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Epilogue - Worlds Beyond
🕑 Added 2022-04-14 16:45:17 +0000 UTC"Two hundred and fifteen years, huh?" I take a sip from my glass of whisky and muse once more, looking across the gathered. Kamii, Hestia, Aurelia, Tokomaha, Tahiri, Exla, Dregana, and Rewera sit at the long table we put together and observe me with varying expressions.
We're in Shin and Nina's izakaya in the Rhodos colony, now run by Nina's direct descendant, Anya. The place looks almost exactly like it did when we came here with everybody back then, but the photos on the wall have been replaced with new celebrities. Our group photo is still the centerpiece, though.
We are down to half our numbers from back then now, but it gives me a bittersweet feeling knowing that they lived out their lives in peace. Some are still living as they please now, such as Kerry, who left the Milky Way galaxy a few years ago, according to what the sensors last picked up of them.
"Are you sure you can't stay here?" Exla asks again, ignoring my musings. The others watch my reaction, but they don't look as concerned as the cloud girl does.
"Yes. But don't worry. We'll come to visit you from time to time." I pat Exla's fluffy hair and smile warmly. Although she has physically grown up, I still see her as the quirky little girl I first met her as.
"Is it going to be in another two centuries?" The cloud girl puffs up her cheeks and pouts.
Anya stares at our interactions from behind the bar with round eyes. She knows Exla as the council chairwoman of the Rhodos colony government and the last Old Human. Even if she's no longer considered a goddess, she's still deserving of reverence and respect. All the young woman knows about me is that I came here with her over two hundred years ago.
"I hope to get a better grasp of time than that." Scratching my cheek, my smile turns wry.
"It only felt like a few hours on our side." Asoko adds with a shrug while drinking a big gulp of sake.
"It's hard to tell how much time passes when you're space itself, you know." Uten and Saten explain in unison and eat their shared jumbo parfait in mirrored motions. Although this is an izakaya, replicators can create any ingredient these days, so Anya has expanded the menu considerably since Shin and Nina's days. "We could have taken even longer."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Exla shakes her head in dejection.
After defeating Mataku with Senka's help, we looked for ways to get back. It took us some time to discuss the possibilities, mainly because we were unsure about the consequences of our emergence into this dimension.
Finally, we settled on sending through tiny parts of us that share their consciousness with our main bodies. It's the neat little trick I learned when fighting against Zenlith and Serent, and I'm glad for it. And sending through a piece at a time is how Mataku and we were born in the first place, so we knew it would work.
Teaching the others this method took only a moment, but I guess a few hours in our expanded consciousness was over two centuries in this dimension. It should be fine now that we have bodies to scale with the rest of this universe. As long as we focus more of our thoughts here, time won't slip by us anymore.
"Why do you have to go?" Exla asks in a sad tone, even though she knows the answer.
"If you want to, you can come with us." I offer Exla my hand with a warm smile, taking the cloud girl by surprise. She stares at me for a moment, contemplating her options. But then her eyes move around as if taking in the interior of the izakaya and seeing Anya still watching us. I know what she's thinking.
"I can't leave this world behind after all." She answers with a self-deprecating sigh. Although she may think that she has a duty to this world as the last Old Human, she's really only trying to find excuses for her continued existence. All others of her kind have moved on already, in one way or another, and it should be time for her to hand the reins to new humanity.
Of course, I can't fault her for clinging to life. I'm sad that Sintress decided to live out her life as a human, but it was her noble decision. It doesn't mean I want Exla to undo her immortality; on the contrary. I want her to live as she wishes.
"I know what you're thinking even now." The cloud girl points at my face and pouts again.
"I don't think I changed since we last met." I shrug and grin.
"It's true." Exla shakes her head and sighs once more. I can tell that wasn't in response to my last statement. Gathering her resolve, she continues. "We're getting there, but my duty is still not complete."
"Then we will wait for that day." I extend my offered hand and caress her cheek. She nuzzles into it and closes her eyes in satisfaction.
The others watch in silence, their expressions regarding my intimate interaction with the cloud girl inscrutable. They will have their time later, so they don't express discontent now; they were patient enough for two hundred years, so what are a few more days?
My first stop after leaving the Rhodos colony is Arkaim castle. Although much has changed about the world, the castle itself is maintained as a cultural heritage site. Rewera has been taking care of it with the current members of the Maid Corps, and they welcome us in the entrance hall.
