I Became The Pope, Now What?

When Xavia passed away, the last thing that kept Sylvester connected with the Holy Land disappeared. He had no place there, not anymore. The Pope existed and should remain the highest authority. His existence only undermined that rank.

Once the funeral of Xavia ended, the top floor of Bright Mother's housing building was found empty the next morning. There was no sign of anyone ever living there; the walls that had once been broken to make the living space bigger had been reconstructed.

Sylvester Maximillian was nowhere to be found. Of course, those in higher positions knew where he went. An aimless tour of sorts, roaming the world endlessly, bidding time, and watching the world change right before his eyes.

Not everyone was gifted with his lifespan. Even if he weren't Solis, he still would have outlasted all. And as years went by, many fell. The Inquisitor High Lord was already old despite being a Grand Wizard.

Sylvester was there for the funeral. To help Aurora with the rituals.

Then more years passed, and it was Felix's grief this time. Isabella was no mighty wizard nor a knight. She passed away soon after, and left Felix devastated. But that wasn't the end of his grief, as in the years to come, Felix saw his daughters die of old age, leaving behind grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

It slowly made sense why a lot of old, powerful wizards and knights lived in secluded locations often. The fewer people you interact with, the less grief you'd face when the time would pass.

Felix never recovered from the death of Isabella. With nothing left holding him to Green City, he left everything behind and lived while traveling for no reason. He ate little, did odd jobs here and there to stay human. His beard grew big, his face creased. No one would see him and believe he was a Platinum Knight.

####

"I'm hungry, Maxy."

"You ate two hours ago."

"I'm a growing boy."

"You've been growing for thousands of years."

Clank!

Sylvester smiled as he heard the sound of a coin falling into his wide begging bowl as he sat on the side of a town street. "Generocity still lives. The societal corruption is on the right track."

To Sylvester, nothing really mattered. One day a warrior, another day a beggar. It was a way for him to gauge the people of Sol and see how low the standards had fallen. To see if the path he had paved was still being followed.

"We'll go eat later. We're waiting for an old friend here." Sylvester said and stayed seated, ignoring the passerby who gave him side eyes. He didn't look like his usual self sitting there, his blond hair was messy, his eyes weren't golden, and his dirty brown rag-like robes were torn in some places. Even Chonky had dirty fur, but it was just cosmetics.

Clank!

Every now and then, someone gave him a coin or two. People really were generous. He was on the outskirts of the Last Haven town, an outpost town where people gathered before passing the Barrier mountain range in the south.

It was cold and harsh there. Despite the progress of trains and other things, passing through the mountains wasn't easy. Magic was useful, but creating tunnels spanning hundreds of kilometers wasn't feasible.

Clank!

Another coin fell into his bowl, but with that, two feet approached. Unlike others, that pair didn't move away after giving him the coin.

"Who's next?"

Sylvester looked up and solemnly nodded—black hair, brown eyes, tall man, now with a big beard.

"How are you, Felix?"

Felix shook his head, looking older than he should. "Who's next? Who'll die next? They all just keep dying… one by one… When will I go, Sylvester?"

What Felix was suffering from had been experienced by many great men in the past. The pride of might, with age, had turned into helplessness of a prolonged lifespan. Seeing all those you love leave before you, even those whom you raised with your own hands. It was tough on one's mind.

Sylvester grabbed the coins from his bowl, put them in his pocket, and got up.

"Not your time yet, Felix," Sylvester said, the same thing he'd told Felix when Isabella had died. "Come with me, you need a hot meal. We'll journey back to the Holy Land afterwards. Our old friend needs us."

Felix flinched, his tired eyes widened, overcome with sorrow. "Gab? He's next?"

"He didn't have what we've got, Felix. He lived how he knew, and it wore him down. Now he's old, weak, and stuck in that bed. And he's alone. So let's be there for him. One more time. The three of us."

