Chapter 103

Epilogue That Nostalgic Smell It smells of trees. As the leaf-filtered sunlight streams in through the window, Alpha looks up from the documents she’s organizing. She stands up and heads over to the windowsill. There are trees next to the road outside, with the buildings of the capital spread out beyond them. Fall is coming to an end, and the wind carries with it the scent of the trees all decked out in their resplendent autumn hues. Back then, that mellow, woody aroma was their constant companion. Alpha closes her eyes and reminisces about the past. She thinks back to when they all used to live together—back to that nostalgic smell. Back when the Shadow Garden was just Shadow and Alpha, Alpha lived in the forest, spending her days alone in the cabin he built for her. The cabin always smelled of wood. He chopped down trees and constructed the cabin from the ground up. That was how Alpha learned about the “two-by-four” method of building. At first, all she could do was watch him, but eventually she started helping out, and she put nearly all the finishing touches on by herself. The two of them built it together, and for her, the cabin was full of memories. It was a simple building, and honestly kind of shabby, but Alpha loved that cabin and its wooden smell with all her heart. He was only able to come visit her during the night, and every day, Alpha waited in excitement for night to fall. During the daytime, she practiced her magic and her swordplay and went out to harvest edible plants and hunt small animals with snares. At night, he would bring bread and meat, and she would cook it. Then, while they shared a dinner for two, he would regale her with all sorts of stories. “You know, steam has the power to move massive pieces of metal,” he said one day while he was eating the stew Alpha made. Alpha took a good, long look at the steam rising from her bowl. She found it hard to imagine something so weak harboring such hidden strength. However, every bit of knowledge he’d shared with her previously, no matter how outlandish, had all turned out to be true. Alpha had been incredulous when he insisted the world was a sphere rather than flat and when he said the world revolved around the sun rather than the other way around, but in the end, he was right about it all. Because of that, Alpha was sure that steam must have had amazing power just hiding away. “How do you draw that power out?” she asked Shadow. As Alpha gobbled up her stew, he sank into silence for a bit. He always took great care in figuring out which things he was and wasn’t supposed to share. “When you heat up water, it becomes steam. That creates a massive source of power. Here’s a hint: It has to do with, uh…pistons and turbines, I think.” His smile was laden with significance. He never told her everything. He always gave her hints and made her figure out the rest for herself. “That’s not enough to tell me anything,” Alpha says. That one was a lot harder than usual. She was planning on getting started researching steam tomorrow, but it would take her too long to find the answer if that was all she had to work off. “If you take that steam power and apply it, you can move vast metal cars and ships made of iron.” What he gave her next wasn’t a hint, though, but rather some examples of use cases. If steam could really do that, then that would be huge. And if he said it could, then it had to be true. “In other words, you’re saying that mastering steam power is worth the time investment it will take…” All he did was give her another cryptic smile. He always wanted her to work for it. That was the way he passed on his wisdom and trained her ability to think and solve problems. That had developed her talents by leaps and bounds, and she had several times more knowledge than back when she was in her nation’s gifted education program. The ability to fight was a powerful skill. However, knowledge was even more powerful still. Alpha always thought of herself as a smart child. None of the other kids in her hometown could keep up with her. Yet here he was, the same age as her yet so much wiser. No matter how good you were, there was always somebody better. Alpha looked over and gazed at him with reverence. “Huh? What’s up?” he asked. “…Don’t worry about it.” After they ate their stew, Alpha had him give her some coaching on her swordsmanship and magic, then saw him off right before the sun rose. Every day, she kept on waving until he was fully out of sight. For her, those days were bliss. The season’s passing marked the end of their time alone together. That was when Beta, a silver-haired girl with a mole under her eye, joined their ranks. Beta was shy, and she was so scared of Shadow that she always hid herself behind Alpha. Alpha had known Beta and vice versa since their time in the homeland. They hadn’t been friends or anything, and their interactions had been limited to exchanging pleasantries at social events, but having