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“Everything!? I’m going to forget everything? Everyone!?” Rena was fighting back tears, if she had any left.
“I’m sorry, Rena, but it has to be that way. However, there is a way you won’t completely forget everyone. You’ll just… forget you met them,” Blaine explained.
“I’m not sure I follow,” Rena said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Hm, how can I put this… You know when you watch a TV show or read a book, have you ever had a strong connection to the characters? Had fantasies that you are with them? Going on adventures with them?” he continued, trying to paint a picture to ease her mind.
She just looked at him confused, along with everyone else.
“It will be like that. Their lives, adventures, stories, will play out as shows or books in your world. You’ll feel a connection to them through watching them on TV or reading about them. Then, in the event you happen to have a memory bleed through, it will feel like a dream. A fantasy of being with them.”
“So… I won’t really forget them?” she asked.
“In a way, yes, you will forget them. But as you watch them through the screen or read about them on the pages, it will feel like you know them, like you remember them,” Blaine sighed.
“I… I suppose that’s… There’s no other way?” she said as she looked at all her friends, tears threatening to spill.
“It’s the only way. It was Aviv’s idea. Veda wanted to erase everything completely. Even for them. It took a lot to get her to even accept this,” he replied.
“And them? Will they… forget me?”
“Not exactly. There are too many to completely wipe everything. So for them, you’ll be a traveler looking for someone. The events will be skewed a bit to fit everyone’s stories, but they will have the memories of you coming to their worlds and having adventures with them for a short period of time.”
“That seems a bit unfair,” Rena began to tear up.
“They weren’t as involved with the guardians as you were. You literally had a guardian within you. It’s… look, I know it’s hard, but this is the decision that has been made. I’m sorry, Rena.”
“It’s… it’s fine… I guess,” she sniffed, squeezing Clark’s hand. “So what now? I go back two years? To… the lake? Where I met Versa?”
“Unfortunately, yes. We have to send you back to reset your original timeline,” Aviv chimed in.
“What about Clark? He… went missing during that time. If we go back to the past, what happens to that? What was supposed to happen if Odysseus hadn’t stolen his body?” Rena asked.
“When he went to the lake looking for you, he was attacked by your father. He was taken in by an ally and was in a coma for 18 months,” Aviv said plainly.
“But, if Sy… How do we meet again?” Rena said, looking at Sy. “Wait! What happens to Sy?!”
Aviv just smiled. “You’ll have to just see for yourself. I can’t tell you when, but it’s obvious you two find each other again. It is fated, after all. And as for Sy, this current Sy will fade, but don’t be disheartened. It’s not like she’s dying; this version will merge into who she is meant to be, in the correct time and place.”
“We… we… find each other again?” Clark choked out.
“Yes. You find each other again,” Aviv said with a soft smile.
They looked at each other and rested their foreheads together. “I’ll find you. I promised I’d come back, didn’t I? We just had the timing off,” he chuckled softly.
They parted and looked back at the guardians. “So what memories will fill those years then?” Rena asked.
“Well, you’ll have still moved to Florida and worked at the shop. In your free time is when you will have watched their stories unfold. Then from there, you’ll just have to trust the process,” Blaine said, grinning.
“Trust the process? I feel like you don’t understand that lingo,” Rena giggled. “But I suppose I’ll just trust everything will work out. I just… don’t like the idea of being alone again.”
“Rena, you weren’t alone when you were in Florida. Think back to the coffee shop. Who was there?” Blaine asked her.
“What do you mean?” she looked at him confused.
“Think back to your coworkers, what their names are, what they looked like,” Blaine smirked.
“Well… there was my manager Miranda, she liked to go by Mira though,” she started to think.
“What’d she look like?” he asked.
“She had white hair, even though she was really young. She always pulled her bangs up out of her face,” Rena continued.
“Alright, who else?” He asked again.
“What’s the point of this?” she snapped, a little irritated.
“Just humor me, I’m trying to get you to realize something.”
Rena groaned but continued. “OK, there was my trainer, Lacy. She had blonde hair that she always wore in pigtails or a side ponytail. There was Ezra, the other manager. She had bright red hair. Then there were the annoyingly hyper guys, Nathan and Grayson. Nathan had pink hair and Grayson had black hair. They were always fighting.” She started to chuckle as she looked over to the Fairy Tail members.
