Shinon squatted on a rock next to his father’s grave. Behind him was most of the settlement, paying their respect to the fallen ones.

The final battle with Miro had taken its toll on Shinon’s body. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say he was but a shadow of his former self. Still, Shinon wasn’t worried about himself at the moment.

"Been a while, huh?" Shinon mumbled, gazing at the setting sun.

There was a lot Shinon wanted to say, but for some reason, his voice betrayed him as tears welled up in his eyes as he remembered the last days he spent with Caleb in Haven’s Refuge.

Back when he lost his father for the first time, he had a hope to hold on to. A hope that his father would someday return. But now, he had nothing and felt truly lost.

Wiping a tear from his eyes, Shinon turned to face the Settlement compound that had been turned into a sort of memorial for everyone to remember those who lost their lives during the battle.

While there was sadness in the air, everyone was always smiling, grateful to be alive while recounting the memories of those who weren’t. Since Shinon finally woke up from his slumber, people were celebrating.

However, it was more of a festival to celebrate the departed souls. People were dancing, eating and drinking like it was their last day on earth. Well, it was to be expected.

In the four months, Shinon had been in his cocoon sleeping, a lot had happened. Trader finally got her hands on the solution to deal with the undead after the attack on the laboratory.

Miro didn’t just focus on developing Alpha zombies; he also engineered a vaccine to eliminate the undead. This explained their confidence in experimenting with the undead – they had a fail-safe method in case anything went wrong.

Despite the destruction of most of the laboratory, a handful of remaining scientists possessed the expertise and essential equipment to produce additional anti-zombie drugs.

Utilising a dispersing agent and military drones, they successfully eliminated all the undead within a significant area. Consequently, the undead in the central and neighbouring cities were eradicated.

In the meantime, Trader set up a production factory to develop enough vaccines to eliminate all the remaining undead from the USA and then the rest of the world.

The process would take years, but it was better than doing nothing. However, there was a side effect associated with this development.

The vaccine didn’t only get rid of the undead but also of the powers some of them had. That was why Shinon could no longer bend shadows according to his will.

But it seemed like it didn’t affect everyone’s powers, as Kira and Selena had retained their abilities. As much as Shinon was fascinated by the distinct phenomenon, he no longer wanted anything to do with the strange world.

He came to that world as a stranger but made many friends and memories. Not to mention his great adventure, but it was good while it lasted, and now all he wanted was to return to his own world. But before that, there were some loose ends he had to tie up.

Placing his hand on his father’s tombstone for support, Shinon got up and took a final look before disappearing. While it was Caleb’s resting place, his body wasn’t there.

Having been turned into undead, no one wanted to take any risk regarding Caleb, and like everyone else, he was cremated first the day Shinon was brought back to the settlement, and then the remains were put in his grave.

While it wasn’t the best goodbye, it was more than Caleb deserved, and Shinon agreed with the rest. His father had committed many sins, and while he still cared about Caleb, Shinon couldn’t force others to feel the same.

But Shinon promised to give his father a proper send-off once he returned to their world. A place where Caleb’s sins didn’t exist, and Shinon could mourn him as much as he wanted.

Even though Shinon didn’t say it out loud, wanting to honour his father was a big reason he wanted to leave. Plus, he thought losing his powers was a sign to the world that he was finished with his job there and could return to where he truly belonged.

The loud noise brought Shinon back to the present as he left to join the celebrations. He saw a lot of old faces there and a few new ones, all of whom were happy to see Shinon on his feet.

Sable, now the new mayor of Heaven’s Refuge, was there as well. It was only through her that Shinon discovered that Caleb’s wife and Shinon’s half-brother had fled the city before the Trader captured it.

Their whereabouts were unknown, but Trader was confident they’d be found sooner than later. While Shinon had no qualms about Jessica, Shinon wanted to take his half-brother with him, if possible, to show him their father’s legacy.

However, now that they had left, Shinon thought it might be good. It could have made things more complicated.

The people from the military were also there, celebrating alongside their comrades. They had formed a close bond with the settlement dwellers following their battle at the laboratory.

But the battle had formed more than alliances. Quite a few of Shinon’s acquaintances were now in relationships, but most surprising of them all had to be Rico and Lova.

No one had predicted them to be so close, but a month after the war, they officially announced their relationship. Shinon was surprised because both were on the opposite spectrum of things. Still, he was happy since they found someone they could lean on.

As for Selena, while she never tried to bring her feelings out in the open, Shinon remembered something she said while he struggled for his life.

Selena had confessed she wanted to be with Shinon. However, since she didn’t bring up the subject again after Shinon woke up, he chose not to do so, as it might make her uncomfortable.

