Odyssean Flower

The story must end, and even fresh flowers will wither. But the flower within one's dreams will always remain in full and fragrant bloom.

...But in the end, a shadow still fell over the kingdom.
It was not that the dragon defeated the hero, but rather, that they both became lost in the world.
Amidst the chaos as thick as lightless dark waters, amidst the sorrows and the partings that followed,
The Director and her sisters set out on a journey to defeat the evil at its source,
And her assistant in turn boarded the ship built for battle, eventually slumbering beneath the waters.
The Narzissen champions and many knights, evil dragons, and virtuous sages were scattered.

Some would be taken in by the Marechaussee Phantom or the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol,
And they would work to protect the realm such that it would not again have a shadow cast over it.
Some were taken in by explorers moving to and from foreign lands,
And from then on would truly set out on an adventure to witness the edge of the world.

Many years would pass after that.
Some would try to prevent future tales from ever being stopped by such events as these,
And so would seek out the path ahead using the secrets of machinery and bodies of steel.
Some, on the other hand, would go against the grain, so that the stories might begin again,
Embarking on a journey beyond normal comprehension in the name of the nymphs.
And just as how some people treasure withered flowers,
Some still reminisce endlessly over the afternoon adventures that have yet to continue...