Here it is… The finale… Or more-so falling action, I guess. Yes, my readers, this is the end of Glitter in the Air. I thank you all for sticking around through all of it, and I loved each and every review you all sent. I sincerely hope you all enjoyed my story, and I also hope you'll enjoy its conclusion. :sniff: Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go cry to myself… and rampage through Dreamland with Kirby and co.

Themes: Promise (reprise) – Silent Hill 2 OST, Cosmic Love – Florence and the Machine, Happiness - The Fray, Loyalty – AcoustiMandoBrony

x x x
Epilogue: Happiness
x x x

After Norma discovered the Everlight, she rushed out to find Zamaran and drag him back to the circular chamber crafted from ice and crystal. There, she made the wish she and Sven shared to restore his eyesight. After doing so, the air sparkled as the Everlight's magic healed the older scholar's eyes. After the light faded, the wish caused the Everlight to lose what power it had and crumble. The group then returned to Werites Beacon, where the citizens were still recovering from the dragon attacks.

Moses and some of the shop owners spoke about the valuable resources the dragons could call for when it came to weapons, armor and accessories. They later came to a deal that Moses and the bandits would help in cleaning up the dragons and sell some of the materials to the shop owners. In return, they would trade them for some of the powerful items crafted out of the materials.

As for Will… well, he just wanted to dissect one for study purposes and to find out the biological differences between each sub-species. Before the bandits could look at them, Will was there first to examine every one and take samples.

The eventful day transformed into evening, and Norma went to go visit Sven. Walking quietly behind her was Walter, his mind filled with thoughts and recollections from earlier that day. The road up to the graveyard was quiet, and the lamps on the side of the lit pathway gave off a golden glow similar to the one surrounding Norma in the Crystal Forest. Crickets chirped here and there, and the night air grew colder as autumn approached.

However, as the two walked down the path together, Norma felt something… off. Different, like things between them had changed from how they were before. Maybe it was because she finally found the Everlight, or that he had come to rescue her… but something over the past few days had shifted into something she couldn't recognize at that moment.

She peered at him out of the corner of her eyes. It might have been her imagination, but the blond looked a lot less tense then he was the last time she saw him, right after half of the Fun Bunch and them went on that trip to the Man-Eating Ruins. Really, he looked like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. …So why was there some inkling of doubt in his eyes?

"Did you need something Norma, or were you just going to continue staring at me?" Walter finally asked after feeling her gaze linger on him for a few minutes.

The treasure hunter started at his sudden question and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Oh sorry, Wally! Actually, I wanted to ask you something." He raised his eyebrows and motioned for her to continue. "It's just… you seem different somehow. Something's changed in the past few days and I can't put my finger on what. Even if you aren't as serious as you usually are, you have the same doubting look that I did in the Crystal Forest. So, what's up?"

Walter closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath, stopping in place near a lamppost. The golden glow illuminated the path around them, and made their hair shimmer. "Since this entire situation is over, I should probably tell you the truth about everything. I owe you that much." Norma's head perked up in interest, and he continued. "You know that I had to do something to stay here after I was revived, right?" Norma nodded, and he averted his eyes to look at the road ahead of them. "Well, a few nights ago I had a dream that told me what I had to do… It included you."

After parts of her shock faded away, Norma deadpanned, "...You know, that could be taken sooo many ways, it isn't funny—."

"Oh shut it, you know what I mean." Walter interrupted, rolling his eyes at her. He shook his head when she just grinned back at him in response. "I'm being serious, Norma. I saw you get caught in that trap in the Ice Monument." She winced. "Images… blurred into something else, for lack of a better word. I found myself standing in the Crystal Forest, with you staggering down a cracked hole in the wall. I followed you down the tunnel, through a black mist I could barely see through. At the bottom was the cavern you woke up in, and…" He hesitated for a moment. "…You were just lying there, with some shadowy masked women standing over you. …Norma, I saw her kill you. You could imagine, I didn't take that well."

Norma shook her head of the unpleasant image her mind was conjuring up, parts of the puzzle clicking together. "That's why I didn't see you at all yesterday morning, wasn't it?" He nodded, crossing his arms. "What happened next? After I got poisoned I can't really remember anything. Everything's a big fuzzy blank."

"I… went to go clear my head for a bit, and didn't get back until that evening. The rainstorm earlier that day had just gotten worse, and I was about to head inside when I saw your friends by the inn. They ran out panicking, saying you had run away while you were still suffering from the poison's side effects. So I went after you." Walter took a step backwards and leaned against the lamppost, his eyes scanning the dark town nearby. "I flew around looking for you, and eventually found you in the graveyard, in front of your teacher's gravestone. That same women was standing over your limp form; had I not seen that omen earlier that morning, I'd have thought you dead."

Norma stayed quiet, but telling her of the danger she had been in, that she couldn't even remember, scared her. "…What happened next?"

"What I usually do to people I don't like. I attacked her." The line made her snicker, and brought a small smirk to his face. "She vanished when I did, and I flew you over to the hospital. Though I was supposed to rest easy afterwards, I woke up to check on you and Elsa ran up to me saying you ran away again. There was only one real place I could imagine you going, and that was the Crystal Forest." He looked back at her. "Though the rest of your friends and I couldn't get to you as fast as we wanted; an army of dragons swarmed the town right after Elsa told me of your disappearance."

