EPILOGUE - PART 3

* LEVITON *

“So, it’s gone?” Lawrence asked, shocked.

“Well, it’s hard to say. All they know is that everything is completely caved in,” Sharanel said. “It could take weeks to clear it out in order to find out if the rift is still there. A guardian might be able to make it go faster but everyone is swamped with other things.”

Sharanel sipped her tea as she slumped back into her chair. Wendy, Lawrence, and Henry occupied the other chairs at the small table in the kitchen of Lawrence’s manor.

It was early afternoon in Leviton. Sharanel and Henry decided to use part of their day off to visit Lawrence and explain everything that happened after Henry left the previous day, when Sharanel summoned him to echo cavern without warning.

At the end of the story, Sharanel then revealed what Honsmordin told her earlier that day. The patrols that were stationed to periodically check the valley of the final battle of the Great War discovered that the cave with the rift was completely sealed off. It apparently happened sometime the previous night after their last patrol.

“I bet it was Tabatha; it had to be,” Henry said as he ate the hearty soup Wendy prepared. They were eating a late lunch, but since Weaver’s Road was several hours ahead, it was technically an early dinner for him.

“But why!” Sharanel said woefully. “Why would she do that?”

“To spite us,” Henry shrugged. He seemed less perturbed about this than she was. “It’s like you told me. With the rift we could go back and forth from here to Earth as much as we wanted, especially now that we have the Sun Stone. I think she knew that some people were willing to stay because they figured they could go home at some point. It was always an option. So now, Tabatha’s basically punishing us. Since we wouldn’t go home when she told us to, now she’s trying to make it so we can’t ever go home. I haven’t known her long, but she’s always come off as kind of petty.” He shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich. “Wendy, this is so good.”

“Thanks!” Wendy both beamed and blushed at the spontaneous praise.

Sharanel rolled her eyes at this. “You don’t seem worried at all.”

Henry shrugged. “Why should I be?”

“Well, even if you don’t want to go back, I know some of your friends do. I thought you really cared about being able to help them,” Sharanel said.

“I do want to go home, at least to see my parents again,” Henry corrected, “but, I figure it’ll work itself out.”

“Wow, you’ve really become more laid back,” Sharanel chuckled.

“Well, think about it. The Sun Stone was connected to that first rift, right? So maybe it can make another one, or maybe the first rift is still there, and we just need to get to it. You guys said it was pretty strong.” He put a hand on Sharanel’s shoulder. “I’ve got a genius quickener prodigy on my side. What in the world can’t we do together?”

Sharanel’s smile fell slightly. “Yeah…”

“What’s wrong?” Henry asked.

“I was just remembering Tommy,” she said. The word “genius” sparked Sharanel’s memory. “I really wanted to be able to do something to honor his sacrifice but with everything that’s happened—”

Lawrence stood abruptly. “Why not today then.”

Sharanel looked up. “Really? But how?”

“I have an idea,” Lawrence said. “Wendy, please contact Professor Landerpool, I’m sure he’d like to be a part of this. Henry, I’ll need your help. Can you come to my office and bring your staff?”

Henry picked up his staff. “Sure thing, but what’s going on?”

“It’s time we gave Thomas Goodfield a proper sendoff. We’ll just need a guardian,” he added pensively.

Sharanel stood, looking motivated. “I can handle that.” She rushed out of the kitchen with Wendy close behind.

Henry followed the quaver to his office, still confused about what was going on. “What are we doing?” he asked as Lawrence took a seat at his desk and started opening drawers, apparently searching for something.

“You have Thomas’s staff memory inside your core,” Lawrence said, indicating Henry’s staff with his free hand as he continued to rifle through the desk with the other.

“Uh, yeah?” Henry nodded. “So?”

“We’re going to use that in place of his actual staff to attach to the nexus,” Lawrence said distractedly. “It should work.”

“Nexus?” Henry repeated the unfamiliar word.

