98 A Parting Gift

"It had been so long", Steven thought to himself. Now, time was coming for him as well. Roland had died several years earlier and now it was his turn.

As Steven laid on the hospital bed, he reminisced on the past and all that had happened.

It had been so long ago since he had been on Earth. His time on Earth now looked short in comparison to how long he had lived on this world. Earth now seemed like a distant memory.

Everything had changed for him when one day he inexplicably found himself in this world. It was a world that had once been fictional for him, a world of a webnovel that he had enjoyed reading. He had never imagined that all of this would end up happening. When he found himself now interacting with people he once thought were fictional, his whole life changed.

The changes to his lifestyle were drastic. Gone were his friends and family. Gone were the modern conveniences. Gone were the omnipresent devices that kept him connected to the internet. Initially he had been fine, but once it all sank in, it had been quite difficult to deal with. At that time he was still learning the language, not really interacting much with people so his distress wasn't very apparent. Eventually, he had suppressed his melancholy and accepted his new situation.

Throughout the course of his life, he had done so much, seen so many things. In the beginning, the scepter of annihilation was omnipresent; he knew that the invasion of the demons was inevitable. Humanity had to prepare, and to that end he helped to advise Zero to implement the modernization programs in Hermes, and later in the Kingdoms of Everwinter and Wolfheart.

It had been a hard time, a time of changes for Zero, who found that her knowledge and experience from all those years had proved inadequate for the task at hand. Her visit to Neverwinter had caused the greatest turmoil in her life and everything she thought she had known had been overturned. Steven had gone with her back to Hermes, and there he helped to introduce the new world to her and guide her through it. She had come to depend on him, and he did his best to support her.

Then, the demons finally came. It would be a war for survival. The demons had first struck at Neverwinter, but the humans were able to repel their attack. Humanity began to advance, taking the fight to the demons.

When the demons had struck deep into the Kingdom of Dawn, everyone had been shocked. It was at this time when Steven knew that foreknowledge could no longer be relied on. Now, they had to depend solely on themselves. With great effort, the demon invasion was defeated and humanity took their first step outward, taking back Taquila. It was also during this time when Steven had finally come to terms with his love for Zero. Their partnership had blossomed into something more and Steven didn't regret any of it. Steven thought that it was this moment that he had finally integrated into his new life.

Still, it was only the beginning. Finally, the long awaited war arrived. In the final war, humanity had driven back the demons and clashed with the Sky-Sea Realm. The battle was hard fought but eventually the continent once more belonged to humans. The war had finally wrapped up with the final destruction of the Sky-Sea Realm. Peace had come.

It had been many years since then. Astonishing technological progress had occurred. A vast new land of opportunities had opened up. It was the greatest period of growth in mankind's history. It was a time of plenty. It was a time where humanity finally reached toward the future.

As time passed, the scars of war faded and the people prospered. Yet time also brings with it more challenges. Roland's death had been the ending of an age. He had first brought in the advances of the modern age and led humanity toward its future. When he died, the world lost a great man.

For a while, the future had been uncertain. Roland had been a mighty pillar. Without him, no one knew what would happen. Could war have broken out once more? What path would Graycastle take? Ultimately, all of that was resolved.

It had not been an easy change. There were still many people disgruntled over Graycastle being absorbed by the church. In some cases there had been active resistance. It was only through great difficulty that the people were quelled. While some might have called the church's victory inevitable given the large disparity in resources and manpower, the transition had been much easier than it could have been.

A full blown war would have been a disaster. Who knows how difficult pacification would be. It might have even taken decades for people to finally accept an occupation and resentment could linger for centuries. It had been good fortune that none of that came to pass. Resistance had been localized and easily suppressed while the majority of the people had accepted the new world order. Finally, humanity was united.

In the following years, Steven's health had declined. He was old and it was becoming increasingly obvious. Steven now needed aid to move around. He had gotten sick more often. It was clear that his time in this world was coming to a close.

Now, Steven knew that there was not much time left. The past few years of deteriorating health had made it clear. Now, he was stuck in bed, unable to even walk by himself. He was now in a state where he could hardly do anything at all. At times he felt he was useless. Still, there was one more thing he could do.

The door creaked open before closing. In stepped a solitary figure. It was Zero, still as beautiful as she was the day he met her. While he was now old and decrepit, she remained perfect. Steven smiled as his love entered. Now it was just the two of them.

Zero walked over to the side of the bed and kneeled down next to him. She held his hand and squeezed it gently. "How are you doing Steven?" Her face was full of concern.

"Not well I'm afraid." Steven remained jovial even when talking about his coming death. "I know I don't have much time. I will die soon, I can feel it."

"Have you made the decision", Zero asked.

"I have", Steven replied. "I am yours."

Zero closed her eyes for a moment. "Very well then." She gave him a kiss. Their lips embraced each other.

Then, Zero pulled away and stood up. Steven gazed into her bright pink eyes. Then, his vision was filled with white.