Felix's shoulders fell. He silently nodded and followed after Sylvester. He was tired of living already.

####

Two old boys, crossing a century, yet looking young in their mid-twenties, neared the Holy Land. Sitting in the back of a farmer's horse cart, they relaxed and just watched the endless fields of golden wheat on the two sides of the road. The Holy Land had recently entered the agricultural industry to guarantee food security.

It felt different compared to the first time Sylvester had visited the Holy Land. There was no air of mystery, dread, or fear that he once felt. The endless politics and scheming that the Holy Land was the source of. The endless power struggle.

Now, it felt peaceful. The Holy Land was no longer the absolute ruler, just a religious organisation that worked for common wellness.

"We're here. I'm afraid I can't go further than this."

"Thank you." Sylvester tossed a golden coin to the farmer. "We'll walk from here. Let's go, Felix."

The farmer gawked at the coin in silence. The last time he saw that coin, he was a small boy. Now, only paper money was used. Besides, the coin was gold, worth far more than any cart ride.

"Respected Priests, I—"

By the time the farmer looked up, Sylvester and Felix had already vanished from the spot. Although they were walking, it looked like they were floating on the paved road, moving so fast that common eyes couldn't see them.

Knowing how much of a waste of time it would be to speak with the guards at the gate, they passed by them. The only people who could sense them were other Supreme Wizards, and they would rather welcome them than question.

In mere moments, the two stood in front of the Pope's Palace. The tall, seemingly endless stairs were as familiar as ever. Golden armored men guarded it with their long spears.

With solemn expressions, Sylvester and Felix walked upstairs. They had donned the common priest robes already.

"I sensed you, Father Sylvester."

Sylvester smiled at the noble-looking undead. Emperor Raz was dressed in regal robes of a top-tier Guardian of Light. Though his face was still a skull.

"Let's move. Gabriel hasn't got much time." Sylvester stepped forward. "Have the funeral team report in three hours."

As most of the clerical staff in the Pope's Palace were low-ranking, most weren't old enough to recognize who Sylvester and Felix were. But still, since the first Guardian of Light was guiding them, they greeted them with respect.

Soon, they arrived at the Pope's residence, a private, guarded complex of rooms resembling an apartment. Outside its entrance, a crowd had gathered, standing against the wall.

"Father."

"Your Holiness."

"Holy Sovereign."

The ones who greeted Sylvester were old men, Cardinals, and above. The rest of the crowd stood there cluelessly.

Wasting the least time possible, Sylvester passed them and entered the Pope's residence. Crossing some rooms, he soon reached the guarded bedroom. Inside, there were very few people, a single woman, then Aurora, the second Guardian of Light now, and the new Pope to be, the first woman to reach that position in the Church's history.

"Father!" The new Pope exclaimed and rushed over to Sylvester to hug him. Although for others, Father was his title, for her, it was a fact.

Sylvester embraced her warmly. "You did achieve your dream."

"I became the Pope." Xylena proudly declared, looking not a day older than what she was a century ago. With Sylvester's training, it wasn't hard for her to rise in strength, learn to control her reality-altering, space-manipulating powers.

In comparison, when Sylvester looked at Aurora, she had started to look much older. Her auburn hair had started to turn white, and wrinkles had appeared on her face. But her gaze was as fierce as ever.

"I knew you'd come." Aurora hugged him and then introduced the last woman in the room, probably in her late forties. "This is Maria, the great-grand niece of Gabriel."

Sylvester just gave her a nod. She was there, not out of love. The woman had only met Gabriel twice in her entire life. But, she was still the oldest, closest relative Gabriel had.

"You should bid your farewell," Sylvester advised them.

In moments, the three women left the bedroom and closed the door from the outside. That was finally when the three men looked at each other. Gabriel was thin and wrinkly, looking like a fossil in bed. But he was relatively painless, disease-free.

"Where'd your damn teeth go?" Felix barked suddenly.

