Chapter 93 – The Ending That Never Happened
The last light disappeared.
For one brief moment, Evetyl couldn't see anything.
Not Kai.
Not the house.
Not the man standing before the First Door.
Not even her own hands.
There was only darkness.
Then she heard Kai.
"Evetyl."
She turned toward his voice.
"I'm here."
His hand found hers.
She held it tightly.
"Don't let go."
"I won't."
A deep rumble passed through the house.
The darkness began to fade.
Evetyl opened her eyes.
The house was still there.
But the man was gone.
The older version of Evetyl was gone too.
The army of silent figures had disappeared.
Only Kai remained beside her.
He was staring at the doorway.
"Evetyl..."
"What?"
"Look."
She turned.
The front door was open.
Outside was Crosshaven.
But it wasn't the Crosshaven they knew.
The city was completely empty.
No people.
No lights.
No movement.
The buildings were covered in white dust.
The sky was gray.
A giant crack stretched across the heavens.
Evetyl stepped outside.
"Kai..."
"I know."
"This isn't the past."
"No."
He looked around.
"It's the future."
---
They walked into the empty city.
Every step echoed.
The streets were exactly where they should have been.
The old bridge.
The market.
The central square.
But everything was dead.
Evetyl looked into an abandoned shop.
Shelves were still filled with objects.
A cup sat on a table.
A chair was pulled back.
A book was open.
It looked as if everyone had simply vanished.
Kai touched the book.
The pages crumbled beneath his fingers.
"How long has this place been empty?"
Evetyl shook her head.
"I don't know."
A voice answered from behind them.
"Seven hundred and thirteen years."
They turned.
No one was there.
Kai frowned.
"Who said that?"
The voice answered again.
"Seven hundred and thirteen years, four months, eleven days, and six hours."
Evetyl looked around.
"Show yourself."
A small figure appeared at the end of the street.
It was Cr-Hook.
He was older.
Much older.
His hair had turned gray.
He was carrying a broken weapon over his shoulder.
Kai stared.
"Cr-Hook?"
The older man smiled.
"You two took your time."
Evetyl ran toward him.
"Where is everyone?"
Cr-Hook looked around.
"Dead."
Her heart dropped.
"What?"
He sighed.
"Not all at once."
He walked toward them.
"Some died fighting."
"Some disappeared."
"Some simply stopped existing."
"And the rest?"
Cr-Hook looked toward the sky.
"They went with the worlds."
Kai's expression hardened.
"What happened?"
Cr-Hook looked at him.
"You don't remember?"
"No."
Cr-Hook laughed bitterly.
"Of course."
He looked at Evetyl.
"She erased it."
Evetyl froze.
"I did what?"
Cr-Hook pointed toward the crack in the sky.
"That."
---
Kai looked upward.
"What is that?"
"The ending."
"The ending of what?"
"Everything."
Cr-Hook walked toward the center of the city.
"You two were supposed to stop it."
Kai followed.
"Supposed to?"
Cr-Hook nodded.
"You failed."
Evetyl's chest tightened.
"When?"
"Seven hundred years ago."
"But we're here now."
Cr-Hook stopped.
"That's the problem."
He turned toward them.
"You aren't supposed to be here."
Evetyl frowned.
"Then why are we?"
Cr-Hook looked at Kai.
"Because someone brought you back."
"Who?"
Cr-Hook pointed toward the central tower.
"The man behind the First Door."
---
They continued through the city.
Evetyl noticed strange markings on the buildings.
Symbols.
Thousands of them.
Some were familiar.
Others weren't.
The First Thought's symbol appeared repeatedly.
The Eye's symbol.
The Warden's chains.
The Curator's key.
The First Mother's symbol.
And one symbol she had never seen.
A circle containing a single vertical line.
"What does that mean?"
Cr-Hook looked at it.
"Nobody knows."
"You've been here for seven hundred years."
"I said nobody knows."
"Then what do people call it?"
Cr-Hook smiled.
"The Last Mark."
Kai looked at it.
"Why?"
"Because it appears shortly before something disappears."
Evetyl touched the symbol.
The moment her fingers made contact—
She saw a memory.
Crosshaven.
Alive.
People walking through the streets.
Noah was arguing with Cr-Hook.
The First Anomaly was laughing.
The Curator was sitting on a bench.
The Warden was repairing one of its chains.
The First Thought was reading.
The Eye was watching the sky.
And Kai was standing beside Evetyl.
Everyone was happy.
Then the sky cracked.
A voice spoke.
"We're out of time."
Evetyl saw herself turn toward Kai.
"How long?"
Kai answered:
"Three minutes."
"What happens after that?"
He smiled sadly.
"You forget me."
The memory ended.
Evetyl pulled her hand away.
She was breathing heavily.
Kai noticed.
"What did you see?"
She looked at him.
"You."
"Doing what?"
"Watching me forget you."
Kai's expression became serious.
"Did I stop you?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because you couldn't."
Kai lowered his head.
Cr-Hook was watching them.
"You remembered."
