"No, Krel," I sobbed, my voice barely a whisper as tears ran down my face. I traced shaking fingers around the edge of his jaw, gripping his limp form even tighter. "Please. You can't go. My friend, my love, please." As much as I cried and begged and tried to sing him back to life, it was no use. Krel was gone.

I sobbed as slowly, his neon skin started dissolving into blue particles, growing in numbers until a flurry of them escaped into the night sky. I sobbed even harder when his body was gone, leaving only a small blue crystalline object in his place. Tenderly, I picked up the remains of my loved one like the most delicate of glass, cradled it close, and cried harder than I'd ever in my life.

Sister... Raven whispered softly, but she sounded unsure of whether or not to approach. Finally, padded footsteps came my way as a large, furry hand landed on my shoulder. I am sorry, Ramos said, and I paused in my crying to look up at him. He was looking down at me, and his eyes sparkled with sympathy. I squeezed my eyes shut and looked back down, sobbing harder. The hand on my shoulder slowly pulled away, and Ramos sighed, retreating.

"I have died....every day," I sang hoarsely, voice cracking halfway through as more tears fell. "Waiting for you...darling don't...be afraid....I have loved you....for a--a thousand...thousand...thous--" I sobbed, voice shattering into a million pieces as I cried in vain, the magic of my music failing to revive him.

A...

Thousand...

Years...

Heart...beats...fast, a sudden baritone shocked me out of my crying. Colors and promises~ Ramos' voice was deep and strong, though it had taken on a soft tone for the song. How to be brave...how can I love when I'm—
"Afraid...to...fall," I harmonized with him, standing as he approached me. "But watching you stand...a-lone. All of my doubt...suddenly fades away somehow~"

One step closer~ He walked towards me, placing a hand on my shoulder. Raven placed her delicate claw in mine, and I squeezed it as she too joined in the chorus. "I have died every day waiting for you...Darling don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years....I'll love you for a thou-sand more~"

And when you're needing your space, Araidne and Meloetta chimed in, joining our circle of connected limbs, placing their hands on Raven and Ramos', respectively. To do some navigating~
I'll be here patiently waiting, Pythia joined in, Mystere and Daruk following suit to connect us all through touch. To see what you find...

"'Cause even the stars, they burn..." we sang. "Some even fall to the earth~" Others joined us, laying hands on shoulders to form a circle around me. "We got a lot to learn....But God know we're worth it~"

"No, I won't give up~"

The packs--Water, Earth and Air--all joined us in mourning the loss of our friends, our families, in battle. Meloetta sang for her sister, and I noticed tears rolling down her face. Raven sang for Scorpio, even though he wasn't here; I could feel it in her voice as she squeezed my hand. I sang for him, too, and for Krel.

Slowly, starting with Ramos and the other Alphas, magic began to lift off of their skin, making their bodies glow with color; gradually, their packs began to join them, each of them glowing in turn to create beautiful hues of rainbow auroras. Slowly, the magic lifted off of their skin and into the air like before as we vocalized, spreading across the battlefield and imbuing itself into the corpses of the fallen.

As the magic settled into their skin, their bodies began to dissolve, crumbling into ash, dirt or water, leaving flowers and various other fauna in their wake that glowed with the music; one last song, before they went to sleep among the stars with Eclipse. It settled into Krel's core too, glowing blue so bright it hurt to look at. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see the last bit of him dissolve.

Ramos finally started the song again, crooning softly as silent tears fell from his eyes. When my hair's all but gone and my memory fades...and I can't sweep you off of your feet...
"When my hands don't play the strings the same way, mmm..." Raven continued, squeezing my hands in understanding as she and my friends picked up for my slack. "I know you will still love me the same~" I was still crying, letting the waves of emotions from each Ventil that sang flow through me and add fuel to my tears.

"And darling I....will, be loving you, 'till we're seventy~" Ela and Cephas paired together, voices intertwining beautifully as they sang to each other, grateful that both had survived relatively unharmed.
"And baby your...smile's, forever in my mind, and memory~" Aquarius and Scales duetted next, both worried for their future now that they were freed, and had obligations to go with their separate packs.
And I'm thinkin' 'bout how~

"People fall in love in mysterious ways..." Zephyr's belt echoed loudly, rising above the choir of Ventils to take the lead. She sang for her people, the losses she had experienced. "Maybe it's all part of a plan~" Insanity's voice was creaky, roughened from years of disuse, but still managed to hit all of her notes. I'll just keep on making the same mistakes...hoping that you'll understand~~~ The Alphas of Air and Water sang together, hands grasped tight with each other's as they sang for a better and brighter future for their people.

"I have died...every day...waiting for you~"
Darling don't...be afraid...I have loved you~
Keep looking up...
"For a thousand years~"
I still won't give up....
I still won't---
"I'm thinking out loud~"

"Maybe we've found love right where we are~" I finished softly, barely audible but still thundering in the sea of mourning Ventils. The light from us all diminished, slowly fading from the plants and flora as souls were finally laid to rest. "I love you, Krel," I sobbed, falling to my knees in my grief, hugging my arms close to myself.

"I love you too, Lunalis."

I gasped, tears blurring my eyes as I looked up, disbelieving as what I saw must have been a trick. An illusion. A mirage. A cruel trick my grief had played on me. But no. There he was. Real and breathing and warm and reaching for me with four arms outstretched—

I tackled him over and he squeaked, wincing as I hugged him tight enough to hear his ribs creaking. I peppered kisses all over his face, his eyes, his nose and lips and cheeks and forehead, mixing with sweat and blood and tears and snot. Then I reared back and I shook him wildly by the shoulders, so intensely he yelped with the pain of whiplash.

"DON'T YOU EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!!!" I screamed at him, tears rushing like a waterfall and soaking him through. "To be fair, I didn't think I would have come back either," he said, rubbing at his neck with a wince. "Akiridions need concentrated energy to revive our physical forms. Earth doesn't have the technology to do so. It makes me wonder how—"

I cut him off with another kiss that turned into more sobbing that turned into him holding me and comforting me with a hand in my hair. "It's alright," he said, murmuring the words right against my ear. "It's alright. I'm here. I'm here with you. I'm still here."