"Maaan, I was missing everything when I was out of it, wasn't I?" Norma complained, a frown gracing her features. "Imagine the kind of loot I could have gotten!"

Walter stared at her, "You were on the verge of dying alone in the Crystal Forest and all you care about is gald."

The treasure hunter shrugged, "What, it's my job to be a money-grabbing treasure hunter."

The blond Ferines rolled his eyes and continued. "I eventually found your antidote from Chloe and found myself teaming up with Senel in the Crystal Forest."

"Wait, you teamed up with Senny, of all people? Who are you, and what have you done with my roomie Wally!?" Norma exclaimed in shock, leaning back and pressing her fingers to her mouth in mock horror.

"Trust me, I wouldn't have done so if I hadn't taken a hit from a dragon leaving town. Our meeting alone was…" He looked away for a moment, an awkward expression appearing on his face. Norma gave him an expectant look and raised an eyebrow. He looked away quickly, his cheeks turning pink, "Ok, maybe we got off on the wrong foot at the beginning, but either way, we ended up going after you together."

"Uh huh…" Norma didn't sound like she was convinced. "Nothing happened, huh?"

Walter looked up in as he muttered something under his breath, "For Nerifes' sake… Norma, I despise him. I loathe him. Do you really expect I wouldn't do something, especially after he accused me of…" He bit his lip hard to try and stem the harsh words pouring out of him. Taking a few deep breaths, he kept a lid on his anger and continued. "Yes, I lashed out at him. But you know I have issues about him. Just trust we came to an agreement and let it rest at that."

He noticed finally that they had been standing on the road for a while, and pushed himself off the lamppost to continue up the road, with Norma following close behind. "We got to the Crystal Forest, but the black mist had invaded it, putting the monsters there into a frenzy. There were far too many for the two of us to take out and then rescue you in time, so we split up. I went on ahead and found the tunnel you went down, and followed it into the cavern."

He looked back at her briefly, then turned his gaze back to the road in front of him, "It was the same situation that I had dreamed about; she was standing over your prone form, but hadn't hurt you yet. The poison's side effects gave you a fever and you fell unconscious. I rushed to try and get her away from you, but she tried to set doubt into my mind, just like the black mist did to you." He looked down for a moment, "Honestly, she almost succeeded…"

"What changed your mind?" Norma asked after a long moment of silence between them, enough that they had reached the tall walls surrounding the graveyard.

Walter paused for a moment, reaching out towards the stone walls and dragging his fingertips against the stone. "…You did, Norma."

"Huh?" Norma did a double-take and turned back to face the blond behind her, who kept his eyes averted to the wall.

His hand scraped against the wall as they formed into a fist. "Back when I was injured at Madam Musette's home, you saved my life, even after I had been such an ass to you. After I woke up, you were so scared I'd… go away like your mentor Sven… I made you a promise." He looked over at her, the golden glow from the lamps around them shining in his blue eyes. "I promised… that no matter what happened I'd always be there for you. That I wouldn't leave like Sven." His eyes took on a determined edge to them, "…I never break my promises."

Norma struggled to keep her eyes dry. "…Wally, you…" She said at last, words wavering as her eyes shimmered.

Silence surrounded them as they stared at one another, not knowing exactly what to say. The faint whisper of a breeze blew along the hillside, chilling the two as they stood by that wall.

After a while, Walter closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them, Norma saw the corners of his mouth twitch, as if he was withholding a smirk. "...So, Norma…" He tilted his chin up and his lips quirked into a smirk, "You know, I didn't think you would have believed that little story I made up. Glad to know I'm a pretty good storyteller."

Norma's eyes widened and she opened her mouth in shock. "W-wha…"

The Ferines shrugged off her shock and walk towards the graveyard, "Ah well, you did the same thing to me, right? Fair's fair, after all."

Her arms began to quiver in anger, and she stomped her foot down, "Wally!" He looked over his shoulder, and stifled a snicker at her pouting face. "You… you meanie! That wasn't very nice!" She crossed her arms in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

Finally, a quiet laugh escaped him, and he shook his head. "Perhaps not, but at least you're not on the verge of tears anymore." Norma's frown eased and she looked at him in surprise. He turned to face her, the warm lamplight flickering in his blue eyes. "Call me soft, but… I don't like watching others cry because of me. Not now, at least…" He glanced somewhere beside him, purposely not looking at her.

Norma's brows furrowed for a moment, and she stared at him with a thoughtful and nervous expression on her face. "Wally…" The blond gazed back at her. "Everything you said was true, wasn't it?"

He didn't answer her for a long moment, as if trying to find the right words. Finally, he replied, "You already know the answer to that, Norma." Afterwards, Walter began to walk back up towards the entrance of the graveyard, leaving the treasure hunter behind. Noticing she wasn't following and just staring at her feet, he stopped and called to her, "Hey, are you going to keep your teacher waiting?"

