228 Final Chapter: A Worthwhile Existence 

__________ POV Ashton__________

How long has it been I wonder...

How long since the last time I needed to put my life at risk?

Well... Ten years have already passed since the gods attacked humanity. Since then, we were able to reoccupy the rest of the continent, I still keep up the walls and the labyrinth.

Humans and travellers have learned to walk around the dangerous living forests I have created. It is all mapped up by now.

Our population has been quickly expanding. We were previously around 160000 people in total, now there are at least around 300000. It is rather nice to see so many young people walking around.

Each family was encouraged to have as many children as possible. An effort to rebuild our species from scratch.

A team was also sent to travel and retrieve samples from sperm banks all over Lake Mobius, in our old homes. Diversifying the gene pool is a necessity after all.

Well, humanity is doing great... But what about me?

Heh, there's not really much to be said. I've been living a rather peaceful life after the gods were wiped. Well, I wasn't able to find the last few, but they are no threat to me or humanity.

I've been doing my best to maintain relationships this time. Even going as far as to befriending Kite, someone that I have wronged to some extent in the past.

Kurapika and Cheadle are also people I keep rather close to me. It's been strange watching Kurapika grow up both as a person and physically.

He's working towards rebuilding the Kurta Clan now... Pretty sure he has around 4 wives. The dude's not been slacking, I can tell you that much.

As for me... I have Momoze with me. I guess her feelings weren't all that fake if she's still the same after a decade.

We don't really have any children though, it is likely due to us being different species altogether. But Momoze seems to be happy nonetheless.

Worst come to worst, I'll probably just create a clone of my old body in the lab and extract some sperm cells from it... That's only if she ever wants children though.

There have been many things happening in the past few years. Yet it feels like nothing when compared to the events of those few years back then.

In this life of mine. I've got to experience so many things.

I had the pleasure to make so many great friends... I was foolish enough to disregard them all and lose them out of fear.

To this day, I think that Netero is the only reason I even came to this point. I wouldn't be the same person without his constant presence, even when I was trying to push him away...

It was thanks to him that I could recover, I managed to right many of my wrongs.

In that time, I discovered whatever secrets my homeland kept, I made more friends, I even found someone odd enough to fall in love with me...

I got to take down self-proclaimed gods, I found out that I was friends with a spirit my whole life without knowing it...

What else is there?

Not much really... But something happened recently, just yesterday in fact... It reminded me of why I ran away from my friendships in the past...

Maha, the old sod decided that it was his time to buzz off out of the living world. I vividly remember my last conversation with him.

"Why do you like playing this game anyway?" We were just playing Shogi, using the game as an excuse to speak and hang out. His question took me by surprise, at least for a few seconds.

"I guess I find it intriguing... A small move can mean so much, yet the largest of strategies can be nulled by nothing more than a small miscalculation... It is also nice to spend more time with you. Not like there's anything else to do besides enjoy life now." Maha just nodded at my response.

Maha is someone that can be called part of my generation, besides me, he is the oldest human still alive.

"Time... Time is not something I have a lot left of..." I just raised a brow at his words, but I just let him continue.

"I wonder if you will be able to say this one day too, Ashton." Once again he looked at the game board and sighed.

"One can only be human when he dies. You are human, despite your appearance. You are also older than me... My time is approaching, yet you are the same." I couldn't even find it in myself to interrupt him at the time.

"One day, your vitality will make you go mad... I hope you are smart enough to not let it get to that point." After that, most of our meeting was spent in silence.

His funeral was something that I attended without many words too.

It was to be expected, he was on his last legs before humanity got stronger, the excess of Nen he had only served to extend his lifespan for a few more years.

I was reminded that living for a long time isn't quite optimal for a human being. So, I made a decision. One that I needed to make a long time ago.

Currently, Momoze and I are walking home from the funeral... She seems to be quite down herself, but I can feel her concern directed mostly at me...

I guess she can see through me rather easily at this point.

"Ashton, if I can help you in any way, please tell me... I don't like to see you like this." I guess my mood affects her quite a lot. I can see the concern in her shiny eyes as she patted my shoulder.

I don't know how she'll react to this... But I will still tell her.

__________ POV Narration__________

"... Dear, I was thinking about something. I have lived for a long time... If one day, I have to see you be lowered in a grave, then I will follow you too... No reason for me to stick around longer than you do."

Ashton's words rung in Momoze's ears without much emotion, yet the woman could feel the sentiment behind them rather clearly.

She didn't even know how to react, stopping in the middle of the road as her eyes widened and some tears appeared in them.

She knew that Ashton was going to outlive her, that was the case for everyone else. They all knew that he was basically ancient at this point. He didn't even bother hiding it.

Now, he was going to live even longer since he had a new body.

Momoze realised that she wasn't going to be young forever, she knew that one day, she was going to be gone too... She was scared of it. But it was what made her human. She embraced her mortality, deciding to do with her life as much as she could, like every other human.

But, she was always worried... 'What is he going to do after I'm gone? How will he react?' Those were thoughts that kept her awake at night. That ate away at her for many years.

Now, she had that answer, but she didn't know if she liked it or not.

Ashton, a man that had the potential to live forever, decided that there was nothing worth sticking around for after she was gone.

It was both touching and tragic to hear.

But, in truth, Ashton truly had nothing to do without her, without the friends that he had made. He already did everything else that he could have by himself, there was no reason to stick around.

"B-but... What about Pitou? She will be devastated..." Momoze had always been a kind person, even now, as she was moved beyond words and to tears, she managed to squeak out words of worry for another soul.

Pitou was like a sister to her, she was always there for her, and Pitou was always willing to help Momoze too.

"She won't protest much... I'm sure she won't like it. But she'll be able to understand eventually. I have stuck around for far too long." Ashton's words were still calm.

At this moment, he finally managed to regain something that he had lost centuries ago... His humanity.

Mortality was something that escaped him for many years. Even as his old body withered, he still managed to make another one, filled with even more vitality.

Now, he decided to no longer prolong the inevitable. Lest he ended up crazy, like Maha said he'd become.

"Hey... Since our days are numbered. Let's make the most of it... Ok? Let our years be worthwhile." Ashton said as he wiped Momoze's tears away with his sleeve.

Maybe one day, there will be a time when he'll look back at his stupidity and laugh, no longer feeling guilt. He wasn't the same anymore.

His long journey finally received an ending. One he never thought he'd desire, but so badly needed.

Love, care, friendship, comradery, he was going to go while all of them were still on his mind, not waiting for these feelings to be washed away by time. He was going to go at the same time as the one he loved most, the one he decided to spend his days with.

A happy ending... One unbecoming of the man Ashton once was... But, oh so fitting for the man he became.

Ozzy could only watch with a smile on his face. His existence was tied to Ashtons, he saw no need to protest though.

The ancient king had waited for that day many years. A day where he could finally rest...

Maybe rest was everything that a human needed after all? After all, the ending is what truly makes us human...

_______________________________________________

Welp, this story was a long one!

It's certainly had its ups and downs, but I certainly liked writing it. I hope you guys enjoyed it just as much.

A huge thank you to everyone that has stuck around with me for so long, it's been a rather lengthy journey.

I was thinking of making an Epilogue of sorts, but I'm not sure if it fits this ending too well, so I'm going to leave it off like this.

Thanks again! XOXOXOXO(no homo)

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