BONUS CHAPTER i. award ceremony

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Issac looked critically at the 3D image of himself that modeled the clothes that he had considered wearing to the capital today.

He let out a sigh as the pictographic copy of himself walked in circles, slowly turning so that Issac could view every inch of the navy blue, eight piece suit he had chosen.

Somehow though, it all seemed wrong.

Suddenly frustrated, Issac looked to the side and walked away from the hologram, turning on his heel to face his bathroom door.

"Philip, if you don't get out of there right now, we are going to be late." Issac crossed his arms and tapped his right foot impatiently on the floor though he didn't really care for their punctuality at the moment.

"I know, I know!" Philip's agitation was muffled by the door before it opened to reveal the flustered eighteen year old as he emerged from the steamy room with only a towel tied around his waist.

"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly, water dripping from his still damp hair as he tried to explain, "I just-"

"It doesn't matter," Issac cut him off, his eyes raking down Philip's well toned body before his gaze stopped, lingering just above the towel, "just put on some clothes."

"Oh," Philip said, eyes still focused on Isaac's face before he realized what the other man had said. "Oh!"

The eighteen year old felt heat rush into his cheeks as he scampered to the dresser.

"Sorry." he spluttered, his hands swiping through the hologram projected by the furniture as he randomly selected some clothes to wear, not bothering to switch out of the preset options.

Due to his haste Philip ended up being dressed in dark jeans and a deep blue turtleneck, same as Issac.

He sat in front of the dressing table, fingers trembling as he took deep breaths to calm his heart while staring at his reflection in the mirror. "I'm just so nervous."

Issac stared at Philip for a moment, taking in the worry in the messenger's emerald eyes and the way he kept tugging at his hair, tangling his fingers in the dirty blonde strands.

It had been a little more than three months since they had been teleported out of Lacau. Just over three months since they had witnessed the aftermath of what they had later learnt was North's defense system getting activated.

The scene of countless limbs scattered on the ground and destroyed buildings flooded with running blue water had soon replaced the expected image of a sunny Auro.

The city's great gate had fallen, nothing but rubble amongst the rest.

Issac had clung to Philip like he was a lifeline as he watched all his worst nightmares come true in a matter of seconds. In front of them just some metres away had been Corey. The minister laid collapsed on the floor, his clothes soaked through with rainwater, his skin unbelievably pale.

What had happened when they were in Lacau?

The thought still haunted him. Even now when Dawn had taken up the post of minister for a week, guilt still overrode him. His father had been defending North with his life while he had been in Lacau on a scouting mission.

What type of son was he? What sort of captain?

Issac flicked his wrist, imagining a hair comb materializing between his fingers. It had taken a lot of work to get North back on it's feet. The activation of North's ultimate defense had crippled it's entire technological grid.

With it's systems down, injured citizens were stuck in the hospitals because their chips were not receiving enough medicine. The construction bots had to be reset as well because their control chips had all malfunctioned.

Issac walked to Philip, comb in hand as he pulled the boy's hands away from his hair. "I don't know what to wear." he admitted, running the comb through the unruly head of blonde hair.

"What?" Philip felt tingles where Issac's fingers brushed his neck and shivered, but the captain seemed not to notice.

"I don't know what to wear." Issac repeated, putting down the comb and watching it disintegrate into blue pixels. "I don't want to attend this ceremony."

"What?" At Issac words, Philip shot up and stared at him. "Why?"

"I don't want an award for something I didn't do."

The next words Philip wanted to say got caught in his throat and he looked away, fiddling with his fingers to distract himself. "Neither do I."

Today they were going to be the few being awarded for meticulous services during this war. For their bravery and the part they played in bringing the fighting to a swift conclusion, they would be rewarded.

But they hadn't done anything but survive. The hostage they had been commended for capturing didn't belong to them. The Intel they had recovered wasn't theirs.

"If anyone should be getting medals, it's Esau and Edythe," Issac said, his voice growing quiet, "not me."

But when the siblings had not followed them to the capital, the pair of soldiers had feared for the worst. Maybe the teleportation pod had crashed. Maybe it only had enough power to carry one batch altogether and they were still stranded in Lacau.

Whatever the reason was, Issac and Philip had no way of confirming if Esau and Edythe were still alive.

Philip had spent his first months after the incident at the hospital while Issac handled the affairs of both their families. They simply didn't have the time to go back to Lacau and search for the two children who they were told could possibly be the only ones who survived the attack on the towns. And North didn't have enough manpower to create another search party.

"We have to go." Philip said suddenly, turning away from the mirror, the lie he saw reflecting back at him too much to handle. "For them."

Issac looked at eighteen year old for a moment before nodding stiffly. "We'll take the medals on their behalf."

"And we'll give it to them," Philip continued, this time his voice light with hope, "when we see them again."

"Yeah." Issac said and met Philip's gaze.

They both looked away.

Neither of them believed what the other had said. There was no point in going to the award ceremony, it couldn't bring people back from the dead.

As Philip walked to the luxurious Auto Issac had rented for the occasion, he tried not to look back at the illusion the captain had created for him.

He forced a smile as he climbed up the steps that jutted out of the hovering Soarer and slid in next to Issac in the back seat.

"Are you okay?" Issac asked, looking overtly casual with his arm draped over the back of the seat and his gaze fixed on the news article floating above his watch.

The door of the Soarer slammed shut and Philip jumped at the sound. "Yeah. . ." a curl of his hair fell down his face and he turned to window. He looked back at the cottage they had both just stepped out of.