Norma's head snapped up and she nodded vigorously, "I'm coming, I'm coming! Quit being so pushy already!" She yelled back, and quickly ran up the path to join him. When she had caught up to him, she placed her hands on his back and started pushing him up the hill, causing the gravel under their feet to shift noisily.

"Now who's being pushy?" Walter remarked sarcastically, but didn't try and remove her hands or stop in place.

"Oh shut it and keep walking, we're already late!" Norma replied back, slipping once or twice on the gravel.

"Late for what? I doubt Sven would mind much if we arrived a few seconds late, not that he—" Norma's feet suddenly slid out from underneath her, and she quickly grabbed onto the back of his shirt to keep from toppling to the ground. Because of this, Walter made a strangled sound as he struggled to stay upright. "For Nerifes sake, stop that!"

"Sorry, I slipped!" Norma didn't sound at all apologetic as she yanked on the black clothing further to pull herself up. The blond, on the other hand, tried to prevent the tall collar of his shirt from strangling him.

"If you're sorry then stop doing that!" He snapped back.

"But we're laaate!" Norma whined loudly.

"Oh, quit whining already!"

That night, things had begun to go back to normal again.

x x x

A few days later; Maurits, Madam Musette and the Fun Bunch had discussed the events of the dragon attacks on Werites Beacon via letters. After a short exchange, it was decided the party was to go to the Village of the Ferines to exchange information properly that afternoon.

By this time, Walter had met with the others and shared everything that had happened, including the mysterious women in black who controlled the mist and the events which had occurred in the Crystal Forest. The only parts he left out was his experience on the other side, along with who he had met there. Even if he was still uncomfortable being around all of them, Moses, Norma, Jay and Shirley (who was dragged along) still had a party in the Fountain Plaza to inaugurate him into the Fun Bunch. The party involved a shaky truce between him and Geit, the Bantam Bouncers crashing the party, a couple of cayenne peppers and Moses tossing Jay into the fountain.

Even if Walter was now a member of the Fun Bunch, and he couldn't just refuse go to the Village of the Ferines… he was nervous. He was a Ferines, and the Merines' ex-bodyguard at that; he shouldreturn to the Village to protect it like he did in his past life. …But at the same time, he had friends; had comrades here in Werites Beacon. He was part of the Fun Bunch, and after what happened in the Crystal Forest, he would never break his promise to protect Norma.

…Would Maurits ask him to come back? Try to force him to come back? All pride and ego aside, Walter had easily been the most powerful warrior in the village, save for the Shirley's powers as the Merines. Along with that, Walter had worked as a spy and information-gatherer for Maurits for the past three years; he doubted the village's elder would just let him walk away.

Walter groaned, and let his head fall back against the tree in frustration. While the others were preparing for the afternoon they would be staying in the village, Walter was sitting against one of the trees in the Fountain Plaza. For once, however, he was not paying any attention to the small crowds of people flocking in and out of the plaza, a steady hum of chatter filling the air. His mind was concerned with his internal dilemma about that afternoon. For once, the blond Ferines was feeling nervous.

"Wally!" He suddenly heard his name being called and looked over to the entrance of the plaza, where he saw a familiar yellow hair ornament bobbing through the crowd. The figure pushed her way through the crowd, and finally he saw Norma searching around the plaza. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called again. "Wally! Where are you?"

"I'm over here, Norma." Walter called back as he stood up, brushing off the sapphire blue shirt he gotten the day after the dragon attacks, as his other attire had been torn apart from both monster and ethereal-masked-woman alike.

The treasure hunter trotted over to him, with Shirley in tow. "Hey, we've been looking all over for you, Wally! We're leaving for the village in an hour!" She scolded, hand on her hip.

He waved her complaints away, "I know that, I had better things to do." He noticed Shirley's presence next to Norma, and commented on it. "Shirley? Aren't you supposed to be speaking to Madam Musette about the meeting?"

She shrugged, "Norma dragged me with her to search for you."

"What was more important than getting ready to come with us?" Norma asked, curious.

"I was thinking." Walter responded bluntly.

"…Uh huh… About what?" She raised her eyebrows.

"None of your business."

"Hey now, let's not go back to keeping secrets, Wally! We're friends, aren't we?" Norma gave him pleading eyes, similar to a puppy's. Watery puppy eyes that shined with innocence were a powerful weapon that many women used to get what they want, and few could resist. Fortunately for Walter, he was one who could.

"If you put it like that… no." He replied.

Norma threw up her hands in frustration. "Aw, come on! What could be so important that it would keep you from hanging out with us?"

Shirley watched this exchange quietly, and then asked, "You're nervous about going back, aren't you?" The two turned to stare at her in surprise, but she didn't elaborate further.

Norma began to comment, waving off Shirley's question. "Nervous? Don't be silly, Wally doesn't get scared of anything—"

"Yes." He interrupted quietly.

Norma turned to look at him in surprise, he eyebrows raised. "What?"

The blond shifted in place, suddenly conscious of their gazes. "I am nervous about going back. No one in the village knows that I'm alive, and I'm not sure if Maurits would want to keep me there or not." Norma opened her mouth to speak, but he waved her away. "Let me finish. You have to understand, the three years I was on the Legacy I was working for Maurits as a spy, trying to find out about Vaclav's movements… and to find you, Shirley. And I was a good one, so much that I was usually the one to undermine a lot of Vaclav's operations on the Legacy."

