The Last Words

"Sky...?" I woke back up from a brief moment of lying unconscious to see Boo hovering over me with blood spilling out from the corners of her mouth. I instantly put my hands on her shoulders and healed her with my strands, getting up from the water and looking back toward Providence.

"She's dead... you did it... thank you." Boo wrapped her arms around me tightly and cried into my shoulder as I continued to watch Providence's fallen body. She really is dead...

I looked back toward Belle, Alexia, Eo, and Shike, running to them as Myth and Mitra caught up with Boo and me.

"We did it... we all did it... where's Mom?" I asked, looking around.

I found Mom's face facing upward in the water, breathing slowly. I ran after her next, sliding in the water beside her, and going down next to her face.

"Mom! I did it, Providence is dead." I told her. I put my hands on her stomach and healed her, but was met with a purple shock.

[System Synchronization was completed within The Singularity. Strands cannot be administered]

The text in my eyes faded away as I looked at Mom with confusion.

"Sorry... Sky... I held off Providence... as long as I could... you did... great..." She mumbled.

"What?! Mom, what does that mean?!" I tried healing her again as I was hit with more confusion, but her weak arms pushed my hands away from her.

"I grew up... wanting a son that would be a leader for all... a son who would never give up... and you became all of those things. You beat my mortal enemy... you pulled through when I couldn't... you are stronger than me, braver than me, and a better leader than me... you are my pride and joy, Sky Asterio... you did so well." She told me.

I felt tears drop from my eyes.

"Mom... what are you saying? Get real, come on, let's return home, let's go find Cynthia. Let's go home with Dad... where is he...?" I asked her again.

"Dad became the scythe that helped you defeat Providence. He and I Synchronized our Systems... but it cost us our lives. Lucas's last breath was spent weakening Providence to the point of her defeat... he was so proud of you too, Sky." She told me.

I felt frozen in time in disbelief that couldn't be healed.

What...?

My Dad... is dead...?

"Sky... will you promise me one thing...?" Mom asked me.

"Why aren't you getting up... no... don't tell me..." I froze again.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry I spent my life, trying to save yours. I was lost in hatred. Promise me, Sky. Promise me you won't end up like me. Promise me you won't let that Wrath control your life. You may be the Deity of Wrath to them, but you're still my son, and I love you. Sky... I love you... and I'm sorry... I'm so... so... sorry..." Mom said.

Her head fell limp in my hand and her last breath came out of her chest.

Mom laid down flat on the ground, and she wasn't moving.

This wasn't funny...

This world may have been fake... but she wasn't... Dad wasn't... my parents...

I remembered my time on the beach when Ellie asked me what she thought my parents were like.

I never knew I would take them for granted...

Ellie... I couldn't answer your question before... but I can now.

My parents... my parents are the best people in the world. They're my heroes, and they're the Heroes of many lives. They saved me... they saved my friends... but they died doing it. I knew their sacrifice was willing... but why couldn't they stay alive... why... my mom... my dad... I needed them... I wanted to grow with them... why... why am I left alone here...?

I sucked in air and sobbed into my mom's body, knowing I would never see her again... and that just made the wound scar deeper.

This world was fake.

But whether I had another Mom other than this one...

Ali Asterio was the only Mom I ever needed.

And Lucas Asterio was the only Dad I ever needed.

"Sky... let's go... let's go back home... I'll help you up." I heard Shike's voice behind me... and then, I heard another.

"No, you won't."

And then I heard a gruesome, ripping sound.

And a quiet thud...

As Shike's decapitated head hit the floor.

His eyes, looking all over, locked onto mine, and then he turned to look at the person behind me.

I was too overwhelmed with emotions to process that Shike was dead.

I couldn't even believe it, even though I was looking right at him.

"S-Shike...?" I heard Boo ask with a trembling voice.

"What the hell...?" Mitra and Myth both said.

"No..." Eo mumbled.

"Are you surprised? You've attained your previous status, you're in no need of these people. They will only slow you down..." Illya's voice finally cleared up.

And then.

All anger in my bones.

All of the Wrath I've ever felt.

Found its new target.

Orion was cannon fodder to my rage. To my Wrath.

My eyes turned back on Illya and the veil of red permanently set in.

And I couldn't help but let out a bloodcurdling scream.

A scream so loud, intense, and filled with pure anguish and malice, that it made everybody cover their ears.

I started to shatter the glass around us that created The First Trial. All pieces of the puzzle were falling apart. Even Illya was covering her ears now.

And then, out of the corner of my eye, I could see two sets of hands pry their way through a small opening I made while cracking the scenery around us.

And one single eye, coated in the same red coloring, that I couldn't mistake for anybody else.

The look of pure hatred on Dani's eye as she peered into The First Trial with the same intent to kill Illya as I was unmistakable.

"Illya..." She shook in that desperate rage I once felt.

"I will..." Dani stopped mid-sentence to understand what was going on around her, and when she concentrated all of the way, her eye was rid of the red color and sparked with a vicious golden color my mom once held.

"KILL YOU!!!!!" She screamed out, and just like that, the opening she created with her hands closed.

"Sorry, Sky," Illya said, putting her hand up to my forehead. I was frozen in place... I couldn't move!

"We will attain my goal... no matter what it takes..." Illya said.

"MOM!" I heard from the crowd.