After the Scream - 1 Billion Universes remaining

Universe A-931842

A probe was traversing the void of the universe, moving in a straight line through the stars passing by on its route. It passed through every possible galaxy, changing direction after inspecting them thoroughly. It traveled through thousands upon thousands of galaxies at a speed exceeding that of light in the void with the sole mission of finding any form of life before returning with its data to its sender.

After having traversed the entire universe, it had only one last galaxy left to search in the hope of getting a result on its radar. As it approached, the probe received a signal. Thanks to its advanced technology, it recognized the existence of a single source of life in the entire galaxy: a human. There was no other source of life on his planet or the surrounding ones, not even bacterial, that surrounded this man.

With its mission complete, the probe began the long journey back to its sender. On its way were the remnants of civilizations where no form of life remained. These remnants took the form of planets, immense intergalactic ships, and artificially created waypoints to facilitate transport across the universe.

Yet, these planets showed no signs of destruction. In the cities, the houses had no apparent damage, and reminders that families had lived there were evident from the coats hanging in entryways or ingredients still in refrigerators waiting to be cooked. On some planets, there were no signs of time passing: the walls of houses bore no climbing plants, and no trees grew in the middle of roads and infrastructures.

Everything suggested that entire civilizations had vanished, some very recently and in very short intervals, as if with the snap of a finger, this phenomenon not even sparing microbes and other bacteria. This pattern of desolation repeated itself from planet to planet, galaxy to galaxy until the probe returned to its sender.

The sender was an immense ship, rivaling in size with that of enormous stars. It was made of a material so dark that it camouflaged itself in the omnipresent void. When the probe sent a request to board, it was accepted without delay. Despite its austere and military exterior appearance, its interior shone like a palace. It was a brand-new ship, a veritable planet with numerous pools, opulent casinos, state-of-the-art laboratories, and immense hangars filled with ships that could serve as scouts in the inhospitable vastness of the universe.

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As soon as it entered the ship, the only sound the probe could hear was the melancholic chords of a waltz, echoing through the deserted corridors. This waltz had been playing on a loop from one of the many ballrooms, with no one to stop it. The ship was thus traversed by all styles of music, sometimes intertwining in a ghostly dance.

The probe finally arrived in a laboratory. Amidst rows of machines and screens littered with unread messages, the probe advanced to deposit its crucial data. All the data it had collected now appeared on the central screen as a shining stream of information and numbers. Unfortunately, there was no one here. Only the electric pulses of the central computer remained.

This immense ship was destined to drift forever in the void of the universe, becoming one of the numerous remnants of a time forgotten by all. The only witness to this desolation might be its sole survivor.

He was sitting cross-legged on a stump, eyes closed, with his hair combed back floating in the wind. Before him, a river flowed through a meadow that blended with the color of the surrounding trees. These large trees, with charred trunks and orange leaves, perfectly reflected the rays of the nearest star. The dead nature around seemed alive: the grass and leaves of the trees danced in the wind, and the river water stirred in its bed.

The man was dressed in a simple red silk garment, except for crystal-like cufflinks that added a touch of wealth and elegance to the outfit. He had an unremarkable physique, with fine eyebrows and low cheekbones giving an impression of calm and purity. A slight peaceful smile graced his lips, contrasting with the katana sheathed and resting on his thighs. Yet, he exuded an ethereal beauty that seemed to transcend the very concept of perfection.

On his scabbard were depictions of gargantuan creatures as well as men, dragons, and other races, all without exception exuding an aura of majesty and power that no mortal seemed capable of beholding.

A shimmering envelope appeared in the sky, descending slowly to land in the man's right hand. His demeanor abruptly changed at its sight. In his eyes now was only unyielding, unwavering determination. Inside the envelope was a short letter with a series of instructions and a recipient: Arden. He was to meet someone in another universe.

Arden then stood up, throwing the envelope into the air. Unsheathing his katana, he cut it into such small pieces with a single motion that nothing remained of it. He sheathed his katana, casting a final glance at the landscape before disappearing. There was no trace of his passage, except of course for the lifeless universe he left behind.