Until death?

by Andur

  “You are mad! Didn't you say that you don't know for sure what will happen if there are not enough observers!” Miruliru starts to double her efforts.

  “That's why I called it a gamble. But I have a hunch that the multiverse is trying to please it's observers with a reality that's appealing for them. Unfortunately it's impossible to incorporate the wishes of everyone into the same reality. So I hope that if there is just one being left..... it will be able to realize everything it wishes for.” That's my hope.

  “Even if it works! What crazy universe will you dream up! It's impossible to control your wishes. You are opening the box of Pandora!” Zanders answers me with a shocked expression.

  “Unfortunately you are right. But! I am a soul-mage. I meditated and thought for very long about this aspect. I searched my mind and my soul. There is just one thing I wish for. To be together with my family. In this reality. And without the Calamity.” Now he will ask if that includes everyone else.

  “And what of the others! What will you get by only wishing for your family!” -Miruliru

  I smile. “I don't know. But I wish for them to be happy. I guess that's not possible without some other people and a little excitement.”

  Even my former guards join the ambassadors efforts to strengthen the barrier now. I guess they aren't happy with an uncertain future either. But it shouldn't matter. The crystal core in my hand holds the power of an entire world and more.

  It's the central piece of my palace. It did nothing but gather mana for a very long time. Together with the distorted time inside Chimera's void zone it counts up to quite some power.

  Suddenly someone grabs my shoulder. I turn and see that Carne got up again. He gives me a winning smile.

  “You forgot....gah....”

  His expression turns shocked while he incinerates completely in a flash of light from one moment to the next. I look sadly at the remnants of ash which were once my friend.

  “CARNE!” Miruliru screams. “What happened?” Chiffre gives me a shocked expression.

  “He switched his power with mine for a mere moment. But he wasn't able to control my power....” I give the barrier a final push and it shatters.

  Miruliru jumps at me but I wipe her out of the air with my staff while I walk forward. Carne was the only one with a reasonable chance against me. If he had been able to control my current power.... I guess the multiverse doesn't have that much determination after all.

  A guard tries his luck but one of my smaller crystals brings him an unfortunate end.

  Chiffre unleashes a shock-wave of power against me which actually stops me for a second in my tracks. Commendable. I will have to ask him how that was possible if we see each other again.

  With a wave of my hand I raise the gravity within the area dramatically and everyone is sent to their knees. So I walk forward without further hindrances. At the door to the central chamber I stop for a second.

  “Angrod!”

  I turn around and see Celes crawling towards me with a pained expression.

  “You don't need to do this. We can solve this together! I am happy as long as we have each other!” She raises her hand towards me.

  You are surely trying really hard to test me. But my decision is made. I turn and step through the opening door. Beyond it is the big crystal core of Asheim. So I raise my hand and Palace flies up to fuse with it. So that's done.

  ~Connection established. The core is under control.~

  “Raise the space and time barrier around this room. And prepare the wave-front.” I tighten my hand around my staff.

  ~Done.~

  Suddenly everything turns silent, as my special barrier is erected. It will protect me from the end by separating this room into it's own little universe. There won't be any possible interaction with the outside any more.

  But first it has to become fully active. Before it locks down completely, it has to emit the wave-front. I especially created this magic to wipe out most of the multiverse. Once the critical limit is achieved, the multiverse should collapse on its own.

  The wave-front is an adaptation of my own soul magic. Just with the difference that this version will have a self replicating effect. That's why I was always afraid of sharing my magic. It's actually just a little step from the red maelstrom towards the wave-front.

  Like a wave inside a pond, it will spread into every direction and obliterate everything. While doing that, it will be fed by the very own energy it unleashes by breaking down even the smallest atom into the most basic components. Not even the black hole and the Calamity will be spared.

  I turn around and realize that Celes actually crawled till the entrance where the new barrier stopped her. She is pressing a hand against it while tears run down her cheeks.

  While smiling I bend down and touch the barrier from the other side. “Don't worry. We will see each other again soon.”

  “Palace. Activate the wave-front and completely activate the barrier as soon as you are ready.”

  ~Affirmative.~

  I kneel down and hold both my hands against the barrier while smiling at Celes. Yeah. "I won't take long my love." It just happens that the multiverse has to end in order for something new to begin. Something without soul eating monsters.

  Then the other side turns black and I stare out into an endless black nothingness.

