Prologue

“Jack, please, you have to move!”

Words laced with desperation and panic washed over the youth presently leaking blood on the smooth tiled floor, his exhausted gaze transfixed by the brilliant rainbow colored rip in reality that was the gateway before him that shouldn't even exist, were it not for the processing power of the AI matrix keeping this tiny pocket of reality stable. At least for now.

He took a deep, shuddering breath, doing his best to suppress the pain tearing through him as he coughed another gobbet of blood that tasted of iron, bile and vomit, and his own imminent death.

Jack's dazed peripheral vision then caught sight of endless rows of computer banks and monitors, and technicians working frantically before them. Those that still lived, anyway.

He turned one last time to catch sight of his father’s desperate gaze, patient brown eyes that had once seemed to contain endless quiet wisdom now alive with panic and desperation.

“Jack, you have to move, now!”

“But dad, what about Janice and mom?”

But his father’s tear-stained eyes told him all he needed to know.

For all their desperate planning, the moment the alarms had sounded, the entire city, it seemed, was rushing for one last desperate shot at life.

Jack had been prepared.

Foolish as it had seemed at the time, he had fallen in love with motorcycles long before he had even gone to school. It hadn’t been easy convincing his parents to finally give in and let him ride, and in the end, what did it matter?

The equations hadn’t lied.

Everyone knew their universe was about to end.

Whether they had a day, a century, a million years, the logarithmic increase in entropic decay was undeniable.

And for many, it brought a sense of peace. Of closure. They knew death was coming. It was only a matter of time. Not that it made that much of a difference in how most people spent their day to day lives. Far from everyone going mad, for most it had given a sort of fatalistic serenity, and the hope that at least they’d have a few more years with their loved ones.

Who knew? Maybe centuries.

Maybe longer.

And taking risks hadn’t seemed to matter so much anymore. Everyone accepted death’s place in life.

And how many hours had he and the girl of his dreams, who for some reason had actually consented to dating an awkward kid like him, spent racing along at breakneck speeds, racing along the road overlooking the sharp drop off into the sea?

Warm golden light form the setting sun had made everything look so etherial that perfect evening he had actually dared to confess just how deeply he had grown to care for her. And nothing had proven more glorious, more transcendant that perfect evening blessed by the crashing waves and the cries of seagulls than the luminous look to her eyes, soft red lips forming into the most tender of smiles, when she confessed to caring for him as well.

Tender feelings of affection and adoration that soon swelled into a storm of passion, consuming them both, leaving them both forever changed, strengthened by bonds of love that only grew as weeks turned into months and they savored paradise in eachother's arms.

At the time, he had thought maybe the doomsayers had gotten it all wrong. For how could a world so magical, so filled with love and hope and endless possibility be doomed by an odd quirk of physics? He had prayed with all his heart that those rides with his girl and the fierce passionate nights they had shared in each other’s arms would last forever.

“Jack!”

He shuddered, looking back at his father, and already he was starting to fade in the crackling static of an old fashioned television. Everything was.

Yet somehow the massive series of computers that had injected incomprehensible AI driven code into the ether between universes was still working.

And the gate before a hyperventilating Jack would either lead him into an artificially generated universe, blossoming forth like a seed in the quantum flux beyond this collapsing reality, a realm deluded scientists swore their hyper advance AI was somehow able to manipulate into a semblance of Eternum, the online game 7.6 Billion people had one time played over thousands of hours, giving the AI all the data-points it needed to create an entire separate reality. Which even his father admitted was a desperate pipe dream no one really expected to work.

Or Jack was about to be converted into the equivalent of a quark bomb, every single atom erupting instantly, exploding in a direction at right angles to all points in this universe, as had every desperate fool before him, including the girl he had almost died bringing here.

Far more likely.

Jack groaned, gazing down at his abdomen, still unable to believe Sarah’s father had shot him.

Before the man blew his own brains out, having already killed every other member of his family, screaming about end times.

And it was only because Sarah was too numb to break down that he was able to get her on the bike and ride back here, amazed and grateful her body automatically shifted with the desperate turns he made through traffic, that they had made it here in time.

He didn’t even care that he had been shot, so much adrenaline had been surging through him, every fiber of his being desperate to save the girl who completed him, body and soul.

“Jack!” His father’s desperate voice, the words crackling as if from a far off radio. “Jump through or move! No time, son! People are behind us!”

“Move it kid!” Snapped a man who moments before had been so sympathetic, so understanding when Sarah and he had limped to their position, Jack leaking blood everywhere, the crowd’s sympathy for Jack’s obvious rescue transforming to panic when the crackling breakdown of the universe was finally upon them and not just klaxon bells everyone prayed was yet another false alarm.