Gabriel smiled from the bed, revealing his toothless mouth even more. In that state, Gabriel couldn't speak. His body was giving up in those last moments.

"I can't give you more time, but I sure can make you feel young again." Sylvester declared and, with a snap of his fingers, returned Gabriel's physical body to the age of twenty-five. All the wrinkles vanished, his hair turned red, and his face became as handsome as it once was.

Gabriel jolted up to sit, feeling energised. "Holy Solis!"

"Yes?" Sylvester smirked.

"Hah! I've missed you both." Gabriel smiled warmly, rising from his bed to pull his brothers into a firm hug. "Took you long enough to get here. And Felix, what's with that shitty face? You lose a fight with sleep?"

"What?!" Felix exclaimed in shock. "The Pope now curses? Right before his god?!"

Gabriel shrugged. "A privilege for the friend of god."

Sylvester agreed with that.

"Felix here..." Sylvester folded his arms, giving the wrecked-looking Platinum Knight a once-over. "He's cursed by his own blessing. Poor fool's tried to off himself six times already. Didn't stick. No blade can cut him. Rope won't take him. He can drift through space without a breath, sit at the bottom of the sea breathing Solarium like it's air."

Gabriel frowned. "Why?"

"Why not? What's left to live for? Everyone's dead, or dying. You're next. This guy says I'll live for many more years. I'm done with living, Gab."

Bam!

"..."

Gabriel punched Felix square in the face. And sure enough, Gabriel shook his hand in pain while Felix didn't even flinch. But it was the thought that counted.

"You're as retarded as ever, Felix. A hundred years have gone by, and your mind's still dragging behind your heels. Goddamit!... Sorry, Sylvester—Felix, you dumb goat. You are blessed! You've done everything you set out to do. The Sandwall name stands tall again, and Isabella's bloodline lives on. So why the tears now, when you always knew the sun would set? That's just how life moves. You are blessed, and all this time, you've lived for yourself—try something different now. Live for someone else."

"Exactly!" Sylvester exclaimed.

The two stared at him.

Felix scoffed. "Then why didn't you say that before?"

"Because Gab was going to."

"..."

"Ugh… You and your godly brain." Felix sneered and looked back at Gabriel. "Live for whom? The world's at peace. You did a great job."

"Peace is always fleeting, Felix. Stand with Xylena. Be her compass, her strength. She's the first woman to hold the mantle of Pope. She won't have it easy. There'll be resistance, there'll be power games. Help her carry the peace Sylvester gave us. Hold it steady for as long as your breath stays in you."

Felix exhaled deeply, shaking his head. "So you want me back in the Church?"

"Well, there is an opening for Guardian of Light now, after Bloodrain returned to the stars."

"But I'm not really a holy man."

"You did become a Priest with us," Gabriel said.

Felix looked towards Sylvester then. "What do you say, Sylvester? Wait a minute, did you know all this would happen?"

Sylvester just shrugged.

Felix rubbed his face tiredly, deep in thought. The church didn't lack powerhouses. Emperor Raz, the undead, was practically immortal. The only thing he could offer Xylena was confidence and closeness as her uncle.

"I hope you won't regret this later," Felix told Sylvester and agreed. "I'll do it."

"Well, that settles it. I can die happy now." Gabriel gave a satisfied grin and eased back onto the bed, folding his arms behind his head. "So… how much time do I have left?"

"An hour," Sylvester said.

Hearing that, Gabriel pulled the quilt up as well, positioning himself. A pillow under his head, then he placed his hands on his stomach, crossed them on the other.

"Thanks for being my friend in this life, you two."

They say, in the final stages of life, one's mind returns to their childhood state. Gabriel was like that, smiling fondly without stopping, his eyes shining bright.

Thud!

Right then, Miraj became visible and jumped on Gabriel's chest. "What about me?"

