Now that the God was completely dealt with and Evangeline replaced him as the Goddess of the Angelic Realm, things settled down and the angels returned to their carefree lives.
As for the crew, now that they had found all of the flames, they were prepared to increase their strength once more.
However, Null was shocked to find out that something deep inside him was changing.
The star chart that once held the flames of the reincarnated crew members had shifted to reveal five new flames!
It was strange to say the least.
'Why are there more of them?'
Null was confused as to the nature of the flames on a new chart that mapped other worlds and solar systems.
After focusing on the flames as he had done with the previous lineup, Null could actually sense a familiarity between each of the flames.
'It's them!'
Previously, on Planet Barter, Null had been adjusting to his new powers and that included Void's insatiable cravings for the souls of others.
As it turned out, the new flames bore the signatures of the late Castello Crew that he strived to be like.
His time when Void took over caused him to muddle about without full control of his body or thoughts.
He knew that what occurred was disastrous, but under the care of Barter's Ruler, he had long since put one of the most tragic events of his life in the back of his mind.
Bit by bit, fractured memories surfaced and guilt reared its nasty face.
'Don't beat yourself up too hard,' having known the events that transpired, Ego sought to comfort Null.
'I can't help it. They were nice to me, and I ended up killing them along with the innocent people of the market.'
'I don't mean to be dismissive, but don't think of it as a simple killing. You're an existence that transcends the normality of a lifetime. Think of the ones closest to you now. Don't they seem happy with their new lives.'
'Mr. Zolial was subjected to a life full of loneliness and battle while Ms. Florie was imprisoned and tortured! How could I not feel guilty about that?'
It took a while for Ego to respond, but Null did not even want to hear more of the words of comfort.
With no one else but the seated Creator around, Ego frowned at him despite his inactiveness.
'What did I do?'
The mastermind behind it all felt attacked.
Theef noticed his face scrunching and was confused as to the contrast between their successful insurrection and his current state.
"Something the matter, Null," he lightly punched Null's shoulder and asked.
Not knowing how to put together things, Null simply went out with the newfound information, "The flames. There's more of them now."
Shocked by the reveal, Theef and the others grew interested, "Why are there more? Haven't you gathered all your buddies with this last one?"
"If there are more flames does that mean there were more survivors than just us," Klein wondered.
"As if! You saw the state of things after the World Rebirth. There was no one and nothing left," Z'oelo said confidently.
Barter's Ruler seemed to follow the peculiarity regarding the flames and reincarnated persons, so he spoke up, "Does it have to do with what occurred on my planet?"
Seeing as he hit the nail on the head, Null could not help but nod.
"I see," was all he said in response.
He had not personally witnessed the first souls to be reaped by Void's takeover, but the massacre in the market was something that could not go unnoticed.
None of the other crew members had seen those of the Castello Crew as Theef had been jailed and he was on his own during the duration of their meetings.
So, Null was unsure of the feelings they would have regarding complete strangers that had coincidentally met with a similar fate as the reincarnated.
Knowing this, Ego left Null's body and stood before him with a frown on their face.
"I've been trying to tell you, but you just won't listen! There's not a single person here that wouldn't stand by your side. Who cares about the past, present, or the future?"
Hearing Ego speak, the others knew that there was something going on behind their backs.
"I had suppressed the anger my people felt regarding the incident even though they had it out for you. I even settled my own feelings seeing as you were not in the right state of mind," Barter's Ruler gave a rueful smile, "Do you think I'd even be here if not for you?"
"Yeah, man. I get that bad things have happened, but being together with each other makes everything else fade away," Theef comforted.
The two teachers also expressed their feelings regarding their places in the crew.
Edmond flicked Null's forehead while Evangeline gave him a look before pulling Null into a hug, "Kids like you shouldn't have to go through such travesties. Just because you were given the strength to do things that others can't doesn't mean you should shoulder more than you're capable of."
"That doesn't mean others should suffer for my lack of control. I'm the one who chose to start this journey, but if I hurt others along the way, it makes me wonder why I even bother," Null sniffled.
Edmond softened a bit after seeing Null like this, but he still spoke up, "What happens out our control can't be focused on. What we have to focus on is what we do about it. Don't waste your time on the things you can't change."
Both Klein and Z'oelo had less experience but could still provide some support based on their own perspectives.
"It's not like everything happened the way you planned it to. I like the new life I got and the things I'm able to do thanks to you."
"Yeah! And who cares about what mistakes we make? With enough strength we can make things right."
Null felt relieved after the kind words he was given.
It still left a sour taste in his mouth, but at least he did not have to worry about those around him.
Instead, he would hold his head up high and avoid being problematic as much as he could so that when he eventually met with the original Castello Crew members, they would see him for his true self.
While he was solidifying his new character, the ones in question were out there across the cosmos living their new lives.
Some had it better than others, but fate was a cruel mistress.