One Final Battle More

  It was a place devoid of sound, sight, and touch. Even the concept of time seemed like a distant echo here—unreachable and forgotten. There was nothing here—no wind, no warmth, no walls to confine me—only endless, formless emptiness. I called it the Void.

  In this realm of absolute solitude, I, Nanami, lingered—or perhaps simply existed, for the word "living" no longer felt appropriate. Alone in this abyss, I drifted endlessly with only my thoughts as company, replaying the choices that had led me here.

  I once had a body of my own, a heart that beat fiercely, and a soul that longed for another's embrace. My greatest desire was to protect him—Cesar, my love. But my life was a sin, a fragment of existence born from Orion's twisted ambitions. To atone for the crime of my creation, I had chosen this fate.

  The great sword Avalon was designed with one sacred purpose: to shield its wielder from all harm. It was an artifact of unmatched power and a perfect defense. However, such perfection demanded a price. It required an impossible source of energy and a mind capable of perceiving every strike and threat and calculating the perfect counter. It required a soul.

  I gave it mine.

  What greater sacrifice than offering one's own soul to bear the weight of eternity? My life—no, my very existence—is a manifestation of a sin Orion committed.

  I thought it was a fitting penance. By offering to become Avalon, I believed I would sever my ties to the sins of my lineage. I would protect César from every danger. And when the war ended—if it ended—I would be forgotten, as I should be. This was my sacrifice.

  I looked at Cesar. Three doctors were attending to him in a deadly race to keep his faint flame from going out. His blood stained the entire floor, and his body convulsed in agony. Because of me, he was reaching the end of his life.I gave the order and thanked the doctors for their efforts. However, one of the doctors refused to leave. She said that she would not stand by and watch a life fade away under her watch without putting up a fight. I gave her permission to stay and told her she could leave once the task was finished.

  However, I was being selfish one last time — I couldn't be the one to reach the end of the war alive. I offered myself up without hesitation. I saw it as penance for my birth and as an opportunity to guarantee Cesar’s survival. Despite my cursed heritage, my beloved had shown me kindness and love. He would wield me in battle, and I would guard him from every blade, every claw, and every spell. I would be his shield until the end.

  Yet the price was eternal isolation—being cut off from the world I had longed to see and the man I adored. I had accepted it. The war against the dragons had to be won. If my soul could save him, then I was not afraid. I said to myself, lying once more.

  I commanded that the sword be held only by the soul of my beloved for fear of being betrayed one last time for the sake of a deranged nobleman who might still be out there.

  But in this abyss, there was no sense of victory — no triumphant end to a righteous cause. I did not know if the dragons had been vanquished. I did not know if Cesar had triumphed or fallen. Every time Avalon was summoned to battle, I believed it would be the final fight—the ultimate reckoning.

  And then, one day, the summons ceased.

  No one wielded me. No commands were whispered. Had the true Dragon of Famine triumphed? Or had Cesar perished, his fate sealed without my power to save him, his dreams devoured by the abyssal hunger of that monstrous foe? Had he won instead? Had he forgotten about me? Or was it already time to forget the sword in favor of a hoe as a final act of war? I had no answers. Only the void.

  I drifted, silent and blind, clinging to memories of light and laughter. I did not know if the war had ended. I feared that Cesar had fallen. Each time Avalon was called to battle, my heart raced, believing it would be the final confrontation. My hope flickered like a dying candle.

  And then...a call.

  Avalon stirred.

  I felt it—the familiar pull, the grip of a hand on my hilt, and the surge of battle coursing through me once more. But whose hand? Was it Cesar's? Was he still alive? Or had another claimed my blade? Fear and hope warred within me.

  The first impact struck my soul like a thousand pinpricks. Metal projectiles pierced the barrier of my existence. Bullets...human weapons. Was Cesar being betrayed? Were his allies turning against him? Panic gripped me. I instinctively reached out, pushing the force of my shield outward to deflect the shots. My essence throbbed with exertion.

  Next came the terrifying weight of a fall—gravity pulling hard. I felt the immense rush of air against the blade I had become. Was he falling from the heights of Atlantis? My powers enveloped him, softening his descent and preventing his death.

  Heat. Blistering, all-consuming heat. It was the unbearable inferno of a weapon unlike anything I had ever known—a bomb of terrible magnitude, potent enough to annihilate worlds and sear through the Void itself. It was the fire of an atomic blast. Had Cesar sacrificed himself to destroy the last dragon? Was this his final act of defiance? I gathered every ounce of my strength and formed a barrier to hold back the infernal blaze.

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  Then, the magic came—a sharp, deceitful force coiling in the darkness. An assassin’s strike: hidden and deadly. I felt the spell preparing to strike the wielder’s heart. My instincts surged, and, for the first time in countless years, I moved. I reached outward, manifesting not just as protection, but also as a force to counter the attack. I would not let the unseen enemy harm him.

  The outside world remained a mystery, but my heart raced with the echoes of battle. Was it Cesar who still commanded me? Was it his hand on my hilt and his voice that would finally break the silence of my eternal confinement? My hope burned bright once more, fragile but fierce.

  I would wait for his answer—no matter how long it took—for I was his sword, and he was my reason for being.

