“Yes, Kalos,” Anton said as he got up.

“But I wish there was a better way for you to get your revenge,” Anton said as Saya's face grew pale.

“I don't are ass long as she suffers,” Kalos said.

“But you’ll also have to leave those you love forever,” Anton said, but Kalos smiled.

“It's fine. As long as they are safe and happy, I’ll be happy.” Kalos said.

“What’s going on? What are you two talking about?” Saya asked.

“Umm… I took a small chronological detour and I saw everything. How Anton chose to watch over creation after you birthed him, but you couldn’t handle the thought of being left alone again. How did it feel living all those years? Alone in the nothingness?” Kalos asked as Anton knelt in front of Kalos.

“But you see, the universe isn’t as cruel as you. It gifted you with a child, but when you saw him pursue his calling, you fearfully clung to him, even though your actions came at the cost of lives. Anton may have treated you harshly, but none of this would have happened if you had just let him go.” Kalos said, but then Saya’s face twisted into a scowl.

“How dare you, an insect, lecture me on how I should have reacted to the situation? Anton is mine and I don’t care what you say. If I could go back, I’d do it all the exact same way.” Saya screamed.

“That’s your problem, mother! At some point, you become so desperate in your attempts to keep me in a bubble that you ended up disregarding what was lost every time you tried.” Anton yelled as Kalos looked down at him.

“Your almost childish need for attention and company led to this, but Kalos showed me how to both properly punish you for what you’ve done and hold me accountable for letting this drag out for as long as it has,” Anton said.

Saya’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean?” She asked as she was engulfed by the void.

She then saw Kalos standing above Anton as they floated in the nothingness.

“What are you going to do?” Saya asked.

“I’m going to make you pay,” Kalos said as he raised his sword.

Saya tried moving but found herself stuck in space.

“Anton, let me go now!” Saya yelled before Kalos swung Reu downward, cutting off Anton’s head in the process.

Saya screamed as Anton’s head fell to the floor, but then something strange happened.

Kalos was standing above Anton with his sword raised.

She checked and saw that Anton’s head was attached to his body.

“What is this?” She asked.

“You’re in a time loop. Oh and don’t even think about the possibility of escape. Once I cut off Anton’s head, Reu shatters meaning that there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop this from happening over and over and over again.” Kalos said as another Kalos walked towards him.

“Are you sure you’ll be ok, Theostaltos?” The second Kalos asked.

“Definitely. Making her suffer for eternity as you watch over Estella, Peeta and Keema is all I could ask for.” The first Kalos said before the second one left.

Kalos waved himself, or Theostaltos, and Anton goodbye before returning to the hill where he fell to his knees.

“Oh…” Kalos made a soft noise as he collapsed.

The knot that had been in his stomach for so long slowly disappeared and his headache subsided slightly.

Kalos summoned his last Reu and placed it into the ground.

“Thanks, dad.” He said as a vision revealed itself to his left.

He saw a tired man sitting side by side with an adorable little girl as moon bathed them in its gentle light.

Kalos picked up Reu before noticing a rather large city to the east of Eslaf.

He chuckled before making his way south.

He didn’t have any magic anymore, so the trip would take some time.

Kalos decided to travel through the Daeg valley and head straight south until he found Estella and the others.

He trotted along as the cool autumn air blew by.

Kalos then noticed a few human’s gathering resources in the woods nearby. He ignored them as he continued south.

That’s when a person appeared in front of him.

The man’s body was a blend of black and white and he held in his hands a sturdy axe.

“Kalos?” Trevenor asked cautiously.

“In the flesh,” Kalos said as he continued walking.

“Where are you going?” Trevenor asked.

“South. My family’s waiting for me.” Kalos said as he walked away from Trevenor, who wore a perplexed expression.

Kalos made his way out of the forest and into the Daeg valley.

The sun had long since set and the cool winds caused Kalos to shake a little bit. This was the first time he’d gone for long without magic. Actually, the last time he felt this cold was just before Raymond taught him how to use magic. From that point on, Kalosýni’s body regularly cycled magic within itself. Keeping him warm in the process.

But Saya had taken that away from him.

Kalos sighed before walking towards a large boulder.

He plopped onto the ground and leaned against it as the night hung.

The moon was absent, casting an even purer darkness onto the valley.

Kalos hummed the melody of the song Estella had so often sung to Keema as his eyes fell. His body was gently embraced by the dark as he rested on the valley floor.

.

..

Kalos was awoken by slight vibrations in the ground.

He got up, stretched lightly before noticing a Lopus staring at him from a few meters away.

Kalos remembered encountering one during the first leg of his journey with Raymond and the others.

His heart ached when he remembered how disappointed his father was when the lopus ran away from Kalos because it sensed his magic.

