Eons into the future...

"Dad, why did you spoil Ceri with noodles so much?  I didn't need him to have an addiction too, you know!"

He turns a page, her voice echoing in his ears.

"Dad, do you think August will resent me for what I did to him?"

Unfortunately, he was never able to answer that question for her.  From how his memory has began to fade as the years went by, he's lucky to even remember who he was.

"I hope you get many chances to taste the sunlight, on the Vi-Goldetta it tastes like salted caramel."

He flips a page, remembering the times where he did get to taste it.  And yes, it was exactly like salted caramel.

"I wonder what they think of me, Dad, Ceri and Aura.  I'm not here for them, they're with the Spirits and I... I'm not."

He keeps turning the pages, her voice echoing in his ears, stories playing out in his mind, his heart getting lost in the memories.

"Dad, I hope you don't miss me too much."

"Dad, you know that I'll wait forever to see you and Mom again, right?"

"Dad, I can't wait for us all to be reunited again."

"Dad, I can't wait for all of us to be a family again."

"Dad, I can't wait for you and Mom to finish your work."

"Dad, I love you."

"Dad."

"Dad."

Dad.

Heliux closes the journal with a small sigh, resting his head in his right hand.  It was his daughter's parting gift to him, a gift given to him so, so long ago.  It's been more than a billion years since he's seen her last, more than a couple billion years.  He hates that her face is fading from his mind, his memory.  Only her voice can he really be certain of.  She has become a blur in his memories, and he hates that he let himself forget about her.

Curiously, he notices an odd flap sticking out of the journal, one that he's never noticed before.  It must have just... showed up, he's had this book for who knows how long now, he would've noticed it surely?  Heliux pulls out the flap, which reveals itself to be a simple folded piece of paper.  Gently, he unfolds it to reveal a message... a new message, directed to him?

Dad,

Are you surprised to see something new from me?  I cursed this page to appear only on a special day.  I hope that you've been doing well all these years, both you and Mom.  Be excited, good things are coming your way, and I know that you'll make the right choices.  I'm the Time fairy, you can trust me you know!

I love you both so much.  I'll be seeing both of you very, very soon.

Love,
Valerie ☆

The paper flutters down to the floor as Heliux thinks about the words he just read.  She would be seeing both him and Layra soon?  

He touches the swirled sapphire hoop, the sapphire itself coloured violet and swirled with gold, that sits on his right ear.  The piece of jewelry that both him and his wife wear, the jewelry they wear to honour and remember their only child.  The child that they would apparently be seeing very soon.

He doesn't want to believe it.  He doesn't want to give himself false hope.

Three quick knocks sound at the door to his office.  "Yes?" Heliux answers in a slightly annoyed tone, well, his usual tone.  He quickly hides the journal in one of his desk drawers, following up with, "You may come in."

A girl with raven-black hair and bright violet eyes opens the door looking shaken.  "Love, there's... there's something you need to see."

He instantly grows concerned.  "Layra, is everything-"

"Yes."  She sounds almost... relieved?  "Just come with me."

"Alright then."  He gets up and lets her lead him out into the courtyard.  Ever since the first day he fell in love with her, he's trusted her.  And now, eons later, he still does.  People say that love lasts forever, and they are living proof that it does.

The air outside has started to dry up over the years, not noticeable to the mortals but of course the Ministers take notice of it every single day.  Nothing is as fresh as it once was.  However, one thing has not changed: the bright blue of the sky.  As Heliux looks up at it now he feels a sense of familiarity, this is the same sky that has been with him for eons and will be with him for eons more.

The Dark Minister points to a spot in the center of the clearing.  "Look," she whispers, and when he does, he freezes.  There, standing in the Colony, the storied Pokemon that created the universe as a whole.  The Pokemon that began everything.

The Pokemon that can end everything.

"Arceus..." Heliux lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding after he whispers the Pokemon's name.  So his daughter was right.

