Imperium

Epilogue

Nisha sails the ship east, her ears back but her eyes emblazoned with a fire. Regan and Cree made it. Not only did they make it to Eutria, but they're already making waves it seems. She can't help but feel more than a little proud.

After everything that happened just over a week ago, it almost feels strange to be given a small semblance of hope, but she feels it, especially as the outline of Eutria starts to appear in the far distance with its silhouette over the horizon.

Such a simple shape. A line of clouded shadows that she can really only see if she squints and tries hard enough to make it out, but the sight still fills her with a strange feeling that is more than unfamiliar to her.

The feeling of freedom.

Never before has she sailed the sea towards a new land. It's never been possible before.

But now it is. Two of the three barriers are down.

She looks down to the bow of the ship to see Malachi with his head up for once instead of buried in his notebook. He's tightly gripping the splintered wood rail with Romeow at his side, just staring off at the subliminal sight of Eutria in the distance.

Despite the weight bearing down on her shoulders, Nisha can't help but smile down at him.

After all these years, he's almost reached his goal.

And nothing stands between him and his best friend aside from a few miles of open ocean.

Open ocean that she carries them over.

Malachi jumps when someone taps his shoulder, and he looks back to see Naomi standing behind him with a smile on her face and a glass bottle of ale in her hand that she holds out to him, and she holds another bottle in her other hand.

He tilts his head. "Aren't you too young to drink?"

Naomi snickers as he takes the bottle and pops the cap off.

"Don't worry, mine's apple juice," she chuckles and takes a drink. "I know it's probably dumb to ask you of all people this question, but we've been aimlessly sailing for over a week and I'm probably going stir-crazy. So, how are you feeling?" she leans back against the rail and scratches Romeow's head, still not quite sure where the hell this cat came from or why it has a bow tie, but it seems to always be listening and it might even understand the things they say, which is a little weird to her, but that's probably the most tame thing that's happened since getting pulled through that rift to Aramora.

Malachi takes a drink and turns back to face the approaching continent of Eutria.

"...Hopeful. For the first time in a long time, I feel hope. He's there... He's alive."

Naomi smiles and turns forward as well, leaning forward on the rail on her elbows.

"Yeah... that's the first good news we've gotten for a while now..." she says, and her smile fades. Her eyes trail down and stare vacantly at the crashing waves below. She feels briefly pulled out of reality, back into her own mind.

She saw Nisha sprinting towards the port of Ecrin with tears streaming down her face and something shiny filled her arms.

She didn't stop to say anything before boarding the ship and pulling them out from the dock, leaving back through the Ganil River.

It was only after they broke out from the river and made it to the open waters of the Orinas Sea that she climbed down from the wheel and collapsed to the deck of the ship in a fit of sobbing, dropping what she was holding.

It was Nesosa's crown.

Naomi held her and picked up the crown, begging for her to tell her what was going on, but all Nisha could manage to say was, "I'm sorry."