The Stars Are Dimming

EPILOGUE

The Seven Stars returned, but the lives of all the mortal men who perished would never come back to life again. The evil was finally gone, for Gwyndale could not feel its presence. For miles and miles from the capital, all they saw were burnt forests and pillaged villages, and for the unlucky ones, their bodies were burnt to ashes.

Here Gwyndale now stood, watching the procession of the dead, their blackened bodies raised onto boats lit by a candle, and once its wax dried the flames would engulf the whole ship. Slowly, from the distance a ship was set ablaze, then another and another until all the boats were in flames.

The flaming boats continued sailing, brought by the waters towards the horizon. No one knew what was beyond the raging waters of the sea, but there might be a land beyond the waters, a whole new realm for the dead to live another life?

"Master Gwyndale," Sermorph whispered to Gwyndale, pulling him out of the crowd watching the procession, "What should we do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Two realms are destroyed, and the last realm, our Mortal Realm is also on the verge of collapse. The water wizards are no more, and us, the last light and dark wizards are very weak now. It would be impossible to restore all the realms now --"

"Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless we find the last Water Wizard."

"Wait. Did you just imply that there is still a Water Wizard around?" Sermorph raised an eyebrow.

"I sent Felros to the Edge with Demphin and you sent Ar-Qosh, remember?" Gwyndale looked toward the horizon, "I am sure they are alive, and they saved us all and the stars. I don't know how, but I have a feeling that they saved us, I know it."

"Then you would want to get to the Edge and find them?" Sermorph frowned, "It is dangerous."

"Not now yet. We still have a lot of other things to do, and for now, grant me a little rest in my chambers," Gwyndale climbed up the stone stairs, leaving Sermorph alone at the seaside.

***

Far away, atop the bell tower above the capital, a young man watched the procession, the right sleeve of his tattered tunic empty, fluttering with the breeze.

For now, he would remain in unnoticed and unknown, for within his blood is pure evil, imprinted behind by a devil, the unnamed, the last of its infamous legacy within Demphin...