Walter sighed and looked towards the fountain through the crowd, streams of crystal-clear water bubbling out of the coral-colored pools and flowing into the channel around the plaza. "I'm an asset to him, ever since he found…" He trailed off, deep in his memories for a moment. He seemed to snap out of it shortly afterwards, shaking his head and turning back to the girls. "I'm torn whether I should go back or not. Maurits wants and most likely needs me to be there to help protect the village, but at the same time… I like living here. I didn't ever think I ever would, but I do. I have friends and comrades here."

"…Where should I go? The place where I should go or the place I want to stay?" He brought up a hand to run through his hair in aggravation, his expression revealing his frustration.

Shirley shifted, brows furrowed together in thought. She couldn't think of an answer so easily; it was a problem she had trouble solving as well. As a Ferines living in Werites Beacon, she still felt connected to the village in some way, as their Merines. For Walter, this was worse, since he's lived around the Ferines for as long as she's known him. She didn't know much of his backstory, so his revealing his ties with Maurits was completely new to her. Maurits wasn't a bad man, but… he had been manipulative to achieve his goals at times.

Norma didn't require any thought for her answers. "Stay here, of course! If you want to stay here, then stay!" The blond looked over at her, and she continued. "Besides, if you left, when would we ever get to see you? Knowing you, you'd go right back to patrolling at night like you used to." She grinned at him, hoping he'd stop looking so glum.

A moment went by, and Walter's lips quirked into a smirk, "That's what you think."

Norma raised her eyebrows at him, even as Shirley pushed them gently towards the inn, where the group was meeting up at. "Oh, really? Alright then, Wally, what would you do if you did go back? …All hypothetically, of course."

He closed his eyes for a moment, "Well… First things first, I'd tell Maurits I want a vacation." Norma snickered. "Second, I'd try and come to Werites Beacon as much as I could. Third…" He opened his eyes and had a puzzled expression on his face. "…I don't know, I'll have to think about it."

"Hypotheticallythink about it, right?" Norma asked.

"Yeah… Maybe," He trailed off as they reached the inn, where the other members of their party were waiting for them… Or at least, where they were supposed to be waiting for them. In fact, only Moses, Grune and Jay were present, standing at the door of the inn as if listening in to a conversation.

Walter gave Norma a strange look, but she just shrugged. "Beat's me what's going on over there." They walked over and the treasure hunter called out, "Hey guys, it's impolite to eavesdrop, you know!"

Jay looked over at her, then the other two, "Oh good, you found Walter." Said blond raised a hand in greeting.

Norma crossed her arms, "So, who are you listening in on?"

Jay seemed to smirk a little in amusement, "Zamaran."

"The old man? Why're you listening to him?" She cocked her head to the side in curiosity.

Moses motioned for her to come closer, "He's actually trying to rent a room… at five gald per year."

Walter slapped a hand over his mouth as he struggled not to burst out laughing while Norma just stared dumbfounded. "…W-what?!"

Shirley walked past Norma and listened though the door. "…Apparently he's giving the innkeeper a discount." She commented, a faint chuckle in her voice. This time, Moses started cracking up too.

"Hey, shut it, you two!" Norma complained, stomping her feet. The blond behind her let out a small snicker, and she turned to him. "You too, Wally!"

Jay listened past the laughter to the figure inside. "Apparently he just put it on your tab."

"What!?" Norma ran past the four near the door, opened it and rushed inside. The group heard a bit of loud complaining, some shuffling and more complaints. Then one large growl of frustration, and it was quiet.

They heard footsteps, and backed away as Norma stomped out with irritation in her eyes. She looked over at Walter and pointed at him, "You're paying for Zamaran, got it?" With that, she walked over to the item shop to refill her item bag.

They stared as she stormed, and Walter threw up his hands. "What did I do?"

x x x

After a while, the rest of the group arrived at the inn after meeting with Madam Musette first (hence their tardiness). The Fun Bunch rejoined their friends, and they left towards the duct. Stepping inside, they entered their location and warped to the Village of the Ferines. Rematerializing inside the duct they stepped out and looked around their surroundings; the pine forest split into a small clearing on the edge of a familiar lake. The barrier surrounding the village was down for the time being; probably so the group could enter. As the group walked across the stepping stones towards the coral-red archway, Walter hesitated in following. He stared at the ground for a moment in thought, then shook his head and hurried after the party.

A few of the Ferines villagers walked down the path, a few chatting with each other amiably. After a moment, they noticed the presence of visitors and stopped in their tracks at the sight of the party. They turned and hurried away, and Norma blew out an irritated breath. "Oh, what a wonderfully warm welcome… I can just feel the love and tolerance pouring out. I'm so happy, I could cry!"

Will rolled his eyes, "Norma, cut the sarcasm."

"Aw, come on!" She whined, not noticing a Ferines girl approaching them, her golden hair pulled up into twin ponytails.

"What do you think you'redoing here?" Thyra's voice cut through the air, and the group turned to look at her frowning face, her cold eyes glimmering with fire.

