I had done it, it took many long years. I tracked down every game. Every version. Even the things that weren’t really canon or were considered nearly lost media. I played every single Megaman game, or game adjacent there was.

I don’t even remember why I started. I always liked the series, the themes, the characters, and the music. One day I decided to just do it all. I even made a gaming channel chronicling my journey. The final episode was uploaded just moments ago.

I sat quietly in my chair, thinking, what happens now? I’ve played every game, I speedrun them, 100% completed them in every single way I could possibly do so, played them via official hardware. I have dozens of let's plays, challenge runs, and even while I branched out into other content, it always circled back to Megaman.

I wasn’t the young teen I was when I started this journey. I was in my late 60s. In this day and age, that wasn’t the greatest.

I looked outside to a sky blacker than mere night, the stars entirely blotted out while the Moon hung high above, metallic and covered in craters that even from Earth you could see.

Humanity had expanded beyond the stars and began to take more resources from everywhere. Earth was where I was born, and it was where I would die. By no means did humanity anymore care what happened here. It had moved on.

The Megaman Series ended a long time ago, maybe that’s why I cared about trying so hard to do this. Many things I had to get through expensive channels, I had to get official hardware via paying people to make it, I scoured the internet for the rarest things and had spent a fortune on it.

I had a fortune to show for it though, if I very well wanted to. I could leave Earth, I could leave the smoke, the dead climate, the cold.

Yet I know that wouldn’t happen. I would never leave Earth. Not because I couldn’t but because I didn’t need to. Out there, humanity was numbering in the trillions. I had billions of people watching me, but they would be nothing in the reaches of space.

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Despite everything. I was still merely a dying star.

“Perhaps it need not be so” a voice spoke from behind me, it sounded male, not too old or too young.

I would have jumped normally, but my tiredness, this sense of both relief and uncertainty weighed me down. I didn’t hear the door open either. I looked at the figure from my blackened monitor, the reflection showing me, a younger version of me.

I turned my attention towards myself, or a being with the look of myself from many years ago. A bright eyed teen with stars in his eyes and a purple streak in his hair.

I did not feel at ease, but I did feel a sense of familiarity with this copycat. I took a deep breath, with my voice croaking from a recent voice over, I spoke myself “Whatever do you mean by that?” I asked.

“The world you’ve enjoyed, I can take you there. The world you know will be within your grasp. Well, most of it” The faker said as he approached, a coy and playful smirk gracing his lips.

“There’s always a catch isn’t there? I don’t have all day, so what is it?” I asked, though felt my heart stir at the offer. I was not losing myself however. The weariness upon my bones could not be stirred with mere words.

“You will live through jumping from time period to time period. Always at the center of the highest conflicts. You will give up your humanity. You will not return to this world until all is said and done without a moment passing, unless you wish to remain” The copy said softly.

“No” I said simply, turning around. I could see the confusion upon the figure’s face when I did so.

“Why ever not, are the conditions too harsh?” The fake asked with curiosity replacing that briefest flash of confusion.

“You could have chosen anyone. Even someone that doesn’t know Megaman, yet among what may as well be infinite choice. You chose me. So either, I’m the luckiest bastard in existence, or you NEED me, am I right?” I said, opening up my computer.

“Well, how could you be so sure of a fact?” The fake asked, he smiled sickly sweet and I could hear his mocking tone.

“I don’t need to be, you’ll be back” I said simply.

I received no response from that, I didn’t need to turn to know he’d already left. The presence within the room felt lighter as he went away.

I stared at my channel, an hours long retrospective of the entire series, a ranking video detailing all my thoughts. I had learned many skills, with the help of AI and human skills. I made my own music, did my own editing, composed everything together to make it perfect.

Perfection, no, that was something that didn’t exist. The limit was not yet reached. I touched my tired throat, adjusted my fading and slightly cracked glasses. Running my fingers across my graying hair.

I had not reached my limit and never would, this chapter ends, and another one begins. It’s time to keep going.