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*Twenty years later*

So far, the enemy’s war machines haven’t reached me yet as I rest on top of the tallest pink and white pocodot tree. The high winds are kicking my dress in every single direction. Because of the speeds, the green clouds above me are rapidly moving south. At this rate, the yellow sky will become visible soon. This planet is aggressive in its weather patterns, but at least it’s not the planet, Llypso. I can’t stand its backward weather like rain coming from the ground or water floating in the sky.

“Ugh,” I say, sighing. “Nion.”

“Yes, Vodkis?” Nion says as she morphs in above me.

“How far is General Fizz’s army?”

“The enemy is,” she pauses to gaze at the north. I can hear the engines roar in the distance. “Here.” I sit up so I can spot the approaching army. Their low rumble tanks are the closest sound I can pick out. They plow the trees, forcing the birds to fly out.

“Such a sad scene seeing wildlife runaway because of these disrespectful idiots.”

“I agree. Too bad it has to come to this.” The wind picks up more speed. My hair flies behind my head from a sudden southern wind change. Nion stands in front of me to block the wind with her aura. She pulls my headwrap from her bag and quickly fastens my hair into it. “Your jewelry, please.” I hand her my necklace and earrings to hold them so I won’t lose them in the fight.

“I’ll make this quick. Jucey and her people need to be free from this madman.” A tank fires an explosive round at the base of the tree we’re standing on. The bark crackles as the tree begins to fall over.

“I’ll be around if you need anything.”

“I’ll see you later.”

Nion stops falling with me to hover. I use the angle of the tree to leap off of it and then slam on top of the nearest tank. It explodes in a massive raging fire. I use the fire and smoke to strike many soldiers nearby before I lunge out of the smoke and sprint at another set of tanks. Their machine can’t get a perfect lock on me. I blow up four more tanks using my explosive verum bombs, then enter into a brutal hand-to-hand fight. The soldiers have no chance against my superior strength. One soldier gets lucky in tripping up my right leg. With my other leg, I kick him into the sky where Nion is.

“Really, Vodkis? Try to keep them in close proximity!” Nion says, catching the soldier with one hand.

“Sorry!” I say.

“It’s okay. Take your time!” The whole army unloads all they have at me. Some of them shoot their soldiers to kill me.

This is diabolical! Why are they so desperate?

A tank further back in the armored line fires at me. I don’t react in time to catch the shell, so I cross my forearms over my face and tighten my stomach. It explodes with such a force that it makes me skid back several feet. My tunic and headwrap are shredded and on fire.

“Hold your fire!” Fizz says. His voice is somewhere to the right. “Infantry start firing into the smoke!” I rip off the pieces of my tunic to expose my green combat outfit as their soft bullets smack into me. In the cover of the smoke, I rotate my hands in a circle to build up massive verum that will hopefully end this stupid fight. I aim it to where I think Fizz is.

“Cease your fire!” A soldier says. The smoke fades enough that I can see the closest soldiers. They slowly back away when they notice what I’m doing. One soldier unloads his entire magazine at me, but the amount of power I’m charging melts his bullets inches from the barrel. “All units shoot her!” I finally spot Fizz. He’s halfway out of a tank in the direction I guessed. The soldiers closest to me start fumbling to reload their weapons.

“Goodbye!” I say. I send out one of the most powerful attacks from my hands in a stream of two white beams of energetic fire. I start from a wide angle to cover the entire length of the army, then end at the center to finish in total. The entire force, Fizz, and a portion of the forest are vaporized. Nothing but burning wood remains.

Damn. I hope the wildlife got out of the way before I did that.

“Well done, Vodkis,” Nion says Jucey will be pleased to know her people are now safe from Fizz’s militaristic government.” She comes down with the soldier under her right arm I kicked. Her staff appears and runs down the incinerated forest, rapidly growing it back. “What do you plan on doing with this guy?”

“I’ll take him to Jucey as a gift.” I place him over my shoulder then set off to her village on foot. “Wait by the ship. I won’t be long.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As I walk the unconscious soldier to Jucey’s village, the wonderful sounds of the wildlife fill the forest. Walking through it brings back deep memories of being on the run with Zazy. Minus the running and fearing for our lives, but seeing untouched nature.

