invincible, they swore an oath to live as pacifists. Governments across the globe would look to them for counsel and guidance.
I showed Georgio the page and he read it over my shoulder. His uniform smelled like every possible ingredient mashed into a milkshake.
“See,” he said. “Gorgoramus Ottallus. That’s me.”
He bowed his head politely and went off to have another crack at the famous breakfast special. I reread the paragraph on the Shay-men leader. He was described as a seven-foot-tall giant of a man with the kind eyes of a family dog. As wise as he was capable, and one of the most beloved leaders in Archetellos.
It only took fifteen minutes for Georgio to return with the plate of food. He put it down on the table as carefully as he would a newborn kitten. I observed him properly for the first time. His kind, old eyes waiting with expectation.
“Georgio. You’re a hero, man.”
“Well, I was once called that, yes.”
I glanced around the ramshackle laundromat that was masquerading as an eatery and tried to pair it up with the tales of Georgio that were told by the book.
“No disrespect, but I have to ask: what the hell are you doing here?”
Georgio just shrugged. “I have children, so I need a job. I am not strong any more so I cannot do the things I once did. Heroes, they are…” He waved a hand through the air in a dismissive manner. “When there was magic, I would share what I knew. Now, the magic is no more, so nobody needs to know about it. Instead, I ask myself – what do people always need?”
He straightened himself up and smiled with perfect teeth.
“Breakfast!”
I took that as my cue to bring my attention to the plate.
There was potentially even more mushroom soup than the first time. The tomatoes, as usual, were infused with the bread, and the black thing on the corner of the plate was no easier to identify.
With trepidation, I picked up my knife and placed it against the flesh of one of the eggs. I pressed down firmly, cutting it in two, and a burst of gooey, golden yolk flooded the plate. Georgio jumped on the spot.
“Yes! There you go! Happy?”
I took a fork-full and it was pretty darn good.
“Delicious,” I mumbled through a mouthful. He bowed and pulled a pad and pen from his apron to mark down the recipe of his success, then disappeared back into the kitchen.
I turned back to the last chapter of the manuscript. Though the book was intended to be educational, Edmund never held back from adding his opinions to the page. He’d written it for his students and his words were full of passion and care. By the end of the volume, I’d actually grown to like the old guy. I could almost forgive him for trying to suck the marrow from my bones.
Eventually, I got to the last page:
And thus, we enter this strange new world. A simpler world. It may not be as bright or as loud as the eons leading up to it, but this is the time that fate has chosen for us.
Life once felt so grand and meaningful. This new world is hushed. Diminished. Fleeting. Sometimes it feels like the last bubble that will burst and leave nothing behind.
There was always darkness. Though, there was always light to challenge it. Now that light is gone.
Do not try to be a savior because the old world cannot be saved. Do not try to be a hero of history because history is dead. Every pathway ever walked has been washed away and there is no map, no message, no gospel, no god. There is only you, alone in this darkness, deciding how to take your first step. If there is a future, that’s how it will be determined. Not by winning wars or medals or fame, but by searching out into the darkness and, when you find it, holding up the light.
It might have felt inspiring a week ago. Now, I could hear the conflict in him. All those words. All those lessons. Perhaps they weren’t for his students after all. He was trying to teach himself. Maybe he hoped if he said them enough times, with enough passion, those lessons might actually ring true.
I ate absently while I read. It was preferable not to look at what was at the end of the fork. The black thing turned out to be pretty tasty, whatever it was, and I managed to