As the scepter moved, Sirin watched a stone path wind across the lawn, leading to the entrance of the white tower.
Then, the tower's doors opened, and a slightly dazed child walked out.
"Bella…" Even from a distance, Sirin recognized the child instantly.
She looked at Shu. He nodded. Sirin jumped out of his arms and ran towards the tower.
"Bella!!" Before she even reached the entrance, Sirin called out impatiently. Bella, still lost in thought, was startled. By the time she looked up, Sirin had already leaped into her arms.
Caught off guard, Bella was knocked to the ground. Sirin hugged her tightly.
"Lady Sirin…?" Bella couldn't quite believe it, but Sirin's warmth, the solid feeling of her in her arms, was real. She couldn't help but hug her back.
"Bella… do you see? Magic really does exist…" Sirin sniffled, her voice thick with tears.
Magic… Bella was stunned for a moment, then nodded seriously. "Yes, magic really exists! But Lady Sirin, you're crying again…"
"No, Bella…" Sirin shook her head, propping herself up and pointing at her face with both hands. "See, I'm definitely smiling, right?"
Bella looked at Sirin's face. There were indeed tears, still streaming from the corners of her eyes.
But Sirin's lips were curved upwards in a smile, and the joy radiating from her was genuine.
"Sirin really is smiling…"
"Just… a really, really ugly smile… hehe, just kidding."
Two voices came. Sirin looked up in surprise. "Aurora, Agatha! You too…"
The two children who emerged from the doorway smiled at Sirin. Sirin wrapped an arm around each of them.
"That's great… that's great… you're all here…"
"Yeah…" The two exchanged glances, relieved smiles in their eyes. "We've always been here…"
One child after another emerged from the doorway, followed by the researchers, John, Henry…
In the distance, Kiana and the others had reached Shu's side, watching Sirin reunite with everyone.
"Shu, did you resurrect them?" Kiana asked, puzzled. "That's amazing… you can even do that…"
Hearing Kiana's exclamation, Shu shook his head.
"It's not resurrection. Just as they said, they've always been here…" Shu looked at Kiana, who was fiddling with his scepter and the fabric of his clothes, and smiled wryly.
"Remember Welt's last experiment?" Shu handed the scepter back to Kiana. Joyce's eyes flickered.
"Natasha's brother's last experiment…" Kiana giggled sheepishly, but still took the scepter. "I remember you saying it proved the existence of souls?"
Shu nodded. "Yes, because he proved that souls exist, I could confirm that the consciousnesses always with Sirin were them.
"It was based on that judgment that I could solidify their consciousnesses and allow them to reappear here…"
"I see…" A hand rested heavily on Shu's shoulder. Joyce came to his side, smiling. "The question of the soul is a complex one. Whether it exists or not, whether the one retrieved is still the same…
"It seems you have found your answer…"
Shu nodded, then said bluntly, "Stop touching me. Do you want me to take my clothes off for you too?"
Joyce's restless hand trembled slightly. They turned to Shu and nodded seriously. "That would be acceptable."
Shu: "..."
Kiana: "…?"
She looked at the scepter in her hand, then at the two locked in a silent standoff, and scuttled sideways like a crab, sidling up to Mei.
"Hehe, Mei, touch this stick. It feels really nice!"
"Huh?"
Joyce didn't remove her hand, and Shu didn't brush it away. Sirin had finished reuniting with everyone.
So many people, yet Sirin could still call each of them by name. Was it because this was a dream, or something else?
Sirin bowed deeply to everyone. Bella and the others helped her up. Then, Sirin turned and ran back along the path.
By the time she reached Shu and the others, she was out of breath. Joyce finally removed her hand from Shu's shoulder… and released the hem of his coat, allowing Shu to speak to Sirin properly.
"I want to leave with you. Sirin wants to go back to reality!" Sirin looked up. "Sirin wants to see if everyone's bodies are still in hibernation, to see if there's still a way to save everyone!"
"But that will take another fourteen years… Won't you be tired?"
Sirin shook her head resolutely. "No! This time, Sirin is not alone!"
Sirin's eyes shone with hope. Shu smiled and took the scepter back from Kiana.
"Do you need to say goodbye to everyone in Babylon?" Shu asked. Sirin shook her head. Shu raised the scepter, turned around, and gently tapped the air.
Ripples spread, revealing a door of light.
"If you go through here, you'll wake up," Shu said to everyone. "Everyone, I'll see you in reality."
Then, he was the first to step into the light.
---||---
After a flash of blinding light, Shu opened his eyes. He wasn't in reality, but in the sea of roses.
"It seems… you succeeded." The familiar voice came. Young Shu sat on the swaying swing, watching him appear. He slowly brought the swing to a stop.
"Don't worry, the exit is right there. You can leave anytime." Little Shu pointed the way. Shu sighed in relief, holding the scepter, and walked past him.
But at the doorway, Shu stopped and asked a question.
You said… I would lose something. What did I lose?
"Does it matter?" Little Shu countered. "Do you have anything more important than what you have now that you can't bear to lose?"
Shu shook his head. "No, I just…"
"If it doesn't matter, then go on… Don't… look… back~" Little Shu said with a hint of laughter in his voice. Shu was silent for a moment, then stepped forward, into the light of the exit.
Behind him, where he didn't look back, little Shu had already dissipated into the endless sea of flowers.
Only a voice, unheard by Shu, remained.
"What you lost… was just me… I'm so glad…"
(End of Volume V: This Isn't My Kind of Kingdom)