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Final Chapter : Farewell's horizon. Onwards! Into the boundless future.

The soft crashing of the waves against the shore beat a steady soothing rhythm. Somewhere, the sun was slowly setting beyond the horizon, painting the sky with endless variations of color. And soon even that would fade, giving way to the stars which would shine brightly in the heavens. Avalon Island was truly an amazing place.

Shiro sat upon the sand, enjoying every minute of it.

It had already been more than a week since they had returned to the real world. Their trials and tribulations were the very stuff of legends, myth and magic. History had been made, the course of destiny altered by their hands.

Naturally of course, no one believed them. No one but those that had experienced it for themselves.

It would forever be a secret, held within the hearts of those select few. And Shiro felt that it should remain there.

The marks that Kurotama had left on the world would fade, the scars he had inflicted would heal. And someday, even the mere mention of his name would exist only in the dusty pages of old history books. It seemed a fitting legacy.

History will truly judge him accordingly.

Life had gone on as it always had. With or without them people had still attended classes. The mundane existed in its minutiae and variety both.

Professor Argyle was still delivering the same mind numbing lectures and both he and Koji had felt particularly vindicated in skipping all of them.

It seemed that for some. Daily life was truly immortal.

"You know." Said Koji. "You did save the world and all. That does kind of make you a hero or something."

"Maybe." Shiro laughed at the thought. Me, a hero! Ha! "But there is something I've come to realize. The world needs saving, a lot. We may have stopped Kurotama. But that doesn't mean there won't be others." Others who will only see things in terms of black and white. Shiro thought sadly. Us or them. Others who prefer force to words, distrust and apathy to compassion and understanding. But in the end, we can't force others to our point of view, all we can do is wait. While we welcome them with outstretched hands.

"Well you did your job. Let the world fix its own problems."

"Koji?"

"Shiro you're the one who showed me. That everyone has the power to create their own future. Their own ideal world. It may be difficult, and maybe we stumble and get hurt along the way. But as long as we have friends willing to lend us a hand, I think everything will turn out alright in the end."

"You're right you know. But it certainly feels good to be reminded." Its so easy to forget that and try to carry everything all alone. "When I joined with the Akashic records I learned something. I learned that this world is like a child in its infancy. Prejudice is like that same child scraping its knee. It doesn't know why it hurts. Only that it does. But someday, even children grow up."

"Shiro." Koji said with a sly grin on his face. "Are you sure you didn't peek at the future. Just a little?"

"Now where would the fun be in that?"

Rosalyn crested the hill and shouted. "Hey you two! You're going to miss the graduation ceremony." She waved her hand, beckoning them to follow. "Come on!"

"What do you say?" Shiro stood, dusting the sand from his hands he took up a stance. "For old times sake?"

"Why not. After all. What can they do. Expel us?"

* * *

"I can't believe their actually graduating us." Said Koji. "I mean, we didn't even study the minimum of two years."

"Face it." Said Shiro. "What's left they could teach us we don't already know? Besides, we've been labeled troublemakers. I think they're doing this just to get rid of us."

Rosalyn silenced them both with a glance. A poorly suppressed smile in evidence on her face.

Shiro couldn't stop fidgeting, the formal dress they had been expected to wear was dammed uncomfortable. And a tie! It was the final insult. He snuck a peek through the curtain to see what was waiting for them.

The courtyard had been transformed into a grand stage. Dozens of mage lights drifted through the air, illuminating the ground like fireflies, it looked almost like a sea of miniature stars dancing in the moonlight.

Hundreds of people sat in seats divided into carefully planned rows. They had all been seated so that no race was directly in contact with any it might be on unfriendly terms with. Although he had to admit. One-half of the audience still looked ready to eat the other.

They want us to go out there? Looking like this? No way, not a chance.

Shiro watched as Renia handed Koji his diploma and directed him towards the stage. "Mind saying a few words to your fellow classmates?"

Koji stood behind the podium, unsure of what exactly to say. "Um. I'm going home." The faculty broke out into a standing ovation, there were whistles and cheers complete with free flowing champagne. Koji was suddenly in his element. "But don't think that I won't be back someday! Me or my offspring." A wave of silence swept out over the crowd following this pronouncement. Somewhere, a lonely cricket chirped in the night. "Thank you!"

