The sun shone brightly on a deserted field. The only sound was the howling of the wind whipping the grass. In the distance, a walled city with loomed.
Somnus stood in the middle of the field. His steaming body had shrunk down, but his silver hair was still unkempt and dirty. His skin was still cold to the touch. He was still no longer human. He looked around with a bored expression. "Those soldiers were so annoying. I had to exert myself and run away," he lamented.
A lone zombie messenger shambled to him. He clutched a rolled-up parchment in its bony fingers, and he stared at the sky with crossed eyes.
Somnus glanced at the zombie messenger with surprise. "You look like me," he noted and furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you want," he queried. He kicked a pebble with a lazy motion.
The pebble soared through the air and smashed near the zombie messenger's feet.
The zombie messenger's eyes darted forward, and a flicker of recognition passed through them. He stopped and bowed low. "My lord, my name is Iro. I bring a message from my queen," he announced with a dry, raspy voice.
Somnus repeated with a raised eyebrow, "Your lord? Me? Who's this 'Queen'?"
"Your mother," Iro clarified. He held out the parchment and offered it to Somnus.
A flicker of interest passed through Somnus' dead eyes. "My mother? My mom died years ago. Are you messing with me," he questioned and snatched the parchment from the zombie messenger's grasp. He unrolled it with a careless flourish and scanned the words written in neat, elegant, and flowing style.
It read, "My dearest Somnus, my son, it has been too long since we have seen each other. I, given a second chance, am alive, and I have missed you dearly. I have been busy with a plan to create a new world, a world where we can be happy together as a family forever. I invite you to join us, to embrace your true nature, and to become one of us. A powerful zombie prince. We are waiting for you. Come home, my son."
Somnus lowered the parchment and let out a sigh. "This is so tedious," he complained.
Iro looked at him with a hopeful expression. "I know where the queen and the king await for you, my lord. They have prepared a grand welcome for you," he explained.
Somnus walked away, and his joints cracked. "She wants me to be a part of her little family reunion. How utterly predictable."
Iro flinched and scrambled back to him. His crooked eyes moved around uncontrollably. "My lord, please reconsider. She has an army of zombies at her command. You will be taken care of," he pleaded. His skeletal hand grasped Somnus' sleeve.
Somnus glanced at him with indifference. "I don't care," he muttered and let out a dry, humorless laugh. "Now, be a good little zombie, and go away before I lose my patience," he ordered, breaking off the hold.
Iro gritted his teeth and bowed. "Yes, my lord. As you wish." He limped away forcefully.
Somnus watched him go with a look of disdain. Then, he turned his attention back to the home where he was kicked out with bullets, Little Tree City. It was a cage. A suffocating prison of expectations and responsibilities that he had escaped. He didn't want to go back. He didn't want to be a prince, a hero, or whatever his mother wanted him to be either. He wanted to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, without anyone bothering him. "All this noise. It's all so pointless," he mused and fell dramatically on the grass. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but a nagging thought kept him awake. He thought about his mother's letter, about her promise of a new world, about a family he hadn't seen in years. He felt a strange, unfamiliar feeling in his chest. It was a flicker of something, a spark of emotion he hadn't felt in a long time.
An image of his mother bedridden flashed in his mind. Her sickly face smiled weakly at him as she whispered a last word of love.
Somnus remembered how much he loved her, and how much she loved him. A single tear, black as night, traced a path down his rotting cheek.
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in his mind, "I finally found you. Somnus, I want to see you. Please fulfill my request."
Somnus opened his eyes and froze. After so long, he had forgotten the voice, but he immediately recognized it once he heard it. "Mom," he whispered. He sat up and looked around.
No one was nearby, and Iro sauntered away in the distance.
