Dusk falls. The snow continues falling, and the buildings fall as well. The quakes must be getting stronger. I look back to where the Number Kingdom is, glad that the other Numbers are safe. I look up at Blackie, who looks like he's about to fall asleep. When I offer to fly us, he just shakes his head.

"I can do it," he claims. "We only have a while left to go. I can make it."

And make it he does. We land in deep snow, which is only broken up by a fire someone started. In front of the fire is a small child, and right beside him is the silhouette of the Guardian, standing still in the snow with more snow landing on his head and shoulders. The child is wrapped in a blanket, a new one by the looks of it, with food in his hands. It looks like a piece of wild animal that seems to have been roasted over the fire. He looks happy even though he's sitting in the snow.

"Hello?" I call. The child looks over in alarm. 

"Guardian." The boy pulls on the Guardian's leg. "There are people here for you. Wake up."

The Guardian doesn't look up.  He seems to be leaning heavily on his sword, as if weakened. "Yes?" he replies hoarsely.

Blackie and I approach me only to see that his face is worn and strained. His pale eyes have lost their luster. "Is something wrong?" I ask. "You look haggard."

Before he can reply, the Guardian's eyes find Blackie. They lock on the band on his forehead. "The item..." he whispers. "Child, give me the item."

"Item?" Blackie's hand follows the Guardian's line of sight. His hands land on the headdress that he always wears. It's the platinum headdress with the sun and moon with a platinum bar between them. "You mean this?"

The Guardian nods. "Yes, that! It is reacting to the Border, I can hear it!"

I help Blackie take off the headdress, and by brother hands it to the Guardian, who snatches it eagerly. Sheathing his sword, he kneels down and holds the headdress close to the Border. It starts glowing, reacting to the Border's plight just as the Guardian insisted. The child, Blackie, and I watch in wonder as the snow stops falling. It'll be a while before everything melts, but just the fact that the snow and tremors have stopped is a huge relief.

"I remember this now," the Guardian mumbles. "Strange how it was wiped from my memory."

"Do you know why you forgot?" I ask. "It certainly is strange that you do not remember."

"When it comes to me, I will remember." The Guardian picks up the child at his feet and says, "We are going to the Number Kingdom, Ashi. They will accept you there." He turns to Blackie and me. "This is you king, and this is his brother."

The boy looks at us in awe then hides his face in the Guardian's armor. The eternal being pays no mind to this and beckons us to cross the Border back home.

~.Time Skip.~

The snow has finally melted. The people who were staying at the castle leave while giving their thanks. Blackie and Nue see them out, making sure they have everything they need. Soon, a few days later, they all leave. On that same day, Crimson and Free return. 

"How long did it take you?" I ask, knowing that time works differently in different Territories.

"Just a day and a half," Crimson says with a shrug. "Though by the looks of it, it looks like it took longer here."

"We almost had a crisis here," I explain. "But it's all sorted out now." I lead them inside the castle. "How did you bypass the hydra?"

Crimson smiles. "A simple trick of calming it to get close enough to hit its pressure point. Then, Free snatched a piece of the dark stone and fixed the Border."

I nod. "Well, you two must be tired. You can rest and wash in the castle for today and return home tomorrow."

"Thank you." Crimson ruffles my hair and goes on with Free.

I make my way back to my chamber to see my brother. After seeing everyone off, he decided to retire to our room to rest. When I get there, I see my brother reading some scrolls with the Guardian standing right beside him. Clinging to the Guardian's leg is the child, the one named Ashi. He hasn't left his side since we got here, even going so far as to refusing to go with a family. We don't mind, though. He is good company, he is quiet, and it feels like having a younger brother around. When he came here, the Guardian had to pry Ashi off to get him to bathe and change.

"What are you doing?" I ask. 

Blackie doesn't look up as he replies, "Searching through old scrolls to see why everyone forgot about the headdress.

I look at the Guardian, who is now protecting the headdress, and by extension, my brother. "Did you remember?"

"Only a little, child," he replies. "I remember a great war happening between this kingdom and another in the Energy Territory."

"How long ago was this?"

"Thousands of years ago. Beyond that, I cannot remember."

Ashi pipes up from below us. "When is dinner ready?"

"In an hour or so," Blackie responds absently.

Well, that will be quite a wait, so I grab some scrolls, sit on my bed, and help my brother with the search.

~.Time Skip (3rd Person).~

After many years, it was discovered that in the great war thousands of years ago, the special item was at stake. To protect it from the hands of the enemy, the Guardian hid the green gem, which is what the special item is, in the symbol of the Number Kingdom. Then, he disguised it as the royal headdress, leaving only the hint that  the kings of the kingdom wore it. Nobody knew of this process, as this was done in secret and only by the Guardian. He then messed with the memory of everyone in the kingdom and planted the idea that the kings wore that particular headdress. Finally, he bound himself to the Number Border and wiped his own memory so that absolutely no one knew of its whereabouts. Only the current king, his brother, the Guardian, and the child clinging to his leg knew of it. 

The one named Ashi grew up to be King Number 96 Black Mist's extra body guard. He trained with the other knights and occasionally with the Guardian to get even stronger. Number 100 Red Nova Sorcerer, known as Astral in the other Territories, continued to travel the Borders. He watched the fascinating process of the Natural Territory repairing itself. At first, there was nothing but explosions and fire, and nothing was habitable. After more visits, though, it became green again. 

Prince Malcolm grew up learning the way of the sword and harp. As heir, Black Mist taught him how to care for the kingdom with benevolence yet with an iron fist. Princess Melody, under the guidance of Number 116 Musical Enchanter, otherwise known as Queen Anuenue, learned how to entertain the guests they invited over beautifully. She and Anuenue kept them entertained with music and polite talk. 

Like this, the Number Kingdom prospered and lived for millions of years to come until the next crisis arrived. This time, though, they were all ready.

And here's the end of this series! ^-^ It was a lot of fun to write in my spare time. I hope you all enjoyed it!

~.THE END.~