It was just like Issac had promised, a small thing lost in the beauty of nature. No one would ever bother them there. The stone house was quaint and elaborate, with great care taken to maintain it's ancient, homey state. It was nothing like the way houses were built nowadays.

Houses in North were made to conserve land space, using advanced technology to create more volume than the actual building could contain.

Philip watched as the scenery sped past, the trees lining the route slowly changing into lines of modern houses on each side of the road, each of the identical structures protected by shields.

The eighteen year old felt a pang of pain in his chest. There had been a time when the Tyndale Estate had been this prosperous.

"Hey," he felt a hand touch his and looked up to see Issac's reassuring smile, "things will be alright."

Philip didn't say anything as he thought about his recently deceased grandfather, and his own position now as the sole breadwinner of his struggling maternal family.

His cousins could barely keep their dwindling estate alive, much less return it to it's former glory. Even with the credits Philip earned as a messenger they were barely surviving.

The eighteen year old let Issac hold his hand, shifting closer to the older man and absorbing his warmth. "Thank you."

Before Issac could reply, another voice beat him to it.

"Approaching the exit of Westley Estate, destination required," the Soarer's computer chimed.

The captain circled his other hand around Philip's frame before replying the AI. "The capital building."

"Destination confirmed. Time of arrival estimated at fifty-five minutes."

Issac rested his chin of Philip's head and shut his eyes, his aura reeking of exhaustion. "You're welcome."

After a moment, Philip turned his gaze to Issac, taking in the softness of his friend's features and the dark circles under his closed eyes.

"Iza, I don't think I can get through this alone." Philip admitted, his voice hoarse, but Issac was already asleep. The eighteen year old gritted his teeth and returned his gaze back to the window. "But I guess I'll have to."

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Philip only became fully aware of his surroundings the moment Dawn pinned the golden medal to his uniform and the crowd below the stage applauded. The little metal felt so heavy against his chest but the sensation broke through the cloud of thoughts he had buried himself in.

The eighteen year old smiled. It was strained, but it was a smile nonetheless. He might not have wanted to be here but North needed this award ceremony, the citizens needed an excuse to be happy. . . for once since the incident. And they couldn't feel secure about their future if one of their 'heroes' was frowning on what was supposed to be the greatest day of his life.

From the moment he and Issac had reached the capital building, his vision had blurred.

As he gripped unto the captain's hand and walked to the packed auditorium, felt the stares of the audience and climbed up the stage, Philip felt as though he was part of the crowd and not the person that had been cowering behind Issac.

Someone else must have been in his body because he wasn't the one that flashed Issac that pathetically weak smile and walked off to his position at the end of the stage. He was the very last to be awarded due to his low rank and if he had been the one in control of himself he would have found a way to vanish into thin air.

Philip glanced nervously at the opposite end of the stage as Dawn stepped back and clasped her hands, turning to address the audience.

Most of the soldiers had decided to wear blue suits and he too had worn a color a shade lighter than Issac's.

Even though he was ousted as one in a dozen respected soldiers, it was nice to blend into the group. At least up here he was just another hero on stage.

"Thank you, everybody." Dawn started in an even voice and the applause died down. "Please be seated."

Philip winced as he watched over a thousand people release the tension from their standing bodies, trusting their seats to materialize beneath them at the right moment.

What if it doesn't? The inside of his mouth felt bitter as he imagined over a thousand people crashing into each other and the floor, the chaos the confusion would cause.

"Good afternoon, everyone. And welcome to the rebuilt Capital building now christened New Glory as a symbol of hope for the future of our nation," Dawn continued just as the people on both the ground and upper level of the auditorium were seated without any hassles.

Philip's nerves relaxed.

"Today, we pay tribute to the Northerners who have risked their lives to end the devastating war against North and the Genet, the species of foreigners who ambushed us at our weakest moment. And in doing so, they have earned our nation's highest military decoration, the Medal of Eminence.

"It is uncommon to have soldiers bestowed with this award because North's military was designed to be the best of the best and nothing less; no enemy we faced was ever a challenge so none of our soldiers had a proving ground for their mettle.

"In all of our nation's history only a dozen soldiers have had the honor of receiving this medal. . . but to have twelve exemplary men and women step up on the stage at the same time is simply extraordinary," some soldiers in the audience chuckled at the newly instated minister's words, "so it is no surprise that today we are joined by leaders from around the world, including the East's minister, Jeremiah August, and his son, Sebastian August, who came to our nation earlier as an ambassador."

Philip stiffened again, his pulse quickening as his eyes darted back and forth, examining the faces of the crowd. No, no. No!

He took a shaky step back as he spotted a man with salt and pepper hair rise from the second level of the auditorium and wave down to the rest of the audience at ground level, a miniature copy of him standing by his side almost immediately and repeating the action.

Philip felt his vision darken as Sebastian smiled in his direction, his hair slicked back and ruby red eyes as piercing as ever. It was only a passing glance but the eighteen year old couldn't stop the feeling of terror that coursed through his veins.

Unable to stop his trembling body from falling off the stage, Philip stayed frozen in fear, barely aware of the commotion caused by his unexpected descent as he blacked out.

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Hehe, enough drama for a sequel, don't you think?

What's up with Philip? Why do you think he is so terrified? (Some things have been hinted in the early chapters but it's pretty much still a mystery). ;)

Do you like this epilogue?
Did you enjoy the speech. . . it was a pain to write.

Spoiler alert: The upcoming (and last) epilogue is for the twins.

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