Children of Elisium
Chapter 21: Epilogue

One Year Later

The blazing heat of the desert sun shone brightly upon the light brown military truck that traversed the sands of Ara. Inside, a young man wearing a half open sand-colored military fatigue sat right beside the truck’s driver and fanned himself with the thin computer in his hand. He was in his early thirties. And although it was his fourth deployment, it was his first time spending his tour of duty in a desert.

“Still can’t believe we’re being thrown here for some goddamned scrap pickers,” the man complained. He pulled his top’s zipper further down to expose his sweat drenched shirt and the abdominal muscles that were visible from the wet fabric.

The man controlling the steering wheel laughed. His thick bushy beard quaked as he chuckled. “You’ll get used to the heat soon, Davis.”

The Nick Davis huffed. “But still – The Ministry of Alchemy and Mystics should just send its own people instead of tapping into the Armed Forces stationed in Myron. They’re the ones investigating the case of the previous Great Apothecary. Why the hell do they have to drag us into it to clean up the additional troublemakers?”

“It is what it is, sonny,” the bearded man said. “Besides, I’ve been serving for almost two decades now and the Department of Defense wants to show off everytime the Ministry looks bad.”

“But Sergeant Hoffer, if the guys in DD really want to drag the Ministry’s magic-weilding asses down, shouldn’t they investigate the new Great Apothecary?” The younger male straightened himself up on his chair. He flipped the computer’s lid open and verified their coordinates on their screen before returning to the conversation. “I mean, isn’t it obvious that Asha Claire was involved with Silas Fidi in the Elisium case?”

Tyler Hoffer hummed. “Well. There are some things that even the all-powerful Defense Department can’t touch without solid evidence. Either that, or they’re in cahoots with each other.”

The man scratched his beard with one hand before giving the man sitting beside him a meaningful look. “But you should probably pay less attention to that, Nick. Or else the Major General’s gonna start talking your ear off about your duties as a navigator.”

A gruffy but husky laugh erupted from the back of the truck. A man in his fifties opened the window that separated the back from the front of the vehicle and popped his head through it. He had a squarish face that was pinkish in hue and a slightly crooked nose that pointed down to thin lips. He had white hair that was trimmed in a standard military cut and white bushy eyebrows. If he had grown his hair out and sported a mustache with a white beard, he would either pass as Santa Claus or the figurehead of a chicken restaurant that was famous all around the world.

“I’ll have a craic at it, sure,” the man said. “But I won’t act the maggot. It’s my last deployment so let’s make sure nothing goes arseways.”

The two men in the front of the truck stiffened and cleared their throats.

“Major General Ironcrest,” they managed to croak.

Neart Ironcrest returned to his seat but continued talking. “Don’t worry. I won’t take the piss out on you. Let’s just get home safe. Me wife’s going to give me the boss-eyes if she replaces a scratch on me.”

The men continued on their journey in silence. The white-haired male crossed his arms and focused on the sounds and scents that surrounded their vehicle. The sand and rock made for a slightly rough yet tolerable ride yet the smell of sweaty oozing from grown men was something that made the trip even more unpleasant. However, Neart Ironcrest had learned how to ignore the strong masculine odor a long time ago. After all, he had spent half his life around the company of soldiers. A scene – and a scent – like this wasn’t anything uncommon to him.

The exterior of their vehicle suddenly shook. Multiple shots echoed from the outside and were absorbed by the armor of their military truck. An expletive escaped Corporal Davis’s mouth.

“We’re being shot at!”

The soldiers inside the vehicle automatically raised up their firearms and prepared to dismount the vehicle at a moments notice. Neart Ironcrest readied his rifle by his side and tapped at the glass window separating him from the head of the truck. “What’s your visual? How’s our vehicle holdin’ up?”

“About twenty men, all armed. Judging by their clothing, they’re all mercs, Sir. The car’s doing fine and our vehicle’s been upgraded with the new military-grade plasma coating so their firearms can’t do a damn thing,” Sergeant Hoffer replied. “Your orders?”

