EPILOGUE (LONE MAN ROUTE)

That one sunny day when Lone man drew his last breath, you felt as if your whole world shifted. On your lap, the wind carried him away until there was nothing left but his tattered coat and bones. You took what was left of him and decided to bury him near the lake. The lake he cherished so much, the place where you first caught a glimpse of his true appearance.

The next person you saw afterwards was John, the forest ranger. He was carrying his shotgun, huffing and puffing as he trudged along the path towards Lone man's house. When he saw you, he raised his firearm and demanded to know who you were. You told him what had happened. He brought down his gun as his face slowly contorted into deep sorrow.

"He's dead, isn't he?"

Like what happened to Lone man, you and John saw skeletal remains near the wooden staircase that led to the town. It was undoubtedly Atlas based on the clothes.

"I wish I was there to comfort him in his last moments," John said.

***

It has been more than a month since the event that shattered the curse of the Old Helios. You, John, and a few trusted people together helped clean the town of Old Helios. All the bones were given proper burial, and the town, the church, Lone man's half-brother's house, Lone man's house, and the lake were all sealed off and labeled as a no-trespassing zone.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The rest of the forest was open for visitors. Some areas became popular as picnic spots, especially the dandelion field. Most of it became camping grounds. The influx of people exploring the forest made John so busy that he started considering hiring an assistant.

The new head librarian helped you write down all that has happened, concluding all the mysteries over the past years. She placed it in the archive, which was now called Lucille's Archive as a tribute to all of Lucille's, the former head librarian's, tremendous efforts in piecing together the mysteries of Old Helios through the years. The archive was sealed, putting all the strange history to rest.

You noticed that the population of the town had decreased, yet the streets were still lively.

After two months, your parents made the decision to move. It didn't surprise you anymore since you've always been the never-settling-in-one-place kind of family. It just saddens you that this time, you didn’t have friends to say goodbye to—or maybe that’s for the best.

In the end, John, the forest ranger, accompanied you one last time to where Lone man was buried. You whispered a soft goodbye to the wind as you pressed your palm on the soft soil. You left the town of New Helios, embarking on a new journey ahead.

THE END

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Author’s Note: Thank you very much to those who supported the Lone Man book! I hope you enjoyed the journey. If you’d like to start the Atlas route, you can start at Page 46.

Again, thank you so much!

Phew~ now, it’s time to write a new book! 👀