Yesterday’s Gone
by Richard B. Sampson jr.

When I felt the spark of energy go through me, I knew what was happening. The Crystoids had fooled me. I thought that I had warned my friends and family. They gave me a little free will, and knew I would warn the Guardians. I could see everyone in front of me, and a red haze in front of me as well. It was then I saw it. Creatures appearing out of the haze. I recognized one from when I first got the Eye. The attack had taken a turn for the worse. I then saw an awful sight. My mother, deformed by War’s infection, had turned into a monster. One with no remorse, one that would only kill. I had only saw it strike down my brother, and now it was focused on Vet. As my mother leapt at Vet, I noticed a Fiend do the same. I just shouted, “Vet, duck.”

I watched as she ducked and my mother collided with the beast, sending the two across the room. I then heard Vet shout to JaNa, “Look out, daughter.” I then saw that two of the flying creatures were advancing on her. I watched as JaNa turned, but just as she turned, one of the Guardians with a jetpack hit the first creature. I was overjoyed, until the second creature hit his jetpack, causing him to fly out of control toward me.

I heard JaNa shout, “Someone save him,” but it was too late. He disappeared into the haze. He was in the clutches of the evil one.

I saw my grandfather, the Captain of the Guardians, kneel over Max. He was dying, and he may not get the chance to rejoin my father. This was all my fault. I heard my grandfather say, “This shouldn’t be. They manipulated us to help them.” He was right. They had manipulated this, everything from the start.

It was then I remembered one thing. I still had some free will. They had only wanted to subdue it, but I had been too strong willed. They kept trying to subdue me enough to make me follow them, but it would not be enough. I just looked out and shouted, “This must end now.”

I noticed that everything looked at me, and I saw a look of fear cross Sharm’s face. I heard him shout. “NO! She can’t still have free will. We subdued it after we let her speak to the boy.” I knew what he was afraid of, and I knew he couldn’t stop me.

I looked at everyone and said, “In a matter of moments, this will have ended. It will never have happened, but it will have happened.” I then followed my circuits to the very device I had in me. “I shall miss you all, Vet, JaNa, grandfather, and all that I had hoped to save.” I then activated the Time Bomb.

Before the countdown began, I saw all the creatures that entered through the gate start to head back to it. Even the Crystoids started heading for the gate. They knew that once the bomb was activated, there was no stopping it. I then head Sharm say, “She has to be bluffing. She couldn’t have enough free will to do that. We pumped enough of the subduing liquid into her that her will should have melted.” I think that was why so many of the Crystoids craved the goop. They were freaks, and didn’t want to remember their lives before.

Soon, I heard a strange voice say, “Five. Now beginning Temporal Freeze. No beings will be allowed to move.” I watched as everyone around me froze in place. I glanced at Vet and noticed that she was smiling. She knew that my action would give her peace. I looked down at her and said, “I hope you have a nice afterlife, Vet. I shall miss you, and the rest of my family.” I felt a tear start to run down my face. This was the end. I knew I wouldn’t survive it, but I knew that my fate was also sealed.

I heard the voice again. This time, it said, “Four. Termination of all power. All robots will cease to function. All immortal machines will have consciousness released.” I wondered what that meant.

Then I realized it when the sight in front of me lost it’s red haze. I looked over at Sharm and said, “Didn’t expect that, did you? You thought I wouldn’t be able to use the Time Bomb. I hope you enjoy what you become.” I figured that his consciousness would turn into something insignificant.

The voice spoke again. “Three. All magic will disappear. All immortal magical entities shall have consciousness released. All mortal creatures will depart to the realm of the dead.” I watch as the creatures that had come from the gate exploded. I heard the runestones fizzle out. I saw that some of the Guardian’s exploded, and their spirits flew out of the place.

As I watched I said, “May you all find your eternal peace.” It was true. I had hoped they would find their loved ones. I then noticed that the crystoids gems went dark. I looked down and saw the same happen to all the gems on me. All I felt was my heart beat. I started to wonder why the bomb still worked, but realized it was immune to its own affects.

Soon, I heard the voice speak again. “Two. All mortal life will die. Immortals shal have their consciouness’s maintained.” I watched as everyone fell dead at that point. I saw their spirits leave their bodies and begin to fly off.

I was almost in awe as Vet’s spirit flew up to me and said, “Thank you, Lena. You have saved us all from a fate worse than death.” It brought me some comfort. I saw that my mother’s spirit had not moved. Then I realized that it had been enslaved by War. There would be no rest for her. She would suffer the same fate as I would. I didn’t even know what my fate would be. All I knew was that the Time Bomb would explode, and I with it. Sure, my consciouness would continue, but what would it enter. What would the new timeline be like. I hoped that I would be allowed to care again.

The voice spoke again. “All dead accounted for. Now sealing off the realm of the dead. One. Beginning Temporal Displacement of Immortals.” I watched as every sphere keeping everything frozen in time started to glow. It was preparing to take us all back. Soon, I started to see things change. The room I had been in started to get smaller, and lose its walls. We were going backwards through time. I started to think about all that had happened in my life. I had been cursed to have bad luck. I had been turned into a Crystoid. I had tried to stop them with what little free will I had, but I failed. Now, I would never see my family again, even though I had saved them. True, in the course of saving them, I had to destroy everything everyone held dear to them. I looked at the our side world, and saw the space around us. I looked down at the Celestrial world, and it was shrinking. Even the Celestrial Palace was almost gone. I saw the Mana Net in much more detail. It was being unwoven as I went back in time. Worlds floated on their own, governed by their own forces. I saw our world in the time before the Ancients. How much time had passed. I could not be sure.

Soon, I saw two large figures around me. I knew who they were. I looked up at them, in their swordfight. “So this is it. This was when they killed each other. This is the point where the world will change.” I was scared, but I knew it was time.

I noticed that the figures looked down at me, a little in surprise. Then I heard the voice say, “Point reached. Detonation to commense.” Then I felt it. The explosion ripped through me. I could feel the pain, and then nothing. I could sense the heat from the explosion, and I saw both Redor and Shoac destoried. Their huge bodies breaking up into small units of positive and negative energy. The heat was unbearable, and the force of the explosion pushed my consciousness away from the center. I drifted into unconsciousness, and hoped I had done the right thing.


.....Time never ends, time never starts, time has always been and always will be.

Epilogue

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