Epilogue

Hope knew that if they planned some sort of grand funeral, Aliyah would’ve chewed her out from beyond the grave. Sebastian wondered if burying her was blasphemous. Wasn’t burning her remains more in line with Wadin-Arcane traditions? Ultimately, Hope concluded that it didn’t matter as long as they had a place they could come to visit her. They decided on the St. Francis Cemetery in Haven City. She highly doubted Aliyah would have been offended by being buried in Lucidea.

She would have been too busy laughing at them for being sad.

“What do you think she would say if she saw us like this?” Sebastian sniffed.

Hope placed the white roses over her grave and smiled through her tears. “She’d go: Oh, come on, you little turd nuggets! What’s all this weepy shit for? Get some popcorn in here, I’m starving.” Hope tried to cover her mouth before it got too painful and her speech turned into incoherent sobbing.

She failed.

One by one, they all failed.

Ren got down on one knee to pay his respects. “She was not always the best friend. But she always spoke her heart. I admired her free spirit and confidence. I wish I had the time to know her better.”

The wind felt especially cold that day. Hope’s thigh wound was acting up again. The doctor had advised her complete bed rest for at least three weeks. She was out of the house on day three. By the time things settled down, Hope had completely forgotten that she had been on the verge of getting evicted. Her stuff had been kicked out of her apartment, and by the looks of it, it had been resting there a while.

And since the payout from Trent had fallen through, she was crashing with Sebastian, for the time being. His parents had always been kind to her. They’d known about her family situation since she was little, so they were more than happy to take her in. She had to come up with the most elaborate lie to explain her black hair and eyepatch but surprisingly, they were rather fond of her new look.

Too fond, really.

They said she looked like a rockstar and offered to send her photos to some fashion magazine. It was an offer that she respectfully declined.

Ren turned to Hope and Sebastian and bowed again. Not knowing how to respond, they both bowed in return and prayed that it wasn’t considered taboo in Ren’s culture. He seemed fine, if a little confused.

“So, what’s your plan, now?” Hope asked him.

“Before I came with you, Minister Kitagawa offered to take me under his wings.”

“He did?”

Ren nodded. “He believes that I can bring the Reds’ perspective to the Council. He says that with time, I could become a full-fledged member. It would be my chance to help in creating real change in my country. I cannot change what happened to me but I can make certain that such a fate befalls no one else. There is much to be done but I’m certain that with a position of power, I can help in bringing peace to the Isles.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a plan.” Hope smiled at him. “Man, you’d look dashing in one of those fancy bright garb thingies those folks wore on the streets. I can’t even imagine how politicians would dress. It’s gotta be the most excessive outfit in the world, right?”

Ren hesitated for a moment as he thought of the Councilman dressed in Lucidean coat suits. He gave her a nervous smile. “Y-ye-es… Very excessive.”

“So, when are you leaving?”

Ren avoided her expectant gaze with an awkward fidget. “Actually, my flight is in a few hours. I… I only came here to say goodbye.”

Hope and Sebastian oh’d in unison. They knew that Ren wasn’t going to stick around. He’d already seen the worst of Lucidea. Besides, he had a home. He was bound to return someday. They would’ve asked him to stay for a few days but his eyes glowed with such powerful determination, they just didn’t have it in them. Stopping him would be an insult to his resolve.

They wished things were different. They wished he could’ve stayed with them forever. They knew it was selfish but they couldn’t help it. They had already lost a friend. Losing another so soon would be too much for them.

In the end, they decided not to meddle with his wishes. If he wanted to go, if it was a thing that made him happy, they weren’t going to be the bad guys.

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They hugged him one by one and said their respective goodbyes.

Ren thanked them. “If fate wills it, we shall meet again. If not, we will not. Until then, live. Goodbye, my friends.”

As he walked out of the cemetery, Sebastian leaned over to whisper into Hope’s ear, “Is it just me or did that sound suspiciously like a threat?”

“I know, right?” Hope exclaimed. “He’s so weird.”

“Totally. But we still love him, right?”

“Totally.” Hope grinned.

Sebastian outstretched his arms like a yoga instructor and yawned. “Alright, that’s enough sadness for one day. Let’s go home. Ice cream is on me.”

Before they could leave, Hope noticed a man in an expensive-looking suit standing at the far end of the cemetery. He waved at her until she took notice.

“Actually, you go on ahead, Seb. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“You sure? Okay. Don’t be late or I’ll eat your share too.” He warned her in the sweetest voice and walked out without a care in the world.

She waved him goodbye in a melodious voice. “I’m gonna kill you.”

The exact moment he was out of the cemetery, Justin Roland walked over to greet her with his perfect smile. “Just the person I was looking for.”