Lawrence finally found what he was looking for and placed a small piece of quartz on the desk before looking up at his companion. “Ah, I guess if you don’t have mentus and mandamus on your world, you must have a different way of honoring those who passed,” he said pensively. “For us, when someone dies, it’s common to capture the latent memories and essence of that person in a nexus. Many families have nexuses that are passed down through the generations and you can use them to recall the important memories of those connected to it.”

Henry was still a little confused but nodded all the same. “So, you’re able to basically imprint someone’s memories into this nexus and then years later, family members can use it to remember them,” he summarized.

“In a way, yes, but it’s not all of their memories. Usually, it’s only a general impression of that person and very powerful memories related to the object used to bind their essence to the nexus.” Lawrence indicated Henry’s staff again. “For quickeners, that object is always their staff, but since we don’t have Thomas’s staff, we’re going to use the staff memory that’s in your core. It’s basically a full copy of Thomas’s staff inside of yours. I just need to teach you how to tune your staff properly so you can participate in the ceremony.”

Henry gathered his resolve. He barely knew Thomas, but he was determined to do his best to help the man who gave him the ability to save his friends from Davron’s monsters in the cave on Earth. Thomas had given him an amazing gift, and it was time to repay that debt.

“Okay, I’m ready. Just tell me what I need to do.”

***

An hour later, a small group was gathered in the courtyard outside of Lawrence’s manor including Lawrence, Sharanel, Landerpool, Henry, and Wendy. In addition, there were a few others who Lawrence and Landerpool had invited: friends of Thomas who lived in Leviton. Fantasma stood prominently at the forefront of the group and several people were clearly in awe at his presence.

“Fantasma, it’s quite an honor to have you do this memorial service.” Lawrence said. “When Sharanel said she would find us a guardian, I never expected—”

“When I found out why she wanted to borrow a guardian, I insisted. Thomas’s quick thinking and selfless act saved lives. This is the least I can do. Do we have a nexus and a bonded object?”

“Because we don’t know anything about Thomas’s family, I created a small nexus,” Lawrence explained as he handed over a small piece of blue-tinted quartz, no bigger than a pebble. “Henry’s staff will be the bonded object; it holds Thomas’s staff memory.”

Henry nervously stepped forward when his name was mentioned. Lawrence had explained the sangshew ceremony in detail, but he was still somewhat fuzzy on the specifics.

From what he’d learned, a sangshew was a special ritual that only guardians were capable of performing. They could use mandamus to gather the essence of a deceased person either from the person themselves, if done within a few hours of their death, or from an object of great importance to that person that they used their mentus on frequently. For summoners it would be their instrument, for a smithy, one of their tools, and for quickeners, their staff.

Every time someone used mentus on a quartz-based tool, they left tiny remnants of their adimus signature behind. This usually dissipated quickly, but when someone used the same tool over and over again over months or years, it would start to take on the adimus aura of the user, something only visible in the mentant realm. Normally, this would only be useful to signify ownership of an object, but through the sangshew ritual, that adimus aura could be used to extract fragments of memory and even personality. The more important the object to the deceased person, the more potent the memories and essence that could be bound to the nexus. Quickener staffs were said to be the best tools possible for binding to a nexus due to the unique properties of the staff core.

Fantasma, who had performed dozens of sangshew rituals in his time as a guardian, was intimately familiar with the process but had never done one this unique before. “Will you be able to isolate the part of Henry’s core that holds Thomas’s memory,” he asked with a bit of skepticism.

He knew that, if not done properly, he could end up pulling the essence of one of Henry’s ancestors who had previously used the staff.

Henry nodded resolutely. “Lawrence taught me what I need to do.”

Sharanel stepped up beside him. “I can help too, since our staffs our bonded and I was bonded to Tommy’s staff before.”

