The Eternal Winter - Book 1 - Epilogue (Patreon)

                                         Outside of the Planet Hall

Things weren’t supposed to turn out like this… why the hell did he have to sacrifice himself?!

“We have to save him!” Michelle shouts as she tries digging out the rubble of what used to be the planet hall. And Cynthia is struggling not to join her herself.

But she can’t.

Cynthia looks up at the two entities fighting while destroying the city, only to focus on the clashing fiery energy and cold energy in the air that’s both freezing and melting portions of the city alongside their fight.

“We have to go,” she mutters, feeling a stabbing pain in her chest from what she suspects is her heart breaking at the thought of abandoning her cousin.

Michelle doesn’t listen and instead continues trying to dig out the rubble, with little to no success. Instead ending up with bloody hands in the process without managing to move a single piece of rubble.

“Michael,” Cynthia mutters while glancing at Michelle’s twin, who quickly nods his head and begins to drag her away with some struggle.

Damnit…

Cynthia looks up at the battle between the entities for a moment again before frowning at the rubble in front of her. But after letting out a sigh and clenching her fist so hard that her fingernails dig into her palm, she turns around and begins leading her cousin’s team away from planet hall.

I will come back. And I will find you, Alex. I swear on that.

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The two entities continue battling for nearly an entire week, clashing back and forth seemingly with no end, and devastating the majority of the city in the process. Meanwhile the few remaining humans all abandon the city entirely, heading towards the neighboring cities and military bases instead.

Eventually the eternal winter around the planet begins to abate as part of the world fills with heat energy instead, making various large patches of eternal winter slowly pass over the world, with the remaining parts acting just like they were before the eternal winter came. And the two entities who were locked in battle for a week’s time?

Neither of them were seen again, presumed too injured to appear by the remaining humans of the planet.

However, one and a half weeks after the entities began battling, a group of three can be seen approaching the former planet hall. Amongst these three, one of them is wearing worn out military armor with the aura of a Tier 1 Symbiont Host, while the other two consist of a young girl with stark white hair and pitch black eyes ringed with glowing blue circles, and a large wolf whose fur is made partially out of ice.

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“Are you sure he’s still there?” Cynthia asks with a frown before adding, “And still alive?”

Cynthia had tried searching herself multiple times over the last week, but even with her strength as a Tier 1 Symbiont Host, she couldn’t dig enough, the rubble proving to be too much for her. And none of the other Symbiont Hosts at the military base she and the others had taken over to act as a base of operations and shared with a councilman who had apparently survived wanted to help her.

Damned selfish cowards are too afraid to risk their own lives going to the capital of the planet…

Ever since the battle, none of the survivors ever saw the beings again. Why that was true, no one knows. But some of the other survivors are assuming that the two creatures are slowly biding their time, recovering in planet hall or somewhere else in the capital.

So no one ever goes here.

The frozen ones returned in mass right after the entities vanished as well, so many assume that the frozen one won the battle. But Cynthia believes otherwise.

Why would there be so many warm patches on the planet now if the other one was actually defeated? It’s more likely they came to some sort of a draw.

“Yes,” the girl – Cynthia believes she introduced herself as Alexia – says, not saying any more than that.

The only reason Cynthia believed her in the first place was because she was with Snow, who Cynthia knew trusted Alex more than anything. So she couldn’t have been a bad person. And Snow herself seemed to be partially leading the way along with her, so Cynthia decided to trust them.

They better not be lying when they say they can sense his energy though…

The group continues walking until they reach the same spot that Cynthia had tried digging at before, making Cynthia frown at the sight of it. But they don’t stop there and instead continue moving a little bit further down until they find a small opening that shocks Cynthia into halting her steps.

This was here all this time!?

Alexia continues walking, ignoring the symbiont host as she enters the opening with Snow. Which serves to rush Cynthia into catching up, soon finding herself inside of the training hall. Or what’s left of it.

The princess then watches Alexia and Snow slowly begin picking up their pace, as if in a hurry as they get closer and closer to the center of what used to be the training hall, occasionally having to pause for the three to work together in clearing out rubble in their way. And eventually, they find a faint glowing blue light shining out from underneath a portion of the rubble, making Cynthia’s heart skip a beat.

Is it really him…? Please be him…

Cynthia picks up the pace as well until the three finally manage to unearth the source of the glowing light, finding Alex lying on his back with various massive wounds covering his torso, with even more spots on his body having been crushed underneath the rubble.

“No…” Cynthia mutters, feeling all the hope that had begun building up being pulled out from under her in an instant as she collapses to her knees next to him.

“He’s still alive,” the girl says before suddenly sobbing, making Cynthia’s hear shoot up to look at her with shock on her face. She then focuses on Alex’s body to realize that he wouldn’t be letting off a blue light if he were dead. So she gets closer and puts her hand to his neck, only to realize that wouldn’t work since he doesn’t have a heartbeat thanks to his artificial heart. So instead she moves her hand up to his mouth.

The moment she feels a very faint breathing pattern through her hand, tears begin to leak down from her eyes. But then her eyes are drawn to his wounds which she only now realizes are very slowly healing. At least, the bruises and wounds from the rubble.

Out of nowhere, Snow lets out a light growly whine sound and bumps her nose up against Alex’s hand.

I just hope the other wounds heal as well…

Cynthia shakes her head, snapping her out of her stupor as she reaches down to pick Alex up, the girl quickly helping her.

“Do you have anywhere to bring him?” Cynthia asks Alexia, knowing that bringing him to the base would be a bad idea in case the councilman ever found out about him.

The girl nods her head.

“Alright, then let’s head there,” Cynthia says, a light smile stretching across her face for the first time in who knows how long.

Don’t worry Alex, you’re not dying on my watch.

The three proceed to leave planet hall behind before heading in the direction of the city outskirts, where Alexia brings her to a bunker that is surprisingly still intact. She then points Cynthia to a bed and asks, “Can you leave him there?”

Cynthia does so, feeling slightly surprised by how calm the child is. But also taking some small measure of comfort as she realizes just how similar to Alex she is acting.

Just who is she anyways?

Her answer doesn’t come anytime soon, as soon after she puts Alex down, her terminal rings with a message that has her frowning. She then turns to the child and says, “Please watch over him whenever I’m gone. I have to deal with something at the base.”

The child nods but doesn’t take her eyes off of Alex as she clutches his hand.

Cynthia’s smile grows slightly at the sight.

I think he’ll be safe with her.

She then turns around and leaves the bunker.

Now I just have to deal with that idiot of a councilman…

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The Eternal Winter book 1 is now complete! Time to move on to book 2!

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