Time moved forward—naturally, freely—for the first time in eternity.
With the Fifth Blade sealed and Rivan vanished into the void beyond time, the multiverse stabilized. Timelines no longer collapsed or bent under unseen hands. The storms were quiet. The fractures healed.
And Akuzai… was still here.
He stood atop a hill in Umbrael Valley, where the Riftcloaks once watched over threads of fate. Now, it was just sky, wind, and a single growing tree—planted from the seed of the Chrono Bloom.
Abhishek approached from behind, carrying two steaming mugs. "You sure this is the right place for the tree?"
Akuzai smiled softly. "It's not about the place. It's about what it remembers."
They sat in silence for a while, watching the petals flutter in the air. For the first time in a long time, there were no alarms, no distortions, no visions.
Just peace.
Aditya arrived a moment later, his left arm newly reinforced with Solkarian tech. "Heard whispers from across the sectors. No timeline interference in weeks. Not even a ripple."
"Good," Akuzai said. "Let's keep it that way."
No one spoke of Rivan—not directly. But each of them felt his absence like a phantom limb. His sacrifice wasn't erased. It was remembered. A new star, faint and golden, had appeared in the upper quadrant of the night sky. The Nexus Watchers called it The Crownless Flame.
A symbol not of a king—but of a choice.
Later that night, Akuzai stood alone beneath that star.
He unsheathed the Eternis Edge—its light now faded, its power dormant.
He drove it into the soil beside the tree.
"Rest," he whispered. "We don't need blades right now."
As he turned to leave, a flicker pulsed through the branches above.
A small flower bloomed.
It glowed with memory.
And hope.
The timelines remain untouched. The throne stays empty. The war is over…
But the story of Akuzai?
It's only just begun.