“Plow through ’em, Sergeant,” Neart Ironcrest said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed on to his seat to steady himself. “Corporal Davis, replace me the nest of these maggots. The rest of you lot, get ready for some action!”

A chorus of 'Yes Sir's erupted from inside the vehicle. The military truck automatically sped towards the group of attackers, spun on its axis and did a 360-degree turn, kicking up clouds of dust as it moved. The group of mercenaries dispersed and jumped out of the way. The men attempted to regroup and began making their way towards the car as they fired at the vehicle.

Unknown to them, the soldiers had dismounted the vehicle the moment it swerved through the sand. They used the cloud of dust as their cover and jumped out of the truck the same moment the mercenaries had scattered. As the mercenary group advanced towards the military truck, the soldiers crawled towards them on the desert ground in silence.

The mercenary group surrounded their vehicle. A few of the irregularly clothed men circled towards the back, their guns raised. Yet before they could get to the steel doors of the armored vehicle, a series of yells and curses made them turn their necks around. They didn’t have time to fire their guns. The next moment, they were lying down on the sand with blood dripping out of their bodies. None of them had time to understand what was happening. It all ended in an instant.

Neart Ironcrest studied the men that were all wearing bullet proof vests over loose clothing that covered most of their skin. Black scarves covered their faces. He knelt beside the nearest corpse and pulled the face mask down. A bearded face with brown skin greeted him. Just as he was studying the gun in the man’s hands, Corporal Davis hopped out of his seat and gave him a salute.

“Sir. Satellite imagery shows a makeshift camp that’s about three kilometers away from here,” Davis soldier reported. “I compared the feed with a few historical shots and it seems it’s been sitting there for about a month. Do we head over there first?”

“Aye. We should clean it up and clean it good,” Neart Ironcrest replied. “Do these guns look familiar to ya?”

The Corporal knelt down to look at the gun. His eyes widened in surprise. “These are... the modified models the Defense Division have been confiscating since last year.”

“Yep. Question is, from whose arses are they coming’ from?” Major General Ironcrest sighed. “Tell the boys to confiscate ’em and let’s head out to their nest. Bet there’s more where that came from.”

Neart Ironcrest stood inside a tent and gazed at the crates of guns and ammo that were stored inside it. Corporal Nick Davis stood right beside him and was busy taking photographs of the scene. Outside, Sergeant Tyler Hoffer was wrapping up the cleanup operation with the rest of the soldiers. A few of their men were currently being treated in an adjacent tent while a few of the other soldiers were busy scouting the rest of tents the mercenary group had set up close to an oasis.

“Aside from the rations, they have a few canteens of alcohol, cases of bullets and magazines, modified firearms, and boxes of contraband, Sir.” The young corporal muttered under his breath and tucked the tablet computer in his arm. “I’ll have someone load these in the truck. Permission to order the kids around and return to reading the comics?”

“Comics? Is the map that bad?” Neart Ironcrest raised an eyebrow.

The younger soldier gave him a grave look. “I would rather read poorly translated Japanese comics on dial-up connection than look at the map, Sir.”

A series of gunshots echoed outside the quiet encampment. The two officers ran outside the tent and saw a soldier running towards them. The soldier gave them a salute and quickly relayed the information he was tasked to deliver to Major General Ironcrest.

“Sir! We found two children and we’re currently trying to restrain one of them.”

Neart Ironcrest and Corporal Davis followed the man towards the source of the commotion. The Major General’s face turned a few shades dark when he heard the word children. “Children? And you shot at the wee brats?”

“No, Sir,” The soldier quickly replied. A guilty look flashed on his face. “He-, the boy, shot us.”

“He shot you? He shot you with a gun?” Corporal Davis halted in his steps. He ran after the two males who went ahead and yelled. “How the hell did the kid get a gun?!”

The soldier’s complexion turned pale. “He’s a Spellcaster, Sir. A fire spell leapt from his hand and he wrenched a gun from the nearest soldier’s hands. The men have him surrounded. We’re waiting for your orders to put him down.”

