[This is the end.]
"Huwaaaa…"
I yawned as I read those words. The past few years had been quite tiring and honestly, instead of giving me a sense of fulfillment, it just reminded me of thing —
Eternity.
It's a funny concept that tickles the imagination and challenges the boundaries of our understanding. If someone were to ask you, right now, what's your eternity? How would you respond?
I've posed this question to many throughout my life, and the answers have never failed to amuse me. From whimsical dreams to downright absurd suggestions, each response painted a unique picture of how we perceive eternity.
Imagine living forever. What would you choose?
One of my friends, always the prankster, suggested becoming a statue and giving people heart attacks when they come close. It's a tempting thought, the idea of freezing time with a shock.
Then there was another, more mischievous soul, who proposed starting her own religion, prophesizing her return, and messing with people's minds. The thought of someone playing divine games for eternity never ceased to make me chuckle.
But perhaps the most perplexing response came from a stupid yet reliable madman. He was one of the only few who could boss me around despite being my own subordinate. When I asked him about his eternity, his response almost brought a tear to my eyes.
"Eternity? Hm… my eternity would be forever serving master."
You would need to have a few screws loose in the brain box and some rusty gears refusing to move to come up with such an answer.
These whimsical answers aside, there were some serious ones too.
"I wish to reincarnate continuously until I learn about the truth of the world, life, and death."
"Eternity for me is seeking answers to my never-ending questions."
"Eternity for me is to become an immortal. Unparalleled, unhindered, and never be bothered by death or the passage of time."
"Eternity for me is freedom. Freedom to do anything I want, whenever I want, wherever I want."
All these suggestions were something dear to me as they helped me understand my own eternity.
What was my eternity?
It was not easy to come up with an answer.
I, me, I'm a guy who barely has any original ideas.
I am more of a plagiarist, honestly. My originals are just the good pieces taken out of other originals and mashed into one to make a masterpiece.
Bah! Creativity is not something you can control, even if you are someone like me, someone the very top.
It sounds like a big joke, but that's the truth. Even Gods had their shortcomings.
That aside, after countless years, countless experiences, countless connections, and countless answers… when I reflected on them, I finally realized…
The answer to my eternity wasn't grandiose. Neither was it profound nor something that would take a lot of brainpower to come up with.
It was quite simple, actually.
The answer was always with me, I just couldn't see it, until I came to terms with my own personality.
I was more mischievous than Mime, the person who wanted to start her own religion and mess with people; more selfish than HormonalBanana who wanted to become an immortal, and much bigger of a madman than King, my subordinate, who forever wanted to be subservient.
I… I was someone who always wanted to be surrounded by his loved ones. It was a selfish desire, but it was what it was.
I… was someone who…
"Huwaaa…"
Another yawn escaped my mouth as I stared at that line of words. Damn, I seemed to be quite tired today. Anywho, as I was saying…
I was someone who loved adventures. I didn't have a knack for this before, but over the years… I've come to quite like it due to a certain someone.
I was also fond of music; liked the modern machinery that had steam and magic infused elements, and was quite happy fiddling with clocks.
Ah! Speaking of fiddling… I also liked to mess around a lot.
The lines: "F*** around and find out…"
It represented me quite well as I truly courted death and wasn't afraid of any… bo… dy…
A shudder ran down my spine as a beautiful smiling face of a lady flashed in front of my eyes. The smile was less of a smile and more of a warning. Saying I wasn't afraid of anybody was definitely me lying.
A-anyway… we don't talk about that person and shall leave her out of the equation.
Hm… yes… with her aside, I definitely wasn't afraid of anybody!
"Huwaaa…"
Haiz… I do seem quite tired… I wonder why—
Ah!
I remember now!
I think it's due to the intense cardio session I've been having with m'lady for the past few days. Yes, that could be the only answer.
Phew… no wonder my body's begging me to sleep. I guess I'll lie down on this cold hard floor for a bit.
It's quite clean with not a speck of dust, all thanks to the rigorous work done by Mime.
She seemed happy after I gave her a drink for her work and was so joyous that she even shared it with me. Wow, would you look at that?
Though, the drink did taste a bit sweeter than usual.
Meh, I think it was some packaging issue or something.
Anyway, as I was saying…
I liked quite a few things and… all of them helped me…
"Huwaaa…"
…find an answer to my eternity's question…
The answer that I've been… looking… for… so…
…lo…ng… w..a…s…
"…Zzzz…."