The Archivist

There were few things more terrifying than watching an entire planet crumble to pieces before your very eyes. The unheard screams of its millions of inhabitants, the vaporizing liquid off of its surface, the molten core instantly cooling and turning to dark volcanic chunks. This was the scene witnessed by the being known as Index, the single permanent resident of Elodius's artificial moon.

The planet itself now drifted as a debris field, drawn toward the cataclysmic event that marked the end of the universe. Not only the remains of the dead world, but every form of matter and energy careened past, influenced by an unimaginably powerful force into a single point of existence.

Index clung to the guard rails of his home's balcony as he witnessed the data pillars littering the surface of the moon begin to crack and collapse from the force of the pull. His eyes trembled in horror as all that knowledge literally blew away in the cosmic wind. He still couldn't understand.

It's not a black hole, it's not a singularity, WHAT IS HAPPENING!?

The keeper of the satellite's information suddenly lost his grip on the railing, sending the spherical being shooting into the sky. The moon's atmosphere had been swept away, leaving only empty space for him to be thrown at. Index desperately tried to find something to grab onto. At best, he was able to use his telekinesis to pull a shard of one of the pillars toward him.

Latching on to the remnant, the being looked back to place he had called home his entire life. The colossal construct that took his people millennium to build was being torn in half by the energy of the pull, sending countless circuitry, panels, and wiring drifting into space, only to be caught in the force and flung at higher speeds than the rest of the destroyed moon, fluttering straight at the source of gravity.

Tears welled up in Index's eyes. His life's work gone, forever lost to the destructive power that the universe had unleashed. He turned away, not wanting to see any more. His gaze shifted to the direction where every bit of existence was being drawn to. All around him, streaks of stardust, matter, and energy flew like ribbons into a single point, which shined an extremely deep purple.

The keeper once again began losing his hold on the object that granted him stability. The shard of pillar was beginning to disintegrate. Index desperately tried to hold the sliver together with his powers, but it was no use. The universe's pull was stronger. He was cast into the void once more.

This is the end. I will die now, along with the rest of the universe…

Index was envious of many other species at this point, those who required some form of intake to keep their blood enriched. His kind had no such need. He would drift aimlessly toward the center, until he slowly perished from sub-zero exposure. The being could already feel his arms begin to stiffen, so frail that it took very little to freeze up the thin limbs. He closed his eyes, waiting for his body to continue feeling the effects of the total vacuum of space. Strangely enough, he felt no more. In fact, his arms began to regain their fluidity.

Index returned his sight, searching for the cause of his reanimation. What he saw astonished him. All around, the streams of energy were stumbling over each other, unable to keep up with the rest of the material that was hurtling toward the center. The keeper calculated that matter was now traveling at the speed of light, causing a bottleneck to be formed, limiting the flow of particles as the universe continued to shrink.

Several of the energy bands were being whipped around violently, threatening to strike the helpless Elodian who was drifting though the void. Index shut his eyes tight as a stream of tight-particle rays passed into his vicinity. He expected to be instantly vaporized, but somehow, he was left unharmed. Gazing at the rays, he saw that they had collided with several others, creating a completely unknown energy signature which the being could not identify.

Index felt delirious as his vision began to blur. He was so disoriented that he failed to notice his speed was decreasing. The rest of existence flew past him, not wasting any time to race toward the center of gravity. After several more minutes, nothing but absolute darkness surrounded the spherical entity. He held on to his consciousness, wondering why he had been left behind.

The purple light had grown smaller, now barely visible in the pitch dark void. Index managed to see the final fringes of energy swirl into the phenomenon. In the blink of an eye, there was nothing. Index could swear he was dead, only to be caught off guard by a sudden impossibly bright light in the distance. He was instantly blinded. There was no noise in space, but if there were, the keeper would swear that the light was the result of the most powerful explosion he had ever witnessed.