I spot some of the longer-lived members from my short time as the queen. They hold back their tears when they see me again and maintain a professional air even if they no longer have an obligation toward me. Of those are a few who were in Asoko's camp. They still greet me with all the respect their former queen deserves, but their attention is clearly on my other half. The younger maids remember Aurelia as their queen and still treat her as such.
Rewera takes us on a tour through the castle, but Asoko excuses herself and splits off from our group - to play with her maids, no doubt. As we walk through the corridors, I find that the interior has been renovated. Most rooms have been modernized with electric appliances, and even some elevators have been installed next to the stairwells. Although it's a cultural heritage site, it's not accessible to the public yet. The maid leader has been waiting for my return so that I can make that decision.
It's a difficult issue. Rewera and the Maid Corps call this place home still, but what would happen to them if this were turned into a museum? Some of the maids are unique demons who have lived here all their lives with nowhere else to go.
"Do not worry about us, Chaos-sama." Rewera bows and smiles when I give voice to my worries. "I have arranged for everybody's futures in case this came to pass."
I'm filled with a sense of melancholy. So much time has passed in the blink of an eye, and everybody's lives have changed. Even though I'm ageless now, time still only flows in one direction; what lies in the past can never be undone. And things will continue to change irrevocably.
I look at the few maids following us. Even though some knew me personally from our time back then, their attachment to me isn't as strong as it is with Aurelia now. Most stayed behind in the dining hall to catch up on the last two decades they had been apart.
With a sigh, I breathe out my regrets. I never got to spend much time living the high life surrounded by the Maid Corps.
Kamii pinches my arm, and I turn to look at the little dark elf in surprise. Her unamused expression suggests that she saw through my thoughts.
"It would seem that becoming the Outer One made you even more insatiable. However that may be possible." Tahiri comments in feigned resignation and shakes her head.
"If you have time to regret the past, use it to make a better future." Kamii grabs my wrist with her right hand and pulls me along toward the castle's terrace. It overlooks the city and the green plains beyond, now completely different from what this sight used to look like.
Arkaim has become a modern metropolis, although it lacks buildings taller than the castle - thanks to Aurelia's influence, no doubt. Demonkind has flourished under the Golden Queen, as has new humanity across the ocean after many reforms.
There is no place for me here anymore. I'm a member of a bygone era of conquerors when might made right. This is now the age of skilled administrators who can push the world forward without bloodshed. I believe Exla is well-suited for that job.
"I release you from your duty, Rewera Rangatira. You have gone above and beyond to fulfill it." Turning to the maid leader, I announce ceremoniously. The few Maid Corps members still with us stare at me in surprised silence.
"As You command, Chaos-sama." Rewera bows deeply before me. Although she has her expression under control, I can tell that she's overcome with emotion. But it's not relief or pride, but sadness. She's painfully aware that this is the end of an era, and it hits her as hard as it does me. With a sad smile, she looks up and speaks a request. "Will You sit on the throne one last time?"
I gaze at the maid leader in silence, then smile wryly and nod. She bows once more and gestures for us to follow her as she leads the way to the throne room. It brings me back to that moment of my unofficial coronation when I finally sat down on the throne the day after beating Zenlith and Serent.
Aurelia and the other members of the Maid Corps already await in the throne room. Maybe they planned this from the start, or they had a feeling it would come to this, but they silently make way for me. As I walk to the elevated throne, I feel everybody's eyes on me. It gives me a fuzzy feeling inside.
When I reach the top and turn around, I note the absence of the many people who were there to witness me back then. Rolan and his party, Korenga, Exla, Sintress, and the shorter-lived members of the Maid Corps. They all moved on with their lives or passed on into the afterlife. It's time for me to do the same.
"Long live Queen Chaos." Rewera repeats her words from that time when I sit down. I smile as I behold the spectacle of everybody kneeling in response and repeating after her. Warmth and pride fill my heart as I caress the armrest.
Even though I still feel melancholy over this end, I can say with confidence that I can move on now.
Aoranam hasn't expanded much since back then. Although the Adanak Kingdom has modernized along with the rest of the world, most of it has yet to take hold in this village. Even now, the houses are built of wood, and the people observe their traditions.
