Infinite Millenium

Epilogue

When God decided to fill the world with humans, he didn't need the demigods anymore. So he gave them a choice: they can stay and rule up in heaven, or they can be reborn as humans and choose their fate. The Ocean Prince, the Forest Prince, and the Sunshine princess decided to be reborn to a certain fate....

"Wilder, Wilder!" A little boy with black hair and dazzling blue eyes runs up the slide. There, he finds Wilder, another little boy with dark brown hair and green eyes, drawing pictures of dandelions in his coloring book.

"Wilder, there's a new girl, and she's cool!" The little boy whoops. Wilder just sighs and colors in the green stem. "Who cares about little girls, Zaire?"

"Come on, we're playing tag, and if we don't run she—"

Another little girl bounds up the slide and pokes Zaire's arm, giggling and whipping her brunette pigtails around. "I got you! Now chase me!" Wilder stops short. For a moment, time freezes.

She...She's glowing. Her eyes are bright gold. When she smiles, she...glows. Bright, like the sun.

"I like you."

The little girl skips around and dodges Zaire's pokes. "I'm Lilliana! Call me Lily!" She does a squealing giggle, flips up her golden skirt, and swings down onto the slide just before Zaire can touch her.

"Miss me, miss me!" She sings from the bottom of the slide. "Now you gotta kiss me!"

Wilder gulps and looks at Zaire with wide eyes. "If I catch her, do I get to kiss her?" he whispers.

Zaire shrugs and swings down the slide. Wilder jumps up and slides down the bright yellow fireman's pole, leaving behind his coloring book and crayon box. Zaire is calling Lily's name, kicking up wood chips. She's nowhere to be seen.

Wilder squints and stares around carefully. He sees a flash of gold climbing over the schoolyard picket fence, and into the glade. Wilder glances back at Zaire, and the teacher ringing the bell to tell the kids to clean up the toys. Then he rushes to the fence, jumps over, and runs after Lily, the flash of gold.

She's a fast runner. Wilder is too out of breath to call her name. Then, she trips.

"Wait!"

Wilder lurches forward to catch her. When his fingers close around the fabric of her dress, he finds himself falling along with her.

"Oof!"

They crunch onto the forest floor of dried leaves and dead grass. Wilder's arm is wrapped around Lily's side. There's bits of grass and leaves in her pigtails, and her golden dress is stained with dirt. And in that moment, Wilder decides she's the prettiest girl he's ever met.

"Do I get to kiss you now?"

Lily beams that blindingly bright grin of hers. "Sure." And she leans forward and kisses his cheek. "You wanna be best friends?"

"I guess."

•••

Wilder closes his eyes and sighs, letting the stray beams of sunshine streaming through the thick forest canopy warm his face. He hears her climb up the tree, and creak onto the wooden boards. They had tried to build a tree house, but Lily decided she wanted to see the stars. Either that, or she was just lazy. Wilder complained at first, but when night fell and his voice was hoarse from whining, Lily brought up a thick red, wool blanket, and they curled up together in it and counted the constellations. So he decided to keep the rinky-dink little wooden platform if it meant he could do that again.