That is All I Ask For: Epilogue: What Comes After the Finish Line

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The international final was moments away, and the world was watching.

The energy in the Zero Eclipse pit was palpable, thick with tension and anticipation. Rai was adjusting his gloves, Meredith and Daniel were running checks one last time, and Dante was stretching his fingers, eyes closed in deep focus. The air was charged, humming with the anticipation of greatness.

Then Micah stepped into the pit.

He wasn’t in his racing suit yet, but he was already carrying a different kind of weight—one that settled like a whisper across the team.

“Everyone.” Micah called, his voice strong, but undeniably softer than usual.

The team turned toward him. Rai paused with a frown. Dante looked up instantly, sensing something serious.

Micah took a breath. “Before we step into this race, I need to say something.”

Silence fell.

“I’m retiring.”

No one moved.

Daniel blinked. “What?”

“I’ve made my decision. After this race, I’m stepping down from professional racing. I’ll go back to overseeing the company, working behind the scenes… but not on the track.”

Dante’s eyes widened. “Micah—”

Micah held up a hand. “Let me finish.”

He looked at Rai and smiled. “This last race, Rai, you’re going to drive right behind me. Not just to win—but to learn. Everything I know, everything I’ve carried… I’m handing it off to you. Not in the future. Now. This race is yours too.”

Rai’s throat tightened. “Micah, I’m not—”

“You are.” Micah said firmly. “You’ve earned it.”

Meredith’s hand gripped Daniel’s tightly. Daniel looked like he was struggling to keep his emotions from showing.

Micah turned to them all. “We’ve built something no one believed in. We survived sabotage, betrayal, public hatred. We came back from it stronger. Today isn’t just the final race. It’s a celebration of what we are—Zero Eclipse.”

Dante stepped forward slowly, his voice low. “You really decided this?”

Micah nodded. “I did. And I’m at peace with it. Because this isn't an end. It’s a beginning.”

The international course was nothing short of a marvel—spanning through narrow city lanes, long desert stretches, even segments inside an enclosed neon tunnel that distorted sound and time itself. Crowds filled every available seat and rooftop. Helicopters buzzed overhead. Commentators screamed.

Zero Eclipse was lined up on the grid. Talon Vortex, Blood Nova, Aetherfang, and twelve other elite teams surrounded them. Cameras clicked. Engines roared. The countdown began.

Micah sat in the lead car. Rai behind him. Dante and Daniel filled in their positions.

Micah’s voice crackled in Rai’s earpiece.

“Stay close to me, Rai. Read me. Every drift, every acceleration—I’ll leave patterns. Catch them.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Don’t ‘sir’ me now.” Micah said with a soft chuckle. “Just drive.”

The lights blinked down.

3… 2… 1—

GO.

Chaos.

Cars screamed down the track. Two racers from the Blood Nova team tried to corner Dante, but Rai slipped in like a phantom, cutting them off. Daniel boxed in the rear racers. Micah—he was untouchable. The way he moved through the corners, how he braked at the last moment then surged forward with eerie control—it was as if he wasn’t just driving the car. He was the car.

Each lap, Rai grew more attuned to Micah’s rhythm. He anticipated the twists, felt the braking intervals. Once, they entered a high-speed tunnel where visibility dropped. Rai kept up purely by instinct and trust.

“Don’t focus on winning.” Micah had said. “Focus on understanding.”

And that’s what he did.

By the final lap, Zero Eclipse had pulled ahead. The crowd was deafening. One racer from Talon Vortex tried to side-slam Rai—but Micah swerved in and blocked the attack with surgical precision. Rai didn’t flinch.

They crossed the finish line. Micah first. Rai second. Dante and Daniel right behind. A clean sweep.

Zero Eclipse had won.

The press room was overflowing. Microphones shoved forward, cameras zoomed in.

A reporter stood up. “Micah Blade! You’ve just led your team to a historic international win. What’s next for you?”

Micah stood, lips curved in a calm smile.

“I’m stepping down. Today was my last race.”

Gasps rippled through the room.

He continued, “Racing has been my whole life. But now, I choose to focus on building the future—my company, this team, and the next generation. Rai Hoshino will be taking my place. And trust me, he’s more than ready.”

Rai stood stiffly, shocked, but then bowed slightly to the press. “I’ll do my best.”

Later that night, the team had dispersed. The victory party had ended. The stars stretched across the sky like an open promise.

Micah tugged Dante away from the noise, down a quiet corridor overlooking the sea.

Dante looked at him, searching. “You really meant it. You’re done racing.”

Micah reached into his jacket.

“I’m not done with everything.”

He pulled out a small black velvet box.

Dante froze.

“I’ve never had a finish line that felt like peace.” Micah whispered. “Until now. Because I know what comes after… is you.”

He knelt. “Dante Shade, will you marry me?”

Dante’s heart stuttered.

He didn’t cry. He didn’t scream.

He just bent down, wrapped his arms around Micah, and whispered into his neck—

“Yes.”

Above them, the stars cheered.

Below them, the world moved on.

But for them—this was the start.

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