Beyond the Empyreal Stars

41.

41.

Change was an inevitable part of life. The world around you changed, people would come and go, but the one thing you could keep was your memories. Sure, many would fade over time, but the ones most important never would. You could hold on to them for as long as you wanted.

Duke knew this, of course. But even after a month on Terra and getting used a whole new world, he held onto those memories of his family and of Earth, even if they weren't with him anymore. It had taken him a week to get past the shock. He still found himself staring off into space at the thought of eighty-six years passing by while he was unconscious.

The day after he woke up, Duke began his physical therapy with the Terrian healers. The work they'd done on him and his time in the suspension tank for addition healing did wonders, so he only spent two days making sure everything was okay before going through one final checkup and cleared to go home.

Home.

He'd only seen Vitrum from the windows of the Ward, so walking down the street had been a slow journey. He had to take it all in, though he would come to know the city in no time. The tall, glass and metal buildings glistened in the sunlight and the Terrians watched him curiously as he walked by. His guide kept close to his side, holding onto his hand tightly.

Odette had been hesitant, even as the two of them walked through Vitrum. Those first few hours after he'd woke up had been extremely hard for her, having to explain what had happened. He could have only imagined what those three weeks were like, not knowing when he would wake up...or even if he ever would. She thought he would hate her all over again. Of course, it would take time for him to get used to the fact that everyone he knew was gone, but it wasn't her fault. He reminded her of that constantly.

That wasn't the only thing she had to come to terms with. Duke wasn't the only one that had eighty-six years pass in the blink of an eye, but also Odette, Nova, Bas, and Graham. They'd said goodbye to Alanna, Lizzie, Carson, Padric, and everyone else who'd stayed on Earth. They left because of him, knowing he wouldn't survive without the Terrian healers.

"Even with all the time lost, I would do it again," Odette told him, and leaned down to kiss the back of his hand. "I am so sorry."

"It's not your fault," he told her, shaking his head. "You saved my life and everyone else's. What happened with the time passage...it's not your fault."

Home, as it turned out, was Odette's home. As Prime One, she'd gotten her own place, not in the towering Guardian Building like she had before.

Graham, of course, was living there with her and still trying to adjust to all that Vitrum had to offer. It hadn't taken him very long, especially when he had his very own space to tinker with all the tech he wanted. For him, he was in heaven, still covered in dirt and grease whenever he came in for breakfast after staying up all night.

Duke needed a little more time to adjust to the Terrian world, but that didn't happen until a few days after he locked himself in the communications room, which had been set up almost identical to the one Odette had in her home on Earth. There, he went through every feed he could of Earth from the past eighty-six years. Odette had given him space, though he saw when she came to check on him every few hours and bringing him food he barely ate.

It amazed him how much Earth had changed, even in the first year after winning the war against the Whispians. He saw the planet grow and prosper again, which was even more amazing to him when he set the feed to time-lapse the images. He read all about the new governments, including the one over what was now called the North American Federation, the one his great-nephew Alaric Albright was now president of.