Heart of the Resonant- the Soldier's Tale

by B. C. Handler

  He shared everything following the aftermath, like how he formed a team with all the friends he acquired through his ordeal, and how he planned on learning how to develop his magical potential.

  He and I excused ourselves to go on a walk around the garden outside while everyone else continued to eat and drink. Meriel and Fell expressed their care for me before I left, but understood to give me some privacy with Al. And it was refreshing taking a step back from all the metaphysical talk and just shooting the breeze like two regular guys.

  “Wait,” I said, stopping Al as he talked about his relationship with the women. “You’re actually married to the dragon-lady? Shit, sorry, I meant Koko.”

  Al leaned back on the bench we were sitting on drummed his fingers along his lap. “Technically, yeah.”

  “But you and Neepa are a couple?”

  “Also, yeah.”

  I looked up while piecing everything together. “Where does Eva and Artemis fit in? I mean, are all of you…?”

  Al threw up his hands, and then looked around in a panic. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, Eva and I aren’t a thing. It’s not like I have a harem or anything. And please don’t imply that when she’s around. I consider her a friend, but Eva does have some rough edges.

  “The whole thing with Koko is a long story in and of itself, but, putting it mildly, it was an accident. I care about Koko because I see a little bit of myself in her, and I was in a position to pull her out of a bad situation. Even so, I sort of forced her into it.

  “And for Artemis… I adopted her, I guess. After the clash in the woods, she had no one left. Despite being a feral beastkin, she’s been really tame.”

  Punctuation his sentence, we hard a crash and shattering of plates. We looked across the garden to where the girls were idly chatting earlier. Only now, they were yelling at the wolf-beastkin, who was on the table and chowing down on a plate of meat.

  “Like I said, we’re still trying to figure her out,” Al added, looking away and up into the night sky.

  Things looked a little wild in the dining hall, but I could see Meriel and Fell smiling despite the commotion.

  I looked away from the windows and joined Al in starting at the moon. While the moon on Elesrora was big and had a green tinge, Scintillion had three white moons, the biggest of the three having faint swirls of blue. A weird sight, but still one hell of a view on this calm night.

  “So how you really holding up, Oliver?” Al asked after a while, not looking away from the starry sky.

  I was about to say fine, but I couldn’t bring myself to admit it. The way Al asked the question, how he cut through all the bullshit, suggested that he knew otherwise. I couldn’t lie to the only other survivor of Earth.

  Leaning forward, I set my elbows on my knees and stared at the ground.

  “Was it that obvious?” I asked.

  Not at all,” he admitted, then shifted in his seat to face me. “Had a feeling in my gut, and you spaced out for a few seconds. But in those few seconds, you seemed to be looking a million miles away.

  “It was difficult for me once I learned about everything.”

  I didn’t say anything for a long while. Al waited patiently for me to get my thoughts in order. And it was a challenge. Everything was such a knotted mess that I found myself forgetting to breathe at times.

  Exhaling forcefully, I dug out my cigar case and brushed my thumb along the scratched and chips from the various drops. Dad picked out a great case; never had a broken cigar.

  “Feels like I shouldn’t be here,” I finally admitted.

  “You feel like it’d be easier if you were dead, right?” Al said as he set his hand on my shoulder. When I looked over, I was surprised to see such a heavy look on his face that had been all care-free smiles up until that point. Even more surprising, he knew exactly how I felt.

  “It’s impossible to suffer without making others pay for it,” Al thought aloud. He withdrew his arm and took on an introspective look. “That’s what Neepa and Eva told me when I was struggling with everything. It was a heavy hit, learning about my home and my family. It’s not just something you can shake off.

  “I felt guilty for being alive while everyone else was doomed. And I felt just as furious as you did about why Earth wasn’t included in the Allied Agreement.” Al gave a dubious look. “Did you seriously try to slit Sigemond’s throat?”

  Pinching the bridge of my nose, I let out a long self-suffering sigh. “I take that gossip is making its rounds.”

