Chapter 47
The afterlife
The desert temple is were the Ancestors reside. For them, or in my dreams, the temple is a beautiful little oasis in the desert. Luxury fruit trees, plants and palms, a small stream running out from the temple and around the garden. The temple stands tall like a medieval fortress out of place and out of time.
“Welcome back Dawn,” Ares said. “Welcome back for the last time.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you’ve done it. It’s over and you’re here with the rest of us.”
“No no no. It can’t be. It was too fast. I have another chance, another life. Just like I always have.”
“I’m afraid there isn’t another chance.”
“But what’s going to happen with the village? Bandera? The rest of the Xenos, who’s going to save them.”
“Save them from who? Now life will be back to normal for them, even better than before after what you’ve done.”
“And Caine! I was so close. It’s impossible! How could it be, I wasn’t even fighting him, the enemy of the Felines since our inception, the genetic opponent.”
“I know. But you’ve left with everything under control.”
“No it wasn’t. Everything was up in the air. I couldn’t have just stopped and dropped everything.”
“Don’t worry, Bandera will have things under control.”
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“Really? I know she’s good but I’m not done training her. There’s still more for her to learn.”
“She learns what she has to. Plus you don’t have to leave her. You can teach her, you can be with her, just like I was with you.”
Like she was with me. I’m not Divinity. Not yet.
I let my head hang down and gave up.
“Please Dawn, come inside and meet everyone. I don’t think you’ve officially been introduced.”
She led me inside.
The room exploded in applause, a dozen of my Ancestor stood up before me. They cheered.
“Welcome! The Ancient slayer!”
There were still some who whispered. “She’s the one that let them out in the first place a few years ago. She just cleaned up her own mess, nothing all that important to cheer about.” Somehow I could hear that dissenting voice over the applause.
This was too much. I felt like throwing up ancestral guts. Who knows if I even have anything to throw up.
I ran outside, out of embarrassment or pure hatred for such setting, the timing was utterly ungrateful. Thank you, cosmic and all knowing universe and god who controls all things that were and all things that will be. Not to mention the present.
I went back to the beautiful oasis garden and sat underneath the pear tree.
Ares followed and came over to console me, “Look, it’s not all over. You told me you didn’t want to handle the village and their relocation. Honestly, they are a bit ungrateful. There’s not much for you to do now. They can handle it on their own.”
“My life can’t end here. I’m young and adventurous. There’s always a game to play and more lives to save. My title precedes me, I’m the most feared and most propitiated of all Xenos in all the tribes. They love me because of my power, I’ve fulfilled that and have more to fulfill than that title of fearsome. My enemies fear me and my friends, or those looking for saving, look to me to put that fear in their enemies eyes.”
Ares sighed. “There’s not much arguing with that.”
I was breathing heavily, upset still, stomach growling. I guess they do get hungry. Looking up I saw a ripe yellow pear just begging to picked from the branch.
I picked it, feeling the branch snap back as it’s stem broke off.
I held this pear, reminding me of my adventures, or misadventures; meeting Ares and Xeres here before, in this oasis.; waking up back home still clutching a piece of my dream, many times and from many dreams.
I closed my eyes.