Chapter 28 - Epilogue

After their final return to the Cornelia castle, the party was treated as the legendary heroes that finally achieved their impossible goal. While a long celebration was being held in their honour, the messages about these events went across the world and similar celebrations happened in many cities. After passing of the new year, in what would be later recognized as year of the new calendar, a major conference was held in Cornelia to discuss the fate of the continent. There were 3 major surprises awaiting for the participants of the conference. First one was when the Dragon King himself travelled to the conference. After centuries of isolation due repentance, he saw it that it was time for dragons to be free from their past and allow the new generation to freely travel the world. He abdicated as the king of Cardia Isles and allowed the council to choose the next king. The second major surprise came from Melmond, or to be more precise, from Lifespring Grotto. Thousands of mermen, mermaids and other sea life appeared suddenly from there. As it turned out, they were from Seahold, the same kingdom that the Warriors visited by chance. After hearing the tale about the sun darkening and the world freezing over, the conference allowed for the arrivals to settle in their world. While some took other places to settle down, most went north to Onrac where, together with the freed mermaids from the Sunken Shrine, they would declare the New Granbelos Kingdom.

The biggest surprise, however, came from someone more local to Feinan. Lewyn finally decided to fulfil the oath of his ancestors and restore Calatia. But he would do so with two unexpected policies. One, he was to limit his power as the new king and create a council to try and govern the kingdom fairly. At the inquiries about his decision he explained about his lack of leadership and how it would cause problems to the kingdom. For him it was best to guard the citizens while others, more fitting for the role, would help restore the kingdom to its former glory. His second policy caused much more surprises and complaints. He was to allow monsters such as goblins, sahagins and ogres as equal citizens of the kingdom. In fact, between his return from the Chaos Shrine and the conference, he had been negotiating with remnants of Black Rock ogre tribe near the ruins of Calatian capital as well as some goblin tribes to settle down and help rebuild the kingdom. When asked about his decision, Lewyn answered that during the party's journey he had experienced the change of perception towards the monsters, especially after Whisperwind Cove. "For far too long we had been fighting them as if they are nothing but mindless beasts. Now is the time to seek a more solution and coexistence with them." That was his answer and one he remained by his whole life. Despite the controversy and many troubles that popped up during his rule, Lewyn's decision had proven to be correct as Calatia became one of the most powerful kingdoms inside the Feinan Royal League, the newly created alliance of all Feinan nations and the last major legacy of the conference. The event became so important than the year of the conference became the year 1 of the new calendar.

With their mission now done, all 4 Warriors of Light went on to enjoy the lives that they have earned. These were their fates:

Mari Balfour, known as the Saint of Life, ended up marrying to the elven royal guard Wolt Luoxi and making a family. Despite being a human, her strive to save lives and make a difference made a massive impression on the elves. In honour of her dedication to her craft, an order of clerics known as St. Mari's Order was created and even her birthplace, a small village of Balfour, became a pilgrimage site, not just by elves, but for all races who wanted to visit the place where a real saint was born.

Rosch De Velarie, known as King of Eastern Skies, left his home of Southport and settled down and often travelled between Pravoka and Sybaris with his ever growing family. By his lead Pravoka developed airship industry and became an important hub in the continental trade. Despite numerous offers and his nickname, he refused to pronounce himself the king of Pravoka during his lifetime. It was only after his death that the branch of Velarie-Marciano family that settled there became the royal family, starting with Rosch's granddaughter, Mari I of Velarie-Marciano line.

Kelin Cooper, known as Dawn King of Cornelia, finally returned to his home to receive his long-awaited knighthood. While he often visited his old home during his lifetime, he settled down in Cornelia where his wedding with Princess Sarah was immortalized in songs and paintings. He served faithfully as her king-consort for his whole life. The lasting legacy that he made was the establishment of Knights of Dawn, the knightly order that focuses on protecting the realm from any threats.

Lewyn Marciano, known as Berserker King of West, managed to restore Calatia back to its former glory, despite many critics and nay-sayers about his policies. As kingdom flourished, so did the minds of people across Feinan change about their feelings for the so-called "monster races." In many cases he shared the same choices as his sister Lianna, even as going so far as to marry Princess Kithra Korvin of Granbelos for alliance purposes. Despite many disliking his life choices, Lewyn lived happily with his new family.

Despite their lives and distances, the four remained the good friends for their whole lives. It was often rumoured that they met in secret in a small inn called Blue Star Inn, but no one could prove it. In the League Calendar Year 62, a shocking incident happened when it was found out that all four of them died on the same day and possibly at the same time. While many theorized about what happened then, most people ignored it and decided to rather honour the fallen heroes. Their place of burial was decided during their lives. They were buried in a mausoleum on a small hill in Aberda Forest overlooking Cornelia Castle. It was the same sight that they saw when they started their journey towards Pravoka. Now they could see it forever. The mausoleum became known as Tomb of Heroes and it became another pilgrimage site for centuries to come. When the building was finally finished and the bodies of Warriors of Light set for their eternal rest, the Age of Heroes ended and the world's golden age began as people believed that no evil threat would arise again. Unfortunately, for very few beings like Bahamut, it was very clear that the peace earned then would never last. The fault of sentient beings was that their free will allowed them to follow whatever path they wished, even if it wasn't beneficial to most people. The lessons learned from the Great Dragon War were already forgotten by the time of Age of Heroes. As civilization expanded across the world, issues began to pop up and get buried, stewing beneath surface until finally, in the League Calendar Year 337, it erupted with the destruction of Feinan Imperium's royal palace. But that's a story for another time.