Chapter 389

World Ahead

A tiny tombstone sat beneath the vast, blue, open sky, surrounded by flat land and gracious field of blue hydrangea. A small pond of breathtakingly clear water sat behind it, school of koi carp fish swimming in tender circles, barely upsetting the calm water.

Several bouquets of red and white and golden roses lay strewn across the grave, eternally fresh and delightfully fragrant. Cain sat in the front, briskly drinking from the bottle, eyes glued to the namesake. ‘Diya Badami’ it read in cursive lettering, bold and large, defiant.

The rays of sun cascaded gently, turning the white marble awash with gold, while the silence reigned supreme.

“It’s been a while,” he mumbled. Though he was hardly bereft of regrets, she remained one of his gravest. Here and there, he would sneak out, when the weight grew too heavy, and sit and drink here in silence, communing with what was not there, a voiceless voice.

Some things he could not share even with those he loved beyond love, and though he could just as easily speak with the voices swimming in his head, at least he could pretend here to be talking to something and someone else.

“Things have changed,” he added, looking up at the blue sky. In eight hours, he and others would depart. All names have been confirmed, all fourteen of them, him included, and all that’s left was... waiting. Soon, he would find himself in an alien world, surrounded by people and creatures that he did not know, fighting a battle he was blind to just a decade ago.

Some would say he was both too young and too old for reminisce, yet he couldn’t help himself. Memories, irrespective of his desires, began to swim out to the surface. They were gentle, though, like the sweeping hugs of the warm, summer winds.

“Thought I would find you here,” to his surprise, Emma suddenly appeared next to him. He hadn’t had anyone sneak up on him in years--distraction, however, still worked even on him. She wore casual, sitting down next to him and taking the bottle.

“How’d you figure that?”

“Didn’t, really,” she said. “Just ran around lookin’ till I found you.”

“... and here I hoped you felt me with your heart,” he said.

“You’re too old for that crap.”

“... everything ready?”

“Everything and everyone,” she said, glancing at him. “Are you?”

“I am,” he said. “Sorry.”

“For what?”

“Dragging you along,” he said. “Didn’t exactly discuss it with you.”

“... true,” she nodded. “Don’t break your spine over it, though. You’ll pay me back.”

“Oh, yeah, I know,” he chuckled. “Lana took it... surprisingly well. Honestly, if she protested... I would have never left.”

“Figures. Eventually, C’, we’ll have to let ‘em go. Both of them.”

“... I have a sneaking suspicion Senna’s book a gravestone right next to ours,” Cain said. “And scream kumbaya when we’re floating around as ghosts.”

“Yeah, I can see her doing that,” Emma said.

“People’ve been avoidin’ me,” he said. “Even Daniel and Ethan don’t look me in the eye anymore.”

“... can you blame them?” she asked. “Even I had to catch my heart watching it, C’. You did well to humanize yourself, so well we forgot.”

“Forgot what?”

“That you ain’t like us,” she took another sip.

“I am, though.”

“Yes, we, on the regular, procure literal suns and shove it up some four-armed cock’s ass,” she said. “We truly are alike.”

“My strength isn’t who I am, Em’.”

“Sure. I know that. So does Senna and Lana and a couple of others,” she said. “But most don’t. And won’t.”

“Eh, they will. My daddy jokes and charms will win ‘em over.”

“... well, at least your confidence never went away.”

“Really?” he chuckled. “Do you not remember the month before and after you served me divorce papers?”

“Ooh. Yeah. Man, you were a wreck.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“I was even worse, though?” she said. “You know how much it hurt, jackass? To divorce a man I loved with every fiber of my being?”

“Can’t have hurt more than needing to sleep outside in the middle of November.”

“... what nonsense are you spouting? I gave you papers in the middle of June, and I made sure you had a place to stay.”

“Yeah, I was talking about something else.”

“Sure you were.”

“... it’ll be hard to leave it all behind.”

“Not all,” she said, throwing her arm around his back and leaning onto his side. “Most important things, I think, are coming with you.”

“Oof. Some person you are, calling other human beings ‘things’. I always knew you were askew, but this...”

“Oh, shut up,” she gently elbowed him. “Home is wherever we are, no?”

“Yeah, I suppose,” he said. “Gonna be a pain in the ass to build one as nice as Ricky was providin’, though.”

“Oh. Yeah. We’re gonna be living in some shacks and heating up a stove from 1680s, aren’t we?”

“I don’t know, honestly,” he said. “Know about it as much as you do. I’ll sneak in some tech, though. Got a big inventory.”

