Aberration

by Kyle West

  “He was a good man,” Nabea said. “Without him, we would not have been able to organize the kingdoms to come to the Wild’s defense. And if we had not held here for just long enough . . .”

  “She’s really done it, then,” Tertullian said. “What does it mean? When can we expect her return?”

  Nabea looked at him. “She’s not returning, Tertullian. She died so that we might live. She and our friends.”

  “Where did she go in that cave?” he asked. “Was there something in there giving the Radaskim power?”

  “In a manner of speaking,” Arminius said. “I don’t think we will ever know what truly happened, or even if this isn’t just some final trick. But if it’s true, and she somehow stopped him . . . it was done bravely, and well.”

  “We don’t know if she truly stopped it yet,” Lord Harrow said. “While these crawlers are directionless, perhaps it would be best to fight them.”

  “You are welcome to,” Arminius said. “If you can catch them. Do you see any crawlers about?”

  By reflex, everyone looked toward the tree line at the bottom of the hill. Though there were thousands of dead crawlers on the slopes, in between the picket lines and artillery emplacements, none of them were living.

  “You could never catch them, even if you tried,” Arminius said. “I believe it is over. The presence I mentioned earlier is gone. I may be wrong, but I don’t think so.”

  “I no longer feel his animosity, either,” Elder Lian said.

  “Nor I,” Elder Draeus said.

  There was quiet for a time, as the others watched the slope, some seeming to expect for the crawlers to come back any moment and finish the job.

  “What now?” Tertullian asked.

  The silence extended to greet his words. The sun began to peek out from behind the clouds hanging over Ragnarok Crater, illumining the grisly scene.

  At that moment, something broke out of the woods. All the men stiffened, until they realized it was a man, and after at a time, that the man was Pallos. They waited quietly as he made the rest of his way up, letting him pause for a minute to catch his breath.

  “What happened, Pallos?” Nabea asked. “Is he dead?”

  Pallos drew a few more deep breaths, then shook his head. “I don’t know. I saw him, but Odin began to go down. I lost him after that.”

  “He’s somewhere, then,” Arminius said. “More evidence that Shanti has accomplished her goal. There is no reason for Odium to stop the killing, not when we were mere minutes from breaking.”

  “I agree,” Pallos said. “The battle is won.”

  Like the men they commanded, none of the leaders found reason to cheer. They were alive, yes, but they were alive in a world that would never be the same. A world many had not lived to see.

  And Shanti, Anna Reborn, would never be returning to it, nor would her friends.

  Chapter 75

  Once inside Askalon’s Xenofold, I immediately saw that I had not been completely right about the Xenomatrix, in that it would fragment without the Nameless One to hold it together. He had weaved his many webs in the eons he’d spent in that darkness, absorbing the knowledge of worlds. Perhaps over time, those links would fragment and become useless, but for now, the pathways were still there.

  I gathered before the others, before my friends and the Elekai who had fought with me. Even the ones who had died were there, returning to this place as if it were their own. And to my relief, Makara, too, had returned, and stood before me with the rest.

  “The Xenomatrix still exists,” I said. “And the pathways forged by the Nameless One to all the worlds are still there.”

  I looked around at the gathering. We stood in a likeness of the island above where the Tree lived.

  “May all of you find peace and happiness, wherever that is.”

  I nodded toward the Tree, the sign that we were ready for the next part. A silvery doorway opened at its base. With the demise of the Nameless One, Askalon could allow passage to any Xenofold connected to this world through the Xenomatrix.

  “That opening will take you wherever your heart wants to go,” I said. “Enter it with dreams of home, and that’s where you’ll be when you exit.”

  What of the terrible journey here? one of the others asked. Will we have to endure that again?

  No, I said, making sure all could hear. The journey will not be the same. It will be quick and painless, because there is no one to make it slow and torturous. That was an attempt of the Nameless One to break your minds, as he has broken so many minds before. That door will take you home in an instant.

