To The End Of The Universe (novel version) ✓

Chapter 18: Unity

With Eileen asleep, Ursus headed out to check the damage. It was clear that the centipedes' acid corroded most of the homes and platforms. Those that were well tended to the injured and weak, while the leave covered bodies continued to pile high on the forest floor.

"Ursus." Pavel walked up to him. "It's Damon." Ursus followed Pavel up the path to the second lever of the floor. The door to the smallest home near the east side of the platform was opened. With each step closer, the sounds of sobs reached their eyes. Ursus closed his eyes. He had heard those sounds before.

"Ursus?" At his name, he stopped and turned back. Vashti's eyes turned from him toward the edge of the alleyway. "What's that noise?" Moving toward her, Ursus's breath hitched. A door stood open, as a circle of guards surrounded it. Kneeling down, his eyes watched the man step out into the city's lights.

Dressed in the dark clothing of the medic, a syringe was in one hand, dripping leftover liquid onto the ground. A scream brushed from behind him. Vashti staggered back, trembling at the noise that attacked her ears. "What is that?" Her eyes flickered around. "What's going on?"

As the heart wrenching screaming continued, Ursus moved closer. "Hey." He hugged the frightened twelve year old. "Don't worry about it, ok? Right now, we need to get all of our stuff back to dad." Vashti hesitated, but allowed Ursus to pull her away. After all, how was a sixteen year old supposed to tell a twelve year old that some people had no choice but to choose death?

It wasn't the old or sick that laid in the grieving arms this time. Instead, Damon's daughter's lay in Wilma's trembling arms. Her sobs shock both bodies as her arms practically crushed her daughter to her chest.

It's never the fighters that suffer alone. As if reading his thoughts, Damon turned to them. Other than his dark eyes glistening with unshed tears, his face was stoic. Ursus gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "We'll perform a light ceremony for all those lost tonight."

"Thank you," Damon replied. It was only when Wilma's sobs became louder did Damon turn away to comfort his wife.

"We have a good number of casualties." Pavel replied once they were back outside. "Beside those that died in the cave in, many from the base were slaughtered too."

"Where's Etta?"

"Talkon..." Pavel's swallowed. "Talkon took her back to Lumanora. Her return was the only way I was able to convince them to help us."

"And now with the chieftain dead..."

"Etta will either take over or she'll be cast out." Pavel finished, sharing his worried look. With the chieftain and Opal dead, he had no doubt the other families wouldn't be too eager to swear Etta as their chieftain which meant that there would have to be a trial for her to keep the title.

"Have they made any mention of it?" Ursus questioned. "Anything you might have heard of while you were there?"

"No, but I doubt it'll take long once they hear the chieftain isn't coming back." Pavel ran his hands through his hair. "I know there's been a lot of grieving and heartache, but Ursus if they think we had something to do with this?"

They could gather all the villages to retaliate.

"Then we need to make sure Etta remains the chieftain." Ursus sighed. "It would be better for us in the end."

"You think she's gotten over her dislike of humans though?"

"I hope so." For Eileen's sake.

With nothing left but to check on folks and help any way he could, soon it was time for people to start gathering for the light funeral.

The plants were the first to awaken. Lights pulse down vines and through roots while leaves glow a steady green, red, orange or whatever color they need to be. Next were the insects, glowing among the bark as they injected the plants and larger creatures ingested them.

As people gathered around the dead in their graves, a voice spoke clear through. "I am sure I am not the only one who agrees with me when I say we lost so much today." Damon stepped forward. His voice wavered. "We lost sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, and even....children."

He swallowed. "Like me sweet, sweet Opal." His smile softened. "I'll miss the way she would make those beautiful flower crowns for me. Or the way she helps her mother cook for all the other members. Her smile lights up the room. When I first saw her eyes open, I knew that she would change me for the better. I knew that I would always be with her, to hold her, support her, to..to..." A shudder breath left his lips. "To..." Hands covered his face. As sobs wracked his body, Wilma was at his side instantly. Her hands held him as she hummed softly to him. The normal heart warming sound was filled with pain and agony.

As his sobs continued, Ursus stepped forward. His eyes looked toward the sky. "And this is why we have to continue moving forward." His gaze met Damons. "This is why we will keep fighting. When my father said he wanted equality, I never thought he would take it this far." His hands clenched. "This isn't equality! This is just senseless murder!"

"No one had to die." His gaze flickered to each and every one of them. "No one had to get hurt. If there is one thing about war, it has no winners or losers. It only has victims." His shoulders dropped. "These people had lives, they had families, they had futures." His eyes narrowed. "We will not let Xiyan get away with this."

We will not let their deaths be in vain. "This is what unity is." He stepped toward them. "Visutilis being a pillar of strength, Quies glowing, Aecor humming their songs. This is the unity we fight for."

He turned back to the graves. "So let us sing, glow, and remember who they are and what they believed in. Their memories will always be with us and that is something that can not be taken away."

As the last of the words drifted into the air, it was time. As they were laid among their final resting places, different flowers, moss, vines, and whatever the family wanted to symbolize their life were placed on top.

"And now," Damon continued with a sniff. "Let us glow with our lost loved ones for one final night."

Hands were grabbed and a soft glow filled the forest as those that could activate their glow. Hums echoed through the forest, each one a different song that merged into a greater harmony. With each second, it grew brighter and brighter, combining the lights together with those on the grave to make a marble of glowing colors.

Something grabbed Ursus's hand, nearly startling him out of concentration. Eileen watched the whole scene with a look of pure wonder and heartache. His heart twisted, before he nuzzled her. Her gaze met him with nothing short of pure admiration before her attention flickered to the graves.

Soon, one by one, the lights dimmed and the graves were left, until all but two remained.

"I can't help but wonder....why?" The words spilled from his lips. "What happened that caused my father....to do something like this." He looked down at his hands. "He was always stressing the need to fight but...this isn't fighting." This was a massacre.

"And the fact that someone from the capital created that fungi...." His voice lowered. "This is bad, Eileen." Way worse than what they could have expected. Not if the rebellion wasn't the only thing they have to worry about.

A hand squeezed his before Eileen cupped his face. "Right now, let's focus on one thing at a time ok?"

He leaned into her touch. "Alright." It would have to do for now.