Shiro took a deep breath. That was going to be a difficult speech to follow.

Rosalyn straightened his tie for him. "Stage fright?"

"I'm just, I'm not big on the whole public speaking thing."

"Just say what's in your heart. And don't worry about the words." She pushed him out onto the stage. "You'll do fine."

Everyone's eye turned towards him as he forced himself to smile. Renia handed him his diploma and he took it gratefully

A piece of paper with words written on it. A symbol that others would recognize. It seemed like such a simple thing in comparison to the fate of the world.

As he approached the podium he thought about all the things that he had gained on his journey. The most important of which was understanding. Suddenly he knew the words that needed to be spoken. Shiro cleared his throat. "Each of us sets out on a journey. Some of us are content to wander. Some of us have a set destination in mind. And some of us have stumbled and lost our way. But we need only reach out to the person next to us to know that we are not alone. No matter how hard our journeys may be, they are made easier by the friends we travel them with. Now, life stretches out before us. And though we may part company, each of us to seek our own places in the world. We do so with the knowledge that we will never be alone."

Shiro stepped from the stage. Others would follow after to receive their diplomas. But he saw no reason to to stay behind and watch. After all, he already had people who were waiting for him.

* * *

_Compared to our grand adventures our graduation ceremony was uneventful at best. We all said our goodbyes and spoke of our dreams. While each of us wondered about the path we would take.

The future extends ahead of us like an endless horizon._

"Hey Shiro!" Said Koji. "Are you still writing in that thing? You'll miss the fireworks."

But there'll be time to write about that later. For now, I'm going to enjoy the time I have with my friends.

Shiro placed his journal upon the grass.

Tomorrow would come in its own time, its own way. For now, memories of this moment were what would last forever.

* * *

And though it had seemed as if the night would never end, and morning would never arrive. The time had finally come.

They stood upon the docks. Shiro, Nelo, Koji, Rosalyn and Leon. All around them people were busy going on about their business, their daily lives. Oblivious even to the parting taking place in their midst.

The Hespera was waiting patiently for its passengers to board before finally setting out.

We really have come full circle. Thought Shiro. To think we would say goodbye in this place.

For him it had begun with a letter, a letter which had changed everything.

Though they had started as strangers, enemies and allies. By sharing triumph and treachery, suffering and sorrow, joy and solace. They had become friends.

And now they were setting out. Each to follow their own road. To see where their individual paths would lead them.

Rosalyn was the first to say goodbye. "Farewell Shiro." She wrapped her arms around him and stole a kiss. "I'm glad that I met you."

Leon patted him on the back. High praise from the resolute warrior.

"I guess . . . I guess this really is goodbye."

The Hespera sounded its final boarding call.

"Never say goodbye Shiro. Just, say so long." Koji climbed the boarding ramp. "If you ever find yourself in the Winter Islands, stop by sometime. Both of you."

"Sure." Said Rosalyn. A secret smile crossed her lips. "I'd like that."

Rosalyn and Leon said their final farewells. The mooring clamps were released and the Hespera began to drift away into the sky. Shiro called after the departing airship. "So long Koji!"

From the deck of the Hespera Koji raised his hand and waved.

"Zeyd and Kiara are waiting for us." Whispered Nelo softly.

Shiro looked around one last time. "Right." He smiled a smile that was for her alone. "We're going home, aren't we."

* * *

The wind was alive with promise, it carried with it sight and sound, scent and memory. It traveled the world, a silent watcher, who whispered its secrets to those who would listen.

"What are you thinking about?" Nelo wrapped her tail around Shiro's, her hand slipping comfortably into his.

"That. Perhaps this is not the end of a journey. But the beginning of a new one. And if we keep walking this road. I know that someday, we'll meet them again."

She silenced him with a kiss. "Together?"

Shiro blushed as he stared into gold eyes alight with mischief. "Always . . ." He returned the kiss.

From the deck of the Tsubasa no Mikomi they watched, as Avalon Island vanished; beyond the horizon.

Epilogue: Ten years later . . .

This is the last entry I will ever write in this journal. I have searched my Atelier to the end of frustration and beyond. The Arcanum Arcanorum has gone, vanished to I know not where. Its purpose served it undoubtedly seeks a new master.

Perhaps, it will even find one. Or maybe it will just sit on a shelf, gathering dust as it does so well.