So beautiful.

I make it to Jucey’s village without the soldier waking up through the journey. Her guards open their gate to let me in. She and some of the villagers are gathered at the entrance.

“It’s over,” I say, throwing the unconscious soldier on the ground.

“Is it over? Like truly over?” Jucey says.

“Yes,” I say and sigh. “Fizz and his approaching army are no more.” Her whole village deafens me with their loud cheers. I have to cover my ears to block out their voices. “Calm down! You are all too loud!” They don’t stop. A random man hoists me on his shoulders to dance around.

“My good people! We must celebrate this day! Vodkis, will you be joining us?”

“Uh... um...”

“Please, Vodkis. You’ve been a great blessing for us,” the man I’m sitting on says.

“I have somewhere else to go.” A lot of people begin to awe to show their disappointment. “Sorry, guys. I’m a busy woman.” The man leans down for me to slide off his shoulders. Jucey surprises me with a kiss on both of my cheeks then hugs me tight.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done. Tell your Tagenta we are grateful for his caring grace upon us,” Jucey says.

“I’m sure he knows. Farewell.”

“Vodkis,” a man says softly to me. His calm voice makes my ears perk up. “We may not see each other again, but I would like to give you a kiss to show my appreciation for all you’ve done.”

“Let me guess, here, huh?” I perk my lips and point at them.

“Yes,” he answers, bowing his head. His humble yet direct manner is cute, but I’m not going to let him have a piece of me in the way he wants it.

“Okay.” I put my hand out to him.

“Your... hand?”

“Yes.”

“May I ask why?”

“I’m a... widow.”

“A widow?” I nod to confirm. “My apologies. You look so young.” He eventually kisses my backhand.

“Spargarians can keep their adult youth for a long time.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“How old are you?” Jucey asks. I hesitate and stumble to answer. It takes a moment for me to embrace my age without thinking of the distant past.

“Forty,” I say, avoiding eye contact.

“Amazing. You’re so beautiful.” Her praise and the man’s shocked-looking face are making me timid.

“I have to go now. The Union will monitor your solar system just in case another threat threatens your world.”

“Okay. Thanks again, Vodkis. I wish you a wonderfully long life.” I exit the village without saying goodbye. My ship arrives to pick me up with Nion waiting at the entrance. We jump in once the door shuts behind me.

“Where to?” Nion says.

“I— I don’t know,” I say, walking to my room.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Why do you ask?” I sit on my bed to clutch my blankets into my lap.

“You’re disturbed.”

“Nion, I told you not to read my mind!”

“You know I stopped doing that twenty years ago. Vodkis, why are you so uptight all of a sudden?” I place my face into the blankets to take a moment of silence to collect my thoughts and emotions. She sits beside me, rubbing her hand on my back. “Tell me what you’re feeling.”

“There was this guy who wanted to kiss me as an appreciation for what I did.”

“And?”

“I lied and said I was a widow. Made him kiss my hand instead.” Her hand stops momentarily. “I know, I know. I’ve never been married.”

“So why did you say that?” She resumes rubbing my back.

“I don’t have a good reason.”

“Yes, you do,” she lightly giggles. “It’s Zazarel, isn’t it?” Her voice becomes soft. “You’re still shutting yourself from any form of romance.” Every time she talks soft and direct, it’s hard for me to lie.

“I know...”

“Was he cute?”

“Nion, stop. I didn’t look nor care for the interest. The only man I can love is living in a realm for the dead.” The tears around my eyes start building up. “I can’t kill myself to be with him, so I’m forced to wait hundreds of years.”

“That’s it. We’re going home.” She storms off the bed heading towards my door.

“Why?”

“It’s been twenty years of excuses. It’s time for you to return and have a long break from your duties.”

“But!” The door closes behind her and then locks. I panic and beg her not to travel home. The ship’s engines rumble. I look through the window and see the stars stretch apart as they move beyond the speed of light. In a few seconds, the ship orbits Purum. My door opens with her behind it.

