Sub Terra: Et Reditus

Epilogue

The Narkephians had never truly left Earth. Yes, perhaps their Empire, and its loyal subjects had left to pursue their interests on other planets, but some of their race had stayed behind, all of whom were residing on the island of Saint Helena. These individuals were far different from the members of the Royal Family staying on Mars, whose continued presence made sure that no nation on Earth could ever leave the space surrounding it. 

They were divided between the Other Siders and several members of Dunstan's Group. The Other Siders believed that the Great Narkephian Emperor, Cukrid, would somehow return to them in a new form, and once again reunite not only them, but other species that were intelligent enough to understand them. Their connection with the rock known to humans as Hankardite was as strong as the relationship between fish and the sea, or the bond between a parent and a child. Truly living, for them, was having faith in Cukrid, and having faith in Cukrid meant revering his most useful tool, Hankardite.

Dunstan's Group was the polar opposite. It consisted of mainly humans: Saint Helenian survivors of the very first attack on Earth by the Narkephians; a geological survey team from mainland Britain, and their South African pilot and his crewmates. However, a few Other Siders had defected and joined Dunstan's Group, which eventually led to both Narkephians and Narkephian-human hybrids being part of it. The Narkephians had taught these humans of the legend of Cukrid and how his return would completely change how life on Earth would play out, so they decided to wait. They would wait for his return and take him out once again. But for the time being, they would live together as a community, helping each other live and grow. It became even more important as they received visitors from an Airship from thousands of miles away.

This meeting was far from the only thing going on in the world, of course. At the same time, war was ravaging the City of Citadel One. Over half of the city's population were gone, either through death, or by fleeing to another City.

Gianni Martino had no idea that his brother or friends had ended up on a remote island that was practically abandoned by the rest of the world for nearly four decades. Instead, the Captain was busy overseeing his troops somewhere around the boundary of what was once Northern and Southern California. It was due to his efforts, in part, that the war shifted away from Citadel One itself. This would prevent anymore deaths of civilians, so many of them having already been killed. Even with this, he was still a deeply troubled young man. Having such an important position at the age he was, adding to the fact that he often saw his own officers and comrades die, put a heavy toll on him. Yet he told himself that he would only rest once his City was free.

Many miles down south, his mother was beginning to face difficulties herself. Time began to pass the one month period of time her younger son, Gus, was supposed to be on his visit to the village of Ait Benhaddou. She didn't receive calls from him, nor did any of his calls come to her. He sent no pictures, nor any texts. With her husband already having been missing for years, and now, her younger son too, her additional constant worry for her older son caused her health to diminish.

Nearby, a family worried too. The woman, her mother, and her adopted son had wondered where her niece and her boyfriend had gone. But slowly, they began to depart their minds. It was as if living without the two was becoming normal for them, but it was not their fault. Ally had become caught up in her career, only giving enough space to care for her mother and son. This mother of hers, on the other hand, was beginning to face age-related conditions. Her medically augmented body was starting to give way, and she had no intention to repair it. She was starting to forget. Her grandson, Elias, began to believe that his two favorite grownups had moved away, and he accepted this fact. As much as he missed them so dearly, he naturally became used to the fact that maybe they wouldn't come back to him, despite being only seven years old.

Back at the village, Mrs. Caldwell had confined herself to her house, allowing her neighbors to care for her young child. She would come back for her someday, but her focus was on trying to find a way to reconcile with her husband after the act that the Sapphire King had committed with her. She knew he would be gone for about a month, but this was about to become outdated information very, very soon. She placed everything into the hands of her younger brother as she sought out a way from her dilemma.

The Lees' lives had barely changed. They had no idea that their son had gone missing in the wilderness of Morocco, nor did they know of the nature of his disappearance. They received no words from either him, nor his sister. Mr. Lee, being of an elder age, only continued to regress. His position as a CEO of such a lucrative company didn't help him, and his guilt for turning his wife, a woman that he used to practically brag about to his peers, into a hideous being didn't seem to wear out. She herself hadn't changed. She couldn't speak, and even if she wanted to, no words would satisfy the feeling of seeing her children in front of her.

Ultimately, there was an emotion that was far stronger than any of these. It was that of a young woman on the same island that the Caldwell Group had wound up on. Hundreds of meters below the surface of the ground, she trained, by herself. She was ready to avenge something only she could hold as tightly as she did. Only she understood her own pain. Her ambition was strong enough to separate herself from her already distinct society. Despite years of fighting by herself, it appeared that her journey was only beginning.

NEXT BOOK: SUB TERRA: METAE

THE TRILOGY FINALE

COMING SOON!