"And of course, the silent angel," Gabriel said. "All the adventures. All the fights, while I wasn't very strong, I cherish those memories. Back then, when we were deacons, I never imagined we'd end up like this. A God, a Pope, and a dumbass."

Sylvester went over and sat down beside him on the bed. "You've carved your mark deep, Gabriel. They'll remember you for hundreds of generations."

"I miss Mother Xavia."

"Me too," Felix blurted, taking the other side of the bed.

Sylvester said nothing. He was aware of where she was, and she was aware of him. That was it.

They chatted warmly, reminiscing about the old days. Remembering Ser Dolorem. Remembering all the people they didn't want to forget. All their struggles. All their games. All their adventures.

Minutes went by. And eventually, the last one approached.

Gabriel fully took his resting position, a soft smile on his lips. He'd already cried twice, not out of grief but warmth and comfort of the moment.

Tick!

Tick!

The clock counted the final fifteen seconds.

Sylvester and Felix stood beside the bed.

"May the Holy Light enlighten us."

Those were Pope Gabriel Maxwell's final words.

He died with a smile.

"When's my turn?" Felix asked again with a heavy heart.

"Not your time yet."

"What about you then?"

"After you."

Felix turned to him, gobsmacked. "What? Are you waiting for me? But you can live forever, can't you?"

Sylvester didn't answer that and walked to open the door while leaving some cryptic words.

"The sun must set eventually, Felix."

####

Three hundred years was a long time.

Three hundred years could change the entire landscape of the world. In a world where the artificial shackles imposed by the two Primordial Gods were removed, progress was rapid.

Over three hundred years had passed since Pope Sylvester freed the world from those invisible shackles.

Two hundred years had passed since Pope Gabriel died.

Villages turned into towns. Towns turned into cities. Magic shaped the world, and magitech became the most cherished field of science. Ella, the young genius, Sylvester's adopted daughter, left a deep mark on the world. She shaped the modern energy industry.

She took the world from candles, torches, Light Crystals, to Solarium reactors. The very magic that a select few could harness now powered the world. Houses, streets, all illuminated. Trains that Sylvester introduced, running on steam and fire crystals, were changed to electricity-based motors.

Flying machines became a reality.

The world changed so much that it couldn't be recognised anymore. Buildings as tall as the sky, magical holograms shaped entertainment and advertisements. Public transport covered the cities. It was beautiful, albeit not perfect. But still, there was sanity and honesty amongst the people.

The Demons, the people of Beastaria, and the Humans. Tensions arose at times between them. A few times, wars were almost waged. But Pope Xylena handled things well, and Felix was always there to support her.

In the end, all issues arose from trade imbalance. So, a greater economic unity was pushed forth. In time, that solved the trade issue.

In the eyes of the Church. There was no such thing as the land of humans and the land of Elves, or Demons. For the Church, all of the world was the land of light. That ensured that regionalism didn't become a thing.

It was a long, long process.

In three hundred years, even the once tall and unbent started to wrinkle. A Supreme Wizard was stronger than a Platinum Knight. As was the case with their age.

Three hundred years was enough for Felix Sandwall to finally reach the end of his natural life. He had lived just as Gabriel had advised him in his dying moments. He gave his life to the faith and Pope Xylena.

"This is it, Xye," Felix mumbled while lying on the pyre. It was the strangest funeral yet. Felix refused to die on the bed, or in a chair. He declared the exact second he'd die, and decided to just lie down on the pyre so his body could be burned. Moreover, a dragon had to be called so his body could be burned. Normal fire was too weak.

In a sense, until the end of his life, Felix remained the Felix everyone knew—a little crazy.

"Are you sure about this, Uncle Felix?" Pope Xylena asked, her own face slowly aging with some wrinkles starting to appear. Being a Supreme Wizard was different.

Felix chuckled and relaxed on the pyre, body straight, eyes towards the sky. "Just waiting for him now."

