TW: ANGST...  MCD?

Title: ~Until The End~

The bright morning sun shone down on the ruins of the castle as the two people moved through its desolate form.  The day before, they had finally finished clearing all of the monsters and monster spawners from the castle, and were now beginning the long process of clearing the taint that stained every surface of the once great structure.

Lalna leaned back from where he was planting a Silverwood sapling in the ground in the courtyard and pushed his hair back from his forehead.  Nano sat a few feet away, a half dug hole in front of her and a sapling clutched in her hand.  She was staring up at the castle tower, her face strangely blank.

“Nano!” Lalna called over to her, “About done over there?”

Nano’s head jerked around and she blinked rapidly like she was coming out of a dream. “Ye-yeah sorry! I just- must have spaced off there.”

“Mmm,” he mumbled as he stood up and walked over to her. “We have a lot of saplings to plant if we want to clear this place of taint anytime soon.”

After conducting several experiments, some ending better than others, the duo had figured out that the pure nod contained in the heart of the Silverwoods would clear the taint around them for a few blocks.  Over the last couple of weeks, they had been farming the trees and had amassed quite a large collection of the saplings.

However, there was a lot of ground to clean and the changing of the biomes was a very slow process that requited several days to complete.  Thus, it would be a long time before they could properly move back into the castle.

While they had been working on plating the saplings, Lalna had been keeping a close eye on Nano to make sure that being around all of the taint wasn’t affecting her.   She had claimed over and over again that she was fine and that he should stop bugging her about it, but he wasn’t convicted.  Every now and again, he would look over and see her starting off into the distance, like he had just caught her doing, and more than once he was sure she had been mumbling to herself.

Once they returned home in the evenings, she seemed more like herself.  Her normal happy demeanor would return and she would be fine until they returned to the taint the next morning. 

“Now who’s spacing out.” Nano teased, smiling up at him as the normal light returned to her eyes.

Lalna blinked and smiled down at her “Sorry, I was just thinking that maybe we should go back early today. It’s so nice outside and I know you’ve been wanted to make pumpkin pie for a while.”

Nano eagerly agreed and the two stepped through the portal that would take them back home. 

Lalna spent the rest of the evening trying to avoid tripping over Nano as she rushed about getting the ingredients for the pie and laughing when she managed to spill milk over a very put out looking Tiddles.

Finally, after the cat had been given a bath, with only minor injures to Lalna’s arms, and the pie safely stored in the fridge, they retired to their beds.  Nano flopped down in hers and curled up against her pillow, sighing, as she got comfortable.  Lalna flicked off the main light and turned on the light on his bedside table before lying down on his bed.  He reached for the book he was currently reading, Red Matter and It’s Side Effects, and leaned back against his pillows.

“Hey, Lalna?” Nano’s small voice floated through the air.

“Mmm?” he answered, his eyes flicking up over the top of the book to look across at her.

She was sitting up in bed hugging a pillow to her chest and she wouldn’t meet his eyes as she said, “It’s just that… I just wanted to thank you.”

Lalna blinked in surprise and fully looked up from his book. “What do you mean?  For what?”

“For… well for everything.  You’ve done so much for me and I don’t really know if I’ve ever thanked you for that.”

“It’s nothing, I was just-“

“It’s not nothing.” Nano snapped crossly, “Please don’t ever think it was nothing.”

“What’s gotten into you tonight?”

“I just really wanted to thank you before… well before I forget.”

Lalna studied her in the dim light.  “Nano, is there anything wrong?”

“No, no I just… I really wanted to tell you that. Wow, I’m really tired goodnight!”

With that, she flopped back down and covered herself with the blankets. 

“Nano?” he said

The only response was a very loud snore that indicated she was done talking to him and, with a sigh, he turned back to his book.  His sleep that night was full of strange dark dreams.  He tossed and turned, trying to fall into some sort of peaceful sleep only to slip back into the strange plain of his dreams.

He awoke from a particularly disturbing dream and sat straight up in bed. He gasped, trying to catch his breathe, and ran his fingers through his hair.  The moon shone faint light in through the windows and everything in the house was quite and calm, just the way it should have been. Except for one thing.

Whenever he woke up from bad dreams, he would always listen to the sound of Nano’s breathing and, without fail, it would calm him down.   But that night, the room was silent.  Fear shot through his heart as he looked over and saw that her bed was empty, the sheets unmade as if she had just been lying there.

“Nano?” he called into the darkness as he fumbled to turn the light on.  There was no response and so Lalna tugged on his shoes and hurried down the stairs to the main room.  Tiddles was sitting by the door, her fur standing on end as she clawed at the door.

“Tiddles,” Lalna hurried over to the cat, “What’s wrong girl? Where’s Nano?”

Tiddles meowed up at him and then continued to sniff and claw at the door.

 Lalna carefully moved her to the side and stepped out of the door.  The air outside was still and the moon and stars above him seemed to be holding their breath.  He had a sinking feeling in his gut as he looked at the portal before him.  He had been hoping that she would be downstairs.  Getting a glass of water or stealing some late night pie, but it looked like his worst fears were being confirmed.

He stepped through the portal and into the courtyard of the castle.  Nothing looked different.  The Silverwoods cast their pale light about the grass and the first bits of taint were starting to recede around their edges. 

“Nano?” he shouted

There was no reply so he deiced to check the inside of the castle.  The moonlight shone in through the windows and various cracks in the brick caused by the taint casting an odd purple tinted mist to light his way as he searched for his missing companion.

Suddenly, his ears picked up on something.  It was a very dim noise, almost like a whisper, and it sounded like it was coming from somewhere deeper in the castle.  He traveled towards the noise, using his hearing more than his eyes to guide him through the corridors.  As he came closer to the source of the sound, he realized what he was hearing.