“They kind of remind me of… you… guys…” She suddenly stood up and gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
She turned to Blaine. “No… Y-You’re kidding.”
“Have you realized something?” He smirked.
“My… my coworkers. They’re them! They’re the alternate personas of Fairy Tail!” she gasped excitedly. “How did I not realize sooner!?”
“No clue, but keep thinking. It wasn’t just them, was it?” He grinned mischievously.
She looked around the room and her eyes went wide. She pointed at Hawks. “Oh my God, he’s Keiko, isn’t he?!” Then she started to blush.
“Keiko? Like Keiko Thompson?” Clark asked beside her.
“Yeah, Keiko Thompson. Wait, how do you know that!?” she asked shocked.
“He was my best friend as a kid before we moved to Missouri. Before I met you.” he explained.
“Wait, seriously?!”
“Yes, you know how my dad was an undercover cop? Well, one mission he was on, Keiko’s parents were killed. Dad felt responsible, so Keiko came to live with us for a while. He stayed with us for two years before Dad moved us up to Missouri.”
Rena started to laugh. “What a small world! Maybe that’s why he reminded me of you. You know, he tried to ask me out once, but I turned him down. I wasn’t ready to date anyone because… well, I wasn’t over you yet. I’m still not, actually,” she said, looking at him, a blush spreading across her face.
“Ahem, It wasn't just them, Rena, what about the others?” Blaine encouraged.
“The others? Oh! The Gaming Squad! They were the Black Bulls?!” she looked at the Pirates. “Even them! Those two vigilante gangs, The Hats and The Hearts!” She turned back to Blaine and jumped on him, embracing him in a hug.
“Thank you! I never realized,” she sniffed back tears.
“Never realized you had friends all along? Well, they will be there. When you relive your past, let them in this time. Don’t shut them out,” he said as she released the hug.
“I won’t this time. I swear,” she smiled through her happy tears.
“Oh, but out of curiosity, what type of ‘show’ will I be seeing them through?” she pointed to her friends behind her.
“I believe they call it ‘Anime’? Japanese style cartoons?” Blaine said, scratching his head.
“So… I become a weeb? Great.” Rena rolled her eyes.
“Sorry? It just seemed to fit the best.” He shrugged.
“It’s fine.” She shrugged back. Her face dropped a little. “When… how long do we have?”
Aviv sighed. “Not long, but Veda agreed to let you have one last night with everyone. So as the saying goes, ‘party hard!’” he pumped a fist in the air.
Everyone just stared at the awkward, quiet, stoic Guardian of Time. Rena broke the silence by bursting into laughter, followed by everyone else.
“Aviv, that was the funniest thing I’ve ever witnessed,” Rena said, covering her mouth with her hand, trying to muffle her laugh.
“I don’t follow. Isn’t that what they say?” he asked, lowering his hand.
“Yes, but… coming from you was so unexpected.” She softened her laugh, turning it into a smile. “But thank you, we will party hard. I think we could all use a party.”
“YEAH! LET’S PARTY!” Luffy, Natsu, and Asta yelled at the same time.
“Sanji! Make me food!” Luffy yelled excitedly.
“Charmy! You heard him. Let’s eat!” Asta jumped up to his fellow knight.
“Where’s the sake?” Yami and Zoro both grumbled.
“Forget sake, where’s the wine!?” Vanessa cheered.
Rena looked around at everyone having a good time and she smiled. “I’m going to miss them. So much.”
As the night went on, the atmosphere grew even more lively. Music filled the air, and everyone danced with abandon. Sanji and Charmy worked tirelessly in the kitchen, whipping up a feast that had everyone’s mouths watering. Plates piled high with delicious food were passed around, and the clinking of glasses echoed through the room.
Luffy and Natsu engaged in a friendly eating contest, much to the amusement of everyone watching. Asta joined in, determined not to be outdone. Meanwhile, Yami and Zoro found themselves in a drinking contest, each trying to outlast the other.
Rena found herself pulled into a dance by Lucy, who twirled her around with infectious energy. “Come on, Rena! Let’s live a little!” Lucy exclaimed.
Rena laughed, feeling a warmth in her heart. She looked around at her friends, each one enjoying the moment to the fullest. It was a night of joy, laughter, and camaraderie, a perfect send-off for saving the realms.
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