  So, over the next hours, they walked through the door, one by one, each one pausing a bit to think, or look back, or thank the others, or to wish them well. They would return to their own worlds, much changed, and either rebuild using the power of their planet’s Xenofold or live within those Xenofolds in peace.

  It went on like this until it was just me and my friends left, including Makara. We stood in front of the door in a circle.

  “Are we ready to head back?” I asked.

  “Will it really be quick?” Isa asked, holding Isaru’s hand.

  I nodded. “Yes. I have no doubt about that.”

  And I didn’t. This place was no longer haunted by the Nameless One. I had seen Earth’s Xenofold, ready and willing to accept us all.

  Our journey, our fight, was at last coming to an end. And all I could feel was exhaustion.

  I looked up at the Tree, healed and whole for the first time in many millennia. It was surrounded by an aura of goodness, of peace, of serenity. It was hard to even see it in its former state of sadness and pain, as if it had never been. But it was healed, and Askalon would be rebuilt. Elekim – the first Elekim – was now free to take control of his namesake, the world he had built. And it would never allow an interloper like the Nameless One to share in its gifts ever again.

  Perhaps, one day, Askalon itself would teem with life, as it had countless years ago.

  Goodbye, I said. And good luck.

  Though Elekim said nothing in response, I felt its acknowledgement of my farewell.

  I waited as my friends stepped through the door, Makara last of all, who held out her hand with a smile.

  I took it and followed her through.

  Chapter 76

  My next sight was stepping out of the Sea of Creation and walking onto the shore. My friends were nowhere to be found, and by sheer feeling, I knew I wasn’t back in the real world yet, but was still within the Xenofold. Makara was nowhere to be found, either, but I had a feeling she was around somewhere, finally free to enjoy the Xenofold she should have returned to so long ago.

  Someone stood halfway up the rocky shore, watching me with a small smile. She had a face so shocking that I knew I would never get used to it.

  It was my face, after all.

  I walked up to Anna, at a loss for words. She was the one to break the silence, honoring me with a hug.

  “You did it,” she said. “I guess that shouldn’t surprise me, though. I’m a very capable person.”

  She would joke, at a time like this?

  “I thought I was dead for sure.” It was all I could manage.

  She pulled back and laughed. “I did, too. But we won.”

  “We’re separated, now,” I said, in realization.

  “I did what I came back to do,” she said. “Of course, it all happened in a way I never expected.” She smiled. “Maybe it was the way it was meant to happen.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Maybe so.”

  “I know, it’s hard to believe. But I no longer feel his presence, Shanti. Even in the Xenofold, there is no longer that darkness emanating from the depths, the one that would have consumed us all, given time.” She closed her eyes, and a tear fell. “It’s really over.”

  “And Alex?” I asked.

  She laughed. “Alex is here, don’t worry. I intend to see him right after this.”

  “You chose to talk to me before him? I suppos
e I should feel honored.”

  Anna nodded. “It’s only right to say goodbye before you head on your way.”

  What did she mean, head on my way?

  She must have noticed my look of confusion. “You’re going home, right? You don’t want to stay here with a bunch of dead people.”

  “I’m dead, too,” I said. “Am I not?”

  “The Xenofold doesn’t see you as such,” she said. “You never died up above, and whether you died or not on Askalon, it doesn’t really count that. So, you’re free to walk out of here whenever you want.”

  “You never really died, either. Neither you nor Alex. That means both of you could leave, too.”

  “And we both have, at various points, and for good reasons,” Anna said. “But the world above is not my world, and it’s not Alex’s. Any time someone enters or leaves, it takes a lot out of the Xenofold.” She smiled. “Then again, who knows? Maybe one day. If the Xenofold can bear it.”

  I smiled at the thought. “My friends already left?”

  “Yes,” Anna said. “As soon as you leave this place, you’ll find them. Which is what I expect you to do.”

