The Phoenix Chronicles: The Curse of Lustria

Epilogue: Tario Setali

(NARRATED BY CAMERON SETLER)

I was sitting on a hillside in Lunara, watching the sunset alone, when I heard a voice speak up from behind: "Pardon for interrupting your solitude, but I was wondering if I could join you." I immediately turned my head to find Lucia standing there with her hands tied behind her back.

"Go for it," I told her.

She came to sit beside me, then asked, "Where is your meratis?"

Glancing over at her briefly, I answered, "She's currently with Mareini, prepping my sister for her new role as a Guardian."

"Ah... I see."

A few seconds of silence ticked by before I asked, "Who's going to be the impretor of Lunara now that Umbrius is out of the picture?"

Lucia sighed deeply. "Although I am in charge of choosing his successor—since he never actually chose one himself—I do not know the answer to that yet. However..." She dropped off mid-statement.

"However...?"

She sighed once more, "However, you are more than welcome to fill that role."

I laughed, thinking it was a joke.

"I am completely sincere," she said. "Given your honorable nature, it is my opinion that you are more fit for the position than anyone else. So, would you like to be impretor of Lunara?"

I immediately did a double take. "Wait, what?"

"Please, consider my offer," she said.

"But I'm not an elf!"

"You are a descendant of Latiar Narida," she explained calmly. "Therefore, you have the blood of an elf, and that is all that matters. Take me, for instance: My mother was human, yet I became impretis."

"Sorry, but I just can't accept," I told her.

Lucia's voice sounded heavily rigid when she inquired, "Why not?"

"Because I don't belong here."

"How can you be so sure?"

I frowned. "What do mean?"

"What if you do belong here?" she asked. "What if you belong with me? What if, one day, you wake up and decide that you do love me the way I love you? What if—"

"Lucia...."

She hung her head. "Forgive me. That was rather selfish to say."

I looked at her with concern. "You think you'll be all right?"

She wiped away a few tears. "Yes, I shall be fine," she assured me. "Please, forget that I said anything."

"Hey, just because I won't be living here, doesn't mean I won't come back to visit."

She looked away, probably trying to hide the fact that she was crying. "Very well," she sniffed. "But you had better stay longer next time. I barely got to see you...."

I smiled at her. "Sure thing, Princess."

"Do you promise?"

"Yeah, I promise. And you're always welcome to visit me and Lady Esther in Moreila Valley."

She looked at me with surprise. "R-Really? You do not think Esther would mind, given my feelings for you?"

"Of course not," I confided. "Essie's not like that. She's a very kind and understanding person. In fact, I think you two would actually make good friends."