At the End of the Journey
It's... all over.
...Yes.
It truly is over.
I'd lived through countless endings.
I knew every end was another beginning, so I had felt nothing.
So why... did I feel this way now?
...
Is this enough?
Did I really...?
...Are you leaving?
...
I should.
I don't think I belong here.
No regrets?
Regrets?
...I don't know.
It's... too late for them now.
In this world, and in all the time I've lived through.
At last, I could look him straight in the eye.
His gaze, his voice... everything I'd missed was dissolving like a dream.
...I won't forget.
Not our promise, nor our wishes.
I won't forget any of the time we spent together, Captain.
...I'll remember them, too.
Until we meet again.
For a moment, I watched his sad smile.
A man who tried to light the way for everyone, even when all the stars went dark.
We'd parted at the point where our paths crossed, and spent so long looking in different directions.
But I believe in him.
One last thing...
Can you tell me your name?
...
However long it takes, whatever shape it takes...
He and I will meet again.
My name is...
His light was so bright...
I closed my eyes.
A▞s░a.
...Perhaps it was a dream I didn't want to wake from.
And so, another new starlight ignited.
Its radiant flame was etched into the Archive—a beacon to pierce the endless dark of the cosmos.
Observation complete.