Verde Crows: Lost In Another World (completed)

Vol. 2 Epilogue

Alumina, Capital Planet of Iserlohn Dominion

On the cradle of their civilization, the island of Iserlohn—territory of Liam—stood towering skyscrapers that pierced the skies. High-speed maglev trains zipped through a vast network spanning thousands of kilometers, connecting the island’s infrastructure seamlessly. This island served as the planetary seat of their capital system and the heart of the Dominion’s power, where their influence radiated throughout their core galaxy and exogalactic territories.
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As I stood in a daze, watching the fleet descend from orbit, several small craft ejected and flew overhead. From one of them, two figures dropped, dark silhouettes slowly falling like feathers to the earth. They hovered in front of me, and when their faces came into view, a smile crept at my lips. One had waist-length black hair, swaying in the air, while the other towered beside her.

"Welcome back," I said softly. Both of them vanished from sight, reappearing at my side.

"We got lost, my bad," Noel said, curling a strand of her hair with her finger. "Our son immediately negotiated a peace treaty with your enemies, so we had to run across galaxies to finish it up—barely made it." She seemed a bit dissatisfied, stepping closer to hug me. I wrapped my arms around her as she buried her face in my chest, my eyes refocusing to my third son, Charles.

"So, how are they responding?" I asked. Charles, probably the most normal and harmless of my children with Noel, spoke in a low tone.

"I got Leo to help me," he said, pausing briefly. "But some still think we're getting weaker as war goes on. So, I had Leo decimate most of their remaining fleets and hit their capitals. We sent around half a million ships as reinforcements into their territory to give them a strong warning that we're not weak. A small sacrifice, but it was necessary to save most of their people. We made them realize it's already a losing war, and there’s no point dragging it on, causing more suffering and death." He spoke with his head lowered.

"Good job," I said, giving Charles a rare bit of praise.

"But Father," he uttered, looking me squarely in the eye. "My sister, Eula, is likely going to have to attend the final negotiation phase as a goodwill gesture... since she’s the one who started this whole mess."

Eula—now that was a problem. I couldn't help but wonder, out of my four children with Noel, why only Charles turned out normal. My first daughter, Claire, is obsessed with me—she's been chasing me to marry her, of all things. Eula, on the other hand, sees everyone outside of Iserlohn as pets. I still remember the letter she sent before her political engagement fell apart, calling her suitor an "ugly pet" I had arranged for her. She's also gung-ho when it comes to books—she's a certified bookworm.

Then there’s my first son, Rain—a battle maniac with no care for anything else, just brute strength and muscle. He’s currently leading a campaign of subjugation on the other side of the galactic frontiers, dealing with space-based parasites and conducting anti-piracy operations. I can’t trust him to lead the war against the Coalition. Only Leo—my child with Sistiene and our only son, has the common sense and restraint to lead such an invasion force.

The last time I let Rain loose, we became infamous for destroying planets. Granted, it was justifiable—it was a fortress and manufacturing world, not a civilian one. But the propaganda that followed worsened our reputation, especially when he broadcasted the destruction to surrounding nations. It made us look like we were inciting others to declare war against us. He didn’t think of the consequences, because he never does. And so, we find ourselves here, dealing with the fallout.

Only Charles stood out as the anomaly, the one normal child. I sighed.

"I’ll have to reprimand her," I said, resignation heavy in my voice. "And make sure she doesn't throw around unnecessary words that could reignite another war."