“Take off your gear. We’re going to visit, Zazarel.”

----------------------------------------

My ship lands in a landing dock full of other crazy-looking ships. There are two I recognize as Union transports. Their green and yellow colors outshine all the parked ships near it. I get away from the window to stop adding more anxiety for the day. Nion has a ready-made dress for me to wear. It’s a green long sleeve with a long blue skirt. I put my jewelry on, gloss up my lips to make them shin, and put on makeup.

“Are you ready?” Nion says, knocking on the door.

“Almost. I’m putting on my last piece of jewelry,” I say, putting on my necklace. “Okay.” I take a deep breath in and out of my nose. “I’m ready to see him.”

“Do you want to walk?”

“Yes.”

My birthplace has changed from not seeing it in two decades. I don’t recognize anything. The open land from before is filled with trees, buildings, markets, and various artistic statues. People I walk look at me or take several glances. Most of them smile while the others gasp in shock.

“Nion, why is everyone smiling at me?” I ask.

“Twenty years has given you fame,” Nion says with a tight smile. “You’re a heroin in this city.”

“I’m a heroin, in Courage?”

“Yes. Also, there was a big baby boom. Most of these people you see here are in their twenties and forties. Even the young adults are making children at a high rate. All of them know the people who made their lives better.” I’m speechless by the loss of time I spent in space. My world is alien to me.

“I don’t know what to say, Nion.”

“Well, at least wave back.”

“Hmm?” People are waving at me. “Oh! Hello.” I give everyone a two-handed wave to the ones waving as we head to the cemetery. Everything is how I remember it. The trees, the format of the place, and the flowers are still here. “They kept it the same.”

“It was perfect since the day it was created.” My heart ever so slightly rises when I move to the center of the cemetery. I’m so nervous; it is turning my stomach.

“I don’t feel good.”

“You’re not gonna throw up, are you?”

“I hope not. I haven’t eaten anything for a few hours.” She pokes my stomach twice to ease the gurgling discomfort.

“Your stomach is fine. This is all in your head.” Now my heart wants to beat faster again. I hold her hand to help me power through. The sight of the colorful flowers around Zazy’s grave is enough to make me cry.

“Zazy...”

I fall to my knees at the sight of his name. His stone and the gravesite remain pristine like they never aged. I use his stone to hold myself up as I cry. I don’t want to make too much of a scene since there are people nearby, so I try my hardest to shut up.

“I miss you, Zazy,” I say with a tremble. I’m in such despair. I’m seconds from losing control of the deep emotions I locked away years ago. “Zazy... I can’t anymore.” One second letting my emotions go, a man calls out my name. His voice makes me instantly stop crying. All of my senses focus on him. The grass under his feet brushes when he steps closer to me. His breathing is slow and calm. His scent is familiar yet new.

“Lady Vodkis,” he says again but a bit louder.

It can’t be. There can’t be a chance...

I turn my head slightly to the right. He gets on his knees with me and places his hand on my right thigh. It’s warm, and gentle in the way he’s grabbing it. His nails are a bit dirty but are perfectly rounded off like mine.

“I’m sorry,” he says, pulling his hand away. “I just got back from my dynamism class. I hope I didn’t get any dirt on your dress. It looks lovely.” I follow his hand. It interlocks with his other. I look up at his arm and stop when I see his muscular. “I didn’t mean to get your dress dirty.” The more he talks, the more I doubt he’s the person I’m thinking about. I’m scared to look him in the face. Out of nowhere, he leans down to get in my line of sight to do it for me. “Hey. Are you okay?” I can’t believe what I’m seeing. This man has white hair like mine, orange eyes, and Zazy’s face, including his voice. He isn’t swole like Zazy. His smaller yet his muscles are defined. And, he’s wearing purple earring studs. “You look pale. Is everything alright?”

“Zazy?” I say in a weak voice that’s mixed with a soft weep. “Am I dreaming?” He looks around, then answers my question shaking his head, no.

“Uh... This is real life. Here I’ll pinch ya.” He pinches the side of my arm. I start to cry when he doesn’t vanish into thin air. “Did I pinch too hard? I’m sorry.”

