That World Called Zerigoph: The War's End

Chapter 35

The lab was dark and cool. James squinted, trying to see anything beyond the room the portal barely illuminated. After a few moments and some heavy blinks, James found why the room was dark. The door was dented in, anything beyond it obscured with a boulder and a new wall of stone. He looked around slowly. The chalkboard leaning on the desk was still untouched, bearing his shoddy, handwriting note "Ai em uv Erth". His fingers grazed the top of the metal desk. There was no dust, the air thin in the room. The medical examination bed was crooked, suggesting a sudden floor shift, or someone smashing into it as they fled. James looked back at the desk, untouched for decades. His fingers fiddled with the handle on the top right drawer. Locked. He crouched down, reading the lock in the portal light. He thought for a moment, the symbols translating in his head.

2734. It unlocked, the click rusted and strained. Of course, he smiled, of course that's the number you picked. The order that sent us into the desert. He took a breath and pulled out the drawer, the metal squeaking against itself and struggling to open from age. Inside were notebooks, a paper, and something else. James cocked his head, gently taking the engraved coin from the drawer. He flipped it over in his fingers. Rachel had kept it all those years, taking from the pants he left when he jumped. He placed it gently on the desktop, taking out the notebooks. Their pages were fragile with old ink. It was his work, but not his handwriting.

Of course, he thought, she was the copier. When his books and all other evidence of him was burned, she must have been the one given the job of copying. She was probably the only one that could read his handwriting. And she'd volunteered, knowing Rachel. The coin was enough evidence of that, and the blackboard she'd tried to protect from him when he'd come back. There were tabs all throughout the notebooks, tiny notes and immortalized thoughts sticking out. He placed them gently on the desktop, taking out the aged paper. It wouldn't be his suicide note, they'd have burned that with his name tags. He tilted the notes towards the glow of the portal, his heart swelling at her handwriting. His eyes skimmed it briefly before he turned to the army of tabs sticking out of the notebooks. Of course you would, he thought, his chest tight as he turned to read the note.

Frovlo James.
Hello James.
Pa uuxo le chon haj od ta uuxo vod, peku ai manai dav ta nem vabaxa.
It was a long time since you were here, and I feel you won't return.
Ai pasho komaid ta uu sanguxo. Ai pasho komaid nem akimoxo le gut ta abog.
I hope for you to be saved. I hope for the war didn't hurt you too much.
Ai chikotixi dak komaid shongu tigeba. Shongu gadan.
I'm writing this for to say goodbye. To say sorry.
Ai wargoxo komaid dak stavi komaid ain abajio ayo ped vodaj ai cheso fogu pa.
I fought for this portal for my forever life, but now I need to leave it.
Konsuu fraglan wuk pargexi le pox lo. Pa'uu guv ai fogaxi vodaj, pogup tinemga shinxo.
We're dangerous of people finding her. It's only me remaining now, everyone else went.
Shonguxo ai ta dav jalaxa ai pa. Le up paks nem tobsha uu dav sanguxi ai pa le noizog somat ai tobsha lut.
I told you that I will handle it. The thing they don't know is that I'm protecting it the only way I know how.
Tilag wuk lem pox tobsha boso lo, lo nem uuxo sanguxo.
Continuously if people know about her, she won't be saved.
Ai trakxo le agoba basa le bogon. Lem kanlat shekxa kenge, peku pogup shinxa.
I cut the life of the building. The sounds will begin soon, and everyone will go.
Ai foguxa aso paks, kog dak uu stobroxo. Ai pashoxo shongu tigeba dan tan enardo, ped pa nem jalaxa.
I'll leave with them, after this is locked up. I wanted to say goodbye to your face, but it won't happen.
Ai pashoxo shongu ta tai jalaxo abaika ta peku le tinog haj ta vobroxo.
I wanted to tell you what happened between you and the next time you came.
Ai pargexo noizog choka pox ped ai spaksaexo ai-apoglo. Pargexa paks ai tinoj aso stategana ped nem pargexa paks lo.
I found some bad people but I saved myself. They will find me again with potential, but they won't find her.
Ai banaxo le kakaniko o ta komaid le chon haj. Flagroxo paks ta peku apeganaxo ta, ped ai chegoxo kob.
I hid an answer from you for a long time. They burned you and destroyed you, but I looked first.
Ai klajanxo tax chikoto, dav uuxo ain mamo. Ai chegoxo tan chikoto. Ai uuxo shonguxo chego komaid abo chikoto basa ta.
I made your notes, that was my job. I saw your file. I was told to look for any more notes of you.
Qene pajonoxo paks kons, paks damaskixo kong kolo. Shonguxo paks kons tai kons uuxo peku lut kons uuxo yakboxa.
When they took us, they tested our blood. They told us what we were and how we could help.
Paks uuxo timonlo dan ta. Ta nem uu human, James, ta nem uu basa earth.
They lied to you. You are not human, James, you are not of earth.
Ta uuxo klajanxo vod. Ta ayowxo vod. Le kolo lumoxo doso lem kidugo uu human.
You were made here. You lived here. The blood fell within the numbers to be human.
Ped dav uuxo kob kons tobshaxo.
But that was before we knew.
               ta
Sano                . Ta uu le Incarnation. Ta nem uu timonlo. Ta nem pajonoxo. 
              Kazik
(You/Kazik) belong to (You/Kazik). You are an Incarnation. You are not a liar. You did not steal.
Kazik nem uu le chigo bom komaid ta ken uu pa ai - Kazik uu tan gadu.
Kazik is not a planet two for you like it is me - Kazik is your home.
Ai pasho tik ta ta-apoglo komaid shalaxi ken tikxo ai ta.
I hope you forgive yourself for flying like I forgave you.
              Kazik
Sano                 uu dasa. Pasho ai ta jaga le agoba ayowa. Pasho ai ta parge tai ta chegoxi komaid. 
              ta
(You/Kazik) deserve to be in (You/Kazik). I hope you to have a good life. I hope you find what you're looking for.
Aje ai ta, James.
Rachel Richter (Toulouse)