Besides... there was someone Shinon cared about more than a friend would. But he didn’t reveal his feelings to Kira. After all, he was about to leave their world, never to see them again. So what good would it do even if he confessed his feelings?

For that reason, Shinon had decided to disappear quietly without bothering anyone. The Trader was already waiting for him outside the settlement, from where she would take him to the portal, which would guide Shinon back to his world.

However, as he walked to the exit, a surprise awaited him. Selena, Rico, Lova and Kira were all there beside the Trader.

"What are you guys doing here?" Shinon asked, taken aback by their presence.

"Why? Is it wrong for us to bid farewell to our friend?" Lova chuckled before hugging Shinon. "I’ll miss you so much!"

Surprised, Shinon gave her a whip he had made during his days in Heaven’s refuge before returning the hug.

"Do me a favour and keep an eye on this brute! Rico has a habit of running into trouble-"

"Oi! I can hear you!" Rico laughed before hugging Shinon next. "All the best for your next adventure, brother. I would’ve asked you to write a letter, but I don’t think Trader would want to become a messenger."

Shinon nodded, giving Rico something from his inventory, a new and improved set of machetes, Rico’s favourite weapons. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Use them well because I won’t be around to repair them anymore."

Shinon had never seen a gorilla cry before, but after seeing Rico, he realised it would have to look like that. Selena was next in line, and Shinon gave her a pistol he had created from scratch.

Selena didn’t say much and just kissed Shinon on the cheeks. But Shinon had something to say as he whispered in her ears.

"You’re a wonderful and strong person, and I want you to know I don’t regret the time we spent all those months ago. But I want you to move on... It’s better for both of us."

Hearing those words made Selena emotional, but she didn’t want Shinon to see her tears and think she was trying to manipulate him. So, she smiled instead, thanking him for the beautiful gift.

Shinon hugged her again and then turned to face Kira. Unlike Selena, Shinon could see Kira had a lot to say but didn’t say anything. Even when Shinon offered her the gift he made, Kira refused.

"Trader and I have something to discuss, so I’ll come with her to drop you off," she said, getting into the car. "You can give me your farewell gift then."

Shinon found her response a bit odd, but since Trader wasn’t objecting to Kira’s request, Shinon had no reason to either. Just like that, the three of them left the settlement behind with many fun memories.

In the car, everyone was quiet until they eventually reached Trader’s base.

"We’re here," she said, exiting the car.

Shinon and Kira followed her, and soon, they were in a dark chamber similar to the one where Miro trapped Shinon and Kira. Within moments, the room came alive to reveal a massive structure with a hole in the middle. The Trade nodded, and the people around the portal got to work.

"It’ll take a minute or two to go online," Trader said, offering Shinon her hand. "Once the portal is up, you can walk through it, and it’ll teleport you back to your world."

"Thanks," Shinon replied, shaking her hand.

With that, Trader left. But before she did, she winked at Kira, who turned red.

"So I guess... this is it?" Shinon asked Kira, fidgeting.

"Y-Yeah... I guess."

"Oh, right, here’s your gift," Shinon said, handing Kira a cloak to enhance her abilities.

But surprisingly, she turned it down. Shinon was taken aback as he thought Kira would have appreciated the gift. But what Kira said next confused him even more.

"You can give it to me later," Kira replied, playing with her hair.

"What do you mean?"

"I-I’m coming with you!" Kira said excitedly.

"What? I mean, are you sure that’s something you want?" Shinon asked her, still confused.

"Yes, I am..." Kira replied. "Ever since I got to know you liked me."

"Wait... when did you-?"

"Selena... she told me you were mumbling about it in your sleep..." Kira replied. "But first, I want you to tell me your true feelings."

Taking a deep breath, Shinon hesitated for a moment before finally letting the words spill out. "I care about you more than as a friend. I don’t know when it happened... but it did."

The room seemed to hold its breath as Shinon waited for Kira’s response. Then, unexpectedly, Kira got so close to him that he could see his reflection in her eyes.

Before Shinon could fully process what was happening, Kira gently cupped his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his. Shinon’s heart raced, his initial nervousness giving way to a warmth that spread through his body.

When they finally pulled away, Kira smiled, "I love you too, Shinon."

Both of them couldn’t stop laughing as a sense of relief and joy washed over them. But their sweet moment was interrupted by the Trader, who seemed to have been watching them, hidden behind the door.

"Now that you love birds are done discussing your emotions, mind leaving this damn world already?" She scolded them. "Chop! Chop! I have things to do!"

"Sure... whatever you say," Shinon replied, and with a shared smile, the two of them entered the portal, ready to embrace the new life that awaited them there.