We walked in silence for a long time. They had to know what I was thinking about. Erek, an android, and Toby, a brilliant anomaly? Of course they knew, but they did not say anything about it. And I was glad. Jake was on my mind, and I was afraid, and I didn't trust myself to even speak about my own fears. I knew Jake had a dark side. I had seen it before- I had seen it almost win him over, in the end. The war had done terrible things to him, things that could not be undone no matter how hard I had tried- no matter how hard I had wished.
We were getting closer to the vortex in the center of the place that should not exist, and all the colors of the sky were beginning to blur together. All three worlds were slowly becoming one.
"I see something," Toby said suddenly, breaking the silence. She pointed at peered with my weak human eyes.
"What is it?"
"I believe- it may be the center we are looking for."
The center of the universe.
I knew this universe was an anomaly- it was not supposed to exist. But it still made me wonder. If this universe had a center, and the Time Matrix was in that center, did ours have one too? And, like the Time Matrix had created this universe, was there whatever had created our universe in its center?
It was mind boggling to think about, but it was possible. Perhaps there was someone greater than the Ellimist, non-interfering with others from other universe, and we were simply a strange accident.
As we drew nearer, my eyes began to make out the vortex in the distance. Soon I also saw a small figure near the vortex, and my heart began to pound loudly in my ears. Oh, god, I wasn't ready. A thousand memories sprang to mind, some good- our first kiss- and some not so good- like the rift that had grown between us in the end.
"Cassie," he said, and smiled that smile, just for me. Not Cass, just Cassie. Not that nicknames mattered- but I couldn't help but compare Jake and Ronnie. Even at our wedding- I had imagined how it would have been if it was Jake.
"Jake," I said, stopping. He was there, only a few feet in front of me, and some part of me wanted to run to him. A small part. The bigger part knew better- this was not Jake.
And even if it had been, it wouldn't have mattered. Jake and I were over.
"The One is here," he said to me.
Good. Let's talk about the One. An intense, uncharacteristic anger came over me at the thought of the creature that was so intent on causing me so much pain. Anger was good. It helped push the sorrow away.
"I know," I said.
His smile disappeared and he looked at me, a deep emptiness in his eyes. "I always loved you, Cassie. No matter what you think, no matter what I did, that'll always be true."
"Sometimes love isn't enough," I said simply. "And sometimes it simply dies."
"Yes, well, everything dies, why should love be any different?" he said, his voice full of the emptiness that it had been at the end of the war. "Do you know who the One is, Cassie?"
His abrupt change in subject caught me off guard. "He's a creature of Crayak's," I said.
"In a way, yes. But Crayak has no real power over him- they are more like… allies, you could say. The One does what it has always done, and only recently has it started working for Crayak. Do you want to know what the One does?"
No, no, I didn't. I wanted to save my friends, to put this nightmare out of my head, that was what I wanted. I kept silent, knowing Jake would tell me anyway.
"The One is what destroyed us Cassie. He is more than just the darkness of our mortal souls- he is the killer of love. It is because of him we died Cassie. Because that's what he does.
"He kills love."
Yeah, I know it's short. But bear with me (and review!) Thanks to all who have already reviewed, it means a lot.
We were getting closer to the vortex in the center of the place that should not exist, and all the colors of the sky were beginning to blur together. All three worlds were slowly becoming one.
"I see something," Toby said suddenly, breaking the silence. She pointed at peered with my weak human eyes.
"What is it?"
"I believe- it may be the center we are looking for."
The center of the universe.
I knew this universe was an anomaly- it was not supposed to exist. But it still made me wonder. If this universe had a center, and the Time Matrix was in that center, did ours have one too? And, like the Time Matrix had created this universe, was there whatever had created our universe in its center?
It was mind boggling to think about, but it was possible. Perhaps there was someone greater than the Ellimist, non-interfering with others from other universe, and we were simply a strange accident.
As we drew nearer, my eyes began to make out the vortex in the distance. Soon I also saw a small figure near the vortex, and my heart began to pound loudly in my ears. Oh, god, I wasn't ready. A thousand memories sprang to mind, some good- our first kiss- and some not so good- like the rift that had grown between us in the end.
"Cassie," he said, and smiled that smile, just for me. Not Cass, just Cassie. Not that nicknames mattered- but I couldn't help but compare Jake and Ronnie. Even at our wedding- I had imagined how it would have been if it was Jake.
"Jake," I said, stopping. He was there, only a few feet in front of me, and some part of me wanted to run to him. A small part. The bigger part knew better- this was not Jake.
And even if it had been, it wouldn't have mattered. Jake and I were over.
"The One is here," he said to me.
Good. Let's talk about the One. An intense, uncharacteristic anger came over me at the thought of the creature that was so intent on causing me so much pain. Anger was good. It helped push the sorrow away.
"I know," I said.
His smile disappeared and he looked at me, a deep emptiness in his eyes. "I always loved you, Cassie. No matter what you think, no matter what I did, that'll always be true."
"Sometimes love isn't enough," I said simply. "And sometimes it simply dies."
"Yes, well, everything dies, why should love be any different?" he said, his voice full of the emptiness that it had been at the end of the war. "Do you know who the One is, Cassie?"
His abrupt change in subject caught me off guard. "He's a creature of Crayak's," I said.
"In a way, yes. But Crayak has no real power over him- they are more like… allies, you could say. The One does what it has always done, and only recently has it started working for Crayak. Do you want to know what the One does?"
No, no, I didn't. I wanted to save my friends, to put this nightmare out of my head, that was what I wanted. I kept silent, knowing Jake would tell me anyway.
"The One is what destroyed us Cassie. He is more than just the darkness of our mortal souls- he is the killer of love. It is because of him we died Cassie. Because that's what he does.
"He kills love."
Yeah, I know it's short. But bear with me (and review!) Thanks to all who have already reviewed, it means a lot.