THE DEITY RAISED A GLASS, THE RICH AROMA OF WINE FILLING THE AIR ONCE MORE. "TO YOUR JOURNEY AHEAD," HE TOASTED, A HINT OF A SMILE PLAYING ON HIS LIPS.
BASTIAN NODDED, ACCEPTING A GLASS THAT MATERIALIZED IN HIS HAND. "TO MAKING A DIFFERENCE," HE ECHOED.
THEY CLINKED THEIR GLASSES, THE SOUND RESONATING LIKE A BELL TOLLING A NEW BEGINNING. AS THEY DRANK, THE SWIRLING VISIONS AROUND THEM BEGAN TO FADE, LEAVING BEHIND A SENSE OF PURPOSE AND CLARITY.
"REMEMBER," THE GOD OF DEATH SAID AS THE BAR'S AMBIANCE RETURNED TO NORMAL, "EVERY ENDING IS ALSO A BEGINNING. IT'S UP TO YOU TO DECIDE WHAT THAT BEGINNING WILL BE."
BASTIAN LOOKED TOWARD THE HORIZON, WHERE THE SILHOUETTES OF COUNTLESS WORLDS AWAITED. "I THINK I'M READY," HE DECLARED.
"THEN LET'S NOT WASTE ANY MORE TIME," HIS COMPANION URGED, A GENTLE SMILE ON HIS FACE.
TOGETHER, THEY STEPPED OUT OF THE BAR AND INTO THE VAST EXPANSE OF POSSIBILITIES, THE WEIGHT OF THEIR PAST LIFTED, AND THE PROMISE OF THE FUTURE BECKONING THEM FORWARD.
AS THE SUN DIPPED BELOW THE HORIZON, CASTING A WARM GLOW OVER THE STRANGE NEW CONTINENT, THE TRIBES THAT HAD ESCAPED THE CATACLYSM GATHERED TOGETHER. THEY SUPPORTED ONE ANOTHER, CLINGING TO HOPE AS THEY TRIED TO SURVIVE IN THIS UNFAMILIAR WORLD.
"THE FORESTS HERE ARE UNLIKE ANY WE'VE SEEN," BASTIAN REMARKED, GAZING AT THE TOWERING TREES THAT SEEMED TO TOUCH THE SKY.
"TRUE," SCORMETHEUS REPLIED, PERCHED ON A NEARBY ROCK IN HIS SNOWY OWL FORM. "BUT PERHAPS THEY OFFER NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR US ALL."
THE HARSH NATURAL ENVIRONMENT BEGAN TO ERODE THE OLD BARRIERS THAT ONCE SEPARATED THE TRIBES. SURVIVAL DEMANDED UNITY, AND THE ANCIENT PREJUDICES FADED AWAY. THE FOUR GREAT TRIBES, THE ELVES, DWARVES, GIANTS, AND DRAGONS, FOUND THEMSELVES INTERMINGLING MORE THAN EVER BEFORE.
"IT'S STRANGE, ISN'T IT?" BASTIAN MUSED. "SEEING ELVES AND DWARVES SHARING THE SAME CAMPFIRE WITHOUT QUARREL."
SCORMETHEUS NODDED. "NECESSITY MAKES ALLIES OF US ALL. THE WORLD WE KNEW IS GONE; WE MUST BUILD A NEW ONE TOGETHER."
AS YEARS TURNED INTO DECADES, THE MINGLING OF THE TRIBES LED TO MORE AND MORE MIXED-BLOOD INDIVIDUALS LIKE BASTIAN. THESE HYBRIDS EMBODIED TRAITS FROM MULTIPLE RACES, CREATING A UNIQUE BLEND OF CULTURES AND ABILITIES.
"LOOK AT THE CHILDREN PLAYING OVER THERE," BASTIAN SAID, POINTING TO A GROUP OF YOUNGSTERS CHASING EACH OTHER THROUGH A MEADOW. "THEY HAVE THE GRACE OF ELVES AND THE HEARTY LAUGHTER OF GIANTS."
"AND THE CURIOSITY OF DRAGONS," SCORMETHEUS ADDED WITH A CHUCKLE. "THEY'RE SOMETHING ENTIRELY NEW."