Kalos slowly walked to the lopus which showed no fear as it prepared for a fight.

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Kalos dashed towards the lopus before swinging Reu diagonally.

The lopus must have underestimated Kalos because it didn’t move as Reu slid across its rock-like chest.

Kalos backed away as both he and the lopus analyzed the damage Kalosýni’s attack had done.

The lopus screamed in pain as black blood poured out from his chest.

Reu was still in a god killing state and so Kalos managed to cut through the lopus's rock-like skin.

The lopus charged towards Kalos, but Kalos was much faster than the lumbering giant.

Kalos cut at the flesh behind its knees causing the giant to fall to the ground.

He walked over to the lopus’s head before chopping it off.

Kalos held his chest as he breathed. There was a pain he couldn’t quite describe, but he paid it no mind as he resumed his journey south.

The morning sun tickled his skin as it had lost its magical protection, but in all honesty, Kalos didn’t mind.

He loved it.

He took a deep breath before coming across was looked like a battlefield.

Large scars littered the southern part of the Daeg valley.

Kalos wondered who made them, but the thought left his mind as soon as it arrived.

He travelled for most of the day before reaching a peculiar village with a large cave at its centre.

Kalos made his way toward the village as the autumn leaves fell.

Serval people who looked like guards ran towards Kalos before noticing his weathered state. He hadn’t taken a shower in about two years and his body was covered in several layers of dry blood and dirt.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” One of the guards asked before a strange looking glass golem ran to Kalosýni’s side.

“Glass, do you know this man.” One of the guards asked.

“That there, ladies and gentlemen that is Kalosýni the blue.” A woman said prompting everyone to gasp.

“I thought his hair was supposed to be blue.” One of the guards said as Glass led Kalos into the peaceful village.

The laughter of children could be heard as men and women worked the day away.

Kalos saw about twenty houses in the village plus other buildings.

Glass led Kalos to the large cave where upon entering, Kalos saw a little girl running about.

The girl noticed him and their eyes locked for a moment, but then the girl ran into the arms of a giant silver beast, shaking it out of its sleep. Although it's eyes remained closed.

[Mmm? Oh… you’re back.]

Peeta said in a deep voice.

Kalos opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Peeta let out a purr before pointing towards his chest.

Kalos nodded before walking out of the cave.

There he removed his armour and clothes before placing them in a familiar carriage.

Glass then gave Kalos several buckets of water which he used to clean himself as thoroughly as possible. Glass also gave Kalos a box which he used to store his items.

Kalos got dressed in some fresh clothes glass had gotten for him before returning to the cave.

He walked into Peeta’s arm and saw Estella sitting on a comfortable chair as she blankly stared at nothing.

Kalos fell to his knees as he approached her.

Tears ran down his face as his scarred arms trembled.

He eventually made his way to her and wailed loudly.

He cried and cried as he tightly clung to Estella.

He hated himself for not being as strong as he needed to be.

He blamed himself for allowing Saya to take those he loved away from him and leaving Estella in such a state.

Peeta wrapped his tail around Kalos as he loudly cried.

Kalos tried his best not to mess up Estella’s dress with his tears, but just as he raised his head, he felt the warmest hands as they gently rubbed his hair.

This made Kalos cry even more.

“I’m sorry!” He said with a suppressed scream.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there! I’m sorry for leaving! I’m… I’m sorry.” Kalos said as he cried.

Kalosýni’s heart ached as the hand from before rubbed his head. He wondered if he could use his Reu to help fix her, but he didn’t know how that would end up.

Kalos looked up and saw that Estella was still mostly absent, but her hand instinctively followed Kalos as he cried.

[It was the same with Keema. When the little one cried, some tiny part of her would awaken, but that’s about as far as we could go.]

Peeta said as Kalos got up, leaving Estella as she reached out towards him.

He then noticed that Keema had also started crying. The little girl quickly ran into her mother's arms as Kalos walked out from under Peeta.

Kalos wiped his tears as he sat by Peeta’s side.

[You must be tired.]

Peeta said with a soft purr.

“I am.”

[Did you do what you had to?]

“I did."

[Then rest. I think you’ve earned it.]

Peeta said as Kalos rested his head on Peeta’s large furry arm.

Kalos closed his o so heavy eyes before they shut completely.

He took deep breaths before giving in to the temptation that was sleep.

.

..

Kalosýni’s eyes shot open as he heard footsteps coming from his left.

The darkness of the night and that of the cave would have made it quite hard for anyone to see, but Kalos had spent two years in Nar' Agrun so he instantly recognized the figure that stood to his left.

“Kalos?” Estella called out. Her voice weak.

Kalos noticed that her legs trembled as she stood and so he hurriedly stood up, dashed towards her and gently hugged her as he supported her weight.

