Chapter 232: Epilogue

Chapter 232: Epilogue

Chapter 232 - Epilogue

Seryne forced her palms to lay still on her legs. She had been sitting in the empty hallway for the better part of an hour. Being the one waiting to be summoned was a strange sensation, and not one she enjoyed.

Crimson Moon lend me your strength.

A clerk with a thin goatee opened the door. “Captain Seryne?” He read from his clipboard with a disdainful smile—as if he didn’t remember her name. “The general will receive you now.”

How dare he treat me this way.

Keeping a calm expression, she stood up as Sergeant Makyn walked out the office. The soldier disappeared down the corridor with a terse nod. After everything she had done for him, he didn’t even greet her properly.

I should have left him to rot pushing papers. He let that damn kid escape and made everything go downhill.

The sneering clerk went to sift through a pile of documents without giving her another glance. It was all a ruse. The lowlife must be reveling in her humiliation.

Captain Seryne wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. She kept a dignified poise as she approached the oak door. To think she had been ordered to wait outside the secretary’s office, her mother must have been very displeased.

Mother will understand I’m not the one to blame.

She dried her sweaty palms on the pants of her uniform and took a slow breath to calm her racing heart. Everything was fine, the general would see reason. It wasn’t her fault that she was surrounded by incompetent morons.

With an appropriately repentant expression, Seryne stepped inside.

The office was starker than she remembered. The garish trophies the local commander displayed had been replaced with six standards—one more than she remembered. The bright heraldry stained with blood, each belonged to an army her mother had defeated.

Thump!

Her attention snapped to the stately woman behind the desk, deciding the fate of thousands with the stamp of her seal. The decorated blue uniform couldn’t hide the square shoulders and muscled arms. Though she was more than twice her age, not a wrinkle showed on her handsome face.

The general had never forgiven her for taking an administrative profession. Seryne never understood the appeal of risking her life on the frontline like the daughter of some farmers. Her talents were better suited to a command position, where her mind could shine.

“Mother, I—”

“Sit.” She didn’t raise her voice, halt her work or look up, but the word fell with the power of an avalanche. Aryanne hurried to do as instructed, mother never liked to repeat herself.

“How many times do I have to tell you, it’s General Seryne when I’m in uniform?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Just stop disappointing me.” She finished signing the documents with a sigh and turned her dark blue eyes on her. “The stunt you pulled will make me the punchline of the northern front.”

“M— ma’am, no one will laugh when we find the hidden realm.”

“I’ve brought two Space warpers in the fourth circle. Do you have any idea how much they cost? Neither could find conclusive evidence of a lesser dimension behind the spatial distortion.” The general poured herself a cup of amber liquor smelling of fiery spices. The drink burned with enough Fire mana to charr the insides of anyone below Yellow, though her mother downed it like water. “Not a single beast appeared since our arrival. Even your so-called ‘summoning chambers’ brought no result.”

Aryanne scratched at the cuticles of her fingers. “That’s impossible, I know what I saw. The extinct species, the ancient enchantments and the portal to another place. A realm is the only logical explanation.”

“Stop dreaming. There is no lesser dimension hidden on the Baquaire Archipelago.” Mother nailed her with a hard gaze. She took out an anti-spy construct from her ruby amulet. A dozen layers of protection sprung around them against eavesdropping, scrying and divination. That device alone could buy a small ship, not to mention the spatial artifact, awarded by the consul in person for her service. “That will be the only story you’ll speak of outside this room.”

“What do you mean, mother?”

“Blessed Moons, use your brain and stop embarrassing yourself. What are the possibilities if the mages didn’t find anything?”

Aryanne bit her lip, speaking slowly not to stutter. “Either there is nothing or... someone has hidden it from us. But that would require a colossal effort. There is no way—”

The general gave her a look full of scorn. “The evidence indeed points to a lesser dimension, enough to warrant preparations. The neighboring kingdoms can’t mobilize the necessary resources to seal a dimension without alerting our informants. A force from the heartlands might, but they could just demand we hand over the archipelago. Given the timing, we can also exclude a natural phenomenon. That means we are dealing with either some ancient safeguard or a powerful sentient entity.”

“How—” Aryanne stopped herself to digest the information. “The enchantments we found were already crumbling. To seal a dimension would require a powerful spirit or demon. The Moons would never allow an outer divinity to intrude, and none of the local divinities have any affinity for Space.”

“You’re thinking too limited. This entity might belong to the lesser realm or the Void, but the details don't concern you.” The general scowled. “Do you know the only thing worse than mobilizing the army for nothing?”