  ~The wave-front has been sent. We are disconnected from the rest of the multiverse.~

  “That was pretty anticlimactic. Huh?”

  ~It had the expected effect. There should be nothing left in existence behind the wave-front. So it would be strange if there could be anything of interest observed.~

  I nod. “So the multiverse should have collapsed by now. Can you confirm it by reconnecting us with the multiverse?”

  ~Reconnecting.~

  The black nothingness turns into a white plane. And on the other side of the barrier, I see a demon.

  “Hi. So we meet again.”

  107 - Alpha?

  Nowhere

  “How the fuck can you be here?” The Calamity survived while everything else vanished? That can't be! Did I make a mistake?

  “I am tired. I see that your current self doesn't know anything of the true nature of this whole affair....” The monstrosity before me starts to speak with a gentle and sane voice.

  “What do you mean? How can you even be here? I destroyed the fucking universe!” I scream at the thing beyond the barrier.

  It nods. “Yes. You destroy the universe. Then you recreate it. Then you destroy it. Then you create it. It's an endless self repeating cycle which was set in motion by your first incarnation. Everything just to destroy me.”

  The thing starts to walk back and forth in front of the barrier. “It's just here, in this almost starved state that I am sane and we can hold this conversation, Bright One. Otherwise the other personalities would be suppressing me.”

  “You are one of the first souls that attempted the fusion?” My mind goes blank. Did he survive by using the other souls as a shield? Somehow?

  “Yes. I am the first. I wished for true eternity. And see what I ended up with.” The monster waves at the endless white plane. “Your spell is truly devious, Bright One. I wish I knew how you did it! You aren't even aware of it but you created this whole situation. Just to punish me! I don't need to be here you know? I could be out there in the nothingness. I could hide and you would recreate the multiverse. Then I will give in to my hunger and eat until you destroy the multiverse again. And so on and so forth. I lost count of it.”

  The thing stops in it's tracks. “And the funny part is this. You aren't even aware of it! And yet you always stop me again and again without fail. You can't even go insane because you don't remember all those iterations. A truly marvellous spell! A spell that can end something like me that's meant to be eternal. Or maybe it wasn't you? Maybe you are just a tool of the multiverse to achieve balance? Maybe something like me isn't meant to be?”

  I frown. “You are an i
diot. What would you do all alone with yourself. It would be boring like hell!”

  The demon shrugs. “Maybe. And maybe not. Who knows?”

  “So why aren't you hiding? If it's true that you are weak? Your story is strange. From my theory I shouldn't be able to restart the multiverse if you still exist. You are an observer too.” I squint my eyes while I think about the motivations of the monster before me.

  “I am here because I want to end it. And I don't count as an observer since a long time ago. In order to attain eternity, I disconnected myself from the multiverse. Do you know why your spell is so devious? It's because I can't run. Even if I run, I end up here! I can't escape! And while I am alone and conscious, I can't deal with this endless white eternity! And you will go on to bring me here. I am going mad!” The thing beats the barrier with a clawed fist and starts to rattle on.

  “It doesn't matter if your next reincarnation is an angel. A dwarf. Male or female! Big, fat, muscular, thin, young, old. You just appear here every time to mock me! You show me all the different lives you lived in order to punish me for what I tried to give up! And you don't even know why. That's the funny part. Ohhh. What would I give to meet your first iteration again and ask him how he did it!” The thing spreads it's arms and smirks at me.

  “So! Come out of there and let's have a last fight to the death! Just you and me!” The thing taunts me.

  I frown again and smirk while I scratch my cheek. “Why should I? Now that I know that you are out there? I guess you used the other souls as a shield.... somehow. I just have to invoke the wave-front a few more times until the multiverse is completely wiped. You are like an artefact that survived the first wipe. Maybe the multiverse keeps resetting itself because of your continued existence. Palace, invoke the wave-front again as soon as you are ready.”

  The Calamity lets it's hands fall. “Yeah, well. I expected that it wouldn't work to taunt you. Maybe I would have won?”

  “Who knows?”

  Then the other side of the barrier turns black again. After a few seconds, Palace returns us back to the previous state. This time there is no monster outside. But I don't trust the peace. “Palace, repeat the process until your energy reserves are depleted. Then drop the barrier.”

  I sit down on the ground and watch the process for some time. After a while the other side stays white and I can hear the voice of Palace.

