Prizmatic Hope #10: To A World of Love & Peace

Days have passed since Daiki, Gabbie and Kotaro worked together to defeat Freia and end her reign for good, as well as destroying the Deviant spirits that were sealed beneath the Ephemeral Sky Tower. The terror that Freia threatened to unleash upon Canada and the entire world was reduced to nothing. However, the fight cost something valuable to Gabbie: her Aurora's Breath. She had to make a sacrifice to help Daiki fight again after he almost lost all of his mana and he could not create Enestals anymore. After the three's final fight against Freia, the spirit of Draco Piscis traveled back to Alterna after Aurora Angelus' spirit and Draco Piscis' merged into one, granting the three heroes ultimate power that ended Freia's life for good and clipped a part of Valhalla's wings.

It was a warm and balmy autumn in the suburbs of Toronto. The maple trees were all painted orange and red, and the cold autumn wind blew through the air. After the departure of Draco Piscis' spirit, Daiki was reduced into a mere human. He could not create Enestals nor fight using alchemy. Although he felt sad at first, but then he realized that the bonds he formed in the Espers' Homeworld worth more than his mana and Draco Piscis itself, especially the love and feelings he harbored for Gabbie.

 "Rise and shine, Dai-kun! Guess what day is today?" said Gabbie as she woke up Daiki from his sleep.

"What… day? Tell me?" said Daiki as he woke up.

"It's Canadian Thanksgiving! A very special day where we celebrate the annual autumn harvest and all the things we're thankful for. I'm thankful for having someone like you, who I could trust and fight alongside. A sidekick and a crush at the same time!" answered Gabbie with a smile on her face. The smell of her mom's delicious blueberry pie billowed through the air.

"Mmm… my favorite blueberry pie is ready! Will you come to the Thanksgiving feast with me tonight?" said Gabbie. Daiki agreed as he was very curious about Canadian culture. In Afilia, Thanksgiving was not celebrated as they had their own traditions and customs. Later that night, all of Gabbie's family gathered at the dining table, including Daiki himself. Her grandfather Toshiharu came all the way from Niigata to join the feast. They all ate together and talked with each other.

"So this is Thanksgiving.. I never had something like this back in Afilia. Lots of good food, the feeling of thankfulness and mindfulness and the celebration of the Autumn harvest. Truly a unique experience you got here, sweetheart!" said Daiki as he munched on a juicy turkey leg.

"This is your first time, eh? I'm surprised, because I myself never knew what did you do back in Afilia. Tell me, how did Afilia looked like?" asked Gabbie.

"It was a prosperous kingdom located in the southern part of the Azun continent. The King, I mean my former lord governed Afilia for years, and he had a dynasty of his own too. The castle there was so beautiful, it left me speechless when I came there for the first time. But alas, the once great kingdom was brought to ruin because of the traitorous crown prince Lansil Bloodswitch. He was jealous of me being the Grand Commandant of the Knights of Tonitrus. He tried to seize power but he became a monster that swallowed Afilia whole with his army of Fallen Majuus. As of now, Afilia is nothing but rubble. My family's all gone except for one" said Daiki.

"Who?" asked Gabbie again.

"Yuuki Weilschmidt, my beloved cousin whom I treat like my own younger brother. I always call him Yuu-kun or Lil' Bro. He was a very kind and adorable person, with the same hair and eye color as me. Me and him were like brothers, despite being cousins. He was very smart and he loved to study. Right now, he moved with his family to Avemia. He's safe from the clutches of the Revenant, yet he and his family are now the last of my kind in my homeworld, Alterna. Some people also refer it as the Zenkai Homeworld" said Daiki.

"Interesting, I hope your cousin is still doing good out there, and I hope you'll enjoy your stay here in the Desjardin residence" said Gabbie.

"Thanks" said Daiki before he continued eating. He finally found a new home for him to live after he was stranded in the Espers' Homeworld months ago.

Days after the feast with Gabbie and her family, the orange and red landscape slowly turned white as snow started to fall from the skies as the season transitioned from autumn to winter. Ponds and puddles froze as the cold winter air billowed. Gabbie's father turned on the fireplace to keep the living room warm. Daiki and Gabbie were chugging on hot chocolate while watching TV.

"It's sure is nice to spend more time with you here. I think we're getting even closer, how about you?" asked Gabbie.

"Of course. You took me in after I lost nearly everything except for myself. I can't go back home to my own homeworld, but I found a better place" said Daiki. He finally found home within Gabbie's household. He even thought of marrying her someday to officially welcome himself into her family. The thought of her getting married to Daiki made her blush, as she never expected Daiki to say something like that.

