The only regret

ㅤ Luke watched his friends go, knowing he would never see them again. Never to return... And no matter how hard they tried to change fate, to go against the prophecy, his future was predetermined. Written down in the notes. His and Asch's shared destiny — to perish in this place. It was so strange not to feel fear. A little sadness lingered in the wake of friends: farewell is always sad. But most of all, Luke regretted one thing… To achieve their goal, only one person had to give their life. And not Asch's. Closing his eyes, Luke recalled the warmth that had enveloped him with Asch's final words, and tried to feel it within. Imagine that his soul is still inside, seeing and feeling everything, that they have reached the end together and are ready to turn the last page of the music notebook, leaving a clean slate for the renewed world. And with this thought, with this hope, he used the "key", disintegrating into phonons… ㅤ There was nothing left of his body, but his consciousness didn't disappear — Luke seemed to float weightlessly somewhere in the darkness of the universe. A warm light enveloped him, as if protecting him. A multitude of thoughts arose, but at the same time, none found development, leaving a feeling of emptiness. Infinite. Eternal. At some point, Asch's body hovered before Luke's soul, as if teasing him. Luke's only regret could now be rectified. In a panic, he tried to appeal to the remnants of Asch's soul inside him: "Come on! You have a chance to come back! You have to live!" But all that remained of Asch's consciousness was a sound, an invisible thread that mended the holes in Luke's soul, strengthening his connection to the world — the last gift of a dead man. Asch had long since come to terms with his death, accepting its inevitability. He asked for only one thing: that his body would endure until the end. And so it happened... But he still didn't get to witness the victory over Wang himself. At least, in a sense, he helped deliver the final blow, strengthening his despicable replica. 'I can’t…' Luke felt a pain in his chest, 'live instead of you…' Luke understood the obvious — this body was being offered specifically to him. As a reward for freedom. Even though a piece of Asch resided within him, at that fateful moment, only one held the "key." Asch was unable to preserve the integrity of his soul, even the vague remnants of consciousness. Only Luke remained, now completely replacing him. And if Luke were to disappear, the preserved part of Asch would also dissolve into deaf nothingness. Ever since the destruction of Akzeriuth, Luke had felt endless guilt. The revelation of the truth of his origins only intensified this feeling. And now all he could do for Asch… accept the gift. And continue life with the aching pain of the last regret. ㅤ