Prodigy Returns (book 3)

Epilogue

Aris stumbled around the dark room unsure where he was. There was just enough light coming in through the main window, allowing him to see. He called out to Alex, but there was no answer.

Staring at some damaged equipment, Aris had a perplexed look on his face. "What the hell happened here?" he mumbled to himself.

Walking around the ship brought back a lot of memories. After finding himself in the control room, he stared out the window up at the spectacular purple moon. The only word that came to mind was, 'wow'.

It was late, and Aris was exhausted. He planned to look for Alex in the morning. Using his knowledge of the ship, he ventured in the Leader's room, thinking it would offer the best place to sleep. He would explore the rest of the ship in the morning.

Aris navigated his way through the dark hallways, relying on the faintest of light to see where he was going. When he arrived at Maxim's room, he was disheartened to see that the room had been gutted. All the furniture, including the mattress had been removed. He wondered what had happened to it, but assumed it was relocated to a camp nearby. Aris climbed onto the barren bed frame and curled up in a ball. His eyes stayed open for a moment as he considered where he was. The whole situation seemed surreal to him. After letting out a deep breath, his body began to relax. Soon after, he closed his eyes to get some sleep.

Just as he was nodding off, something startled him enough to cause his eyes to shoot open. As he laid there in a panic stricken sweat, he listened carefully, wondering if what he had heard was real or just a figment of his imagination. Then he heard it again.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Hearing the thumping noises coming toward him sent a fear through his body unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Aris quickly rose from the bed, frantically looking for a place to hide. To his dismay, he did not find a suitable spot. He headed toward the entrance and poked his head into the dark hallway, which extended in both directions from the Leader's room. Listening again for the noise, it appeared to be coming from the right so he decided to go left.

Turning quickly to dart down the hall, Aris was stopped in his tracks. His head cascaded up to see the towering figure before him. With an arched spine and his eyes as wide as saucers, Aris slowly backed up with his trembling legs. He held his hands out passively, but the beast did not seem to recognize the gesture.

On his way back, Aris ran into an object that was not there before. He turned his head and saw an enormous robot with sharp armour and a menacing face. Its glowing red eyes nearly caused Aris to soil himself. The bot raised its arms as two blasters rose up from its forearms and locked into place.

"No no no, please, don't shoot," Aris said with a snotty nose and tears rolling down his face. He was a blubbering mess. "I'm too young to die," he said.

"I know you," a voice said in the darkness.

"Huh?" Aris responded.

Just then Archimedes emerged from the darkness and activated a glowing orb, allowing Aris to see the man's weathered face.

"You're that idiot that dropped my shoes in the water."

"Arch... Archimedes?" Aris said. "Is that you?"

"Welcome to Enkara."

### THE END ###

Edward Mullen is a novelist, blogger, and podcaster from Vancouver, Canada. Prodigy Returns is his fifth novel.

Born and raised in beautiful British Columbia, Edward developed a love for the wilderness. This love, combined with an innate curiosity about all things, eventually spawned a healthy imagination for storytelling.

Despite spending a lot of his time indoors writing, Edward continues to enjoy the outdoors. He is an avid tennis player, mountain biker, snowboarder, runner, and traveller.

For more information about Edward Mullen, such as his podcast, blog, or upcoming books, please visit:

www.EdwardMullen.com

Thank you for all the reads, comments, votes, and shares! Much appreciated!!

Edward Mullen