“Zazy!” I tackle him to the ground, letting all my inner sadness out as well as celebrating he’s back in my life. “I missed you!”

“You missed me? I think there’s a misunderstanding.”

“What are you talking about?”

“We just met.”

“What...?” He sits me up on his lap with ease. “You... you know me.”

“Vodkis,” Nion says.

I look around Zazy to find Nion, Purah, and two other women looking at me with their eyes open wide. Purah has a big smile on her face, while Nion has her face scrunched. The shorter woman with pink has her arms crossed. She’s wearing a sleeveless body-conforming black button shirt with a long-sleeved gray undershirt. Her left sleeve extends the upper part of her arm. Around the right forearm is a black and gray cuff, while the other forearm has a black ring near the elbow.

The other woman stands a foot taller than the pink-haired woman. She has boots with a heel on them. It’s stylish with wrapped leather with a buckle on the top and silver buttons. The style of the shirt she has on exposes the inner parts of her breasts but at a modest amount. Her hair is thick, black, and wavy with a nice white gloss to it. To top off her beauty, her eyes are a dark purple, nearly black.

“Bro,” the woman with pink hair says. “What are you doing?”

“Excuse me, ma’am. What are you doing to my little brother?” The taller woman asks, stepping forward.

“Brother?” I say, looking down at what I think is Zazy. “It’s not you?”

“What are you talking about?” He says.

“Vodkis, do you mind getting off my son. I’d like to have a word with you,” Purah says.

These are her children?!

“Hold on! Wait a second. What is your name?” I say, firmly remaining in his lap.

“My name is Kado Zazyel Purah,” he answers with a slight chuckle.

“What..?”

“I know, I know. My last name is my mother’s name. It’s weird.”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “It isn’t.” I force myself not to cry after hearing his middle name is Zazy’s full name mixed in with the nickname I gave him. “Excuse me, Za— Kado. Purah, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure,” Purah says, walking down the pathway. Once we move out of earshot from everyone, I’m on the brink of a mental breakdown. I’m confused, sad, happy, amazed, shocked.

“Purah... Is... that... him?”

“Settle down first. I can see you’re about to flip out.”

“Just tell me, please. Is that Zazarel?” She glances down to her right and then nods her head slightly.

“It’s him.” I clench my fists to pull out all the power I have to not wail.

“How?” I say, putting my hand over my mouth. “How is he back?”

“I... gave birth to him.”

“Birth!?” She puts her finger over her lips, so I cover my mouth with both hands. “Zazy’s your son now?”

“Yeah.”

“How is that possible?”

“Well, when your husband is a all powerful, you can find workarounds to bring the dead back. Let’s just say we ruffled the feathers.” There are no words I can form to show how happy I am, so I focus on one word to blurt out.

“Why?”

“I did it for you, Vodkis. It took many tries, as you can see. He’s got older sisters.”

“Yeah,” I cry, giggling. “I can see that. I now I understand why you took so many vacation days off.”

“Yeah... It was an interesting time raising him after seeing the man he was. Some of his traits followed him.”

“Really?” She shakes her head as she hums with a mild giggle.

“I wish you saw him grow up, but you were nowhere to be found. Where were you all this time?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I understand.”

“So, how come he doesn’t remember me?”

“It’s the way Tagenta created our souls. We don’t remember our past lives. I don’t remember what I did back then.”

“I see,” looking over my shoulder to see Kado. Nion has his and his sisters’ attention to something she’s saying. “Is his hair white because of Tagenta?”

“Nope. Notice his hair is off-white like yours.” I squint to notice the detail better. It’s duller than Tagenta’s hair.

“I see it.”

“Courtesy of you.”

“Huh?”

“The hair,” she says, tugging on my hair. “You tore it off.”

“Oh?!” I gasp.

“Yup! And, guess what his favorite color is.”

“What?”

“A specific type of purple only found in your eyes.”

“I’m gonna cry.”

“Hug me instead.” We hug tightly, swinging each other from side to side. “Go to him, Vodkis. But, be slow. He doesn’t know you.”

“Thank you so much, Purah,” I say, letting my tears out.