Xylena looked up at the sky, her papal crown almost falling. "I did send word to him. He should have received it."

"How in the hell do you even do it?" Asked Felix, his voice lacking any signs of dying or advanced age. "How do those bizarre, reality-breaking powers of yours actually work? I've spent years trying to figure it out."

Surprisingly, even Xylena shrugged. "I ask that question myself. Father taught me how to control it, but even he had no idea what its origin was. I can just… make things happen if I try it."

"Then we're damn lucky it's you who got it," Felix mumbled and suddenly smirked. "There he is. Look at this showoff. Flying in with a halo."

No longer in disguise. Dressed in his white robes, his long golden hair gleamed as bright as the halo shining behind Sylvester's head. He descended like a god onto the cliff where the pyre was set. The guards and the Clergymen who were once alarmed quickly relaxed and knelt on both knees.

Of Sylvester's generation, almost all of the clergy were dead. Although there was still one old elf across the sea, still alive and kicking.

"I can hear you, Felix. You know that, right?"

"That's exactly why I said it." Felix grinned from his deathbed. "Came to say goodbye?"

Sylvester nodded, a gentle smile plastered on his face. He walked closer to the pyre and grabbed Felix' wrinkled hand. "For good this time."

For a moment, Felix was speechless. But then he chuckled and let out a deep sigh. Then he laughed even more while shaking his head.

"So the sun's going to set?"

"As it should," Sylvester said. "Last words?"

"Hmm…" Felix turned his face towards Xylena. "I think… I gotta pee."

"..."

Other than Sylvester laughing, everyone else had faces frozen dumbly.

"Haha!" Sylvester laughed like an old man despite his appearance, aged not a day above twenty-five. "Don't keep Isabella waiting now."

For good, Felix turned his head straight and closed his eyes. "See you on the other side, old friend."

"Follow the light, it'll enlighten your path."

As Sylvester's words fell into Felix's ears, his chest stopped moving. A strange, calm, soothing silence enveloped the Holy Land. A knight of the highest order dying meant a sudden release of immense Solarium from his body. It was enough to fill up half the continent and make those with knowledge realise what had happened.

"Be at peace… my friend."

Sylvester didn't allow the dragon to breathe fire. Instead, he raised his right hand towards the pyre and shone a bright, white beam of light. It was the pure power of his existence. A pure beam of Solarium. A spark made by Solis.

The light enveloped the pyre, and in less than a second, all of it was gone. Disintegrated into less than ash.

"Xye." Sylvester turned towards his daughter and spoke directly into her thoughts. "Prepare the tomb. In seven days, I'll lay myself to rest. This body of mine cannot be burned. Nor will the time wither it. For as long as reality lives, this shell of mine will remain."

From relaxed, Xylena's eyes grew wide. From calm, distress and tears spilled.

"Father… Y—"

"The sun must set, Xye." Sylvester caressed her face with a hand. "The last soul I had to guide has reached its home. Holding onto mine here will bring more harm."

"But… I—"

Xylena broke down in tears. The Clergymen all left them alone. She hugged him as if she were still a little girl, not an old, powerful wizard, the Pope.

He held her, and the memory of the day she appeared in his dream on the Soul Tree for the first time was still fresh. Her cry had torn through reality to reach his ears.

"Let's go to the Pope's Palace. I'm going nowhere for seven days."

####

"Please smile a little, Father."

It was the final day, and Sylvester sat on a nice, large chair with grumpy Miraj on his shoulder. This was a request from Xylena and a few others from the clergy. To have his photograph taken. Felix had left one behind.

He'd dressed up well for the occasion. It was going to be his last piece of clothing. A long, white robe, a golden belt, and his long hair. There was too much gold all around him.

"Lord Miraj, please smile a little."

"Hmph!" Miraj scoffed and smiled eventually. He was not at all happy that Sylvester was going to leave him behind.

Click!

Flash!