"M-m-m-marriage?!! You want to marry me?!" said Gabbie. Her father giggled upon hearing that.

"You two are going to make a good pair, ever since you saved my daughter and her siblings from that monstrous being that almost swallowed Canada whole. Anyways, I'm Toshiharu Minato, Gabbie's father and former researcher and archaeologist of Valhalla Consortium" said Toshiharu. Daiki and Gabbie were shocked to hear about that.

"You were WORKING with Freia back then, Pah-pa?!" said Gabbie in utter shock.

"Long story short, Valhalla used to be a bunch of good people that researched and cared for Espers. Dr. Charles Little was a close associate of mine, he was a very kind person who dedicated himself to researching Espers, while I focused more on Lumian archaeology and astronomy, researching the origin of Espers and the history of the Lumians while watching and researching various constellations, especially the Cassiopeia constellation that was believed to be the source of the crystalline meteors. I used to spend some time in Nevada during my work in Valhalla, and I remembered how nice my boss was. Dr. Caitlin Bradford, she was like the mother of Espers in the Americas. She dedicated herself in researching and protecting Espers, while helping me out with my work. But alas, disaster struck when someone named Freia Edelfelt usurped and killed her after she became one with one of those two wretched Progenitor Deviants. After that day, I resigned from Valhalla and resumed my work privately, though I sometime kept in touch with someone named Marika Takahitsuji. She's also a researcher like me, and right now, she succeeded her mother as the CEO of Lazuline. I hope you understand that, my beloved daughter, whom I cherish because I helped a descendant of Aurora Angelus to continue her bloodline" said Toshiharu.

Gabbie cried upon hearing that, as she never knew that Valhalla used to be good back then. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Pah-pa… My condolences to your former boss" said Gabbie as she cuddled her father. Toshiharu patted his blonde daughter in the back as he cheered her up.

"I'd love to work for Lazuline, if I could. However, that would require me to move from here back to Japan. My Mom and Dad are still there though, in their humble home in Jōetsu. Dad used to be a governor there, and I remembered the time he showed me a photo of a huge yellowtail amberjack he caught during the local fishing festival there. Wild times, eh?" said Toshiharu. He wanted to work for Lazuline so he could share his findings and researches with Marika.

"Well for me, I wanted to marry your daughter. I lost almost everything when I came here. My home, my family, my job, my love interest, all destroyed by that accursed Revenant. But now, I found a new home, a new family and of course, someone whom I could trust with. May I marry her someday, so that I could tie a stronger knot with my beloved Gabbie over here?" asked Daiki. Gabbie's father chuckled upon hearing that, yet he felt sad inside upon hearing about Daiki's losses.

"I'll think about that later, because I'll have to talk this out with my wife and also with Amy as well" said Toshiharu.

Later that month, Gabbie took Daiki to a place where she usually went to see the aurora. She often went there on December to marvel the aurora, as it reminded her of her ancestor. The place was a small clearing at the edge of the Scarborough Bluffs, with a view of the pristine Lake Ontario. The two sat by the cliff, recounting their time in Polaris Sanctuary and their journey to their love with each other.

"You know, Dai-kun… We've been through a lot of hardships together. I was taken by force by Valhalla during my time back in Thailand, saved by Turquoise, fending myself against Deviants, getting kidnapped by the Serpentine Cartel, taken away by Valhalla again and lastly, saved by you and Kotaro when I was under Freia's control. I used to be a cold yet serious person back them, someone devoid of smiles. I lived a rather competitive life with ma sœur, with me always coming on top. But now, you taught me that there's life outside of my competitive and serious self. You taught me feelings, bonds of friendship and of course, love!" said Gabbie.

"And to me, I found a new home within you. At first you kept ignoring me, but ever since we got closer after I saved you from both Zaphiel and Freia, you changed. You're no longer that cold girl again. You reminded me of Euphemia, who was my crush back in Afilia. You and her has something in common" said Daiki.

"And that is?" asked Gabbie.

"I was amazed by the way you fought against the Deviants. Euphemia herself was a strong girl. She was very capable in swordfighting and alchemy, as much as you with your otherwordly martial arts and supernatural powers. But ever since you amazed me, I found the Euphemia within you" answered Daiki. Gabbie was very shocked when he said that.

