Epilogue: The Road Less Traveled

Alex didn't even register that he was at the end of the story. He had been gripped by this enthralling tale of fighting for peace, adhering to one's beliefs, and all the betrayals and loyalties tested that came with.

But what hit him the hardest were the final chapters from Auris' sole point of view.

Those words she chose to write down, targeting straight for his throat like a pen made into a sword.

He pulled the book away from his chest and grit his teeth, shaken.

His parents, try as they might, were asleep, his mom resting her head on his lap and snoring loudly, while his dad sank into his chair and smiled with happy thoughts in his head.

Taking careful measures not to wake them up, he brought the book in closer and shuddered.

"What the hell…Auris knew about the 'Author' this whole time? No. Wait…! She knew I was a 'Blank'?!"

His world was flipped upside-down by this knowledge, making him question the trajectory of his life, just like a certain phantasm had not too long ago…

And then he saw…that there were still a couple pages left unturned.

Struggling to maintain a grip, he gulped and turned it while feeling like he was dangling from a rope.

And the first words written nearly took him out of this world for good.

"That's right Alex, I KNEW."

His skin went cold, as he felt the woman's all-seeing eyes glare glacial daggers through his soul.

"Unfortunately, I understood the implications of this information too little, too late."

"I have no concrete way of figuring out why you didn't register in my clairvoyance immediately, but I have a theory…"

"As your existence is not premeditated by creation, you are not woven into the branches of time until you are created."

"That's why 'God' demanded my aid, to lock in the family name of the successor so he could create you as their second child, and divert destiny's course in your favor."

"But when Temporis sent you back in time to me, it caused me to recognize your existence within the flow of casualty, and thus I became aware ahead of time."

"...But we BOTH know how 'God' saw fit to deal with that problem."

"Still, for two-thousand years, I patiently waited for a chance to stop you from being born."

"Only to be beaten once more, as it was one of my own people who would wind up being your mother, and a descendant from the remnants of Obscura would be your father."

"I had seen farther into the future than your birth though, I KNEW what you would become."

"...Sarajin knew too. Or rather…he suspected, I assume. But despite that, he STILL CHOSE YOU."

"He gave his trust, his LIFE, HIS LEGACY, and the spirits of all his comrades, to YOU, and what did YOU do?"

"You spat on him every chance you could."

"He UNDERSTOOD YOU…more than anyone could possibly have. And try, and try, and try he did to reach out but you brushed his hand away."

"Because you're the hero of the Author's story. So you know best."

"...Except, you can't hide behind that excuse anymore, can you? Yukari saw to that."

"Cut away the puppet strings and it turns out all that's there is a self-destructive, selfish brat."

"Does it hurt to hear that? Yes?"

"Then WHY, tell me, WHY, IS this the third time you're hearing this?!"

"You should have died the first time you failed to understand this lesson but you keep pressing onward!"

"Why?! Why?! What drives you to stay alive?!"

"What meaningful purpose do you carry…that's SO GREAT…that you have to drag my husband's name through brimstone, blood and hellfire to accomplish it?!"

"I…HATE you."

Never before did three words embody enough hate to make Alex Whiter's soul feel feeble in comparison.

But it kept going.

"After everything you've done to me, my family, my friends."

"After every dream you've trampled on I don't want you to die oh no no no."

"You don't deserve an easy way out."

"You don't deserve happiness."

"You don't deserve that power."

"You don't deserve ANYTHING."

That very last word of the book wailed in his ears and made him jerk around, fumbling the book out of his hands.

But instead of trying to grab it he froze up upon realizing that he had disturbed his mom's sleep.

He was sweating and his heart was now erratic, but by the time his mom had lifted her head up all she took away from his demeanor was, "Oh, you done reading?"

Alex stared bluntly at the book and then reeled back, "Y-Yeah…Sorry…mom."

She stretched her tiny arms up and letting out a feline like yawn before smacking her lips, "Aaaaah, it's 'lright. You ok? You look really out of it."

"I-I'm fine it was just a very…hard to swallow ending." Alex said that in a haste and then shove off the couch and towards the front door.

"Can you give me a moment…?" He said in a cracked, meek tone.

"Yeah, go ahead, door's always open!" Her tone was carefree but also inviting.

But he needed some space…and air, lots of…air.

