Ch. 24 The End

This is a continuation of the Apocalypse Saga

For the other chapters in TAS, click here

For more stories in the world of Astra outside of TAS, click here

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Thunder shook the temple of Oran-Koh as the bullet careened across the room. Lightning sputtered, and spit, crackling as it churned like a twisting tornado, hurtling towards its target. Akashi’s bullet fired true, and cracked into the god of tyrants’ chest, rocketing him back, but not knocking him over.

Carja stumbled, looked down at where his form had stuttered, stammered, and shifted to oblivion. It wasn’t a traditional wound. There was no blood or gore, but he was injured, and he was furious. “You – you shot me.” The god stammered out.

“Won’t be the last time, pal.” Akashi fired another shot, but the god flickered out of existence, then reappeared a few feet away. Akashi turned to Ophee, “Secure the perimeter, we’ve got this.”

“You got it, Kash. Lou, let’s move!”

“The old switch up then?” Lou asked. “But wait,” He turned to Carja, “last chance, friend. When I leave this room –“ Before he could continue, a purple crystal flew towards him from a corner of the temple. Before it made contact, Seijun stepped in front of him and cut through it, sending it careening to either side.

“We’re done talking.” Seijun announced.

“Right. Leaving.” Lou said as he and Ophee jogged away to deal with whatever chaos was unfolding outside.

As soon as they were gone, the Void Tyrant pulled out a book – the book – and began to read. His words were spoken in an arcane tongue, a language neither of them understood. Whenever they tried to focus on it, their heads would throb, and the unknown would creep into their periphery, threatening to devour them. Then, Lady Vey pulled them out of it, “Don’t listen to the tyrant! Fight him!”

“Right, V. Thanks.” Akashi snapped back to attention and fired off another shot. Lightning cracked and the temple caught fire over their heads as the bullet careened across the tyrant’s cheek.

Another bullet went wide, but as it hit the temple, the tyrant’s voice rose. As it did, the metal of the temple began to wrench and tear. Suddenly the roof and walls were ripped away, leaving only the floor, and the birthplace of the sun intact between them.

All around them, they saw the city had become twisted and distorted. In the distance, they saw the cliff that overlooked the ocean. Battleships fired missiles that streaked across the sky, dragons weaved between the attacks as they let loose energy that shredded through the ranks of void fiends. The buildings of Euco were mostly leveled and aflame. The tear in the sky overpowered the sun’s light. The world around them was nothing short of apocalyptic.

In the distance, they saw Ophee building a wall from the very Astral earth itself, building it up as the void fiends fought through true fiends and the flames of The Duchess to break through. Lou was helping a group of holy children of Koh get clear of the chaos.

Carja let out a laugh, “The chaos! It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Look around us. Have you ever seen such a thing? It’s beautiful. Truly beautiful. When I ascend, every day will be like this. Realms upon realms, overlapping as I rule over my kingdom. As the realms converge upon each other, all will simultaneously be in one realm! This will be my kingdom, my order, my glory!”

Akashi made a gesture to Seijun that he didn’t fully understand, but then he saw Akashi cautiously and casually inching towards the god. Seijun realized what he wanted: A distraction.

Before the tyrant could continue his monologue, Seijun tried to speak up, “A kingdom of death and destruction –“

“Is still a kingdom.” The tyrant snapped. “You were given a chance. You were given a chance to be my servants, but no. You chose this path, and now I’ll end you. I’ll end everyone you’ve ever known and loved. I’ve already gotten a head start on you.” He said, making eye contact with Seijun. Seijun gritted his teeth and ran forward, but before he could get there, the tyrant continued, “Don’t worry, you’ll–“

Before he could finish, Akashi lunged for the tome of Oran-Koh. They wrestled back and forth for the book, Akashi putting up a surprisingly good fight for fighting with a god. He tried to wrench the book open out of his hands, but the tyrant ripped it away, finally overpowering Akashi. Just as he pulled the book away, Akashi lunged forward with one furious hand. The god let out a pained groan. His nose had snapped out of shape, Akashi’s fist meeting squarely with his nose. The Void Tyrant stumbled back and let out a meek moan.

“Gods above, he did it again…” Vey whispered.

Akashi shook his hand out, then took another step towards the tyrant, “Give us the book.”

