Chapter 25
The mysterious man offers his hand to help Max stand up, which she hesitatingly accepts. She can't stop looking at the man's sharp green eyes looking right at her. She gets up and looks around. Although there is no visible foundation, she is clearly standing on some sort of platform. There's countless television screen-like objects around them, each displaying something different from each other. Some are just displaying stars, some are displaying nebulas, some are display advanced alien-like cities, and some are focused on certain alien individuals, as if they were being spied on. She turns back and faces the man who helped her out. Clearly lost and confused, she begins to ask questions.
"W-who are you? W-where am I? What is this place?" Max asks quietly and keeps a distance away from the man.
"Ah, Miss Caulfield! This place. This is a place beyond length and width. Beyond the concept of depth and time. Beyond the third or even forth dimension! A place that should not exist but yet does! Welcome to my headquarters! It's a pleasure to meet you at last Miss Caulfield."
"I-I don't think I understand. I'm not following..."
"Don't worry, I don't expect you to understand. Not even the brightest of your species could comprehend any of this. You'll soon learn though. I'm sure of it."
Max takes some deep breaths and continues to keep a distance from the odd looking green-eyed man staring at her. Although he's keeping a polite and professional approach, Max can't help but feel intimidated by him. There's clearly something odd about him. His voice and glare doesn't help at all either.
"Y-you haven't told me who you are yet. H-how do you know my name? H-how did I get here?"
"After your fight ended, I brought you here. For your own safety. I'm sure you wouldn't have liked floating amidst a destroyed universe. Floating endlessly to who knows where. You would've eventually died out there. We don't want that to happen right?"
"Well...thanks for saving me I guess...umm...so who are you sir?"
"To simplify matters, I'll just describe myself as the God of Time. My job is to control, govern, maintain, and oversee time itself across all universes, dimensions, timelines, and-well- all of existence. I sit on top of the entire space-time continuum and much more."
"You're...the God of Time? Oh my...but...you are only a human right? Just like me!"
"No. Don't let this body fool you. This is not my true physical appearance. Trust me, you don't want to see how I really look."
"So, you're not a human? Somehow I knew that. Anyways...what do you want with me? I'm sure you know that I can control time too. You're here because of that?"
"Obviously Max. Don't worry though, you haven't done anything wrong per se. Every action you have done with your powers can be justified. However, to be quiet honest, one of my duties is to eliminate troublemakers that are causing too much chaos to space and time. I have to say Max, you have done a great deal in such a short time-span. So much...destruction and risk. All for your loved ones! You remind me of myself."
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb the flow of time! I never asked for this power in the first place! I always meant to use my powers to do the right-"
The man does the silence hand signal which cuts off Max mid sentence.
"Silence Max. I understand. Trust me, I don't blame you for anything. So don't worry, I'm not going to destroy you because of your past actions. However, I will admit that your actions and motivations are what led me to become...interested in you."
"I-interested? How? Why?"
"Well, as I was telling you, I govern time across the infinite multiverses and timelines. As you can imagine, there's a lot of places I need to be at any given time. There's countless universes I need to check on and civilizations, advanced and non, to oversee. Although the ability to control of time is extremely difficult to obtain across all planes of existence, there have been several universes that have spawned powerful time manipulators. There's also some universes that have spawned weak time manipulators but even the weakest ones can cause major catastrophe to the fabric of space and time, as you may know. Anyways, this is where you come in. Your world leaders gave me a great idea. They had you go on some missions and time experiments on their behalf. For their own benefit right? Well, I thought that was an interesting idea and it made me think. I could use some help...and after watching you in action, I think you would make the perfect fit."
"Help? The perfect fit? What do you mean by that?"
"Max, I want you to become my assistant. My successor. My equal. I have lived since the beginning of existence and have been assigned to the same job and duties ever since then. As species and civilizations become more advanced, the greater chance that eventually I will fail to keep everything intact. Although I do enjoy my job, it is at times, overwhelming. I want to train you to become a Time Goddess and eventually govern the entire space-time continuum in my place. You will become one with the universe and become immortal. You will experience and live a life that no other human ever will. You have great potential Max. Out of everybody I have ever met that had time manipulation abilities, you stand above all. Your courage, determination, mindset, strengths, passion, love, and even your weaknesses tells a lot about who you are. People weren't kidding around when they told you were someone special and you are. This is the chance of a lifetime Max. Utilize your skills and potential and transcend above all! So...what do you think?"
What the hell? Offering to train me to become a God? Become immortal? I'm not sure if I like this one bit. I want to back to Earth and be with Chloe and the others, not be a fucking god!