  It was the Moon.

  But it was unlike any moon I had seen before. This was not a soft, silver orb glowing in the sky. This moon was vast and terrible, its light burning cold into the very fabric of existence. It gazed upon me with knowing eyes that saw beyond the veil—eyes that saw every sin and every whisper of suffering in the endless darkness.

  It knew me. It knew my pain.

  And it was coming.

  I could not comprehend this being of infinite power—a cosmic presence stretching beyond the boundaries of time and the stars themselves. It was the harbinger of the end—the entity that would finally sever my thread of existence. It was not a savior or a deliverer but a force of inevitable conclusion. Though silent, its voice reached into my very soul, bringing a terrible certainty that this was the end I had long feared.

  Yet, behind it, something stirred—a shadow, a wretched form that writhed in the corner of my awareness. A monstrous fox with nine massive, twisting tails. Its eyes gleamed with malice. It smiled a twisted, cruel grin as if it knew my every fear and hope. It was the true face of my destruction: a deceitful, poisonous being. It had always lurked, hidden behind the Moon's cosmic mask, and now it was ready to claim me. The moon had sent this creature to ensure my soul was consumed by darkness.

  I trembled, my soul quivering with terror. This, I thought, is the end. The moon calls to me, but this fox—this treacherous fiend—will be my undoing. My thoughts scattered as panic rose within me. I could not escape, nor could I flee from the inevitable. It circled me, its laughter a soft whisper in the void. I felt it inch closer, its fangs glistening with the cold promise of pain.

  I had known fear before, but this was different. It wasn't the fear of battle or of losing my beloved. It was the fear of being devoured, body and soul, by something far older and more powerful than I could ever hope to be. The monster’s eyes locked onto mine, and in them, I saw the reflection of every wound and sin I had carried through eternity. It was my fate, my doom; the very thing that had come to claim me for the horrors I had wrought.

  A warmth and tender presence began to seep into the cold, eternal darkness. At first, it was faint, like a whisper, but it grew stronger and enveloped me in a gentle embrace. At first, I did not understand, my mind clouded by fear and confusion. But then it dawned on me.

  Its form softened and the cruel gleam in its eyes was replaced by a gentler warmth. I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. Was this a trick? A momentary shift to lull me into false hope? No, the creature’s shape was changing. Its monstrous form was transforming before my very eyes.

  It grew smaller and softer, its nine tails curling around me like a warm blanket. Its cruel gaze melted into something more tender and motherly. The fox became a girl. Beautiful, unreachable, and impossible, she was surely the person my father wished I would become someday. Once a harbinger of torment, she had become something else entirely—a protector and a guide. She was no longer the monster I had feared. She was something else. Something kind.

  I felt her presence envelop me and her gentle touch settle over my broken heart. Her soft, soothing voice drifted through my mind; her words were a balm for my tortured soul.

  Her embrace was not the cold touch of death but the warm, nurturing caress of a mother tending to her weary child. She, who had once been a symbol of terror, now offered me solace. I could feel her vast, ancient power, but it was not the crushing weight of the Moon; it was the gentle force of love and acceptance.

  I wanted to resist, to fight against the finality of it all. But a broken part of me surrendered. The weight of my existence and my endless sacrifice was too much. The hope that had flickered weakly within me like a candle in the wind had finally gone out.

  "You have suffered long enough, child," she whispered, her voice gentle and almost motherly. "Your soul is torn, shattered by the weight of your sacrifice. But now, you need not suffer any longer. I offer you rest. The peace you have longed for." You will rest now, little one," she whispered again, her breath soft against my skin. "When you awake, you will find him."

  Her words were like a balm to my soul, but they came with a cost. I knew that by accepting her embrace, I would leave behind everything I had known: my existence as Avalon, my duty to protect, and most agonizing of all, the chance to see Cesar again in this world.

  But the thought of endless solitude and never knowing the warmth of another’s touch tore at me. The goddess's embrace was all-consuming, wrapping around me like a cocoon—suffocating yet comforting. As her form enveloped mine, I felt a warmth unlike anything I had known in lifetimes. It was as though I were being cradled and gently rocked like a child.

  Then, in a rush of warmth and light, I was consumed. The darkness of the Void and the crushing silence disappeared. The eternal weight lifted from my shoulders, and, for the first time in countless years, I felt free. Free to sleep. Free to dream. In those dreams, I found Cesar once more, his arms around me, his love waiting for me on the other side of the stars.

  With that promise, I felt her envelop me completely. Her form was vast, stretching beyond the boundaries of the Void and consuming all that I had been. There was no pain or fear, only the soft sound of my soul being absorbed into hers. Her embrace was the final, perfect comfort, and in it, I let go.

  I let go of the fear. I let go of the guilt. I let go of the hope that had kept me bound to this place.

  I let go, and I was free.

  In the Kitsune's embrace, I was no longer lost. I was no longer alone.

  In her words, I found a promise that this was not the end. I would find Cesar. Together, we would find peace in whatever form it might take.

  I would find him. I would be whole again.

  And the warmth of the goddess surrounded me, I closed my eyes, no longer afraid of the final rest.