Still, the boats on the bay are motorized, and there's evidence of technology wherever I look, even in this remote village of a few hundred souls. Although the people are still mostly attuned to nature, some modern conveniences aren't so easily dismissed.
Rangi retired after Ruiha passed on, and Awhina became the new chief. She has grown into a fine woman of a towering stature that comes close to Korenga's. Her carefree attitude and fiery temperament haven't changed much, but she is definitely more mature.
"The world has changed so much, but you are still the same." She hugs me with bone-crushing intensity. As with every experience today, I'm reminded that over two hundred years have passed since I last walked this land.
The people of Adanak have since been enlightened to the truth about the Imagination Engine and the beings they revered as gods. But it doesn't change that they still hold deep respect for their former gods. Awhina isn't the village chief because she's a demigod, but because the villagers have chosen her to lead them.
The former chief still lives here, but he has become far more like an immovable rock than he did the last time I saw him. It would seem that losing Ruiha has hit Rangi quite hard, but at least he hasn't become an alcoholic even though he continues to brew Oripiaw. But that has become the only thing he does aside from sitting at the beach and looking out into the distance or visiting his wife's grave.
I can see the sadness in his eyes, but he's not empty. As the land god of Aoranam, he will continue to live a long life, and I believe he can eventually pull himself out of this. I'm sure Awhina will help him.
Uten and Saten have left for Ototawa on their own. Much like Aoranam, the village has barely changed, although it has also embraced some of the modern conveniences sweeping across the world. But after all this time of absence, the people have already forgotten their twin gods and look to Awhina as their pillar of support.
"I'm ready for another journey." She declares with a grin when I tell her that I want to visit Korenga's Sanctum. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to leave the village to Rangi for a while; it could be an opportunity for him to find something new to do when the villagers look to him for guidance during Awhina's absence.
Unlike last time, heading out doesn't draw much of a crowd. We aren't going to war, and the roads of the Adanak Kingdom aren't dangerous.
"This is where you ambushed us." Tahiri comments when we pass through the jungle where we first met Tokomaha. The path from back then has been paved now to connect Aoranam and the surrounding villages to the rest of the kingdom.
"You can tell?" I look around, unable to distinguish this plot of land from any other we have passed through until now. Since we're going by a large van, driven by none other than Awhina herself, we quickly leave the place Tahiri pointed out behind.
"If you go at the speed of wind and lightning all your life, you get a good sense of direction." The God of Storms replies with a shrug.
"We will be passing by a few more such places on our way to Korenga's Sanctum." Awhina points out to us with a reminiscing smile. According to those in the know, it lies a few hours south of Manoa, though it would have been a few days on foot back in the day.
As the landscape passes us by quickly, I wonder how the others see this place. Kamii came here a few times on her constant journey across the world in the last two centuries, but even she must feel that things have changed. Seeing cars on the paved roads where we had to hack our way through the dense untouched jungle is a strange experience. In my mind, it was only a few years ago that we came through here, traveling as people in the Middle Ages did.
We stop in Manoa for lunch. The city has blossomed into a seaside metropole with a few buildings that could be considered skyscrapers. I can tell that the nation still has its ups and downs regarding social equality, but it's a far cry from what it used to be. It wouldn't be wrong to say that it has moved beyond even the level of development from the age I was reincarnated from.
Korenga's Sanctum is an ancient citadel built into the flank of a mountain. Considering it used to be Pakangaroa's fortress, the architecture gives off a warlike impression. White banners hang from the walls to alleviate the appearance but give it a regal air instead.
The road leading here is still paved, showing that it has long since connected with civilization. Kamii said that back in its beginnings, it was still a lawless region that the former Black God had to protect from bandits all by herself. Certainly, it has become one of the kingdom's places of interest by now.
Awhina brings us near the outer wall. There doesn't seem to be a parking lot, but since no other vehicles can be seen in the area, it should be alright to park wherever. The main gate is open, and an elderly man is sweeping the cobblestone pavement.
As we leave the van and approach, I notice he has a peg leg but still works diligently to clean the road. There is technology to do it faster, but it would seem that this place is keeping things simple. He nods at us in greeting but doesn't think much of us as we walk through the gate.