Everything faded to white, leaving the Elodian to finally pass out, drifting off into his mind wondering what the afterlife would hold.

Index could feel something around him, blowing, hitting his face, like a gentle breeze back on his planet. In his dreams he smiled, believing the whole incident he had suffered through was a bad nightmare. However, his blissful ignorance was interrupted as he felt that he was not on stable ground.

The keeper flung open his eyes and peered at his surroundings. He was in shock. The world he knew was indeed, no more. Before him, random pieces of rock were floating by in the void of space, completely independent of any nearby body. The greatest sight of all however, was at the spot where the universe had previously been sucked into oblivion.

A swirling nexus of cosmic energies was slowly flinging off arcs of matter and stardust into the boundless and empty universe. Nebulas were already beginning to form as the universe was reborn from the violent explosion Index had witnessed who knows how long ago. For all he knew, it could have been a few minutes considering the theories that existence was formed within the first seconds of a massive detonation.

The Eoldian noticed he was lying flat on the ground and attempted to float into the air. He immediately began wobbling and fell back down. Rubbing his head, Index tried again several times, only to repeat the same failure. Growing frustrated, he telekinetically grabbed a nearby chunk of rock and smashed it into another. Both masses were blown apart into bits, which scattered in all directions. Index covered his eyes to shield them from the debris.

As the shards of stone cleared away, the keeper closed his eyes and began to cry again. Where was he? What had happened to the world he knew? For the first time in his life he had no answers and no source of knowledge to find them either. He lay on the cold rocky asteroid on which he was stranded, unable to formulate a course of action.

Maybe I am dead. Maybe this is the afterlife. Just a void of absolute isolation.

Index sighed. He was stranded in nothingness. What else was there to say? He had no reason to live any longer. The keeper gazed back at the maelstrom of matter end energy that was forging a new reality. He of course had no idea what it really was, nor did he care for that matter.

No interest in seeking knowledge? I must truly be lost.

The Elodian stared blankly into darkness, occasionally witnessing some raw materials fly by at incredible speeds into the empty canvas of the universe. He frowned, wondering what he was to do for the next few days before he died of malnourishment.

"I don't suppose I can eat these rocks can I?"

He had no idea who he was shouting at. But the greatest surprise came in the form of an answer.

"I believe not. Unless that's something you did in your cycle."

Index immediately turned around, eyes darting around searching for the source of the voice. It didn't take long for him to see an angelic woman standing a few yards away, smiling warmly at the being. Index thought it was ridiculous, but she appeared to be on fire. Not daring to break his view of the entity, the keeper slowly tired one more time to float into the air.

To his pleasant surprise, he succeeded in staying up this time. The glowing woman smiled brighter.

"It seems you've adjusted to the physics. That's good to see."

Index was confused. Adjusted? It's as if she were suggesting that physics had been rewritten, but that was impossible. Right? He hovered closer to the fiery being.

"Who are you?"

The woman came closer, still giving a warm expression.

"I am Solara, precursor of the multiverse forge."

The Elodian was lost.

"Precursor? What are you talking about? And the multiverse is just a myth, how can you be from there?"

Solara sighed a little.

"There is much you do not understand about your situation dear. Would you be willing to follow me to the answers?"

She held out her hand. Index was suddenly ecstatic. He was being offered answers, the potential to realize what had transpired earlier. He reached our nervously to the shining lady, remembering she was made of flames. She chuckled a bit.

"Don't worry. My fire won't burn you."

Index finally reached Solara's hand. It had a pleasant warmth, making the spherical being imagine a comforting embrace. For the first time since he had been cast into total chaos, he felt…safe. If anything, he guessed, this woman was a mother.

The two individuals floated further off the ground as Solara began building up her incredible flames. In a flash, she rocketed herself and her new companion into the void. Index was widely curious as to where the lady was headed. After all, existence had just been swallowed and spat back out again. How could there be anywhere to go?

He worked up the courage to begin questioning.