"Oh great, Tulip's already angry and we've just arrived…" Norma commented quietly.

"She's not going to let us get a word in edgewise, is she?" Jay asked no one in particular.

Shirley put on a brave face and began to speak, "We—"

Thyra immediately turned to glare at her and interrupt, "I don't want to hear a word from you. Go home, you're not wanted here."

"Wait, I want to talk to you." Shirley spoke quickly, but Thyra didn't listen.

"Well I don't… If you want to talk, why don't you talk to yourself?" She retorted.

Walter let out a frustrated breath listening to her speak, "And here I thought you'd become a little more civil, Thyra." She started at the sound of his voice, eyes wide in shock as she watched him walk out from behind Moses and Grune. He crossed his arms, "I understand why you're as angry as you are… but it won't do any good hating Shirley for something she didn't do."

"Why do you keep coming back!?" Thyra yelled, throwing her hands up in the air. "Are you just doing this for fun now?"

Chloe looked at Norma, "Have they met before?"

The treasure hunter shrugged, "I dunno, he doesn't tell me stuff."

"Believe it or not, I'm here on business." He responded.

"Do you expect me to believe that?" Thyra retorted angrily.

"Thyra, that's enough." Another voice cut in before Walter could respond. Thyra turned and saw an older man walking up to them from down the street. He was clothed in robed attire, his long hair swept behind his head and a small circlet resting on his forehead.

"Chief Maurits…!" Thyra gasped.

Walter seemed to freeze in place, different emotions flickering across his wide eyes. Norma looked at him in concern when he stepped closer to the others, his form partially hidden from the older man. Her eyes flickered down towards his crossed arms, and she noticed his fingers begin to dig into his skin.

Maurits didn't notice the extra member in their party, and still had his attention on the Ferines girl in front of him. "I asked these people to come here."

Thyra gasped and took a few steps back in disbelief, her mouth slack as if to scream her indignation at them all. After a moment, she turned and ran down the main path towards the other side of the village. "Thyra, wait…!" Shirley held out a hand, as if to stop her.

Maurits shook his head and looked towards the group, "I apologize for her behavior. Especially after you've come all the way here…"

"It's all right." Will waved it off.

Maurits beckoned them towards the large building to the side of the village. "Please, come with me. We can talk more there." He led the way through the door, and one by one the party followed him inside.

Norma began to follow them, but paused when she noticed Walter wasn't following. She glanced at him, who looked like he was mulling over the thought of sprinting out of the village and back to Werites Beacon. She walked up to her friend and poked him in the arm, catching his attention. He turned to gaze at her with troubled blue eyes, and she gave him an encouraging expression.

He sighed and shook his head. Norma gave him a hopeful look, and pointed over at the large building the others had entered. With a small nod, the two followed the group inside.

Inside was a small entryway, which was separated from a large conference room by a few feet of wall and a cabinet. While Norma walked past the cabinet into the room, Walter lingered near the door, not at all eager to make his entrance until an opportune moment.

Now that some of the group had wandered away to find seats around the large table in the center of the room, Maurits had turned his back for a moment to look over something on the table, "Really, I'd intended to remove the barrier sooner… it took longer than I anticipated to convinced everyone, especially after an incident around a week ago."

Shirley looked at Norma with a question in her eyes before turning back to Maurits, "Incident?"

The village elder turned back to the group. "Yes. Apparently, an Orerines man somehow managed to sneak past the barrier into the village. He was spotted near the edge of the village near the rear courtyard, but he fled shortly after being discovered. By the time the rest of our guards had arrived there, he had vanished without a trace."

The group exchanged knowing looks with each other, knowing only one person it could have been. And he was currently hiding near the door.

Maurits lifted his head in thought, a puzzled expression spreading across his face. "Strangely enough… The barrier was not bypassed, but deactivated altogether. Only a few Ferines know how to use the barrier surrounding our village, but all of them denied deactivating it."

He stood a little straighter. "In fact, it's happened twice, and our security was top-notch the second time. …It's as if the man knew how to get by our defenses."

Walter closed his eyes and sighed very quietly, "…You're right." His voice echoed louder than he'd thought, filling the air near the room and allowing the others to hear him.

Maurits started when he heard the person speak, his stature stiff in shock as a memory forced itself into the forefront of his mind. That voice… It was quiet, yet it seemed to echo loudly through his mind. A figure appeared in his mind; a man dressed in white and cerulean-blue, his bright hair swishing from side to side as he argued about the safety of the Merines…

Walter continued after a long moment of hesitation. "Security wouldhave been hard to get past for any person, unless they had a hand in organizing the patrols in the first place. Someone who helped create the barrier…" He walked towards the corner of the entryway, stopping as the light shining in from the high windows stopped at his feet. His fingers brushed against the edge of the wall, his eyes cast towards the ground. "It would have been easy to enter the village by someone who knew the village like the back of his hand, who had patrolled the streets nearly every night when Shirley still lived here."

He bit his lip hard, and forced his feet to walk forward. The light from the room chased away the shadows shrouding him as he stepped out of the entryway. His platinum blond hair shimmering faintly in the sun's rays, and with a resigned expression on his face he looked towards his former chief. "It would have been easy entering the village if the Orerines man wasn't an Orerines at all, but a Ferines who's been dead for two months."

