The Infinidex - Part 11 & Epilogue

"Welcome back, my Lord..."

The multitude of royal guards, soldiers and villagers kneel in reverance to their king and queen, in the great Hall of the Kings.

Just a day ago, King Benedict and Queen Hazeline, psychologically affected due to the exposure of the layers of realities casted upon them, could not remember fully their true existence and identities. Even Mary, Mistress of the Heart Knights.

But Lord Milifen, with his superior knowledge and skill in the arts of wizardry, filled their memories back to their correct states... And thus, all is well now. The king took his crown again. The queen stood by her king again. And Mary, was back to doing what she does.

It was only not too long ago that the king and queen had lost their way among the darkness, not knowing between reality and imagination. One was a humble piano player in a bar, the other a lost girl with a supposed mental condition. And of course the third one being a clumsy, less than competent nurse.

"My Lord, your loyal subjects await..."

The king takes a moment to pause and think. It has been a while since he last addressed his people.

"My people... First, I'd like to thank all of you for coming here today, on such a momentous occasion."


**********


"It has been a while since I was last here, until my capture, as well as the queen's and Lady Mary's. But from the accounts of what had been written and seen by my advisors, I have come to know of the events that took place here in our absence. And many, if not all of you, have truly done me proud..."

To his two loyal companions to his right, he turns his head to them.

"Joseph... Milifen... My dear friends and confidantes... Both of you have led well in my absence, and I'm sure you both have shown exceptional courage and valour in those dark times."

He looks to Fel, the knight in shining armour, standing to his left.

"Fel, brave captain of the Heart Knights... We thank you, for coming to our rescue and enabling to do something that we have failed to do... To exit that nightmare, and still keep your sanity intact. You shall be rewarded accordingly."

He then turns to the masses.

"And to all of you... You have fought well. Together, I'm sure that all of you have managed to drive back the demons that invaded our lands, and drove back them back into the desolation from which they came. I also, am grateful for your prayers and continued hope that we would make it out of the nightmare safely.

He then looks down, adopting a more solemn tone in his voice.

"Indeed... We have lost many in the battle. Perhaps, if I were here, then many of their deaths could have been avoided. They shall be remembered in our hearts and minds for as long as our generations exist..."

Then, he lifts up his head again to the audience.

"However, though we may mourn for them, let us not be dampened in spirit! They have not given up their lives in vain, just for us to lament over their sacrifices. With their efforts, and ours, peace has been once again restored to the land at last. The Homunculus scums will not be bothering us for a long time to come. We must keep watch, be prepared always so that history may never repeat itself. But also, let us honour the fallen, and congratulate ourselves, the living, by remembering this victory."

With that, the king unsheathes his sword, and raises it high, pointing it to the heavens above.

"To Magandus!"

And the entire audience roars in thunderous applause.

(Man... That felt cheesy...)


***********


*Click*


"Dad... I'm gay!"

"No you're not... You're Harold! That's your name isn' it?"

"No Dad, I didn't mean it that way! I'm saying that I'm gay!"

"Oh... You mean like, you're happy, right? So... You won the jackpot or something?"

"No! Are you that dense?? I'm mean that I'm ho..."


*Click*


"Come on! Come on! Big money! Big money!"

"$5,000! Sherry, what are you gonna pick?"

"Is there a C?"

"There is no C... I'm sorry. Reginald, you're up next."

"Yea! Come on!"

"And... $600"

"Er....... A C!"

"Sherry already asked for a C, and nope... There's no C haha... Gotta pay attention there. Anyway, Karen..."

"Oh... No, no! Move some more!"

"Whew, that was close... $700."

"A........... C?"


*Click*


"...appears to be putting some quail eggs into the mixture. Seems like some secret recipe that he formulated during his time in the French restaurant that he worked in for most of his career."

"Fu-kui-san?"

"Go!"

"Might I comment that I think he's trying to thicken the mixture a bit here. But I heard that he has a special reason why he's specifically using eggs of a quail instead of, say, normal chicken ones."

"Haha... Looks like Iron Chef Sukaido has some pretty nifty..."


*Click*


"...and... I just can' stop thinking about you! I need you!"

"Oh! I... I... I need you too! Martin... I love you!"

"I love you too, Clarice!"

"... It's June..."

"........ Sorry, wrong number..."


*Click*


"... please somebody, get a letter already!"

"Ok... Ok... Alright!"

"$500 Sherry..."

"Can I please have a C?"

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU ID..."


*Click*


" And in other news, the local general hospital in the town centre faced a temporary scare earlier today, as it experienced a significant power shortage for about over an hour, leading to blackouts, failure of most equipments.

Fears arose amidst the event as medical staff were worried that the out-time of the electronics could have affected the health and safety of the patients, especially those who were in more critical condition. Fortunately, there were no serious casualties sustained, thanks to the effective back-up system of the hostipal.

However, several seemingly unused equipment were found scattered and destroyed in certain rooms, believed to have been unoccupied, though there had appeared to have had been used very recently. Investigators have been called to..."


*Click*


"So, come on down to the Goodtimes Cafe, for a night of great food, drinks, friends and entertainment! This weekend, we're going have a spectacular show for you... Featuring that dynamic musical duo, the piano and singing duet... Benjamin Locks and Hazela Elfie! They will..."


*Click*


**********


In a more familiar (and somewhat believable) reality, where Ben and Hazel once existed, a man walks along the streets. Slithering his way through the mid-day crowd, he avoids eye contact with any one whom he brushes against, seemingly focused on a task at hand. He then turns into an alley... A rather dark alley behind an old, derelict musuem, where only rodent and refuse resided (What kind of rubbish is this?). We continues to walk deeper and deeper as it gets dimmer, until, he hits the dead end, and was completely out of sight.

Suddenly, he opens his palm, and in the wall, appeared a strange circular blue light. It looks like a portal. But it is not, for as he talks into it, he speaks with someone else on the other end of this channel. When the other speaks, we can only see the light varying in brightness, but we cannot hear. Only this man understands the replies...


**********


"I am here, my Lord."

"................." (The other speaks)

"Yes, this is Zarbak. I'm alone. Except for these people, but don't mind them. Their knowledge is limited only to what they can see here..."

"................."

"I am sorry, my Lord. Forgive me for my eccentricities."

"................."

"Yes, I know... That is why I came here as soon as I can."

"................."

"I understand. The king and queen have returned to their kingdom safely, much to our demise. If only they knew the truo necessity of our actions, and..."

"................."

"I see... Then in that case, I think that we'll just have to wait and see, my Lord."

"................."

"I've done my best to make some 'adjustments' and take care of the mess left behind by Valin here. That impudent wretch... Looks like Destiny can be twisted after all. I managed to get him out in the nick of time. But I couldn't 'clean' up the rest of it. I wouldn't worry though, our tracks have been covered well enough."

"................."

"Yes. No one knows about the rest of us. Perhaps apart from Valin, they don't know about us. You, myself and..."

"................."

"Understood, I shall stay here in this reality then..."

"................."

"Alright."

"................."

"Yes. Thank you. Goodbye..."

The light fades away. The man turns around en route back to the streets.

"...... Lord Milifen."




To be continued?