[Music Recommendation: “Glorious Ruins” by Hillsong – available in Spotify or Youtube] ~ Also, prepare some tissues… (ಥ﹏ಥ) ~

Elliot remained afloat in the air for what seemed to be forever.

His hand clenched tight on the sword.

His head looked up towards the higher sky, but his fringes covered his eyes.

Yes, his eyes that were then… still crying continuously.

‘Supreme… it’s all over now,’ Elliot prayed in his heart. ‘Gaia is saved. The people are saved. Everything and everyone is saved… except for Rania.

My Lord… it hurts so much. I don’t know if I can bear this.

But I’ll rest in the thought that she’s with you now. She deserves to be there with you. At least that way, she won’t suffer any pain from this world anymore. So I… I surrender her to you.

Meanwhile, I’ll remain in this world and serve the people as their king until the day you appointed. That day, I’ll return to you as well. And that day, I’ll see her again and be with her again. Yes, I look forward to that day. For now, I’ll remain here and carry the weight of this sacrifice.

Thank you for saving us by bringing Rania into our lives and for being with us every step of the way. For all the help, and power, and lessons—for everything. 

I will keep it all in my heart, especially the memories of her. For that is the only way I can keep her alive at the very least.’

…

…

…

Despite the great triumph over Hatred, everyone’s heart mourned—the Guardians, the Sortis family who also knew the truth of what happened, and Selena. So while every surviving Magi rejoiced, they bowed their heads in great respect, adoration, thankfulness, and all sorts of indescribable feelings. Their eyes cried out like their king. And their lips remained shut like their king—lacking the tiniest strength to even speak.

As their hearts mourned, suddenly, a beautiful voice echoed in the wind.

“When the mountains fall

And the tempest roars You are with me

When creation folds

Still, my soul will soar on Your mercy.”

At the same time, the colorful core in Elliot’s sword detached itself from the sword and flew high towards the sky.

Then, like glass, it shattered, releasing the immeasurable amount of energies it contained—spiritual, holy, and life.

“I’ll walk through the fire

With my head lifted high 

And my spirit revived in Your story

And I’ll look to the cross 

As my failure is lost In the light of Your glorious grace.”

Elliot’s eyes widened when he heard it. He was reminded of the time when Rania told him…

“On the last day of my life, I want to spend it singing a song for the Lord because I want to thank Him for every moment that happened in my life. It wasn’t a smooth ride, but still… it was beautiful.”

Elliot’s lips curved into a gentle smile. He closed his eyes and listened to the heavenly voice, basking himself in its familiar warmth.

“So let the ruins come to life

In the beauty of Your Name

Rising up from the ashes

God, forever You reign.

And my soul will find refuge

In the shadow of Your wings

I will love You forever

And forever, I’ll sing.”

Elliot wasn’t the only one who heard the song—every living being did, for it echoed throughout Gaia.

As it did, the colorful sparkles of energy scattered throughout the planet, healing all of its wounds. Rania’s clones were also dispersed, but they finished their task of fixing the fissures before they did. 

Everyone witnessed the marvelous, unexplainable sight, for never in the history of Gaia did spiritual energies heal a dying planet.

Just like the voice sang, the ruins that were once Gaia came to life! 

The life it lost was back and to its full glory!

The darkness was lifted, the wilted trees, plants, flowers—all fauna and flora were rejuvenated. Marine life was back as well, the desert, mountains, cliffs, and the ocean—everything was back to what it once was! 

The waters weren’t murky anymore but shined the perfect aquamarine color. The volcanoes didn’t wreak havoc, and the storms and tempest were gone. And the skies… it was back to its magnificent iridescent glow.

How Elliot wished Rania could have seen what it looked like. But it was fine. He just had to make sure to tell her once they met again in the afterlife. For now, he’ll keep the memories with him.

***

A few months have passed since then. The people had been busy rebuilding their homes, villages, towns, and countries. Nature had been restored, but not the same could be said for its infrastructure. It wasn’t that hard for them though; they were Magi, after all.

King Elliot, too, had been busy running the kingdom and helping the people. He instructed Calum to return with the Floating Kingdom since Gaia had been restored much to their joy. He came with Azalea and all the former officials to the throne and reported everything that happened back on Earth to him. It had been a very long discussion, but all in all, Magi and human relations were fixed. A treaty had been formed between the two, and they were on the way to redemption.

They also discussed the current government of Gaia. Elliot did a little cleaning of his own officials and tested everyone before deciding his final list of Judges and Generals. For the Judges, he gave the four positions to Calum, Azalea, Clavis, and Selena, much to everyone’s surprise. Though they shouldn’t really be surprised since the four of them were the strongest next to the king and the closest to him as well, so of course, he trusted them—including Azalea since by then, she already had her own spiritual core, thanks to Calum.

For the Generals, he picked those that remained loyal to the throne and the kingdom, unswayed by Avarus’ evil schemes. Some of them were formerly from prison as well since the corrupt nobles worked hard in plotting against them. But King Elliot restored their honor, to which they were very much thankful. Because of that, the tale of his kindness and benevolence quickly spread out to the people, making them love him despite only knowing him recently.

There was also another tale that spread throughout the planet and got recorded in history books. It was the tale of a Saintess—a pure maiden favored by the Supreme. Despite being a human, she sacrificed her life to save the world and the people that once hurt her. She was kind, gentle, and full of hope, faith, and love. She didn’t let her past cloud her purpose but instead used it as her strength to follow the Supreme’s Will, which was to forgive Gaia of its sins and save it through her.

It was the Sortis family who told this tale to everyone. Because of that, all Magi from different tribes, countries, and continents adored and respected the Saintess. Deeply thankful for her sacrifice, they erected statues and painted pictures in memory of her last moment—with her hands to her chest and the colorful core in between containing spiritual, holy, and life energies. The Supreme’s hand was her ground, signifying how she relied on Him for everything and her obedience to His Will. 

She was deemed both Heroine and Saintess in everyone’s hearts.

Rania Caeles was her name—the Chosen Maiden and the Broken Vessel of the Supreme.