“Corporal, how many of our men have experience with Spellcasters?” Neart Ironcrest paled. The blank look on Corporal Davis’s face made the older man increase his pace. He cursed. “If you don’t know what arseways is, this is it.”

They arrived at a tent that had a gaping hole that was singed on the edges. Neart Ironcrest went in with Corporal Davis hot on his heels. Sergeant Taylor Hoffer was waiting inside. The Major General scanned the tent’s interior to check just what the fuss was about. Neart’s mouth hung open as he stared at the young boy in front of him who was holding a gun.

The lad was stick thin, with bony hands and dirty clothing that was almost coming apart from the seams. The child had a messy blonde mane that made him look like a lion. But the wild look in his vibrant azure eyes was accompanied by another emotion Neart Ironcrest was well acquainted with after spending too many years in his line of work that tempted the Grim Reaper often.

Fear.

The child was afraid. Even though his bright blue orbs shone with a blazing fire, it could never hide the shaking of his hands or the way his pupils dilated in the dim lightning of the tent. It was a normal emotion for someone faced with a group of men pointing their guns at you. It was the same look a few weak-hearted recruits had when holding a live gun for the first time. It was the same look his soldiers had given him after they had made their first kill.

Neart Ironcrest took a deep breath. “Everyone except Sergeant Hoffer, get out. Quietly.”

The people who had originally crowded in the tent left. Even Corporal Davis begrudgingly made his exit after seeing the look on Neart Ironcrest’s face.

The boy looked at him with a heated gaze and growled. “Where’s Aria?!”

“Aria?” A white eyebrow rose. The soldier that had approached him earlier had mentioned replaceing two children yet only one was standing before him. The senior officer stared at the bearded male beside him.

Seargent Hoffer cleared his throat. “She was in worse condition than he was. Someone carried her to the medics, Sir.”

The answer seemed to placate the boy. He stared at Seargent Hoffer and pointed the gun at the adult. The semi-automatic shook in his bony hands. “I want to see her.”

“Sir.” Sergeant Hoffer croaked. He inched close to the Major General’s side and whispered to his ear. “The children were found tied and starved. We estimate that they’ve had little to no food or water in the last three days. When we took the girl to the medics, she looked like she was on her last breaths. She might not make it.”

“You’re lying!” The boy roared. He had heard everything. The semi-automatic shook in his bony hands. “Where is she!?”

Neart Ironcrest studied the boy and turned to face his subordinate. “Go and get her, Sergeant.”

Sergeant Hoffer looked conflicted. “But Sir, If I leave you without any backup-”

“Go and get the girl. I know how to deal with Spellcasters, you wanker.” The senior officer cut him off. “At least give ’em a chance to say goodbye. You’re dismissed.”

Major General Ironcrest turned to look at the young boy and completely disregarded the other male who left with a conflicted look plastered on his face. The adult and the child stared each other in silence until the boy with azure orbs spoke.

“She’s not going to die.” The youth’s voice was full of confidence, Neart Ironcrest almost believed him.

“If you think that way, then maybe she won’t.” The man’s voice softened.

The boy replied with a huff, but the tension inside the tent had lessened. Neart Ironcrest continued to observe the young male with blonde hair as they waited for Sergeant Hoffer to return.

“Where’s your family, lad?” The man asked.

The boy didn’t reply. His blue eyes gazed elsewhere, almost like he was trying to see beyond the tent and into the horizon. Neart Ironcrest guessed the boy’s parents had died in the hands of the mercenaries, or he had been orphaned the day he was born. The Military officer sighed and changed the topic.

“Is the lass your sister?”

Blue eyes glinted. The boy turned towards him. “Aria? Somewhat.”

A white bushy eyebrow rose up. “You’re not related?”

“Doesn’t matter. She’s the only family I got,” the boy grumbled.

Neart Ironcrest took a deep breath. He had seen too many scenes like this. He had seen too many children turned into orphans once their parents died in the battlefield. It was the main reason why he and his wife didn’t have any kids. He was afraid he’d leave them brokenhearted when it was his time to perish in the line of duty.

