All the Dust that Falls

Epilogue 1: What Lies Between the Stars

Ashley trotted down the hall, doing her best to maintain a dignified posture as she did. Her attempts were met with only moderate success, considering there was only so much dignity a six-year-old could really muster. But her lessons with the Nighty Knights hadn't gone entirely to waste on that front.

"You finished your chores, Princess?"

Ashley stopped mid-stride, head whipping around. “Gigi!”

Her great-great-grandmother chuckled as Ashley rushed over and climbed up in her lap.The woman wore a set of simple but entirely spotless priest’s robes, as she usually did, with an old handmade scarf twined around her neck.

"I did, actually," Ashley confirmed with a definitive nod. “I finished them this morning!”

Last year, as a five-year-old, she didn't have chores. As a six-year-old, though, well, she was doing important work helping the family.

"Very good, Princess” Great-great-grandma Bee smiled as she ruffled Ashley's hair. This close, Ashley could actually see the barest wrinkles forming at the corners of her Gigi’s eyes.

Her dad said that her great-great-grandma was old, far older than she appeared. In fact, he claimed that there were a lot more 'greats' in her name, but she wasn't sure if she believed that. She'd seen old people. Old people were all hunched over, with gray hair and quiet voices and that plodding walk like her gramma had. Gigi, on the other hand, was the picture of health and energy. Only those wrinkles at the corners of her eyes said that she was older than, say, 25. Ashley’s own mom looked older than great-great-grandma. But then again, her mom called her great-great-grandma as well.

"Tell me a story," Ashley demanded. She didn't like the stories that her mom or dad told her. Those were for little kids. But Gigi always had great stories. Ancient ones. Stories about the founding of The Kingdom and the beginning of the world. The woman told them as if she had actually been there.

Maybe she actually was. After all, her portrait was the first one in the Hall of Rulers. But Ashley wasn't so sure. No one was that old. It was probably just because Gigi was the best.

Her great-great-grandma smiled down in that warm way she had, brushing some hair out of the little girl's face. "Well," she started, "I think I have one you’ll enjoy. It all started in an ancient castle…"

Ashley smiled at the beginning of her favorite tale, wriggling with delight as the woman continued to speak. "One day, some wizards who thought they were very, very clever decided to cast a spell. They wanted to summon something huge and powerful, a demon strong enough to fight their battles. But they were lucky. Instead of some devouring beast come to scour this world, they called something else. Something so far out of their expectations that they ran like scared little children…"

***

"...And then the glorious Lord ascended on high and set the stars in their proper places. The earth shifted,the seas stilled, and the world ordered itself into the beautiful grid we now live in" the woman finished.

Ashley sighed contentedly at the story’s conclusion, then frowned as a thought struck her. “Gigi,” Ashley asked, “You mean the world wasn’t always a grid? How did anyone find anything? How would you even draw a map?”

“Well, it certainly looked a lot more haphazard,” Gigi admitted. “But people made it work. In fact, it took them a lot of getting used to. Especially how all of the lakes became square…”

Ashley sat up suddenly. “What?! Nuh-uh. They’ve always been like that! Now you’re just messing with me!”

The woman chuckled good-naturedly. “Regardless. That’s the world we live in today.”

“But…” the girl frowned again. “What happened next?”"Well, naturally, the world was ordered, but the people weren't. The people were confused and scared. Everything had suddenly changed around them. But Lord Void, in its infinite wisdom, left us here to aid and lead them.”

"So that’s when you conquered everything?" Ashley blurted out, then slapped her hand over her mouth as Bee gave her a gentle but stern look.

“That wasn't how it happened. Who told you that?"

"Uh, no one?” Ashely lied.

Great-great-grandma gave her a knowing look, but continued on. "No, we did not conquer everything. The Kingdom was steady and stable, with proper leadership and experience and a great deal of high-leveled people. We were a safe haven in uncertain times. Because of that, we facilitated trade and gave aid where necessary. People flocked to our borders and other countries asked for our protection. Those that didn't… they had their own issues. They didn't last very long."

She fell quiet for a moment. Ashley waited patiently for a second or two before asking another question. It wouldn’t be an interruption if she wasn’t talking, right? “What about the demons?”

“Ah, the demons,” Gigi came back to herself. “They’re nothing more than myth and legend now. It was Lord Void’s final act before ascending. Never again will the world need to worry about them. But there are plenty of other monsters that our knights keep us safe from…”

"Princess Ashley!”