The layered fortress is now home to countless infirm, orphans, and the homeless elderly. Children with missing limbs or covered in bandages can be seen laughing while playing in the streets. It seems ironic that the former home of the God of War has become a place for the weak people he would have shunned or even killed in the past.
"Will we be able to meet the lady of the hour?" I wonder as we walk up the main road toward the keep.
"I will meet you anytime, Chaos." A familiar voice calls out to me from behind, and I spin around on the spot. It's Korenga, carrying a massive basket over one shoulder and a bundle of blankets under her other arm. She still looks the same as the last time I saw her, but there's even more light and warmth in her eyes.
The former Black God is surrounded by her people, but she towers over them by quite a bit. Children cling onto her legs, but she keeps walking without feeling their weight. Even without her curse, she's still formidable.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Korenga stops a few steps before me and says with a grin. She puts down the basket filled with fruits and vegetables and hands out the blankets to the people surrounding her. "What brings you here?"
I watch her in silence for a while as she has to reply to her people's questions and words of gratitude. The sight fills my heart with warmth, and I'm again reminded of my humanity. The Outer One's realm is a cold place, but I can sense some of this warmth flow to my main body on the other side.
"Have you found peace?" I finally ask. Korenga stares at me with her green eyes widened in surprise. But then she shows a motherly smile, and it's the only answer I need.
Korenga has returned to her calling after a long and accursed life as the Black God. I hope that the world will treat her kindly from here on out as it continues to change. But seeing how she's loved by her people, I have no doubt that this is the case.
Our last stop is the Kingdom of Lares. As with all the other monarchies in the world, it has become a constitutional government in recent times. According to Kamii, Svanhild's descendants still serve in the now ceremonial royal guard, and Halthor's are pioneers in the northern wilderness after he eliminated most of the frost giants in his time.
But we aren't here to see those; they wouldn't even know who we are. Neither are we heading for the Royal Academy, even though so many memories tie Kamii, Hestia, and I to it. We're heading to Hovsgaerden, arguably the starting point of this long journey that led all of us to this point.
To my surprise, the city maintains most of its appearance from back in the day. The streets are still the same, even if cars rather than horse carts drive on them. Most buildings from over two hundred years ago remain, showing the sturdiness of this nation's architecture.
Kamii leads the way, but I would be able to find what I'm looking for myself. After all, the city layout and street names haven't changed. The nostalgia hits me like a wave, even though it has only been a few years in my perception since I was last here.
We visit the Hovsgaerden cemetery, where I did my first quest as a member of the adventurer guild. The undead still appears, so there's an annual cleaning ceremony, but it's no longer left to adventurers. As we walk through the rows of somber gravestones toward our destination, the memories of the past rise like ghosts from the ground.
Although it wasn't in this city where we first met, one could say that our fates were irrevocably intertwined when we began to work together here. After all, this is where I found Kamii and learned to use magic for the first time.
Helt Family. The small mausoleum building displaying this name above its entrance is no larger or more lavish than any other in this cemetery. It's a sign of humility even after their momentous contribution to the peace and prosperity of this world.
"Chloe?" The voice of an elderly woman pulls me from my thoughts, and I turn around. Coming toward us is the owner of the voice, a slightly hunched-over lady in her twilight years, using a mage's staff as a walking crutch and carrying a basket of flowers in one hand.
"I'm back." I walk up to Luna and offer my hand in assistance. She only stares at me for a moment, unbelieving. But then she chuckles to herself as if coming to terms with reality. Of course, there was no way I wouldn't return.
"I am not so old to need help in walking." Even at her advanced age, she still maintains a headstrong attitude. I can see her youthful self reflected in that response, and it elicits a smile from me.
Luna steps up to the mausoleum and waves her staff slightly. The heavy steel door opens to the small room within, and she enters to distribute the flowers in her basket among the tombstones. The one at the center of the mausoleum appears to be Rolan's, only slightly larger than the others surrounding it despite being the family's founder.
"He believed you would find your way back to this world, and here you are." Luna says while laying the flowers before her late husband's tomb. Her voice is trembling slightly, overwhelmed by emotions. "I wish he could have been here to see your glorious return."
I can only imagine what it's like to live for this long and witness one's family and descendants die of old age one after the other. Eventually, this could be my fate. Kamii, Hestia, Aurelia, Tokomaha, and Tahiri may be ageless within the Imagination Engine, but everything comes to an end. After all, even an eternal being like the Outer One found its end in Mataku, who then found his in us.
