Epilogue, Part I

Five years later.

"Today's the day. Are you ready, Aaron?" asked Lucian. They were gathered at the bottom of a flight of black quartz steps leading up to a stone platform that rose twenty meters into the air. The entire structure was shaped like the lower half of a pyramid. Standing at each corner of the platform was a stone pillar topped with a stone bowl. A strong fire flickered in each, sending wavy columns of smoke into the air. An altar with a giant obsidian bowl was at the center, along with a series of peculiar items—some vials, some powders, some unknown objects—laid out in a straight line on the side. Runes and symbols were carved into the stone altar, and elaborate symbols painted in red formed a circle on the ground around the altar.

Around the platform was a field of green grass. If someone looked carefully, they would see a circular magic boundary, two hundred meters in diameter, that was glowing faintly. At the outer edge of this large circle was a ring of red roses, all in bloom. Beyond that was a large crowd of people—Rosewood Elders, curious townspeople, travelers from all over the kingdom, and the families of the surviving Rosewood Four and Katherine.

The day was clear and sunny, without a single cloud in the sky or even the slightest breeze. Madeline's predictions for favorable conditions were on point. According to her, today was the best day to perform the ritual and cast the spell that should bring Katherine home.

Five years ago, the surviving members of the Rosewood Seven returned to their hometown as heroes. They were all bestowed the highest honors of the kingdom. Lionel received recognition and honors as well, for his unwavering support of the Rosewood Seven and his selfless actions in the invasion of Lord Victor's stronghold. Celebrations for the defeat of Lord Victor went on for days across the kingdom. Every man, woman, and child knew the names of the Rosewood Seven and the tales of the Destined Three. Aaron, Indigo, Rachel, and Lucian were offered positions to be the next Rosewood Elders, though they all declined, saying that they were nowhere ready to become leaders of the kingdom. 'Perhaps later,' the current Rosewood Elders agreed. 'When they are ready.'

But while there was happiness, there was also grief. Three out of the seven families wore black for mourning. Two raised funeral pyres. Visiting Ashley, Jason, and Katherine's families and delivering the news was hard for the survivors. Although no one blamed them, Indigo, Aaron, Rachel, and Lucian felt responsible, in some way, for the deaths of their friends. Aaron and Indigo felt especially responsible for Katherine's disappearance, and Aaron swore he would bring her back. Katherine's family desperately clung to the hope that there was some way for their daughter to return to them, and so did the surviving members of the Rosewood Seven.

In the days after, the chosen ones carried out their own plans. Burial mounds were created for Ashley and Jason, although their tombs only held their clothing and swords. The tale of the first Rosewood Seven was made known, and the world was shocked. Even the Rosewood Elders were horrified to learn of what their predecessor had done. Spearheaded by Indigo and Aaron, a monument was erected for the first Rosewood Seven and Bianca. Their story was written into the lesson plans of every school, alongside the Rosewood Prophecy and the tale of the second group of chosen ones. This ensured that the names of Caspian, Hugo, Atticus, Gemma, Marcellus, Annalise, Bianca, and Victor would never be forgotten again.

At first, the Elders were hesitant about including Victor's name on the monument. He was the evil lord, they argued. He didn't deserve the recognition reserved for heroes. But Indigo and Aaron stood their ground.

"It was Lord Victor who terrorized the world, but it was Victor who went on a quest and helped defeat the previous evil lord." Aaron stated firmly. "It was Victor who watched his friends die at the hands of people he trusted. He was forced to become Lord Victor by the unfortunate circumstances."

"Of course, it does not excuse the horrific crimes he committed against Crystallea," Indigo added. "But Victor and Lord Victor are different. After all the injustices Victor suffered, does Victor not deserve redress? Would we be any different from Kendric if we didn't tell history exactly how it happened and rectify the sins of our ancestors?"

Even after the Elders relented, a lot of people did not, and could not, understand why Victor's name was on the monument, or why the chosen ones fought so hard to get Victor justice. Shouldn't they hate the person who caused them so much pain? Shouldn't they hate the evil lord, especially after fighting him and losing their friends to him? Lucian was one of them. When he discovered that Aaron had gone as far as to create a burial mound for Victor and Bianca, he was furious. He sought out Aaron, who was sitting beside the grave, and let loose his anger on his one remaining best friend.

"Aaron, have you gone mad? Lord Victor was the reason why Ashley and Jason died. He prevented Katherine from coming out of the portal in time. Hell, he cost me both of my legs!" Lucian pointed at the metal prosthetics he now had with a shaking finger. He and Aaron had never gotten into an argument before, but now he was yelling at Aaron. "We suffered so much because of him. I let you create a burial mound for the first Rosewood Seven, no questions asked. I even supported you and Indigo when you two wanted to include his name on the monument. But why does he deserve his own grave?! I think we should crush his ashes and fling them into the wind so that he may never rest!"

Aaron didn't speak for a long time. He looked at the wildflowers growing beside the tombstone, waving in the wind. When he spoke, his voice was tired. "For the last time, Lucian, Victor is different from Lord Victor. Victor just wanted to be with the girl he loved, and Kendric took that away from him. Don't you think they at least deserve to be together in death?

Lucian heard the underlying sadness in his best friend's voice. His anger diminished, but he still couldn't agree. "But Aaron, Victor is Lord Victor, and you can't just—"

"It's what Kath would have done." Aaron cut Lucian off. He looked into the distance, toward where the peaks of the Northern Mountains were barely visible on the horizon. "It's what she would have wanted."

Lucian closed his mouth. What could he possibly say to that? Aaron had not been the same ever since losing Katherine, and as his best friend, Lucian saw and felt the drastic difference the most. He worried about Aaron, who didn't speak more than ten words to anyone for the first two weeks, who hadn't smiled in the way he used to, who lost his playful and outgoing personality. Although they all grieved the loss of Katherine, Aaron hurt the most. Lucian couldn't even imagine the pain that Aaron was going through, and he didn't want to. His heart hurt too much every time he tried to replace Katherine with Rachel in his what-if situations.

Lucian sighed and sat down beside Aaron. "Katherine will come home," Lucian said quietly. "We'll bring her home."

Aaron stayed silent, his eyes looking past all of Crystallea and through the snow-filled mountain passes of the Northern Mountains into the empty throne room of Lord Victor's stronghold, where Katherine let go of his hand and disappeared. 'I will bring her home,' Aaron told himself. 'I promised.'