Evetyl turned.
"You knew about this?"
"I was there."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because you weren't ready."
"I've heard that too many times."
Cr-Hook sighed.
"You're going to hear it a lot more."
---
They reached the central tower.
The doors were broken.
Inside, the walls were covered with names.
Thousands of names.
Some Evetyl recognized.
Some she didn't.
She walked slowly through the hall.
Then she saw one name.
KAI.
It had been carved into the wall.
Underneath it were two dates.
The first date was ancient.
The second was tomorrow.
Evetyl stared.
"Tomorrow?"
Cr-Hook nodded.
"Yes."
"What does that mean?"
"It means Kai is going to die tomorrow."
Kai looked at the wall.
Then laughed.
"Well."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"That's inconvenient."
Evetyl didn't laugh.
"Kai."
"I'm not worried."
"You should be."
"I've died before."
"Not like this."
Kai looked at her.
She could see the fear in his eyes.
He was trying to hide it.
Cr-Hook turned away.
"You should tell him."
Evetyl frowned.
"Tell him what?"
Cr-Hook pointed toward the next room.
"He deserves to know."
---
The next room contained a table.
On it was a single book.
The cover was black.
No title.
Evetyl approached it.
The book opened.
A sentence appeared.
KAI MUST DIE SO AETERNA CAN LIVE.
Evetyl stared.
"No."
Another sentence appeared.
IF KAI LIVES, AETERNA RETURNS.
Another.
IF AETERNA RETURNS, THE FIRST WORLD ENDS.
Another.
IF THE FIRST WORLD ENDS, ALL OTHER WORLDS FOLLOW.
Kai read the page.
"So..."
He looked at Evetyl.
"I have to die."
"No."
"Evetyl."
"No."
Cr-Hook sighed.
"That's why you failed last time."
Evetyl turned toward him.
"What?"
"You couldn't let him go."
Kai looked at Cr-Hook.
"And what happened?"
"The worlds began collapsing."
"How?"
Cr-Hook pointed toward the ceiling.
"Because you chose Kai over everything."
Evetyl looked at the book.
Her hands were shaking.
"I wouldn't."
Cr-Hook's voice softened.
"You did."
---
The room became quiet.
Kai sat down.
"Evetyl."
She looked at him.
"Come here."
She sat beside him.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Finally, Kai said,
"Do you remember the first time we met?"
She smiled faintly.
"Not clearly."
"I do."
"You do?"
"Bits of it."
He looked at his hands.
"You were angry."
"I was?"
"Very."
"What did I do?"
"You tried to throw a stone at me."
Evetyl laughed.
"I did not."
"You did."
"Why?"
"You thought I stole your food."
"Did you?"
Kai smiled.
"No."
"Then why did you let me throw it?"
"I thought it was funny."
Evetyl smiled.
"You were annoying."
"Still am."
She became quiet.
Kai looked at her.
"Are you afraid?"
"Yes."
"Of me dying?"
"Yes."
"Then don't think about tomorrow."
"What should I think about?"
"Today."
She looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because today I'm alive."
He smiled.
"And I'm with you."
Evetyl's eyes filled with tears.
"I don't want to lose you."
Kai reached for her hand.
"You don't know that you will."
"The book says you will."
"Books can be wrong."
"Not the Curator's books."
"This isn't his."
Kai tapped the cover.
"We don't even know who wrote it."
Evetyl looked at him.
"You're right."
---
A loud crash came from the tower.
Cr-Hook stood immediately.
"Someone's here."
Kai stood.
"Who?"
Cr-Hook pulled out his weapon.
"I don't know."
A second crash.
Then footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Coming down the hallway.
Evetyl felt the silver mark on her hand burning.
The lights began turning on.
One after another.
At the end of the hallway stood the older version of Evetyl.
Her white hair moved slightly in the wind.
She looked exhausted.
But this time, she wasn't alone.
The first Kai stood beside her.
He was holding the First Key.
Evetyl stepped forward.
"You."
The older Evetyl looked at her.
"I told you not to come here."
"You brought us here."
"No."
She looked toward the first Kai.
"He did."
Kai stepped forward.
"Why?"
The first Kai looked at him.
"Because you need to remember."
"Remember what?"
"Why you were created."
Kai shook his head.
"I already know."
"No."
The first Kai smiled sadly.
"You know the story."
"You don't know the truth."
Evetyl stepped between them.
"Then tell us."
The first Kai looked at her.
"You created me."
"I know."
"You created me because you were afraid."
"Afraid of what?"
"Being alone."
Evetyl's expression changed.
The first Kai continued.
"You didn't want someone who could protect you."
"You wanted someone who could remember you."
Evetyl shook her head.
"That's not true."
"It is."
"You said I created you from his memories."
"Yes."
"Then you're him."
"No."
The first Kai looked at the younger Kai.
"He is."
Kai stared.
"What?"
The first Kai pointed at him.
"He is the original."
The room became silent.
Evetyl looked at Kai.
"What does that mean?"
