At Time's End

Epilogue - The Real Ending

"Why?" You ask, weep even. And I tell you the truth, I do not know myself.

It was an impulsive choice - but the source of that choice is unknown to even myself. Perhaps my mind saw an opportunity too good to be wasted, but why did it consider the opportunity good?

I assume it has something to do with the shock of all that happened in the span of 24 hours - the destroyed cure, my head injury, and finally Eterna's suicide - and my inability to react to it all.

I wonder what happened to Karmella, who was standing in the room beside me as I gave up my life to whatever higher powers exist, who also witnessed their loved one's corpse right in the front of their eyes, and who, due to my poor choices and timing, had to witness another corpse in the span of 5 minutes or less. I wonder if she did the same.

The place I'm currently in, resembles the Waiting Room. I wonder if it is - that'd be the plot twist of my lifetime, wouldn't it? However, it's empty. It seems reasonable that I'd be alone here - if it is the Waiting Room, anyway. If it isn't, then I'm confused. I've already been tormented enough in this room, waiting for years for anything to happen, so why do I have to wait here for more than that? Is it to atone..?

The other person I wonder about is Lucy. I did promise to return if things didn't work out, didn't I? Now, you may ask why I didn't travel back. I would've, but... the thing about time travelers not being able to travel to the past if they've gone through significant trauma? That, undoubtedly, works the same for the future as well. Which certainly makes my current location in the Waiting Room contradictory at minimum, and impossible at maximum.

I hope both of them are okay. I could only blame myself if anything happened, especially to Karmella. Lucy... I just hope she's okay in general. Of course, inevitably, she'll plunge into the end of this universe. I can't stop that. I'm not a god. But if she walks into the end, regretting not insisting on me staying, I can only blame myself.

A new person came into mind when I was thinking of these two, thinking the world - the Waiting Room away. Chester. He doesn't have a home, beside the Research Center - and I was supposed to be like a caretaker to him. If Karmella joined our little double-suicide - making it a triple - where would that leave him?

Alone and on the streets, unless he decides to seize control of the Research Center and continue what was Ignus', and what turned out to become my own, legacy. I don't know exactly what that legacy is, but there are multiple things that are incomplete... as of now, anyway.

One example - one that is quite obvious - is Alice. She'll no doubt either be angry - angrier - or delighted at realizing I'm dead. I'd bet the first option, the watch that I have on my wrist would - if I may be dramatic for a moment - be the key to her eventual world domination, alongside the documents on the Cure.

I'm sure there are other time travelers with the same watch, and that raises the question of why not go after them. I'd bet it has something to do with being able to finally "win" against me. I can't call it revenge, exactly, since I haven't done anything - that I'm aware of anyway - but no doubt she wants to cause me as much pain as possible.

While I waited for however long I had to, I thought more about Eterna... I had never imagined her as the type of person to go down by way of suicide - as, at least partially, proven by the year 2728. There is a slight possibility that Alice schemed the whole thing... but that's unlikely... or is it? Who knows. Eterna herself, probably.

It all seemed too... symbolic to be real. The shard of the mug... To be completely honest, if I had to guess how Eterna would commit suicide, it'd be by poison, not a stab in the stomach. And if it'd be a stab, it'd be quick, with a knife and into the heart. Clean, simple and straight to the point. Like she always was. Not to mention, she'd take it out to make it quicker...perhaps I'm thinking too deep into all this. No matter, thinking is all I can do, right?