Maurits' stunned eyes grew wide as he gazed upon the ghost in front of him, his aura and attire changed but otherwise there and very much alive. "Walter… You're... How are you…?" He stammered, questions wanting to tumble from his mouth.

Walter crossed his arms and walked forward so he was standing behind an empty chair. "It's a long story…" He responded finally, his eyes averted to the table in front of him instead of the older Ferines across the room.

After a long moment of silence, Maurits had begun to shake off his shock. The corners of Maurits' eyes crinkled as a smile slowly began to creep across his face. "I… we have time." He said after a moment.

The blond Ferines' eyes glanced in Norma's direction for a moment, his calm expression faltering for a moment. Closing his eyes and letting out a small breath, he sat in the chair in front of him. "Very well…" He said finally, leaning his arms on the table, fingers resting on top of his wrist.

x x x

And thus Walter began his story: beginning all the way from waking near Lumen Spring repeating his entire story save for a few parts; the ones in the black abyss and the time he's spent with Fenimore. Occasionally, one of the other team members would speak up and elaborate where he couldn't, but the story mostly consisted of his own words. He rarely looked at the others as he spoke at first, but as the other members of the Fun Bunch piped up to speak, he found his eyes wandering towards Maurits more often.

After he had finished, he elaborated more on the mysterious masked woman who seemed to control the black mist per Maurits' questions afterwards. The black mist seemed to be connected to both the shadowy clones of Norma and Will and the increase of power amongst the monsters of the Legacy. Afterwards, the Ferines elder told of the increase of powerful monsters around the village, enough that they had been tempted to reactivate the barrier around the village. Even as he spoke, his eyes flicked over in Walter's direction once in a while, as if he was still recovering from his shock. For a lot of the time, the blond remained quiet after that, at least until the group heard Thyra's scream from outside.

A fiend had entered the village, smashing a heavy staff into the ground and staring down Thyra when Shirley and the others had rushed outside. Without a moment's hesitation, they launched themselves at it. Eyes wide, the Ferines girl watched as the nine members of the Fun Bunch fought the hulking monster, eres-powered attacks flying everywhere. By the time the fiend had ceased moving and vanished into a plume of mist, the party was exhausted but alive.

As Will, Jay and Maurits spoke about the black mist and the fiend; the others were free to wander about the village. Senel and Chloe stayed near the entrance and chatted about who-knows what. Moses was content in lazing about with Geit near the lake, and Grune was wandering about with that silly smile on her face. At the moment Walter didn't know where Norma or Shirley were, but they had to have still been in the village.

As for the Ferines, he was still inside the small entryway near the conference room. He leaned against the wall in such a place where he could still listen in to the other three talking inside. Instead of eavesdropping however, he was occupied with the thoughts inside his nervous mind.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps walking towards him from inside the room, and pulled himself from his thoughts. Will and Jay paused as they passed by, "Walter? I thought you would have been outside with Shirley or Norma?" Jay asked, his tone relaying a bit of surprise.

The blond shook his head. "I have unfinished business with Maurits first. I'll meet up with you all afterwards."

The two erens turned to each other with one question on their minds, but nodded anyway. "Alright then, we'll leave you to it." Will responded, and the two left.

As the door clicked shut, Walter let out a breath and counted up to ten in his head. At ten, he straightened his stance and took in a steadying breath. Turning, he walked into the conference room. Maurits sat on the far side of the round table, writing down some of the information that had passed in their conversation. Biting his lip for a moment, the blond cleared his throat and spoke up, "Maurits?"

The village elder looked up, and a smile spread across his face when he saw the other Ferines enter the room. "Walter? I had expected you were exploring the village with the others."

Walter shook his head as he circled around the table, "Not today. I need to speak with you."

The other Ferines' serious expression and words made Maurits stand up from the table, turning to give the blond his full attention. "Alright then, I can tell there is something on your mind."

Walter hesitated in speaking for a long moment, swallowing hard. Maurits seemed to quirk his head at his out-of-character, but didn't say anything. Finally, Walter looked into the eyes of his old leader and said, "Maurits, I'm… not returning to the village."

The older Ferines's eyebrows rose in surprise, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Walter held up a hand in exasperation, "Can I please finish? I know I used to be one of your best warriors and spies and whatever else I used to do for you, but that's just it. I usedto be one of your best. Not since I died, and not now. Someday I'd like to work for you again and help defend the village, but not while this problem with the black mist is still happening."

Finally, the blond had let a long enough lull in his almost frantic speech occur that Maurits spoke. "I know."

"…Huh?" Walter paused, then turned to stare at him in surprise.

Maurits shook his head, "I've noticed how tense you were when you first revealed yourself today, as if you were nervous about what I might have thought. Eventually, you relaxed when Senel and the others cut in to tell their part of the past two weeks or so. Like you said earlier today, you're clearly different from the last time I've seen you, especially after hearing your story."

