“...Damn all of this…”
The murky plum-colored ground crunches as the man walks on in a desolate world, a former husk of its former self. No longer was the sky a glorious piece of art created by God but complete destruction, space was torn in cracks of black where light does not escape, stars were scattered all around in an erratic manner and the dark night was always eternal, no sun will ever set in the horizon, cascading the light that often symbolised Hope but never will, because Hope has died out since. The World is destroyed, Humanity is crumbling away slowly. The desire for Hope was far too painful to have as despair was the only comfort a person could wish for, to have Hope was to risk the inevitability to not have it fulfilled and that was far more painful than despair. If the world had a set of endings, this would be an ending of complete nothingness, no resolution, no grand finale, no grand reveal, just utter destruction. The man continues to walk in such a world where purpose was none, but his purpose was flickering, refusing to fall, he wasn’t determined nor full of conviction but was empty as all he had been left with was his sorrows. By no means was he a God but just a human who had no power and yet wanted everything, a human who had no magical powers but dearly wishes for a happy ending that will never come. So, what else can he do but hold onto those that he knew were real and keep them together? His name was Ein, late 20’s with black hair, his skin so pale it illuminated under the moonlight, his brown eyes were sharp yet gentle. He bore no unique distinguishing features but a faint scar over his left eye during his lifetime.
“...It should be here.” The man spoke with frustration underlying, he continued to walk with each step growing heavier.
He continued to walk as he looked up to see the once ancient dark clouds now forming, soon letting down the rain that pelleted against him. The only thing that remained was the soft illumination of a certain lantern afar, although obscured by the unnatural mist it was undeniably there, wrapping itself like tendrils around his legs as if preventing him from moving on. Consistently raising his head to look at the distance between himself and the desired location, it only seemed to ever stretch as if the location was moving further, but he knew far better to trust his own eyes as he continued walking. His knees continued to ache and burn, each step simply adding on more. He felt his muscles contract in agony to take a successful step and no matter the burden he was under he merely walked because that’s all he had left to do.
“Keep walking, don’t stop.” He repeated to himself like a mantra.
He coughed, the metallic taste flooded his mouth completely before he rose his trembling hand right over his mouth, the warm trickle of blood covers his calloused and rough palm, drawing down lines through the creases of his palm as his head got lighter and lighter, the darkness that rid of life was now at the edge of his vision like ink on water. He continued to walk endlessly on a path of desolation as the only thing in this world accompanying him were all his sorrows, dread, anger and inevitably, his sadness.
Ein did not know if this location would bring his desires into reality but perhaps, within the depths of despair and the nothingness, something really did exist that forced him to continue onwards. Was he scared of death? No, what was there left to lose in a world where he had lost everything? Nothing. Rather, what he was more scared of was this opportunity fading away, all of reality was against him, his body kept on trembling in agony, the terrain made it harder as it required trudging. The blood that stained his skin had long since dried up but the effort in ridding them was not worth the time, each second was a second off his life which he had very little of.
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He paused his footsteps, looking up he saw it. The once starry desolate night was filled with pockets of destroyed worlds in the forms of mirrors, but such mirrors were cracked with each world having its own unique theme, his gaze lingered over such worlds as he took the seconds he had spared with care. One world he observed was a mystical world in which beings such as dragons, monsters, humans and many more co-existed or fought against each other, a perfect setting for a Hero to be born or an overpowered main character who regresses to change their Fate. Ein was fond of such stories but only when executed properly and not a story where it’s driven by pure action, he looked over and observed another fragmented world: This world had a theme of the modern world but it looked dull, uneventful and just depressing overall, most likely a story that revolves around sadness and anguish, such stories he enjoyed as they captivated a perfect core subject and enhance them. But once again, they were cracked, broken beyond repair. To fix them was to bleed your hands and accept all their sins, it was impossible as Ein was not a martyr nor a God but just a human, a human who can only cling onto these broken shards.
“...If I remember correctly, just beyond the mist I should find the Timeless Altar.” He spoke to himself, as if narrating the situation.
The Timeless Altar, a building that did not follow the world’s order and was a completely unique reality despite it remaining on Earth. Ein had only come to know of this through a series of clues and hints through the prophecies, the scriptures that dated back far beyond Mankind and much more. It was a building that would outlast Humanity and eternity itself, as such it was called “Timeless.” A befitting name. Although Ein did not know of the contents within the enigmatic altar all he knew is that it was important, perhaps so vital that it’s been buried beneath History, to be forgotten. Ein had already made several theories based on the Timeless Altar, one theory was that the Timeless Altar had the ability to change time itself, like a recorder he may be able to either rewind all of History or fast forward, but that was unattainable as everything was already at its end. Additionally, the ability to manipulate time was at a much grander scale as it may involve all the worlds, to rewind every single history back to a certain point would without a doubt come at a cost which leaves the question: Who made this? Was it merely made as a plan for the end? Although, the other theories he had crafted or accumulated have resulted in either being far too faulty or outright disproven with his current knowledge. However, just the thought of the power the Timeless Altar may hold sent cold shivers along his spine, his calloused hands clenched, longing for a reality that was no more.
By no means was he a Hero, he did not have the ideology or the mental fortitude to rewind time and attempt to save mankind from such an end. But he did not care, selfishly all he desired was one single thing: To hold onto those he loved dearly and be sure to never let pain or agony fall on them, to grant them lives they so dearly wished for. Sacrificial? Selfless? It was not. This was what he claimed as the height of Selfishness which he proudly accepted. At last, Ein took a deep breath in and out before he began venturing into the enigmatic mist, although just a mist the term “fog” may fit better, it was too difficult for his mortal eyes to look further than approximately 100 metres, the maximum being 250 metres. Anxiousness slowly creeps up as a lump forms in his throat, forcing him to swallow as questions fill his mind.
“What if the Altar is just a myth? Should I end myself then? Better to die by my own hands than contracting some alien disease, but if there’s a singular chance-”
He paused himself, not daring to speak further to avoid jinxing himself of the chances, if there were any chances to begin with that is. He continued dragging himself within the misty maze, his perception had been so horribly altered that navigating and identifying whether he’s moving forward, left, right or if he deviated his path was impossible. All Ein could do was continue to walk forward, all the broken promises, all the unknown, the fear, the selfishness, Ein was ready to embrace it all, for the purpose of finding this altar in hopes of changing his loved one’s fate.
At last, he arrived.