Seijun perked up, “He isn’t as strong…”

“Nope.” Akashi agreed, “Buddy, you’re weaker than the moon god. That’s embarrassing.”

Seijun smiled and darted forward. Before the tyrant knew what was happening, Seijun was in front of him, swiping his sword. He moved out of the way just in time, firing off a glimmering chunk of amethyst from his hand. Seijun deflected it into the ground, and Akashi fired another shot. It shredded through the tyrant’s shoulder, and he stumbled backwards, wincing in pain.

“Of course!” Vey shouted over the chaos. “The tyrant’s power doesn’t come from him; it comes from his control over others! He’s no warrior, he’s a coward! As long as the coalition keeps the fiends at bay, he’s powerless!”

“Watch it, spirit!” the tyrant hissed. He moved out of the way of the next bullet, but in the process moved directly into Seijun’s sword. The blade impaled him, and he let out a gasp as the blade passed clean through his gut and out the other side of his body.

“That was for Ade.” Seijun said, his eyes alight with rage.

The tyrant didn’t reply. Instead, he disappeared off the sword and reappeared on the other side of the room. When he reappeared, the book was back in his hands, and he began reading the ancient words of Oran-Koh. The world shook around them, and they saw the crack in the sky begin to vibrate and shimmer over their heads as it struggled to rip open. Seijun ran for the tyrant, but before he could attack again, the tyrant disappeared. When he reappeared, he continued reading. Akashi shot at him, but he sidestepped the bullet, a smile on his face as he read, his voice rising higher.

“Damn it, Seij! We need to stop him.”

“And how do you suggest doing that?” Vey asked. “We can’t kill a god, and he has the book. We can’t defend against him even if we could beat him in a fight. It doesn’t matter if he can always get away.”

“Akashi, pin him down.”

“Trying, Seij. He isn’t exactly making it easy if you haven’t noticed.”

“Just do it! I have a plan, but you need to do this for it to work.”

Akashi took a deep breath, “I’ll do what I can.”

Akashi blew into his revolver’s cylinder, then began a barrage of gunfire. The tyrant stepped out of the way of every shot, continuing to speak the ancient words as he dodged, deflected, and avoided every bullet. Akashi kept up the pressure, pushing closer to the tyrant, trying to keep him from reacting in time. The tyrant would disappear and move, but Seijun backed away, covering the room, giving the god limited space to move in. Then, he slipped up.

A single bullet – rocketing forth like downpouring hail – propelled into the tyrant, shredding through his knee. The god of tyrants fell to one knee. For just a moment, he was incapacitated. A moment was enough. Seijun ran forward; the world froze around him as he propelled himself across the temple. He rocketed through a tunnel of elemental energy built by his own force, his sword at the ready. As he skidded to a stop in front of the tyrant, his blade ignited in searing hot vapor, heat emanating from the sword of his ancestors. Then, just as the tyrant stood up, tome still in hand, Seijun thrusted his blade into the tyrant’s gut.

“Again?” The tyrant laughed, “I thought we already went over this. You can’t kill me, you fool.”

“This is for my home. My people. My family. Everyone.” Seijun twisted the sword in the tyrant’s stomach. The tyrant winced and began to teleport away.

Before he could, Seijun twisted himself around, throwing his sword over his shoulder, and with the full force of his body, pushing the blade upwards.

Vey let out a scream of horror before the tyrant did.

The entire world – the entire universe – gasped, followed by a fatal silence. With the ancient blade of his ancestors Seijun had not only cut Carja’s upper body in half, but he had cut the Tome of Oran-Koh in two. The heat of his blade immediately ignited the tome in flame. The ancient book faded to ash before their eyes.

“Holy shit…” Akashi whispered from the other side of the temple ruins. “Seij, you just –“

“This – this is nothing.” Carja hissed. “This is – this is just a setback…” His body slowly fused back together as he stumbled aimlessly. Then, as he became whole again, he fell to his knees before the tome’s ashes, staring in horror. “This is nothing…”

Vey appeared next to Seijun, “I hate to admit it, but this was the only way.”

“I learned my lesson with artifacts of power as powerful as these, auntie. They’re too powerful to be preserved.”

“You – you – no. You’re wrong.” Carja replied. “This is just a setback. My empire still awaits me. My empire in the sky. The sky! The beginning of my empire. My empire!”

