Post by Valhalla Erikson on Nov 26, 2024 9:55:22 GMT
The air in the Ivory Tower felt thinner, as though even Fantasia’s most magnificent structure was succumbing to the suffocating grip of The Nothing. Atreyu stumbled into the great hall, his once-pristine tunic tattered, his face streaked with dirt and dried blood. His legs quivered under him, but he pressed on, his sword clattering to the floor as he sank to his knees before the Childlike Empress.
She sat on her dais, radiant and untouched by the chaos outside, yet her wide, golden eyes were filled with a fear that Atreyu had never thought her capable of. Her serene beauty only heightened the terrible contrast between her and the creeping oblivion that threatened to consume everything.
“I’ve done all I can,” Atreyu choked out, his voice raw from days of shouting into the void. “The Nothing is destroying Fantasia. I’ve fought monsters, lost friends... I don’t know how to stop it.” He lowered his head, clutching the medallion hanging around his neck—the Auryn, his guide through this nightmare.
The Childlike Empress rose slowly, her white gown trailing like mist as she approached him. “Atreyu,” she said softly, kneeling before him. Her voice was calm, yet trembling beneath it was an unspoken urgency. “You are not powerless. You have the strength to save us all. But you must act quickly.”
Atreyu lifted his head, his eyes searching hers for answers. “How? Tell me how!” he begged. The rumble of destruction outside grew louder; the walls of the palace trembled. “The Nothing is here. I’ve seen what it can do. It’s... it’s—” His voice broke as his mind recoiled at the memory.
It had been brief, a glimpse of something too vast, too incomprehensible, like staring into the abyss and feeling it stare back. Atreyu had felt his sanity waver, his thoughts unraveling as if the very concept of existence was being erased.
The Childlike Empress reached out, her hands cupping his face. Her touch was like a balm, anchoring him in the present. “Atreyu, you must call my name,” she said. “That is the only way to banish The Nothing.”
The hall shuddered violently. Cracks spiderwebbed across the ivory walls, and pieces of the ceiling began to fall. Atreyu flinched as a chunk of marble shattered beside him, but her steady gaze held him firm.
“My name?” he echoed. “I don’t even know it.”
“Yes, you do,” she insisted, her voice almost pleading now. “Deep within your heart, you know it. Say it, and Fantasia will be saved.”
The Nothing breached the great hall, a wave of obliteration that devoured everything in its path. It wasn’t a creature, nor even a force—it was simply absence, a void that consumed without reason or mercy. Atreyu’s body froze as the edge of it crept closer, his mind screaming against the sight of its impossible existence. His breaths came in shallow gasps, his knuckles white as he gripped the Auryn.
He thought of Artax, his faithful companion, swallowed by the Swamps of Sadness. He thought of Morla the Ancient One, who had warned him of despair. He thought of his allies, their faces blurred by loss but their sacrifices etched into his soul.
And then he thought of the Childlike Empress, who still knelt before him, unflinching in the face of annihilation. Her voice cut through the madness like a lifeline.
“Say my name, Atreyu,” she whispered. “Please.”
His throat tightened, but he pushed past the terror clawing at his mind. He stood on shaking legs, turned to face the encroaching Nothing, and shouted with everything he had: “MOONCHILD!”
The world fractured. A blinding light exploded around them, and for an instant, Atreyu felt as though he had been ripped apart and pieced back together in a single heartbeat. When the light faded, he found himself standing in a vast void of infinite blackness. The Childlike Empress was beside him, her presence the only warmth in the endless emptiness.
“It’s gone,” Atreyu murmured, his voice hollow. “The Nothing is gone.”
“Yes,” she said softly. “But so is Fantasia.”
Atreyu’s knees buckled, and he fell to the ground. “No...” he whispered, his head sinking into his hands. “After everything, it’s all gone?”
The Empress knelt beside him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Not everything,” she said, her voice laced with a quiet hope. “You still have the Auryn.”
He looked down at the medallion, its twin serpents now glowing with a brilliant light. The emptiness around them seemed to tremble in response. Atreyu’s eyes widened as he realized the truth.
“I can bring it back,” he said, his voice trembling. “I can wish for Fantasia to return.”
The Childlike Empress smiled, the first real smile he’d seen from her. “Yes, Atreyu. You can.”
For a moment, he hesitated, the weight of his loss pressing down on him. But then he closed his eyes and gripped the Auryn tightly. The memories of Fantasia’s beauty, its wonders, and its people filled his mind. His voice, steady and sure, echoed in the void.
“I wish for Fantasia to be restored.”
A burst of light radiated from the Auryn, engulfing them both. The void dissolved, replaced by the vibrant colors of a world reborn. Atreyu and the Childlike Empress stood once more in the Ivory Tower, its walls gleaming as if they had never been touched by destruction. The skies were a brilliant blue, and the familiar, joyous cry of Falcor echoed above them.
Atreyu looked out over Fantasia, his heart swelling as he saw the rolling hills, the lush forests, and the sparkling rivers—all as they had been. Tears streamed down his face as he turned to the Empress.
“We did it,” he whispered, his voice breaking.
She took his hand, her fingers lacing through his. “No, Atreyu. *You* did it.”
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Atreyu smiled—a true, unburdened smile. He wiped his tears and looked up to see Falcor soaring through the sky, his jubilant roar filling the air. Atreyu laughed, a sound of pure relief, and gave the luck dragon a wave.
The Childlike Empress squeezed his hand, grounding him. “Fantasia owes you everything,” she said, her golden eyes shining with gratitude.
Atreyu turned to her, his smile softening. “I couldn’t have done it without you,” he said. “You kept me together when I thought I’d lost everything.”
The Empress smiled again, her expression warm and unguarded. “And now you’ve given everything back.”