"W-what if...I refuse? Sorry, but that doesn't sound something I'm really interested in. I just want to go home."
"There is no home Max. It was destroyed. Why would you refuse? You know that Chloe wouldn't want you to reject this offer."
"Chloe!? How do you know that?"
"Because she knew about me. I talked to her about the offer I just purposed. She agreed with me that you need to come with me. If she were here, she would urge you to accept."
"No, you lie! She wouldn't do that! She's isn't like that! She wouldn't go along with anything you said!"
"I beg you differ Max. She completely understood the consequences and implications about your job offer. She agreed to let you go. Her friend, Rachel Amber, also agreed with me. They both wanted you to come with me."
"Bullshit! I don't believe you! Chloe wouldn't let me go for anything in the world! Rachel wouldn't either! I was just talking to them both earlier! If they knew about you, they would've warned me about you! They would've said something!"
"Max. You were warned. Multiple times. Not just by them but from your enemies as well. I almost destroyed Rachel after what she told you but it turns out that it didn't end up mattering. Your Chloe accepted your fate clearly. That's why she wanted to enjoy one last moment with you before you went off with me. I gave her a tiny portion of my power and taught her how to fuse with the person she loved. I'm sure you wondered how exactly she was able to communicate with you even when she was dead or how she knew that joining bodies would help you defeat miss Goddess."
No! No! No! This can't be happening. This is complete bullshit! Chloe would've said something to me. She wouldn't sacrifice me over anything! This can't be true!
"I see that you're flustered but you can't blame them Max. They just wanted what's best for you and for everybody else. Weren't you in a similar situation before? Because...should you refuse my offer...I'll erase all of humanity from existence. Humans, across all planes of existence, would be wiped away, with a flick of my wrist. They would have never existed. Everybody you have ever known, would be erased from history. Excluding you Max. You'll be sent to...well...let's just say...not a pretty place for a pretty girl like yourself."
"Y-you'll erase all humans? No! You can't do that! I-I won't let you!"
"I can and I will if you refuse to corporate. Are you sure you want to let everybody get erased after trying so hard to save them? Are you sure you want to waste all your efforts and skills for no reason? Do you really want your beloved Chloe to be erased?"
Oh god, what the fuck am I going to do? This is getting pretty bad by the second. I-I need to get out of here. NOW! B-but how? There's no way out of here! I don't even know where I'm at! Wait... The Time Ring! I can use it to get out of here...wait...where is it?!
Max looks at her hands and realizes that she's no longer wearing the time rings given to her. She searches her pockets in a panic but comes up with nothing.
"Looking for these?" The strange man walks closer to Max and shows the time rings that are resting on his hand to her. However, before she can even think to grab them from him, he crushes them into pieces. Max's heart sinks and begins to be overwhelmed by anxiety and hopelessness.
"You no longer needed those Max. Such inferior technology. Not bad for humans I suppose but completely useless."
H-He...broke the rings. Oh my god. What am I going to do now? I need to rewind this! As far back as I possibly can! Is the only hope I have.
Max attempts to rewind time, first by using only her mental concentration but nothing happens. She quickly attempts to rewind time by extending her arm but despite her hardest and desperate attempts, is unable to rewind.
What the fuck is going on? I-I can't rewind time! I'm trying as hard as I can but I can't! I feel...normal. I don't feel empowered anymore. Oh god, what is happening to me?
The strange man chuckles for a bit and clears this throat. A long creepy grin begins to form on his face.
"I'm sure you're wondering why you can't rewind time anymore. It's simple actually. I took the liberty of relieving you from your powers and abilities. All of them. Isn't that nice?"
"You...stripped me of my powers!?"
"Correct. As the God of Time, I can grant and remove one's ability of controlling time very easily. Anyways Max, I hate to rush things but I've waited long enough. Will you come with me and become my apprentice or will you foolishly reject my offer? I'll give you a good minute to decide your fate. I know. I know. A minute isn't enough time to think all this through but at least I'm being generous. I was only going to offer you the illusion of free choice but after everything you went through, I think you earned the real deal. My apologies that it's yet another binary decision for you, I know you're not a fan of those."
Max lowers her head and clenches her fists. Powerless, weaponless, and ringless, tears begin to flow from her eyes. Completely devastated, a million thoughts and questions are racing through her head. However, she knows she's quickly running out of time. She has to make a decision sooner than later. There's no way out and no other alternative option. Accept his offer or the entire human race gets erased from existence and she faces certain death. As the seconds pass by, she thinks of Chloe and everything she has done for her. She abruptly raises her head and looks at the strange man smiling at her.