The girl started as a maid called from the doorway. Behind her stood her mother, an amused expression on her face. Ashley leaped down from her Gigi’s lap and rushed over to the pair. Her mother obligingly bent down for a hug. “There you are, sweetie. Come on. It's time for bed.”

“Already?” Ashley whined. “But I’m not tired!”

"Oh goodness. Even if you aren’t, I certainly am.” Gigi stood with effortless grace. “I suppose those stories will have to wait until next time. Good night, Ashley.”

“Come on," Ashley’s mother straightened. “Go with Matilda, and she'll get you settled with a nice warm cup of milk. I'll be there to tuck you in in a minute."

“Ok!” Ashley beamed. With a final wave to her Gigi, she took Matilda's hand and they walked off to bed.

----

Bee smiled fondly at her youngest descendant's retreating form. As she disappeared around the corner, she turned her attention toward her next heir. "You've done an excellent job with her, granddaughter."

"Thank you, Great-great-grandma," the younger woman said as she gave a respectful bow.

Bee blew a raspberry and waved it off. "None of that, now. Seriously, I haven't been able to get people to stop bowing to me for at least half a century. Come here," Bee wrapped the young woman in a sturdy hug, squeezing oh so gently. Now more than ever, she had to be cautious of her own strength.

“Is it… time?” The woman asked, clutching Bee a bit more tightly.

Bee sighed and gave her a sad smile. “It is. It's been nearly 200 years longer than Lord Void thought I would take, but my job wasn't done. But I'm confident that for at least another two generations, the kingdom will be in good hands, and I feel I can't get any more prepared than that."

“Are you certain that there shouldn’t be a ceremony?” She pressed. “For an occasion this momentous, I—”

“No,” Bee shut down the suggestion. “As it was with Void, so it shall be with me. I would never dare to place myself above my station with such a display. Besides, I’ve never been one for big events. You all are bad enough with my birthday. Can you imagine what this would turn into? Why, they’d never let me leave!”

Her granddaughter nodded solemnly, stepping back from the hug. Bee could see the beginnings of tears at the corners of her eyes. “Alright. I… alright. What shall I tell Mother?"

"I've already spoken with her. She knows this is my last day. Now, go tuck Ashley away and give her a kiss for me," Bee said as she gave her great-great-granddaughter a gentle push out of the room.

Alone now, she sat back down in her chair and stretched. At level 99, she didn't get stiff muscles, tiredness, aches, pains, or any such inconveniences. Regardless, stretching still felt nice. And despite the near-perfect condition of her body, the years weighed on her mind.

Sometime around after her first century, time had started to move faster, but it was repetitive. While there were many new things in the world, and it was exciting for a while to explore, the new experiences weren't as new as they might’ve seemed at first. Between that and seeing so many other people pass her by… she was ready to see what was next.

Pulling up her character sheet, she smiled at the full thing.

Name: Beatrice Marie D'Lestrange, Level: 99, Race: Human, Class: Spot's Prodigy, Titles: The Guiding Light, Brilliant Dawn, Void Blessed, Queen Ancestor, Demon's Bane, Devourer of Leviathans, God Touched, Angel in Waiting, Age: 237

Strength: 21897

Intelligence: 319204

Constitution: 174839

Dexterity: 328394

Charisma: 4294827

Perception: 482953

Will: 603958

Faith: 9999999999999999

Magic Defense: 100248596

Physical Defense: 9373911

Regeneration: 908732

With a deep breath, she transmuted the last of the magically-dense material in her storage space. The thrill of power coursed through her as the old, familiar feeling of a level up greeted her again. Her last title changed as she released her hold on the world and followed the gentle pull she could feel coming from Void. Now it just said Angel of Spot.

It was time to serve her master directly again.

Bee was pulled up into the heavens, the stars rushing past her in neatly ordered grids. In what felt like only a blink she arrived in a new space, vast and incomprehensible yet somehow cozy. Distance seemed to have no meaning, although she could tell that the room was perfectly square and many times the size of the world.

At its center, Void sat on a rug woven of beautifully sparkling stardust. A second rug, no less in its splendor, sat in front of it.

Bee folded herself into a cross-legged position and took her own seat. She felt tears begin to pour freely down her smiling face as she met the black disk’s somehow warm gaze.

“I’m home, master.”

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