บท 59: 59. The End Chapter 4

Mike's POV

Towards the end, Omen merely stared at Dark Shadow as he struggled to get to the orb in her hand. She made no move or said anything. She was a… silent spectator. It made me uncomfortable. As Dark Shadow left this world and the lunar eclipse was over, sunlight began to shine through the room, illuminating the insides.

Yet, the glow in her eyes and heart never ceased.

Tendrils of light flowed from the orb to fix my broken legs. In a blink of an eye, I could stand and not feel the pain running through them. Still, her powers have not ceased. Those tendrils extended outside and everywhere, fixing the damages that Dark Shadow has caused throughout these long years.

"Omen," I called out to her. "Omen, it's enough. Isn't Imagination too powerful for you? We can slowly fix the damages over time."

She glanced over at me. My heart thumped.

"It's enough. We just have to rebuild the Guardians and the Library all over again and fixed what Dark Shadow has destroyed over the years."

"And how long will that take? How long will you have enough people to help out?" She smiled softly. It wasn't meant to self-depreciate me or mock me. It was to comfort me. "Micheal, without Dark Shadow, the shadows will run rampant everywhere. Someone needs to go and stop them. I'm the only one with the power to do so."

"But alone? You against them?"

"Not exactly." Hundreds of Omen's mesias appeared, even some that I had never seen before. "Just many of me against them. And Imagination… it should be shared, not kept under the Library."

I then realised that her mind was already settled on this. There was no way to change her mind. "So, what are you going to do?"

"Imagination like this is too much for us to protect. So, I'm going to split it into many pieces and place them everywhere. I'm expanding all the universes out there. And you will help me, won't you? Keep an eye on the worlds out there and grow the Guardians until you guys are ready to look after the worlds."

"Yes, yes, I can." I felt my cheeks becoming wet. "But what about you? Is this not lonely?"

For the first time in my entire Guardian life, Omen laughed freely. Her laughter was that of a free spirit, of a person who had finally figured out what they wanted to do. It was that of no restraint. No agony.

"I am, but this is what I always wanted to do. I," she paused for a moment. "I never wanted to tie myself down. I never wanted to be limited by people's vision of me. I wasn't that happy then. But now…"

She took a breath and nodded.

"Now, I'm really happy.

You know…I don't actually want to forgive you, but I did it because I wanted to forgive myself. I was angry at you then. I was mad that you played my feelings. Even if you don't know then, you made me feel like nothing. Moreover, I was angry at myself for letting this happen. I didn't know how to speak with you or deal with my feelings but believe me. I felt the same just as you. There were so many misunderstandings and miscommunications between us that whatever good feelings I had turned to dust. The friendship of before can never be reclaimed.

This time… I 'die' by choice. Not because of you or anyone. Not because of insanity but for my dreams. So, forget me. Be a good man and live. Live to be a better person."

The tendrils of light were now coming out of her.

"This was always meant to happen. But I regret nothing. I said my piece, Mike… What about yours?"

"I…" I choked up. "I was in a bad place. I didn't … I didn't know how to 'talk' to you. I had good feelings for you, then. It was why I was hanging around you until you noticed me. But everyone, everyone talked about us, and I got awkward. I didn't mean for this to happen. I… I genuinely wanted to get to know you. That was all I ever wanted."

"Then, that's enough. If we meet again, let's start over. Say "hi"." She looked at her hands. She was growing fainter by the second. "We will start over. As friends. As lovers. As partners…"

I kept staring at her as the last trace of her was gone.

"Goodbye, ???..."

~~~

I slowly traced my steps to the mysterious old gatekeeper beside the lion doors. Upon witnessing my haggard face, the old man gave me a comforting smile.

"Life is tough. But that's how it is. It makes you feel alive by giving you trials and struggles to get through. I went through it once, but now, I want to guard these doors for a long-forgotten promise."

"What promise is that?"

The old man chuckled before he gestured. "Try opening these doors, and you will understand."

Looking sceptically at him, I stood in front of the gaping mouth of the lion. There were no handles. It felt wrong to stuff my hand through the mouth to open the doors. So, I pulled out some deer meat and placed it further from the doors. Since the lion was so life-like, it could be possible that it was no ordinary one. As suspected, it leapt out from the doors and went straight for the meat. Thus, the door was opened.

"Ho ho ho, well done," The old guard congratulated me.

I stared at the crack between the doors. It couldn't be… Without thinking, I pushed it wide open.

The Library… the Library appeared before me in its entirety. The glass dome. The bookshelves. The woodland creatures. They were all here, except for the Guardians.

"I… I thought it was gone." I stuttered. "I watched it disappear before my eyes."

"That… was a copy." The old guard continued. "It was a reflection of this one. That man could never see me because only the worthy could. The Library opens before the curious and pure-hearted. Only when you have the heart to care for others and yourself can you be in the Library. And the Library never perished. So long as there are stories to tell, the Library will always exist. So, Successor of the Guardians, what will you do now?"

"I… I need to go to my friends. I need to tell them all of these!" I immediately took off, but just before I left, I looked back at him. "What about you?"

"Me? I'm going to retire soon, but just for a moment, I want to see how this new generation will come out. Don't expect me. Just go and have your fun." He impatiently waved his at me to go away. "Go find them. Enjoy what you have."

At his words, I was assured. However, I never knew it would be the last time I saw this man. Instead, only the lion quietly waited for us, like a tamed cat.