Epilogues

# The Legacy of Sorrow Epilogues:

While there are defined sections within *Despair* that highlight the events of various characters beyond the final chapter of the story, the "Starlight" phase of the Sorrowverse refers to every chronological event after Amy's speech to the United Nations' assembly and her acceptance of the formula for the New Dawn Mutagen. For comprehensive details involving each character, please visit their respective Wiki pages, or read below for each character's recorded history after the events of *Despair*. Until further material is published, the following information (unless contained explicitly in a *Legacy of Sorrow* novel) is considered part of the Expanded Universe.

## Karalynn

In the epilogues of Despair, Kara and Jalix have their final child, a boy this time, named Caleb Nicholas Kane (Caleb was the name of Jalix's father and Nicholas is Jalix's middle name). Caleb grew up being best friends with his sister and his cousins and followed in their footsteps with intensive academic study right after high school. Kara and Jalix lived out of the spotlight to the best of their ability, favoring a domestic lifestyle and enjoying the peace and quiet. With their daughter as the President of the United States, this feat was difficult without the aid of Krystal's fortune granting them a fulfillment of all their basic needs. After Caleb graduated high school, Jalix and Kara moved away from their home in Boston to a secluded farmhouse in Pennsylvania, where she enjoyed gardening fruits and vegetables over a nearly 1-acre plot of land. While they desired and attempted to have more children, Kara had medical complications after Caleb's birth (being her first to develop over the 9-month human gestation period) that eventually resulted in a tubal ligation. In spite of this preventive effort, Kara's health declined after a few decades of wellness and she received a dual-diagnosis of ovarian and cervical cancer in 2065.

Kept secret to all but immediate family, Alice personally performed surgeries to remove the spreading masses, including a complete hysterectomy. Between brief remissions, she tended her "garden of Eden" and enjoyed frequent visits from Amy, Caleb, and the entirety of their extended friends and family when they had time in their busy schedules. Unfortunately, the aggressive nature of the cancer led to her eventual death in 2074 when her heart failed. Despite euthanasia (assisted suicide) being legalized in 2052 within the United States, Kara made the decision to enjoy her life with Jalix for as long as possible, and defied several predictions of her remaining time. She was buried in a plot of land adjacent to her gardens, which were eventually donated to the Pennsylvania government for protection and maintenance as a historical site and state park after Jalix's passing. In honor of being the first modern Vampyre and her provision of hope for the world during her centuries of protection, the park become known as "The Garden of Eve."

## Jalix

Caleb - Jalix and Kara's only child after Amy - was informed, but studying abroad in Australia when news of his mother's illnesses arrived. He flew home to see his aging father and they buried Karalynn in a plot of land on their Pennsylvania countryside property in 2074. Jalix requested to Caleb that he not return to their home, as Jalix believed that he would best live out her memory in isolated peace. Caleb said goodbye to his father, and although they kept in touch over video and phone calls, Jalix stopped responding six months later. Caleb returned to find the property incinerated with his father inside, his mother's grave intact, and a new unmarked grave next to Kara's. An autopsy revealed multiple aggressive cancers in Jalix's body that should have killed him long before his wife. In spite of the house fire, charred medical equipment was found near Jalix's body, and it is widely believed that he was voluntarily, consensually euthanized by an unknown medical specialist that aided in a peaceful death (which had been legalized in the United States by the time of his death). The source of the house fire was never confirmed, and a vandalization of the new, unmarked grave two weeks later ensured that whoever else had died on the property would forever remain a mystery.

## Valterius and Allison

Alice and Val were inseparable for the remainder of their lives, and in the evolution from Val hand-stitching soft leather for her clothing (the only fire-resistant clothing material widely available in the 18th century) to commissioning special-order scrubs for her with the inscription *The Hot One* when she became the United States Surgeon General in 2039, their love was abundant and everlasting. While marriages in Aerael and Vanaheim were often unofficial to the United States Government unless paperwork was forged out of necessity for couples that lived outside of Aerael, Valterius 'remarried' Alice in 2039 under Amelia's new Marriage Equality Act, which was a federal law that made all marriage between two people of any gender and any species (whether human, VMP, or inter-species), legal and binding without the need for a religious officiant (instead following the legal procedures associated with the practice). After only six months of the Act's legal standing, it was ratified as an Amendment to the United States Constitution. Amy herself served as the governmental officiant for the wedding, and Kara and Sonya signed as witnesses to make their marriage finally legal after centuries of love for one another. As a wedding gift, Amy's restructuring of the United States Government led to new federal holidays, and one was dubbed Commitment Day - first observed June 12, 2039 - to honor and celebrate romantic and familial relationships (with Alice and Val portrayed as the story behind the holiday). Theirs became one of fable and spiraled out of control in popular media. A popular romance/comedy show was filmed based on their relationship entitled *Passion in Fire* and was largely well-received by critics and audiences. Valterius and Alice refused to watch it, citing personal reasons.

