Five years ago, Thorn basically ruined Shintaro's life a second time. Tsaka was murdered and his children were taken into the horrendous custody of the Shadow Spirit. Eventually Shintaro was reunited with his children and got the chance to meet Kai, but he had lost his wife in the process - and that had dug an even deeper hole in his chest. If it were not for Thorn dragging them all into this, all of the deaths probably wouldn't have happened.

But Shintaro was grateful that Thorn had brought them together. The deaths definitely were going to - already had - leave hollow gaps in Shintaro's life, but he wouldn't have the rest of these people to call family if it were not for Thorn. He would definitely miss his shy friend, his playful son, and the jokester Amy - but he would never have met them if Thorn had not begun this whole thing when he did. 

When Thorn had brought Shintaro to his arena, everything seemed to be falling apart. Shintaro's wife had been murdered, his children was under Thorn, and his friend's son was being brutally controlled by the Shadow Spirit. After Thorn had united them, Shintaro's life seemed to be rebuilding itself. He'd lost his friend, but he had gained many more and a place to call home after his previous one was destroyed. 

Shintaro owed Thorn.

But he'd never gotten to pay him back. 

He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to anyway. 

Shintaro slowly turned away from where Thorn had previously been sitting, uncertain of what emotions he was feeling or thoughts he was thinking. He couldn't say that he was grateful that Thorn was finally gone, but he wasn't exactly sorry either. Shintaro had never hated Thorn like he'd hated Brethren - he'd simply disliked him with unkempt annoyance. 

As he'd expected, his friends were all looking at him with varied expressions. Linda was staring up at him with her hands still clasped in her lap, her face betraying no emotions whatsoever. Rachel was pivoting slightly to blink up at Shintaro with curious and pitying eyes, but Nanami hadn't yet awoken to witness the scene. Ruby was looking from the space Thorn had been to Shintaro, her eyes full of sympathetic confusion. Zeke was beside her, his face etched with the normal frown - but there was some curiousness behind his eyes. Gabriel was crouched by Rachel, only turned halfway toward Shintaro and his expression unreadable. Ozai was a few feet away from where Shintaro had been lying after he'd blacked out, his expression blankly indecipherable. Abby and Falte were crouched near to each other again, both on Kai's either side. They were blinking at the empty spot behind Shintaro, then switching their gazes to Shintaro's face again. Kai and Moon both looked utterly exhausted, but there was an odd smoothness to Kai's face as if his eyebrows had been drawn for too long and he'd just relaxed - and another strange part of his expression was he looked oddly sympathetic. 

Shintaro slowly blew out a breath, trailing his eyes over the group before him. He wasn't entirely sure if his eyes had remained multicolored, but he was paying attention to other things - such as all of the previous Darks that were gazing about one another in confusion. 

"What just happened?" Cynthia spoke up, and Shintaro turned to find her slowly rising to her feet wearily - although her voice was strong. She steadied herself by planting her feet shoulder width apart before turning her brown eyes to Shintaro. "Care to explain?" 

Shintaro set his jaw and stared back at her unrelentingly. "Somehow, Nanami and I managed to vanquish Dark Magic. It no longer exists; therefore, the rest of you are free." Shintaro let his eyes travel across the previous Darks that were scattered across the open area of the library. 

As he looked them over, he noticed how many of them were nearly Kai's age, even some younger. Many of them looked frightened and confused yet relieved and joyful, while only a few looked defeated and angry. All this time, Shintaro had been viewing every Dark - aside from himself and Kai - as an untrustworthy, evil human being that didn't deserve Shintaro's time. 

But that was probably the worst wrong Shintaro had ever made. Four out of seven of these people were innocent teenagers who had most likely been threatened into their jobs. Several of them had probably gone through the same fate as Kai, even a few of the older ones. Shintaro wasn't the one to judge them, because he knew nothing about them. 

Shintaro had spent his whole life hating the Darks and their magic, wishing to destroy them and pound them down to the dirt, where he'd thought they'd deserved to be. Shintaro had spent his whole life despising the fact that he was one of them, beating himself down just as much as he did to them. 

But they were just as human as Shintaro was. 

It was wrong of him to judge them so strongly. 

And he knew just how to pay these innocent, possibly homeless civilians back. 

"Those of you who were previously wielders of Dark Magic," Shintaro said slowly, raising his voice so that everyone in the room could hear him - he wasn't sure how many other Darks were outside of the library or hiding in the aisles. "I hope you realize that you are now free from the bondage you have been living under. I know not how long you have served under the Darks or if you happened to be a high rank yourself, but none of that matters now. You are free to make your own choices, to head back to your own homes. I understand that some of you may not have homes..." Shintaro raised his eyes to the ceiling, smiling slightly. "This will be your home. It may be old and abandoned, but with help, we can fix that and make this place the home you need. If you aren't willing to stay here, that isn't may choice to make. You are free to go wherever you like.

