May 1st 2002 Eidolon

It was raining, but it was Seattle you expected rain here. In the distance I saw a massive tree starting to poke out of the water. A priest was giving a sermon and only one person sat in the crowd. The was the combined funeral for Behemoth and Leviathan, the only person at their funeral was the brother they had tormented, somehow that felt both sad and appropiate. The service ended and the two urns were placed next to each other. Tombstones were being made for them, I gave it a week before they were defaced. Tops.

Ironwood walked away from the service.

"Oh, it's good to see you again, I'm sorry I don't have any coffee."

"It's ok Woody."

It's odd that I felt so comfortable around him, but in a way it was relieving, we were both in the kind of weightclass were you didn't have to prove anything to people. We watched as the the tombstones were brought in.

"They're in a better place now."

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure they're in hell now."

I turned and stared at him.

"What? I knew them for centuries, they are responsible for the deaths of billions of people, they never showed remorse, never tried to repent for their actions, according to my readings of your human bible they're in hell."

"You don't, um... I'm sorry about the celebrations."

He shrugged.

"People have the right to celibrate the death of their oppressors, I celebrated when Eden died, It wouldn't be right for me to ask people not to celebrate my brothers' death. It's not my place."

We walked around the park as it continued to rain.

"You're handling it much better then last time."

"He threatened my family, my children, that made the process a lot eaiser then last time. Also, um ever watch Biodome?"

I cringed.

"Yeah."

"Imagine living with that for thousands of years."

I looked out at the tree in the distance.

"That's going to be big."

"I would like to say that I'm building it for humanity, but..."

He sat down on a park bench.

"Humanity is just too big a concept for me to get, I'm trying, I really am, but I'm really building it for them."

"The kids?"

"Juno and Justin.. I want them to have a brighter future, to have better then what I had."

I could respect that, I watched as the tree slowly grew.

"Everything's changing."

He nodded.

"Yes it is, things are bleak but... I think I finally see a future with light in it."

I sat down across form him.

"Hopes and dreams save the world, eh?"

He shrugged.

"It's a good ethos, let's make it happen."

I stared at the now sprinkling sky.

"Let's go get some coffee, Woody."

"Sure, you need me to pay?"

"Nah, it's on me."

We got up and walked out of the special district, the road ahead was going to be hard and difficult, but for the first time in a long time, I thought we could all walk it.