Author’s Note: It is finally done. The epic has drawn to a close with this chapter. I hope I ended it well.
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“We’ve finally got you,” roared Vanya, “Now you must pay for what you did to my wife!” Vanya felt a hatred burning throughout his body. No one took advantage of his wife. No one.

“Vanya, listen to me,” Hariyama explained calmly with a snicker on his face, “I did not take advantage of her. In fact, she took advantage of me. I passed by you when you were going to the Ellinia Station to board the ship.” Vanya’s eyes grew wider with realization. “You did not notice me, but I noticed you. As I came to your house, your wife opened the door, brought me to your bedroom and made love to me.”

Vanya shrieked with rage, tears in his eyes, “No never! This cannot be! My wife is faithful! She would not do this to me! She couldn’t have!”

The look on Hariyama’s face just got deeper, “Oh but she has. You have seen it with your very own eyes. I believe one of my top servants showed you the tape. I believe you started yelling for him to turn it off. Yes, I know that is what happened.”

“Adulterer!” Vanya rushed forward and brought the backend of his Kage down on Hariyama’s back. He felt a surge of satisfaction as he watched Hariyama fly across the ground, landing in a large puddle of mud. However, Hariyama was still smiling.

“How can you still smile after what you have done?!” Vanya yelled in a crazed voice. Vanya went forward to swing at Hariyama again, but Ryan stopped him.

“Vanya pull yourself together man, what’s done is done, but Hariyama can still bring Michelle back. That’s the whole reason why we have come is it not?” Ryan pleaded.

“Ryan is right Vanya, if you kill me, you will have failed your mission,” Hariyama sneered.
“I don’t care dammit! He had my wife!” Vanya rushed forward but was diverted by Mark who had jumped on top of him. With a quick sorry, Mark brought the backend of his Holy Spear clean across Vanya’s head and knocked him out.

“Once a servant, always a servant. Isn’t that right Mark?” Hariyama turned to him.
“I don’t serve you anymore. When you fell I tried searching for you, but you had abandoned all of us. Your loyal servants were now nothing to you. Now none of us are loyal to you,” Mark said coldly.
“Yes I see your point,” Hariyama nodded, “But that is not true. All of those men that you have killed were once your friends. They served me along side with you.” Mark looked as if someone just struck him in the face. He had killed all of them. It couldn’t be true, yet it was.

“In fact, you have killed every single one of my former servants,” continued Hariyama, “except one.” Hariyama turned towards Michelle’s body. “The very person you are trying to save was my last servant and lover. She was perfect, am I right Ryan?”

Ryan looked both furious and confused. “Waitaminute Michelle served you? Ugh you bastard! You abandoned her! You don’t deserve to speak her name!”

“Now now, Ryan,” Hariyama started, “I don’t see why you are so angry. I made her better. Before, both her parents had died. She was an orphan wandering around Ellinia. It was under my guidance that she grew up into this beautiful cleric. And don’t talk to me about abandonment. That day when your ship came down, who was fighting the Balrogs in front of you two?”

Ryan’s eyes widened in shock, “That was you?”
“That was me,” Hariyama replied, “You see, Michelle had come with me on my last job at the cathedral in Amoria. Someone ratted us out and she was arrested while I escaped. I leapt onto the ship which she was being transported on to rescue her, but those Balrogs interfered and brought her into more danger. I only let you have her because I knew you would fall for her looks and protect her with your life.”

Ryan had not heard anything more offensive. “Fall for her looks!?! How dare you! I love her because of what’s inside of her, not just her looks!”

“Sure,” replied Hariyama calmly. Ryan tried to get up to give Hariyama a taste of his Asianic Bow, but realized he had Michelle in his arms.

“Anyways,” Mark interrupted, “I’m going to cut to the chase, Hariyama. Heal her now.”
“As you wish,” Hariyama said without hesitation.

Hariyama placed his hands on Michelle’s cold cheeks. He closed his eyes and started muttering an inaudible spell. As Ryan held Michelle’s hands, he could slowly feel them warming up again. Hariyama chanted louder and louder. Michelle’s hands felt as if they were on fire. Ryan felt a pulse beat in her wrist.

Suddenly, Michelle’s eyelids flung open, revealing her crystal blue eyes.

“Oh my god, Michelle!” cried Ryan with tears of joy streaming down his face.
“Ryan! Oh Ryan you’re here!” sobbed Michelle. Her golden hair was wildly askew as she collapsed into Ryan’s arms, shaking madly.

Hariyama froze in place. He had not seen tears of joy in a long, long time. There was something about it that stirred his head, tugging his brain towards its emotional side. He slowly felt as his own tear ducts began to function again. A single tear welled up inside of his right eye and slowly trickled down his cheek. She loved Ryan and Ryan loved her. For the first time in a long time, Hariyama felt this sweeping emotion of love. He had suddenly changed.

“He was telling the truth!” Michelle sputtered with tears of her own streaming down her face.
“W-what are you talking a-about?” Ryan sniffled loudly.
“All I remember is that this man over here stuck two stars inside of me. I saw your face bending over me. Then I saw nothing at all, a pitch black darkness. Suddenly that darkness turned into a blinding white light. I saw the gates of heaven. But there was a man, a bearded man standing in front of the gates. He told me it was not my time yet. He told me to turn back. He called me his daughter.” Michelle looked in the direction of the man. Suddenly something clunked into place in the back of her head. “Hariyama?”