"To any of those who still have the wish of causing trouble," Shintaro said lowly, hardening his gaze to the few men and women who were frowning harshly up at him, "you will have to answer to me. I am still the guardian of this realm, and whether or not you were previously a Dark, I will not allow your behavior from before. There are dungeons in this structure, and I am not ashamed to put the few of you in there to set you straight." 

Shintaro was glad to see a vast majority of the men and woman blinking eagerly and earnestly up at him, their eyes full of longing, wonder, and relief. A girl probably a year or two younger than Kai was leaning forward with her hands clasped in her lap, her green eyes fixated on Shintaro with wide curiosity. 

"For now, you all will remain here until we've figured things out," Shintaro said with a small nod. Many of the people before him returned the nod with smiles, though a few of them dropped their gaze to their laps. 

"What about us?" Linda suddenly asked hesitantly, listing her head to the right and gesturing with her hand. Her voice was small, her expression tentative and wary. "What will we do? Our home was destroyed, remember?" 

Shintaro inclined his head downward to meet Linda's gaze, keeping his expression neutral even though he wished to give her a reassuring smile. "That isn't up to me," he said plainly. "It is up to you all where you wish to go." 

Everyone passed glances to each other, including Linda to Gabriel and Rachel. Abby stared at Kai for a while, biting her lip with drawn eyebrows. Kai blinked back at her, then looked over at Shintaro shortly. 

Shintaro wanted so badly to lower himself in front of Linda, cup her face, and suggest that she stay with him - but that was a ridiculous decision. She was free to go wherever she wanted, especially to go live with her sister. He knew he was being selfish, but he wanted her to stay with him wherever he stayed. Though, things would probably be awkward since Shintaro had kissed her - thinking he would have died. 

"I think it's wise to stay here for now," Ruby interjected suddenly, her voice strong and smooth. She gestured around her with one hand, keeping her eyes fixed on Shintaro. "On one hand, most of us don't have a place to go - and we're injured." She paused only for a moment to glance over at Zeke, who was touching his temple. "On the other hand, there are a few of us that are too young to go out on their own just yet." She cast a glance at Kai and Abby, who both spluttered in embarrassment as Ruby smirked merely slightly at them. 

Falte chuckled at his son's red face, but then nodded agreeably. "I think she's right. A lot of us aren't in the shape to go anywhere just yet." He closed his mouth around the rest of the agreement, deciding to spare his son from any more embarrassment. 

Shintaro nodded shortly. "That seems like the best idea for now. But any of you are free to leave whenever you like." He refused to look down at Linda as he said this, fearful that his expression would betray his longing for her to stay; instead, he turned to the Darks. "That goes for you all as well." 

Just as Shintaro started to turn away, the previous Darks suddenly rose to their feet like a wave, the first few standing delicately and then everyone else across the room following. They all straightened their backs and squared their shoulders, including the children and even Cynthia. They all turned directly toward Shintaro, their backs straight and their arms at their sides. 

And then in unison, each and every one of them placed their arms together in the shape of a cross - the right forearm taking the place of the arms of the cross and the left jutting upward as the base - and pressed their forearms against the spot on their chest nearest to their heart. As they pushed their arms against their hearts, each of them bowed their head in respect. 

Shintaro felt his jaw fall open slightly, his gaze sliding over the group as they held the position as if waiting for him to respond - but he couldn't find his voice, or even his thoughts. What were they doing? Shintaro had never seen any Dark do such a thing. Was it a sign of gratitude? Was it a Dark tradition that Shintaro had never known about? 

One of the youngest, the girl that had been eagerly listening to him before, lifted her head only slightly to meet his eyes. A soft, cheerful smile played at her lips as she blinked at him, and Shintaro saw gratitude swirling in her green eyes. 

He returned her smile and nodded slightly, which apparently was signal enough for the rest of the men and women. They slowly lifted their heads and lowered their arms, but their expressions did not change - relief, gratitude, peace. 

Even the ones who had looked angry at Shintaro seemed to be full of a sense of peace. 

Shintaro couldn't wipe the faint smile away from his face. These people were just like him, just like anyone. They deserved peace away from the orders of Shintaro's father, and thankfully he'd been able to give it to them. 

They were free.

Just as Shintaro was free. 