Somnus felt a phantom ache in his unresponsive heart, as if it pounded heavily. He wondered if there was still a chance to see her again, to hold her again. He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Maybe... Maybe it's not so tedious after all. Maybe I'll go see her, just for a bit," he reluctantly concluded. He took a deep breath and stood on his feet. He glanced back at the city. "I may have nothing to look back to, but I may have something to look forward to. Mom, I'll see you soon." He quickly picked up the parchment and stuffed it in his pocket. "Ugh. What was his name again? I-Iro! Wait! Wait for me! Take me to her," he called out and sprinted after Iro with a newfound enthusiasm.
Somnus is on his way to meet his mother. What will happen when they reunite? How will his reunion with his mother go? How connected is he to the zombies' queen? How will Hafen, Matteo, and Stark fare in their new military life?
Later, the morning sun rose over the sprawling military base, casting long shadows across the concrete and steel structures. The air hummed with the low thrum of machinery. Soldiers marched in formation with their faces impassive and their boots echoing in perfect unison on the polished concrete floors.
Inside the command center, a room dominated by screens and a massive map of his dominion, General Bobby stood. His gaze swept over the map. Red dots, signifying known monster hordes, were marked ominously across the landscape. A sea of blue pins represented his forces, scattered and stretched thin.
A soldier stood nearby and relayed, "Sir, we successfully cleared the ruins near the eastern coast. No civilian casualties, but we lost ten men."
General Bobby gave a curt nod and replied, "Good work, soldier." His face, usually a mask of stoicism, betrayed a flicker of weariness. He studied the map and observed, "The monsters are getting bolder. They're pushing closer to the populated zones."
Another soldier, a woman with sharp eyes and a stern posture, stepped forward and reported, "The wall around the base has been reinforced, sir. We've doubled the patrols."
General Bobby turned to her with a grim expression. "It won't be enough. We need to be proactive, not just reactive," he pointed out. He paced the room with his hands clasped behind his back and asserted, "We need to push them back, reclaim the territory they've taken."
A young soldier interjected with a nervous tone, "But sir, our resources are stretched thin as it is. We don't have the manpower for a full-scale offensive."
General Bobby stopped pacing and faced his soldiers. His voice was low but firm. "We will find a way. We have to," he declared.
In an instant, a flicker of movement on one of the monitors caught his eye. It was the feed from the base's perimeter.
A lone figure stood at the edge of the forest, just beyond the reach of the spotlights. He was tall and imposing, clad in a hooded cloak that obscured his face. He looked directly into the camera.
A shiver ran down General Bobby's spine. He squinted at the screen, and his eyes narrowed. "Who is that? Get me a closer look," he demanded.
A technician scrambled to adjust the controls, and the image zoomed in. The hood fell back, revealing a face that was both handsome and cruel.
General Bobby's breath caught in his throat. "It can't be," he murmured in disbelief.
"It's him, sir," the female soldier confirmed with a grave voice. Her hand tightened on the grip of her rifle.
"The Exalted One," the young soldier whispered with wide eyes.
The Exalted One raised a hand in a mocking salute. His lips curled into a cruel smile, and then, he spoke, "You've captured my boys, general."
General Bobby stared at the screen with a hard expression. He clenched his fists and replied through the speaker, "I have no idea what you're talking about. They are soldiers of Stribora now."
The Exalted One's smile widened. "Is that so? Then, consider this a declaration of war. I will take back what is mine. And I will destroy everything you hold dear," he threatened and waved his hand. A pulse of energy surged from his palm and hit the camera.
The screen went black with a burst of static.
General Bobby turned away from the monitor and faced his soldiers. His face was grim. "Prepare all units. We'll be under attack," he ordered.
"Yes, sir," the soldiers replied and saluted.
"Where are the new recruits," General Bobby also inquired.
"They are getting processed with Dr. Plinius," the female soldier informed him.
"Good," General Bobby attested.
What awaits in Somnus' reunion with his mother? What will The Exalted One do next? How will Hafen, Matteo, and Stark adapt to their new roles as soldiers? What other secrets and enemies await them in the outside world?