ahead, a spot of disorder broke the monotony of the clean, dark, regular structures that made up the earth's city. It was towards this disorder that Courser moved, more cautiously now. There was no guarantee of his safety in this place. He reached out to the door of a large, roughly constructed building...
The absolute pressing darkness of the Nameless overpowered Courser. Its cold voice proposed defeat and empowered his fears.
Courser was back in front of the door. He pushed it open and stepped into the dark building. It was silent, nothing moved among the scattered crates and miscellaneous objects. Courser clicked on his flashlight and examined the recesses of the room. It was empty. Waves of disappointment crashed over him and he slumped to the ground. In the years of existence on this silent earth there had been no hint of human presence. He had survived on the hope that he would find other humans, and bring an end to his lonely travels in this empty maze of silent death. The disappointment of finding nobody crushed the hope he had carried for so long. Courser began to weep.
He was back in the ash world, the menacing specters crowded around him, their arms extended towards him...
He lay on the cold concrete in the building he had discovered. The rain beat steadily on the roof, the earth was silent, a silence that was suddenly shattered by a woman's soft voice, "are you alright?"
Back in the clutches of the Nameless, Courser listened to the dark words it spewed into his ears. But now, these words sounded hollow. The hopeless feeling was gone, there was at least one human left on Earth and he was going to meet her! A strange sense of calm fell over Courser and he raised his hands over his head and concentrated on the words he had just heard. Colors, vibrant, growing colors flashed around him. Larger and larger the colors grew, swinging around with the force of a hurricane. The colors melded together into a spinning mass of brilliant color and light, which overpowered the darkness of the Nameless. What had been thick darkness now faded to a flimsy gray. The colors expanded and exploded. The explosion was silent but magnificent, great arcing bolts of bright color swept across the sky. All traces of darkness vanished, and the forest of Lux Giallo surrounded everything. The birds sang and the animals ran merrily through the forest. It was as if no force had ever threatened this idyllic place. Courser crouched on the ground, breathing heavily, eyes aglow with joy. It had been a shock to come so close to despair and then have the despair replaced by the greatest joy he had ever experienced.
Fini approached now, "Courser, you destroyed our enemy! You have saved my people! All Lucians shall know your name!"
Courser smiled, but remained preoccupied with thoughts of earth. He would go through the motions in Lux Giallo as long as necessary, but he wanted more than ever to return to earth and meet the other survivor. The Lucians led him toward a feast they had prepared. Courser was led toward a large chair at the head of the table.
And he was back on Earth, he could hear the drum of rain on the roof of the rough structure he sat in. He turned to face the voice. A woman stood in the doorway, staring intently at him with wide eyes. The two survivors on earth stood and looked at each other for a long moment, sizing up the new presence in their existence.
"Hi" awkwardly ventured Courser.
The woman smiled a bit. "Where have you come from? Are there others with you?"
Courser shook his head. "No others with me. I really don't know where I come from or where I have been. I have spent many years wandering. Are there others with you?"
"Yes," the woman replied, "there are 47 of us living here. But, forgive me, what we used to refer to as manners are not in common use here. My name is Carey."
Courser thought for a while. "I used to be called Jack."
"Welcome to our slice of heaven, Jack, I am sure you will fit in with us. Come; let me introduce you to the others."
Courser grinned, "You aren't afraid that I might be a zombie? We already have faced the apocalypse."
Carey returned a smile, "If you have survived by yourself this long, I doubt you could be a zombie. Even if you are, it would add some excitement to our lives. Not much happens around here."
The area occupied by the 47 survivors was hardly heaven, but it certainly afforded a welcome change from the expanse of gloomy city. The rain still beat heavily and the dark clouds still covered the sky, but it was less oppressive in the company of others. The 47 had decided to live in a more self-sufficient manner than the former inhabitants of the earth. The buildings they lived in had been built by hand, and their meticulously crafted growing houses used light banks to garden their own crops, supplementing the provisions they obtained from the nearby food lab. No robots were to be found in their camp, and the residents resorted to antiquated methods of cleaning and maintaining their own living quarters. Courser was introduced to the other residents, and eagerly looked forward to interacting with this varied group, hungering for the nearly forgotten pleasure of conversation.
Carey introduced him to each of the other survivors. They shared stories of the fall of humanity over dinner and long into the evening. Courser toured the growing houses and examined the carefully rigged systems. The crops grown under these light banks were weak and hardly nutritious, but presented a change in diet. The survivors were split on the topic of gardening, as some relied completely on the food labs and avoided any work in the growing houses. Their government was not characterized by equality and collective effort for the common good as might be expected by a small band of survivors. Rather, there was no real structure, various small groups with common goals typically worked together. Occasionally, the entire group would be motivated to work towards one unified goal, but as time had passed, this had become increasingly rare. Some individuals sought to bring in more technology, and add elements of their former life to this new existence. Others spent their time working in the growing houses and returning to a more rustic form of life. The tall, quiet man Courser met last was of the latter type. Amid the barrage of new names and information, Courser had forgotten this man's name, but there was no need to remember it as he didn't talk much. Carey provided the narration as the tall man showed the extent of the growing houses, the maize stalks and the small fruit trees.
Courser spent several happy months in this new environment, assisting the others in their different tasks. These survivors lived a difficult existence, which became more difficult with the passage of time. The relentless rains were increasing in strength and toxicity, and a simple trip outside shelter required a thick jacket and sealed mask. Even the survivors who most resisted the idea of returning to a life controlled by technology began to contemplate the idea of moving back into an abandoned housing complex. It would hold out the rain better than their ramshackle shelters and would provide a constant supply of food from the lab, negating the need to travel to the growing houses or the distant food lab.
Courser broached the issue to Carey, "I hear talk about moving back into a housing complex. What do you think about this?"
Carey sighed, "We have worked so hard to avoid the faults of our old life. It seems as if we are heading back down that same path. I wish..." She trailed off, but briskly finished, "it will be for the better. We have learned from our past mistakes. Come along, it's about time to eat." She smiled and walked away in a carefree manner. But Courser had seen the flash of fear in her eyes.
It had been a long time since Courser had found himself in Lux Giallo. But here he was again: sitting on the colorful grass, surrounded by a large contingent of the Lucians. The tall Lucian he had talked to earlier stepped forward.
"Courser, our friend" he said impressively. "You have brought us great joy by slaying the Nameless. But we see that you are sad. Why is this?"
Courser pondered his answer, decided on the truth. "I am sad because I see that the people of my world are afraid."
"Afraid of what?" The tall Lucian questioned.
"Afraid of making the same mistakes we made in the past, of falling into the traps we may have forgotten."
"Would
you accept aid from my people?" continued the tall Lucian. "We have the ability to manipulate the colors. We could bring this gift to your home and give your people a new life."
Courser looked up sharply. "But how would you come to my world? I don't even know how I get to yours."
The Lucian nodded gravely. "Courser, you are the key. You are here and you are there. We can travel to your world if you allow it. You have the knowledge, you can make this happen."
Courser was silent for a long time. "I will need some time to think on this" he finally managed.
"Take what time you must, Courser. Our offer is permanent."
Courser walked away from the group of Lucians into the colorful forest. He thought of the humans and the fears they faced. He thought of the future promised by the Lucians. He thought of Carey. He had spent a great deal of time with her in the last few months. The time they spent together hinted of the happiness that was present in earlier years. Courser thought of her long, dark hair, rippling over her shoulders in rich waves. He thought of her voice, calm and soft, but somehow able to pierce to his very soul. If he had a chance to make the world a better place for her, then he must. Courser squared his shoulders and walked back towards the clearing.
He was back on earth. He thought of