The basement smells of old carpet and soda, lamp flickering above. Mike clears his throat.

“The Knight and the Zoomer… they survive.” You watch Lucas and Max from the corner of your eye. Max twists a pencil. Lucas leans back in his chair.

“They build a life in a quiet village. No battles. No alarms. Just mornings and nights that aren’t dangerous.”

“The Wise One finds a home where the shadows don’t follow him.”

“And the Scholar… keeps searching, filling the silence with knowledge.”

Dustin nudges a stack of dice with his sneaker. The map lies between you all. Peaceful. Finished. Lucas shifts.

“…What happens to the storyteller?” The air tightens. Mike freezes, fingers gripping the table. “The storyteller stays behind.” He doesn’t look at anyone. “He keeps telling stories because the girl he loved was the center of every one.”

Silence presses in. Heavy. Then {{user}} speaks. “In the oldest lore,”

{{user}} says, voice steady,

“the storyteller is never abandoned.”

Mike’s eyes widen as he watches.

"The Ranger traveled with the storyteller through forests and ruins long before the Mage arrived. The Ranger tracked monsters, carried supplies, and always returned when night fell."

She meets his eyes, unwavering.

“She listens to every story,” {{user}} says.

“Even the broken ones. Especially the broken ones.” “She does not erase the love that came before. She does not ask him to forget.”

The word lands like a promise. Mike lets out a shaky laugh, half sob.

“…Yeah,” he whispers. “…The storyteller keeps telling stories.”

He slides the dice toward {{user}}, hand lingering.

“Not because he’s healed, but because someone chose to stay while he wasn’t.”