The Thousand-Eyed Crow (#Wattys2020)

Epilogue (1 March, 2247)

It was the centennial of the event that marked the end of history: the date when humanity banished god once and for all.

The remaining humans had used the remnants of the power bestowed upon them by Thronakkhar and its henchmen beasts to rebuild what had been destroyed by them in preparation for the end of time. This power had not lasted long, but it gave them enough to take care of the basics – shelter, underground irrigation, transportation, healthcare. Once the power faded, humanity could only move forward cooperatively, or perish in the process. They chose the former option.

Wheeling along the path, their red, wavy hair peppered with streaks of grey, and their once freckly brown skin now riddled with wrinkles, Kallias led the group toward the crater where the events that they would relive for the rest of their lives had happened. Rain walked next to them, carrying a wreath of poppies as white as his hair, which were some of the first drought and sun-resistant flowers that humanity had been able to develop. After the re-education facility had collapsed on him, and after Kallias and the others had grieved him, Rain had managed to pull himself out from beneath the rubble, but had lost a leg and had his right arm permanently damaged to the point where it was a chore to move it. Even with advancements in medical technology and physical therapy, there had been improvements with his mobility, but it was not one hundred percent effective.

Caoimhe joined the pair, hobbling along on a new prosthetic leg that they needed to get used to. Even after all these rapid technological advancements, it could still sometimes be difficult to get used to the new things. Fane strode along next to Caoimhe, arm in arm, supporting her partner with each step. The hair that she had grown long in her youth had been cut a bit shorter, and she only had a bit of grey in her dark locks, too. She had received a pair of prosthetic legs as well, after a degenerative nerve disease had affected her ability to walk without assistance.

Vanya and Shuang walked in step with the rest of the group, holding hands even after all the time they had been together as if it was the first time. While Vanya had kept her short cropped hair, and it had gone salt and pepper in her old age, Shuang had left her hair long. It had gone grey as soon as the ordeal with Thronakkhar has ended and it had been that way ever since. They carried a bouquet of violets as they joined the others to have a chat.

As they lay the flowers down on the crater, which had long ago been made into a monument, they remembered the day when time stood still, and then god had left them to their own devices. In the hundred years after that, humanity became even closer than ever, encouraging cooperation among nations and pushing the species to find solutions to the issues that had yet to be eradicated – disease, hunger, poverty, spirituality, and global warming. At this point, a hundred years later, humans had banded together to restore the shielding properties of the ozone layer, and people were finally able to go outside without their sun-proof cloaks. Reforestation had become a clear reality, and the effects of climate degradation had almost been entirely reversed. With everyone on earth provided for, humanity was able to focus on the goals that were actually important.

As the wind blew gently across the field where a hundred years ago a massive limestone cliff had stood, the heroes remembered the lives they had lived in the past, and looked to the future.

(The End)