Yet, he couldn’t help but feel that the house he came home to was becoming more and more quiet as the years passed by. His fear didn’t stop him from yearning for small voices to fill the house with their laughter. Yes, he loved his wife. Yes, they had decided not to have children. But the gap that neither he nor his wife could fill confronted him everytime he went home.

Neart Ironcrest heard the flap behind him opening. He turned. “How was it, Hoff-”

The man clamped his mouth shut. Instead of Sergeant Hoffer, a small female with long brown hair trudged into the tent. She looked worse for wear, her cheeks were slightly sunken, and her back looked like it would snap at any moment. But the girl took purposeful strides towards the boy who looked at her with wide eyes. The small female took the gun from his hands and smacked him on the head with her other hand.

“Stupidus,” she said. “I told you not to cause trouble.”

“You’re okay,” the boy whispered. “They said that you were going to die.”

Neart Ironcrest watched as the boy visibly stiffened before clearing his throat. “Of course, I didn’t believe them.”

The small girl didn’t make a peep. She turned around with the gun in her hands and looked up at the soldier who looked at her in silence. Black orbs which seemed as unfathomable and infinite as the night sky stared at him. The look on her face was calm – vigilant. Neart Ironcrest met her gaze and found himself captivated by her obsidian eyes. It was almost as if an inexplicable and primordial force was tugging at his soul.

“Here.” The single word broke Neart Ironcrest’s trance and man found a submachinegun being shoved in his hands. Without further ado, the girl turned towards the boy who nodded at her and took her hand.

“Let’s go.”

Neart Ironcrest froze at the words. The wrinkles on his face deepened. “Bollocks. Where do you think you’re going?”

The boy returned to glaring at him with intensity. “Away from here.”

“Load of shite.” The Major General crossed his arms. “You look like the wind’s gonna blow you over and yet you’re saying you’re going out?”

At that moment, Sergeant Hoffer walked into the tent. When he had arrived at the tent where their medic was, he couldn’t replace the child he was looking for and headed back to where Neart Ironcrest was. Instead of saying the words that were hanging on his tongue, the Sergeant watched in silence as the two men – one young and one old, were locked in a staring contest that was more intense than the desert heat.

The bearded man looked down an found a girl with black orbs staring up at him. Something clicked inside his head. He cleared his throat. “You’re Aria?”

The girl nodded and promptly returned to spectating. When it seemed like the two males weren’t stopping anytime soon, the girl took a deep breath, tugged on the blonde-haired boy’s sleeve and spoke.

“We’re not part of the mercenaries. We’re not part of your group. We don’t have a reason to stay,” she said while facing the two adults clad in camouflage patterned military suits.

Neart Ironcrest was tongue-tied. She had a point.

The boy wore a triumphant smirk on his face. The Senior Military officer felt a migraine was coming on. He cleared his throat and looked at Sergeant Hoffer. “Do we have specific instructions with regards to something like this?”

“Follow SOP, Sir. We’ll have to detain them.” Sergeant Hoffer replied.

The older man coughed.

The two children standing in front of them didn’t like the sound of that.

Neart Ironcrest’s head throbbed. If he didn’t let them go, the two kids would have to be detained indefinitely, undergo a military investigation, and be sent to either a reformatory institution or sent to a juvenile prison back in Myron. If he did let them go, the two wouldn’t last a week in the dessert and that would be equivalent to leaving them out to die.

He muttered under his breath. “That’s just feckin’ cla.”

The bearded soldier gave him a weird look. “What does that mean, Sir?”

Neart Ironcrest wasn’t in the mood to explain. “Just shut up. You brats sit your arses down! You too, Hoffer. Sit down and let me think.”

The boy with blue eyes looked like he was about to risk it all and escape from the tent when a small hand wrapped around his wrist and forced him to stay put. Two children and one adult sat down in the tent and stared at Neart Ironcrest who now had a red face that contrasted with his white hair.

