As the sun now rose, Darren found himself standing on Katie and Kellies porch contemplating his journey with a small grin upon his face. It still seemed impossible, he had finally defeated the Boss.
What came next though was uncertain. It had only been a few days since the Boss was defeated. After regaining his strength, he returned Raiden, Sachiko, Tatsu, and Shizen to their proper ages. Although Tatsu was at first insistent on returning to adulthood, with some goading from Shizen he found himself enjoying his temporary return to his youth. Still, things needed to be set right with Darren returning the quartet of celestials to their proper ages. This led Darren to contemplating his life as the Catalyst.
The journey he and his friends had taken through time was successful. The Normal were finished yet the changes that were made were still a mystery. Although he was returning to his own time, he wasn't quite sure if he would recognize it. Had his actions in saving the past altered his future to an unrecognizable degree? "You look deep in thought."
Darren turned, noticing Katie standing next to him. The young woman sporting a cup of coffee and a warm smile as she studied the teen. "Just thinking about what the future holds." he smiled. "Or well..more like my present. It's weird but...I'm not sure what it's going to be like when I go back." Katie nodded, watching the sun slowly rise as she stood by the teen. "Well," she stated. "It's going to be different most likely, but that doesn't mean it's going to be bad. After all, with everything we did here, things have to improved right?"
"In theory, yeah." Darren replied, sheepishly rubbing his neck as he turned to Katie. "Doesn't mean I'm not a little scared though." Katie chuckled softly, giving a reassuring shoulder pat to Darren. "I'm sure everything will be okay," she said. "And I'll make sure it stays that way. After all, what kind of Catalyst would I be if I left a mess for the next one?" Darren grinned, thanking Katie as the two now stood watching the sunrise.
By 9 a.m. Darren’s friends had gathered in Katie and Kellies backyard. Although the Normal was still present, without the Boss they would be crippled for sometime. Whatever was left could be dealt with by the wizards and their allies in this time. Standing in Katie and Kellie's backyard, Darren and the others exchanged goodbyes, wishing each other luck. "You take care." Claudia said softly, hugging each of the future teens. "All of you."
"We will." Gail replied back. "Oh, and hey if you're ever in Washington state, look up our ancestors." Claudia turned to Mika, the Japanese woman rubbing her neck. "Claudia hates traveling." she blushed. "But if I have a fashion show in Seattle I'll see what I can do." The teens chuckled, now turning to Evan Harris and Misaki. Darren’s face became serious, a sad look in his eyes as he gazed at his ex girlfriend. "Are you sure about this Misaki?" he asked. "Don't you think the other timeline can handle what's left of the Normal?"
"Probably," Misaki stated. "But we need to be sure. Eighty years is a long time. I'll keep an eye on things to make sure everyone is okay. Akira is letting me stay with him and I plan on keeping on eye out to make sure it stays that way. Besides, I'm part kitsune remember? Eighty years is nothing, I promise to visit as soon as you get back." Darren nodded, hugging Misaki as the others followed suit. As Gail now hugged the Japanese teen, Misaki whispered in her ear. "Make sure you keep him safe."
Darren now turned to Evan Harris, the auburn haired wizard standing with his girlfriend Dhirti. "Not sure there's a future left for me in your time," he shrugged. "We changed up the timeline so much, there's a chance I might still be alive. Besides, Dee likes it here. Me and her are going to settle down and keep an eye on things. I'm not going to screw up the future like I did last time." Darren nodded, hugging the man before wishing him well. Turning to his friends, he now took a breath. "Everybody ready?"
"Beyond ready." Hannah sighed, the monkey Soul Drives shoulders slumping. "Don't get me wrong, the past is cool and all but I miss seeing other Soul Drives. Steph can be a little overbearing at times."
"It's not my fault I have to keep reminding you to not go out in your Soul Drive form," Steph countered. The future teens chuckled, waving goodbye as Darren now cast his spell.
Much like before the future teens found themselves rocketing through time. A stream of colors passing by them. Darren though found himself no longer exhausted by the experience. Perhaps he was growing stronger as he navigated through 80 years of history. As the spell began to dissipate and the world came into focus, Darren smiled. It was Ms. Yuriko's home, just as they had last seen it before the Normal changed the past. Standing in the yard was the elderly Yuriko, her eyes bright with a warm smile. By her side was Ayami and Akira, Darren realizing his actions had changed history. The six tail kitsune was no longer blind as he stood by the angel of maternity. Finally, Darren could see Fukushu, the nine tail kitsune sporting the same stern expression he was so accustomed too. Everything was back to normal.
"Raiden!"
"Sachiko!"
Darren paused, his eyes growing wide in shock as thre figures approached. The first two were kitsune kits. Their fur a light orange with a single tail. These kits looked younger than Sachiko, perhaps seven years old. The kits now lept at the white kit, tackling her a hug. "We missed you." they exclaimed happily. "What's it like to time travel?" Sachiko and the others eyes went wide, looking between the twin kits and Akira.
"Kenji, Sota calm down and let your sister talk," Akira said.
Darren gaped, Sachiko now had siblings? When did that happen? Now turning his attention to the seven year old girl stomping towards Raiden. Just looking at the girl, Darren could tell her mother was Abolith. The child appeared to be a pint size version of the elf assassin with the exception of her hair. It appeared her parents had taken the time to braid the girls hair into twin red and black braids. Finally reaching Raiden, the elf girl now kicked Raiden in the shin. "I can't believe you left me behind." she scowled.
"Stella," Fukushu sighed. "How many times to have I told you not to start fights with your brother? You couldn't go because Raiden had something important to do."
Darren just stared at the grumpy elf girl and her excited kit companions. Fukushu and Akira having more children was definitely different. Turning to gaze at Yuriko in confusion, he now saw the old woman chuckle as she communicated telepathically.
"Come inside Darren. We have quite a but to talk about."