“What do you want?” Hope asked flatly. Despite their recent adventure, she wasn’t too thrilled about the prospect of working with him or for him. She’d seen the audio logs inside the mountain. She knew he was one of “them”, or at least, had been, at a time. She’d seen his sort all her life. In her experience, his kind never approached you unless they had an ulterior motive.

“Whoa! Where’s this hostility coming from?” He laughed to defuse to tension in the air.

Hope was unaffected. She crossed her arms, and asked again, “What. Do you. Want?”

Roland sensed her mood and lowered his gaze. His voice took on a more somber quality. “I came to deliver good news. I thought you could use some.”

Hope took two steps back and eyed him with full suspicion.

“I was able to pull some strings with the police force and arrange a meeting with the Chief.”

“And?”

“And we both agreed that one Hope Hastings had been unjustly convicted and that her sudden disappearance from the 86th Precinct should be treated as a miracle that saved the police department from public scrutiny on account of false imprisonment.”

Hope shook her head in disbelief. “So, what you’re saying is…”

“You’re a free woman, Miss Hastings. And before you say anything, no, I don’t expect anything in return. You saved my life. It’s the least I could do.”

“I… Wow! I… I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” Hope was beyond overjoyed. Everything was finally falling into place. She was free. She could dye her hair back to blond. She could walk around town without having to look over her shoulder. She could finally get a job. She didn’t have to depend on Sebastian anymore.

She was getting her life back.

She could not express in words how thankful she was to Roland. Her heart was beating faster than ever. Roland looked at her flustered face and smiled.

“Don’t worry. It was worth it. Sadly, I couldn’t get Vega’s charges lifted. Apparently, she’s not too keen on showing her face.”

“So, I’ve heard.” Hope chuckled.

“She’s been targeted by the Order, now. Since I had to drop out of the elections because of certain unforeseen circumstances, Norton is likely to win. It was his men that busted you the first time. I doubt they’re gonna let up now.”

“Hold up! You mean, that was his men back then? So, Don Marcel was working for Norton the whole time?”

Roland nodded. “He’s got deep roots, that man. I won’t be surprised if the whole thing was a setup to get you to work for Trent.”

Hope was sickened by the revelation. All this time, she’d been hellbent on taking down Roland because she thought he was the mastermind behind everything. Turns out, he was just another pawn in a game beyond her comprehension. She thought about Trent and everything he’d kept from her. Even with the data from his phone, she doubted she knew half of what the Order was capable of.

Only, this time, she was able to think rationally. This time, she had had enough.

“Vega is dead. She’s never coming back.”

Roland was taken aback. “Miss Hastings, I understand that you’re upset about this but try to think more clearly. Think of all the good you’ve done. This city needs Vega.”

Hope shook her head solemnly. “No. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Vega is like an abusive girlfriend. I love her with all my heart and she’s done nothing but made me miserable. Trent was able to take advantage of me because I was blinded by the Vega fantasy. That moonlighting vigilante lifestyle, it was an addiction. And he knew it. I just… I just didn’t want to give up on something that made me feel special. It wasn’t the city that needed Vega, Mr. Roland. It was just me. But I am done running from my life. It’s time for me to move on.”

Roland pondered her words with care and consideration, then spoke with a nod, “I see. You’re more mature than I gave you credit for, Miss Hastings. So, what’s your plan after this?”

Hope shrugged wistfully. “I don’t know. But I’ll figure something out. What about you? I heard the company went under after the incident.”

Roland chuckled. “Wow, you’re harsh. But you’re not far off either. We’ve hit a bit of a dry patch but we’ll get back on our feet. Much as it pains me to say this, Norton is practically guaranteed to become President.”

“That does not sound good.”

“Indeed. But we’ll find a way. We always do. I’ve already stumbled upon my next breakthrough. The coming battle’s gonna be tough. We’ll need every last bit of help we can get.”

Hope knew what was coming from a mile away. “Mr. Roland, I already told you-”

“I know. Vega’s gone. But, if at all possible, I’d like to recruit Hope Hastings to my cause, at some point.”

Dark clouds were rumbling over the cemetery. A storm was approaching.

“Don’t feel obligated to answer right now. I’ve got my hands full for the foreseeable future. God, I sense a lot of all-nighters. Ah, I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it! But give it some thought, will ya?”

“I will, Mr. Roland. And thank you, for everything.”

“Oh no, thank you for your service, Miss Hastings. I sense great things in our future. Great things. You and I are gonna change the world.” He bid her farewell and disappeared behind the cemetery walls.

Hope heard the soft purring of his car’s engine as he drove away. The gentle pitter-patter of the raindrops gave way to a mighty drizzle and soon, the entire city was engulfed by the storm.