The Eleventh Eternal

EPILOGUE

The Domo

Three Weeks after Emergence

My eyes slowly opened, taking in a long breath before I dug my head into my pillow a bit more to wake up in my bed.  I was facing the window of my room, seeing the small cluster of stars right outside the ship as we were floating in space.  There was no real sense of time there on the ship, but my body was telling me it was early in the morning.  It was early, and I was hungry.

I watched the stars coast by, feeling the bedsheet that was around my waist against my skin and my pajamas.  I stretched out my legs.

This was the first thing that I would see in the morning, every morning since we took on the Domo to find other Eternals that could be out in the cosmos.  I never thought I would be back on this ship, since the last time I slept on this ship I ended up leaving in anger and pain.  But time had passed and those wounds were calloused over.  Although the walls haven't changed, we all changed.

There used to be eleven souls on this ship, and now there were four.

Phastos, as a last-minute gift for the four of us taking over the Domo, made some modifications inside the ship that would work out for all of us.  It was a great gift from him, having me feel forever grateful for his friendship.  He was excited to give us a mini-tour of the Domo, showing a crafting and art room for me, a gym and training room for Thena to fight and practice in daily even a mini greenhouse for her to plants some fruits and herbs to help her mind ease, a small library with a study for Druig to skim over the books and documents that Makkari swiped in the past, and a Recreation Room to keep Makkari busy and occupied.

Another modification that was added was some modern technology within the ship.  Phastos loved updating our kitchen and living areas, and he planted a permanent homing device for those who stayed behind on Earth.  It was a good thought to do since we were going to stay in contact with them, keeping an eye on them from afar.  It was nice that they were all phone call away.

We all took to our old rooms.

Thena, although not as outwardly pleased with Makkari's relationship with Druig, was still just as happy. I knew she knew how Makkari felt for him for some time, and she was quite proud that the two were both happy with one another.  I read it on her face as she watched them from afar, and I knew it was painful for her at times since she was thinking of Gilgamesh. Her husband.

I knew she missed him and his company, his constant dedication for her and keeping her connected to reality.  Yet now she was still strong, no longer feeling fragile and damaged without Gilgamesh.  After she killed the advanced Deviant, her inner strength was back up again.  I was proud of her.

I walked out of the room. The hallway was nice and quiet, the old rooms of our old comrades were silent and showed no sign of life.  We decided not to touch them at all, almost as a remembrance of our friends.  Thena's door was closed, having me place a gentle hand on her door as a silence. "Good morning".  She never kept her door open, always wanting to have her moments of peace in her own quarters.  Then I walked by Makkari's room, seeing that her door was opened slightly and the sound of snoring was heard.  I couldn't help but poke my head inside, seeing Makkari asleep with a book in her hand as she was lightly snoring in her bed and curling up under her covers.  I had to grin, knowing how Makkari would read herself to sleep from time to time just to quiet her mind down. Then I went passed by Druig's room hearing him snoring.

I walked down the dark hallway towards the kitchen and main living area, my bare feet touching the cool marble ground as I was wearing a black sweatshirt and plaid pajama pants.  Ruffling my hair as I yawned, I was floating through Phastos's lab and seeing the hologram of the planet Earth.  It was slowly rotating, showing three beacons blinking in three different parts of the planet.  I touched one of the workstation tables with the tips of my fingers to activate the ship.