"What happened to the universe?"

Solara looked sadly to the nexus in the distance, still spitting out cosmic matter in all directions.

"Remorsefully, you have witnessed the end of your multiverse's cycle, and the birth of the next."

Index was stunned, suddenly refusing to take his eyes off the pulsing remains of the explosion in far off space.

"Cycle…how is that possible?"

The fiery precursor continued her end of the conversation.

"Once a multiverse reaches the extent of its expansion, two cosmic locks activate a physics reversal, saving existence form pulling itself apart and in the process, paving the way for a new array of dimensions and universes."

Solara continued to explain patiently as Index held fast to his questioning, overcome by the vast knowledge he was absorbing. Eventually, he began to accept that what the woman was saying was truth: that his world as he knew it no longer existed. The keeper gazed sadly into deep space as they flew.

"So how did I survive?"

The glowing entity looked down to the spherical being.

"You are one of several beings or objects that were, for some reason or another, spared from the cyclic cataclysm, an anomaly that is forever freed from the constraints of time. You are now, a precursor."

Index's eyes widened at the thought. Immortality, more or less. He didn't know what to think of it. On one hand, he had all the time in existence to rebuild what he had lost. On the other, he could never become too attached to his creations, as they would eventually fall victim to the same fate as his beloved home.

"I. I don't think I want that."

Solara halted their movement and stared at her companion.

"I understand this has been sudden for you, but you must know, we have a life beyond our cycles, there is something out there for everyone who was sheltered from the end."

Index looked hollowly into the woman's eyes.

"The only thing I strive for is knowledge. Such a thing is lost when entire universes collapse. How can I hope to find my place outside the continuum?"

To the keeper's upmost surprise, Solara grew a rather large grin.

"My friend, you have no idea how wrong you are."

Resuming the course she had set, the fiery entity accelerated toward their destination. Index was growing increasingly curious, until he finally saw where they were headed. His eyes were astonished by the beauty of what he saw.

Coming up fast was the most amazing structure the Elodian had ever seen. A magnificent temple, adorned with its own wreath of illustrious mountains, each having several glimmering waterfalls that dissipated into the void below. Anything that wasn't natural gave off a golden shine, increasing the overall beauty of the building. A winding staircase led to the main platform, which consisted of a peaceful courtyard imprinted with two overlapping symbols that he did not recognize.

Solara smiled as she noticed the keeper's gaze.

"Welcome, to the Citadel of Truth."

Index was astounded by the fact that this unbelievable place had survived the destruction of the multiverse, at the same time thinking what a crime shame it would be if such a thing transpired.

"It is here that I bring any newly revealed precursors, hoping to help them find their way in the reborn existence of which they are unfamiliar. Those who know me tend to refer to me as the Guiding Torch to sanctuary."

Solara giggled.

"Honestly, I prefer just my name, but I don't mind. Oh my!"

She placed her hand over her mouth.

"I never asked your name!"

The spherical being smiled, enjoying the company of this mysterious, yet easygoing lady.

"I am Index, keeper of…what used to be, the records of the Elodian people."

Solara reached her other arm out and placed a hand on the being's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Index."

Then she lightened up.

"But I believe I already know where you would fit into the multiverse, and I promise you, it will never have to be ripped right from your hands."

The keeper looked hopefully into Solara's eyes.

"You…you do?"

She nodded.

"The Citadel is not just a safe-haven for weary travelers; it is also the greatest archive of surviving knowledge in existence."

At these words, Index could have fainted.

The two precursors finished their trek up the golden staircase within the Citadel, entering into the massive main chamber, holding nothing more than a glowing blue orb at its center. The object paid no attention to the visitors. Index assumed it was just a device for some unknown purpose.