As Maurits had spoken, Walter averted his eyes towards the door, away from his old chief. "Before, you wouldn't so much as set foot in Werites Beacon, let alone live with an Orerines girl there. Neither would you have risked your own life to save one, yet you did that and more. …You genuinely care about Senel and the others, both as friends and comrades." Maurits continued, pausing to look at the other Ferines, eyes still averted from him.

Maurits hesitated in saying something, then finally asked, "So, is there another reason that you've decided to stay in Werites Beacon?"

"…I…" Walter began, before he frowned and gave the older man a hard look. "Is this another ploy to keep me here, Maurits?"

The older man seemed a bit surprised at the defensive statement from him, and shook his head. "No, I'm only curious."

After a few more moments, Walter answered; his hard look disappearing as he stared over at the table. "If you heard my story you already know. Before... before what happened at the Altar of the Sea, I had never rested in keeping the village secure and Shirley safe. I never had any real ties with anyone in the village save for you, Shirley and Fenimore. I was always wrapped up in my work, never taking a moment to make acquaintances in the village."

"When I was revived, I was given a second chance at life in Werites Beacon. Like it or not, I tried to be more kind to Norma. I met her team members one by one, who hadn't been as bad as I thought them to be. In time, I had learned to depend on them as comrades, and even friends…" Walter trailed off, lost in thought for a moment.

"…Then I found out that Norma was the one I was supposed to save; killed by a mysterious woman in the depths of the Crystal Forest. Completely alone. Nothingwould stop me from saving her from that, especially after I had promised I wouldn't abandon her... And I didn't. I don't break my promises."

Walter looked back towards Maurits with determination in his eyes. "I can't return because most of my ties here have been severed. Fenimore passed on, Shirley lives in Werites Beacon and I lost ties to you and the village when I died. In Werites Beacon I have comrades, friends, and a place to call home… a person to protect. I won't leave and live here again… not after…" His voice quieted to a near whisper as he shut his eyes in defeat and frustration. "Not after I've finally found some joy in my life…"

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and his eyes opened to look up at the older man. Maurits had a small smile on his face, even as his eyes were filled with sadness. "Walter, I would never intend to tear you away from your friends and Werites Beacon. If it is truly the place you've now called home, how could I take you away from that?" His fingers slowly slipped from the younger Ferines' shoulders. "…I'm just sad that after all of this time I thought you were dead; you show yourself fully alive and well. Then not a moment later, you're to leave once again."

"But at the same time, I've never thought I'd see the day you learned to forgive the Orerines, and become friends with them. You look… happy. I'm proud of you, Walter." The older man smiled warmly at him, wrinkles creasing on his face as he did.

Walter's eyes widened in shock as a long silence passed without him saying a thing. Finally, the younger blond's shock dissipated as a genuine smile began to spread across his face. "…Thank you, Maurits." He responded quietly, his head bowed slightly.

Maurits smiled back at him, and placed a hand on his shoulder to turn him towards the door. "Your friends are waiting for you outside. We can talk more later when this ordeal is all over."

Walter turned back to look at him and nodded slightly. "You know where to find me." He bowed his head respectfully, then turned and walked around the table to the door.

Maurits watched him leave quietly, and listened as the front door opened and shut with a click. The older man closed his eyes and sighed. The sound was a tinged with sadness, even as he smiled to himself. Rubbing his watery eyes with the heel of his hand, he went back to the paperwork on the table.

x x x

Norma paced around the entrance nervously, her boots scuffing the stone pathway as she walked. Every once in a while, she would stop in place and stand near one of the pine trees. Then she would play around with the edge of her sleeve. Finally, the brunette girl would bite her bottom lip in aggravation and begin to pace again.

After most of the group had finished their business in the Village of the Ferines; Will, Jay, Grune, Senel and Moses left for Werites Beacon later that afternoon. Norma hadn't seen Walter leave earlier, and was nervous about his absence. Shirley had told Chloe about the other Ferines' indecisiveness, and the knight decided to stay with Norma and Shirley to wait for the blond to appear.

At the moment, the two girls were watching the crystal eren pave holes into the stone under her feet. They looked at each other, then back to Norma. "Norma, wearing holes into the path isn't going to help." Chloe stated.

Norma turned back to them, a frustrated expression on her face. "Well, it makes me feel better…"

Shirley looked over towards the back of the village, where a few tall pine trees stood. Fenimore's grave was there, so if Walter wasn't here, then… She stood up from her seat on a small boulder, large enough to seat both herself and Chloe, and spoke up. "You know, Maurits left the conference room a while ago. If Walter was still in the village, he'd probably be in the courtyard in the back of the village."

Norma turned so quickly she must have gotten whiplash from it, and threw her arms in the air. "What!? Why didn't you say so earlier, Shirl!?" She exclaimed loudly, waving her arms at the Ferines impatiently.

"Y-you didn't ask…" Shirley responded lamely, slightly stunned by Norma's outburst.

"Dang it, who knows how long I've been here waiting!" Norma whined with a stomp of her foot. With that, the yellow-clothed brunette twisted in place and took off in a run down the path.

