At the End of Things

I knelt at the edge of the cliff and looked down into the maelstrom, just as I had knelt next to enraged elementals, deamon hunters and fallen kings. Power still sang in my veins, and the salt spray was sweet in my face.

We had done it. Done the impossible. Vanquished the overwhelming foe, just as we had done time and again over the years. Weariness settled within me, a weight as comfortable as the spellstitched vestments I wore.

Rising, I turned and saw them, saw them all. The kindred, the beloved friends, the honored companions. Men and women who had slogged through ruined temples, underwater palaces and the far reaches of another world to keep our people safe. And with them came a parade of a thousand memories. Joy, tears, fear and triumph...I watched it all flash by.

Then one by one they winked out. First those that had gone long ago, followed by those who had stayed awhile, and finally the ones who had been here, now, at the end of things.

Soon I was alone, with the salt sea spray teasing my hair.