[Open] Unravelling the Mystery

A quickly-tiring Eric bursts from the forest onto the familiar road to Takeshi's lab. Frantically he hails a cab to take him to the city and lays in the back seat, almost falling asleep.

On his mad dash through the forest Eric had passed through the clearing his husk and the school children had fought in, only to find it perfectly unharmed. Gone were the deep gouges in the tree trunks, the scorch marks, pools of blood and even the police tape.

It's like it was all a dream... could Wade have had one of those experiences where someone dreams the same as you? Or maybe even a shared lucid dream...

Arriving at the inn, Eric steps out of the cab and walks towards the imposing front door. He tries the handle, only to find it doesn't open.

He raps on the door and takes a step back, yelling out, "Takeshi! It's Eric. Open up!"

Eric waits for half an hour and realises nobody is going to come out.

Strange... He would surely be here, I guess it really, was... a ...dream.

He sits down on a nearby bench.

Or something has fucked up and reality has shifted... I remember reading up online about some sort of weapon which can change whole events, destroy civilizations... Maybe Takeshi decided to use it when we were beaten... If that's the case....

Eric stands up and looks back the way he came.

I must revert it. Or continue his work in this universe. I remember some of the blueprints. I can work on them.

He takes a few steps in the opposite direction, towards the inn.

I can use this as a base of operations. It worked for Takeshi, it will work for me.

His hand is on the handle of the door now, ready to just about rip the door from its hinges.

Or... Or I could just... let it all go.

His hand lifts from the handle and a ray of sun breaks through the clouds.

My past has been rewritten... I'm no longer a cold-blooded killer with the power to raise the dead, just a normal school boy...

He looks over his shoulder to the long, hard road leading towards Townsville.

I'm no longer "Eric Grimm", harbinger of death.... I can be Elodien again...

He turns on his heel and walks to the edge of the road.

But do I want that?

Eric notices a large bus coming up the road, he could easily flag it down and pay for a trip to Yamaku.

Or do I want...

He closes his eyes and steps into the path of the oncoming bus, hearing the horn blare as it slams into him at 30 miles an hour, with a chorus of screams coming from the inside.

I should finally pay for my crimes...

As he slowly loses his grip on conciousness, hearing people shouting and wailing all around him, a smile appears on his lips.

This is probably... for the... best...