They really are going to see each other again soon.

The Legendary Pokemon turns its head, nodding it once to acknowledge the other Minister's presence, and then it begins to speak.  "All of you who have served through generations, I praise you for your service to oversee the universe's protection.  However, it is time for this universe to move on, to end per se.  I will create another world, a better world, but all of you-" the Legendary Pokemon glances at both Ministers for a brief second before continuing- "will not be joining it.  Tomorrow, you will perform the Exuviga Ritual.  After that, this universe will be destroyed."  It bows its head gracefully despite its news being so blunt.  "Thank you."

Fairies start to murmur amongst themselves, some are happy to reunite with the ones they've lost, others cry for their lives are now ending.  As the news spreads, Arceus approaches the two Ministers; the Legendary Pokemon speaks to them in a warm, almost friendly, tone.  "As you know, the Exuviga Ritual will destroy all life, all Elemental materials including all Necklaces and Sapphires, as well as all fairies no matter if they are in possession of a Sapphire or a Necklace.  However, that leaves you both still here, alive."

"What do you wish for us to do?" Layra's voice is but a breath of fresh air.

"I am giving the both of you a choice.  If you would like to, you may come with me to the new world and continue your duties there with a new Colony of fairies.  Or, you may stay here with your universe and pass on."  Arceus speaks clearly, trying not to leave any room for misunderstanding with them both.

The Dark Minister thinks to herself.  "When that universe ends, would we be able to come back here and see our daughter?"

Arceus shakes its head.  "Once you move on from this universe, it becomes sealed to you and you cannot return.  I will keep all the Spirits of this world safe in order to preserve its memory, so she will be safe no matter what you choose.  However, you will not be able to see her again if you leave-"

"Then we're staying," both of them say in unison.  "There isn't any other way to get around this," Heliux murmurs, thinking of what Valerie wrote on that piece of paper, "but we're ready.  We've been ready for ages now."

Layra takes his hand.  "We won't be coming with you, Arceus, but thank you for all you've done for us, and all you will do for us."