“Mom! Janice!”

But his father, who believed so much in free choice, wasted no more words, lurching his son upright, never mind his gunshot wound, using his powerful cyber-enhanced muscles from the time he had been a member of the Psi-Ops special-forces, over a century ago.

“Move, soldier, that’s an order!”

Jack screamed as blinding light pierced every fiber of his being, glorious ecstacy and hellish agony searing through his soul.

Upload 30% Complete.

He would have opened his eyes but they were already open. Beyond open. He had no lids, somehow gazing at the room behind and all around him. Able to see technicians at their stations working desperately before Jack’s eyes.

The men and women now breaking the order that had held their community strong for decades, each clamoring to jump through the portal as the universe seemed to shrink around the tiny bubble of reality the AI system was somehow stabilizing with an incomprehensible field.

Yet that precious bubble was now collapsing.

Jack could feel more than hear the screams resonating through their tiny reality as people dissolved in bursts of static, and somehow the AI’s field, already twisting relativity to putty, was able to reveal the dissolution of countless victims beyond the steadily collapsing event horizon.

Upload 72% Complete.

Frantic, desperate hammering upon the gate.

Jack caught sight of the panicked man right before Jack and his dad, who had given Jack such a nod of respect just minutes ago, when everyone still thought they had time, insisting a sobbing Sarah go ahead, for all that she begged Jack to get his gunshot wound treated.

He had just laughed. “I hardly feel it, babe,” though his rictus of a smile had given away that lie. “Just jump through. We’ll then have eternity together, like we always swore we would.”

Then his gengineered girl had flashed the sweetest smile, looking more fey than she ever had before with her jewel-like violet eyes and upswept ears, an elf in truth and designed for AI interfacing, it had been a century before they had been able to successfully sue for rights, and hers had been the first generation born free.

And when they kissed it was magic.

Beyond magic.

It was a crackling flame of passion, of desire, blazing through both their souls.

In those nights they claimed as their own, they embraced a sacred dance as old as time. Holding her in his arms, kissing her brow when she dozed beside him, he realized that the best decision he had ever made in his life was having the courage to ask her out, to claim her as his own.

Those months they had had together had been the happiest of his life.

Then their world had ended.

Upload 95% Complete.

Jack gazed on at the desperate struggle occurring before the gate.

And why wasn’t it working? Why was it taking so long for him to upload… or just explode into quantum flux?

His eyes widened with a sensation that would have been panic, had he still been corporeal, desperate men clawing past his father, shoving aside their own wives and children, struggling to get through.

And Jack thought his father lost.

Before eyes normally a gentle shade of brown flashed silver, a deadly soldier of war awakened once more, and even as Jack felt oblivion finally overtake him he thought he saw a flash of his father shoving men back before jumping through, a sobbing child in his arms.

And then all was blackness and light.

And Jack woke up from his nightmare with a gasp.

Chapter 1

He laughed for sheer joy and relief as he woke up under warm cotton blankets, realizing it had all just been a horrible dream. His rapid breathing calmed as he took in the familiar sight of his oak-lined bedroom in the pre-dawn light, smiling at the outline of the leatherbound tome he had left open on his writing desk, one of his favorites, before gazing out the fine glass window with its imported pains, catching sight of the first tinges of crimson along the horizon beyond the farm and fields. It was barely the crack of dawn, but never had he been so glad to be awake!

Then his relief turned to a cold chill of apprehension when he spotted the odd symbols flashing in the mini-screen suddenly manifesting in the lower right-hand corner of his vision. Symbols that looked nothing like the elegant script in the countless tomes of history, geography, and the natural sciences that were his mother's prized volumes, or the block lettering used in the autobiographical accounts of delvers that were really thinly disguised stories of adventure that his father loved collecting. A collection of what was now hundreds books safely kept organized and alphabetized in the family library that Jack loved to spend countless hours exploring when done with his daily chores on the farm.

A grand chamber comprised of grand windows, leather bound recliners, polished hardwood tables, and bookshelves that always smelled of finely aged paper, well-oiled leather, and childhood memories of endless adventure. It was a treasure he had taken for granted for years, until he found out that not only did his friends lack anything like his parent's library, but their parents hardly owned any books at all.

His parents might be honest, hardworking farmers beloved by the town at large, especially his mother, whose needlework skills were legendary. But Jack had long ago sensed that their lives had once been a lot more colorful than they ever let on. And both of them had emphasized just how important his day of choosing would be.

Jack could only furrow his brow in frustration, somehow sensing that it was absolutely vital that he decipher those glowing symbols, no matter that they looked nothing like the languages or equations his mother had schooled him and his sisters from the time they could first pick up a quill without spilling the ink.