The Major General took a deep breath, pulled a seat for himself and massaged his temples. His gaze fell on the two children who were exchanging looks while whispering in hushed tones. For some reason, he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving them behind, nor could he accept leaving them in the hands of the military. A part of him was telling him not to leave them alone – that turning his back on the two children right in front of him was going to become his biggest regret.

Black orbs caught his observant gaze. The girl named Aria blinked yet chose to stare at him in silence. Beside her, the boy nudged her with his elbow and whispered in her ear.

“We should just steal their food and run away with it.”

Unfortunately for him, his words were easily heard by the sensitive ears of the two adults in the room.

Sergeant Taylor Hoffer coughed his lungs out.

Neart Ironcrest’s lips twitched.

The young girl seemed to have caught the minute movement and her lips formed a small smile. She leaned towards the blonde-haired male and spoke in a hushed yet audible voice. “Leon, didn’t you say stealing was bad?”

Blue eyes widened. The boy began sweating buckets. He straightened his back, crossed his arms around his chest, and looked the other direction.

“Stealing? Who’s stealing? I’m not stealing anything,” he said. He didn’t even bother lowering the volume of his voice.

“You just said so,” she rebutted.

Leon stood up and hissed. “I DID NOT!”

The girl narrowed her eyes. “Did, too.”

“Did not!”

“Did too.”

“DID NOT!”

“Did...too.”

Neart Ironcrest’s laughter boomed in the tent. The two children fell into silence as the older man guffawed and almost rolled out of his seat. The boy named Leon and Sergeant Taylor Hoffer stared at him like he had grown another head. The girl merely watched like a curious bystander enjoying the show.

The laughter subsided. The man took a deep breath. Three pairs of eyes were glued to his head. He resisted the urge to sigh.

After this mission, whatever happened in Ara Desert was something he would eventually have nothing to do with him. He was going to be a free man with too much free time on his hands. Even though his life felt slightly empty, he had his wife he loved and a quiet little house. He needed to come to a decision, even if that meant leaving the children behind.

But did he really need to leave the children behind?

He enjoyed the laughter. He enjoyed the bickering. No one was stopping him from enjoying it again.

Neart Ironcrest spoke slowly, to make sure the other adult male in the tent understood what he was going to say. “I’m taking them back with me.”

Sergeant Hoffer scratched the chin under his beard. “So, we’re detaining them?”

Neart Ironcrest shook his head. “No. I’m taking them back with me. To Myron.”

Sergeant Hoffer’s eyes widened. “Sir, that’s not legal.”

The Major huffed. “Why? You gonna tell on me?”

The bearded man waved his hands in front of him. “No, Sir. But-”

“Then, will the boys outside tell on me?” Neart Ironcrest challenged.

“Of course not, Sir! They adore you so they won’t-”

“If you won’t tell, and they won’t tell, then what’s the problem?” The older man put his hands on his waist and stood up. “Stop acting the maggot. I know a few fellas who wouldn’t mind pulling a few strings. If everyone keeps the secret, then all’s well that ends well, yeah?”

He left Sergeant Hoffer with the other man’s mouth hanging open and turned to the two children who seemed to be having problems following the conversation. Neart Ironcrest cleared his throat. “In other words, I’ll be bringing you back home. What do you say?”

Black orbs left his gaze and stared at the boy beside her. The boy’s eyebrows crunched. Neart Ironcrest remembered how the lad had mentioned something about stealing their food and added, “My wife’s a good cook so there’ll be a lot of food to go around the house.”

Blue eyes blinked. A few seconds later, he nodded his head. The girl beside him simply smiled and said nothing more.

Neart Ironcrest’s face sported a huge grin. He ignored Sergeant Hoffer’s nagging and told his troops that they were heading out. Five days later, they were back in the desert sands and headed off to Myron. But this time, two little people were sleeping soundly in the military truck while the muscular men around them watched over them in silence like stalwart guardians watching over their charge.

Neart Ironcrest smiled.

It was time for him and for the two little fellas to go home.