Sleepwalker

Epilogue

August 31, 2715

    Society was in an uproar as Dreamworld vanished and everyone found themselves in a world unlike anything they could ever imagine. Panic swept through the ranks as all of their technology simultaneously stopped working. But at the same time, a new sense of freedom rose up in the hearts of many when they found out the Embassy wasn't watching their every move or controlling every aspect of their life. They were free to explore this new world and start over.

   But on an isolated beach remained six figures. Two of the boys were obviously related, judging by their similar thick black hair and deep-set tan. One of the girls hugged the other, her coffee-colored eyes staring at nothing as the smaller teen sobbed into her shoulder. 

   The two remaining were strangers to the four, but one held an uncanny likeness to their lost friend. He, Drake, had woken up on the beach with his father hovering over him in shock. He groggily reached for the man, and Tom pulled his son into a hug, cradling him with unashamed tears as they sat on the beach.

   Cho sniffed but pulled away from Amber's hug. She wiped her eyes and stared out at the sunrise. Ace's picture didn't give it justice.

   "It's beautiful," she whispered. She eventually turned away though and awkwardly stumbled to the newly reunited family. 

   "You're Pro. Tolmafin, Ace's dad, right?"

  "Yes," he answered hoarsely. 

   Cho's throat tightened as her body threatened to release even more tears. "We were his friends. He--he didn't make it out with us. I'm sorry."

   Tom looked down at his blood son sleeping soundly in his lap. Ace had completed his mission, like he was supposed to, but he hadn't been human. How could he have forgotten such a crucial part of his design?

   He looked back up the fairy-like girl crying softly. Behind her, he could see the three other Sleepwalkers Ace had befriended on his quest, and he wanted to cry along with them. Instead, he shook his head, and a determined fire lit inside his old eyes.

   "Then we will just have to bring him back."

   "How? He's--He's--," Cho stuttered and sunk to her knees. Her reddened eyes roamed over Ace's original counterpart, and she gently brushed a strand of ebony hair out of his face. This was a new brand of torture--to be so close and yet so far. 

  Her pale hand traced the inside of his arm, feeling a warmth she had never sensed from Ace. Then her eye caught something silver in Drake's loose grip. With a nod from his dad, she plucked a small, metal card from his grip and almost dropped it when she saw a small headshot of Ace winking back at her. Underneath read two words.

Raven_Mechanized. 

   She couldn't help it; she giggled. "A mech card. Of course, he'd go for something like that." She looked back up at Tom's confused face. 

   "This," she said as she held up the card, "This is how we get him back."

~ Fin ~ For Now ~

A/N: Hey, everyone! Thank you so much for reading my first completed original book here on Wattpad! I truly do appreciate it. 

Also, because this book was written at the ungodly hour of 4:30 a.m., I know that there are many details that could be refined. So, after the ONC 2023, I will begin editing Sleepwalker and providing you all with a more refined version of this story.

But thank you all so much for your support! I hope you enjoyed reading it!

P.S. I don't know if I added a disclaimer earlier, but I do not own the images used in this book or "All Star" by Smash Mouth that was referenced during the Grid Run. They all belong to their respective artists, so credit where credit is due.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all have a wonderful day/night!