Evokation / Epilogue
#46 of Evokation
Epilogue: Divination
When Athéos fell, the Old Gods howled and many of them began to simply fade out of existence as others surrendered and a few tried to flee... but their ships soon shattered into pieces, ships built on belief and faith and with the powers of Athéos and his closest companions, and all of these now were dead... and nothing was left to power the might of the Old Gods.
When Zerrex fell, moments later, everyone felt Marina's psychic rage and wrath, from those on Hell and Heaven to those on Earth: Mechanauts malfunctioned, psychics grasped their heads and screamed as they felt her pain enter their minds, and the space colonies orbiting the planet trembled as if suffering an earthquake without earth. But finally, Marina tired herself out and fell limp... and Cherry was able to grab her and bring her safely to a colony on a shuttle.
Even now, a week later, many people were still celebrating a victory... but Cherry felt broken and empty. Hell and Heaven had restarted their rebuilding efforts, and many former Old Gods were all too happy to help and try and make up for what they'd done... and on the mortal plane, Mechanauts were being destroyed one-by-one, but it would be a long and arduous process to start the rebuilding of the world this time. The world had been ravaged as never before... and Cherry personally thought the mortals were better off living in their colonies, at least until the smoke cleared and grass started growing again.
Hell, too, was quiet. Sin refused to get out of bed, and Firenze, the new High King, had been forced to temporarily place Priest as the High Prince of her province. When Old Gods had landed as prisoners and for their abilities to be catalogued in case they decided to try and replace Athéos, people had thrown rocks and spells at them, but had been too scared to do much else: when the people of Hell had learned what had happened in the battles above, they had taken to lynching the Old Gods they could find. Many of them were scared and trembling now, hiding out in the Ravenlight Estate: a sick irony, but Cherry knew that Zerrex would have seen their value and offered them shelter... even if she wanted to take them out and rip them to shreds piece-by-piece.
She finally understood now what Zerrex had meant about a hole in the heart that could never be healed, when he talked about losing Allie and never being able to find her, throughout Heaven or Hell. She quietly touched her chest as she looked down, and thought about how when she'd told Cindy, Cindy had cried so hard and so long that she had been put under again by a sedative... and now, even though she was helping people out in this colony, she refused to speak unless absolutely necessary, showed no cheer and little compassion.
And right now, the two sisters stood together, side-by-side, looking out into space. Back in their quarters, all Mahihko would do was rock by himself, cry, and act like a toddler. Lone, too, yelled at everything that got him the slightest bit upset and then often broke down into tears, much as he tried to hide it. But Cherry knew Zerrex would want them both to keep on living... yet it was amazing how much both had wilted and withered away over the last week, and she knew it would take a lot to get them even the slightest bit healed after this ordeal.
Vampire, Felicity, and so many others Zerrex had affected were also mourning him... most of them in Hell at the cathedral built in his honor, sitting in the seats and staring not at a statue of the Drakkaren, not at any altar, but instead a shrine made of plain sandstone that held Blackheart tightly, the sword sparking with energy every now and then. Some of them were at least getting on with their lives... others simply didn't seem to know what to do. And, Cherry thought bitterly, Zerrex had the idea in his head that none of us would care if he died... fuck... if he could see this now, maybe he'd finally stop being so damn depressed all the time...
She stared at her reflection in the glass, and past it into space, at Hell in the distance... and then she looked over her shoulder in surprise as something else moved in the reflection, and Cindy too started, even if it was only a bit, as her lost, tired features stared at Marina. The youngest daughter of Zerrex was still wrapped in chains, and she had severely injured several people already who had come near her and interrupted her silent mourning in her room, which was covered with drawings of her father... and then, quietly, she wrapped an arm around both of her sisters, saying quietly: "One day... we shall have father back."
The two looked at her for a moment, then followed her gaze into space... and as they stared out into the vast, deep darkness, Cherry hoped silently that she was right.
Loss lasts only a moment, but Love lasts forever...
Despair not for what you lose, but rejoice in what you gain.
Zerrex Narrius
December 18, 2009 - April 06, 2010