The day was beautiful, clear, and clean; the summer had come, but had arrived with a gentleness that brought peace to the souls of those who dwelled in it. All around the trees and flowers flourished, birds sung as they weaved through the branches and into the open skies. The grass, a more verdant green than could be believed by mortal man, was soft and invited the world to rest upon it in the shade of mighty trees.

A young family walked along slowly, perfectly content to enjoy the sunshine for as many moments longer that they could grasp. The husband walked slowly beside his wife and daughter, his gaze settled upon the two so fiercely he wondered if he would be able to ever tear himself away again.

“You’re staring again,” his wife reminded him, a laugh so wondrous to his ears that it may well have been the voice of angels. “You’ve been doing that lately.”

“Doesn’t bother me,” he replied, taking his daughter’s balled fist in his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Doesn’t bother you either, does it, Princess?”

“No, Daddy!” she said, her voice loud and bright and full of life. “But you’re still super weird!”

“I should have expected as much,” he said, his wife laughing at their daughter’s bluntness. “I can always count on you to be honest, can’t I?”

“Yup!”

“She takes after you, alright,” his wife said. “Honest to a fault.”

“Well, she’ll cool down. After all, she’s yours too.” He paused momentarily, letting the warm air and sunshine fall upon him and wrap around him like a soft blanket, his eyes closed so he could do nothing but feel the vibrancy of the world on his skin.

“Hey… you OK?” his wife’s voice broke through the reverie and he opened his eyes to see her gazing at him curiously.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Just…” he faltered, unable to find the words.

His wife smiled, kissing him on the cheek and resting against his chest. “You’ll be fine,” she said encouragingly. “I’ll hold her till you’re done. Take as long as you need.”

“Thank you,” he said, kissing her in return and leaving them behind as he walked on. Soon the gravestones were before him, a long, painful list of names and units and places that he had known all too well. A grief fell upon him as he recognized the name, or the land in which they had fallen. He had known them, laughed with them, fought with them- but here he still stood, while they slumbered beneath the ground out of reach of all harm of sorrow.

He knew that he should be grateful that he still lived. And truly, he was. But when he saw their names again, a lump began to form in his throat. SPC James Bright. 1st SGT Iron Will. SFC Big McIntosh. He felt a pull on his heart and he knew which one came next. As his eyes settled upon the next headstone, he came to a halt before it and slowly settled down on the ground, letting the fibers of grass play against his fingers.

“It’s a beautiful day out,” he said at first, his eyes darting to everywhere but the headstone. “It’s been great for a while, really. I just- well, I wish you were here to see it.”

The headstone remained silent, and finally he was able to look upon it, the countless memories of his friend now rising to his mind. Slowly, painfully, a small smile came to his face.

"It's been a while, I think. Since I last looked back and saw the day I made it and you didn't, I mean,” he said. “The world's pretty different now. It’s been three years –a long time, I know. There's no Crystal Empire. No Sombra. Just a world that still isn't sure of what to do next or how to really take it all in. I can understand that. There were times you and I couldn't find a way to explain it all. We just chose to keep pushing through it and find a way to stay alive a little while longer.

I’ve got a nice little thing going now, so you know. My wife and I are doing great, my little girl is getting bigger every day. We’ve even got another on the way. I never thought I’d have something this good- I always said I didn’t deserve it. But here it is- and it’s good. Real good. I wanted you to see it for yourself.

That night, I guess we figured that no one was going to make it. We’d made our peace and decided to go out with a bang. I got hurt real bad, you got hurt real bad. Thought that was gonna be it. But… well, here I am. I made it. Featherweight made it, the tiny little guy. He went back home and I keep up with him- he’ll be a college graduate soon, if you can believe it. I told him that I’m proud of him. I bet you would be, too. I just wish you were here to see it, cause no one fought harder to make it happen than you.”

A soft stream of tears fell down his face, unbidden but not evil in their form. A sudden spate of grief and gratitude roiled in him like a flowing tide and he smiled all the more widely.

“I don’t know what to do next. Even when I was a kid, I was always fighting against something,” he continued. “It’s like all I know how to do anymore is fight. But now it’s over, and I’m here trying to figure out where we go from here. I’m alive when I really shouldn’t be, and I don’t know who I’m supposed to be now. I just know that I don’t want to sit by and let the world keep on hurting. You died so the world could have a better future, so… so I want to carry on that mantle. I want to keep going, to keep fighting for those who need it. I don’t know how it’ll all happen- I just know it will. So, if you’re listening, I just wanted you to see that it’s going to be OK. I’ll take it from here.”

On unsteady, metallic legs that still remained shaky beneath his once-powerful frame, Marc rose to his feet and bid farewell to the grave of Shining Armor, walking towards a shaded tree where Sunset sat playing games with their daughter. She looked up to see him coming and rose to her feet, greeting him with an outstretched hand.

“I’m back,” he said.

She smiled, pulling him to her side. “I know.”

The three of them walked back through the grass and further on, reveling in the glorious sunshine.

Author's Notes:

The story of Marc Reyes -criminal, boy, man, soldier and warrior- has come to an end. But the true story has only just begun.

More is coming. But how? Take a look here, and join me in the bittersweet future:Here

As always, comments and corrections below. I hope you've enjoyed this story.