In the epilogues of *Despair*, Alice and Valterius have two children: Jared Donovan Valencia (JD) and Annemarie Vivian Valencia (Annie). Both names are in honor of fallen family, with JD's name in memory of Jared Demetrius Thompson. His sister's name, Annemarie, originated from Annabelle (Violet's birth name, often shortened to Anna) and Vivian, originating from Violet. While Annemarie would go on to graduate from the renewed New Harvard School of Law at the age of 18 and eventually be appointed as a Supreme Court Justice in her late thirties, JD worked in the field of particle physics and would have two physical principles named after him: the observed dark-matter interaction on gravitational fields known as the Valencia-Knorr Law of Balance and a new link between General Relativity and quantum physics known as the Ridge-Valencia Principle. The children buried both of their parents during the same week in 2078, with Allison passing in her sleep peacefully the day after their three-hundredth anniversary together and Val passing in the same manner the following evening. They hold a specially-appointed joint plot in Arlington National Cemetery in honor of their contributions to the new world and the reformed United States, and in 2084, the New Harvard School of Medicine was renamed Harvard's Valencia College of Medical Sciences. Both of their children hold an active membership with Mensa.

## Amelia

Immediately following the events of *Despair*, Amelia took on the role of President of the United States due to a lack of vector for proper election, as the people of the United States were grouped in major cities and needed a leader to represent them to the international community during a time of potential turmoil. After her rescue attempts in Washington, D.C., the survivor's of Legacy's Tortured candidates (the innocent civilians rescued by Alice and Amy) had spread rumors that grew into legend of Amelia being an individual of singular, unbreakable, and indomitable spirit with superhuman healing powers beyond comprehension and a passionate soul. As these rumors spread and the nation was rebuilt, a formal election was held in 2038 (three years after the ending of Despair), and Amelia was formally elected as President of the United States with a record-shattering 84% favor among voters, with another 9% writing in to elect Kara, 3% writing in to elect Valterius, 3% writing in to support Jalix, and only 1% of votes going to running candidates for office. Despite a campaign claiming to be free of donations and funding, and relying solely on rallies, meetings, and video broadcasts, rumors persisted that a mysterious wealth had tipped the odds in her favor by investing into revamping the country's most prevalent industries. Krystal denied all accusations in her speech as the new First Lady of the United States, but her fiscal records were never released to the public and vanished from existence in 2039 when she liquidated all of her existing assets to support new efforts in rebuilding the country's infrastructure.

Amelia was re-elected with a 91% favoritism in 2042, and in 2044, Congress passed an emergency bill that would extend a presidency to up to four terms, in accordance with the need for the nation's rebuilding, re-population, and a thriving government that contributed to a massive increase in GDP output and political unity. In October of 2054, Congress passed a new law that abolished term limits for presidents, instead creating a new series of laws that levied new criteria for a presidential candidate and raised the standard for candidacy, to include higher performance in primary elections. Dreading the image of being a dictator since she had been in power for almost 16 years already, Amelia issued a Presidential Veto against the law, which was overcome by a majority of Congress. Against her wishes, she ran for a fifth term and won with more than 90% of the popular vote. In her State of the Union Speech in 2054 (the date of which was changed to November 7th of every year), she vowed to discuss more stringent laws requiring term limits for both human and Vampyre (VMP) candidates.