the same circumstances thrust upon them did wonders to break the ice. It wasn’t long after that that Gamma and Delta joined, and the lonesome, empty cabin became rather bustling. Using the skills he taught them, the girls expanded the cabin into a proper house. It was a happy house, one that always smelled of the woods. Then, one day, he wrapped up Delta and Gamma’s lessons early and gathered everyone together. Delta looked down on Gamma with pride, and Gamma glared back at her with tears welling in her eyes. It was a commonplace sight there. “I’m stronger!” Delta crowed. “I-I’m older than you, you know… And I’ve been here longer… Snff…” “Yeah, but you’re still Gamma.” “Hey, s-stop it…” Delta pushed Gamma down and leaped on her back. That, too, was a commonplace sight. Apparently, sitting on people was how dogs liked to establish hierarchies. “All right, all right, break it up,” Alpha said as she separated them. Delta did exactly as instructed. For better or for worse, she was loyal to the pecking order. That was why it bothered her so much that Gamma had more authority than her despite being weaker. And Gamma, for her part, couldn’t stand how much of a meathead Delta was. The two of them were constantly at each other’s throats. “There are other strengths than just physical,” Shadow said. “It’s those with knowledge who end up ruling the world of man.” “Boss man?” “Master Shadow…” Delta and Gamma gazed up at him—Delta in bewilderment, and Gamma seeking salvation in his words. The wind carried with it the smell of the trees. “Let me tell you knowledge can make a single gold coin multiply countless times over. A technique that allows you to manipulate money and control the world economy…” From there, he went on to explain the sensational concepts of banking and credit creation. “Whoa…” The cry of amazement that spilled from Alpha’s lips was that of a small child basking in wonderment. She shuddered at the sheer scale of the concept, and at how wise he was for thinking of it. Behind her, Beta shuddered in fear of Shadow. Delta shuddered in her sleep from the cold night air. And Gamma shuddered with passion. Her eyes had been feeble and gloomy, but now strength returned to them. “Master Shadow, I…I’ve found the path I need to walk.” All he did was nod. That day marked a change in Gamma. She greedily sought his knowledge, even going so far as to sacrifice sleep so she could study more. Alpha and Gamma began talking a lot more, and once Beta got involved, the three of them sketched out their vision for what the organization would eventually become. Eventually, Epsilon joined them as well, as did Zeta, and finally Eta. Epsilon was self-assured and determined, and she had the skills to back her confidence up. “I’m going to be the best in no time!” She started out aggressively competitive, but it didn’t take her long to mellow out and fit in with the others. She still got competitive with Beta to this day, but Alpha decided that was fine. Zeta was a therianthrope with little in the way of cheer. She didn’t talk much, and she kept the others at arm’s length. However, Alpha knew Zeta’s history, so she made sure to give Zeta little pushes and help her build relationships with the group. It was slow work, but Zeta slowly started opening up. She was still on bad terms with Delta, but apparently, that was just how therianthropes were. There were times when all it took them was a single look at someone to know they were never going to get along. Meanwhile, Eta was an oddball from day one. She was constantly doing the weirdest things and causing problems, but the quality of her inventions more than made up for it. She had little ability to function on a basic level, but Epsilon took care of her, Beta and Gamma ended up somehow serving as her test subjects, and Delta and Zeta would play tag with her. Before the girls knew it, they’d become a precious family to each other. They were happy, there in that house surrounded by the smell of the woods. Ever since that day, Alpha’s been running. She’s lived a life too hectic to stop and smell the trees. The sunlight filtering through the leaves casts the room in a gorgeous shade of red. “It’s time, Alpha.” She hears a knock on the door, and Gamma comes in. “Do you remember? The way we used to talk, surrounded by the smell of trees?” Alpha asks her. “The smell of trees?” Gamma walks over to Alpha’s side and takes a look at the large roadside trees. When the wind carries in their scent, Gamma inhales deeply and squints fondly. “I haven’t thought about that in ages.” “The dream we talked about back then is becoming a reality. But we aren’t there yet.” “We’re on our way, though.” “We’ve chosen a path we believe in, and now we just have to keep running. We can’t show mercy to anyone who gets in our way. Now, let’s get going.” “Right behind you!” Alpha’s time alone with him may have dwindled. However, the scent of those trees will remain within her forevermore.