In moments, a bright flash came. Then a dozen more. Sylvester raised his right thumb towards the large, magical camera.

"I am honored to be doing this, Father." The Clergyman said and left with the camera.

"I hate you!" Miraj roared as soon as they were alone. "How could you leave me behind? Take me with you, Maxy. I'll be sad again all alone here."

Sylvester grabbed Miraj and placed him on his lap. "Listen, Chonky. Every creature has a destiny. That defines when you'll live, and when you'll die. You, Chonky, simply have no destiny. You only have a beginning, without an end. That is why I cannot bring you. But I am giving you the ability to take human form and travel to other worlds out there. There are an infinite number of them. And when you miss me, lift your eyes to the sky. I'll be there, whispering to you."

"Promise?" Miraj raised his cute, furry paw, poking out a single nail.

Sylvester made the pinky promise. "Promise."

Still, Miraj was sad and hugged Sylvester's chest, sniffling there.

Sylvester lifted him in his arms and walked up. He was in the main hall of the tomb he'd built. Already, a separate area had been built and decorated for Xavia, Gabriel, Felix, Lord Inquisitor, Lady Aurora, and other important figures. But the main hall was meant for him.

It was made like a temple. From the gate, after walking a long hall, there was a stone slab on a raised platform. On the slab was a glass coffin for him.

Sylvester walked over to that glass box. But before climbing, he grabbed the pen on the table nearby and wrote down his last words for the world.

"Chase not the afterlife. Live to make this home your heaven."

Finally, he set the pen aside and flew high. He stepped inside the glass coffin and lay down on his back, putting his hands on his stomach, head straight on the soft pillow. He was all alone there except for Miraj.

"Don't cry too much, Chonky," Sylvester told him.

But Miraj's cat eyes were already overflowing as he sat on Sylvester's chest, snuggling under his chin.

"You have a lot of adventures waiting ahead in other worlds. You don't need me this time."

But that only made Miraj cry harder.

"I… I'll miss you… Lots and lots!"

Sylvester smiled and gently closed his eyes.

"Me too, Chonky… I'll miss you all."

And this entire journey.

Sylvester had long ceased to exist as a human. In his body, there were no bones, no blood, no muscles. In his own words, it was a mere shell. He, as Solis, simply used that shell to appear as Sylvester.

And to let go of that shell, all he had to do was pull back his will from it. He was existence itself, the rule on which everything ran. And with a mere thought, that rule changed for that shell.

Sylvester Maximilian… at last… slept for good.

"Wraaaaaaa… Maxy!"

Miraj cried nonstop. And his voice invited Xylena as well. Then both of them cried.

"Thank you, Father. I'll miss you." Xylena held his hand, which still stayed warm. It would for eternity.

"Maxyyyyy~"

It was particularly hard on Miraj. Sylvester had seen him when others didn't. Sylvester had saved him from loneliness. To Miraj, there was no greater family than Sylvester.

No ceremonies.

No grand funeral.

Sylvester Maximilan left amidst cries and tears.

To a place where nothing existed, and yet, he was the existence.

####

It was a slow process. Sylvester found himself standing in a void, without his skin but his Solis, humanoid body, blazing, fiery. In that void, he watched his life's memories as if a passing canvas. From the very moment he was born, in Xavia's arms.

Seeing that woman, Sylvester felt warm.

Shhh~

The next moment, that image from that canvas disintegrated. At the same time, he noticed a small part of his humanoid form disintegrated. But on another look, he realised that each particle separating him resembled a full, moving, spiraling Galaxy.

Sir Dolorem appeared on that canvas then. His kind, dutiful face. His words of wisdom. His complete loyalty.

And then that image disintegrated, as did a part of his body. They really were galaxies, formed from his own body.

Meeting Gabriel, Felix, and Markus.

Meeting the Inquisitor High Lord.

Meeting Lady Aurora.

Miraj took the largest portion of the canvas.

