana will enter this world.

By doing this, I'm saving the lives of those living in other worlds, and that is one thing I know I will not regret.

My last wish, if anyone would grant it, would be to see your faces again.

But I know the Universes don't care.

Even if you're not here to listen, I still wish to bid you farewell.

I bid you farewell, Atlas, the world's best healer. May your soul rest in peace, knowing I have avenged you.

Goodbye, Aria, the best shield one could ever ask for. Rest in peace, knowing I shall prevent the summons of those who would have been summoned.

Goodbye, Millie, love of my life, and the best hunter in existence. May you rest in peace, knowing I loved you, and have hunted those who sent you to die.

I'll never meet any of you again, but, somehow, I feel better, knowing that no one else shall suffer as we have.

....

Tobias, the world's first and only Archmage, laid a quill next to the letter he had been writing, somberly rereading its contents.

He sealed it with wax and put it in the drawer of his desk, locking it with the key that hung around his neck.

He looked sadly at his room, silently saying his goodbyes to the room that he had lived in for the last two hundred years.

Steeling himself for the pain he knew would come, he started pouring mana into the magic circle he had placed upon the entire span of the floor.

As he charged the circle, he began moving items to specific points on the circle, creating a seven-pointed star with mismatching items.

As he poured more and more mana into the circle, he felt his mana reserves deplete rapidly, until there was not a single drop left.

Only then did it begin to tear at his soul.

With a agonized howl, Tobias endured the pain of having his soul shredded into bits and converted into powerful and pure mana, that was then sucked into the magic circle.

The items he had placed in the star pattern began glowing brightly, slowly floating upwards and spinning gently.

As more and more of his soul was sacrificed, the items began spinning faster and faster, soon leaving afterimages and trails of light.

Through the pain, Tobias forced out a long chant through tightly clenched teeth.

His mind and soul were assaulted by waves of agony, causing him to collapse to his knees, but he did not stop.

He had one purpose, and he was going to fulfill it.

He continued to chant, the items around him converting into energy and slicing open the very fabric of space.

The very mana around him moved into the slices of empty void that had been opened, never to reenter the world.

The wind of mana slowly increased in intensity as Tobias continued his pained chant, becoming a gale, then a maelstrom of bright white that destroyed everything around it.

Nearing the end of his chant, the maelstrom continued to expand, covering the sky and illuminating the night as brightly as day.

On the final word of his chant, Tobias's soulless husk collapsed onto the ground, bleeding from the seven orifices.

The massive whirlpool of mana was not halted by Tobias's death, however. It continued to whirl powerfully, funneling into the cracks in the fabric of space and drying the world of mana.

The whirlpool rapidly shrank as the mana within it was consumed by the void, never to be seen again.

....

Tobias awoke to a child shaking him.

He sat up abruptly, holding his aching head.

"Hurry! You only have a limited time in this realm!" The child shouted at him, pulling his hand as he ran so fast the surroundings turned into streaks of light.

Just as fast as the child accelerated, he decelerated, but Tobias didn't.

He was sent careening into the steps that led up to a throne, miraculously unhurt.

"You nearly destroyed his soul." The blindingly bright figure sitting upon the throne remarked mildly. "Why don't you take your divine power and give some to him, as a way to make up for it?"

The child pouted as he reached into his chest and pulled out a small orb of light, and handed it to Tobias.

"Eat it, and I'll tell you what's going on." The figure on the throne gestured to the ball in his hands.

"Do I just.." He held the ball of light closer to his mouth.

"Yes." The figure on the throne impatiently gestured. "Don't keep me waiting."

Tobias followed the instructions, swallowing the ball of light that both felt tangible and intangible at the same time.

"You erased the life of hundreds of thousands of people by removing it from the rest of the Multiverse." The figure began. "You did well."

"I'm sorry?" Tobias felt a headache coming on.

"I was planning to remove the world from the Multiverse anyway, and you spared me the effort of doing so." The figure explained. "By doing so, you sacrificed your soul, so I decided to piece it back together with my divine power and grant you a few wishes to say thanks."

"Can I ask for anything?" Tobias asked cautiously.

"Of course, as long as it's within my power." The figure spread its hands. "I may be a god, but I'm not omnipotent."

"Can I live in a better world with my teammates?" He asked.

"Is that your only wish?" The figure cocked its head to one side.

"Yes." Tobias nodded firmly.

"Very well. I'll grant each of you a few extra blessings and powers, as well as keep your memories intact." The figure pointed its palm at Tobias. "Thank you for doing me that favor, and with this the debt is repaid. I wish you a good life."

Tobias never got the chance to thank god; his consciousness faded too quickly.

....

Tobias awoke once more, a splitting headache assaulting his senses.

He groaned and sat up, taking in the lush green grass that spread for miles in all directions.

Moving to get up, his hand touched something warm.

Looking to his right, he saw the unmoving bodies of his three fallen companions.

"Millie? Atlas? Aria?" Tobias said in disbelief, causing the three to stir.

Atlas opened his eyes first, instantly taking in his surroundings.

"Tobias!" Atlas exclaimed, embracing him warmly, tears welling in his eyes.

Aria came to just after Atlas, knocking Atlas over with a tackle hug.

Millie regained consciousness last, slowly sitting up and gathering herself.

Her gaze instantly found the three of them, but she ignored them for the split second it took to scan for threats.

Only after she determined there were no threats did she allow herself to jump into Tobias' arms, nearly smothering him.

"You're all alive.." After Tobias exchanged hugs and greetings with the rest of the party, he began tearing up. "You're back!"

Tobias began his short rollercoaster of emotions as he began remembering their sacrifices made for him, as well as the fact that they were now alive, before remembering that they would die once more.

His rollercoaster was halted by Millie giving him a kiss on the cheek and laughing gently.

"Our sacrifice was well worth it." Millie said, grinning, hanging herself on Tobias' shoulders. "Not only are we back, but we also ended up in the middle of nowhere!"

"Why is that a benefit?" Aria asked curiously.

"Well, it means one of several things." Millie said, putting up a finger for each item. "One, we might be in a different world. Two, we likely are a long distance away from civilization. Three, we have a better chance at avoiding world conflicts. Four, we're going to go on another adventure!"

"Well, why don't you pick us a direction and we start our adventure, then?" Atlas suggested.

"West." Millie said instantly, leading them towards the setting sun.

Tobias couldn't help but laugh, happy he could be with his companions again.

'To think I'd be able to spend time with them again.' He thought, gazing at his team's smiling faces.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Atlas called over his shoulder, being led by Aria, who had a firm grasp upon his wrist.

"I'm coming." Tobias grinned, running to catch up with them.

He was looking forward to whatever this new life had in store for them.