The Legendary Pokemon bows its head.  The Ministers have made their choice.

~~~~~~~~~~

Heliux had never thought a world could be so... empty.  After the ritual was performed, after he said a final goodbye to all the fairies including their Ruler, after he said goodbye to his daughter's Sapphire and watched as its violet swirls turned to dust, after all of it... after.  He can barely think as it is.  This moment, this moment he's dreamed about for years, finally passing on like everyone else.  Finally seeing all the ones that he's lost.  This doesn't feel real, not in the slightest.

He and Layra both did some flights around the world, a world that is now empty of all Pokemon and humans.  They are the only beings left on the planet, just them two against the world as always.  Well, of course it is.  It's how they started.  It's how they'll end.

The Colony feels even stranger without the usual hustle and bustle.  Both of them are used to fairies going off to do their daily tasks, fairies practicing magic, Mist Battles, parties, music, laughter, voices... and now it is just dead silence.

When they return from their worldly flight, they both find themselves staring at the Colony.  At the only home they've known ever since they were young, and now they are going through a change.  A very big change.  The two of them walk inside to see their shared room for the last time.  They'll never see this place again, not any of it. 

Layra walks toward her cupboard, pulling out a box while Heliux watches curiously.  She pulls out countless stacks of paper, each one of them drawings, drawings that her husband had given her.  "Remember these?" she asks, full of melancholy.  "You made them for me while we were separated."

"Do not even show those to me, my art skills back then were dreadful," he moans, pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut.  After hearing some giggles from his wife, he opens them.  "You... honestly kept them?  Every single one of them?"

"And all the drawings you did before, and all the ones you did after-"

"Thank goodness you kept the actual good ones," he grumbles under his breath.

She swats at him.  "They're all marvelous, Love.  But I'm serious, I kept them all.  Well, the ones that stood the test of time anyway."  She smiles.  "Hey, come on, let's play a game.  Try and tag me!"

"I'm too old for this," Heliux tries complaining, but when his wife runs away from him, laughter bubbling from her lips, he knows that he must follow her.  The two zip through the Colony, following every twist and every turn for they know it like the back of their own hands.  Every building, every memory of every fairy they ever knew is here, right here.  Silent memories echo in the air, wisps of mere moments in time.  

They lived here.  They loved here.  They grew up here.  All of it was done right here, in this sacred and magical, oh so magical, place.  And now as they fly up above the hills surrounding the Colony, they take one last look down at the only home that they've ever known.  The place where they witnessed loved ones grow up, the place where they were loved, the place where they got to live.

And as they chase each other away from that place, they know that they will never come back.

They chase each other to the open plains.  This space has changed its composition over the years but now it is just a soft bed of grass and wildflowers.  Layra runs, laughing, and laughs even harder as she trips on a pebble and falls down on her back.  Heliux, concerned, asks if she's alright, but when he sees the sheer delight written all over her face, he can't help but smile and laugh with her.  The two Ministers lay together on the grass, staring up at the dawn sky.

It's beautiful.  The last dawn they'll ever see, both of them are glad that clouds aren't there to cover it all up.  

Heliux turns his head to gaze at Layra for one of the last times he'll be able to do so alive.  Her beauty, her pure spirit, all that she is... "Layra, I love you," he tells her earnestly.

She turns her head toward him, dandelion seeds in her hair.  "I love you too," she replies with the sweetest smile that Heliux has ever been blessed with.

"I should have told you this earlier, but thank you, thank you so much for spending all those years with me," he spills out before he can stop it.  What's the point in waiting?  There is going to be no other time, for time itself is soon ending.  "Thank you for always being there for me, for lifting me up, for making me feel less alone in this world that feels like it moves too fast.  Thank you for loving me, I love you so, so much, just as much as I did when I first fell in love with you."

She blushes.  "Heliux, you've done more for me than you could ever imagine.  You don't know how much you mean to me.  Gardenia this is probably that end-of-the-world brain talking but you're my everything, and I hope you know that."  Layra grasps at his hand and he makes no attempt to let go.  "The first time you fell in love with me, huh?  When was that?  Because I remember you being in denial."

He huffs at her, a red tint staining his cheeks.  "Well, if I had to say... it is probably the first time you and I danced together," he confesses, sounding a tad shy.  "Gardenia, all the people that we've met... and that war, we should've had the power to stop it.  And stop that dastard Queen that I cannot remember the name of."

"Alara I think," Layra tries to recall.  "And Ash and Serena as well as August and Verity, they helped stop and prevent another war."  Those four names will forever be fresh in their minds, they are basically family to the two Ministers, considering Valerie and August's relationship... and they never forget about their families.  

Heliux smiles.  "Do you remember the first time we saw Valerie?"

