The Genesis Saga Chapter 221

Reya and Adrian stared at the holoscreen displaying the Tribunal in mute shock as Nessah finished her speech. They were gathered in the living room alongside Jyn and Kell, watching the news when the announcent interrupted their broadcast. For a mont, no one dared to believe that it was true.

For so long, the gru’ul had plagued everyone’s nightmares. Death, destruction, and pain beyond pale were constant companions to Jyn, Reya, and Adrian. Not a single night went by where they didn’t suffer. And now, it was over.

Just like that.

Months and years of living in fear, only to finally be safe once and for all. After suffering for so long by their hands, Adrian didn’t know what to feel now that the gru’ul had been declared eradicated. A twisted satisfaction that they’d all died to the orange chemical churned in his chest, warring with a deep emptiness now that the objects of his hatred were gone forever.

The experints perford on him and Reya were now moot, but the after-effects would forever haunt them both. Adrian stared at the holoscreen in a daze. The original news broadcast had returned, but the hosts were in just as much shock as he was.

Tears welled in his eyes, unbidden. The flurry of emotions was almost too much to handle. A gentle touch upon his arm snapped Adrian out of it before he broke down on the spot. Reya gave him a gentle squeeze, tears brimming in her eyes as well.

“They did it,” she said, choking up. “The gru’ul won’t hurt anybody ever again. We’re finally safe from them.” Reya never thought the day would co where she would feel such relief. What had happened to both her and Adrian had been awful beyond words. And now, she was certain never to suffer so again. Unlike Adrian, she dared to believe that Nessah spoke true.

“What if it’s a lie?” Adrian asked fearfully. A part of him was unwilling to accept that his problems had vanished so easily. He hadn’t needed to lift a finger since his return. It was too good to be true. He refused to believe it.

Reya shook her head. “It’s not,” she said gently, but with certainty. “That was a joint proclamation by the entirety of the Tribunal. There’s no way they would lie about sothing that important. I know in my bones that it’s the truth. So do you.”

Adrian sniffled and wiped the tears from his eyes. “I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s no way sothing that good could happen to .”

“I happened, didn’t I?” Reya said, flashing a cheesy grin. “The universe owes us after what we went through. We found each other and now we’ve found peace. For now, that’s enough for .”

The front door burst open before Adrian could respond and in rushed Tassie and Rann. They’d been on the ship and had also heard the speech. Already aware that half of the people present at the safe house were already gathered in the living room, they’d opted join them to talk about the bombshell announcent. On her way over, Rann and contacted Eimir, Beor, and Ava so that they could join as well.

“You all heard, right?” Tassie exclaid excitedly as she and Rann arrived in the living room.

“We did,” Kell replied. “We saw the whole thing.”

Everybody present imdiately broke out in discussion save Jyn, who remained silent throughout the entire affair. Even once the three stragglers arrived and were filled in on the news, he still refused to join in on the festivities.

Ava eventually noticed that Jyn was being unusually quiet and opted to speak up. “Is everything alright, Jyn?” she asked. “You haven’t said a word since I got here.”

Jyn startled at the unexpected engagent. “I don’t know,” he started hesitantly. Ava waited patiently for him to continue, and the ambient conversation died down as the others paid closer attention to him as well. “They’re gone,” he said simply. “The ones who hurt in the worst way possible all suffered the sa fate as ,” he explained. “I should be happy,” he said numbly, “but I’m not. I thought things would be different once we won.” He looked down at his hands. “Nothing’s changed. Not really.”

Ava didn’t know how to respond to that. To her, it was obvious that any change would be a gradual affair rather than sothing instant. Especially for sothing as important as the end of a war. “Maybe nothing’s changed today,” she said, “but tomorrow will be different.”

“How can you be so certain?” Jyn asked.

“I’m not,” Ava shrugged. “Just hopeful.”

The conversation slowly picked back up, but nothing of note was truly exchanged. Everybody present was still in shock and lacking any details as to how the war had been won so swiftly. Jyn participated in the banalities, but there wasn’t much he could contribute.

The mont slowly passed, but nobody had any intention of ending it. Adrian found himself talking less and less, until he no longer participated. Being surrounded by such happiness suffocated him. The wall suddenly closed in on him, leaving the room feeling entirely too small for that many people to be gathered in one place. He eventually excused himself from the gathering, and Reya followed him outside. Nobody thought to stop them, and so the couple quietly left.

They went out the back door, not needing words to understand where they were going. They simply walked into the forest, following the trail only the two of them knew that led to their special spot. They continued in silence until they arrived, and only once they were settled against the rocks overlooking the beautiful view did Reya speak up.

“Now what?” she asked. Throughout the entire trek to their spot, the question had been burning bright like a bonfire in her mind. Try as she might, she could not figure out what ca next. What was to happen to her or Adrian now that the war was over? Could they finally co out of hiding and reintegrate back into society at large? She just didn’t know.

“I don’t know,” Adrian replied softly. “I’ve waited for this day for so long. I never thought I’d feel more lost after finally being free than when I was a captive. I spent years suffering at the hands of the gru’ul. Now that they’re gone, what does that make ? I’m one of two successes to the biggest experint to ever exist. That experint has finally ended for good and all that’s left are the pieces of the people they broke in the process.”

“We are broken people,” Reya acknowledged. “When we’re apart, that holds true. But together we’re whole,” she said with a smile. “The whole world is broken, and soon it will put itself back together, just like we did.”

