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[umbralant]

EPILOGUE

As the world they've been living in so long quickly dissolves around them, the oppressive air from the Gate fades away from their senses and their vision turns turns completely white. It only takes an instant for their sight to return, but when it does, they'll find themselves in the same dim, dank chamber that they were in a moment before albeit with several main differences: the Gate and the machines that were clustered near it are now gone.

However, you'll only be able to take in this sight for a few seconds before the scenery blurs and suddenly there's the scent of the cool December air brushing past your face, blinding sunlight assaulting the eyes.

It's been six weeks since you've seen anything but the night, so it may take a bit of adjustment before realizing that there's a number of very, very familiar faces before you, as well as one who might not be so recognizable. Either way, one thing is for sure: that long, long Night is over, and it's the start of another Day.

Witamy w Krakowie.

[[Everyone will find themselves in the Main Square. Furthermore, those who had body horror will find that all traces of it are gone!]]

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[drydrown]

If it's any consolation, we have things that heal wounds instantaneously, among other things.

[Yeah. Anyway.]

...I appreciate the gesture perhaps more than the next person, but you can look at me, you know.

[inordertobelieve]

[ There's a moment of hesitation, but then he does straighten up and look Cumore in the eyes. He's not smiling, but there's definitely relief all over his features. Liking someone is difficult and violent and shameful and tearing him apart inside, but... he'll take it all. He's good at enduring. And it's been so worth it this far. Maybe he really will become a person yet. ]

I knew you would.

[ That's the thing when you're a person who loves dramatic gestures of subservience because it relates to your idea of receiving validation from a higher instance and then you grow close to a sadist. That's just. Kind of what's going on then. ]

But that's not why I bowed, primarily. I am truly sorry about having put you through this.

[drydrown]

I know.

[It's not dismissive; from the sound of it, he does.]

I doubt you'll be in much position to do that specific thing again. But if you ever do anything similar to me again, I'm going to kill you.

[...He...probably won't, if this time was any indication. But damn it, let him have this.]

[inordertobelieve]

I know.

[ Mikami actually takes Cumore by his word here anyway. The option that Cumore might kill him in specific situations is just part of the whole 'this' to him. It's not strange at all either. Death and its causes have always been such a huge part of Mikami's mentality that he is hard pressed to find it too odd that it would figure into his relationship as well. ]

I accept this, fully. It's hard to believe after all we've been through, but wavering is not usually in my nature. My goal is to regain this clarity again. For your sake and my own.

[drydrown]

...Well. I imagine it's clear by now that I don't mind assisting when you need it.

[...]

I assume you're going to take books from this place with you...?

[inordertobelieve]

[ Immediate nodding. ]

Nothing I can find in Krakow is even close to being as interesting as my old collection, but I'd still like to take something familiar along. I may not wish to ever return to Earth, but I do want to have something to remember it by.

[ It's a world that has mostly caused him pain, but it has also shaped him in every possible way. He's going to carry that past with him forever. ]

[drydrown]

I actually don't fault you for that.

[He gets to go back to where he came from, after all. He can't really imagine doing otherwise?]

[inordertobelieve]

Maybe my knowledge of a different world will at least give us an interesting framework to approach Terca Lumireis' politics from.

[ Because he is absolutely going to take Cumore up on that adviser position thing. He may have mellowed out a little about only living for justice, but he is certainly not ready to retire from being a vengeful bastard making the world more difficult for criminals. ]

[drydrown]

I'm actually somewhat curious about it, given that the Empire's is...

[...quoth John Mulaney, we are dogs without horses.]

Well, you'll see it when we get there. Either way, I imagine we'll have some time to work it out.

[inordertobelieve]

I'm going to study it thoroughly, first chance I get. Then I'll provide you with a list of things that struck me as interesting in comparison to how things work on Earth - and how history played out, given that we have largely moved past Empires and now study them from the perspective of hindsight.

[ He can't say he ever sat down and thought 'man, an Empire would be great to have again' but well, he's moving to one now. Might as well figure out how to make it work properly. ]

... now that I think about it, is it going to be an issue that I don't have legal documents such as a birth certificate? What is the Terca Lumireis policy on immigration?

[drydrown]

[...uM?????]

...I have no idea what you're talking about.

[inordertobelieve]

[ ..... ah. Right, he's going back to the middle ages. ]

Oh, in my world everyone is registered with the government from birth and can be tracked for all their lives unless they take illegal measures to disappear.

Someone with no prior records appearing would cause quite a lot of problems on Earth.

[drydrown]

...You can't be serious.

[WHY IS THE FUTURE CREEPY.]

It's nothing like that, but I assume that's because aside from a few Guild cities, the Empire owns the world.

[Like. Literally all of it. There is no immigration, because either you're from the Empire, or you're from Dahngrest or Nordipolica.]

People certainly can leave the Empire, but it's just a matter of declaring that you refuse all protection of the Empire and joining a Guild. And that's all.

[inordertobelieve]

[ Mikami also stares for a moment. All of this is weird. The difference in paperwork is sure something. ]

The lack of organization is going to kill me.

[ HELP?? ]

[drydrown]

I imagine Alexei would know more about that aspect of it than I would, but that's about the extent of it.

[...]

I'm not sure if I want you to meet Alexei or if that never needs to happen.

[inordertobelieve]

I suspect I will want to eventually. There is only so much I can do to support you if I cannot get all the details on how the structure behind your work functions.

[ He's not going to help you assassinate a man, but politically outwit is fair game. ]

[drydrown]

That's true; I suppose I can see about arranging an audience with him at some point.

[See, this is why he likes you.]

[inordertobelieve]

I'll see to it that I am versed in Terca Lumireis' history before then. It is of no use if I appear as a fool in front of him.

[ He will have to relearn a lifetime's worth of education. He hasn't crammed like that since law school which he absolutely speedran at inhuman velocity. ]

[drydrown]

I can help you with as much of it as you'd like. We're going to have time when we go to Halure, after all.

[inordertobelieve]

[ And there it is, a small fleeting smile. ]

I'm looking forward to that. It's going to be nice to spend time together without the threat of murder looming over us.

[ And without Shin's paintings. ]

[drydrown]

It will.

[Be nice to Shin's paintings...]

...You ought to come to the gardens with me before we leave here. I want to see what they look like during the day.

[inordertobelieve]

[ You know what, he's going to offer his hand to offer to pull Cumore up from the bench. While we're having this euphoric day of victory, he may as well do such absolutely crazy things as initiate even the slightest bit of affection! ]

Gladly. I don't understand anything about plants, but I would like to accompany you.

[drydrown]

[...Ah. This is. Nice? Weird. But nice. He'll accept it, anyway. And maybe not let go immediately once he's up, either. This is a thing we're doing.]

Honestly? I don't know that much about the plants here - they look similar to things we have, but some of them have different names. I just find them nice.

[inordertobelieve]

[ It indeed is. If Cumore isn't letting go, neither is Mikami. Even though he is painfully aware that he's now really tracing all those awfully cliched steps of a first love in junior high.

... then again, this is his first love, isn't it? He feels ridiculous. ]

For that you were very confident with all the poisons.

[drydrown]

[This is still so gross. He just doesn't mind it anymore.]

I spend a lot of time outdoors, Teru Mikami. If I'm going to be spending days in the woods with poisonous things I ought to at least know what they are.

The gardens are nice, however. It's nice to not have to deal with squirrels everywhere. Or filifolias.