This is it… So this is what happens to Solis.

Even he didn't see this coming as an omniscient being. His own fate, he knew the end, but this process, he didn't.

He glanced at his humanoid, shining, bright arms. They had started to disintegrate as well. Trillions, perhaps an even greater number, of galaxies were born out of his very essence. The reality that he supported as a medium grew in real time. Foreign new worlds. New beings. New minor gods.

It was long… but still, so many questions even I can't find the answer to.

Sylvester only thought of a few things he regretted not finding out in that moment. In his last moment. Before becoming one with everything, everywhere, all at once.

Where did all this begin? When did I become Solis?

It was a cycle. He was aware. But even a cycle requires the first push. He couldn't find it, no matter how hard he tried.

Who created me? Who brought me into this world? Why?

The disintegration reached his chin, and then his nose. His humanoid, blazing body stood on the verge of total disappearance. And yet, all he had were questions.

I am no god… There has to be something, someone higher, beyond me. One who made me.

Only that assumption made sense. For nothing else made any.

Shhhh~

The final sparks drifted out. The last million galaxies spun from his essence. And standing in that silence, at the edge of his existence, his story, he asked himself one final question in one last small hymn.

♫It started in flame, the moment I came,

I outlived love, life, outlived my name.

Now I've melted into all I sought,

Whoever, so tell me this… Now what?♫

Finally faded that last, final spark. His last words were repeated again. The last request.

"Now what?"

_________The End_________

Epilogue - A God Was Born

"ANYONE? Please, help! Please… I… I…"

A girl, young in age, far too young to be alone. She cried towards the sky. Her wails were suppressed. Her breath was hesitant. Danger lurked around her, but her tears didn't stop.

Crouched against a tree, alone in the darkness, wounds marred her soft skin, her dirty, ragged clothes torn and filthy. Her ashen-black hair turned all muddy. She cried tears through her teal eyes.

She cried towards the sky. In fear of everything out there.

The darkness. The loneliness. The hunger. The sadness. The loss.

Xylena Sor Blackhart, on the run, her family murdered, scoured the lands for hope. Some tried to hurt her, some tried to enslave. She ran, and ran, until her little feet could no more.

Boom!

The sky crackled in thunder, as if the heavens wept for her pain.

But the thunder gave her nothing more than fear. Or perhaps, the push she needed to cry one last time.

Frail, skeletal almost, she wrapped her arms around her knees and tried to hide her face. Hide from the rain, the flashing sky, the booming noise, and the dark world.

Yet in murmurs, she kept seeking what she desired the most.

"Please… Anyone… I don't wanna be alone… Help… I… Mom… Dad… I miss you."

Boom!

The thunder fell nearby, scorching a tree. She flinched and fell sideways. Without realising, Xylena knocked her head on a stone and bled there.

Pain, weakness, lost in misery. She no longer dared to sit up again. She accepted fate, her bleeding forehead. Her eyes gently started to shut, even tears now drying. There was no hope.

All the fairy tales were false. All the stories were lies.

No hero could save the world.

No hero but only a…

"God… Is there no god? God? Help… please… H-help…"

Her desperate cry, calm and weak, yet it echoed in the thunderous sky. Her eyes shut, her mind comatose.

Unaware.

To her—the reality, the universe, the existence answered.

______________The End______________

.

.

.

.

It's been so long. But thank you for staying and waiting. I know, it's very late. But finally, we're here. I have finally finished I Became The Pope, Now What?

My initial plan for this novel was very different. But somewhere around the Masan arc, mistakes were made with the plot that changed the story for the worse. I initially planned for over 1k chapters, but I guess 784 is also fine. The journey may have changed, but this is the ending I had planned from the start.

Going forward, I don't know if I'll be posting again on Webnovel. I'm not sure. Will probably go to other sites or publish independently. When that happens, I'll be sure to ping you all.

Thank you for reading my story.

Love, Gorilla.