The golden orb surrounding Oreo continued to pulse, each heartbeat of light washing across the battlefield as the miracle slowly approached completion.
For the first time...
The fighting had stopped.
There was nothing left to swing my sword at.
Nothing left to protect.
Only...
Goodbyes.
I slowly turned.
Zeref was already looking at me.
Neither of us spoke.
We didn't need to.
The answer had been written across the sky from the moment Michael explained the price of the reset.
A beginning.
One where none of us knew whether we'd ever find each other again.
One where this journey...
This Tower...
Might become nothing more than a forgotten dream.
Zeref took a slow step toward me.
Then another.
Until only a breath separated us.
His trembling hand gently brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