The grassy plains danced on this cold midsummer night.

It had been a few days since he arrived here…his old home.

The winds seemed to be particularly aggressive towards him, hitting him with a full force of midnight chill.

That combined with his sweat made him clutch his arms against his body and shiver.

But looking at the way the grass moved told him it was all in his head…

These were merely the winds of guilt rearing their ugly head.

He hung his head and his eyes were empty. Even when he pulled back to look up at the moon, no light could reflect in them.

Auris had cut him down to the core and forced him to acknowledge what he had already started to piece together…

"I'm nothing." He whispered.

WHY are you nothing, Alex Whiter?

"Every choice I've made has led to a mistake one way or another…"

And yet you keep making them.

"E-Eventually something had to go right for me…surely…"

That's not how that works. For something to go right, you first have to acknowledge that something's wrong.

He let out a frightened gasp that strangled his chest and then looked down at his disfigured charred hand.

Feeling like he could cry, he slowly squeezed that hand into a fist and brought it closer to his face, "...My feelings, my thoughts, my actions…I was made to be this way. Even this pain I feel now I can only feel because someone made it so I could."

That's one way to look at it.

But who is the someone in this instance?

He stared blankly forward and muttered, "...Me. It's always been…me."

So if you're what's wrong, then what needs to be done to make you right?

He clutched his hands against his chest and dropped to his knees shouting, "No! I don't want to change…! I'm fine…! Just the way I am!"

That's the talk of a coward!

"I AM scared…! Because…because…"

The tears flowed out on their own as he whimpered, "If-If I change…become someone people want to be close to…then how long…How long until I lose them?!"

"I'm sick of it…" He hunched against his knees and grabbed hold of the burnt, throbbing part of his wrist, "Sick of this endless pain with no security in sight…"

"...Hah…!" He let out a gasp as sudden as his heart skipping a beat and widened his eyes.

Are you starting to get it now?

"S-Sarajin he…grappled with these feelings too."

"But he didn't give up the fight…because he had something worth fighting for…"

And? Didn't you? At one point…

"Shina…" The unmistakable purity of her in his memories echoed a pang of regret in his heart.

"No!" He chose to shatter those memories and admit in a loud, frustrated voice, "That's just an EXCUSE! I only cared about her for…selfish reasons."

What about him?

"Mew…?" His lips trembled.

Even at your worst you couldn't bring yourself to kill him. Why?

"...I don't know."

This isn't the time for a non-answer. Look deeper inside.

"...I don't know!" Alex screamed.

You don't know, or you don't WANT to know?!

"How do you expect me to think about someone who is better than me in every way and not feel even more disgusted with myself?!"

…Now you see it. The capacity to change within you.

He exists as your reflection, not your opposite.

"...I want everything he has…everything…Sarajin had too."

Love? Respect? A purpose in life?

"No. Courage…" He opened his eyes and looked a little more focused, "And the strength to keep pressing on."

"It's only after I have that…that I can begin to hold on to what I cherish most dearly."

And what DO you cherish most dearly in this world, Alex Whiter?

He glanced over his shoulder at his home and his answer proved resolute, "...Family."

He then stood himself up on his aching legs and took a deep breath.

He then swallowed hard and though his body still trembled, he made his way back to the house.

He peered through the front windows and saw his mom roughhousing his dad a bit. Just a few light punches on the arm, nothing too serious.

The two of them shared a kiss afterwards and his mom laughed.

It was a nice reminder that his birth at least didn't ruin the love they already had.

"..." He quietly opened the front door and his mom charged across the room to shoulder tackle him.

"Hey! Feelin' better now?"

After Alex regained his balance he looked straight at his mom and found himself choking on his words.

"M-Mom…dad…? Can you sit down for a moment there's…something I want to tell you."

"Alright." His mom crossed her arms and jumped back to plop onto her husband's lap, laying her legs out on the arms of the chair with a smile.

Alex stood before them, and immediately his voice broke down, "Y-You've both been too kind to me and my circumstances…"

"The truth is…before I wound up here…I was trying to destroy the universe."

"Not just ours. Everything. Every universe…"

"I…I was too tired of living a life of misery and pain, but I could never die…"

"So I believed…It was only appropriate that nobody else got to be happy if I couldn't."

