Ryuujinn had arrived at the centre of creation. All the Dragons surrounded him and praised him as he sat upon his throne, the Dragon Zone. He lay on the Dragon Zone and began to converse with his other self, Ryu.
"Tristran has been vanquished forever. Are you happy Ryu?" he asked.
Ryu remained silent.
"I understand. You are very strong Ryu. You intend to endure an eternity of suffering without Atlanta. Hah, creation is so complicated. Though I understand you, I still find it difficult to comprehend why you think the way you do. If only you were all honest with yourselves. Is this what you want Ryu?" Ryuujinn asked him.
"You are needed more than I am Ryuujinn. In time, Michael and everyone else will forget about me…even Atlanta. They'll forget about me and return to their normal lives, like I never existed" Ryu said sorrowfully.
"You should know better Ryu. I disappeared from existence more than a hundred millennia ago but humanity hasn't forgotten me. It isn't as easy as you think…to forget a loved one" Ryuujinn said.
"But, I'm the only vessel through which you can fully manifest your powers" Ryu argued.
"I appreciate your concern for me but…I'm not as fragile as you think I am Ryu. And I am definitely not heartless. When I destroyed Tristran, I began to wonder…whether I truly understood him. Why did Tristran despise humanity…and I so much. In what way had I wronged him? I thought about it deeply and realized that…it was probably because I didn't take my time to learn from him what he thought of everything, of creation and of you. Perhaps he believed that I preferred distancing myself from the dragons. Perhaps he saw me as proud, or perhaps, he was jealous of the care I showed humans...but as I saw Tristran burn…I made a decision. I am never going to let another of my creation become as bitter as he was and that includes you Ryu" Ryuujinn said.
"What are you saying Ryuujinn?" Ryu asked.
"I am saying I'm not going to watch you suffer for an eternity even if it is your choice. I will go back to sleep within you. I will slumber for as long as you live a human life. I will undo the effects of the Power Of The True Soul so that you can be happy with Atlanta. I want you to live, not just exist, but to live Ryu, not just as my Dragon Zone but…as a human. I hope you find the answers you are searching for in your lifetime. Return to Atlanta, Ryu. Get married, have children, lead a happy life and ensure the safety of the future. I am proud to have known you Ryu, my precious Dragon Zone. Before I undo the technique though, I will make one more declaration. As God and King of this world, I declare the beginning of a new era of peace! An era, where dragons and humans, live not as creator and creation, but as brothers!" Ryuujinn declared. There were loud cheers amongst the celestial beings. Ryu smiled in satisfaction.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
THREE MONTHS LATER…
Michael and the others had arrived at Ryu no kokoro. For the past three months, they had been visiting Ryu no kokoro to pay tribute to the memory of Ryu but that was not the only reason. They secretly harboured hopes that Ryu would one day return but every single day, they were reminded that they would never see Ryu again for as long as they lived. Atlanta burst into tears when she saw the place. Everything about that place was filled with memories of Ryu. She recalled all the moments she had shared with Ryu. She fell on her knees and wept uncontrollably.
"Ryu, you liar! You promised that everything was going to be okay!" she said as the tears flowed down her face.
She couldn't bring herself to stop shedding tears.
Slowly, Ryu stepped out from behind a tree. To him, it was just the previous day that Tristran had been vanquished but time in the spiritual realm flowed quite differently than time in the human realm. The others noticed him but they were so shocked they couldn't even speak.
"I didn't lie" he said.
Atlanta heard his voice and opened her eyes in surprise. She slowly turned to see…Ryu.
"Everything is okay now. Like I promised, none of us has to be lonely anymore" Ryu said with a soft half-smile.
"Ryu!" Atlanta called and ran into his arms.
"Ryu, you idiot! How could you do that to me?! I'll never forgive you for this, never! I'll never forgive you!" Atlanta cried.
"Then perhaps I should return to Ryuujinn" Ryu joked.
"No! I won't lose you again. Fine, I will forgive you but promise me first…that you'll never leave my side again" Atlanta said amidst tears.
"I will never leave your side again, I promise" Ryu reassured her.
"I'll never hurt you again, I promise" Atlanta swore.
Then finally, for the first time, after loving each other secretly and holding their feelings back for so long, Ryu and Atlanta shared a kiss.