Who knows?

But the thought does not worry me. It will be wherever it needs to be, only to be found by the one who needs to find it. As it did me.

Chronicling our adventures has been a strange experience for me. When I flip through the pages of my life I see a wandering path, filled with uncertain trials and unknown perils, but one that was made easier by the friends I traveled it with.

Koji.

He was my first real friend. So its only fitting that I write about him here.

Koji returned to the Winter Islands shortly after graduation to establish his own dojo. Now he trains young werewolves to fight in the Fanged Vengeance style.

It's really popular too. Apparently, those who win acceptance into other packs are considered to be something akin to a living legend.

There's no end to the women lined up outside its doors either. Maybe its the surplus of young males attracted by the prestige of meeting a real hero. Maybe its the fact Koji willingly returned to the Freya clan. Or maybe it just because he's Koji. And as he would say 'I have that effect on women.' Whatever the reason may be, there's only one he holds in his heart.

We still spar from time to time. The record stands at fifty to fifty. He never lets me forget that our first match doesn't count. And I just nod politely.

The saga of Fafnir will live on in the halls of Veil Academy for years to come. The faculty breathed a sigh of relief the day Koji left. And promptly told him to never come back. So he enjoys stopping by every once in a while. Just to keep them on their toes.

Rosalyn and Leon.

We each of us make our own families, though we may be born to poverty or to great circumstance, we are bound by more than mere bonds of blood. Rosalyn has finally found a family to call her own. She and Leon have opened an orphanage!

Those who are lost and lonely, those who have no home to call their own. Rosalyn has welcomed them into her heart. And the halls of Calandra manor echo with their joy and laughter.

Musashi and Forty-Nine

Musashi reopened Machinist For Hire with Kirin as his apprentice. The two are almost inseparable now. When they talk you'd think they were speaking another language. Its impossible to understand those two when their fixing something. Forty-Nine always runs like clockwork now. He's even became something of a mascot.

Whenever the Tsubasa no Mikomi has needed repairs he's always been there. No one else can fix it quite like him. And I don't think anyone ever will.

Renia Kyaro

Two things can be said of dragons with absolute certainty. They hoard treasure and they love secrets. Running a school for mages no doubt fulfills her need for both.

Why?

Because we were her treasures. Her precious students, who shined with a little polish and were worth more to her than all the gold in the world.

Perhaps out of all of us, I think she will miss Koji the most. Dragons have a particular fondness for intrigue and Koji created more than his fair share.

She is still the headmaster at Veil Academy and will no doubt be for years to come. Dragons are long lived creatures, far longer than even the elves . . .

It seems strange to think that she will outlive us all. That, even when we have faded to dust, she will remember us still, and we will be in essence immortal; even if only in memory.

Zeyd Argus and Kiara Areyos

They are still members of the Azure Sky. Although they've take on a much less active role.

I think they surprised us all when they announced their retirement. Retirement. Ha! I'm shaking my head even as I write this. As if those two could ever give up their whirlwind life of travel and adventure. But still . . . Kiara claims she has gotten old. And Zeyd still does his best to convince her otherwise.

We were their last students. And I like to think they were proud of us.

The mantle of the Azure Sky has been passed on to a new generation; with me as its bearer.

As the new leader of the Azure Sky the task falls to me to carry on the principles which they instilled in us, and someday, pass on.

Like a torch changing hands their legacy will burn brightly in the hearts of all its members.

It is a light, our light, to protect those who cannot protect themselves, to help them stand against the hardships of this world and create their own path.

We still fly the skies sometimes, all of us, aboard the Tsubasa no Mikomi. The Airship which carried us around the world and back. No matter where we went. No matter were we traveled. It always managed to bring us home.

Cassiopeia and Schroedinger

They survived the battle. Or should I say, they were repaired after the battle. And though they may have begun as tools for war, they did not need end as such.

When the choice was presented to them, both Cassiopeia and Schroedinger embraced new lives.

Their will belongs to them alone now and they are able to make the choices that so many of us take for granted.

With hearts of their own, their destiny undecided, they are truly a part of our world. Though they may have begun as machines, who are we to decide whether or not they have souls?

I believe they do.

For they feel love, hate and hope, the best and the worst of life is theirs to experience, and everything in existence that feeds the soul on its journey as well.

