“What do you mean, ‘in case he does not return’?” Dash demanded, a scowl on his face. “Of course he will return! We both are going to fight the Being together, and we shall both exit as we entered,” he exclaimed. Azrael shook his head.

“I wish that was true,” the drone muttered solemnly. “But this is a fight that you cannot win Dash, son of Ohru,” he added. Dash was puzzled.

“Why? Why after all this? Why do you wish for me to abandon you? Do you honestly expect me to believe that you are to enter that… that thing all by yourself!?”

“This is not something I wanted to have to do, but I must enter the Final Being alone, for although it is possible that I may defeat Him, doing so… would cost me my existence,” Azrael replied. Taking Dash by the hand, he explained in a serene tone, “This is my destiny, friend. This is my purpose. Yes, I will die, but my legacy will live on, through every creature that continues to thrive on this planet. Do you not see now? The aftermath is so much more rewarding. You get to live on Dash. You… and everyone else.”

The confused young man thrashed his head in disbelief. Dash fell to his knees, grasping Azrael’s coiled arm. Tears swelled in his eyes, which were different colors. One blue, the other green. “Pul… plueeze… please!” Dash sobbed. Azrael put his hand on Dash’s shoulder.

“Please, let me go with you. This is my fight too, you know,” Dash pleaded. Azrael merely looked at Azrael without emotion. He slowly lifted Dash’s chin upwards, so they were face to face.

“Your eyes,” Azrael said. “Your eyes are different colors. One is the color of the sky, calm and tranquil, it is the color of life. The other is the color of the forest, playful and joyous, it is the color of hope. You possess both of these qualities. Look into my eyes.”

Azrael’s eyes were both gray. A gray of stone. Dash spoke no words. “Do you see?” Azrael asked.

“My eyes are the color of smoke. These are the eyes of those who have lived too long. The eyes of those who have seen too much bloodshed. The eyes of those who long for eternal sleep. Do you now understand how it is I who must go?” the drone said.

“Superstitious nonsense,” scoffed Dash. He said it as if he did not take the words of the drone seriously, but inside he knew that it was probably best that Azrael should fight the Final Being alone, and Azrael knew that Dash felt that way.

“This is no game,” Azrael mentioned. “This is our last hope. You saw what that monster did to those Imperial airships. They were your fleet, were they not? They were dismantled without effort. An entire army. The drone army led by Anagos. Obliterated. Even the superior army of the ancients you saw in your trance. All of them did not stand a chance. What makes you think that you will have any better luck?”

Azrael had never referred to the Final Being as a ‘monster’ before. Dash knew that those words were true also. An inconsistent child Dash continued to be, as he fought against the truth.

“I could ask you the same question!” barked Dash. “Why is it that you must be so foolish… so damned brave. Why is it that you must kill yourself and be a hero!?”

“It is only mortal death, Chosen One,” the dragon interrupted. “Let me tell you something you must know. Even though that Azrael will most likely die fighting the Being, he will still exist. But he will exist in another dimension, in another universe. A place of perpetual nothingness. This may seem like not much of a life, but it actually is so much more than that. No more worries, no more pain, no more tears. This is what death is like for a drone.”

“Yes. It is my fate, and I more than gladly welcome it,” Azrael commented. He smiled at Dash. “Do not fear. I will always be with you.”

“You still don’t have to do this. I am the Chosen One. The one who shall defeat the Final Being. This is my fight too. Have I come all this way just to give up now? I do not think so. I am fighting the Final Being, and will do so with dignity. I am willing to die for my purpose.”

“You have already exceeded the requirements of your purpose. You have stood up for what you believed in, helped those in need even though it was not called for, and you have done the greatest thing a human can accomplish.”

Dash tried to say something, but no words came out of his mouth.

“You have gained the love and trust of a drone, revealing to us all that drones do feel, drones do care, drones… do… dream.”

Another wave crashed into the gritty shoreline, pounds of water dousing the trio. The silence was broken by a sound that Azrael had never heard before, but he knew what it was. It was the sound of someone crying.

Weeping, Dash threw himself into the open arms of his inhuman companion, the dreamer of a better world, and the one who would die for it. The icy, white hands wrapped around the young Imperial captain, and Dash heard the words, ‘You are my friend. You have been the best friend anyone, human or drone, could ever have. You have given my life meaning. I will never forget you’ whispered into his ears. The two embraced each other, and stood in the sand, stationary, not speaking another word until the sun when down, and the moon was high. The tide had risen.

At some time tomorrow the Battle for Existence will begin. Odds are, only one victor will remain, and everything as we know it will be lost. But there is also a chance that both combatants will perish. Then perhaps humanity will be given a second chance. Maybe the race of man will be able to set things right. It is all in the hands of one drone.