The Exiled King | ✔

EPILOGUE II

Though she had worried that she might regret her decision, Lirya realized quickly that it had been the right choice for her. Naghren's warning that the path she had chosen would be exceedingly lonely, had not yet come to fruition. In fact, walking between realms had only given Lirya the opportunity to gain more new friends, both living and dead.

Honouring the promise to Reyneld, Naghren showered Jemery with all that he could want and summoned Reyneld as often as he could. The undead court was filled with laughter and smiles—a rarity since Reyneld's first accidental visit.

While Lirya and Vesan had met under strained circumstances, she found an acquaintance in him, if not quite a friend. If they were to spend near-eternity amongst one another, it was best to foster friendship, not hatred.

It was with another vampire that she found something more than friendship. Halian had discovered his own connection to Vesan Whiterose when Naghren summoned him, but he'd since learned how to travel between realms and, in the process, grew close with Lirya. In many ways, they were well-matched both in longevity and their connection to both the living and dead realms.

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In the Ether, Eryian faced perhaps the greatest scolding of his short life. Garyth had always spoiled him, but when the truth came out about what he'd done, Garyth was furious. The rest of the Herus family did not mince their words either. However, their words were not meant to put him down, but to educate him on what he had done wrong. Having raised him from childhood, they knew he thought differently to other children. What was done was done, but he had to know it was wrong.

Aylusa welcomed him with open arms, lamenting never having been able to hold him in her arms when they both lived. Eryian met his younger brother Richard, whom he thought to be quite an odd creature, though interesting enough.

Though Lirya did eventually visit them, Eryian only realized when she didn't follow him into the Ether, that he really quite missed her.

What he'd done had consequences, and Lirya's path had now diverged from his.

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Aidan and Cress found themselves in quite the predicament. The world they once knew was long gone, as were the other archangels. They were two beings who didn't quite fit in with the mortal world. Though Cress initially enjoyed experiencing things in his own body and Aidan happily accompanied him, the two quickly realized that there was no place for them on Dargon. So when Pelos offered them a place in the Astral realm, they took his offer.

By the seeing pool, Gialan spoke to Aeliyas quietly.

"Sister," He began, "I've been thinking, and I don't understand how the girl still held the powers. She died twice before! If the powers returned at death, why did they not return when she died one of those times?"

Aeliyas frowned, opened her mouth to answer, then frowned harder and closed her mouth.

"You're right," She muttered.

It irked her that she did not know.

What is the connection? Death.

But is it so simple? Why is death the trigger?

"The powers are interwoven with the spirit itself..." Aeliyas mumbled under her breath, her face the picture of concentration.

What is death?

"The transition..." She said slowly, then looked up at Gialan as everything clicked into place, "Gialan! It's the transition of the spirit to the Ether! It makes so much sense now."

Aeliyas explained, "The first time she died, she entered Heresh... and the second time, the in-between. She... never once set foot on the soil of the Ether as a spirit."

Gialan nodded, but frowned and asked, "But she chose Heresh in the end, did she not?"

Aeliyas paused, then replied, "I believe it was her realm walk, where she set foot in the three realms... the Ether among them."

Gialan shifted, then walked to the water's edge and peered down into its depths.

"Must we truly never interact with our world again? I worry that the mortals will skew the balance and destroy themselves without our help."

Aeliyas sighed and joined him by the pool. The view from within it was so far above it looked like a flat map, as the pool was not focused on any particular place.

"Perhaps... it might be time to trust the mortals a little more," She said, then chuckled, "Well, that oath has not prevented our dear brother from visiting Dargon. I think it is our powers that we may not use to influence the world... but we may walk freely among the mortals if we so wish."

Gialan laughed, "Perhaps a vacation is in order, then."

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This epilogue is a little shorter, but merging all three epilogues into one would make it quite a large chapter... and I liked the symbolism of having three epilogues to match the three prologues.

And yes, Lirya X Halian is officially canon! Even in the first draft they were supposed to end up together.