Aryanne lowered her gaze, knowing her mother expected no answer from her.

“It’s having the prize stolen right under your nose. The Merian Republic would become the laughingstock of the continent. And be certain that if you make us look weak to our neighbors, it will be your head on the chopping block. And I don’t mean metaphorically.”

This couldn’t be happening to her. She didn’t deserve this. She had done nothing wrong. “Mother, how could I predict—”

A pressure choked the words in her throat. Aryanne was too scared to even breathe. For a second, she thought she was about to get slapped like a child, then the general retracted her aura.

“I won’t tolerate any more excuses. Now, tell me how you allowed this whole situation to degenerate.”

“I— It was—”

“Speak clearly, you aren’t a child anymore.”

He deserves to know.

Lou forced himself to meet the mischievous green eyes. “Kai’s dead.” It was the first time he said it out loud. His eyes stung, forcing him to blink and avert his gaze.

“What?” The smile froze on Flynn’s lips.

“Kai’s dead,” Lou repeated, the meaning sinking in with the weight of a boulder. He couldn’t deny the facts any longer. “I’m sorry, I wish I could explain more—”

“Were you there when he died?” Flynn stared at him unblinking.

“No.”

“Have you seen the body?”

“No, but—”

Flynn held up a hand to stop him. “Trust me. I don’t know how, but he’ll come back.” He regained his grin.

Lou slammed his hand on the door before it could shut. The contract was compelling him to silence, but he squeezed between the cracks. “You don’t know what happened. There is no way he could have survived.”

“And you don’t know Kai like I do.” Flynn snorted up with a furious glare. “He wouldn’t die without letting the world know. It was nice seeing you again. I need to go. Bye.”

The door closed under Lou’s slack-jawed stare.

~ ~ ~

A little part of her died when Valela saw the light dim in Alana’s eyes.

“How?” The woman grabbed her hand over the kitchen table with a Strength that defied her grade.

“There was an accident during the expedition. Kai was ambushed by a beast. I’m sorry, he died before the soldiers could get to him. Though I didn’t know him for long, he was an incredible person. I’m sure he will be welcomed among the ranks of the ancestors.” Valela delivered the official story, fighting to keep her voice steady.

That was the only way she had been allowed to communicate the news. The truth was much worse. She had no idea what happened, too busy dealing with the ramifications of the lesser realm he had revealed.

Why are the Spirits so unfair?

The worst part was that even if she could go back, she would have made the same decision. The hidden realm radically altered the future of the archipelago, from a forgotten rock to a strategic location. No matter how much she loathed herself, the fate of her people overshadowed her or any other individual.

They’d need to tread carefully if they ever wanted to see the rule of the islands in the hands of a native. There remained a smidgen of hope because no one had found a way to access the lesser dimension, and the beast attacks had ceased.

“Are you—” A beautiful young woman with pearl earrings tried to hold back her tears, dabbing her cheeks with a handkerchief. Her face puffy as she tried to find her voice, “Are you certain he’s dead?”

“I saw the body. He was beyond the skill of any mortal healer.” That was a break from the official story, but she couldn’t let them hang on to false hopes. Hopefully, this would help them find closure. “If it’s of any comfort, it looked like he had died on the spot. He didn’t suffer.”

“You’re lying!” A girl around her age screamed. She had a pixie cut and a fiery look that said she would have leaped at her if a burly man didn’t hold her back. “Let me go. Now!”

“It’s not her fault, Kea.”

“She’s a liar!” She elbowed her way free and stormed out of the room, slamming the door. A baby started crying in the background, prompting the older sister to get up with a lost look.

The man moved to console Alana, who was sobbing in the chair. Moui, if Valela remembered correctly. She had rushed here so quickly that she hadn’t had time to check their names.

“What grade was it?” He regarded her with a somber look.

Her brows furrowed. “Sorry?”

“What grade was the beast that ambushed Kai.”

Valela shouldn’t have been aware of the details, but she had already gone off script and told them she had been present. Breaking the rules one more time wouldn’t matter. “It was a peak Orange drake near the Heart.”

“I see.” Moui nodded, whispering soothing words to Alana. “Thank you for informing us personally. I know you didn’t have to.”

“It’s nothing.” Understanding she was being dismissed, Valela took out an envelope. Gold couldn’t bring their son back, but it could relieve the problems of the living. For now, that was all she could do. “Please, contact me if you need anything.”

~ ~ ~

About two years later.

Inside the chamber of a forgotten ruin, an iridescent portal bubbled into existence. A ragged young man leaped out, landing in a crouch. His gray eyes studied the room, a white crystal sword in his grip.

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End of Book 3

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