"Tell me, Lost Requiem, why do you believe… you were chosen? Out of all the trillions of people in this and every other existing timeline or universe, why- are you special…?"
Those words weren't just empty, they held the weight of something so much heavier. Pupils shaking at the sight, corners of his eyes welling up with tears, he racked his brain for answers continuously. There was nothing he could find, he felt like he was alone in this Void, were what existed in front of him was only that which he created. A demon of his manifestation, moving into the Hand of God, everything had been going the way He'd hoped it would. Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't he stop himself, and why did the future turn out to be this horrific present, right here, right now? Why couldn't it have been someone else? As long as he'd live with her for as long as he could, grow up, have a family, see his mother and father together as they played and talked with their grandchildren- why was he cursed out of everyone else in this world…
WHY… HIM?!
But the answer to this question was simple, just as he was about to break down, maybe clutching his chest in agony as he'd cry and beg for time to change, the blackness of the limitless void began to expand wider and wider until the sight had shifted to something much more soothing.
The reflection in his eyes showed the wondrous scenery of white shining in his azure orbs, despite that hopeless emotionlessness in the center of his peepers, even with the pessimistic view he'd taken over the years, he couldn't help but grin. The winter background had faded out to change to another, much more familiar, strands sinking back into the top of his head, beard shaving, he contorted his fingers hearing his knuckles unnaturally crack in response. Blind to the alterations occurring behind those tanned eyelids, they retracted back into his darker skin… to see the sights he'd long forgotten when he was but a wee child.
Businessmen and women with their phones to their ears chatting loudly to match the chatter of the city, merchants pushing their carts around with hotdogs in them, homeless begging for change as the children were dragged along by their mother. Among those billions, there he was among the crowd, but an infant at the time, staring up at the sight of his mother's beautiful face, shining against the sun…. In all of its marvelous structure, her brown hair moved with the summer wind. The way her eyes held so much hope and glimmer for the path ahead as she pulled at his hand, the strong grip his mother had over his palm, her slight grin, despite it being so gentle-? The mother of the Rivera Triplets, Jessica Rivera, truly was so magnificent.
"In the not too distant future, you three will manifest gifts from the bottoms of your heart. They will be wondrous abilities that you will make your own. Some of them might seem destructive, but the beauty lies in your own heart, only you can make them that which can bestow life upon the next," After that short vision before her instructions, the woman stared at her children sat on the bed in front of her, kneeling so they could listen to her. Her grin reflecting onto their brown eyes, as she parted her lips to speak these words, her sons and daughter made different faces.
Madi smiled as she listened to her mother with her fists in her lap. Jason, being the oldest, was always skeptical, being with his more tuned intuition for whatever half-truths or lies she'd throw at them, despite it being for their safety and pureness being kept secure by her intentional falsehoods. Then again, at this time, he was but a child… it wasn't a sin to be as ignorant as he was. But the only one whose eyes were sparkling whenever she spoke with that stupid grin over his face- was the youngest of the three, the moonlight of the night shining against young Ben's face. As she finished speaking, she let out a quiet, "Alright, I'm done. You three should get to bed," Jessie pinched the cheeks of her oldest son, Jason squealing out like a baby as he swatted away her fingers. Madi getting her long curly hair ruffled, made into a mess, leading her daughter to giggle as she used her strands to cover her face, smiling through it hiding her features. Finally, she moved her hand to her youngest, simply smiling against his face to see that they shared the same grin, but he didn't have her dimples. As she kissed his forehead, Ben closed his eyes, and the blankets had covered her children, the lights dimming the halls, feet stepping into her room.
"Goodnight, my Sunshine…"
None of them could understand at their young age what their mother would mean when she said that they would inherit gifts of their own. As all of her children slept soundly in their beds, young Madi beside her as she watched some TV, flashes from the show she was 'enjoying', refracting onto her face. But she didn't have a smile, she didn't have any sort of visible expression that indicated she was enjoying this at all. Her eyes weren't ahead at all, instead, they were staring at her fingers as she played with the arms of her glasses. There was so much to do and so little time before it all happened, how could she ever live up to that expectation he left her with? She wasn't a god and she didn't have any special capabilities, all she had were her words, little half-truths she spat out without the slightest crack in her voice.
She held her face and sucked in the cries, silently sobbing so the tears would drench her palms, she bit on her lip to draw blood so none of the children would be able to hear. That night, though, as she strode through the creaky floorboards of the apartment, light bulb flickering against her brown mop of hair, and the door to the bathroom locked behind her- from that distance and through that door, Ben stood awake. Unable to sleep because of the sounds of his mother weeping, but he did not cry for her, nor did he get up and knock on the door to see if she was alright, that child stood there in the darkness, gazing up at the voided ceiling. This was… a memory he'd long forgotten. He was six at the time and the year was 2003, yet his consciousness was that of the future, so there was only one question on his mind. He was unable to interact with the world around him, he couldn't move his muscles, he couldn't even control his breathing, so how the hell-
Did he hear his mother from over here?
