Epilogue - Gone Away

"These adventures are a gift and we will never drift away."

~ CG5

October 22, 2022

13 years after the events of Ice Sword Chronicles

Dark clouds gathered off the La’Esk coast as a cold front came in from the sea. Just outside the town of Haltur, in a small cottage, a blonde haired man stood on his porch. He stared at pink and purple clouds as what remained of the sun disappeared behind a plot of pine trees. A black and white speckled heeler sniffed at some fallen leaves in the yard. 

“Twenty years,” the man said softly. Just at that moment, the door behind him opened and a woman with short black hair pulled into a ponytail peeked out. 

“Everything okay? You’ve been out here a while.” 

“Yeah.”

The man motioned for her to join him. The woman ducked back inside for a few minutes before emerging with a mug of hot chocolate in one hand and a cold bottle of soda in the other. The couple moved to a set of patio chairs with a cooler between them. She set the bottle of root beer on the makeshift table and took a sip from her steaming mug. The wind picked up, pulling in the scent of rain from afar. 

After taking a swig of his drink, the man suddenly turned and asked, “Do you know what tomorrow is?”

“Of course I know!” she said without skipping a beat, then muttered in feigned offense, “What kind of wife would I be if I didn’t remember your birthday? We only celebrate every year.”

“Yes, but why is tomorrow special?” he pressed.

She quietly sipped her hot chocolate, stalling long enough for him to tell her rather than embarrass herself with an incorrect guess. The dog came up to them and sat with its back to the man. The blonde reached down and scratched the dog’s neck for a minute.

“It’s been twenty years, Hanna. Twenty years tomorrow since the split.”

The woman didn’t say anything, only brought her knees up on the chair, hoping the oversized hoodie would help keep her legs warm. 

“Do you think DJ remembers what tomorrow is?”

Realization swept over Hanna’s face as she set her mug down. 

“Lui, of course DJ remembers,” she said in her most reassuring voice. “After all, it’s his birthday too... And Iul’s.”

Lui sighed and took another drink before continuing. “I just haven’t heard from him in a while, you know? The last few years…” he trailed off. 

“Hey!” Hanna caught his attention. “These last couple years have been rough on everyone. We lost some good people.” The dog decided to go to Hanna for pets. “On top of that,” she continued, giving the dog extra scratches, “DJ’s got kids now. It’s been a minute since he’s been in the hero business. Don’t be too hard on him.”

“I know, but I don’t want him to forget me.”

Hanna stopped scratching the dog and put a hand on Lui’s arm. “DJ is NEVER going to forget you, Lui.” She leaned over to look in his eyes. “Never.” 

Lui finished his drink and stood up, watching the clouds roll in. “We used to be so close,” he muttered.

“When was the last time you tried calling him?” Hanna also stood up and crossed her arms. “Phones work both ways, you know.” 

Lui frowned. “It’s not the same. With him on Earth, it’s too far for ESP and too complicated to figure out time zones and schedules… And I don't like interrupting him.”

Hanna raised an eyebrow. Instead of griping at him, she opened her arms and wrapped him in a big hug. 

“I know. I can’t believe it’s been this long either. Every day feels like it drags on, but in the blink of an eye years have passed. It’s hard not to feel left behind.”

Lui hugged her back and the two stood embracing for a few minutes. The dog jumped into one of the chairs, circled three times, and plopped into a curled ball with a huff. 

Lui rested his chin on Hanna’s head and smiled. 

“Remember how much trouble we used to get into?”

“You got into,” was the muffled reply. 

“Iul got us into,” Lui corrected and kissed the top of her head.

Hanna broke the hug and nodded. “I guess it was Iul, most of the time.” 

“Still… We were a bunch of crazy kids.”

The rain started to come down, first in sprinkles, then in heavy raindrops. The dog stared at Hanna as if waiting for something amazing to happen. Me too, Max. Me too, she thought. “Let’s get inside. It’s cold out here.” She collected the empty mug and bottle and opened the door.

Lui followed her and sat on the couch in front of a small fireplace. Max jumped onto the couch next to his master and instantly rolled over for belly rubs. “What have we been doing with our lives this whole time?”

“I don’t know.” Hanna sat on the other side of the couch, wrapping herself up in a big blanket. “Saving the world, paying the mortgage, feeding the dog.” She looked around the room for any more excuses. “Laundry and dishes.” She stuck out a hand to assist in giving Max all the belly rubs. “Do you ever wish you could go back?”

“No.” Lui didn’t have to think about the answer. Or maybe he had already known the answer for a long time. “But I wish I could have brought more with me.”

“We’ve come a long way to get here,” Hanna said. “We’re doing pretty well, all things considered. We have a good life.”

“It’s not the same...”

“I know...” 

A moment of silence passed between them as they both contemplated nostalgia and loss. 

“Hey,” Hanna suddenly perked up. “Why don’t we see what Misty’s been up to? She might have a mission.”

“I’m too old for that.” Lui stood up and stretched with several audible cracks and pops from his spine. “Ow.”

“According to Other age, you’re only twenty,” Hanna pointed out. “Said so yourself.”

“Wow, I’m old,” replied Lui, rubbing his back with a wince.

Hanna got off the couch and went to a bookshelf in the corner of the room, pulling out dusty papers. “Tell you what…” she started. Once her arms were loaded with a bunch of documents, she set them on the dining room table. “If you really want to leave a legacy for DJ and his kids to remember for years to come,” she patted the top of the pile. “You can finish writing that book.”

Lui laughed. “You used to be a lot more fun, you know that?”

“I know!” Hanna smiled brightly before changing to a softer tone. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”