23 Epilogus - Goodbye

When Lunox had reached the tree where everything had started the love story of Leo and Luciera, she knew she would be seeing him there. For the last time.

And for the last time, she will tell him she loved him.

---

"I regret nothing. Loving you, after all these centuries, I regret nothing," Leomord whispered underneath his breath before letting Lunox go.

Lunox shakes her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. No.

"That is because you don't remember what you're supposed to regret," she sadly says.

"I remember all too well, Luce. Everything. Every tear you and I shed. Every hug you and I both shared. Every pain you and I both suffered. Every memory you and I both experienced. I remember all of it," he said, his voice deep, "I do not regret all of it. I do not regret meeting you once again"

"But then, the only thing you should regret is meeting me now. This time, you should not fight for your love and mine. This time, you and I have to separate ways. This time, we have to live in this world, alone. We can't be together. You and I? We just don't work well," she coldly said. Her heart was breaking. Her tears were falling. But she had to do this. To stop history from repeating itself. To stop more tears from getting wasted. Because if this continues, this won't ever stop. More tears will get wasted. More pain is to be felt.

Why is this so hard? The only bad thing she has ever done was to love him. Why is fate so cruel?

She fears that this will be the last time she's ever meeting him. But greater was her fear that in her next life, the same thing would happen. The same horrible thing.

Indeed, she was the Enlightened One. The one blessed with good karma all throughout her next lives. Why? Because she has already done the greatest sin of all. And that is, to pursue a greatly forbidden love.

Samsara. The indefinite repeated cycles of birth, misery, and death caused by karma. This was one of her many fates. Because although, all along, she had been blessed with good karma, nothing will ever change the fact that she'll experience the same loss of not being with the person she loved. Unless, if she changes her broken destiny.

All her past lives connect to only one person. Leomord. In her past lives, she's done the exact same thing. And that is to love the wrong person. To be with the wrong person.

She cannot deny the fact that she has already fallen for him. Because that would be a lie. She already did. For so many decades.

Because no matter the circumstances were, no matter how hard life was, it all ended up with her and him. In each others' arms.

She had not made an effort, before, to stop this type of fate. But this time, she will.

"You are only saying that because of what happened before, Lunox! Who knows, maybe this time, we'll have our own ending," he begs.

No. There will never be an ending for us, Leomord. If there will ever be, it would be you and I, living and walking on this Earth, alone. You and I will never be for each other. I know you know that.

"There is no this time, Leo," she cries, "all these pain, sufferings. The clues. Everything, Leo. It tells us of our destiny. Fate is pulling us to each other, but we will never meet. You and I are bound to different paths!"

She sees Leomord's shoulders sag in defeat. That's right. We have to end this once and for all. Although it may be painful at first, we will learn how to live with it. If we don't end this pain now, there will be more hell to come.

"So this is the end, I guess?" he asks her sadly. After for so long, she sees his eyes glisten with tears.

She nods, more tears coming out of her eyes.

"Before you go, Lunox, I have questions to ask you," Leomord says, wiping his eyes with his hands.

"What is it?" she asks, looking away from his intense gaze. The gaze she knew, she will forever miss.

"Do you know what Luciera means? What Luna means?" he asks her, trying to catch her eyes which were looking everywhere but him.

She smiles at the mention of her past names yet, no. She does not know.

"It means, to shine, in Latin," he smiles, "do you know what Lunox means?"

She nods, "the Enlightened One." She knew because it was already her title. The Enlightened One.

He nods smiling through his tears, "yes. But everytime you look through the thick dictionaries and encyclopedias in your library, the word enlightened will always be related to the word light. And light shines."

He walks towards her before stopping before her, "and you are that, Lunox. You shine so bright."

She tears up once again.

"You lightened up my life in ways only you could do. Your parents named you Luciera in honor of your kingdom's name. And I agree to that name, because it is true. Because indeed, you shine. Despite the darkness and sadness, you shine through it all."

Finally, her tears erupt from her eyes. Tear drops fell one after another. No more. It's too much. Too much pain.

"I guess we really have to end everything, Lunox," he said as he wiped away her tears with his finger.

She leaned in to his touch for the last time before nodding.

"This is the end," he whispers before stepping away.

"Yes. This is the end," she whispers still heartbroken, "I love you... and goodbye."

He nods before bowing his head, not wanting to show her his weak and crying side. The side he never liked, even himself. But Lunox really did liked this side of him. Either as Luciera, Luna, or Lunox. Because it helped her understand him better. Love him better.

And to love him better is to let him go. To let him be happy with the things he neglected when they were still together.

As for her, she will finally be worthy of her title. The Enlightened One. For she is now happy, and she will take this happiness to the after life, and the next. She is now enlightened by the Gods.

Enlightenment, the final spiritual state marked by absence of desire and suffering. This is where it all ends, for both him and her.

Finally, she is able to let go of the great love she once pursued. Him.

Finally... their story has come to an end.

"I love you too... and goodbye."

F I N