For his whole life, Shintaro had never truly known the meaning of peace, not even as an innocent child that normally shouldn't have had anything to worry about. As long as his father was around, Shintaro had never known peace. Even after he'd escaped his from his father, he had to deal with the fact that he was still a Dark - that he was still like his father. When he'd gotten Light Magic, he'd thought it would make things better - but it only seem to get worse. The Darkness in him was more painful than anything he'd ever known, until he learned to suppress it - and even that was painful. When he'd met Tsaka, time seemed to slow down, and he shamefully left his duties alone. Everything after that had only brought him farther down into the conflicted spiral of himself, especially the deaths - which he refused to let get to him. Shintaro had only glimpsed the meaning of peace, never felt it. 

But now, the hollow feeling in his chest wasn't just because of the missing puzzle piece within him. It was because the Dark Magic in him was gone, he was finally able to truly understand peace. Because he had his friends, peace was now familiar to him. Because of everything that had happened ...

He finally knew peace. 

"So I have a question," Falte suddenly piped up, switching his gaze from Shintaro to Ozai, who seemed to know what was coming, because he lowered his eyes to his hands with a sigh. Falte continued as if the older man hadn't done anything. "You're Shintaro's uncle? That was never really confirmed before." 

Ozai sighed again but lifted his head with a troubled expression. Shintaro noticed that even he looked exhausted, but he hadn't disappeared - which meant that he wasn't entirely Darkness like his brother had been. 

"Y-Yes," Ozai answered in his thick accent after a few moments of silence. "Don't ask me how he was my sibling, because I'm not exactly sure either. I just know that I found a spell to make me human, and I managed to escape from him. I didn't know he'd had children until he found me again." 

Shintaro flinched slightly, but he was now definitely sure that whenever Brethren had left the house for days, he was going to Ozai. "Why didn't you tell me?" Shintaro said to Ozai, trying to keep the roughness out of his voice. 

"Well, when you first showed up, I wasn't sure that it was really you," Ozai answered with a halfhearted shrug. "But eventually I figured it out. I didn't tell you because you deserved better than to know your father had a brother - one that worked for him for many years." 

Shintaro hardened his gaze, but he found himself understanding that Ozai was trustworthy - but that didn't put away the fact that he had kept important information from Shintaro. "You don't know what I deserve and what I don't," Shintaro said roughly. "You don't get to decide that. I would have liked to know from the beginning, Ozai." 

Ozai's shoulders lifted in a small flinch, and he dropped his gaze away from Shintaro. "I know," he said quietly. "I realize now that I probably should have told you." 

"Probably?" Shintaro repeated flatly. 

"Okay, not probably," Ozai amended with a sigh. "I suppose I simply didn't want you to hate me. I've had enough of that for a lifetime." 

Shintaro couldn't stop the pity that marched into his heart. There was no way of knowing what Brethren had done to Ozai in their younger years, or how long Ozai had even been with him - but that didn't mean Brethren had left his brother untouched. 

"The same thing goes for you," Shintaro said, leveling his voice. "You are free to leave if you wish."

"I'm staying with Taro," Nanami's weary voice said quietly, and Shintaro hurried to Rachel's side as everyone else turned to look at Nanami in relief. Her green eyes were open and locked on Shintaro as he knelt in front of Rachel. 

The little girl gave him a faint smile, reaching out and grabbing his larger hand in hers. "I'm always staying with Taro." She squeezed his hand, then frowned harshly. 

"What?" Rachel asked curiously, worry beginning to slide into her voice. "Are you alright?" 

"I'm tired," Nanami replied flatly. "I'm going to sleep." She closed her eyes and sagged against Rachel's lap with a huff. 

No one could hold back their laughter at her comment, including Shintaro. He chuckled and squeezed her hand in return, running his finger along her knuckles. "Always staying with me, huh?" he asked quietly. 

"Mhm," Nanami answered without opening her eyes. 

Shintaro smiled down at her, grateful that she'd chosen to stay with him. Ever since they'd agreed to care for her, each of them had taken a liking to each other. Nanami felt like another daughter to Shintaro, and he was sure Abby felt like Nanami was her little sister. 

No matter how many of his friends left, he would never forget them. They would always be his family.

"I am too," another voice said behind Shintaro. 

Linda suddenly appeared beside him, and Shintaro realized with a sharp inhale that she was the one who'd spoken. She grabbed his free hand with both of hers and squeezed it tightly, her cheeks turning the slightest bit pink. 

"I'm staying with you too," she said softly, leaning against his shoulder. "Always." 

~

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA-

I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW HAPPY I AM RIGHT NOW

YOU GUYS IM SO HAPPY

MY STOMACH HURTS FROM EXCITEDNESS

AHKJHDGKJHALKGJHAKJHSKJAGJFGAKJGSHHJG

JUST

THE 

EPILOGUE

and then this book

IS FINISHED.

IM SO HAPPY.

Thank you guys so so so so sososoososoososoosososoososo much for reading!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

UNTIL THE LAST CHAPTER-

P3ac3!!!~~~