  Al scoffed. “You made one hell of a first impression. I don’t know if you broke out a measuring stick, but Sigemond is head of the Arms for a reason. After hearing that and what you did on Elesrora, I have to wonder how you walk with balls that big.”

  Shaking my head, I opened my cigar case, then paused. “You don’t mind if I smoke the very last cigar from Earth, do you?”

  “I’d say you more than earned it,” Al said.

  I bit off the cap, the dry tobacco leaf breaking off in flakes on my tongue in the process. After spitting out the little bits, I used my Zippo the light up the foot of the cigar, getting the first few puffs of calming smoke. The flavor was off, but if there was a moment to smoke before the cigar went to dust, this was it.

  Exhaling a mouthful of smoke, I said, “I’m not proud of myself for attacking Sigemond. Looking back, I feel like a complete asshole for snapping like that. The rage came out of nowhere, and… I only saw red.” I took in a shuddering pull of smoke to keep myself centered. “I understand not everyone can be saved. There’s limited to everything, whether it be resources or manpower. Still, I…” My fist trembled in my lap, and I fought from crushing the cigar with the other. “Why us?”

  “I don’t know, Oliver. I don’t know,” Al consoled while patting my back. “I’ve asked myself the same thing at least a million times. Maybe fate brought us here. Or maybe it was dumb luck. What matters is that we’re alive, and we have to learn to accept that.” He took on a sullen look, no doubt remembering all the people he’s lost. Then he ran his hand along the wooden sword at his side, a proud, confident smile chasing away his sorrow. “While I may not be able to see my loved ones, I know they're still with me. In one way or another.

  “There’s so much more to the One, Oliver. And I have a special link to it. I didn’t come to it right away, but…” He trailed off and looked back into the dining hall at his companion, his smile growing a touch wider. “A few good people helped me realize I had the responsibility to fight the Null. That’s how I choose to live my life. It’s up to you how you want to live now, Oliver.”

  The deep resolve and conviction in Al’s voice was moving. Despite everything, all the fear and heartbreak, he pushed on through and stood ready for the future. Was it because he was a Resonant, or was he just that confident?

  My heart still worried about the Isusi, and thinking about home still kicked up some hard memories. It was going to be a long road ahead, but a road I wouldn’t be walking alone.

  I looked back into the dining hall and saw Meriel and Fell talking animatedly with the other women, who managed to get Artemis under control. If it weren’t for them, my story would’ve ended a while ago.

  I took a long draw from my cigar, then thought about what Al said. Though I was sore, tired, scared, and barely managed to walk away with my life, I couldn’t see myself having a quiet life. Not anymore.

  The Null was out there. And they needed to be destroyed. Not because of what they took from me, but what they took from everybody. I’m not the only one who has lost a great deal, and I won’t be the last.

  I exhaled a great billow of smoke and watched the wisps rise, curl, and then fade into the sky.

  Anger still welled inside me, but I won’t let get it cloud my judgment again. I’m still a soldier, a war raged on somewhere out there.

  I’m going to keep fighting the Null. That is how I choose to live my life.

  Afterword

  If you’re reading this, thank you. Truly.


  It means a tremendous amount to me whenever someone sets time aside to read my stories. I hope this book was just as entertaining as the last one, and I do apologize to those who feel cheated to have a parallel storyline instead of a direct sequel to the first HOTR book. After much debating and working things around, I decided to have a dedicated book to share Oliver’s adventure. But don’t worry. Al and company will be returning.

  If you like the book, then please take a moment to write a brief review on Amazon. Reviews are what helps an independent author like myself grow. It was a challenge writing The Soldier’s Tale because I was in my final year in college. The reviews from the last book helped me through several difficult points and gave me the strength to soldier on.

  I’d also like to thank my illustrator, Reign Tran. The illustrator I had lined before really threw me under the bus after abruptly ghosting me once we came to an agreement. Still, Reign Tran was a delight to work with. Do checkout their Deviant Art page:

  https://www.deviantart.com/shizen1102

  If you’re a newcomer, then do check out Heart of the Resonant: Book 1 Pulse to follow Al and his women.

  I’d say the pieces are set now.

  Until next time,

  B.C. Handler