Epilogue: Loss

Day ???

Ryan awoke to his phone vibrating. He wasn't sure how many hours or even days have passed since his fight with Storm. The fight where Edhas blew himself up to make sure that Storm wouldn't come back to wreak havoc. Ryan forced himself to sit up. When the initial grief passed, it was replaced by emptiness. Edhas had lived inside Ryan's head for a long time now, and him being gone was like Ryan losing a large chunk of his soul. He groggily reached for his phone, picking it up from his nightstand. He scrolled through his unseen messages. A lot of people messaged him, voicing their concerns, but Ryan mostly ignored all of them. The only one Ryan focused on was the one Kiara had sent him.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Ryan. Feel free to take as many days off as you need. We'll always be ready to welcome you back with open arms when you're ready."

Ryan sighed. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the sentiment, but he felt as if that time would never come. Edhas was irreplaceable. Ryan could barely remember what it was like living without him. Even when he remembered events that happened before Edhas forced his way into Ryan's life, he associated each memory on Edhas's snide remarks about Ryan's actions during said event. He stood up. "I might as well visit his grave," he said to himself. He took a step forward, forming a lavender portal in front of him. He stepped through the portal, closing it behind him.

-

Ryan stepped through the portal, revealing the location to be an undisclosed graveyard in America, the same one where the gravestone for Grimm was erected. He walked down the small row of graves, stopping at the one fifth from the end. Ryan had made the grave for Edhas next to Gimm's. He didn't know why he did it. Maybe it was because he felt like Edhas should be laid to rest next to his sensei, or maybe it was the slight hope that Edhas would find his way back to the living world, much like Grimm did not too long ago.

"Edhas," Ryan breathed softly, looking down at the grave.

'Here lies Nyar Edhas

Friend, Brother, Protector, Hero

A true warrior until the end.

200X-202X

"Get up and fight. You will always have something to fight for."'

When consulting Sabrina, she told Ryan that the quote was something Edhas said a lot. He found it fit to put on his grave. Not only as his motto, but as a reminder for Ryan. He knew that he had something to fight for. He had Kiara, Amelia, Gura, Calli, Ina, and the rest of the friends he made along the way. Despite that, he couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness that filled his entire being. "What should I do?"

That's when it struck him. The gift that Edhas gave him. He couldn't bring himself to open it when he first awoke, but he felt that now was an apt time to do it. He closed his eyes, reaching into the depths of his consciousness. Edhas's gift took the form of a door. All Ryan needed to do was open it. He took a deep breath and opened the mental door.

-

"Heh, so I really did it, huh?" Edhas's snarky tone caused Ryan to open his eyes. He found himself in a pitch black area, Edhas standing before him. Ryan was familiar with this place. This was his mindscape, the place where they first met. The place where Edhas beat Ryan into a bloody pulp until he convinced Edhas to help him. That was the start of their friendship. "Never thought I would."

"Edhas?" Ryan asked, a small bit of hope in his voice.

"Sorry if you just said something, but this is a pre-recorded message," Edhas said, shrugging. Ryan's shoulders slumped. So, he really was gone, and this recording was the last thing left of him. "You know, I'm pretty sure you're sitting and moping around."

Ryan sighed. Edhas really did know Ryan too well. Of course, he did. Edhas was him, after all. "I won't tell you to stop moping or anything like that. I understand what it's like to lose someone. After all, I made this to explain what's in this package," Edhas shoved his hands in his pockets, smirking at Ryan. Ryan couldn't help but smile back. At least he could hear Edhas talk this one last time. "I basically copied all of my skills and put it into this little mental package. After this message, you will basically gain all of my fighting prowess. The only thing you will lack is magic power, at this point, but there's nothing I could do about that, since I had to use all of my magic to blow Storm up. At least I could die knowing that you can protect yourself."

"Thanks, Edhas," Ryan knew Edhas couldn't hear him, but it he wanted to thank Edhas. For all the times they had together, good and bad. All the times that Edhas would crack a joke or make a pervy remark. Though Ryan would reply crassly, he appreciated Edhas's every effort to better his mood. He appreciated Edhas every time he got Ryan out of a jam. Without Edhas, Ryan would probably be dead in a ditch somewhere. Edhas was a part of Ryan, after all, and Ryan was lost without him. "Thank you for everything."

"Now, that's pretty much all I could give you," Edhas said. "I know you'll use it well. My last message is this. Live life to your fullest. With what you have now, you can live life any way you want. I've already accepted that my life ended a long time ago. This life is yours, and I have no right to butt in on what you want to do with it. Just know that wherever you go, know that you have my blessing. Feel free to use my name or status whenever you need to. Bye, Ryan. It's been a blast."

"Goodbye, Edhas," Ryan closed his eyes, letting a single tear fall to the floor as he turned around, walking away as the projection of Edhas faded away. "Thank you for everything."

-

"Ryan?" Kiara's voice snapped Ryan awake. He opened his eyes and turned around to see Ame, Gura, Ina, Calli, and of course, Kiara.

"Hey Tenchou," Ryan said, his voice still holding a somber tone. He was happy to see Edhas one more time, but the emptiness quickly seeped in once Ryan remembered that he was still dead. He knew that he needed to get off his ass and do something with his life, just as Edhas wanted, but it wasn't that simple.

"Bloom was today," Kiara said. "A lot of people were hoping you were coming."

"I'm sorry," Ryan shook his head. "I completely forgot."

"It's okay," Kiara put her hands on Ryan's shoulders, looking him straight in the eye. "We know that you're suffering right now, but we're here for you."

"That's right," Amelia stepped forward. "We're your friends, Ryan. We'll be here for anything you need."

"You can always talk to us," Ina nodded her head, making a 'humu-humu' noise.

"We got your back whether you like it or not," Gura said, stepped forward, standing next to Amelia.

"If you ever need anything from us, just ask," Calli said, standing next to Ina.

"Thank you," Ryan closed his eyes and looked down, tears forming in his eyes.

"You're welcome," Kiara pulled Ryan into a hug, the others joining one by one. "We'll always be here for you."

Ryan nodded as he buried himself into Kiara's shoulder. Edhas was right. Ryan always had something to fight for.

-

Edhas awoke in an endless blackness as far as the eye could see. "Huh, I swear I blew myself up," he said to himself, looking around. "Where am I?"

"Edhas," a deep voice boomed. Edhas recognized the voice instantly. It was the voice that spoke through Storm when he was brainwashed. "The void welcomes you."

"What do you want?" Edhas asked, looking up. Since the voice came from every direction, he didn't have any particular direction to look at.

"Storm was a failure," the void replied. "With him gone, I need a new successor. Someone to manage the void in his absence. Someone to be my ambassador. I have selected you to be my herald. Now tell me, will you join, or will you die?"

A smug smirk instantly found itself comfortable on Edhas's face. He shoved his left hand in his pocket and held his right hand out, making a gesture that needed no interpretation. "FAQ."

-The End-