Shirley was startled by her outburst, and slowly trailed after her at a sight jog. "Norma, wait up!" Chloe leapt to her feet and ran after the two, pushing back the urge to roll her eyes.

x x x

Norma slowed to a stop near a large tree on the edge of the courtyard, panting for breath. After a few moments, her chest stopped pounding as hard and she stood back up. Her eyes scanned around the darkening courtyard, the faint beams of sunlight flickering off the trees and shrouding parts of the courtyard in shadow.

She arrives at the courtyard, looking around for any sign of a dark-clad figure with silvery blond hair.]

Finally, Norma caught a flicker of silvery-blond in the corner of her gaze, and turned to look underneath the pine tree. Walter's figure stood in front of a large pinkish slab of stone, the front of it surrounded by flowers. He knelt down in front of it, his fingers reaching out to brush against the stone surface. Norma heard murmured words echoing from his direction, but couldn't figure out what they were.

Finally, he bent his head as he got to his feet, looking down at the stone. Norma suddenly felt like she was intruding onto a private moment, and felt like she should speak up before he caught her watching. Shaking her head, she bravely walked forward towards him.

The blond heard her footsteps and turned to see who it was, shoulders slightly tensed. His form relaxed when he saw the familiar girl in front of him. "You didn't have to come find me, I was going back soon." Walter said, a strange look on his face.

Norma shrugged, wondering if she had left Chloe and Shirley behind in the back of her mind. "I was waiting for you for a while, but you never showed up!"

"So, you came looking for me…" The blond trailed off, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.

Norma nodded with a slight grin. "Yep!" She didn't hear a response from the blond and quirked her head sideways at him. "Hey, you okay, Wally?"

Walter opened his mouth to speak, and hesitated for a moment. "I'm… I was just seeing Fenimore."

The grin faded from her face, as she watched him from across the courtyard. She walked over towards the railing at the edge of the water and looked out over the lake. The clouds on the horizon had transformed into a brilliant orange set against a pink sky, coloring the cerulean blue water with the warm shades above. If he had spent so long going to see Fenimore, then was he… staying? "You missed this place, didn't you…?" She thought aloud, staring off towards the

Walter turned to look at her and nodded, Norma's back to him. "Yes." He answered simply, his expression pensive.

Norma's shoulders slouched, and she was glad he couldn't see her face. Her eyebrows scrunched up in sadness, and she felt her eyes water. Taking in a calming breath, she announced, "Wally…? I'm… I'm gonna miss you a lot, you know…" She bit her lip to withhold the sad note in her voice.

The Ferines looked at her in confusion for a moment, before remembering their discussion from earlier that day. He walked over towards the rail so he was standing next to her, looking out at the brilliant sunset. "Why would you miss me? It's not like I'm going anywhere."

Norma turned to stare at him in surprise, her eyes shiny from withheld tears. "Wait, what?"

Walter shook his head and turned to look at her. "Why would you need to miss me if I'm not staying here?" Her eyebrows rose in disbelief, and he explained. "Sure, I would love to live in the village amongst the Ferines again, but I have no ties here anymore. In Werites Beacon, I have comrades, friends, and a place to call home. …I haven't had those in a long time." He murmured the last part quietly enough that Norma could barely hear it being said.

"So… you mean…?" Norma asked, joy beginning to glimmer in her eyes.

The Ferines smiled at her, blue eyes glittering in the sun's dying rays. "Besides, I made you a promise, Norma. I can't really protect you if I'm living all the way out here, can I?"

"You're staying!?" Norma asked excitedly, a large smile gracing her face and her tears drying up.

A simple nod was all it took for Norma to launch herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as an overjoyed laugh escaped her. Walter stumbled backwards to prevent himself from tipping backwards, and spun in a circle to keep his balance, his arms wrapped around her middle. "Norma, could you try not to knock me over like that?" He retorted, not trying hard enough to sound annoyed.

"I can't help it. I would have been really sad if you left!" She exclaimed loudly, her voice bubbly and happy once again.

Walter opened his mouth to retort but stopped. He didn't want to leave Werites Beacon because he was happy there, he realized finally. Fenimore told him to find his happiness, when he had it all along. All because of this obnoxious, whiny, greedy, pint-sized treasure hunter in his arms. The girl who had saved his life as much as he had saved hers. Who had given him his life back.

The Ferines looked down at the girl in his arms, a joyful look in her eyes as she hugged him and spoke quickly about something he wasn't listening to. She had pulled him out of the black abyss and into the glinting sunshine, given him friends and a reason to live again.

His arms tightened around her as a genuine smile lit his face. After all that had happened, he was alive and had found his happiness. And in the end, isn't that all that matters?

~End~

x x x

And that is the final chapter of Glitter in the Air! As aggravating as it is writing parts of it, this story gives me as much joy as it does for you readers. I want to give a big thank you to all of my readers who've read through this story! If it wasn't for you, this story would have stopped long ago. And without this story having been told, there would be no sequel.

Yes, I am in the process of writing a sequel to this story, which takes place after the final confrontation with Schwartz. I'm not sure when I'll upload it, but I'm around a third done with it and it's in the process of being edited. I really hope to see you readers return for that, but as is, I'm so happy you all read my story! You've no idea what it means to me. ;w;

Thanks you all so much again, and I'm glad you enjoyed the ride!