With that, Carja disappeared, the Tome of Oran-Koh – the once large, grand, leatherbound book covered in arcane symbols of the sun shredded in half and reduced to ash. Its power lost as the ashes scattered in the wind.

“You know, I’m not big on the whole destroying books thing, but… it had to be done.” Akashi said with a sigh of relief.

“Its ancient words will live on.” Seijun replied. “They’ll survive on the wind.”

“He’s right,” Vey said, “but they’ll never again hold power over the universe’s threads.”

Over their heads, they heard the screech of a dragon that sounded to them like a call to arms. When they looked, the void fiends had broken through the flaming barrier of the Duchess and were running for them.

“I thought destroying the book would stop them.” Akashi grumbled.

“They won’t stop until Carja’s stopped.” Vey responded. “Did you hear him? He hasn’t admitted defeat, so neither will they!”

“Come on, boys, help me clean up, would you?” Ophee rose above the fiends upon a pillar of stone. As she did, the ground around her turned to spikes, shredding the fiends that dared cross her path.

“Where’s Brahman, Ophee?” Akashi asked.

“Getting people away from the center of the chaos. The man’s a pacifist, Kash, it’s what he does. We’ll find him in the end.

“Alright, let’s just finish this. Once and for all.” Akashi took aim with his revolver, and Seijun readied his blade again.

“One more time, boys…” Vey announced, pride in her voice.

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The gods could collectively feel the moment the crack stopped growing. The tension in the tear in the realms eased, and they felt the world around them relax. The entire coalition appeared all around the crack in the sky.

“We did it…” Centu said, a tinge of disbelief in her voice. “We really did it.”

“As if there was ever a doubt.” Vajra said with a smirk.

“Like hell you did.” Carja appeared in the middle of the circle of gods, a sneer plastered across his face. “The battle continues below!” He hissed. “The end is still here, and I will accept your surrender now. I will gladly take this tear between the realms if you accept defeat.”

The gods looked between each other, but Centu spoke up, “I don’t think you’re in a place to bargain for… anything, really. You’ve lost. You’ve tried to destroy the realms, and you failed. Go home - tail between your legs - and we’ll pretend this didn’t happen.”

“No.” Vajra stepped forward, pushing Centu back. “It’s cute of you to think he can walk away from this without retribution, but we have one last thing to do.”

“What are you talking about?” Centu asked.

Guaya spoke up instead, “Make an example of him.”

“Hold on, I only want to talk. I just want to –“

“Hush.” Vajra raised a hand and Carja collapsed to the ground. He struggled back to his feet, standing before all the gods, defiance on his face.

“There’s nothing you can do to me.” Carja said through a strain of pain. “I’m untouchable. All I have to do is leave, and you’ll never find me again.”

“You’re right.” Vajra agreed. “So go ahead and try. Go on, run away.”

Carja strained, fought, and then went still. A panic fell across his face. His eyes widened, “What are you – what are you doing to me?”

Guaya spoke again, “You’ve been fighting with champions and gods of your own caliber. But the creators are here now. You can no longer travel my cosmos unless I say you can.”

“Indeed,” Vajra agreed, “you’re playing with the real gods now.”

Suddenly, Vajra appeared next to Carja, and restrained his arm, a glowing blue energy emanating from where she held him. Guaya appeared on the other side and did the same, a bursting of cosmos encapsulating his body as she gripped him. Then, Vajra put one single hand on his forehead. Suddenly, the tyrant god let out a soul rattling screech. Before him, endless visions of horror overtook his mind, divine retribution torturing him as he lost all the fight left in him.

The other gods shifted in discomfort watching as the other two restrained the tyrant.

“Now what?” Centu asked, anxiety creeping into her voice.

“Now? We wait for my brother.” Vajra replied.

As they stood inside the crack, it constantly fluctuated and changed around them. The space contained every color known to man and yet there was none. It was an infinite place and yet it was contained. It was every realm and yet it was outside of all. It was the crack in the sky. As time passed, even gods outside of the coalition began to appear, crowding inside the infinite everything. Oran-Koh was the last to appear within the crack. As if to bring the sun with him, he appeared in a blinding light next to Centu. Together, they looked down upon the tyrant god restrained by Guaya and Vajra.

Carja lay upon his back, his body wreathed in the cosmos, his mind pushed down by sheer force alone. He screamed in pain, his eyes looking out upon unknown horrors only he could see.

