From the private diaries of Father Xavier Perez
September 27, 2081
Nina,
Our city has been at peace for months.
The changelings won the battle that shattered that peace earlier this year, but both my friends believe this is only a temporary lull—change is building with ever-increasing momentum in the PsyNet, the network that connects every Psy in the world but for the rare few who have defected.
“An earthquake is coming, Xavier,” one of my friends said to me just hours earlier. “Only the strong will be left standing when it’s over.”
I pray for the souls caught up in the turmoil, Psy, human, and changeling alike. I’m no longer full of hate toward an entire race. They are as good and bad, as perfect and flawed, as any one of us. In understanding that, I’ve found a kind of peace, too.
But my heart, it still hurts in the night from missing you. It’s been so many years now and still I turn and look for your smile, still I reach for your hand. I know I always will.
Your Xavier