Circles

Epilogue - Milo

Asleep at his desk, Milo tossed and turned while vivid images flashed behind his eyes. He recognized the broken landscape of the Breland Moonwatch, bathed in the shadows of a red horizon and smoke. He found himself in the middle of the battle, a vaguely familiar rapier in his hand and blood running down his arm. To his left, a gunshot. Milo covered his ears with his hands, but they felt unusually pointed. In fact, he could see without glasses. He looked down at his hands and recognized them – they were unmistakably Corym's.

Milo looked up around him, and saw a figure dressed in their enemy's armor walk towards him, slowly, holding a sword out, up, and arced down towards him. Before the sword could hit, Milo found himself fighting as he knew he could never. Corym always was a beautiful fighter, and this did not change when he was fighting for his life.

Blade hit blade over and over. There was a surge of adrenaline as he evaded a deadly slash, followed by a warm trickle down his back. He reached back as far as he could and felt the hilt of a dagger in his back.

Milo fell to his knees and laughed as the dream around him went dark.

Good morning, princess.

...

Oh truly, you can spare a moment to bid me good day. It's not like we're strangers.

Who are you? What – what are you doing in my head?

You do not recognize me? What an offense, I've been with you all your life. I'm-

Ashtai... How do I know that?

You must know by now, you're no human. Surely you've heard of the Kalashtar.

Corym mentioned them, the Kalashtar...

... Bullshit. I'm still dreaming, I must be.

With me in your head, how can you decide between dreams and reality? Consider the dream I just gave you-

No – no that can't be real. And don't speak like you know me, I'm not –

Milo Anani. 27, unknown father, mother is Eliza Anani, deceased sister Norah, very few friends, notably Reyna the little elf and Micheal the halfling. Obsessed by the truth behind mathematics and physics yet also the unpredictable nature of windpatterns. Truly, your level of interest is overwhelming. You don't believe in good or bad, just in difference of motivation, and you let both anxiety and me drive your life even though you don't realize I even exist. Hopelessly romantic but too shy to talk to anyone because people are intimidating to you, yet you had a mistake of a story with Reyna and a now-tragic tale with your dear, almost-fiancé Corym. You could have saved him, Milo, had you not become a wanted deserter -

Shut UP! You're the reason I never went to the front. Get out of my head you bastard!

Such a bad tongue when you speak to yourself, yet so proper to others. Yet politeness won't help you in the real world, or in prison, and now that the professors you abandoned are dying on the battlefield –

I said SHUT IT.

...

Shaking, Milo removed Corym's ring from his hand and added it to the thin golden chain around his neck. It clinked against Norah's quietly. He looked down at the notice the university received about Corym's death on the battlefield a few days ago. A noticed he couldn't finish reading as he refused to believe it was true. It couldn't be true, it couldn't...

You know your dreams have always been something true. I've given you answers to equations as I've given you locations of lost items. I've given you the news of a successful battle as I've now given you the image of Corym's death. You've always known it was real as you know I cannot lie. And now I tell you this - the Sharn City Watch has you wanted for desertion from war. You know what happens if they find you.

I can't leave the city, I wouldn't survive

Coward

I can hide in Dura, do small jobs

Weakling

They'll never find me there, they're too good for that

You're not good enough to be their priority

You're right. So let me blend into the masses.

Stay alive and I stay alive.

We stay alive.

*******

On the table was an opened envelope, that once had a simple note, and a single Morningstar Lilly.

Sleep well, Mi love, and live brightly - C

The art is mine!