"All of this was my decision…but this mentality started because I was created to be this way…"

He looked at himself and the memories of family love started pouring out of his heart, fighting to throw him off with uncertainty.

But he looked his mom and dad in the eyes and forced his way through, "I'm NOT your son…!"

"I'm…what's known as a 'Blank'. An artificial being."

He threw his pointer finger at the bedroom down the hall and raised his voice, "Joe Dark…! J-Joseph…your real son! He was supposed to become a great hero but I stole that from him!"

"So you have to stop showering me with love like I deserve it, because I'm nothing but a stranger to you, get it?!"

He then bit his teeth down so fast he almost took off the tip of his tongue, and from sheer mental exhaustion he found himself falling to his knees in a slump.

He then begged this loving couple, "T-That's the truth…do whatever you want to me now."

He heard his mom's knuckles crack and after she exchanged looks with her husband she kicked herself off the chair and landed right in front of Alex.

He winced but embraced the coming pain.

She pulled him in close and then helped him stand, continuing to hug her small arms around his back and pressing her cheek against his chest.

Alex's heartbeat went from unsteady to fluttering as her bodily warmth made its way into him.

"You feel that?" She murmured.

Alex nodded along sheepishly.

"Damn right," She said with pride and joy as she squeezed him just a liiittle bit harder, "These aren't the kind of feelings I show to a stranger, son."

"I-I'm not your son…!" Alex insisted on saying.

"Ha! I got a stretched cervix that would beg to disagree!"

"Ahem…!" His dad let out a gentle cough and stood up to join in the conversation.

"What she's saying is…We already knew."

This hit Alex hard in the gut, "Y-You…knew?"

His mom pulled away, crossed her arms, and grinned, "Yep! The whooooole time!"

"...You…knew." Alex went from feeling confused, to this puzzling sense of…relief?

And now those memories, that he was once prepared to disown, felt a lot more powerful in their sincerity.

His dad told him, "Auris warned us ahead of time, but we weren't about to abort a child just because of the danger he entailed."

His mom followed, "It sure as hell didn't matter to me if you were the son of 'God' or my own. Lumina Whiter never backs down from her duty!"

Alex leaned out and shook his head, "Y-You don't get it…!"

"Yes. We do," His dad replied, "That's one of the perks of being a grown-up."

His mom bumped him with her elbow and then remarked, "Or to put it bluntly, who cares what you are? I'm looking at you now, and you're just the kind of son I imagined you'd be!"

"...Really?" Alex uttered in disbelief.

His mom shrugged, "Eh, I thought you'd be a little shorter but…"

"Honey…" His dad softly reprimanded her.

His mom firmed her arms back in place and remarked, "Point is…! If you're feeling guilty, don't go expecting someone else to beat you up until it goes away."

"You gotta hold your head up high and beat that guilt into submission with kindness!"

Alex broke into a moment of laughter before choking up, "I-I don't think you understand how much I've screwed up, mom…"

"There's nothing you can't fix as long as you're willing to try," His dad gave some words of wisdom, then gave him a tiny smile, "I believe in you, son."

"Dad…"

Alex looked at his burnt hand and then placed it on his chest. When he closed his eyes, tears leaked out down his cheeks.

"After I learned about what I truly am, I didn't think anyone could accept me."

"But…my mom and dad did love and accept me."

"...It's always been me."

"I've always been the biggest obstacle to my own happiness."

"...Shina. I never even considered your feelings back then. But now that I know someone can accept me for what I am…"

"I have to know how you'll truly feel."

"And beyond that…"

His thoughts trailed off into silence. There was now a lingering sense of uncertainty for what his future would hold, but that was relieving instead of constraining.

"Mom? Dad?" Alex nodded to them one at a time and then held them both in one arm, wanting to keep this pose forever.

"I think…it's time for me to head back…" The moment he let go of them would be the last time he'd ever get to hug him.

He held onto them stronger and started to cry, trembling as he mustered up the resolve to raise his voice, "I-I'm going to take this second chance…and become worthy of being the kind of man you're proud of!"

"...I don't know how. But…I'm not going to ignore what that story was trying to tell me."

"...I want to be happy. And I don't want to give up ever again."

His mom forced them closer together into one big bundle of hugging and cheered, "Awww, quit with the mushy talk! You've got this, Alex!"

"What your mother said." His dad followed.

