Blaze
Some say the world will end in fire. Gale couldn't remember where he had heard this, but right now, he would be inclined to believe it, and he couldn't think of a better way for things to end.
Lupa was standing before him, taller and even more magnificent than he remembered him, surrounded by flames that seemed to burst from nothingness. He didn't seemed to be afraid, though; in fact, they seemed to be guarding him against the surrounding darkness. When he saw Gale, he smiled, and the burning circle around him opened, the two blazing threads rushing towards Gale as they traced a path from Lupa to him, stopping a few feet from Gale, extinguished by a strong gust of wind. "I knew you'd come to find me," he said.
Ever the pragmatic mind, Gale looked around, a bit incredulously. Lupa's presence, this empty place, Jenna's absence... the conclusion he reached from all these things did not make sense to him, and yet, it was the only logical one. "I'm... dead," he stated out loud. Not quite what he had imagined the afterlife would be like, but he was used to disappointments by now. All things considered, this disappointment was rather minor, compared to what he had to go through before.
"A new step in the journey," Lupa corrected, still smiling warmer than the blaze surrounding him. He opened his arms. "Will you come with me?"
Gale took a step forward, but then slowly looked back, as if he could catch a glimpse of the world he just left, hesitating. Serph...
"They will come and join us soon," Lupa said, as if he could guess Gale's thoughts. "We are all in this together, after all."
Nodding, Gale turned toward Lupa again, and walked to him slowly. As he stepped forward, wind blew out the fire on either side of him, but when he entered the circle, the gusts following him only seemed to feed the fire, making the flames grow tall as walls, embracing the both of them in their warmth. He stopped when his chest touched Lupa's, but he did not dare look up. So many things he had to say... so much he wanted to apologize for. And for once, the blunt, honest Gale couldn't find his words.
A warm hand rested on his shoulder and gently squeezed it as Lupa spoke softly, his lips brushing against Gale's forehead. "It's going to be fine."
Gale nodded and, for the first time since he awoke in this incarnation, he allowed himself to lean against a friend.
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