THE DEITY'S EYES GLEAMED. "AND SO, NEW WORLDS BECAME SANCTUARIES, TEEMING WITH LIFE ONCE MORE."
SUDDENLY, ANOTHER SERIES OF SCENES CAPTURED THEIR ATTENTION. NOT ALL SURVIVORS HAD ESCAPED THROUGH THE PLANAR GATES. EVEN AS THEIR WORLD CRUMBLED, LIFE CLUNG STUBBORNLY TO THE REMNANTS.
"LOOK," HIS COMPANION POINTED. "EVEN ON THE LARGEST CRACKS OF THE BROKEN EARTH, LIFE PERSISTS."
"LIFE IS RESILIENT," THE GOD OF DEATH AGREED. "IT FINDS A WAY, EVEN IN THE FACE OF UTTER DESTRUCTION."
BASTIAN FELT A SURGE OF EMOTION AS HE WATCHED PLANTS SPROUT FROM BARREN SOIL, AND COMMUNITIES FORM AMIDST RUINS. "I HAD NO IDEA," HE ADMITTED. "I THOUGHT I'D DOOMED EVERYONE."
"AND THIS," THE DEITY GESTURED TO THE MYRIAD IMAGES STILL UNFOLDING, "IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF INFINITE POSSIBILITIES."
THEY WITNESSED NIGHTMARES CONTINUING, ENDLESS INVASIONS OF DEMONS, SKIES DARKENED BY SWIRLING BLACK TIDES, DISASTERS STRIKING REPEATEDLY. YET, INTERWOVEN WITH THE CHAOS WERE SCENES OF BREATHTAKING BEAUTY: POWERFUL KINGDOMS RISING FROM ASHES, MAGNIFICENT EPICS BEING WRITTEN, INTELLIGENT RACES EMERGING, AND CIVILIZATIONS FLOURISHING. THE RISE AND FALL OF THESE NEW REALMS AND PEOPLES WOVE NEW TAPESTRIES INTO THE FABRIC OF EXISTENCE.
BASTIAN'S EYES WIDENED AS HE CAUGHT GLIMPSES OF HIMSELF WITHIN THESE NARRATIVES, A GUIDING HAND HERE, A HEROIC ACT THERE. "IS THAT... ME?"
THE GOD OF DEATH NODDED. "A PART OF YOU EXISTS IN MANY THREADS OF REALITY, EACH ONE A SMALL CAUSE LEADING TO VAST EFFECTS."
"DO YOU SEE NOW?" HIS COMPANION ASKED GENTLY. "OUR ACTIONS HAVE FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES, BOTH TERRIBLE AND WONDERFUL."
BASTIAN TOOK A DEEP BREATH, HIS MIND RACING TO GRASP THE ENORMITY OF WHAT HE WAS SEEING. "SO, DESPITE EVERYTHING, THERE'S STILL HOPE?"
"HOPE AND DESPAIR ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN," THE DEITY REPLIED. "YOUR CHOICES HAVE BROUGHT BOTH DESTRUCTION AND CREATION."
HE LOOKED BACK AT THE IMAGES, THE SUFFERING, THE TRIUMPHS, THE ENDLESS CYCLES OF LIFE AND DEATH. FOR THE FIRST TIME, HE UNDERSTOOD THE WEIGHT OF HIS RESPONSIBILITY. "IF MY ACTIONS CAN CAUSE SO MUCH HARM," HE BEGAN SLOWLY, "THEN MAYBE THEY CAN ALSO BRING ABOUT HEALING."
"PRECISELY," THE GOD OF DEATH AFFIRMED. "THE PATHS ARE INFINITE, BUT THE CHOICE TO WALK THEM IS YOURS."
BASTIAN CLENCHED HIS FISTS, A NEWFOUND DETERMINATION SPARKING IN HIS EYES. "THEN I WON'T RUN FROM THIS ANYMORE. I WANT TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT."
HIS COMPANION PLACED A REASSURING HAND ON HIS SHOULDER. "AND YOU'LL HAVE HELP. YOU'RE NOT ALONE IN THIS."