"Geez Abraham, put in a little effort why don't you?"

His mom then broke them up and with a flash of light in her eyes she shouted, "Oh! Actually, before you go, I just remembered something!"

She scurried upstairs in a blue flash and then came back down with a fourth book, much smaller and fresh in appearance.

It came with a letter bound up top saying "Read first", clearly in Auris' handwriting.

Alex was undoubtedly hesitant about reading anymore words from the seer, but with his mom budging the letter repeatedly he pretty much had to.

He plucked the envelope and then opened it up. The letter had been written on burgundy colored paper with bold ink.

"So you've chosen to take another second chance, and by now I assume you've read all three books."

"...I'm banking everything on this very low percent chance, but here we go."

"The nature of my clairvoyance allows me to see the branches of time until there comes a point where it no longer exists, or I no longer exist within it."

"Suffice to say, given my curse, I can see to the very end of time if I wanted to."

"...But that end comes much, much sooner than you would think. Not just for us, but ALL of us. In every timeline, in every permutation…"

"Everything ends."

"Yukari went after you assuming that the 'Phoenix of Destruction' would be the end of all creation."

"But I supposed she never managed to get furthest past that."

"I've seen it. All timelines eventually converge upon a single end point, like a black hole swallowing in celestial gasses."

"Fading out, until all that's left is nothingness."

"I suspect you were just a test run. A dangerous problem that needed to be dealt with, certainly, but only a fraction of the monstrosity 'God' intends to create next."

"Time becomes so tangled at that end point that it's impossible to discern what shape the threat takes, or all the events leading up to that moment."

"But I do know one thing…"

"Beyond that maelstrom exists a few very faint motes of starlight. A single possibility of hope, escaping armageddon."

"And by unraveling the strings as best I could, the one connective tissue I found, as much as I loathed to acknowledge it…Is that YOU were there."

"But rationally, it makes sense. If 'God' intends to end it all then you are one of our best hopes of stopping him, as you are free from his influence and watchful eye."

"Especially now that Temporis brought you back to this point in time."

"Now, I want you to open this new book to the front page."

Alex set the letter by his hip and turned open the cover, which his mom had been gesturing impatiently towards him the whole time.

There were only two words written in bold at the top of the page.

Chapter 1:

With a little shake up to his nerves, Alex looked back at the letter to find it flowed perfectly with his state of mind.

"Now you know what the future holds. You can let everything be destroyed, or take your second chance…and use it to save us all."

"You're free to choose. Become the Author of your own story, Alex Whiter, and pen the next chapter with your bare hands."

"But if you choose to save us, then there's a particular point in time you need to meet me at."

The last line caused Alex's eyes to widen right up, "W-What…? Seriously…?"

And put a wrench in his plans, "Sorry Shina, guess you're going to wait a while…"

He then folded up the letter and put it in the book before taking it under his arm, "Guess I'm going to get a chance to prove my worth immediately…"

He then took one last long look at his parents and smiled, "Alright…see you later."

As he headed for the door his dad remarked, "What do you want us to do with the other books?"

"I'm sure Auris will want them back. So just put them somewhere safe in the house and I'll pick them up in the future."

"So our house's still standing years later eh? Good to know!" His mom declared.

"Oh and mom? Try and get Joseph out in the sun a little more, ok?"

"Hey, who's the mother here?" She said with a meaty grin.

"...I really will miss you both." Alex whispered under his breath with sincerity before exiting out the front door, taking away any further temptations of a quiet, ignorant life.

Once he started walking through the grassy fields he reached for the Gaia Temporis in his pocket and held it before his face.

"Alright, you saw where we need to be. But before we go there…"

He braced his heart for one of the toughest moments he'll ever have to endure, "Take me…to that moment…Please."

That one sugary addition persuaded Temporis to give him what he wanted, carrying him through time towards the not too distant future…

When he emerged in a slightly diluted world it proved he was in "stealth mode", so to speak.

Free to observe, but not interfere.

Not that he had any plan to.

This was solely for the sake of his mind.

"I need to confront the first pain I ever experienced."

He was standing on a grassy knoll with a tall tree at the end. At the bottom of the knoll was a turned off car with a small boy resting inside.

His parents…HIS parents, were standing at the top of the hill, not knowing they were about to be betrayed by the very stars they loved to observe.

