The Final Battle (Part 3)

The thirty-seventh and last chapter of the Crusaders of the Constellations Novel, it continues from The Final Battle (Part 2).

## Story

The next day at the Cosmos Observatory, the students were going to the portals leading to their dimensions, since Samson was repairing the Dimensional Shuttle and the Dimensional Wayfarer in the observatory garage. Ranald arrived wearing the yellow jacket his parents gave him for Christmas, and with his schoolbag and Baby Little. The school bag was packed with the sweater from Phrixus's mom and the twelve zodiac tools as a reminder of the twelve guides he trained under. He met Mayari and Cerynitis, who was pulling a sleigh with two chests: One with the 28 badges, and the other one with the 108 Star Orbs. "Are you sure your foster mother can handle it?" he asked. "Why of course, she can. She's strong enough to carry a lot of heavy stuff, she's faster than a speeding bullet, and she can even fly in the skies without wings!" Mayari told him in an assuring and confident tone. "It is King Athos's suggestion to have me carry the badges and orbs to their respective destinations," the silver-white reindeer told him. Ranald, out of curiosity, asked Cerynitis how she met Mayari.

The silver-white reindeer revealed to him that she also has a Dimensional Mate, which is Mayari's working mother. "Oh Sands of Time! You never told me that before!" he exclaimed. "Not only that," Cerynitis said further, "Your Dreamland mother Golden Heart and I...we knew each other as childhood friends." "So you're a Dreamland Defender too?" Ranald asked Cerynitis. "See, when I was young, I harboured the dream of defending, well, Dreamland. Back then, I was a shy fawn, easily picked on by the other bigger and stronger Dreamland Beasts. Once, I was picked on by some Dreamland Beasts who told me that I'm making up wild claims. Then Golden Heart, who was a year older than me was passing by when she saw what happened and defended me from them. Since then, we became sworn sisters," she said, reminiscing about her childhood.

"Golden Heart taught me how to be brave and confident. She even taught me some of her sword skills, and she too wanted to be a Dream Defender when she grew up," spoke Cerynitis. "When we became adults, we were chosen to become Dream Defenders. So you could say that our dreams came true." "Golden Heart sometimes tells me stories about her childhood when she was a baby griffin," Ranald said. "One of them is about her friendship with a young reindeer who eventually moved away to Earth with her husband to watch over the forests after she and Hydara got married." Mayari pointed out that Cerynitis once told her about the time when she had to move away from a faraway place to Earth because of receiving a new job. "So my mom's Dimensional Mate knows your mom's Dimensional Mate!" Ranald exclaimed. "The last time Golden Heart and I saw each other was when we attended each other's weddings," Cerynitis said. "Eventually, I had to move to Earth with my husband after I received a new job to watch the forests. Golden Heart was sad to see me go, and I told her that I would still contact her, even meet her again someday."

"Then my husband and I had a baby fawn, the same time little Maya was born. I met her when she was playing in the backyard of her house in Manila when she was seven and gave her the silver pendant. And having heard of her mother adopting an orphan boy from the St Griffward Parish from her, I went to adopt his Dimensional Mate, an orphaned wolf cub with yellow-orange fur," Cerynitis said. "When I became twelve, Cerynitis appeared again to me again and told me that I can use the pendant to turn into an alternate form, the Silver Deer Warrior. But I was afraid of its power, so I refused to use it until I received one of King Athos's winged messenger bottles," Mayari told Ranald. "And the rest is history," he said.

Mayari rode in the sleigh that Cerynitis pulled. It was made of silver, and seats only two people, with the space behind the seats for the chests containing the 28 silver badges and the 108 Star Orbs. "We'll be dropping the 108 Star Orbs at Dreamland first, then we will go to the Realm of the Moon to drop the 28 silver badges there. We'll see you again soon!" Mayari said as she waved at Ranald, and rode the sleigh her foster mother pulled into the portal to Earth. Baby Little told Ranald that he enjoyed the stories he and Mayari told each other.

Then, Phrixus and company came and surprised Ranald. "Leaving so soon?" he asked. "Not really, but I will miss you all guys until the end of the two-month break," Ranald told his friend. "Even if we are literally in other worlds, we will still remember each other by and by," Bai Tu exclaimed, hugging Phrixus. "Yes, and we'll catch up with each other at the end of the two months," Delmare said. Kibahime in her nine-tailed fox form asked Ranald if he had any idea what to do during the two-month break. "Just the usual, helping mom and dad care for and teach the orphans, defeat the Boogie-man's nightmare monsters and spirits when sleeping and in Dreamland, and maybe have many more adventures!" Ranald said. 'That's right,' Baby Little told him, 'I will go to Heaven now that I am a full-grown angel, but as always, I will visit you from time to time.' "And I will be with you as always, whether on Earth, Dreamland, and Aether World Cosmic University or anywhere else," Ra told Ranald in his mind.

Ranald suggested that they take a group photo together. "I agree with that!" Phrixus said excitedly and called Chrysomallos, who was being petted by Azar, to him. Kibahime turned into her human form and asked her to help Ranald take a group pic. The nomad girl agreed and helped them have a group picture or several with Ranald's iPhone (some of the group photos have Kagutsuchi the phoenix photobomb them, but Ranald preferred keeping them anyway). Azar gave Ranald his iPhone back and then she and Kagutsuchi entered the portal to her dimension after saying goodbye to her new friends and wishing them a safe journey.

Ranald made his last group hug with his friends and went to the portal to Earth. "Best wishes for your break!" Phrixus called to him as Chrysomallos bleated happily. "Can't wait to see you again!" Bai Tu shouted as he leapt and jumped into the air like a binkying rabbit. "Someday, we'll see each other again. Take care," Delmare spoke as her water fairy wings unfurled. "May destiny brings us to meet each other again," Kibahime said, turning back into her fox form and walking away. The young man stepped into the portal to Earth and found himself near St. Griffward Parish, where he ran into and hugged his parents, who told Ranald how proud they are of him.

He managed to beat the Void Serpent, called the Devourer of Worlds without powers and also with powers, and most important of all, with teamwork. He not only made friends with those different from him, but he also showed them that humans without powers are as capable of amazing feats and eventually, receiving the power of the stars like them. Even the magic of his golden locket and Mayari's pendant sealed the Devourer away instead of their owners. He went into his church home's bedroom to rest and sleep the night away, defending the children in Dreamland with Ra as the Golden Griffin Warrior, with the blazing sun in his heart.