In the communication hall, Kamel gazed longingly at the nine hundred seventy-two seats that were now forever silent.
One familiar name after another flashed through his mind, and behind those names were faces that had begun to blur in his memory. He vaguely remembered the day the Watcher Team first settled in this facility and the vows everyone had made here still echoed in his ears.
Voluntarily giving up everything that comes with being human, in the name of humanity, to watch over this fortress, to guard the hope and seeds within it, until the long night passes, until the lights are rekindled, until the light of civilization once again illuminates this world.
The Watchers did not break their vow. Today, the last Watcher would fulfill the promises made a thousand years ago.