Alex took a painful swallow and then looked at his younger self smiling under a warm blanket.

That was when he noticed what he never could have then…the car door was unlocked.

"Huh?" Alex played that off as something his mom failed to do, given her hyperactive personality, and then began to climb the hill to get in closer.

He could take the greater risk because a comet wasn't exactly a problem for him.

Once he was within listening range he watched his mom climb up the tree's branches and swing around them, all while having a conversation with his dad.

"How many of them do you sense, honey?" His dad was deadly serious in tone, presenting himself as a battle-ready man.

After his mom flipped to the top of the tree she looked out and remarked, "Looks like he's bringing in a whole army to capture us."

"Tsk…!" She scoffed, "That damn Prometheus…"

As expected, she was riled up for a fight herself, and leaped down to join her husband, who could rein her in a bit.

"Remember, we're not allowed to win this fight."

"...Yeah, I know." It was so unlike his mom to give up the fight that quickly.

But that defeatist attitude only lasted as long as the breeze sweeping up underneath them.

She crossed her arms and armed her scowl, letting out a quick chuckle, "Heh, you think our future son made it back safely?"

"Of that, I have no doubt."

"He really is a chip off the old block! Too bad he didn't seem to get anything from you, Abe."

He took her playful nudges and then smiled, "Your genetics are simply too overpowering, honey. But, that's how you won me over."

She then slowed down her jabs and glared straight ahead, making Alex believe he was being watched.

"I don't like this crap at all. We should be fighting to the bitter end, not rolling over and taking the bullet like a sick dog!"

"But Auris told us that Prometheus will keep escalating the problem beyond our control. Yes, we could fight them off, but eventually Alex will get dragged into the fight."

"We were lucky to find a suitable family for Joseph…"

"Don't remind me…!" His mom grabbed her arms and glared with ferocity like a wounded lion.

"Damn it…!" She then turned around and ran to the edge of the hill, where she found the army was about to break through the forest.

"..." Her aura flared up like a small azure fire and she turned around to declare, "No! To hell with this, I'm fighting!"

"Lumina…!"

"Look, I don't care that Auris vowed to come and take Alex back to Sancturia, he's OUR son, and I want to fight for him!"

"...W-What?" Alex stood there stuttering.

Abraham closed his eyes and with a soothing breath he raised his right hand and undid the wrist cuff, saying as he moved for the other one, and let darkness flow out of his body, "You're right. We wouldn't want to set a bad example for our boys by giving up when the odds are against us, would we?"

Lumina smirked and the two clapped a resounding high-five that resonated their respective powers together.

"Damn straight! Whiter's don't give up! I'll leave the scrubs to you, I'm going to rip off that bastard's head!"

But as determination and dedication to love proved their strongest weapons, the cruel reminder of the futility of fighting against the predetermined reared it's ugly head.

The sky was set ablaze and as Alex tried to run and reach out to them, a comet came crashing down and obliterated the hill they made their last stand on.

As he was sent flying back into the air he finally got to see the full extent of the damage.

Fire and rock spewing in all directions, somehow managing to avoid hitting the car he was sheltered in. But the shockwaves would definitely rock him awake.

The destruction was absolute…there was zero chance his parents survived.

But at least they died together reconfirming what they believed in, and who they truly loved…

After the sounds died down, all that lingered was the sensation of raw power in the air.

"...Wait."

Why was he sensing power off the comet…?

He immediately craned his head towards the sky and saw a figure in the distance blending in between the stars.

He rushed towards that figure and didn't take any other thoughts into consideration.

The figure grew clearer and clearer until it was blunt enough to make Alex freeze in place with horror.

It was Damascus.

No.

Gravitus.

The monster he had a hand in creating, now lowering his aura lit hand and observing the destruction with a minor sense of relief.

"W…what…?" Alex gasped, nearly out of breath.

The Gaia Temporis glowed and Alex scrambled desperately to try and grab it.

"WAIT!" He swung his hand out towards Gravitus as he was flung through another journey through time…

Was this worth it, Alex Whiter?

The truth has finally come to light.

The past no longer needs to speak out.

This fight shall continue in the future.

Time to unshackle the ties that bind this world together and seize back control!

The flames of war have only just begun to burn…

CLASH OF THE ELEMENTS PART 0

THE END.