When last I saw them they had set out on a journey of their own, though they gave no reason as to why, I can only guess at their purpose in doing so.

Perhaps it was to find others like them, perhaps it was to find a place where they could be accepted as people and not as weapons, but wherever they have gone, wherever they may go. I know that they will find happiness.

With their permission we did however remove their weapon systems and magic cancellers. And while the originals may have been destroyed. The damage has still been done. The knowledge of their existence is something we will have to live with.

But we will not hide such knowledge, burying it away and pretending it does not exist. For that would only give power to those who would use them for the wrong reasons. Instead we will embrace them and look for the ways in which they can better our lives. And on that day, perhaps Cassiopeia and Schroedinger will return.

As friends we will welcome them home and tell each other the stories of our lives.

And I . . . I will wait for that day with hope.

Master Tetsu

Nelo and I returned to Seirei shortly after the graduation, in fact, we turned it into something of a honeymoon. Master was more than willing to perform the marriage ceremony for us. He admitted it came to him as something of a shock, that any son of his could settle down with just one woman.

I think being a lifelong bachelor was his only regret. Still, Shen Wa attended the wedding. And the two have more than enough in common. Perhaps Nelo and I will have to try our hands at playing matchmaker.

But we weren't the only ones with a surprise hidden up our sleeve. Master Tetsu has found a new apprentice!

Vahn has found a father to call his own. And I suppose that makes him my brother. Though we may not share blood. The bonds that connect us are surely stronger. For we are brothers of the soul.

He and Tetsu seem made for each other. I'm sure Tetsu will corrupt him right. The two never seem to fail in whatever perverted endeavor their minds can come up with.

He still carries the badge I gave him. And should he ever call and ask for help. The Azure Sky stands ready.

Nelo Tora

Nelo has decided she wants to be a mother!

This came to me as something of a shock. I mean, when you're in the middle of eating dinner and you're wife suddenly pounces on you. She probably wants only one thing.

Apparently, her biological clock has started ticking again, what with being mortal and all. She also mentioned something about making up for lost time. Myself personally, I just think she's in heat. Not that I mind.

When I asked her how many children she wanted to have she said six. Six! That's an entire litter. I just hope most of them are boys and not girls or I'm going to be hopelessly outnumbered. One woman in my life is trouble enough thank you. Although, just in case she's reading over my shoulder, which, she's doing right now! Those claws, they really hurt! We can have all daughters if you want. I'll be happy to give them to you.

One a side note. Koji already has a daughter and a right royal hellion she is. Apparently, she takes after her mother.

I'd hate to think we might start a new competition, one where we see who can have more children.

And finally we come to me.

I've spent the last ten years traveling the world, meeting its many races and peoples. With Nelo at my side it has been a journey well worth remembering. We've seen good times and bad, faced many hardships together, but we've come out stronger in the end. She is the other half of my soul. And she completes me.

But no matter were we traveled, no matter were we went, people were still people. There were good ones and bad ones. Those who helped others and those who helped themselves. We saw them all, a rich tapestry woven of those who made up the world. The threads of their lives connecting them to others. And I began to wonder if things had really changed.

But ten years is the blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things and change is a slow and gradual process. Mountains are worn away by the wind. Water can carve a path through even the hardest rock. And so too can the hearts and minds of people grow to encompass others. Just like the first seed sown that becomes a forest, it begins with one.

Who knows. It may never happen in my lifetime, or even a thousand lifetimes. Maybe people will always find reasons to hate one another. But then I remember the words of my friends.

As long as we reach out to each other, as long as we have the courage to heal another's heart. The world will change. It has already begun.

Shiro closed the cover of his journal for the last time. His task finished, his pen grew silent and still. The pleasant memories and the bitter trials lay before him, their existence immortalized as words on a page. They would be remembered, they would be shared, and there would be many more still to come. He held his pen for a moment longer. "It still needs a name . . . I know." With all the flourish of a master swordsman he gave it the name which he felt suited it best.

Magical Mayhem Sorcerous Familiar

Shiro lay down his pen, its task finished and done he turned to Nelo and said. "Do you really think that I'll make a good father?"

She removed the collar from around his neck. "The best."

And the two of them shared a kiss that seemed to last forever.

The end.