TIME PASSED SWIFTLY, AND THE TAPESTRY OF CAUSE AND EFFECT WOVE A SURPRISING ANSWER. EVENTUALLY, A NEW HYBRID RACE EMERGED, A PEOPLE BORN FROM THE UNIONS OF THE ANCIENT TRIBES.
"THEY RESEMBLE ELVES," BASTIAN OBSERVED ONE DAY, WATCHING A GROUP OF THEM CONVERSE IN A MELODIC LANGUAGE. "THEIR APPEARANCE, THEIR LANGUAGE, IT'S SO FAMILIAR."
"THAT'S BECAUSE THEY'VE INHERITED MUCH OF ELVEN CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION," SCORMETHEUS REPLIED. "YET THEY'RE CARVING OUT THEIR OWN PATH."
INDEED, THEY BORE THE LITHE FIGURES AND POINTED EARS OF ELVES, AND THEIR LANGUAGE WAS AS MAGICAL AND ENCHANTING AS THE ELVEN TONGUE. BUT THEY WERE NOT ELVES; THEY WERE SOMETHING MORE.
"FROM THE DWARVES, THEY'VE GAINED A MASTERY OF TOOLS AND FORGING," BASTIAN NOTED, ADMIRING A BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED SWORD ONE OF THEM WIELDED. "THEIR CRAFTSMANSHIP IS REMARKABLE."
"THEY'VE INHERITED THE DWARVES' DEXTERITY AND ROCK-LIKE PERSEVERANCE," SCORMETHEUS SAID. "LOOK AT HOW TIRELESSLY THEY WORK."
WHEN IT CAME TO PROTECTING THEIR LOVED ONES, THEY DISPLAYED THE SAME COURAGE AND GENEROSITY AS THE GIANTS.
"DID YOU HEAR ABOUT LORA?" BASTIAN ASKED. "SHE STOOD AGAINST A BEAST TWICE HER SIZE TO PROTECT HER VILLAGE."
"SHE MAY BE SMALL, BUT IN THAT MOMENT, SHE WAS A GIANT," SCORMETHEUS REPLIED, ADMIRATION IN HIS VOICE.
EVEN THOSE WHO LIVED UNREMARKABLE LIVES COULD, IN MOMENTS OF CRISIS, RISE TO GREATNESS.
"MEDIOCRE TODAY, A HERO TOMORROW," BASTIAN MUSED. "THEY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME LEGENDS."
BUT NOT ALL THAT WAS INHERITED WAS NOBLE.
"THEY ALSO CARRY THE ARROGANCE OF ELVES," SCORMETHEUS POINTED OUT, WATCHING A YOUNG MAN BOAST ABOUT HIS SKILLS.
"AND THE STUBBORNNESS OF DWARVES," BASTIAN ADDED WITH A SIGH. "ONCE THEY SET THEIR MINDS ON SOMETHING, IT'S NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO SWAY THEM."
"DON'T FORGET THE RUDENESS OF GIANTS AND THE GREED OF DRAGONS," SCORMETHEUS SAID. "THEY SEEK WEALTH AND KNOWLEDGE WITH AN INSATIABLE HUNGER."
"THEY DIDN'T INHERIT THE DRAGONS' FORMIDABLE POWER," BASTIAN REMARKED, "BUT THEIR GREED MIGHT SURPASS IT. THEY TIRELESSLY PURSUE MORE WEALTH, MORE KNOWLEDGE, EVER-EXPANDING TERRITORIES."
"TIMES HAVE TRULY CHANGED," SCORMETHEUS SAID THOUGHTFULLY.
FINALLY, WHEN THESE SHORT-LIVED HYBRIDS STOOD UPON THE EARTH, THEY EMBRACED A BRAND-NEW NAME.
"HUMANS," BASTIAN WHISPERED, TASTING THE WORD. "THEY CALL THEMSELVES HUMANS."
"LORD OF THE WORLD," SCORMETHEUS ECHOED. "THE NEW KINGS."
A HEAVY SILENCE SETTLED BETWEEN THEM. SCORMETHEUS WAS LOST IN THOUGHT, AND BASTIAN DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. THEY BOTH REMEMBERED THE ANGER AND DESPAIR OF THE SAGE, THE ONE WHO HAD FORESEEN THIS TRANSFORMATION.
