Angel Monarch-Chapter 328: Final Goodbye

Many people believe that dying is painful, they are wrong. The road to death is very painful, but being dead was the exact opposite.

When the vast energy finally overwhelmed Bran, all the pain he had been holding disappeared. He didn't even realize the amount of suffering he had been enduring, but upon their departure, he could finally breathe again.

His soul floated carefree as he let go of all his worries and pain. The surrounding darkness of Limbo gently enveloped him, bringing a tranquil atmosphere to his turbulent mind. He closed his eyes and just continued floating through emptiness for a long time.

The pain's disappearance left a large scar across his mind. All over his soul, phantom pains appeared suddenly, then went away like they never existed.

His soul-like arms even spasmed a few times, from the memory of his previous suffering.

Bran tried taking deep breaths, calming his mind as much as possible, but soon a deep sense of regret washed over him. The reality of the situation finally began settling upon his tired body.

When he couldn't take it anymore, his eyes snapped open, and he began scanning the surroundings for signs of Sera.

She hadn't resurrected by the time he succumbed to the energy overload, which meant he had a chance to meet her one last time. Hope flared inside Bran's soul as he moved across the vast, hollow space.

Afterlife's glow beckoned, yet Bran knew Sera wouldn't be there. He turned away from the bright light and went the opposite direction.

Nothing… There was nothing around him…

Bran's eyes scanned the darkness, looking for something, any structure or sign of Sera's presence. He also looked for Death to ask for His help with finding Sera.

Lilith and Kim taught him enough regarding Death. Deep down, he expected to be welcomed by Him, but it seemed his connection to Sera wasn't enough to warrant a meeting.

He wanted to feel offended, to be deemed so insignificant, but a strange, scary figure's appearance before him banished these thoughts quickly.

A tall person, wearing a black cloak, with a hood hiding impenetrable darkness below. Next to Him a lone, golden scythe floated, with screaming faces carved into its metal.

Bran wasn't someone who usually judges people by their looks, but this individual could only be one person… Death…

"You know, it's getting really trying that everyone instantly recognizes my appearance… I am not that unique looking…"

His voice sent chills across Bran's body, making him tremble. It was similar to the screech of metal and the crunch of bones.

While His voice felt horrible to hear, His words were a bit ridiculous. Bran raised an eyebrow in confusion, then pointed to Death's scythe as he spoke.

"Maybe don't carry that weapon around. It's pretty unique… Also, I don't know about you, but I haven't seen many people walking around covered in the darkest cloak I had ever seen…"

Death glanced at his golden scythe and sighed, but as Bran continued speaking, His hooded head snapped towards him. His confusion was evident, even though Bran couldn't see His face.

"What cloak?… I'm wearing a cloak?!…"

He stayed silent for a moment, then cursed to Himself in a language that just by hearing it caused pain to Bran.

"I really look like that?… How awful!… Where're my colorful outfits?… And my wings!… People always love to depict Me with wings!… I will need to talk about this with Seraphine… She has to change humanity's view on Death… This is simply unacceptable!…"

Bran continued staring at Death with confusion, trying to keep all his questions and opinions to himself, but he should've known better. Death continued to read his mind, nothing stayed hidden from Him in His Realm.

"Hey!… I don't like when my image is depicted with such shallowness… Death doesn't need to be depressing you know!… And, yes my looks change in the perception of others… Every species, or even person has a different outlook on life and death… As a Conceptual God, I take on forms you feel like I should have… I have no actual form on my own…"

With mouth agape, and widened eyes, Bran listened to Death's blabbering. He didn't know what to say. It felt like diving deeper into Death's image issues would've been a terrible mistake.

Also, Bran still needed to find Sera, so before Death could've continued with His tirade, he cut in His speech.

"Uh, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I don't know how long I have… Is Sera still here?… I would like to say goodbye…"

Bran's voice turned sad, and luckily Death stopped talking about not having pink in His outfit. Instead, He turned silent and motioned behind Him.

He only saw the darkness surrounding them, but soon the environment changed, and Bran found himself in a cozy room. Death wasn't here, but Bran barely noticed His lack of presence.

