Apocalypse Reset: My Crab Can Heal the World!

Eldrie creeps into the dilapidated throne room, hours later. There, he finds Barns and Maria, resting side by side, kneeling on the desiccated carcass.

Osmond lingers nearby, but he makes no attempt to interfere. He can see as well as anyone what occurred in the throne room.

Eldrie's eyes lock onto the spectacular, stony visage of Clancy. He saw from far away, of course - but staring the monolithic guardian right in the face like this was another thing entirely.

"Barns, the…"

Eldrie's shoulders drooped. Did he have any right to step in?

The young hero's eyes lidded up, glowing blue in the dark shadow cast over his face.

It shocks Eldrie. He'd certainly never seen Barns' eyes glowing before. He wonders if the hero has unlocked a new power.

"Resurrection didn't work," Barns says quietly. "I knew it wouldn't, but I had to try."

Eldrie sighs. "Barns, the castle isn't safe. The damage -"

"No," Osmond replies. His demonic nature made him more sensing than the average human. He could tell just by the way his feet felt on the stone floor of the throne room what condition the rest of the castle is in.

"The castle is sturdy - stable. The King ensured even that."

Eldrie nods. "I see…"

His eyes, one red, one blue, glance at the mysterious shimmering barrier above them. It encapsulates the entire visible sky.

"There are a lot of people gathered around the castle. Skado, Jordan. Some others. Roscoe, too…"

Barns stares forward, seeing through Eldrie. His eyes continue to radiate blue light.

"Say, Barns. Was Clancy a Guardian Beast?"

The hero's eyes flick toward Eldrie, as if noticing him for the first time.

"A what?"

"I don't know a lot about them myself," Eldrie says quickly. "But I befriended a hawk, once. I may have mentioned it before. She was no ordinary hawk. Her name was Edelweiss, and she could speak, like Clancy."

Eldrie grips his chest tightly. "When a guardian beast dies, they leave behind a manifestation of their aura. For Edelweiss, it was like a small, white marble…"

Barns blinks, intrigued by Eldrie's words. He allows the former vampire to continue.

"I lost Edelweiss' marble during the Apocalypse, Barns, and it was the worst moment of my life. Because I was taking it somewhere…trying to. Some place where the magic to revive Guardian Beasts was practiced."

The hero's pupils dilate wide, almost hiding his glowing blue irises.

"Guardian Beasts can be…revived?"

"It's what I was told. But Edelweiss and I never made it."

Barns closes his eyes, sighing. "It's a nice thought," he muses. "But I have no idea if he was or not. And I haven't seen anything like what you're talking about."

He rises to his feet, the tears long dry. He'd play it off as doing his duty, but he wants to search around. If there's any possibility of such a thing - a marble that contains Clancy's soul - he would find it.

He leaves the throne room with only a few words. "I'll tell everyone what happened."

He grieves for his friend so much that he can hardly process the loss around him. The once beautiful castle is in ruins, though his tower still stands. Much of the lower levels remain intact, though the upper levels have been obliterated. More of a shattered fort than a castle, now.

The moment he steps out of the front entrance of the castle, the crowd silences. All turn to him, eager to hear his words.

He pans over the crowd. There are a lot of faces he recognizes - though many he does not. A collection of humans representing the nearly thirty thousand of their kingdom.

"As I'm sure many of you know, the Kingdom of Dimartino was attacked by a man who calls himself Nazakiel," Barns starts. He surprises even himself with how stalwart and tamed his voice is - the storm of grief inside him rages relentlessly, but he refuses to let it show.

Now, Barns must project strength more than ever.

Not for himself, but for Clancy.

"Nazakiel is a member of a group that calls themselves 'The Sentinels'," he continues. "Who have today shown that they lack any regard for any of us!"

He points his hand behind him, the towering statue of Clancy clearly visible over the castle for all to see - even now, they stand gathered in its shadow.

"Our King fought bravely today. He gave every ounce of his strength for us. And when it wasn't enough, he surpassed his limits entirely, and created a miracle!"

Barns clenches his fist over his heart, determination surging through him as a cool breeze blows past.

"I don't know what became of Nazakiel," Barns admits. "But I believe this barrier will hold. That crab up there - maybe you just know him as the King. But he's my best friend. And this sanctuary he's created will protect Dimartino. I know it."

Barns closes his eyes. What is there to say?

He can think of nothing. His mind thinks only of Clancy.

He steps away from the gathered citizens, excusing himself back into the castle - before he can get away, Roscoe steps out of crowd and calls out to him.

"Barns!"

He turns to face the boy. His arms are bandaged, and he winces in pain, but it doesn't stop him from saying what he must.

"I know how it feels to lose the most important person in the world."

Barns breath catches in his throat. Of course Roscoe would say something like that.

Barns himself held Roscoe's dying sister in his arms, and delivered her dying words to her younger brother.

"You're way stronger than me, so I know you don't need to hear it, Barns…but you're not alone."

"Hear, hear!" Godrick says from nearby, overhearing Roscoe's impassioned words. "Every human living is cause our mate up there, now twice-over." He ushers to the sky, but focuses on Barns. "Your grief is our grief, Barnie boy. Not a dry eye here."

It's hard to breathe. Barns looks out over the crowd and confirms exactly what Godrick says. Everyone - absolutely everyone - seeps with devastation and loss.

"We're the Crab Kingdom of Dimartino!" a nearby Adventurer shouts, performing the pincer salute.

And everyone, all together, throws the salute - not to Barns. To the legendary hero of Dimartino, King - no, Emperor Clancy, who rules over all the surface.