The Author's POV

There was something faint in front of my darkened vision.

In the beginning, there was only a sliver of light in the amber color, but as time went on, it grew larger and larger. The darkness that had been surrounding the world around me was quickly overcome by that faint light that grew so bright that it dispelled all the darkness around me.

Within the faint light, I felt something embrace my entire body and bask it in a gentle warmth.

It felt good. Really good. So much so that I wanted to bask in it forever, but with a sudden twitch, the white world shattered, and my eyelids opened.

The sight of the extremely tall wooden shelves, which reached the ceiling and appeared to go on forever, obscured my field of vision. My immediate environment was characterized by a predominance of silence, and there was an eerie sense of calm that pervaded the atmosphere.

Blinking my eyes, I gradually sat up and looked around me.

The world… it was covered with books and shelves that seemed to stretch endlessly.

I bent my head forward and focused on my hands, clenching and unclenching them as I did so. My previous wounds had healed completely, and I was beginning to experience a sense of wholeness once more.

Pressing my hands on the wooden floor, the floor creaked at my movements, and I carefully stood up and looked around me. Eventually, my gaze settled on a small patio in the distance.

It sat on top of a lush green floor, and a book covered in golden runes sat atop the altar.

It took me only a moment to figure out what the book was, and it seemed as if my feet were acting on their own when they began to head in the direction of the patio.

It took just a single step to reach it, and when I did, I suddenly stopped. My mouth parted open, but no sound came out.

"It took you a while."

A familiar voice reached my ears. One that I thought I'd never hear again, and when I looked in front of me, I saw someone whom I thought I'd never see again.

From the moment I laid eyes on him, I knew that it was him. Not some projection or hallucination created by the records.

I could just feel it with the powers that lingered in my body, and my chest stung a little. I still forced myself to smile.

"Was I late?"

"Very."

I smiled genuinely this time and moved to the patio, where he saw me. I sat myself down on the seat opposite him and enjoyed the scenery around me.

"How are you…"

"How am I alive?"

He finished the question for me, and without looking at him, I nodded my head.

"Yeah…"

"It's not that I'm alive," he answered, similarly staring at the world around the patio. "I'm just in the place where I was born. I'm neither dead nor alive, just a projection of the remaining power that lingers over the records."

"I see."

Understanding a bit of what he said, I found myself nodding my head. When I turned my head and met his crimson colored eyes, I shifted my attention toward the book that sat atop the altar.

"Are those the records?"

With a complicated look on his face, he nodded his head.

"Yes."

The book was encircled by golden runes and words that moved and swirled around it as if they were in a vortex. The glow that encircled it was not particularly strong, but as I continued to stare at it, I suddenly felt a calling coming from it.

"Go on."

When I heard his voice, I turned to look at him once more, and he smiled faintly at me.

"The moment your hands are on the book, you will be elevated to the position of Overseer, and you will have access to every aspect of the universe. You will be responsible for maintaining order throughout the universe and preventing future occurrences of events similar to Jezebeth from taking place..."

Overhearing his words, I felt my brows knit.

"That sounds rather troublesome."

"It is."

nodded his head. I wanted to shake my head at his antics,

happened to everyone

I still had no idea what had happened to the others back on Earth. Were they fine? Did everything get resolved? Did

"Don't worry about them."

pointing at

records. All the questions you have will be

the middle of the altar. With each passing second, it glowed brighter, and the whispers that

I saw him nod at me, and I

him, I stopped right before the records. Immediately, the gentle whispers that reached my ears stopped,

light flooded my entire vision, and golden runes and scribbles floated all around me. The world around me started to shake,

around me, I slowly opened the

was when I saw

The truth.

***

.

.

.

.

.

Pak!

brief moment when he opened the book and closed the book,

displayed every possible emotion until, eventually, his

lasted until he closed the book. A matter of seconds, Kevin sat

have you seen?" he asked, curious to understand what made Ren react the way

turned his head, and

saw… what I needed

in the records, but there was definitely something different about him.

"What did you see?"

"Mhm."

Kevin as he tried to pry further, but all he was met with was the same soft smile

forward, Ren opened up his

Clank. Clank. Clank.

his palm and gradually gathered

is funny. I had a sneaking suspicion, but I never thought it was like this… I finally understand the real meaning behind

his best to understand what Ren was saying, but what he heard completely confused him. It was clear to him that whatever Ren was talking about was something that was well outside of the scope of his

a beginning to something, but never did I imagine that my own precognition of time was wrong. Time… it's a measurement we created in order to measure a beginning

became confused, but he continued to listen. There was something about his words

WIIIING—!

came to, he saw a small metallic box levitating on top of Ren's palm. A thick black mist encircled the cube and pulsed in a feeble manner as it

"What's that?"

"This…"

at the box, Ren

this is the continuation of

He paused.

a very long book. One I personally

to shake suddenly. After a short while, a crack appeared in the area that was adjacent

but all he received in response was a perplexed look followed by a

"If it's like this…"

and turned to face him. Staring at each other for a moment, Ren waved his hand, and their surroundings started to shift. The patio collapsed, and so did

was a long and narrow corridor with a

"Should we go back?"

"Back? …to where?"

"Where else?"

a step forward, Ren ushered him forward

"Home."

***

a distant

hand in hand through the lush green fields, taking in the

grass swayed in the gentle breeze, and

Tak! Tak! Tak!

the couple tended to their crops with care, planting new seeds and harvesting ripe vegetables from

weaknesses. One had a gentle touch with the plants, coaxing them to grow and thrive, while the other was solid and sturdy, able to till the soil and lift heavy loads

company in the peaceful surroundings. The warmth of the sun on their skin and the fresh scent of the earth invigorated their