Adventures of John: Death of Magic

Epilogue: Impossible Victory

The main cavern was empty except for snow and corpses. Piles of snow where everywhere, along with the bodies of slaughtered Rose soldiers and magical creatures. As we exited the pit we saw a glimpse of a gorillaphant leaving the cavern. I was glad that some of the magical creatures had survived, but I had the feeling that they would probably end up causing trouble for the locals. Surveying the cavern I saw fewer Rose corpses than I had expected. Magda must have taken any survivors with her when she escaped.

"We did this," Elsa whispered, horrified. "We killed all these people."

"They forced our hands," I replied, though I couldn't keep my voice from wavering slightly at the sight of what our victory had cost. "We did what we had to do to save the world." And we had saved the world. I could feel balance returning to that universe, magic returning in full swing. But it was impossible. What happened shouldn't have been able to happen.

I looked down at my palm, where I held the Voidstone. It seemed so innocent, just a black rock. It seemed impossible that something so simple could do the things I had seen it and its kind do. But that wasn't what worried me. When I destroyed the Voidheart back during the war against the Void, all of the Voidstones lost their power. They became nothing more than fancy lumps of rock. If this stone had somehow retained its power, what did that mean?

. . . . .

I stared out of the window, thoughts swirling through my mind as I absentmindedly rubbed the gold band on my ring finger. The question of the Voidstone had been eating at me for days now, consuming my every thought. It had begun to get in the way of my work and family life alike.

"Come back to bed," Elsa muttered. "Whatever it is it can wait until the morning."

"I can't get this thing out of my head," I replied. "I'm glad my planned worked, but it shouldn't have. Elsa, if the Voidstone has power, do you know what this could mean? I thought it was over when we destroyed the Voidheart. What if I was wrong? What if there is still something wrong with the Void?"

Elsa sighed and left our bed, wrapping the blankets around her as she walked towards me. "Then go," she told me, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Go back to the Void. Do whatever it is you need to do. After that you need to come back immediately. I won't have you gallivanting across the multiverse."

"Will do." I leaned down and kissed her, thinking for a moment and summoning my old Reality Disk. I placed the Voidstone into the center and it whirled to life once again, the familiar sensation bringing back memories. It wasn't too long ago that I traveled between not two but an infinite number of universes. I had seen so much that my memory could barely contain even the slightest fraction of it. But what I could remember was intoxicating, especially as the images of hundreds of different universes flooded through my mind.

"I will be back as soon as possible," I assured Elsa. "I just need to make sure."

. . . . .

The Void was empty. Nothing more than an endless expanse of nothing, nothing in existence other than myself. I had to alter my form severely to even survive in this place. Though on the outside I looked the same, I had to change the very fiber of my existence. The absolute lack of pressure should have made my blood vessels boil, and the lack of oxygen should have knocked me unconscious in moments, but I at that moment I was not affected by such things.

In another time the Void would have also actively tried to erase my existence, but its power was gone. I could not feel that malevolent presence I had once felt there. The Voidheart was destroyed, just as I had thought. But why did the Voidstone still retain its power? So many unanswered questions.

Suddenly I realized that I was not alone. In a place as still and silent as the Void, even the slightest noise was an exclamation. I turned around and was shocked to see someone impossibly familiar. He wore a suit of golden armor, a crimson cloak draped over his shoulders. He looked athletic without being brutish, thin without being skinny. I swore that I had to be looking at a mirror. It was me, his face and form instantly recognizable as my own.

But as soon as I looked into his eyes, I realized that such was not the case. They were old, impossibly old. In them I could see countless years lived, countless lives lost, countless tragedies felt. The only other man who I knew with such eyes was the Doctor, and even he seemed like a child compared to this mirror-me. More than just the age, there was an alien-ness to the eyes. Whoever this man was, he wasn't human. After seeing the eyes I could see some differences in his features I had not noticed before. Ears finely tapered, teeth just sharp enough to be almost noticeable, and eyes that never blinked.

"You are very different from the other times we met, Mr. Perfect." He smiled at me, an expression that was slightly unsettling. "Younger, certainly."

"Who are you?" I questioned. "Are you… me?"

"The answer to that question is… complicated."

And thus ends the Death of Magic. As of yet there is little to tell about the events following this encounter. It wouldn't be a story of mine if I didn't leave you with a bit of a cliffhanger. The world hasn't been invaded recently and no cataclysmic threats have risen to confront me. I have not seen any of my old friends in a long while, though Jack was supposed to stop by for a visit back in December. He didn't. While nothing particularly massive has happened recently, I doubt that will last too long. I don't believe the multiverse is done having its fun with me. Once big things start happening again, you can be sure to read all about it. Until then, if nothing crazy happens in the next few weeks I might tell you the story of how Jack and I first met, or maybe tell you a bit more of my adventures in exterminating the remaining pagan gods. (Only two pantheons left now.) Oh, and if you happen to see someone matching the description of my ordinary self, wearing a jade pendant, feel free to introduce yourselves to me. Strange as it may seem, I do spend some in the regular world. It isn't all slaying gods and saving worlds for me. Well, until next time my friends. Until next time.