The first Kai answered:
"I was never the original Kai."
Kai's face went pale.
"Then who am I?"
The first Kai smiled.
"You."
He pointed toward Evetyl.
"You were the first one."
Then he pointed toward himself.
"I was the memory."
Finally, he pointed toward Kai.
"And he was the body."
Kai didn't move.
Evetyl couldn't breathe.
The first Kai continued:
"When Aeterna created me, she made a memory of the person she loved."
"But memories can't live forever."
"So she created a body."
"She placed the memory inside it."
"And that body became Kai."
Kai whispered,
"So I'm..."
The first Kai nodded.
"The person you were trying to remember."
---
The older Evetyl looked at the younger Evetyl.
"You finally understand."
Evetyl shook her head.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because if that's true..."
She looked at Kai.
"...then why does he have memories that I don't?"
The older Evetyl smiled.
"Because you gave him yours."
Kai's eyes widened.
"The memories?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
The older Evetyl answered:
"Because you knew you were going to forget."
Evetyl stepped backward.
"You gave me your memories."
She looked at Kai.
"That's why."
Kai touched his head.
The memories suddenly became clearer.
The house.
The Garden.
The First Door.
The first Evetyl.
The promise.
The death.
The First World.
Everything.
He dropped to his knees.
"Evetyl..."
She rushed toward him.
"What is it?"
"I remember."
"What?"
"Everything."
His eyes filled with tears.
"You didn't create me because you were afraid of being alone."
"Then why?"
Kai looked at her.
"You created me because you knew you were going to die."
Evetyl froze.
"And you wanted someone to remember you."
---
The First Key began glowing.
The older Evetyl stepped backward.
"It's starting."
Cr-Hook looked toward the ceiling.
"What?"
The Last Mark appeared across the floor.
One.
Then ten.
Then hundreds.
The entire tower filled with them.
The Curator's voice suddenly echoed through the building.
"Evetyl!"
Everyone looked around.
"Curator?"
His voice continued.
"You must leave!"
"Why?"
"I finally understand what the First World is doing!"
The First Thought's voice joined his.
"It's not returning to the past!"
The Eye's voice followed.
"It's moving toward the beginning!"
The Warden shouted:
"EVERYONE ESCAPE!"
The tower shook violently.
Kai grabbed Evetyl.
"What's happening?"
The older Evetyl looked terrified.
"The ending."
Evetyl stared at her.
"What ending?"
"The one that was supposed to happen seven hundred years ago."
The first Kai raised the First Key.
"And this time..."
He looked at Kai.
"...it won't be stopped."
The First Door appeared in the center of the tower.
But it was different now.
It wasn't white.
It wasn't black.
It was covered in thousands of memories.
Every world.
Every person.
Every death.
Every beginning.
Every ending.
All of them were written across its surface.
The door slowly opened.
Behind it stood the enormous shadow.
The same shadow from before.
The same presence that had existed before the First Mother.
Before the First World.
Before the first law.
Evetyl couldn't breathe.
The shadow looked at her.
Then it spoke.
"You remember."
Evetyl whispered,
"Who are you?"
The shadow stepped forward.
"I am the world you erased."
The First Mother appeared at the far end of the tower.
She was crying.
"No..."
The shadow continued.
"I am the existence that came before existence."
"I am the life you ended to create the First World."
"I am the reason every world has a beginning."
"And I am the reason every world must have an ending."
Evetyl felt her knees weaken.
"Why me?"
The shadow looked at her.
"Because you were the first."
"First what?"
The shadow reached through the door.
Its hand stopped inches from her face.
"The first person to say..."
The world went silent.
"...let there be something."
Evetyl's eyes widened.
The shadow smiled.
"And I was the something."
Kai grabbed Evetyl's hand.
The shadow looked at him.
"And you..."
Its voice became almost gentle.
"...were the first mistake she ever made."
Kai's face changed.
"What?"
The shadow answered:
"Because she created you to remember her."
"But you remembered something else."
The First Key shattered in the first Kai's hand.
A wave of darkness exploded through the tower.
The older Evetyl screamed.
Cr-Hook fell to the floor.
The walls began disappearing.
Evetyl held Kai tightly.
"What did he remember?"
The shadow looked at Kai.
And for the first time...
Kai remembered the final memory.
He remembered standing beside Evetyl at the beginning of everything.
He remembered the exact words she had spoken.
He remembered why she created him.
And he remembered the one command she had given him.
Kai's eyes widened.
"Evetyl..."
She looked at him.
"What?"
He was crying.
"You didn't create me to remember you."
"Then why?"
Kai looked toward the shadow.
"You created me..."
He took a shaky breath.
"...to kill the thing behind the First Door."
The shadow smiled.
"Finally."
Kai's silver mark turned completely black.
And Evetyl realized the terrifying truth.
The person she had trusted through every world...
had been carrying a weapon inside him since the beginning.
A weapon designed specifically to kill the oldest existence.
But the weapon had one condition.
Kai could only use it...
by killing Evetyl first.
To Be Continued...