They stood together, hand in hand, gazing out at the restored world. For the first time since his journey began, Atreyu felt a sense of peace.
He took a deep breath, savoring the moment, and whispered, “Yeah. We did.”
Author’s Note: The ending that Atreyu deserves!
She sat on her dais, radiant and untouched by the chaos outside, yet her wide, golden eyes were filled with a fear that Atreyu had never thought her capable of. Her serene beauty only heightened the terrible contrast between her and the creeping oblivion that threatened to consume everything.
“I’ve done all I can,” Atreyu choked out, his voice raw from days of shouting into the void. “The Nothing is destroying Fantasia. I’ve fought monsters, lost friends... I don’t know how to stop it.” He lowered his head, clutching the medallion hanging around his neck—the Auryn, his guide through this nightmare.
The Childlike Empress rose slowly, her white gown trailing like mist as she approached him. “Atreyu,” she said softly, kneeling before him. Her voice was calm, yet trembling beneath it was an unspoken urgency. “You are not powerless. You have the strength to save us all. But you must act quickly.”
Atreyu lifted his head, his eyes searching hers for answers. “How? Tell me how!” he begged. The rumble of destruction outside grew louder; the walls of the palace trembled. “The Nothing is here. I’ve seen what it can do. It’s... it’s—” His voice broke as his mind recoiled at the memory.
It had been brief, a glimpse of something too vast, too incomprehensible, like staring into the abyss and feeling it stare back. Atreyu had felt his sanity waver, his thoughts unraveling as if the very concept of existence was being erased.
The Childlike Empress reached out, her hands cupping his face. Her touch was like a balm, anchoring him in the present. “Atreyu, you must call my name,” she said. “That is the only way to banish The Nothing.”
The hall shuddered violently. Cracks spiderwebbed across the ivory walls, and pieces of the ceiling began to fall. Atreyu flinched as a chunk of marble shattered beside him, but her steady gaze held him firm.
“My name?” he echoed. “I don’t even know it.”
“Yes, you do,” she insisted, her voice almost pleading now. “Deep within your heart, you know it. Say it, and Fantasia will be saved.”
The Nothing breached the great hall, a wave of obliteration that devoured everything in its path. It wasn’t a creature, nor even a force—it was simply absence, a void that consumed without reason or mercy. Atreyu’s body froze as the edge of it crept closer, his mind screaming against the sight of its impossible existence. His breaths came in shallow gasps, his knuckles white as he gripped the Auryn.
He thought of Artax, his faithful companion, swallowed by the Swamps of Sadness. He thought of Morla the Ancient One, who had warned him of despair. He thought of his allies, their faces blurred by loss but their sacrifices etched into his soul.
And then he thought of the Childlike Empress, who still knelt before him, unflinching in the face of annihilation. Her voice cut through the madness like a lifeline.
“Say my name, Atreyu,” she whispered. “Please.”
His throat tightened, but he pushed past the terror clawing at his mind. He stood on shaking legs, turned to face the encroaching Nothing, and shouted with everything he had: “MOONCHILD!”
The world fractured. A blinding light exploded around them, and for an instant, Atreyu felt as though he had been ripped apart and pieced back together in a single heartbeat. When the light faded, he found himself standing in a vast void of infinite blackness. The Childlike Empress was beside him, her presence the only warmth in the endless emptiness.
“It’s gone,” Atreyu murmured, his voice hollow. “The Nothing is gone.”
“Yes,” she said softly. “But so is Fantasia.”
Atreyu’s knees buckled, and he fell to the ground. “No...” he whispered, his head sinking into his hands. “After everything, it’s all gone?”
The Empress knelt beside him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Not everything,” she said, her voice laced with a quiet hope. “You still have the Auryn.”
He looked down at the medallion, its twin serpents now glowing with a brilliant light. The emptiness around them seemed to tremble in response. Atreyu’s eyes widened as he realized the truth.
“I can bring it back,” he said, his voice trembling. “I can wish for Fantasia to return.”
The Childlike Empress smiled, the first real smile he’d seen from her. “Yes, Atreyu. You can.”
For a moment, he hesitated, the weight of his loss pressing down on him. But then he closed his eyes and gripped the Auryn tightly. The memories of Fantasia’s beauty, its wonders, and its people filled his mind. His voice, steady and sure, echoed in the void.
“I wish for Fantasia to be restored.”
A burst of light radiated from the Auryn, engulfing them both. The void dissolved, replaced by the vibrant colors of a world reborn. Atreyu and the Childlike Empress stood once more in the Ivory Tower, its walls gleaming as if they had never been touched by destruction. The skies were a brilliant blue, and the familiar, joyous cry of Falcor echoed above them.
Atreyu looked out over Fantasia, his heart swelling as he saw the rolling hills, the lush forests, and the sparkling rivers—all as they had been. Tears streamed down his face as he turned to the Empress.
“We did it,” he whispered, his voice breaking.
She took his hand, her fingers lacing through his. “No, Atreyu. *You* did it.”
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Atreyu smiled—a true, unburdened smile. He wiped his tears and looked up to see Falcor soaring through the sky, his jubilant roar filling the air. Atreyu laughed, a sound of pure relief, and gave the luck dragon a wave.
The Childlike Empress squeezed his hand, grounding him. “Fantasia owes you everything,” she said, her golden eyes shining with gratitude.
Atreyu turned to her, his smile softening. “I couldn’t have done it without you,” he said. “You kept me together when I thought I’d lost everything.”
The Empress smiled again, her expression warm and unguarded. “And now you’ve given everything back.”
They stood together, hand in hand, gazing out at the restored world. For the first time since his journey began, Atreyu felt a sense of peace.
He took a deep breath, savoring the moment, and whispered, “Yeah. We did.”
Author’s Note: The ending that Atreyu deserves!