On November 7th of 2054, Alice visited Krystal and Amy, claiming to have made a medical breakthrough within her research firm and had discovered a way to create a viable human embryo utilizing Krystal and Amy's eggs, rather than requiring them to adopt a child or require a sperm donor. Since adoption was rare (families quickly adopted any children after 2038 and the foster system was nearly nonexistent due to a shortage of unclaimed children), Krystal and Amy gleefully accepted Alice's proposition, with Amy deciding to carry the child. After a series of six failed implantations, the seventh was successful, and Krystal and Amy had a daughter named Lilith Rose Kane in 2056. Amelia did not run for president in the following term, instead choosing to care for her child as a stay-at-home mother. Krystal, however, aired a series of humorous commercials in 2057 intended for parody which met the legal requirement for announcement as a Presidential Candidate, and was subsequently sworn in on November 5th, 2058 as the second female President after receiving 79% of the popular vote. A documentary series was created about their lives, aired on a multitude of streaming services and regarded as a historical account of America's tenacity and resilience.

## Krystal

Krystal and Amy were formally married by Valterius (who completed a ministerial course in honor of Jared) on September 13, 2039. Both of their wedding rings contained fragments of the purple diamond made from Violet's ashes, and their honeymoon began the same day of their marriage, lasting three weeks longer than expected. Krystal took the role of First Lady of the United States seriously, learning the art of diplomacy from Valterius and Amy, but maintaining a reputation as a fierce and unrelenting negotiator during times of tension. Krystal was viewed by the public as a strong female figure of empowerment, as she often showed no regard for unnecessary formality, but kept a calm sense of tranquility in the face of impossible odds. She was indispensable during the restructuring of the economy, often using her extensive knowledge of the stock market and business to strong-arm companies into high-value investments or donations far beyond what would have been considered affordable to others.

Since she was not an elected official, Krystal didn't engage directly with national affairs unless she encountered an issue that was easily rectified, and spent much of her time at the Kane-Hudson Center for New Dawn Vampyrism (formerly the Kane-Hudson Charity Teaching Hospital), providing moral support for young men and women willing to make the transition to Vampyrism in order to serve and further their country. Krystal single-handedly wrote the bylaws for the New Dawn mutagen requirements, working closely with Eric, Sonya, Rachel, and others to create a welcoming environment and a place of peace over the next several decades. On November 7th of 2054, Alice visited Krystal and Amy, claiming to have made a medical breakthrough within her research firm and discovered a way to create a viable human embryo utilizing Krystal and Amy's eggs, rather than requiring them to adopt a child or require a sperm donor. Since adoption was rare (families quickly adopted any children after 2038 and the foster system was nearly nonexistent due to a shortage of unclaimed children), Krystal and Amy gleefully accepted Alice's proposition, with Amy deciding to carry the child. After a series of six failed implantations, the seventh was successful, and Krystal and Amy had a daughter named Lilith Rose Kane in 2056.

Amelia did not run for president in the following term, instead choosing to care for her child as a stay-at-home mother. Krystal, however, aired a series of humorous commercials in 2057 intended for parody which met the legal requirement for announcement as a Presidential Candidate, and was subsequently sworn in on November 5th, 2058 as the second female President. A documentary series was created about their lives, aired on a multitude of streaming services and regarded as a historical account of America's tenacity and resilience. Krystal served four terms as President, and one of her most notable accomplishments was the creation of the Eastern Nations' Union Agreement (ENUA), which united both North and South Korea into one prosperous and successful nation, and encouraged more open, honest, and free trade with the United States from China and Russia. During her last year as president, NATO and ENUA were dissolved to create the International Free Nations Organization, uniting the world in a never-before-seen move of unilateral world peace.

Krystal and Amy's daughter, Lilith, graduated high school with honors in 2074 and obtained baccalaureate degrees in Business and Political Science, finally graduating from college Summa Cum Laude in 2081 with a Masters degree in Psychology.

## Sonya

Sonya grew increasingly close with Eric in the years following the events of *Despair*, helping him cope with the disappearance of his brother and starting the working for what would become the Kane-Hudson Center for New Dawn Vampyrism (colloquially referred to as "The Center", but formerly known as the Kane-Hudson Charity Teaching Hospital). Once Amy was elected as President of the United States in 2038, Sonya was appointed as the Director of the Center, taking over the operations of the center while Eric was assigned chairman of the board of directors. While they both periodically aided in the daily workings of the center and occasionally evaluated applicants for the mutagen, most of their work involved networking with larger companies to assign new VMPs high-level jobs at prestigious corporations. In 2042, Sonya made a partnership agreement with Eric, who had stepped away from the center in 2040 to start a tech firm that focused on software engineering for economic prediction algorithms and space-satellite coordination programs. Any recruits that showed a gifted potential for technology were offered an internship upon the completion of their New Dawn transition and were hired as permanent, full-time staff after six months of good performance. This paved the way for connections with other companies, and The Center often became a hotspot for recruiters looking for the best possible candidates for expert careers.