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She was in a unique position being bonded to both the current and previous owners of the staff memory in question. Henry gave her a relieved smile as she took his hand. They both closed their eyes, synced their staffs, and started to focus. Within a few seconds, Henry’s staff began to glow a faint blue light.

Once they were done, Fantasma addressed the group. “We come here today to pay tribute to Thomas Emmanuel Goodfield, esteemed and celebrated quickener. Let all who can bear witness speak now.”

“If I may, I’d like to go first,” Landerpool said. “Thomas was an excellent student and talented quickener. His skill far surpassed all but a select few that I’ve had the pleasure of mentoring. But he was also a kind and carefree spirit, someone who understood the meaning of living life to the fullest.”

Henry watched in awe as Landerpool continued to speak fondly of Thomas. After him, Lawrence and several other people took their turns, all recalling memories of the deceased quickener. Henry had been to a memorial service before, but this was quite different from what he was familiar with. It was solemn but also lighthearted in many ways. People were sad at their friend’s passing but focused on what made his life great and memorable.

Finally, it was Sharanel’s turn. She had a pensive but determined look on her face. She was still holding Henry’s hand and he felt her squeeze it before she spoke.

“Thomas was like the brother I never had. He was the only—well, the first person I met who could match my skill. He was so warm and kind to me, and he made me feel like I could do anything. I’m definitely a better person and a better quickener because of him.” She wiped away a tear with her free hand. “He sacrificed himself so that I, and many others, could live…and he did it the same way he did everything, with a smile on his face. I will always be grateful to him and swear to continue the legacy he left.”

When she finished, Fantasma waited several seconds before finally speaking again. “Let all who have heard now stand as witnesses to the life and deeds of Thomas Emmanuel Goodfield. His body will find rest in the ground; his soul will find peace in the heavens; but his legacy shall live on forever, maintained in the confines of our hearts. May the memory of Thomas Goodfield never fade, even until the end of time.” He held out the small quartz rock and placed a hand on Henry’s staff. “Mittius Parnium Sangshew Finitum.”

Immediately Henry felt something change. It was as if Fantasma had taken a physical object from his hand, but when he looked, his staff was there. The glow had subsided, and it felt different.

Meanwhile the small quartz rock in Fantasma’s hand was pulsing a faint purple light. He was examining it closely but finally smiled. “It is finished.”

Sharanel gave Henry’s hand one final squeeze before releasing it. “Well done, Henry.”

“What happened?” Henry asked as he shook his staff experimentally. It felt like he’d lost something even though his staff was behaving normally.

“Typically, when a sangshew is performed, all of the mentus energy collected in the object is fully absorbed into the nexus, leaving none behind,” Lawrence explained from behind him. “Obviously, we couldn’t do that with your staff, so that’s why I had you tune it so that you separated out the part of your core that once belonged to Thomas’s staff. That is what was taken in by the nexus.”

“It’s actually good that I was the one to do this,” Fantasma added. “I doubt a regular guardian would have been able to pull off something so complicated unless they were highly skilled.”

Henry closed his eyes for a moment and finally saw the truth of what happened. Though his staff still had the various connections and information that belonged to him, all of the extra knowledge that had passed over from Thomas’s staff was now gone.

“So, what will happen to the nexus now,” Sharanel asked.

“The hope is that we can give it to Thomas’s family, once they’re found,” Lawrence said.

“Yes, a guardian will be able to transfer this nexus into a family nexus if the Goodfield family has one of their own.”

“I want to be the one to do it,” Sharanel said abruptly. “I mean, I want to be the one to find Thomas’s family. I know I can’t search for them now, but once things settle down, I’m going to find them.”

Fantasma nodded. “Very well, then let’s do this.”

He searched through his pockets until he found a small knife. Satisfied, he muttered another mandamus command. The metal of the blade transformed and bonded with the tiny nexus. Within a few seconds, a small silver ring had formed with the nexus as its stone. Fantasma handed the completed creation to Sharanel.

“This way you can keep it on you until such time as you find Thomas’s family. I entrust that task to you.”