“Your champions have destroyed my tome.” Oran-Koh said in a solemn tone to Centu. Though there was clear concern in his voice, he didn’t divert his attention away from the tyrant god.

“They did what they thought was right.” Centu said as flippantly as she could muster.

“All this time, it was more trouble than it was worth to my people anyways.” Oran-Koh said with a chuckle.

Carja howled in pain.

“Let us wrap this up,” Guaya said, “I would like to return home.”

“Agreed.” Vajra added.

“What now?” Centu asked. “We can’t exactly kill him, uncle.”

Oran-Koh nodded, “And yet, there are things worse than death, dear child of the storm.” Oran-Koh approached Carja. He looked at Vajra and Guaya, “Bring him back.”

“You are in for it.” Vajra said as she released Carja from her grip and backed away. Though her words seemed playful, she said it with a tinge of fear in her voice.

Without a word, Guaya pulled away and lowered her head as she backed up. Both of the goddesses looked on in silence as they stepped away. Centu was confused. It was as if they both knew something none of the other gods did.

Carja’s screams ceased, and turned to laughter, “What are you going to do, huh? Throw me into the sun? You’re just a star god. There’s nothing you could possibly do to me.”

Oran-Koh approached the Void Tyrant. He loomed several feet over Carja. “Stand,” he commanded. Carja started laughing even harder as he got to his feet.

“Alright, star man, what are you going to do me?”

“You think I’m a god of the stars, and I think that’s a wonderful thought. A naïve one too.” Oran-Koh said. Slowly, he raised a single hand towards Carja’s face. As the single hand rose, five more split from the infinite dark that was his form, arching into the air. Light exploded from behind him, then a deep all-consuming nothing followed it. “I wonder: if you think the stars are my domain, then how do you think I created my tome?”

“What? What do you mean?” Carja tried to raise his hands to stop Oran-Koh’s, but suddenly his body stiffened, and he couldn’t move.

“If you had slighted my sister, maybe you’d spend eternity weighed down by the unbearable constants that keep the universe in motion. If you had slighted dearest Guaya, your essence would be stretched across the ever-growing cosmos, unable to ever come back together as the forces of the universe ripped you apart. But you slighted me. And so…” Oran-Koh sighed as though he was in mourning. Then he raised his voice, “You will never ever again dare to cross the mortals, any god, or me.” Oran-Koh’s massive hand wrapped around Carja’s face. The Void Tyrant began to scream, his throat going hoarse as he struggled against the greater god’s hand. Purple crystals shot out from his body, like a failing defense mechanism. His body convulsed and pulsed. His eyes rolled back as crystals began to sprout all around the crack in the sky. Then, they shattered.

As he lost control over his body, the Void Tyrant began to absorb in on himself. As though Oran-Koh’s hand was a black hole, the tyrant’s form began to twist and morph inwards where his face met his hand. His body cracked and shattered. Broke like brittle earth. Twisted across infinity, crushing, morphing, changing, becoming. The screams echoed in the endless pocket. The god’s body turned to essence. The name of Carja ceased to exist in the realm. The world as it was known bent into something new. Something incomprehensible. Something that even a god couldn’t possibly comprehend. True absolute nothing.

And then, he was gone.

Silence reigned over the crack in the sky.

“What – where – where’d he go?” Centu asked from behind the three ancient ones.

Oran-Koh turned to the rest of the gods, but didn’t speak. Instead, he stood before them in silence, allowing them to take in what they just saw.

Vajra spoke up, “That’s that then. Let’s move on from this nonsense.”

“Wait.” A grand cacophony of voices announced. All of the deities looked to the sky to see five sets of glowing cat-like eyes staring down upon them. “Balance has been restored. Order in the realm of the living has returned.”

“Ah, our partners in coalition. What do you have to say?” Oran-Koh asked, a resounding joy in his voice that wasn’t there before.

Then, the eyes of the Five merged. The colors overlapped, becoming one. As they did, their presence became grander, more powerful. The Five became one again and they announced in a singular grand voice, “We come with a new proposal. A proposal bound by our word. All our word.”

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As the dust fell and the sky relaxed into its new shape – one with a gaping hole in its chest – Seijun stopped to catch his breath. They had fought until the void fiends literally disappeared, melting away into nothingness for reasons none of them understood. Seijun sheathed his sword and breathed in, then out. “It’s over.”