It sounded like a song.  It was not in English and he couldn’t understand any of its strange melody but his pace quickened as he recognized who exactly was singing it.  He reached the tower where Nano was first tainted and bolted to the top of the staircase.  The large glass ball that had once set atop it’s roof had been blown off in the taint explosion and now all that was left was a large round circle of stone covered in taint. 

In the middle of the floor, sat Nano.  She was covered in a strange purple light that seemed to be coming from the taint around her and wisps of the taint itself floated around her.   Her eyes were closed as she sang the haunting melody and a tainted sheep lay with its head on her lap.

“Nano!” Lalna shouted, running towards her.  But his attempts to reach her were thwarted by some sort of invisible barrier that surrounded her.

He banged his fist against it, yelling her name again as he attempted to break though.

Nano ended the song in a long wavering note and then slowly closed her mouth.  She tilted her head down and her eyes opened.

From them poured a strange purple light, much like the light that the taint was emitting.   She turned her head and looked at where Lalna was still banging against the barrier. 

“Hello Lalna,” she whispered, her voice calm and gentle.

“Nano! Get out of there!”

She shook her head slowly, a slight smile on her lips.

“I’ve figured it out Lalna, I know how to end this”

“That’s great Nano, now come here.” He said, the panic plain in his voice.

She smiled at him, a sad smile that twisted his heart.

“No, I cannot. This is where I need to be. This is where I was always meant to be.”

 “What do you mean?” Lalna shouted

She petted the sheep’s head “Thank you for all the kindness you’ve showed me. Forgive Sjin, he was blinded when he acted against me and I can see that now. This was always going to happen. I was meant to be here.”

Lalna felt the anger rise inside of him and he shouted, “We are going home now.  That’s where you belong, not here.”

She stood up and and walked over to him, the taint pulsing where her feet fell.

“Don’t you see? I have the power to stop this. To stop taint from existing. It will end the world if left unchecked.”

“Screw the world, we can live on the moon. “ Lalna spat

Nano laughed and reached up with her hand to press against the barrier like she was going to press it to his face.

“No no, we can’t leave everyone down here like that. They would all soon parish. “

“They are strong! They will survive! Hell, they can come live with us on the moon!” he gasped, his panic threatening to overwhelm him.

“The taint will only grow stronger and stronger until it destroys everything.”  She waved her hand, and images flashed on the taint particles behind her.

Lalna watched as the taint began to spread and all the creatures were turned into tainted monsters as everything was slowly consumed.  The inhabitations tried to fend off these monsters but they just kept coming and he watched as they were all defeated and then rose again to join in the tainted hordes.

“See? Nano whispered as the images faded,  “I must stop this. Mother is coming, you must be gone when she arrives.”

“I’m not leaving you!” he shouted, drawing his sword and hitting it so hard against the barrier that sparks flew off.

“I will get you out of there and we will go home! Luggage and Barnabus are going to be wondering where we are. Come on!”

“I’m not leaving Lalna. I was never meant to leave. I understand that now. Send them my love. The Mother is here.”

All a sudden, a purple beam began to glow from the middle of tower top.  It shot up towards the sky and grew in power until the light was blinding to look at.

Nano smiled at him one last time before stepping back and into the light.

“Goodbye Lalna, and thank you.”

As she entered into the light, Lalna noticed that the barrier had begun to weaken and his efforts to break in increased until, with a crack, the barrier shattered before him. He ran towards the light and jumped in, feeling his armor begin to take damage from whatever the light was made from.

“Nano!” He shouted his arms grasping through the light to try and reach her. Suddenly, his fingers closed around an arm and he tugged Nano close to him so he can see her.

“What are you doing here!?” She gasped using her normal angry Nano voice that Lalna had so often heard. “Go away! This is my purpose!”

“Not anymore!” Lalna shouted, “We are partners. Wherever you go, I go too. I don’t know what this mother thing is, but I will meet her with you.”

“You are going to die Lalna! Don’t you understand? My death is the only thing that will stop the spread of the taint!” she cried, trying to twist free of his arm.

Instead of releasing her, he pulled her close until his arms were wrapped all the way around her.

“I’m not going to let you die alone. I’ll be right here. Beside you. Until the end.”

 Nano stopped trying to fight free, shocked.

“Why?”

“I’ve told you and over again. You are my partner.” He leaned down and put his forehead on hers. “You mean everything to me. I’m never going to let you go.”

Nano’s face flooded with shock and then tears filled her eyes.  She gently slipped away from him until she was holding both of his hands.

“Together then?”

 Lalna nodded. “Until the end.”

The two of them turned their faces to the sky, theirs hands locked together as the purple light engulfed them.

A few weeks later, three travels arrive at the site of the ruins of an old castle.  They traveled through its barren halls until they come across a very old site on the top of one of the towers.

There, surrounded by a lush field of purple flowers, lay a single blue gem and what looked like a poppet. 

“How did these get here?” The bearded one asked, his blue eyes studying the odd sight before them.

“I don’t know!  I’ve never seen these flowers anywhere before.” The dwarf commented beside him, while he examined one of the strange blooms.

“What do you think L- What are you doing friend?”

The third companion was staring up into the sky, his blonde hair gently blowing in the wind.

“I don’t know…For a second I thought I saw something”

“What was it?”

He shook his head and turned his back on the flowers. 

“I don’t know, but let’s leave this place be, I don’t think it needs to be cleaned.”

The tall man and the short man exchanged looks, but followed after their friend, leaving the field of flowers as untouched as before.