“We’re all sneaking in some tech, sweetheart,” she said. “Magic is absolutely wonderful, it really is. But a nice massage chair? It’s way better.”

“... I think men and women who invented magic just rolled in their graves, honestly.”

“Let them. They’re dead. What are they gonna do?”

“...”

“You think she’s happy or pissed that we’re like this?” she asked, glancing at the grave.

“... I don’t think she’s much of anything, to be honest.”

“What? You don’t believe in souls, all of a sudden?” Emma chuckled. “Pretty sure we fought some ghosts, you know?”

“Are you telling me we won’t get to rest even when we are dead?” Cain said. “Man, that’s depressing.”

“That’s right. No rest for the wicked.”

“... then she ain’t around still,” he nudged his head toward the grave.

“I guess you’re right,” she said. “Maybe... once this is all over, once you’re a god or you’ve killed a god or whatever--don’t really pay attention when you babble on about things.”

“Oh, thanks. Thanks a lot.”

“Always,” she chuckled. “But once it’s all over... maybe we can come back here. If it’s not there, I’m sure you’ll be able to build it.”

“And what? Spend an eternity in our own, personal Eden?”

“Doesn’t sound half-bad, now does it?”

“Yeah, yeah, since we’re immortal now and whatnot, we can be like Adam and Eve and kickstart our own humanity.”

“Uh...”

“We’ll have millions of inbred children runnin’ around the God’s green Earth hollerin’ at their mama and their papa with their flapping lips and chins so sharp they could cut flesh with ‘em--”

“Yo, yo, there’s a joke, and there’s a nightmare, woman!” Cain interrupted. “Fine, I get it. You don’t wanna spend an eternity with me. Geez. You could just say it.”

“Ha ha ha, you’ve softened up,” she said. “Remember back at college when you were the disgusting one?”

“Dunno what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you do. Like that one time you got drunk and said that the only way you’ll ever be in an orgy was when you’d clone me a thousand times and just move the boob slider up and down a bit for some variety.”

“... that’s more sweet than disgusting.”

“Yea. Every girl likes hearing her boyfriend say he’d like some variety in tit-size department. When we are wee young, we dream of those moments.”

“Haaah...”

“Alright, I’m done torturing you for the day. Haah, that was refreshing,” Emma said, stretching out.

“I’m glad you had your fun. And what do you mean for the day?”

“It’s the penance. You accepted moving into not just another city, but another world man. You gotta pay for it somehow.”

“... why can’t you just hit me in the face and get it over with?”

“Domestic abuse isn’t our style, though? Even when you were wildly drunk, at least you never swung with your fists. Your tongue, though. Sheesh. One time you told me you’d rather fuck an electrical socket than me. Was a real ego booster.”

“Yes, yes, I was and am a horrible person.”

“... nah,” she kissed his cheek before standing up. “You’re who you’ve always been, C’. A man who I love, a man who loves me, and a jackass with an awful filter in his brain. And a bone so funny sometimes you forget not every moment needs a quip. Now, let’s go. We’ve disturbed her enough with our stupidity. Even the dead need rest.”

“I suppose,” Cain mumbled, standing up too. “It’s time to go, anyway. See ya’ on the other side, kiddo.”

**

Everyone was here, Cain realized. All fourteen, him included, who would go. In the end, the group almost fully filled the quota which shocked him quite a bit. Though a few came with attachments lying elsewhere, in the end, this was all due to him, an unprecedented feat in his former life.

Staring at the faces that were chatting among themselves, he couldn’t help but muse that if someone had told him of this scenario when he first restarted this life, he would have laughed at it.

“It’s ready,” a voice spoke directly in his mind. They were currently underground, in a room marked with a massive teleportation circle--one that ran on for miles on every end. “You will feel some shaking in a minute or so, and teleportation should last another two-three minutes. Though I have built in a lot of protections, some of the weaker folk might pass out. You can shield them with Mama if you’d like, but I suggest you let them be. It will be a good experience for the adjustment.”

“In a minute,” Cain’s voice dragged everyone’s attention to him. “It will begin. So, I have a minute to give you the most epic speech ever. As you all know, ain’t gonna happen. But what will is me expressing my undying gratitude. Whatever your cause, whatever your reason for coming, it can’t have been easy choosing to leave the only home we’ve ever known. And so, I promise we’ll build another one, with blackjack and hookers!” while he got a few chuckles, most of the group stared at him numbly. “Alright, now you all know just how old I am. Anyway, to a new tomorrow. See you on the other side. Now, strap in and hold tight--it’s gonna get tough.”

END OF BOOK III