The mother in Layra gets all emotional.  "She was such a precious bundle of joy, and I can remember, the moment she opened her eyes for the first time... and we saw those two beautiful night skies, that's when I knew.  That's when I knew that I loved her, that she was mine, and no matter where she was I would always be there for her."

"... you took the words right out of my mouth," the Light Minister tells her after a pause.  He lets out a sigh.  "I can't wait to see her again."  Another pause, then he glances at his wife.  "Are you... scared?"

"Of dying?"  She shivers.  "A little.  We've evaded it so long but seen it so much, it didn't sound that scary at first but now we're here."  She glances back.  "You?"

He nods.  "I am... slightly terrified."

Layra, having the Element that she does, has been sensing his fear for a long while now.  She's just been waiting for him to tell it to her himself.  She shuffles around on the grass, leans her head against his.  "We're doing it together," she reminds him.  "I won't be losing you.  Not now, not ever."

"I love you," he murmurs, basking in her presence.  The last two people alive, sitting on the grass, holding each other close, a pastel sky gracing them as all they feel is a sense of incoming peace.

Who could've asked for a better end?

For what feels like hours the two reminisce in old memories, the times they shared together.  However, it only lasts mere minutes.  They stand up to see a small line of black against the horizon.  An empty void, that is the universe's eraser come to erase them, once and for all.  It grows larger by the second, wiping out the dawn sky.

Heliux takes Layra's hand.

Layra takes Heliux's hand.

They both look at each other, squeeze each other's hands.

As the line draws closer, a small cracking sound reaches their ears.  Actually, it's multiple sounds.  First, it's the sound of their wings beginning to shatter and break.  The thing they've seen happen to so many fairies is finally happening to them, and... for some glorious reason, it isn't painful.  It feels freeing.  

When they look down, down at their chests, they notice something else.  The purple gems that they've worn for decades, centuries, eons, are finally crackling.  Little bits of purple fall to the ground, fly freely in the air carried by a friendly wind.  The gems that held their curse are finally breaking apart.

Layra leans her head on Heliux's shoulder, both of them looking out into the incoming black void.  Both of them are smiling, tears at the edges of their eyes.  At last, at last, at last they get their end.

The black void is so close to them now.  Layra turns her head toward Heliux, her last chance for last words.  "Heliux, I love you."

He turns to her.  "I love you too," he says, and then the void swallows them whole.

All of it disappears, the Colony, the human world full of abandoned gyms and performance halls, the Castle, all of it disappears except two souls finally reaching the peace that they've been searching for for so long.  They float together in the abyss, higher and higher, until light shines down upon them.

Heliux regains consciousness on what he can only describe as a cotton candy cloud.  Waves of light circle around him in every colour that he's ever known to exist.  The shards of his wings join him again, forming into solid wings on his back.  Blinking his eyes, he sees Layra beside him, her wings coming back to her too.  He rushes over to her and helps her up.

They glance around, wide-eyed.  "Is this really the realm of the Spirits...?" Heliux wonders, feeling immensely in awe.

He feels Layra freeze from beside him, and he turns as he points forward.  "Look."

A figure is walking toward them.

A golden glow turns her chocolate hair into honey-gold.  Her steps are light and graceful, strong and sure.  She wears hues of gray, white, black.  A clock rests on her chest, a second rests on her waist.  When the light dies down, her eyes, violet with golden flecks, sparkle with tears.

Valerie stands in front of her parents, and all three of them are frozen.  Frozen in shock, wondering what to do.

And then suddenly, as the former Queen runs into her parents' arms, they both hold her close.  No longer is she even fuzzy in their minds, as soon as they see her, everything comes back to them crystal clear.  All three of them hug, a hug that they've been waiting for for eons ever since they said goodbye.  "Mom," she whispers, "Dad.  I missed you both, s-so much..."

"We missed you too," Layra says through sobs, while Heliux is silently crying, crying because after all of this, after all of it, he finally gets to see his beloved family again.  He finally gets his peace. 

They both do.

They all do.

After what feels like eons more, they let go.  "I'm so happy we're together again," Valerie laments, giving her parents a smile that they have missed so, so much.  After becoming overcome with emotion she quickly composes herself, looking flustered.  "Um, there are lots of people waiting for you back there," she tells them, pointing in the direction from which she came.  "There's a big celebration planned for both of you.  Everyone is there," she says happily.  "Even my grandparents, though they're technically not supposed to be here."

Both now-former Minister freeze.  Their parents... their parents are there?  After all these... after all these years, they finally... finally...

Valerie stretches her hands out.  "Come, let's go."

Her parents grab hold of her hands, and together, they walk into the realm of the Spirits, the end of the universe finally complete.  

And as Heliux and Layra see glimpses of faces that they've waited millions, billions of years to see, finally, finally everything is at peace.

Peace... Heliux closes his eyes and smiles.  The most magical thing I've ever come across.