Chapter Seventy-Nine: Anne in Tears

December 24, 2237, 5:30 PM, the streets of London

Though it was not particularly late, the roads were nearly deserted. Yet, through the quiet streets came the rhythmic sound of iron hooves—a lavishly dressed man sped along the ancient avenue. He seemed every bit a prince from the Middle Ages; or perhaps he truly was a prince. Unlike most, however, he did not ride a white horse, but a noble stag.

“Hmm…” Arriving before an old house, the prince-like youth drew the reins of his magnificent stag, Remsy. “Alright, old fellow, wait for me here. I need to go inside for a bit—I’ll be right back.” He dismounted with an agile leap, then stroked Remsy’s antlers to calm the spirited creature.

The young man approached the front door, searching for the key, but as he absentmindedly placed his hand on the door, it creaked open a crack—it wasn’t locked? He was puzzled, but pushed it open and stepped inside. No lights were on, nor was the heating; the house was bitterly cold. In the twenty-third century, every home certainly had heating, but if it wasn’t switched on, the temperature would still drop below freezing, especially in the shadows, where the cold was almost unbearable.

“Annie? Annie?” He entered, certain she would be waiting for him inside. Annie listened to no one—except one person: Cole.

Cole moved into the dining room. In a corner, a tiny flame flickered; a figure bundled in a blanket was curled up on the floor, surrounded by the remains of burnt-out firewood and wilted seaweed soup. “Annie?!” Cole hurried to her side, unable to hold back. He took off his coat and draped it over Annie’s frail body.

“Annie, why are you so foolish? There’s heating, yet you refuse to turn it on?” Cole pulled out his phone and forcefully activated the rapid heating system.

“Have you ever heard of ‘The Little Match Girl’? I wanted to know… would Brother Cole come back before the last match burned out? Unexpectedly, Brother Cole really did return… this was the last one… finally, my beloved prince has come back to find the poor Cinderella…” Annie’s tears had already formed icy beads; even wrapped in the blanket, her hands were cold as stone.

“Idiot! Do you realize how close you came to making me lose someone irreplaceable?” Cole grasped Annie’s hand. Her fingers were almost devoid of warmth, but to Annie, Cole’s hand brought life back to hers. “If… if I lost you, what meaning would my life have?”

“Someone irreplaceable? For Cole, or for you…? I know Brother Cole has many identities, so… are you speaking as Brother Cole, or your current self?” Annie was thrilled at being called irreplaceable, but she also knew Cole’s mystery. At the mention of his name, she couldn’t help but smile.

“Both! No matter who I am. Cole… Cole was the name I took at eleven, in that school in Israel, a name I used for ten years. Even with all my identities now, Cole is second only to the one I was given at birth. So… I will never allow anything to happen to Cole’s woman!” Cole placed his hand firmly on Annie’s shoulder. His tone was entirely different, so much so that Annie was startled.

“When you’ve warmed up, I’ll take you to the place I was just at. Once you’re there, you’ll understand my true identity.” Cole stroked Annie’s head in silence.

—Aside—

Recently, considering some details, I may pause updates to The Genesis Continent. It’s nothing major. When the time comes, I’ll revise it back to a third-person narrative, like this work, rather than the style of ‘Reminiscing the Central Plains’. So… as it happens, it’s May 13th. Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers! Roland is just sneaking back to write for a bit, and tomorrow I’ll have to return to class.