“Is that really you?” Estella asked as her voice trembled.

“Yes, It’s me,” Kalos said as he fell backwards.

Estella looked at Kalosýni’s weary brown eyes before she collapses onto his chest.

“You poor thing,” Estella said as she silently wept.

“I- all I could think about was you, Keema and Peeta. I spent every waking moment trying to find a way-"

“Shh.” Estella said as she clung to Kalos. He held her even tighter, while taking care not to crush her.

Estella then sat up and looked at Kalosýni’s scarred face.

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but Kalos placed his large hand on her cheek, which she held dearly.

“How are you feeling?” Kalos asked. He couldn’t sense people’s life forces anymore, so he couldn’t tell.

“I’m fine. I’m beyond fine. I’m just happy that you’re back.” Estella said before falling back onto Kalosýni’s large chest.

She felt him wheeze as he breathed, which made her heart ache slightly.

“What about you, Kalos? Are you alright?” She asked.

Kalos smiled brightly before nodding.

“I’m better than I have been in a long time,” He said as the night hung low.

Estella then got off Kalos before he gently picked her up.

“Oh?” Estella sounded as Kalos took her out of the cave.

Beyond the cave's walls, she saw a peaceful village that was placed uncomfortably close to a cliffside.

Kalos walked out into the night with Estella in hand before running into the guards he’d met earlier.

They left him be as he and Estella exited the village.

Kalos walked deep into the forest before he found a clearing.

There, he gently placed Estella as the autumn air blew by.

Kalos sat next to her before Estella leaned against Kalos as the night wore on.

Kalos tugged at the grass beneath as he sat.

Kalos plucked some of it and placed it on Estella’s rather clean dress.

Estella didn’t react as she sat.

The wind eventually blew away the grass from her dress and Kalos watched as the grass flew off into the air as the sun came up behind them.

Kalos wrapped his arm around Estella as the forest was bathed in glorious yellow light.

“You have no idea how happy I am, knowing you’re ok,” Estella said.

“I could say the same,” Kalos said as Estella looked up at him.

She then raised her hand and felt the countless scars that ran along his face.

She ran her hand down his neck and grabbed his collar bone.

“Why won’t they heal?” Estella asked.

“Because they are a reminder. A reminder of what will happen if I fail again.” Kalos said.

Estella’s face twisted slightly, revealing to Kalos wrinkles he had never seen before.

“Oh, but don’t worry. They don’t hurt anymore and being here with you makes me feel like they're not there at all.” Kalos tried comforting Estella, but she remained sceptical.

“I’ve seen you do so many things, but after every battle, you’d heal. How much suffering did you endure for your body to be in such a state?” Estella asked. Her voice low.

Kalos had never heard her speak to him this way before.

Kalos lowered his head.

“It wasn’t much. You know-"

“Kalos!” Estella yelled as she trembled.

“What happened to you?” She asked as her eyes welled up with tears.

“I-" Kalos wanted to spare her from all of the gruesome details, but for some reason, those details are exactly what she wanted.

“I was broken,” Kalos said with a sigh.

“I lost so much in so little time that I didn’t know what to do. Saya didn’t help either. She literally broke me a few times as well. I’ve never felt so much pain, but even that paled in comparison to the pain I felt when I thought about losing you.” Kalos said as Estella tugged on his arm.

Kalos watched as she desperately held in her tears.

Even as her nose ran and her ears burnt.

“Go on,” Estella ordered.

“Uh- I ended up devising a plan. I decided to create a weapon that wouldn’t kill Saya, but rob her of her immortality. This worked a little too well and so she came after me, but even though she broke my body several times, my spirit was undeterred. I punished her for killing dad, Crimwal and Eevana and locked her in a time loop. Then I made my way here.” Kalos said and at this point, Estella was fully crying, but so was Kalos.

“I’m sure you left out some details, but ok. I understand.” Estella said as she wiped her tears.

“I’m sorry,” Estella said as she lowered her head.

“What? No. There’s absolutely no need for you to do that.” Kalos said as he held her.

“But if I wasn’t so useless, I’d have been able to help-"

“Think about what you’re saying!” Kalos said with an expression Estella hadn’t seen in a long time.

It was the same expression he had when he stood up to Raymond and declared that she would be joining them on their journey all that time ago.

“If you had taken even a single step out of that carriage, you would have died. And what about Keema?” Kalos asked.

Estella wasn’t sure, but she could’ve sworn she saw a blue spark within them.

“I’m sorry,” Estella said, but Kalos hugged her tightly in response.

“There’s no need for that. We’re safe. We’re alive and that’s all that matters.” Kalos said as Estella calmed down.

Some time passed as the two clung to each other.

The forest allowed them to have their silence and it was in this silence that Estella said.

“I love you, Kalos.”

“I love you too.”