The next memory he would witness was something he had lived through his teenage years, and that was the date of October 16th, 2012. The day of the Spread, where Ben was sleeping, unaware that his doppelgänger was masquerading as his teacher. But we all know what happened here, don't we? Jason, Madi, and Ben have their Omni cells activated, same with the rest of a select populous so that humans and superhumans coexist together among the world.
But where was Jessica during this time? While she was diagnosed with cancer during this time, it seemed that she had been recovering, some of her curls returning to the top of her head as if she'd beaten the disease. But she knew why this was, and as she turned her head, their gazes met, his long flowing hair moving with the nonexistent wind, purple radiating eyes shining with the gleam of God's Son.
"Oh, it's you. Well, at least you're useful for one thing," Jessie stated sarcastically as she rolled her eyes around, seen sorting some cards in her lap being covered with blankets.
Moments before the sky was overtaken by that energy, the thunder clapped and flashed before her very eyes, leading for Uraku to step forward after his whole body was revealed by the lightning. He didn't have any professional or ethical posture as he usually did in the future, for example, each tip of his fingers touching against one another or his arms on his back. It was different, now, he had his arms down by the sides of his body, stepping closer as he slid to her side, leading for her to groan in irritation, muttering under her breath, "Coño," but as they struggled to find a good spot together, Uraku kneeled at the side of the bed with his chin against the softened blankets.
They were unable to speak to one another, though with every passing minute, the future was being written. But as she reluctantly had her head turned away, there was something she felt in the middle of her chest, different from the first time they'd met, 30-something years ago. The last visit he'd done was only a few months ago, and there was that feeling yet again, how could he have suddenly changed in such a short amount of time..?
You see, Jessie was never the religious type, but she was also never the one to shame those who believe in what they believe in. When she was told by 'Daniel Rivera' that he was the Son of God, like anyone else on earth, she had trouble believing it. But when she was shown the true form, something reminiscent of a galaxy in a humanoid shape, long flowing hair as bright as the stars you'd see in the country sky devoid of light pollution, there was a tightening feeling in her chest. The type you'd sense around the manipulative type, someone who wasn't worthy of having a person around them that cared and loved them. Then again, that was years ago when they first met, but now, the aura around the Father of the Triplets… was that of her own, though she was unaware of her caring radiance,
"Back then, you told me to come when the future was set in stone. When our children have made you proud, and reset the world into peace… your last wishes from you in the future, they inspired the three. This is what your grandchildren look like, my love," Informed the Former Guardian, gently sticking out his palm to create a holographic image levitating out the middle of his hand.
As if scrolling through a photo gallery, Uraku turned his thumb inward for the next 'slide' to emerge from his hand, Jessie's eyes widening, tearing up at the very sight before her. The black hair from her grandfather along with the icy eyes, there she marveled at her first granddaughter, Emma Paige Rivera. More of that young girl's past came flashing before her beautiful brown eyes, this was her youngest son's oldest daughter,
"She… I don't know what her mother looks like," Stated the Mother, voice breaking from confusion, eyes sparkling with tears, Uraku stood up from his knelt position rather than sitting at the edge of the mattress.
Now without his stoic expression, the biggest smile of his future life stained over his pink mouths, his eyes glistened brighter at her command. There was Cecilia Marie Lane, the Brazilian beauty, pictures of her life, history of everything that's happened throughout the past, the present, the future. That woman was marvelous, all she had to say, laughing through her happy tears,
"I knew he'd pick right, heh. Now, the rest, please," Gently demanded Jessica, and just then, Uraku obeyed. So, instead of the usual brightening purple, now, there was a rainbow largened reflection that was thrown out from the center of his pupils. Expanding out to create an interweb of events, wholesome, happy, sad, depressing, everything is written out just for her to see.
The Kingdom, The Outcast, Nyarlathotep, her grandson's tormenting and the defeat of Abaddon Kuno along with the son of Karlo and Garcia, then the resurgence of the Superior, the Demonic Invasion, the Kingdom's Venture To The Past, Heaven's Repent, The Wings of Darkness; EVERYTHING! But left out from everything were the Chosen Ones of history, just as she'd predicted, those gifts would come into time and be blessed upon her triplets. Jason, Madisyn, Ben, though they had all been through so much, she truly believed that their end, shown before her, was a proper death, just as her youngest had said to his bastard descendant,
"It will be… a proper one,"
Uraku smiled, standing up to kiss her cheek, Jessica watched as the time passed, and she was left with the silence of the hollow room. Everything she had hoped for her children had come into fruition in a time without her, the only regret she had was not being around so she could wholeheartedly congratulate her sons and daughter for the peace they'd leave in a world made anew. Where demons would be eradicated and angels would be cast to the very chilled depths of the lower dimension they named the Underworld, she stared at her former lover in the eyes, shining with hope with the future written out before her. All she could do, spotting him now standing up, was grab onto his hands and smile at him, whispering through the tears,
"Thank you," And as Uraku vanished to return to his time, she smiled, inhaling shakily, she used the burning embers of the strength he'd left in her… to weakly walk over to the curtains of the window. Spreading them apart, she slid open the transparent separator so she could step onto the fire escape, leaning against the railing, rubbing her arms, and covering her mouth with her cupped hands.
