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Summary
A tragic, bittersweet ending to the war against the Legion.
Minor Spoiler Warning for setting locations and names from volume 4 and 8.
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Bookmark Notes:
Anju interjected. "Thank you, Lena, for telling us. But what Kurena meant, and what we all thought, was 'why do you sound like you're asking us for permission?'"
I blinked in bewilderment. "Permission? I... I wasn't..."
"We may have known Shin for longer, and we are undoubtedly his best and closest friends," Raiden followed up, "but you, Lena, were closer to him than any of us."
Kurena huffed in agreement. "And here I thought you were past your self-deprecating, guilty-conscious phase."
At their reasoning and Kurena's teasing insult, I released a tired laugh. "Then let me rephrase myself." I cleared my throat. "We found Shin again. Would you like to come with me to see him off?"
"Thanks, but no thanks."
Before I could properly express my confusion, Raiden spoke. "We met Shin on the battlefield all those years ago. It felt poetic that we parted ways on the battlefield as well."
"We've already said our goodbyes, Lena," Anju added. "Now, it's your turn."
.. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / ... .... --- .-- / .... . .-. / - .... . / ... . .-
A gasp escaped my lips as I deciphered Shin's repeating message. As if a valve finally loosened, tears trickled down my cheeks. To walk over thirty kilometers on broken legs for the sake of a rhetorical promise.
I will show her the sea .
"You're always leaving me behind," I lamented with a sigh. "Ever since your recon mission back in the Republic. And every time I think I've caught up with you, you push even further forward."
I gently traced the contour of his face while staring into his crimson eyes. With a deep breath, I slowly brought the barrel of my pistol against his exposed central processor.
.. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / ... .... --- .-- / .... . .-. / - .... . / ... . .-
"Thank you, Shin. Thank you for showing me the sea. Thank you for bringing me to a world beyond the battlefield. Give me some time to explore it, alright? I'll tell you all about it the next time we meet."
My tears escaped through the corners of my eyes and freely streamed down my face. Yet my hand was stead. Shin had fought long and so terribly hard. And now, after reaching his final destination, he deserved to rest.
"Shin... I'm going on ahead, Shin."
The roar of the gunshot was swallowed by the tumbling ocean waves.