"If...I accept your offer...can you at least grant a request?"
"Hmmm...What is it?"
"Can you restore the Earth and protect it from the chaos that the Goddess and -I- created? I would like you to revive Rachel Amber too if that's possible."
"My my Max. At the end, it's all about Chloe and your friends huh? Very well then, I shall entertain your requests. However, in return, not only will you come with me but I will need to erase you, 'Max Caulfield', from history. So that means that Chloe, your parents, and everybody you have ever met or interacted with, will forget about you. Because you never existed. To be a true God of Time, attachments are forbidden so you also won't be able to go back to Earth anytime soon, if ever. Do not worry though, Chloe and everybody else will live the rest of their lives in peace. Rachel Amber will be safe. I promise you that. So how about it Max?"
Okay, at least I got those request granted. But how can I really trust this guy? It might be all a ruse to get what he wants. Max, you don't have time to dwell on this. It's time to face your destiny. Whether you like it or not.
"Time to choooose..."
The man creates a green portal outta thin air and instructs Max to enter it.
ENDING #1- MAX ACCEPTS THE TIME GOD'S OFFER
Max takes a deep breath and starts walking towards the portal. She looks at the man standing besides her before stepping in. Although she doesn't understand who exactly this man is, his intentions, and doesn't even know what awaits her, she realizes that any slight chance of seeing Chloe and her friends ever again will only be possible if she accepts the offer. She reluctantly steps inside the portal and enters a dimension that resembles the hyperspace from Star Wars.
"Wisely done Miss Caulfield! I'll see you up ahead but for now rest. You're going to need it. A long journey awaits you."
"Wait! Hold on! What about-"
"I'll take care of it."
The God of Time hushes Max and makes her fall asleep by a simple finger poke in the forehead. He enters the portal as well, picks up her body, and carries her across the timestream.
Several millenniums later, Time Goddess Maxine Caulfield is on a distant planet from a different universe, watching a primitive but promising alien civilization evolve. She carefully observes them from the top of a cliff, making sure she is not seen. Max, retaining her youth for eternity, now wears a full silver and gold Valkrie-like armor with wings that harnesses her powers. She now carries a long golden staff, with a blue butterfly carved on top which further enhances her powers. With her hair reaching the bottom of her feet, she has taken the appearance of a true Goddess Warrior of Time. As she observes the purple humanoid beings living a normal day at their village, she takes an interest on two of them. They are a couple of children, both female, playing a game of hide and seek. Their happiness and sister-like bond reminds Max about a certain someone. A tear falls from Max's right eye but she quickly wipes it off. She forwards time by twenty years to see the progress of the two children and leaves to another planet, with a smile on her face.
ENDING #2- MAX REFUSES THE OFFER
Max turns her head from side to side and gets into a fighting position. The God of Time's smile disappears and is replaced by anger and disappointment.
"No. I refuse your offer! I'm not being your slave! I'm not going to turn myself in! No way in hell! Not after everything. You're clearly a manipulative motherfucker! I don't care who you are and what you can do! Nobody controls my destiny, except for me! I don't give a fuck if you took my powers away from me, I never fucking wanted them in the first place! I don't believe a word you say! So go ahead and kill me! I'll accept my fate but I won't go down without a fight!"
Max charges the man and goes for a punch, fully knowing that she has no chance to beat him. The God of Time launches the portal at Max and she gets instantly teleported into an abyss. Max starts falling into nothingness for several minutes until she finally lands on some foundation. Suddenly, giant-sized reptilian creatures appear and surround her. Other alien monsters also appear, some she recognizes and some she does not. Jefferson, Nathan, Frank, and others also appear. She stands her ground but knows that her death is near. She gets extremely overwhelmed by the sounds of cries, whispers, pleads, and shouts from the people and creatures around her. Some of them are pleading for Max to get them out here but many are insulting her and cursing her out. The God of Time's voice starts speaking to her telepathically.
"I respect your decision Max. However, these guys do not. These are all the people and creatures you have either killed or erased since you started your adventures. Accidentally or not. They would like the chance to meet the girl responsible for the total annihilation of their friends and family. Have fun because you're going to spend eternity with them. Any regrets...Miss Caulfield?"
Max, instead of cowering in fear, charges right towards the endless enemies but quickly gets overpowered. She tries to protect herself as best she can but it is no use. This is a battle she has no chance of winning.
Chloe...
Ending themes Youtube: bXpGM6NgrZ8 and d1rO4VlsSgU
THE END
Thanks for reading. I might go back on this and revise some of this in the future but for now, consider this completed.