Adrian held Reya tighter for a mont before relaxing his grip. “I don’t even know who I am anymore, let alone what I’ve beco. Sotis I’m still baffled that you love the freak I’ve beco.”

“I never knew the person you were before the experints,” Reya said. “He’s not the man I fell in love with.” She nudged him with her shoulder gently. “You are. And to , you’re perfect. Don’t you ever forget that.”

Adrian’s heart ward at Reya’s words. “I feel the sa about you,” he said softly. He stared out towards the lake and thought for a mont. “Do you think the world accept us now that they’ve suffered as well? Will they bla us for what happened to them?” he asked. “Will we ever have a place to belong?”

Reya clutched Adrian’s sweater. “I don’t know,” she said honestly, “and that terrifies . I’d like to believe that they’ll see us for the victims we were in this disaster. But we’re both stark reminders of just what the gru’ul’s secrets cost them. I’m sure we’ll find our place when the ti is right. If they don’t give us one, we’ll carve it out ourselves.”

“I’d like that,” Adrian said with a smile.

“We both made a lot of money during the war,” Reya said thoughtfully, nestling into Adrian further. “Maybe we can buy a house sowhere? Or pay to have one built?”

“As long as it’s anywhere but here,” Adrian said. “The safe house was never truly a ho. More of a nice vacation spot, if I’m being honest. I want sothing that’s truly ours.” Reya agreed wholeheartedly with the sentint.

Caught in their daydreams, Reya and Adrian chittered on about what possible designs their future house might have. They compared different architectural styles from Earth and Verilia before finally settling on a rough outline of what they wanted.

Once they were done, Reya let out a small laugh. “Look at us,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye, “We’re getting ahead of ourselves, aren’t we?”

“Maybe,” Adrian said, “but now we get to plan for the future instead of living in fear of our past. I quite like that.” Both of them went silent. “The gru’ul hurt us in unspeakable ways,” Adrian continued, his previously joyous tone evaporating. “Neither of us will ever truly be alright,” he said.

“No,” Reya said sadly. “Neither will Jyn. At least they got what they deserved. Normally I wouldn’t want anybody to be subject to such suffering, but I can’t say I feel bad about the gru’ul all dying to it. Poetic justice, if you ask .”

Adrian chuckled darkly. “I’ve dread of their suffering for so long now, it feels like a dream co true.” He sniffed once. Then again. mories of what had happened ca to him rushing back with crystal clarity. A cut here. A stitch there. Pain everywhere. No part of him had been spared. From his head to his soul, the gru’ul had found a way to make everything hurt. And now, they were gone. A hiccup loosed from his lips, turning into a full-blown sobbing fit before he knew what was happening.

Adrian’s body wracked with sobs uncontrollably. He intimately felt each and every scar etched onto his body and beyond. Every ti he saw his reflection was a permanent reminder of what he’d lost. Much like how every ti he saw Reya was the reminder of what he’d gained.

And now, the ones who had hurt him so were gone.

Vanished into thin air, as though they’d never been.

As though his suffering had ant nothing.

Reya shifted in his arms and collected him into a warm hug, tears streaming down her face. She knew exactly where Adrian was, for she too faced similar demons every day. Though hers weren’t comparable to his, they still shared their pain. It was what brought them together. It was what they both understood and accepted in ways no other person did.

They cried together, releasing their pent-up frustration. Their cries joined one another’s into a single one, letting all of their suffering bleed into the air between them. Far away from where anybody could hear the pain lacing their voices, they put on full display for the other the toll their journey had taken on them.

The storm inside them both settled to a quiet ache as the hours passed. The couple found solace in one another, healing together into sothing stronger than what either of them had been alone. They leaned on one another for support and found it in spades. They were two people who had found peace in each other and had co out stronger for it.

The sun lowered in the sky, threatening to dip below the horizon. The couple watched the sunset in silence, admiring its beauty with a new lightness in their hearts. Adrian hugged Reya tighter, and she leaned into his embrace. Hues of orange, pink, and red lit up the sky, illuminating large, fluffy clouds lazily drifting by.

Adrian tore his gaze from the view and focused on the love of his life. She too was dyed in the effervescent colours of the sunset and was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. She stole his breath away and he forgot how to speak. So he didn’t. He rested his head on hers and planted a long, loving kiss atop it.

Once the sun was gone and the sky was dark, they returned back to the safe house. Inside, the others were throwing a small party. Bottles of alcohol glistened on the table, and the scent of stir fry wafted in the air. Rann offered Reya and Adrian each a large plate and the rriness continued. Ti flew by until it grew late.

The others continued in their revelry while the pair retired for the night, opting to leave the festivities behind for a quieter, more personal celebration of their own. It wasn’t long before they were cozied up in the bed, snuggling and enjoying the simple fact of being.

Reya tilted her head and gave Adrian a long, tender kiss on his lips. His arms wrapped around her and he held her close. They lay together for many long minutes until Adrian finally moved to turn off the lights, even though neither one of them needed them on to see to begin with. Darkness draped over them, but they remained clear as day to one another. No longer could they lose sight of the other, if even for a mont.

“Adrian?” Reya said as she pulled back. “I love you,” she smiled brilliantly. “More than you will ever know.”

Tears welled in Adrian’s eyes. “I love you, too,” he whispered. “You are my everything. And I’m never letting you go.” Reya leaned back into their kiss and finally, all was right.

She was his. He was hers.

They were each other’s.

And together was where they belonged.