"Me? Euphemia?! You're not kidding, right? I'm just me, the amazing descendant of Aurora Angelus herself! Gabrielle Charity Minato, not this Euphemia girl you speak of!" said Gabbie.

"Hahahahaha… you amuse me, Gabbie! Anyways, let's work together to build a bright future together. We will always trust each other, no matter what happens ahead! Tomorrow is a blank page, and we'll write an awesome story together!" said Daiki.

"And every awesome story always come with a happy ending!" said Gabbie. The two cuddled and kissed together under the northern lights. Daiki promised that he will always protect and cherish Gabbie, with his sword and his will to protect and save everyone he loves. To remind him of his time in Afilia, he remembered that he once made bracelets out of olive twigs for him and Euphemia. He made two bracelets out of maple twigs, one for him and one for Gabbie.

"This is for our everlasting love and the bond we formed back in Polaris" said Daiki before he decorated Gabbie's right wrist with one of the bracelets. He then wore one on his right wrist. The plucky blonde girl giggled in joy as she saw the bracelet on her wrist. "I can't believe you shown me a culture from your homeworld. I'm amazed!" said Gabbie in joy. Daiki still had one last surprise for Gabbie. He picked up the Canadian martial artist and carried her in his hands.

"Whoa! You're very strong!" said Gabbie.

"Of course! Let's go home together and discuss more about our marriage. I can't wait to start a new life with you, my beloved Gabrielle. You're like an angel to me, a gift from the Heavens" said Daiki as he carried Gabbie back to her house. And so, peace was once against restored in the Espers' Homeworld, with the demise of Freia Edelfelt and her Deviant army. Daiki found himself a new home, and became a part of the Minato family. He would help Gabbie in her training sometimes, and even sparred with her during free time. The two became an inseparable pair after what they've went through back in Polaris.

Meanwhile, Marika has acquired Hayato's Turquoise Sanctuary through purchase and negotiation, becoming Lazuline North. What was known as Polaris Sanctuary turned into Polaris City, a northern expansion of Azure City. The circular wall that protected Polaris were taken down in favor of a more open neighborhood and environment for Espers, as the Deviant threat are no more. Gabbie's father, Toshiharu Minato joined Lazuline North as their Chief of Research & Development, while Irene served as Lazuline North's new CEO. Hayato and Mamoru served as her secretary and head of security respectively.

Upon the acquisition, Marika announced that she would work with Toshiharu to perform excavation and deeper research on the Ephemeral Sky Tower's sunken remains to uncover more about Aurora Angelus and her descendants. With the support of the Minato family and the Desjardin clan, the research went smoothly and many artifacts and stone tablets were recovered from the tower. To her surprise, Marika discovered something glowing and crystalline from the tower.

"It can't be!" said Marika as she held the supposedly destroyed Aurora's Breath in her hands. Beneath its lustrous glow was the soul of Aurora Angelus herself, residing within the pendant since her death after the Great Lumian War. She then decided to return the pendant to Gabbie with the help of her father, as she remembered that she was the rightful owner of the pendant.

"WHAT?!" said Gabbie in shock as she opened the box containing the Aurora's Breath. She then wore the pendant on her neck, on top of her scarf this time as she no longer kept it as a secret. "I can't believe it fixed itself, but how?" said Daiki in amazement as he saw the pendant dangling on his girlfriend's neck. "No matter what happens, I will always keep this safe!" said Gabbie as she kissed the pendant.

"So, what will you do next?" asked Daiki.

"To finish what should've been done back then. My rival and fellow fighter Blair is waiting for me in the airport, and I should be going right now. I'll be back home with the trophy, and please look after my sis and my lil' bro! We'll talk about more about our marriage soon!" said Gabbie. Daiki waved his hand at the Canadian martial artist before her mother drove her to Toronto Pearson International Airport. Gabbie and her friend Blair flew from Toronto to Bangkok in order to rejoin the tournament and fight for their glory, while Daiki spent some time with Amy and Renée as he was trusted to look after them.

Meanwhile back in the Zenkai Homeworld or Alterna, the soul of Draco Piscis, along with the other two Dragon Deities of Afilia brought back the Kingdom of Afilia from ruination and revived everyone who were killed by the Revenant's rampage. A miracle was born thanks to Daiki's wishes, despite the fact that he could not return to Afilia anymore. His family and younger sister were revived as well, restoring Daiki's endangered bloodline and race after they were nearly driven to extinction by natural disasters.

"Please look after the kingdom, and bring back everyone and their smiles!" said Daiki back then after the final battle against Freia.