"I lost track of time on the other side." I put a hand on Luna's shoulder and speak in an apologetic tone. "I wish I could have returned as quickly as I thought I would."
At least I came back to see her, the last of the biologically mortal people from our fellowship. As a half-elf, she has a little over two centuries in her life, so I truly did come right on time.
"Where will you go from here?" Pulling herself up on her staff, Luna stands and turns to me with one warmth-filled smile only the elderly can muster. Even though we should be the same age, she sees me as a younger person now, with my future still ahead of me.
"I can't stay in this world for long lest I affect it in unfathomable ways." Offering my hand to the half-elf once more, I explain. She takes it this time and lets me help her over the mausoleum threshold. Outside, the others are waiting. "But I have created a home on the other side."
I look up at the Sun, my gaze fixed on the Rhodos station in front of it. The tear in space leading to our realm where our real bodies are is cut off from this dimension by the barrier, but our consciousness can still flow through it freely. It goes to show how our existence is beyond this universe's understanding.
"Are you all going?" Luna turns to my companions and asks. They only respond with smiles and silent nods. For a moment, I play with the thought of asking her to join us but then change my mind. But it would seem that the half-elf can finally see through me - an ability she gained through the wisdom of old age. She lets go of my hand and leans on her staff. "I will be fine here, Chloe."
My eyes twitch, but I stop myself from choking up. This feels like a proper farewell, unlike the others I've had in the past few days. Exla, Rewera, Awhina, and Korenga will continue to live on this Earth for a long time and possibly even decide to join me in the future. But I doubt Luna will still be here the next time I remember to visit this universe.
"We will be going then." I step back from the elderly half-elf and behold her one final time, the last link to Rolan, Gram, and Sigurd, my fateful companions. My comrades in arms. My friends.
"You say there are others like you?" Aurelia inquires as we stand before the gate to the Outer One's realm - our realm. Tahiri has learned the most about technology out of everybody here, so she works on the console to switch off the force field.
"Not quite like us, I would hope." I caress the Golden Queen's cheek and grin, causing her to roll her eyes. But I can tell that she enjoys this side of me when she breaks out into a smile after. "Indeed, our... Quinternity, as I would call our existence, stands on a level of its own."
Although we spent only a few hours on the other side within our perception, it would seem that reality likes to put an ironic twist on things. While this tiny piece of me has been making its rounds on Earth over the last few days, the other side saw millennia pass in that time.
Asoko, Uten and Saten, and Flann all helped explore the vast infinity and the knowledge that comes with it in our new realm, and we learned many things. As we thought, the Outer One was a concept given life - namely, that of raw possibility.
But there are other universal concepts that all have representative cosmic beings. In fact, we have been visited by a few lesser ones, who quickly scurried away after noticing that the Outer One had been replaced by a new mind.
"There are so many worlds beyond this one. Even eternity wouldn't be enough to explore them all." I declare with a sweeping gesture of my arms. Kamii's eyes light up with a new flame when she hears this. Two centuries couldn't have been enough to see all of Earth's wonders, but the prospect of having an eternity of exploration before her does seem to excite her to no end.
"I hope it's not all just space and stars." Tokomaha crosses her arms and tilts her head back with an unamused expression.
"Oh, have I just the things to show you then." I can barely suppress my giddiness at the thought that I can see my little goddess's wonder-filled expression at the things I've discovered in passing. Terms such as the World Tree or the Garden of Eden couldn't ever hope to do them justice.
"As long as I am with you, I do not care where we go and what we do." Hestia grabs my arm and squeezes it. I'm made keenly aware of her breasts and the fact that it has been a while since I've enjoyed myself in such ways.
"Oh, we will have plenty of time to think of where we can do what with each other." I touch my forehead with the fallen Fata's and look into her crimson eyes. Hestia blushes at the suggestion but realizes that I baited her into having naughty thoughts. Still, she doesn't let go and squeezes my arm harder, signaling that she's looking forward to those things and so much more.
"We are good to go." Tahiri announces, and the force field disappears. The little sense of something being slightly amiss with reality vanishes with it when the raw possibility of the other side flows out from the opening.
"Are you ready?" I turn to my lovers. Their expressions are answer enough. "Then let's go greet infinity together."
