Chapter 15: The End of the World

Panting and with bloody palms, Alexander pulled himself over one final ledge while his four fairy friends pulled at his clothing to try and decrease his weight. To reach the last peak of the green mountains, one had to scale a vertical cliff nearly 700 feet tall, and the effort had nearly killed the poor Elf.

While panting on his back, the young man barely noticed a long notification appear:

image [https://imgur.com/haUaafH.png]

The young man thought about the three years he had spent to finally reach this far and could almost hear his mother's voice coming to him. His eyes flew open, burning with determination, and he rolled over and used his walking stick to prop himself up. Staggering, he walked across the peak to the other side and beheld the wonder beyond.

Tears rolled from his eyes as emotion blossomed inside him. He let out a deep sigh of satisfaction as he took in the endless sky covered with billowing clouds that were just a few feet lower than the mountain's peak and went on for an eternity. It might have been the End of the World, but the view filled him with a sense of new beginnings.

He let out a whoop of boundless joy, and for a moment, his mother was alive again, standing right beside him and cheering him on. The journey had been long and hard, but he had kept his promise, and his reward was far greater than any Stat Bonus or Title.

Gia, Aqua, Therma, and Electra celebrated their friends' joy with him, bringing them happiness.

Alexander fell to his knees as his emotions began to mutch, and he crossed out tears of happiness, sadness, and relief.

Once the last of the violent emotion had drained out of him, all that was left was a deep sense of peace. Standing up, he turned to his friends and stated, "Well, it's been fun, but I have people waiting for me in the world of Big People." He covered his heart with a hand and added, "I will always cherish the time we spent together."

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Electra darted to his face and blurted, "You sound like this is goodbye… That's crazy… We're sticking with you."

The Elf shook his head and responded, "I can't wait another three years to get back." he smiled and pointed to the edge, "I was just going to take the fast way home."

The fairies became shocked at this, and Therma blurted, "So, you were just planning on leaving us then!"

Alexander deflated a bit and responded, "You four don't belong in the world of Big People. It's dangerous for you." he sighed and finished, "I loved getting to spend time with you guys, but sometimes in life, you just have to say goodbye."

The four sisters froze at this and exchanged glances before Gia crossed her arms and grumbled, "You're not getting away from us that easily. Head back to Big People land if you want, but we're at least signing a contract." Her cold demeanor melted slightly as she said, "Then you can summon us whenever."

The Elf had considered this possibility but didn't want to force his friends into anything. However, now that he saw how adamant their eyes were, he couldn't help feeling foolish. Holding out a hand, he smiled, "Nothing would make me happier."

The fairies smiled back the next moment and touched his outstretched hand with their own.

A series of notifications then emerged:

image [https://imgur.com/FFn8oXw.png]

Alexander didn't know what it meant to have an affinity. Still, his heart was full of warmth, knowing that he wasn't saying goodbye to his friends forever.

Now he and the four fairies were all staring to sniffle as he got out, "Ah, right then. I'll be going."

Electra darted around and blurted, "I'll miss you… And if you don't believe me… You're crazy."

Therma was half crying, half glaring, and added, "You better summon us all the time."

Aqua was the softest and nodded, "Yes, you mustn't forget about us."

Gia was the last to confess and said glumly, "This isn't goodbye, you Stupid Elf; we better see you soon."

Alexander nodded back, "Of course…" Then, without another moment of hesitation, he walked forward to the edge and looked back to add, "I promise."

The next moment, he was gone, and the sisters began to ball their eyes out, huddled together in a group. Their tears were so full of emotion that one would have doubted they were NPCs and not players in disguise.

As he fell through the clouds, the Elf's heart ached, but he had long resolved himself to this choice. Someone he loved from the bottom of his heart was waiting for him, and he had a world of possibilities to explore. His days as a hermit were over; it was time for him to continue his journey.

A hint of existence filled the young man's heart as he plummeted through the endless clouds, waiting for an automatic death; however, what he did not expect was for a window to appear in front of him as he fell:

image [https://imgur.com/WrHgaBP.png]