Solara motioned for the hovering being to walk toward one of the golden walls. He was confused at first, wondering what she meant. This was explained as the wall slowly rose up, revealing a multitude of large shelves containing computerized entries and data drives. The Elodian felt like the room had been perfectly for him as he floated within, not even blinking as he rotated his body to take in all the beautiful sources of information and history. His eyes seemed to sparkle as the shelves began to react to his presence, bringing up holographic reference sheets which explained the details of the records they kept:

Physics of the cycles.

Dimensional Organizer.

Catalog of sentient beings.

Precursors.

Histories of previous cycles.

Index was overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of material.

I could remain here for millions of years and never run out of new items to read and analyze. And every cycle, I'd have an entire new universe of entries to catalog and explore.

Realizing he had left his new friend outside, Index quickly snapped out of his trance and headed back into the main room. The archive closed behind him. Solara smiled with joy as she saw the enormous grin on the keeper's face.

"It's…unbelievable."

The fiery precursor giggled.

"I thought you'd like it. So, will you stay? Beyond my occasional visits the Citadel has no permanent residents; you would be the sole protector of this fortress's secrets and knowledge."

Her tone grew a fair bit more serious now.

"Will you take on this responsibility? Will you hold the continuing honor of the precursors, guarding these archives from all who seek it for dark purpose?"

Index held a hand to his lower (well, lowest point of) body, which was apparently where his heart was.

"I swear on my life."

Without warning, the blue orb in the chamber shot a sapphire beam at the Elodian, startling him. The light wasn't harming him, so he allowed the Citadel to continue digging into his mind. After a moment, the sphere flashed green and cut off its beam. Solara stepped forward.

"The temple has peered into your thoughts and found you true to your beliefs, perhaps now would be the time to ask it for your desire?"

Index nodded. He floated a bit closer to the blue sphere and closed his eyes, focusing on what he wanted most. Again, the orb reacted to him, bathing him in its blue light and reading his most treasured wish. A minute later, the artifact shot a red beam at the keeper's chest. This one did not harm him either, but began to materialize something around his 'neck'. The energy formed into a delicate chain around his body, followed by a small pendant hanging from the bottom, which contrasted with his light robe that covered his non-existent lower half.

The beams disappeared and the orb rotated silently, having provided its verdict on the new precursor. The emblem around the Elodian's chain displayed the overlaying symbols he had seen in the courtyard. He gazed at them intently before Solara got his attention.

"Well done, Index. You have been accepted. You are now the protector of the archives of the Citadel of Truth."

The spherical being smiled, then responded.

"It's all thanks to you Solara, you truly were my Guiding Torch this day."

The precursor blushed and smiled back.

"Oh, come here you."

With that, the two beings shared a thankful embrace. Both were happy to have met such a wonderful companion, someone to talk to in times of sorrow such as this. Eventually, they separated.

"And don't worry, I'll stop by every once in a while. Besides that, I'm afraid you'll be on your own."

Index nodded.

"I understand, you have much to do yourself. I shall look forward to the visits. Thank you, for everything."

The fiery woman nodded back and turned to leave. Before she descended down the stairs, she turned back and grinned one more time.

"May Infinity and Eternity watch over you."

And she was gone.

Index looked down to his pendant, holding it in one of his many arms. He smiled.

Limitless, endless. Just like knowledge.

The hovering precursor brought his hands up.

"Now, let's see if I can work this thing."

Using his telekinetic power, Index began to produce multiple holo-screens around the circular room, intent on learning all he needed to protect and sort the information held within the astounding fortress.

I am the precursor Index, Archivist of the Citadel of Truth.

I share with those who value knowledge,

And withhold it from those who seek its use as a weapon.

I am here, isolated, but not alone, to organize the greatest collection of treasure in the Multiverse.

When all is consumed, this temple shall endure, carrying on the torch that others have left behind.

My duty is to order,

My alliance is to truth.

I have a place it this world.

I have purpose.

A bit short, hope it's no big deal. Remember, throw any requests my way (PM or review).

Hope you enjoyed and please review!

next entry: The Chronicle