  ~Done.~

  I get up with a burning sensation in my feet and walk outside. I hope the Calamity is gone for real this time.

  So what to do now? I thought that everything would work out just by wishing for it. But nothing happens? Should I try to use my mana too? Feeling for energy?

  “Turn back! Exist! And there is light!”

  Graah! How stupid! Trying to give commands with your voice! Ok. Then what if I need a really exact image of what I want? Maybe using self hypnosis? I turn to watch the room behind me. It's just a big box made out of crystal now.

  The easiest way to imagine everything should be from the inside. I should be able to imagine the universe going back to its previous state outside the room.....

  So I walk back inside and squat down to take a comfortable position. Meditation! How do I want the multiverse to be.........

  ….Minutes...curiosity...

  ….Hours....bewilderment....

  ….Days.....FRUSTRATION!....

  “Graaaa! This doesn't work! Why doesn't it work!?” I start to hit the ground. Did I make a mistake? Did I break the multiverse? I will be caught here forever?

  Forever alone! “Hahahahaha....” This is too funny. Did that demon trick me in the end? Did I condemn myself by wiping him in that manner?

  No... my spell shouldn't have that effect. It just decomposes everything down to it's most basic state. Even souls. It doesn't have a permanent effect.

  “Maybe Massster hasss to try harder.”

  I freeze up.

  Then I look down and check my ankle, where the voice came from. “GRAAAH! YOU!” I rip Enyo from my foot and throw her onto the ground while I jump up.

  *STOMP*

  “Who!”

  “Mass....”

  *STOMP*

  “Told!”

  “....sster!”

  *STOMP*

  “You!”

  “....ssst!”

  *STOMP*

  “To!”

  “....op!”

  *STOMP*

  “Stay!”

  “....miss!”

  *STOMP*

  “Alive!”

  “....ssstake! Sssssss....”

  Haaaa... That stupid snake! When did she even get onto me! Now that's dealt with. Time to do this right.

  I kneel down again besides Enyo's remnants and start to meditate. Full concentration! I want the multiverse like it was when I left! Just with the difference that everyone is alive and healthy! Just the moment before I wiped the multiverse. All the worlds which were destroyed should be restored! And their inhabitants alive!

  And there is no black hole and no Calamity! That monster simply doesn't exist. It's my universe, so no soul eating monsters.

  Just imagine it! Creation!

  I see a flash of light through my closed eyelids and open my eyes to see Celes lying just outside the room. She has a bewildered expression and is touching her face like not believing what just happened.

  “YES!” I jump up and hop over her like a prima ballerina. Then I turn in a circle and smile while other previously dead guards and former agents of the Calamity are trying to grasp their situation like Celes.

  “Bow down and worship me fools! Because -I- am the ~creator~ of the multiverse!” I see Carne on the ground while counting his fingers and touching his own body. So I kick his guts lightly while laughing.

  “Get up you fool! I spoke there should be light! And therefore there is!” Then I run towards Aengus and Sharid who are hugging each other.

  “Give daddy a hug too!” I hug both of them and turn two circles with them before letting go.

  Suddenly Sharid's eyes fall onto Enyo's remnants inside the control room. “~Whahaha! Noooo! The family heirloom!~” She dashes forward and grabs the crushed cat-tail with the broken anal plug like a loved pet.

  “No worries! I will repair her.” I call after Sharid. “Why shouldn't the creator of the multiverse be able to repair an.... Ouuuf.”

  Suddenly Celes appeared before me and gave me a flying knee directly into my guts. I actually spurt out a little blood while I go to my knees.

  “Hi, sugar cat! Honey bear saved the multiverse like you wanted! Shouldn't you reward me?”

  I just see the after-image of an open palm and everything goes dark.

  Celes

  I slapped the stupid idiot without holding anything back! Right now he is unconscious to my feet. What did he even think he was doing!?

  What if it hadn't worked! And attacking meee! There clearly wasn't enough education from my part! And he killed Aengus and Sharid! Even if they are alive and well now!

  “Mhmffufufufufu.... I will teach you some manners! You will learn a few ~new things~ tonight. Mwhahaha....”

  Then I take a look around and realize that all eyes are fixed on me. “~There is nothing to see! Just a wife that hands out some reasonable punishment!~”

  I grab Angrod at the collar and pull his unconscious body after me. I have to get out of this dampening field to use a pathway..... And then! And then!

  “Mwahahaharharharhar......”

  - END -