Sharanel placed the ring on her right-hand ring finger. “I definitely will.”

Henry was still in awe of all that had happened. “So, what does the nexus do? How does it work?”

Sharanel held out her hand. “Why don’t you try it. It’s easier than trying to explain. Just touch the nexus and say Tommy’s full name the same way you would do a quickener call.”

With some trepidation, Henry put a finger on the stone. “Thomas Goodfield.”

Henry felt the familiar sensation of information flooding his brain. It had been the same when Thomas first transferred his staff memory to him in the underground cave. Then the world went white.

Suddenly standing in front of him was the man himself, Thomas Goodfield, in the same brown tunic that he’d been in when Henry met him days ago.

“Henry, my man. Glad you made it!” he said jovially.

“Uh,” Henry looked around, confused. “What’s going on?”

Thomas merely chuckled. “I knew you had it in you. Thanks to good ol’ Seraphina, I was ready for you, but you still had to do all the work on your own. I just wish I could be there to see all the things you’re gonna get up to. Just do me a favor, will ya?”

“Sharanel?” Henry guessed.

“Too right; she’s a tough piece o’ quartz to be sure, but a fine quickener. She just needs a friend, and I can’t be around to look after her, so I hope you will. I gotta feelin’ you’ll get along fine, and you know what they say—”

“Quickeners should stick together,” Henry finished for him.

“That’s right!” Thomas laughed before fading away.

Immediately, the world came rushing back. The shift was so jarring he almost stumbled. His mind still raced with broken memories that he knew were from Thomas, most of them dealing with Sharanel. Henry could tell from the patchwork of memory and emotion that Thomas regarded her fondly, as one would a favorite sibling.

“Did you get anything?” Sharanel asked.

It seemed that no time had passed since he’d touched the nexus.

“Uh, yeah.” Henry nodded slowly. “I understand a lot better now.”

“It can be a bit overwhelming,” Sharanel said. “I have one connected to my parents, so I know how important they are. That’s why I really want to find Thomas’s family.”

Henry put a hand on her shoulder. “Well, even if you don’t find them, I know that Thomas would be fine with you keeping it. He definitely considered you to be his family.”

Sharanel beamed at him, her eyes tearful. “Thanks, Henry.”

The small group that came for Thomas’s sangshew returned to Lawrence’s manor where they all talked and reminisced. Fantasma left immediately, but Henry and Sharanel continued their visit for several more hours until dusk reached Leviton.

It was well past nightfall when they finally returned to Weaver’s Road. The city streets were quiet as the pair made their way back to their respective manors and joined their comrades for a well-deserved night’s sleep.

* MIDLOTHIAC FOREST *

The light of the red moon shone down into a small empty clearing in the middle of the Midlothiac Forrest. It was near midnight and the forest was still, which seemed to magnify the sound of faint rustling as someone made their way into the clearing. The man had sleek black hair and was wearing a mentant-blue robe with a silver belt. The crystal in his mind mage scepter was glowing a faint white light as if to act as a torch as he navigated the dark woods. The clearing seemed to be his destination and he looked around expectantly before finally speaking.

“Why are you working so hard to hide your presence?” Davron asked in an annoyed voice. “I already know who you are.”

The person he was talking to was barely visible. They wore a brown robe that seemed to blend into the trees behind them. The hood was up, their face hidden, and even the voice sounded soft and neutral, not betraying a specific gender.

“I can’t risk being spotted. You may know who I am, but they don’t know that I’ve been helping you, and there are guardians patrolling the area, so I’m taking absolutely no chances.”

Davron sighed impatiently. “Very well. Your communication said it was urgent. What’s so important that we must meet in person in the middle of the night?”

There was a hesitance before the mysterious person answered. “I’ve made a decision. You’ve proven that the end is near for the Fantasmal Government. Even with the temporary victory yesterday, you still hold all the cards, and then there’s Tabatha…she’s formidable. It’s only a matter of time before the entire world is changed, and I want to join you before it’s too late.”