“It is.” Vey agreed. “The coalition came together. We’re victorious. Though not without scars.” Vey appeared next to Seijun and looked up at the crack in the sky. “I wonder if it will heal.”

“It’s a blemish, but it won’t hurt us. I don’t think.”

“And of Akashi?” Vey asked.

“There.” Seijun pointed to a distant cliff overlooking the bay of Euco. The city had collapsed in on itself. Wooden structures burned, broken glass and chunks of brick littered the streets. Electric lights popped and hissed, and though the sun was rising on Euco, the sun was setting on the apocalypse.

Akashi sat on the cliff, Ophee next to him and Lou standing behind him in silence. As Seijun approached, Lou gave him a small smile and a nod before patting Seijun on the back, bringing him closer to the others. Rain began to fall, fighting to end the flames that engulfed Euco’s battlefield.

Just as Seijun came into earshot, he saw Akashi lay his head on Ophee’s shoulder and whisper, “I did it.”

“You did. We all did, Kash.”

“There’s so much more I want to –“

“Don’t. It’s not fair to you. There’s always more to do. Always.” Seijun, Vey, and Lou stood behind them, waiting for their moment to end.

“She’s got her claws in me. I could go back, I could change things, I could –“

“But it isn’t up to you.” Ophee pushed back. “So tell me, Kash, is that what you want? What you really want?”

He turned to Ophee and smiled, “Guess I haven’t changed all that much, huh?”

She smiled, “No, you’ve changed a lot. Seen a lot. Done a lot. Become a lot, but you’ve still got that streak in you. You’ve always done what you think is right, and you’ll always be that rebel, slashing and burning, and getting into trouble. It’s why they love you – when you do it for them.”

“I’m good when I’m doing what they want. You’re right.”

“That’s not you.”

“Never has been.” Akashi said with a laugh. “I’m tired of being told what to do. I’m tired of my whole life being what other people want for me. Will she ever get her teeth out of me? Is there a way?”

Ophee paused. She looked at Akashi, then turned to Seijun and held eye contact with him, “As long as you’re a champion, you will always be exactly what they want of you. They don’t just take their teeth out. This is who you are until the day you die.”

Lou nodded along silently.

Ophee wrapped both arms around her old friend.

Akashi took a sharp breath in, “Shit...” As he breathed out, his body quivered. “Seij?”

“I’m here.” Seijun answered.

“It’s been one hell of a ride. I’m glad I got to do it with you.”

“I couldn’t be more thankful.” Seijun responded. He joined Akashi on the cliff, sitting on the other side of him. “Thank you for teaching me so much. Thank you for being by my side when there was no one left.”

Akashi nodded and placed a single hand on Seijun’s back. “V, if there’s an afterlife where people like us get to meet, I hope you and I can share a drink together.”

“I’d like that.” Lady Vey put a hand on Akashi’s shoulder from where her incorporeal form stood behind him. He could almost feel it. He was certain he felt it.

He turned to Lou, “Brahman, I –“

“Ah, ah, ah.” Lou said with a raised hand, “Don’t say nothing to me until you’re ready, got me?”

“Right. Right, yeah…” Akashi reached into his coat and pulled out his revolver. He passed it to Ophee, “You remember that letter I gave you?”

Ophee nodded.

“Take this too.”

“Okay.” She breathed in. As she breathed out, the tears came. “Come on, Kash, I understand, but… I just got you back.”

“At least we got to make some more happy memories, huh?”

“All I could ever ask for.” Ophee smiled through the tears.

“Seij, I wish we could’ve met in different times. Do me a favor though: When you go home, don’t forget everything we learned together. And gods above, don’t let them control you.”

“I’ll – I’ll try.”

“Good.”

“I’ll see you on the other side.” Akashi sighed and looked up at the sky. “I’m ready to rest.” He announced. Through the rain, Centu’s figure appeared in the ethereal rain.

“Are you sure?” She asked, sorrow on her face. “You and I could do a lot of good together.”

“A lot of good on your terms, but I did my job, boss.”

Centu smiled, “I’ll tell you this much,” She began as the rain poured down even harder, making her more corporeal, “I couldn’t have asked for a better champion.” For a brief moment, the rain turned to a light drizzle, “You win. You’ll get your rest.”

