Down in the King's throne room, the magical barrier Lyrielle had erected flickered and died. The wound on DragonSlayer's back, which had been stubbornly resisting her healing magic, suddenly began to knit itself together at a normal pace. The god of time's power was gone.

"He did it," DragonSlayer gasped, pushing himself to his feet.

Lyrielle didn't wait. She broke into a full sprint, her feet flying up the long, winding staircase to the rooftop. She burst through the final doorway and saw him. SynchroNoice was lying on the cold stone, unconscious, the anti-healing effect still shimmering faintly around his wound. She rushed to his side, her hands glowing with a powerful, concentrated green light. The dark magic sizzled and dissolved under her touch, and the small man's body began to heal, his breathing evening out as he returned to normal.

On the rooftop, the tense silence was broken by the sight of dark, shadowy hands tearing a hole in the very air. 03 stepped through the portal, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever. He looked at the pile of dust that had once been Tokigami, then at the two smaller piles that had been his parents' puppet forms. He let out a soft "tsk."

"He ran away..." 03 said, his piercing red eyes landing on Bombom.

A furious blush crept up Kenjiro's neck. He didn't know why, but the handsome man's intense gaze always made his heart do a stupid, annoying flutter. 03 looked from the dust to Bombom and let out a small "humpf." Then, a swirling void of pure darkness opened beside him. Two small, delicate hands reached out, and a woman stumbled through. It was Tokigami's mother.

"W-what happened?" she asked, her orange eyes wide with confusion. "Where's Yuto?"

Bombom looked down at the floor, a pang of guilt twisting in his stomach. "He... died..." he said quietly. "But this doesn't explain why you vanished."

03 sighed, a sound of pure, weary annoyance. "I grabbed her before the god of the underworld could," he explained, not looking at anyone. "He hates seeing people get second chances..." He turned his back on them. "Also... I grabbed something on the way, too."

Shadowy hands emerged from the portal behind him, gently placing a body on the rooftop floor. It was Tokigami, but he was completely different. His hair was a brilliant blonde, his eyes were a warm, gentle orange, and the broken, black wing was gone. He was whole again.

"I'm sure you will do the right thing..." 03 said, already walking away as he opened another shadow portal.

"W-wait..." Bombom called out, his voice cracking slightly. "Y-you should stay and give me an expla—"

"No!" 03 cut him off, pausing to look back over his shoulder. "There are things that don't need explanations." And with that, he stepped through the portal and was gone.

The woman rushed to her son's side, hugging him tightly as his eyes fluttered open. "Mom? Is that you?" Yuto whispered, his voice full of a dazed disbelief. "I thought..." He looked over and saw Bombom, and then looked down at the floor, his face full of a deep, profound shame. "I'm sorry for... putting you into this," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "The power corrupted me."

The rest of Bombom's party had finally made it to the rooftop. DragonSlayer scoffed, his usual arrogance returning. "Uh, where's that dumb-headed Tokigami?"

"Oh, he turned into dust," Bombom said with a shrug. "So, no revenge for you."

"Dammit," DragonSlayer grumbled. "What about the loot?"

Bombom pointed a thumb at the crystalline cube, which was now dormant, its flickering light extinguished.

DragonSlayer sighed, a shiver running down his spine. "I will not touch it," he said, shaking his head. "I remember last time at the pyramid..." He put his hands on his head and started walking away, muttering to himself about cursed artifacts and explosive traps.

SynchroNoice, now fully healed, pushed himself to his feet. He made a soft "boop" sound with his mouth, and then, with a solemn nod, said, "Noice."

They all made their way back down to the King's throne room. The King was still sitting on his throne, his head in his hands, a picture of pure, defeated grief.

"Honey," a soft, familiar voice echoed in his ears.

He lifted his head, his eyes widening in disbelief. Standing before him was his deceased wife, Marzia, and his son, Yuto, whole and uncorrupted. Tears streamed down the King's face as he rushed to her side, pulling her into a desperate hug. "Marzia," he whispered, before turning to his son. "Yuto... I can't believe you're all back." He looked at Bombom, his eyes full of a gratitude so profound it was almost painful to see. "T-thanks for everything."

Bombom blushed, completely embarrassed. "I-I-I did nothing," he stammered. "You should thank the emo guy that pulled Yuto and Marzia from the underworld."

The King smiled. "So, where is he?"

"He's not good with people," Bombom said. "But I'll tell him."

The King nodded. And then, the entire throne room began to shine with a light so bright the party had to shield their eyes. "Now that the spell is over," Yuto's voice echoed, full of a newfound strength, "you will all return to your time."

"W-what about the Ogres?" Gluteus boomed.

"We'll find a way," the King's voice replied, full of a new, unwavering hope. "With family, we can thrive now."

"B-but we don't know the King's name yet..." Lyrielle said, her voice a soft whisper.

A final, proud voice echoed as the light consumed them. "I am Chadimus Maximus Aurelius III."

The world snapped back into focus. They were standing in the same throne room, but it was a crumbling ruin. The tapestries were rotted, the stones covered in moss. They were back in the future. A single, pristine vase stood on a dusty pedestal, a rolled-up scripture tucked inside. Bombom carefully pulled it out and began to read.

"If you are reading this, we are thankful for your actions. With my family back, I can finally make this kingdom ascend in power." The scripture then detailed the kingdom's history.

"Year One: We defeated the ogres. They ran away to an underground cave. With my new mage helper, Merlin, we made a strong team of powerful warriors. We learned of Mages that didn't need wands, just words, from you, although we only had twenty of them in the whole kingdom. They are kinda rare."

"Year Two: We decided to finally focus on our saviors. We made a big statue of Bombom's shadow to remember them every day. Even though we thought Bombom was weak, he was strong. Real strong."

"Year Five: Ogres are a problem again, but we wiped them back underground. They didn't evolve their magic, but we humans did."

"Year Ten: People are suddenly turning into ashes. We don't know for sure what's happening. Maybe it's a new disease."

"Year Fifteen: Fifty percent of the population has turned to dust. Our intellectual mages think we poisoned the whole area with a 'time disease.' We are not capable of being around, so we are leaving this place. Maybe you can find my sons and daughters again. We are calling the new kingdom Aeonfall."

Bombom smiled as he finished reading. He turned and saw it, next to the ruined throne: a massive, beautifully carved statue of his muscular shadow, striking a heroic pose. "So," he said, a new adventure already forming in his mind. "Do we have any news about this Aeonfall?"

Lyrielle nodded, a shy smile on her face. "I-I k-know where they are," she said, not looking directly at him. "We could pay a visit..."

Gluteus, who had been looking around the ruined room, let out a happy exclamation. "Oh, I think they left us some gifts." He had found a small, unlocked chest. Inside were a series of miniature, exquisitely crafted golden statues, one for each member of their party.

DragonSlayer grabbed his, his eyes shining with a greedy, childish glee. "It's perfect," he whispered.

As everyone grabbed their corresponding statue, they decided to walk back to the city center, their quest complete, a kingdom's legacy in their hands, and a new destination on the horizon.

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