Although Sonya's main focus was the daily operations and high-level functions of The Center, she frequented Vanaheim (being only a few hundred feet below her office) and assisted Rachel with the daily workings of their city. In 2048, the potential of restoring Aerael to its former glory was recognized, and after raising the private funding from her partner corporations, Sonya passed her role at The Center to Andrea Scott (the company's military liaison), and took over the Aerael Restoration Project. After only eight months, the city's renovations were fully completed, with modernization efforts made with the intent of becoming a living, educational, and working space for those with environmental, psychosocial, personality, and mood disorders. Alice, in one of her last acts as Chief of Medicine, established a partnership with The Center to provide potentially high-performing behavioral psychologists to Aerael. Sonya was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2071 for her efforts in aiding sexual trauma, domestic violence, and PTSD survivors, all of which had a place in Aerael to feel at home and at peace.

## Eric

Once Amy was elected as President of the United States in 2038, Sonya was appointed as the Director of the Kane-Hudson Center for New Dawn Vampyrism, taking over the operations of the center while Eric was assigned chairman of the board of directors. His job was instrumental in forming the foundations of new partnerships, providing medical staff and students with a place to learn and grow without the need for additional requirements. His "common sense principles" applied great care to those coming to The Center to transition to a VMP, and his work provided the staff with guides that walked doctors through the transition process while providing the necessary holistic care for each patient, including behavioral health/psychological services and opportunities that furthered the career of each applicant after their transition.

In 2040, Eric stepped away from The Center, passing his job to Layla Goss and creating his own hybrid tech company known as "Binary Zenith." Hiring both humans and VMPs, his company flourished with a massive influx of investment in spite of more substantial infrastructure needing attention throughout the United States. While his long-term plans focused on software engineering, he grew the talent of his employees by using them to restore functionality to power plants and maintain them, as well as to create algorithms that maximized the efficiency of power grids. He quickly became the dominant source of new software products in the United States, receiving several buy-out offers from competitors around the globe. He finally compartmentalized his company in 2042, partnering with Sonya to have newly-transitioned VMPs from the center intern as Power Management Specialists (which primarily revolved around solar power due to Amy's new Energy Consumption and Management Act), later hiring those trained interns for his other departments.

While some departments specialized in creating programs to predict economic fluctuations and others interfaced with satellite telemetry, his passion was always set on the core of the company: quantum computing. His work in bolstering the concept of quantum security rivaled international competitors, and he was soon the global standard for security and encryption across the world. After NATO and the newly-created ENUA were dissolved in 2074 to create the International Free Nations Organization, Eric released his softwares as an open-source market to maintain international financial security and medical privacy across the globe. He was subsequently nominated for - and received - the Turing Award in 2075.

## Raven

After Raven's disappearance from Vanaheim in *Despair*, little is known about her actions, save for her fate. Her presence was a complete unknown to any of the Counsel, and in spite of quiet meetings between them discussing the possibility of her whereabouts, nothing was ever officially confirmed. Any sighting by civilians were debunked, and no record of any activity led to the belief that she was alive at all. In 2074, Kara' death triggered her reappearance when she arrived at the house of Kara and Jalix, unannounced, and demanded to Jalix that she see Kara's place of burial. Jalix, under the pretense of being senile, guided her to the location she requested. Ever aware of the potential threat, Jalix's guise was an act, and in the moments of her arrival, he had tucked away a handgun and prepared an appearance that would dissuade her of any threat. Although his health was incredibly poor, his mental clarity was still intact as he guided her to Kara's grave. The moment she mentioned continuing her father's work, Jalix's assumptions were confirmed. She was shot and buried in a plot adjacent to her mother.

In an astounding set of mysterious circumstances, her body was exhumed two weeks later without cause, evidence of participants, or a request to the holders of the estate. The surviving members of Kara's Counsel denied involvement in any of the suspected activity, as the true nature of Raven's death was only known to Jalix and those few to which he divulged the information of her death and burial. The whereabouts of Raven's remains continue to be a mystery.