  I had never even considered leaving a possibility. I could leave this place. I could see my friends again. My parents, too, if they were still alive. I felt for them, using the Xenofold. I couldn’t say for sure if they were alive or dead, but I thought I felt something of my father. If my father was still up there, then maybe my mother was, too.

  But when I left, it would be just as myself. Elekai still, but no longer Elekim.

  And I couldn’t have been happier.

  “I can’t stay here, anyway,” I said. “I don’t think I’ve earned the right.”

  Anna laughed. “You’ve earned the right to anything you want, Shanti. Don’t kid yourself. Our generation ended Askala. Yours ended the Radaskim.”

  “But . . . all my powers came from you. What will I be if I go up there without you?”

  “You’ll still be you, and I won’t be inside your head anymore. Of course, you can talk to me whenever you want. You can talk to anyone in here. Anyone who’s passed on, whether that’s me, Makara, or even Alex. Isandru or Mia, too. There’s nothing holding back communication anymore, and the Xenofold will only get stronger as it continues to heal.” She nodded, as if in satisfaction. “Just remember to cherish it, okay? Remember the mistakes of the past and keep this place sacred.”

  “Of course,” I said. “I think I’ve already discovered the Seekers’ new purpose. To preserve the Xenofold.”

  “I’m glad,” she said.

  The whole time I’ve known about Anna living inside my head, I’d wanted nothing more than to be rid of her. Now, I found myself balking.

  “I feel sad,” I said.

  “Me, too,” Anna admitted. “I think what we did together was harder than what we had to do four hundred years ago.” She paused, considering. “At least, in some ways.”

  “Well, I’m glad you can be with your husband now. I know that’s all you ever wanted.”

  Anna nodded. “Yes. You’re right about that. There are other people I want to see, too. People I’ve dearly missed.”

  I looked around, as if in expectation that those people were watching us from behind the rocks. But we were still alone.

  “Just will a door into existence, when you’re ready,” Anna said. “It’s not like you’re leaving us forever. When you’re ready, you’ll come back for good.”

  As Anna instructed, I imagined a doorway, and just as she said, it appeared before me. I walked toward it, pausing just before the threshold to look back.

  “Thank you for everything. I . . . never thought I’d say that.”

  “And thank you, Shanti,” Anna said, graciously. “You’ve been patient, and together, we did what neither of us could have done alone.” She looked at the doorway. “You’re going back to a new world. One full of challenges, and one full of sorrows. This world will bear the scars of the war for many, many years. You’ll have no shortage of things to do, or a new purpose to find. But nothing will be too large for you, Shanti. Perhaps I helped you, but it was your courage and determination that saved us all.” She smiled. “All of that was you.”

  “I don’t want to think about that,” I said. “The things I had to do were . . . hard. They’ll keep me up at night for a long time.”

  Anna nodded. “I know. We’re always ready to help down here. If you need us, we’ll be here. Don’t think you face the darkness alone. You’ll have your friends, too. Lean on them. You’re strong, Shanti, but not that strong.”

  Tears welled up in my eyes. I still remembered the pain – of the trials, and the distant memories of the long journey to Askalon, which somehow seemed to be reawakened in this place. No matter how hard I willed them away, those things would always haunt me. They wouldn’t leave until I’d breathed my last. For that reason alone, I thought of staying here. I could find healing, given enough time.

  But I still had a responsibility to the world, despite having saved it. That made my decision for me.

  “My friends are waiting for me,” I said.

  “Good luck,” Anna said. “I’ll be here. You’ll find a ready welcome when the time comes. And a party that’ll knock your socks off.”

  I’d never heard that colloquialism before, and without Anna in my head, there was no way for me to have the context to understand it. It was a strange feeling, not having her memories to draw from as if they were my own. “It’s really just me, now.”

  “You and your friends,” Anna said. “And your parents.”

