by Ross Buzzell
“Sorry to bother you so late, sir. I was instructed to deliver this to you directly.”
He holds out the envelope. Ryan takes it and signs for it; he looks to see who it’s from—no name. He closes the door and locks it as the courier leaves; he opens the envelope and pours the contents into his hand. Out falls the ring his father had given him back on Boron with a note that reads “I think this belongs to you.” –D. Ryan smiles and slides the ring on his finger; he feels a strange tingle overtake his body as his reflection shows his eyes flare azure blue for a moment.
Epilogue: Xero
The moment the last sign of life leaves Xero’s body, it dissipates to dust and an earthquake rocks the entire barren red planet of Mars. The face on Mars begins to scream with such ferocity that it can be heard from space as pillars of light explode from the “mountain.” In a flash of light, Xero pulls his naked self from the planet, his body sparking with life. His eyes fall on the tiny blue dot that is Earth.
“I am coming, my king,”
he says softly before his body seems to collapse in on itself in a rapid swirl as he teleports off his prison.