As the thunder roared through the city, the clouds lighting up with the flash of lightning, IT radiated out from that point of impact, inflicting its rays into that assortment of chosen humans. She watched from above as some fell unconscious with their loved ones running over, as the lights in the apartments ahead had gone out, maybe from lamps falling over. Airplanes crashing into skyscrapers, helicopters flailing around chaotically, but she stood without a care in the world, still with that signature smile over her face, staring death in the face-
And even with death behind her, all she did was blink, the grip on her neck was tight, but she could barely even feel it- through the horrified expressions of her children in front of her sent a sting to her heart, she remembered the future Uraku had shown her just nine months ago. In her final seconds, as the fist charged right through the back of her heart and destroyed that organ instantly, she had but one thought as it all flashed before her eyes. Her childhood, her teenage years, her adulthood. The future held a lofty weight, on their shoulders, but she was content with the life ahead, for their end was a spectacular and righteous demise. She left behind a legacy that would spread hope to a land of people that had once distrusted them. Their words, no matter what they say or whatever they hate you for, keep moving forward and live with the transgressions of the past to keep on toward the future.
~I… have no regrets~
"Ma-Madi. Please, be better than me... take care of your brothers…"
~I know you'll be a good woman, you, out of the three, take after me and your father equally. Heh, you look like me, though, don't you..? The way you'll accept that young man into our family if I could get the chance to see him- I'd thank him for taking care of you the way I couldn't..~
"Jaso... Jason, make me proud, my baby boy…"
~I know the way you hide behind such a mask, the way you'll sink your fangs into everything and wish to burn it away. You always… hated it whenever anyone cut themselves. You could never admit it… my boy, but you are just the same as I am, in every wrong and right way. You've already- made me the proudest mother in the world~
"My Sunshine, Ben... please, do not throw your life away,"
~Like your father did, back then, you lit your heart ablaze… it will burn to ashes, and the embers of that heart you hold within you-? It will no doubt light a fire of hope that will reverberate through the barriers of time to inspire others. I'm blessed to have a child-like you, someone as special and chosen by the Gods. No matter how hypocritical and horrible they are, no matter what you think, you are special. Because you… were born into this world. My son… you did not throw your life away. You did splendidly~
Just after that, the side of her face collapsing onto the ground, soot drenching her skin, the life gradually faded from her eyes. The seconds of her life drowning before the bindings of life had been snapped that day, until those seconds had shifted to minutes, to hours. She burnt away as the explosion singed away her tanned skin, to where the eyeballs were nothing but hollow shells, but in the aftermath of her demise along with the Kingdom's decimation, there he stood over her blazed skeleton. Her soul in the form of a tarot card levitating over her skeletal decrepit person, devoid of any life, was swiped away, morphing into a golden circular spiral of energy before it was clutched between his fingers.
Before the timeline reset of the Kingdom's timeline, where the branch hadn't been taken care of, leading to the erasing of this world, Uraku had intervened. The year was 2554, 17 years after the end of the Kingdom and the eradication of the opposite world, the Superior's home, he had waited for this specific amount of space just for this occasion. Watching like an outsider viewing through, powerless to do anything but watch, Uraku took hold of his distant lover's spirit, but not before placing it back into her horrific excuse of a destroyed body. As his hand stood hovering over every part of her body, the Guardian watched as the skin, the hair, everything began to peel back over her blackened bones.
She gave the impression that she was healthy, perfectly alive, and fresh as if she hadn't even been killed by her alternate daughter. As he carried her dead body through the gateway opening before whom, Uraku stepped through space to emerge somewhere else. Kneeling, the rectangular patch of dirt opened up, gently placing her down before the particles buried her beneath the Earth. Creating flowers out from his palms, he carefully put them onto her grave, a portrait of her face, smiling with her arms around her sons and daughter, there was only one face missing.
Despite my absence, I didn't mind it then, I stared ahead, and grinned at the sight of the beautiful woman I loved. She was wonderful before my eyes, daughter-inherited, I was dedicated to ensuring that my children were protected, and that, no matter what, I'd make her spirit proud that she was with someone like me. Just like you hoped, my love, I lit ablaze my own life and dedicated it to ensuring they had a parent to appreciate and love. In the end,
I was the spark that lit this rope, and it ignited in a firework that exploded above the Heavens, to where you belong, no matter what happens. I'll do my best, to preserve their future, that is… my purpose, just as yours was, to have children in this world that would save those innocent souls I was destined to protect. Right then and there, when I began to turn away, my hair flowed with the wind, and in the snow of that winter, I left patches in the seas of time.
To Be Continued.