Thalia took a deep breath as she stood up after a while. "Right... I should get going. Midnight is coming soon, and I don't want to take any risks by staying here when the clock ticks over."
"Did you already say your goodbyes?" I asked her.
"Yeah," she nodded. "I pulled Annabeth aside and told her the truth about everything. I hope the next time you meet that she'll ease up on you both..."
"Did you decide who's world you're going to go to?" Uta asked next, tilting her head.
"Byleth's," Thalia nodded. "I can't help the urge to fight. It's in my DNA... And I think spending time with Byleth might give me a new perspective on things..." She looked at Uta. "What about you? Are you going back to Elegia?"
She shook her head. "No, I already told the old man I was leaving and said goodbye... He told me understood and told me to follow my dreams. I'm going to go to Erina's world and use her connections to get started as an Idol. If things go well, then I'll go to Lala's world and move onto the Galactic Scale," she smiled. "I'm really looking forward to it."
"Look at both of you, already planning on new adventures," I chuckled. "It'll be a little lonely without you both, but I'm sure Akiza will keep me company."
Uta smiled at me. "You shouldn't talk about other girls while you're with us, idiot," she told me.
My eyes widened as Uta leaned in and sealed her lips over mine. There was no tongue action or anything like that, just a soft and simple kiss.
She pulled away, and I could faintly taste strawberries on my lips.
I opened my mouth to question her, only for Thalia to lean in and steal my lips next. And, unlike Uta, she was far more aggressive- her tongue darting into my mouth. I felt shudders run up my spine as pleasant little electric shocks ran along my tongue, a warm blush rising to my face.
She pulled back slowly, a trail of saliva connecting our lips.
I took a deep breath, regaining my composure. "... Is that your way of telling me that you're both my girlfriends too now?"
"And people say boys are dense," Uta teased softly with a laugh.
Thalia just chuckled and gave me a tight hug. "I'll miss you," she said sincerely.
"I'll miss you too," I told her, hugging her back tightly.
She made her way over to Uta, and the two shared a hug as well. She ruffled Uta's hair before she stepped back.
"Well, I'll see you both later," she told us with a smile...
And seconds later, she vanished into white light, as though she were never there at all.
Uta and I shared a look between us.
I slowly sat down, and she climbed onto my lap- straddling me. Her purple eyes stared deeply into my green ones, a soft smile on her pink lips.
"Well... We have a little time," she told me. "You wanna make out for a bit?"
I pulled her head down to respond...
Nobody bothered us for the rest of the party.
.
.
.
Argus- the hundred-eyed security chief of the camp- picked up the five of us, driving through a light snowstorm to return us to Camp Half-Blood.
Bianca, Penny, and Annabeth all sat together, while Uta and I sat opposite them- holding hands... We talked in quiet whispers when we wanted to speak, but we didn't talk about anything serious. All of us were just happy the drama and stress- for the moment- were over.
Though, on the way back, Annabeth did give me a sincere apology. She admitted that she was jealous and recognised that, in hindsight, she had twisted her admiration for Thalia into romantic love and that- when she saw Uta and I being close to her- it made her act irrationally.
"Water under the bridge," I told Annabeth. "You didn't know. And, plus, we kept secrets from you too. How about we call it even, okay?"
She hesitated before she nodded. "Even," she agreed with a small smile. "... I'm Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena."
I smiled at her. "I'm Yuno Fuji, no idea who my godly parent is."
Uta bumped me with a playful smile, while Tez and Pandora both chuckled in amusement.
There was a celebration at Camp once we returned from the successful quest. It was even more impressive that nobody had died- given the 'Divine Rule of 3s.' We had made it out on the other side alive, and so we burned Burial Shrouds made in our honour. Penny received a fairly nice one made by the Apollo Cabin, who also made a stunning one for Uta. Bianca received one made by the Hunters- even though she was no longer a member. Mine was made by the Hermes Cabin, and it was okay. Nothing to write home about, but certainly not bad either.
Zoe also received one from the Artemis Cabin, though the group left shortly after burning the shrouds. They had been restless at Camp, and they wanted to Hunt once again.
Bianca and Nicole had a tearful reunion, during which Bianca sincerely apologised for leaving Nicole and swore to her to never leave her again. She handed Nicole the figurine of Hades- the only one she was missing. Nicole bawled like a child- well, she was ten to eleven years old- and thanked her sister repeatedly.
It was during the party that Uta and I stood out in the forest together, alone.
"So, you're going on your way?" I asked her.
She gave a nod. "Yep. This experience has been so fun, and I've got a bunch of song ideas floating around in my mind. I want to head to Erina's world and get started on them right away."
She hesitated, "I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly-"
I just waved her off. "Go," I smiled at her. "Remember what we said about dreams? Reach for the stars, Uta. You have my support all the time. And hey, with the amount of points we have, we can actually visit one another regularly from now on!"
Uta smiled and nodded. She gave me a tight hug, kissing my cheek, before she stepped back. "Well then... I'll see you later, Blueberry."
A smile spread on my lips at the nickname. "See you, Diva."
She smiled warmly... And moments later, she too vanished.
I let out a small sigh as I sat by the lake, staring out at the water that gently rippled from the breeze.
I was all alone, now. Besides the nymphs.
Neither Tez nor Pandora spoke a word, simply enjoying the silence and the breeze together with me as we stared out at the water... Savouring the feeling of peace.