Davron smirked. “So, now you’re going to turn traitor? Very interesting, but why should I believe you? You barely wanted to act as my spy, now you’re willing to fully come to my side? For all I know, this could be an attempt to get more information out of me to give to my enemy.”

“That’s why I asked you to come out here, so I can prove my loyalty.”

“And how in the world could you possibly—”

Davron was stunned into silence as his companion pulled something from their inner robe pocket. It was the Sun Stone.

“As promised, even earlier than the deadline you imposed,” the hooded individual said as they held out the stone.

“How did you—”

“The fools think it’s safely stored away in some secret storage room. It may be days or even weeks before they realize it’s gone.”

The brown-robed figure stepped forward and handed Davron the stone. He immediately tapped it with his mind mage scepter to confirm its authenticity, and though he couldn’t access the power within, he could tell it was there. This was truly the Sun Stone.

He smiled. “Well then, this changes everything. Though the Sun Stone is not useful to me yet, keeping it away from the Daughter of the Sun is still beneficial, in more ways than one.”

“So, will you let me come to your side now? I’m sure I can be very useful to you as well.”

Davron thought about this. “Not yet.”

“What?”

“If you are close enough to them that you can steal this, then that means you’re close enough to provide me more extensive information than you’ve been willing to give before. I want you to stay in their ranks and report their movements to me, this way I can stay ahead of the Fantasma.”

“But what if I’m discovered. Sooner or later, they’ll realize the Sun Stone is gone. Then they’ll start looking for the culprit. They’ll know it’s someone in their ranks.”

“As you said, they’re fools. Even if they find out, I’m sure they won’t consider you a suspect. Why would they?”

“But…”

“And if they do, then you can escape and come to my side.”

“How will I do that? How will I be able to get to you?”

Davron considered this, then pulled a small purple card made of quartz rock from his pocket. “Take this marker, my quickener is connected to it. His name is Gamdon, I’m sure you’ve seen him. If you feel you’re in danger, use it to summon Gamdon and he’ll come get you.”

His companion accepted the marker with some trepidation. “You’re not just going to use me and throw me away, are you?”

“Why would I do that?” Davron said. “As you correctly stated, the entire world is about to change, and I hold all the power. What benefit would I get from trying to manipulate you only to throw you away. I’m asking you to do this because you’re in the best position to do so, and you seem rather clever. To prove to you that I consider you a trusted ally, I will instruct my creatures to never harm you, and I will give you warnings before doing anything in an area you may be in, so you can brace yourself for impending danger. I will also continue to keep your identity a secret among my people until you’re able to fully join us. How does that sound?”

The spy was silent for a long time before finally speaking again. “And what about the mentus bomb?”

“What?”

“If I’m to do this, and you truly say you trust me, then you’ll remove the mentus bomb you forced inside of me to ensure I’d comply. After all, I fulfilled my end of the bargain; I got you the stone in less than ten days.” One of the large sleeves of the brown robe gestured to the Sun Stone, though no hand was visible.

“Oh that?” Davron chuckled. “I removed that days ago.”

“What?” The spy’s previously neutral voice squeaked in surprise.

Davron was still chuckling. “I removed the mentus bomb after I took the Sun Stone the first time. Surely someone with your skills could tell?”

“All this time…so that’s why you didn’t kill me when I refused to give you info on the Gilmore raid.”

“I hope this proves that I keep my word. So, do we have a deal now?”

The hooded figure nodded. “All right, I’ll do it.”

Davron’s smile widened. “Very good. With this, my victory is all but secured. This era of war is coming to an end and soon the epouranals will emerge to announce the dawn of a new era, and the rise of the Ellonous Empire.”

With this final boast, the mysterious spy gave a small bow and then melted back into the woods while Davron called Gamdon and was quickened away in an instant.