A warm grin spread across Hariyama’s face. “Yes Michelle it is I.” Michelle stared at him in shock. All of the memories of their time together flooded back. The coffee, the inn, the one special night that she would remember forever, the monster, the explosion, the last heist, everything came back. Michelle collapsed in a heap of tears.

Ryan held her gently in his arms for an eternity. He looked up at Hariyama, all anger forgotten, and said, “Thank you so much.” Hariyama nodded once and turned to Mark.

“Mark, take the ship. Sail to the other side of the island to fetch your survivors. I don’t need her anymore,” Hariyama said blankly.

“What about you?” questioned Mark.
“I will remain here. If anyone asks, I entrust you not to tell anyone the whereabouts of this island?” asked Hariyama. Mark nodded sternly. “Then once you collect your survivors, head north, northwest for 125 miles. You will hit Lith Harbor. You will know where to go once you are home.”
“Thank you, sir.”

“As for Vanya over there,” Hariyama pointed to the crumpled heap of a Priest, “I will modify his memory. I regret now what I did to him and his family. He will forget what I have shown him.” He walked up to Vanya’s knocked out body, kneeled down, and placed the tip of his finger to Vanya’s forehead. Mark watched as a golden thread of light ejected out of Vanya’s forehead and into the tip of Hariyama’s finger. “When he wakes up, I will only be a distant memory.”

Hariyama sauntered up to Michelle and put his strong hands on her cheeks one last time, “Ryan will protect you now my darling, goodbye.” With that, Hariyama trudged off into the jungles, never to be seen again by another soul.

Ryan helped Michelle stand up and walked with her to the ship, hand in hand, not speaking a single word. Mark dragged Vanya’s body onto the deck, turned on the motor, and set sail.

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“It’s been weeks since we’ve last seen them,” one of the survivors yelled exasperatedly, “Surely they must be dead.”
“No, I don’t believe that,” another answered stubbornly.
“Shh, shut up, I hear something,” ordered another. There was a gentle rumbling coming closer. The sound of an engine.
“That better not be that damn hand again,” a man said.
“No it’s a ship!” cried a woman who had climbed to the top of the caves, “We are saved!”

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Ryan, Mark, Michelle, and Vanya who had just woken up, were immediately surprised as they rounded the lagoon of the island to find all of the survivors jumping up and down in the sand, screaming and crying, laughing and weeping.

They threw down the anchor not far from the beach and let down the ladder. The survivors pranced out into the ocean, splashing salty water everywhere. One by one, the ecstatic people climbed the steel ladder onto the ship. They were saved, saved from the lost.

Mark pulled up the anchor and followed Hariyama’s final directions. The rain had ceased and now the sky was suddenly cleared, revealing a glorious setting sun. The sky was streaked with its red glow as it slowly waned. A gentle wind blew across the deck of the ship.

Ryan took Michelle by the hand and took her up to the bow of the ship. He ran his fingers through her silky blonde hair, smelling a slight scent of jungle fruit. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her body in a warm hug. He remembered the first time on the beach the night of the crash. He remembered the two of them dipped in the stream by the caves. He remembered the incident in the lagoon with the crab. He smiled. He felt the same feeling again as all of those other times. He was happy. He stared deeply into her beautiful azure eyes and kissed her soft lips firmly. She embraced him and closed her eyes in bliss. The wind swirled around them as they shared one last passionate kiss. It was all over now. Everything was perfect. They were going home.

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Afterword:

“Welcome aboard the flight, please make your way to your cabin. We will be taking off shortly,” a female stewardess announced as Ryan stepped onboard the ship bound for Orbis. He walked past the entrance and into the living section where the cabins were located. Ryan saw a young bandit trying to shove his large trunk into his cabin. It was clearly too big for the door frame, but he persisted stubbornly. He noticed Ryan staring and waved at him with a toothy grin. Ryan returned with a nod and a reassuring smile. He pushed forward into the next corridor. There, he caught sight of a Dragon Knight and a Priest boldly chucking small bags into their room and laughing loudly, completely unaware of the people around them staring. By the sounds of the crashes and tinkling, Ryan judged that they did not care about anything in their luggage. For a second, Ryan stopped to watch as the Priest got out of Kage and started levitating the rest of the luggage into the room. The Dragon Knight was now rolling on the floor and clutching his stomach with laughter. Chuckling slightly, Ryan moved on. Up ahead of him were two Spearmen, fighting for the key to their room. Their bags were scattered all over the place as they had made a huge scene tumbling around, trying to grab the key from each others’ hands. Ryan smiled and walked forward. He rounded the corner to another long corridor and immediately stepped out of the way. A young archer was charging down the hallway after his miniature pet dinosaur who was screeching and chomping as it ran gleefully down the aisle. Ryan thought to himself that this was going to be an interesting boat ride. Continuing on, he rounded another corner and saw a Hermit covered in black. As he walked past, he could feel the hermit’s eyes follow him until he turned the corner again. He continued walking and finally reached his assigned room. With his key in the lock, he opened the door to his small but habitable cabin. He hastily threw his bags onto the full sized bed and was about to close the door when he saw the most beautiful cleric with shiny blonde hair and clear blue eyes walk past. She glanced over at him and smiled sweetly. Ryan returned with a hearty grin of his own and closed the door softly. This was going to be an enjoyable ride.

~The End~