Triton Prism

CHAPTER NINE: EPILOGUE

Downstairs the four crushers sat around with plates of food. Various salads in trays with small amounts of meat. The meals were rather luxury, and for a taskmaster like Lysander this was basically a pizza reward day. Their elemental would never give them junk food. Nope, to him it was always healthy eating and training at dawn. Douglas forked through a bunch of leaves, olive and white cheese. Popping it into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully.

"So you're not grounded from missions?" Zao asked, sitting beside the quietly-running indoor waterfall.

"Doesn't seem like it." He took a sip from a healthy grapefruit drink.

"You're so lucky Doug!" Shari was sitting cross-legged on a square leather footrest of the couch, picking at strips of turkey.

"He fought Reburn alone." Yura was curled up by the window "He's lucky to be alive."

"...Gloria's still out there." He paused eating to stare up at the roof.

"...Think she'll try to come for us?" Shari asked.

"No," Douglas returned to eating "No I really doubt she will. But that doesn't mean we'll never come across her again. She's a hitman, I think her only motive is to complete missions."

After a minute of contemplation Zao spoke up "Lysander's been taking his time, hasn't he?"

"He's getting the new crusher ready. I won't be the baby anymore." Yura smirked.

"You've come a long way with your training." Douglas told her.

"I know."

When their elemental arrived most of them had finished their plates and Shari was going back for seconds. The blonde man turned to them, arms behind his back. Smiling and crinkling his different colored eyes.

"I hope you've left some for the newcomer." As he said it they could see a figure was lingering up the stairs.

"There's enough for ten people, Lysander." Shari piled the food on.

"Not the way you all eat. But I suppose I work you all quite hard." He dipped his head. "I want you all to meet Oscar."

Peeking over the stairway railing was a boy with straight, chestnut hair. He blinked at them with brown-yellow eyes, gave a little wave.

"Hey." They greeted their new sibling with smiles.

"I gave him Elise's power." Lysander said.

Douglas dipped his face to his food thoughtfully, scraping up the last forkful of his meal.

"Makes sense." Shari commented.

"I do want to study the development of these powers, that by no means is saying my new crushers will be replacements. Power ideas always come from somewhere." The blonde man stated.

"He doesn't look much like Elise anyway." Douglas spoke up with a smile.

"Suppose I'll take that as a complement." Oscar answered and descended the stairs. When he joined them Shari stepped away from the food and offered him a plate.

"Dig in."

They all went for seconds and ate together, reminiscent of a family.

"Whatever you kids don't eat I'll be sure to feed to Lucifer." Through the sliding glass door they could see the black dragon napping in the sun by the tree.

"Lysander, how's Titania activity been in the city?" Zao asked through a mouthful of chicken and lettuce.

"Inactive. But if they start organizing themselves again I'll be sure to let you all know." He wandered away from them, past the granite counter and stared thoughtfully at the wall clock. "I hope the city can take care of itself for a while... because actually, I got the strangest message from other elementals this morning."

"Who?" Douglas asked curiously, popping a cherry tomato into his mouth and chewing.

"Chris and Blake. They're about a hundred lightyears away. Messaging me a very curious proposition. A congregation of all the known elementals in the galaxy to a space-bound school for crushers, Satellite Academy."

"Woah... are we gonna leave Haphestus?" Douglas asked as food pieces fell from the mouths of the listeners.

"I'm seriously considering it." Lysander turned his head to eye them "Nothing is more valuable to elementals than elemental research. To be able to work with so many others is like the chance of a ten-thousand year lifetime. Chris and Blake are actually well over ten-thousand years old, the knowledge they would've attained must be remarkable..."

"So when do we pack?"

"A few days at the earliest, there's still some back and forth, things to figure out before we leave."

The five teens looked up at the ceiling as they sat around and ate. Daydreaming about travelling through space, a new adventure.

。