His eyes stayed focused on the woman seated nearby. She sat with her body covered by her own pristine white wings. Her beautiful face held deep confusion, which slowly turned into sadness and despair, as reality dawned on her.

"No…" She spoke with a broken voice while tears ran down her face.

Sera's body trembled as she looked Bran up and down. She blinked slowly, hoping when she opens her eyes again Bran would disappear, like a mirage. Like a bad dream, she would wake up from this nightmare.

For a few seconds, her eyes stayed closed as her sobs increased in volume. She felt a gentle touch upon her cheek. This simple contact finally broke her, and she fully let go of her inhibitions.

She jumped up and pulled Bran into a tight hug with both her arms and wings. She felt Bran's arms wrap around her waist as they both cried on each other's shoulders.

They remained motionless for a long time. Sera's eyes stayed closed, still afraid to look upon and acknowledge the loss her heart ached with.

Eventually, Bran pushed her away so he could look into her eyes. She finally opened them. Her golden-green eyes looked especially sad as she stared into Bran's beautiful light-hazel ones. Puffiness and redness marked both faces from all the crying.

Tears continued running from Sera's eyes. Bran reached up with both his hands, wiping away her tears. Across his face, a small melancholic smile spread, and after a bit of struggle Sera mirrored his smile.

"How are you doing?" Bran asked, only now realizing Sera' soul wasn't broken anymore.

She actually muster enough strength to chuckle, but soon her happiness turned back to depression. Her mouth was a thin, quivering line as she answered.

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"I… I'm fine… I can remember everything, mostly… It's all a jumbled mess right now, but I'm sure after I return to the physical world, everything realigns itself…"

Sera stayed silent for a few seconds before she spoke again, barely holding back her sobs. "Why… Why did you do that?"

Bran turned away from Sera's judgmental, sorrowful eyes. He laughed sadly, trying to gather his thoughts. Eventually, a much wider and hopeful smile spread across Bran's face.

"Why?… Isn't it obvious?… I would never let you die… I love you Sera, more than anything in this world… You really think I wouldn't sacrifice everything, even just for a chance to save you?… Was that the impression I gave you?…"

Sera giggled as a few more tears escaped her eyes. These tears were different, though. A mix of sadness and joy hid inside them.

All the memories of Bran flooded Sera's mind. She could finally recall their meeting in the goblin camp. She remembered their actual meeting afterward. She recalled helping Bran become an Ascended.

Bran spent every moment after their initial meeting helping her. He never asked for anything in return, simply content by their close proximity.

He saw a different kind of sadness appearing in Sera's eyes, and he quickly shut it down.

"I don't regret a single moment of our time together… I just wished I would've confessed sooner, so we might have more intimate moments, before… Before the end…"

Sera gently pulled his hands away and leaned in to kiss him one last time. Her hands burrowed into his hair as they shared this intimate moment.

Both of them smiled and cried as their lips pressed to each other. When Sera pulled away, she grinned widely. Even though the smile stayed brittle, Bran appreciated the effort. Sadly, he couldn't mirror it, since he felt too much sorrow and fear.

The cozy room broke around them, and his eyes immediately went to the glowing horizon. His new home… The Afterlife…

Sera gently guided his face, so his eyes stayed on hers.

"Don't be afraid… This isn't the end… I won't accept that!… I love you Bran, and will continue to love you throughout my life… One day we will reunite, and until then, I will cherish every memory we had… Don't be sad because it ended, be happy because it happened…"

She pulled the love of her life into a final hug as Death appeared nearby. Bran leaned in close and whispered into Sera's ear.

Death cocked His head curiously. He couldn't seem to make out Bran's words, like some external force kept them hidden between the lovers.

Whatever Bran said, Sera's face became sad and angry. She sighed deeply and nodded.

"I promise…" She whispered, tears running rampant down her cheeks.

Bran leaned in once more, giving a small peck on her lips. He continued, smiling sadly, as Sera started turning translucent.

"I love you… Don't forget us…" He said as Sera slowly disappeared.

"I love you too… And will never forget you…" She answered. Her voice continued echoing in the empty space, as Bran's soul moved towards the 'Afterlife'.