  So, they were alive. By every miracle, they were alive. Saying goodbye wasn’t going to get any easier, so I smiled, and waved a final farewell. My last vision before stepping through was of her smiling and waving back.

  It was like saying goodbye to myself.

  * * *

  Anna watched as the door winked out of existence, until it was her alone by the sea. She wiped her tears and turned, walking down the shore alone for a minute, meditative. She stood there, watching the Sea. The Sea, which had once caused her so much sorrow from what it had taken from her. She had made her peace with it, now. Though it had taken Alex and left her alone in this world to raise their son, it had given everything back. Her son would be waiting for her here, too, along with everyone else. Makara, Samuel, Ruth, Michael. All of them and more.

  She watched as a figure appeared in the distance, whose bearing she would recognize at any moment in time. Even with distance, her heart swelled to see his form, his shaggy brown hair, his wide smile.

  She ran, feeling a happiness such as she had never known. Her heart sang so loudly that she felt herself lifted into the air. Within half a minute, she was in his arms, her head against his chest, feeling his warmth, smelling his scent, with her ear on his beating heart.

  It was just him, her, and the Sea casting them in its warm and healing light.

  He kissed her forehead and clung to her tightly, stroking her hair. She closed her eyes and smiled.

  “Anna,” he said. “How long I’ve waited for this day.”

  “I’ve come home, Alex.”

  “As I knew you would.”

  Anna looked up at him questioningly. “How did you know?”

  Alex smiled. “The Wanderer told me as much. Don’t you remember his words? Though a thousand worlds will fall, one will remain.”

  Anna smiled back. “Yes, I do remember that. I remember you saying it would be our world. And you remember what I said?”

  “I remember many things,” Alex said.

  Anna turned her head to look out at the Sea, toward the distant Point of Origin. “As we were going toward the whirlpool, I told you there was so much we had to do, and so much we had to see.” She looked up at him, and touched his face. “Now, we can do them. We can live the lives we were denied by circumstance, without the cloud of the Radaskim or the Nameless One to shadow the joy.”

  “Because of you and her,” Alex said.
>
  “Yes,” Anna agreed. “But mostly her.”

  He led her down the shoreline, back toward the village where the others were waiting.

  Epilogue

  The world was never the same.

  Tens of thousands had died in the Battle for Earth, which only took place over the course of several months on the North American continent. Aside from the observers who had seen the Radaskim vessels burn through the atmosphere toward Dragonspire, most of the world’s millions were none the wiser to the alien invaders.

  But the Red Wild would never forget Shanti Roshar, nor her friends, nor the brave men and women who died defending Earth, the one planet that remained.

  It took many months for life to even return to a semblance of normality. The world the heroes had returned to was a broken one. Sylva, Haven, and Mongar had all fallen, and tens of thousands had died, either from displacement or the Radaskim invaders.

  Haven was reseeded, and the Xenofold took special care to grow the Great Silverwood taller, greater, and more beautiful than it had ever been, though it would not reach its full size and strength for decades yet.

  Shanti Roshar reformed the Seekers, combining them with what remained of the Sphere Priests, and rededicated their purpose toward the preservation of the Sea of Creation and the Elekai Xenofold. A holy temple was built at the entrance of the Caverns of Creation, with the Elder Dragons’ blessing. What remained of the Xenofont was disassembled, while the Tower of Shal and the Thought Dome remained as warnings of how far humanity could fall. No human habitation, save those of the Seekers’ Monastery at the temple, was to be allowed within the Ragnawall until the end of time.

  Peace was made between the Plains People and the Elekai, and the Plains People could freely pass between the Central Plains and the Red Wild. While some remained behind, others still settled in the Northern Wild, which had been largely depopulated by the Samalites.

  The Novan Empire, which had suffered little in the war, promised no everlasting peace, but did at least offer a truce with the Red Wild in the meantime. Shen, seeing the future threat posed by Nova, made it known that the Red Wild was under his everlasting protection.