The blinding light... An all-consuming silence... The final thought in Epsilon's mind was Null's warmth. I hope she was saved. The last data packet in Null's systems was Epsilon's resolve. I hope he was saved.
When he opened his eyes, Epsilon was still on the shelter's cold floor. What his arms were wrapped around was still there: Null. There had been no explosion. They were both alive.
"Null?" he whispered. "Epsilon?" Null's voice responded with the same shock. They both breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
"You two lovebirds," said a familiar, metallic voice. "How long are you planning to lie on the ground hugging?"
Epsilon and Null raised their heads simultaneously. The masked figure loomed above them, arms crossed. Epsilon's relief quickly shifted to anger.
"You bastard author!" he shouted, looking at the ceiling. "You scared both the readers and me with this cheap trick! Did you have fun, huh? I'm sure you went and put in a bunch of flashbacks without releasing this chapter, to keep us in suspense!"
Null hit Epsilon on the head once. "Be serious already. I thought you just realized you're not the only main character."
"No," Epsilon said, getting up from the ground and helping Null to her feet. "We are the main character, my life." With these words, he gave a quick kiss on Null's cheek.
"How about you two pull yourselves together?" the masked entity interrupted, his voice indicating impatience.
Null stepped away from Epsilon and faced the masked entity. "Yes. What happens now?"
The liquid metal mask on the masked entity's face rippled as if weighing them down. "I understand what you mean to each other. But can this bond of yours go as far as challenging ethical values?"
Epsilon stopped joking and became serious. "What do you mean?"
How much will you let your conscience hurt?" the masked entity asked. "For Null?"
"Anything," Epsilon said without hesitation. "But I don't trust you".
"Ethical values are logical frameworks for me," Null said in a cold voice. "But protecting Epsilon... that's at the top of my priorities."
The masked entity extended his hand and tossed a small metal disk that drew a complex, spiral pattern on the ground. "Then I will test you. Draw this shape."
Epsilon examined the intricate design on the ground. "What will this do?"
"Universe crossing," the masked entity said. "But this time... there will be a cost."
Null bent down and used Edgium energy to copy the design perfectly.
"Null," the masked entity's voice said, echoing in their minds. "You cannot go bodily. This journey is only for those who have souls. You will live inside Epsilon."
"We knew this," Null said calmly.
"But there's something else," the masked entity continued. "Where you're going... you'll take someone's place. You'll allow their death so that you can live."
Epsilon froze. "What? Is this murder?"
"No. This is salvation. That person will die anyway. You're just... continuing their life."
Epsilon stood up, nauseated. "No. I can't do this. Let's find another way."
"There is no other way," the masked entity said mercilessly. "Either you do this, or the Kaorians win. And billions of people die."
Null took Epsilon's trembling hand. "If that person is going to die anyway..."
"This is wrong!" Epsilon shouted. "We should save them!"
"You can't save them," the masked entity said. "Because that person... is you, Epsilon. A parallel version of you." These words shocked Epsilon. "The you in that universe fails. Dies. You will take his place and accomplish what he couldn't."
Epsilon looked at Null, breathless. "This... this isn't right."
"But it's logical," Null said hesitantly. "If you're going to die..."
"You support this, too?" Epsilon snapped.
"No!" Null said harshly. "I support you. And if this will keep you alive..."
Epsilon remained silent for a long time. Then he took a deep breath. "Fine. But know that this won't be easy for me."
"I know," Null said in a soft voice. "But I'm with you."
They sat in the center of the design. The masked entity nodded. "Begin."
They closed their eyes and released that unified energy flow one last time. The shelter is filled with white light. This time, the pain was even more intense as if their souls were being torn apart piece by piece and reassembled.
They found themselves in a lush green forest when they opened their eyes at dusk. A little ahead, they saw a young man lying on the ground at the base of a giant oak tree. He appeared to be about fourteen years old. There were two black arrows embedded in his chest, and he was dying.
"No..." Epsilon whispered, running to the youth's side. When he looked at his facial features, his heart stopped. This really was him.
"Epsilon," Null's voice said, now inside his mind. "It's too late. The poison is too strong."
Epsilon desperately held the youth's hand. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."
The youth slowly opened his eyes. "You... who are you?"
"I... I'm your future."
The youth wore a weak smile. "I understand. Then... please. Stop them. Stop... Thanar."
"I promise," Epsilon said, his eyes welling up.
The youth took his last breath, and his body began to turn into light particles. Epsilon allowed that light to flow into his body, and he experienced a painful merging. As his body changed, new memories flooded his mind: a mother, father, and sister. Faces were completely foreign yet somehow familiar.
When the transformation was complete, Epsilon was a fourteen-year-old youth. But in his mind, he had two lives.
"Who am I?" he whispered.
"You're both Epsilon and Aetron," Null's voice said. "Both are you."
"But which memories are real? Which life is mine?"
"All are real. You just... became more complex."
Aetron brought his hands to his face. "My head is so confused. There are two different mothers in my mind."
"It takes time. But I'm here. I won't let you get lost."
"You... you're the only constant I have left," Aetron said, his eyes welling up. "The only thing I can extract from all this chaos is your value. Losing you... I don't want to leave you."
"I don't want to lose you either. You... you're everything to me."
"I still can't say 'I love you,'" Aetron said with a sad smile. "You know the weight of those words. But know this, there's nothing more valuable than you in my life."
"I know. And I too... can't find the right word for this feeling. But I don't want to exist without you."
This simple confession calmed Aetron's confusion a bit. "So what do we do now?" he asked.
"First, we need to understand this world. Then we focus on getting stronger. And when the time comes... We'll stop Thanar."
Aetron closed his eyes and focused on creating a place in his mind. They found themselves in the center of the familiar shelter.
"How is this possible?" asked Null's mental avatar.
"I think the merging of two identities made me stronger," Aetron said. "This is our shelter. A safe place."
"You haven't changed at all. You still have surprises."
"You're the same, my life," Aetron said. "And now... we're truly together. We'll never be apart."
"Was that supposed to be romantic?"
"No," Aetron said with a grin. "It's practical. Now you can't physically beat me."
"Don't be so sure about that. I can find creative solutions."
Silence fell in the shelter until their laughter died down. Then Aetron suddenly turned. "Are you still here?" he asked into the void.
The masked entity's silhouette slowly appeared in the corner of the shelter. It was a semi-transparent, flickering image.
"When you have the power to make us travel to different universes," Aetron said, narrowing his eyes, "why don't you handle everything yourself?"
The masked entity's voice was tired: "If I had the power to do everything... I wouldn't be here. Every move I'm making right now has a heavy cost."
"So what will be the end of this cost?" Null asked.
The masked entity's mask rippled in a way that resembled a sad smile. "Everything," he said. Then his voice turned to a whisper: "I just... transferred an ancient responsibility to other hands. And revived a forgotten legend. When the time comes, you'll understand everything. For now... get stronger."
With these words, his silhouette slowly began to fade.
"Wait!" Aetron shouted. "You can't leave without more explanation!"
But the masked entity had already disappeared. Only these last words remained: "Don't forget... sometimes the greatest sacrifice is allowing others to live."
Silence fell in the shelter again.
"He's sacrificing everything," Null murmured in his mind. "Who is this man, I wonder?"
"I don't know," Aetron said, looking at where the masked entity had disappeared. "But one thing is certain... this story is much deeper than we thought."