"DIDN'T HE SEE THIS COMING?" BASTIAN ASKED QUIETLY. "THE ELVES' CIVILIZATION FADING AWAY, REPLACED BY THAT OF HUMANS."
"YES," SCORMETHEUS REPLIED. "HE SAW IT ALL, THE END OF ONE ERA AND THE BEGINNING OF ANOTHER."
"THE HEROES OF THE ERA WILL EVENTUALLY CHANGE," BASTIAN MURMURED. "IT'S THE WAY OF THE WORLD."
HE SIGHED DEEPLY, A MIXTURE OF RESIGNATION AND ACCEPTANCE WASHING OVER HIM. "PERHAPS IT'S TIME TO LET GO," HE SAID SOFTLY. "WHAT'S DONE IS DONE. WE SHOULD LEAVE EVERYTHING TO FUTURE GENERATIONS."
SCORMETHEUS SUDDENLY BURST INTO LAUGHTER, A SOUND THAT STARTLED BASTIAN. IT WAS A LAUGHTER FILLED WITH TEARS, SADNESS, DESPAIR, AND FINALLY, RELIEF.
"WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?" BASTIAN ASKED, A HINT OF A SMILE TUGGING AT HIS LIPS DESPITE HIS CONFUSION.
"BECAUSE IT'S IRONIC," SCORMETHEUS REPLIED BETWEEN LAUGHS. "WE FOUGHT SO HARD TO PRESERVE OUR WAYS, OUR CULTURES, ONLY TO SEE THEM EVOLVE INTO SOMETHING ENTIRELY NEW."
BASTIAN CHUCKLED SOFTLY. "I SUPPOSE IT IS A BIT AMUSING. LIFE HAS A WAY OF SURPRISING US, DOESN'T IT?"
"INDEED," SCORMETHEUS AGREED, WIPING A TEAR FROM HIS EYE. "PERHAPS THIS IS HOW IT WAS MEANT TO BE."
THEY STOOD SIDE BY SIDE, WATCHING AS HUMANS BUILT THEIR NEW WORLD, A WORLD THAT BLENDED THE LEGACY OF ALL THE ANCIENT TRIBES.
"DO YOU THINK THEY'LL DO BETTER THAN WE DID?" BASTIAN WONDERED ALOUD.
"I HOPE SO," SCORMETHEUS SAID. "THEY HAVE OUR STRENGTHS AND OUR FLAWS. MAYBE THEY'LL LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES."
"ONLY TIME WILL TELL," BASTIAN REPLIED.
THE TWO FRIENDS GAZED OUT OVER THE LANDSCAPE, A MIX OF EMOTIONS SWIRLING WITHIN THEM, SORROW FOR WHAT WAS LOST, HOPE FOR WHAT MIGHT BE GAINED.
"WELL THEN," BASTIAN SAID WITH A DETERMINED NOD. "LET'S LEAVE THE FUTURE TO THEM."
"AGREED," SCORMETHEUS RESPONDED, A PEACEFUL SMILE SETTLING ON HIS FACE.
AS THE FIRST STARS BEGAN TO TWINKLE IN THE NIGHT SKY, THEY TURNED AWAY FROM THE SCENE, READY TO FACE WHATEVER CAME NEXT. THE PAST WAS BEHIND THEM, AND THE FUTURE BELONGED TO THE NEW KINGS OF THE WORLD.
BASTIAN STOOD ATOP THE ANCIENT HILL, GAZING OUT OVER THE SPRAWLING FORESTS THAT ONCE TEEMED WITH THE LIFE OF HIS PEOPLE. A HEAVY SADNESS WEIGHED ON HIS HEART. "IT'S HARD TO ACCEPT THAT THE ANCIENT ELVES ARE GONE," HE WHISPERED, HIS EYES REFLECTING THE FADING LIGHT OF THE SETTING SUN.
SCORMETHEUS, HIS EVER-LOYAL COMPANION, APPROACHED AND PLACED A REASSURING HAND ON HIS SHOULDER. "THEIR LEGACY ENDURES, BASTAIN. THE ELVES MAY HAVE CHANGED, BUT THEY STILL WALK THESE LANDS."