Akashi stood up on the ledge. He looked to Seijun then Ophee, then Vey, “Well, that’s me.” Akashi wiped a tear from his gray face and sighed, “That’s – that’s me. Brahman, I’m ready if you are.”

“Yep. Ready.” Lou replied.

Akashi reached a hand out to Lou. The Brahman took his hand and clasped it tightly in his own. Lou shuddered slightly, let out a gasp, and tears began to cascade down his face.

“Don’t have too much fun without me.” Akashi’s body shivered. He took a deep breath in, then out. Lou’s grip on his hand loosened as Akashi’s hand turned to dust in his. As the last of the air left Akashi’s body, his body drifted away in roiling smoke and dust. As the rain picked up again, the wind gusted, and what was once Akashi Pacè blew away into the wind. Floating down softly to the ground where he stood – only barely missing falling over the cliff’s edge - was Akashi’s hat. Seijun picked it up and dusted the ash off it. He stared down at it, still processing that his friend was there one moment and gone the next.

“Now what, auntie?” Seijun asked, his voice hollow. Empty of anything other than grief.

“Now? The divine calls to me too. It looks like it’s time for the dead to become such once again. But just as our now lost champion, I will always be with you, nephew.” Vey wrapped Seijun in a hug, the gentle feeling of soft ribbon encapsulated him as his aunt held him for the first time and for only a few moments. Then as quickly as she had ever appeared, she disappeared. Her ribbonous form collapsed and sprung back onto the hilt of Seijun’s sword.

“Guess that’s it then.” Lou said with a sigh. “Our job’s done, and the gods take away the best of us.”

“Just like that, the gods and their servants are silent again.” Ophee agreed. She wiped tears from her cheek and sniffled. She tried to breathe, but her breath was caught in her throat. She struggled to hold in a sob. “Man, this sucks.” She said as she brought her knees to her chest. “It’s like losing him all over again.”

“I’m sorry.” Seijun said. “I don’t really understand. I mean, I understand, but – but I – I don’t know. It doesn’t…” Seijun felt tears start to form and a cry starting to push against his chest and up through his throat. For a brief moment he tried to hold it back, but finally with a deep breath out, he let the tears fall. “I just don’t understand.” Ophee looked at him and gave a sorrowful smile. She took this man she barely knew and put an arm around him.

“It’s hard to ever understand when someone goes,” She said through tears, “but she was never going to let him be free. Same with your aunt. Freedom was never on the table. And their interests – they didn’t align anymore. It wasn’t up to them what they did next. Your aunt had no choice. And Kash… well, Kash made the one choice that he knew he could choose for himself. The one that was up to him.”

“Death was the only choice that was his.” Lou said.

“Exactly.” Ophee agreed. “And if there’s one thing my Kash always cared about, it was doing what he wanted how he wanted to do it. Nothing would ever trump what he thought was right.”

Seijun laughed, “I know that much.” He wiped the tears away, “He always knew what was right.”

“The trick? Do everything with confidence and it will work out okay in the end.” Ophee said. “I think we learned that together once upon a time. Of course, when you’re a kid… you need practice.”

“That sounds… difficult.”

Ophee gave Seijun a gentle squeeze, “You’ve still got some growing up to do. Just don’t forget what he taught you. The world still needs rebels. There’s a whole new world out there waiting for people like us to pick up the pieces.”

Seijun nodded and shifted his attention to the rising sun, “The end…” He trailed off.

Ophee nodded, “It’s just a beginning.”

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We made it through the end. And man, was it a good time. I’ll be honest, writing this chapter and editing it made me unbelievably emotional. Like losing an old friend. I hope you guys miss Akashi as much as I do.

Hey, we have one more chapter left, but real quick, I want to say thank you for reading. This has been… well, it’s been really special. Thank you for following this journey. Thank you for being here. Thank you for taking a chance on my weird ass stories and hopefully enjoying them if you came this far. I would love to get some reviews in the comments of chapter 25 if you’re interested in dropping one - or DM me a review if you’d like.

There will be a retrospective coming out in a couple weeks, but first let’s tie up the loose ends, huh? I’m going to be giving my own review (more a reflection of what I liked and didn’t) in the retrospective when that comes out - I’ve been taking notes as I’ve been going through this process in preparation for a discussion. But that’s a later problem. For right now, let’s wrap up the story. I’ll see you next week for our final chapter. The epilogue.

Thank you.