Finally, after a long period of silence, I spoke.
"You're there now, right, Atalanta?"
There was a soft growl before Atalanta stepped out of the shadows, still trapped in Lion Form.
She gently nudged against me, and I lift my hand and slowly stroked the top of her head. "So… I assume that you and Tez made a deal, right? I'll restore you to human form. But, in exchange, you'll have to serve me- right?"
She gave a brief nod.
"You aren't worried that I'll do lewd things to you?" I asked her teasingly.
She just rolled her eyes in amusement and gave the lion equivalent of a shrug as if to say, 'what happens, happens.'
"Alright," I nodded. I held out my hand, creating a blank card. "I'm going to use you and transform you into one of my Duel Spirits," I told her. "It's a similar existence to Tez. Are you fine with that?"
She gave a sharp nod... She really was willing to do anything to be free of her curse.
"Don't resist," I told her. "And, from now on, you are mine."
The card glowed softly, and Atalanta merely closed her eyes.
Slowly, a green light slowly emanated from and then left her body, sucked into the card bit by bit... 'Her soul,' I realised after a moment as the card continued to absorb it...
When the last vestiges of green light were sucked in, the body slumped down to the ground- unmoving. Moments later, it softly faded into golden dust and scattered away into the wind.
I looked down at the card in my hand. It was still blank, but that was only because the card was forming, and Atalanta was slowly adapting.
"Rest well," I told her. "You belong to me now..." I slipped the card away, feeling content with how things had turned out.
.
.
.
I bid my farewells to everyone the next day.
It was easier than I thought, saying goodbye to everyone. I got along well enough with many of them, but I only had truly bonded with a few- like Nicole and Penny.
I let out a small sigh as I made my way down Half-Blood hill, my back to the camp as I walked down slowly and took in the air. My breath was ice cold and misty as I exhaled slowly, a small smile on my lips.
"So, Tez, worth it?" I asked him.
"Worth it," Tez nodded with a chuckle. "I'll admit, seeing this world and how similar but different it is to our own... It was fun, more fun than I thought."
"Yeah," Pandora smiled. "Plus, you got some more practise at syncing up with all of us! Your human body should be able to withstand our power now, though not for too long. Three minutes at most."
"That's three minutes more than I could do before," I chuckled softly and looked up at the cloudy sky. "... I had fun too. Spending time here the last six months... It's been some of the most fun I've had in my life. But..."
"But you'll be happy to go home," Tez answered.
I nodded. "Yeah... I'll be happy to go home... After all..." I smiled tiredly. "She's been waiting for me. And I've missed her dearly over the last six months."
"To think, we've been gone for months... But, for her, it won't have even felt like a few seconds have passed..." Pandora murmured.
I chuckled and looked down at my clothes... Denim jeans, the Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, a thick woollen black coat, and a red scarf.
I was going back home, but I felt so different. Almost like the last six months of training, studying, and the like had all been some crazy fever dream.
But they weren't, they'd been real... And now? They were over.
I slowly took a seat, just staring up at the sky for a moment.
"Reluctant to go?" Tez asked.
"Nah," I shook my head. "Just… Thinking about how things are gonna go once I'm back… The Fortune Cup is coming up, and I have no idea if I'm gonna get an invitation or have to enter some kind of tournament to participate… Fuck me, I'll need to get the Armada to prioritise my Duel Runner…"
"Don't forget about that date you promised me!" Pandora added.
"I haven't," I smiled at her, gently stroking her cheek. "Just it feels strange, knowing that I finished one pretty intense job… And now, I've got another job waiting for me when I get back home."
"Bah, no need to overthink it," Tez chuckled. "… Let's go home, Partner."
I nodded as I slowly stood up. "Yeah… I'm ready to go home now…"
I looked up at the sky and closed my eyes.
"Return."
White light flashed over my eyelids, before the world became dark.
I slowly opened my eyes and lowered my head…
In the time I'd been away, even though not even a second had passed, she looked even more beautiful than when I had last seen her.
Perhaps it was because I'd been away from her for so long…
She stood with her back still to me, not daring to turn around as her body quivered. As though she were afraid that, if she turned around, then I wouldn't be there.
I took a step forward and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her against me as I held her tightly in my arms…
She sniffled hard and turned around, burying her face into my shoulder.
I lifted my hand and gently ran it through her crimson hair, closing my eyes as I just enjoyed holding her once again…
I looked down and she looked up.
"Welcome home, Yuno…"
"… I'm home, Aki…"
Our lips pressed together. For the moment, all my worries faded away.
Everything was perfect.
VOLUME 2: SON OF NIGHT – END!
***
And so, another volume is finally put to a close. This one took a whlie, eh?
Sadly, a Flugel's Gacha isn't ready yet for Volume 3. I'm having an issue with some scenes because I REALLY don't want to do the Cursed Island Galuna Arc, and have ended up deciding to re-write the entire arc
However, that doesn't mean I'm going to slow down. I'm going to take a two week Hiatus on Thursdays (expect Billionfold Return to keep posting on Tuesdays) and then, a new story will be coming out on Thursdays!
A Re-Write I'm sure few people were expecting, but one I wanted to pick up and restart since I enjoyed it so much!
Switch On: Unlimited! Coming October 16th 2025!
Trust me, you won't want to miss it~ ;)
***
Discord: discord . gg / HjXrgD5adS