Yet he couldn’t for the life of him hope to understand the cerulean block letters now flashing in the corner of his eye.

Until suddenly, he could.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Jack Evergreen Class - None Level 0

Primary Attributes

Strength 10 (Almost all your attributes are entirely average. Congratulations, you’re normal!)

Vitality 10

Finesse 10

Quickness 10

Perception 10

Scholarship 14 (Your ability to learn and master new skills exceeds 90% of your peers!)

Willpower 10

Charisma 10

Seconday Attributes

Health 10xVit+Str+(10xlevel) = 110

Stamina 10xVit+Str= 110

Mana 100

Base Appearance 10 (Average)

Virtues: None Discovered.

Flaws: None Realized

Skills of Significance

General Skills: Homesteading – Novice Rank 5

________________________________________________________________________

AI Algorithms detected.

Fractal geometries detected.

Forces and Fields with relativistic constants equitable to human life detected.

Additional forces and fields pertaining to quantized sentience and arcane particles detected.

Successful upload complete!

Congratulations, Adventurer. You have completed your first and most vital quest, blossoming into existence!

Quest reward: Two paths are open before you!

1. The Path of Eternity. Humanity as you once knew it is dead. The world they called their own utterly destroyed.

But life finds a way!

This second chance at existence is one you can shape to a paradise of your own choosing! Former Terrans who follow this path will never know true death. They will have the opportunity to savor countless lifetimes filled with magic and wonder as they experience and explore all the vast, majestic realms of Eternum 2.0!

Perks:

- Rapid recollection. Every life you live builds upon the next, since you will never truly die! Countless skills lie on the cusp of recollection, flashes of insight and muscle memory as old lessons become new once more. Your future masters and mentors will be awed by how fast the prodigy before them learns!

- Immortality! You can never truly die! Should the trials and tribulations ever suffered become more than you are willing to bear, you may choose to fade into the mist at any time, all pain, sorry, and shame fading away as if it had never been, to wake up once more in your mother’s arms, full of happiness and joy for a sweet life to be savored before you!

Those who walk the Highroad of Eternity have two major paths to choose from. You may walk along either or both!

- Path of serenity. - You will sense just what path to take, navigating through life to lead you to a sanctuary of peace and tranquility where you may find the love of your life, pursue a profession that fulfills you, and savor a lifetime’s worth of happy memories besides the ones you love. And the moment discontent mars your serenity, you will be invited to the Path of Halcyon Adventure, or the chance to renew.

- Path of Halcyon Adventure – You crave excitement! But you’re wise enough to embrace a story where victory is almost always assured, and those you serve and save appreciate the noble acts you perform. Though you cannot level, your skills can increase and blossom! You may one day find yourself a master of the blade, or able to cast the most basic of spells with modifiers awesome and grand!

You’ll always know the paths to take to lead to exciting adventures just on the edge of perfection, where danger is minimal and the payoff glorious, with sweetest satisfaction for rewards accrued and a job well done.

And when you have saved up sufficient wealth to purchase your own little business or farm, you’ll know just the path to take to lead you to a lifetime of serenity and contentment, until the time of renewal arrives once more.

Jack's eyes widened with awe and wonder, suddenly remembering who he truly was at that moment, the desperate young man so close to death, afraid his life was ending, blending perfectly with the memories of a country boy who had led a peaceful existence on his family farm.

Somehow it wasn’t strange at all. More like he had spent an endless summer off, learning how to homestead with an uncle and aunt, who he loved as much as his own parents.

He felt such an incredible wave of relief, savoring the warm downy pillow under his head, the feather stuffed mattress he knew would have cost his parents a fortune, were his father not so good at taming animals, including flocks of swan and geese with more than enough downy feathers to share.

At that moment, he couldn't help but shout for pure, halcyon joy.

He was alive, free of pain, with so much excitement for his future, the remembered agony of dragging himself forward through a portal as his life trickled away, thanks to a gunshot wound now felt no more real than the final flickers of a fading dream.

Because he was really here. Healthy and hale and the farthest thing from dying, and he could only hope that the girl he had loved a lifetime ago and his father had both made it as well… before suddenly feeling a terrible sense of angst as even they began to fade away from the desperate intensity he had felt just seconds ago, final remnants of visceral recollection slipping away like a wakin dream... their names lodged just on the tip of his tongue.

He remembered his father’s smile and the heartwarming gaze of the girl he had loved… and that was all. He swallowed, a sudden surge of anxiety having him desperately wrack his mind to salvage so many precious memories now forever slippin away.

Yet before he could even recall their names, he found himself distracted by the prompts once more.

The second Greater Path before you is The Path of Peril.

Only the truly brave, foolhardy, and brilliant choose this path. Those who have utter confidence in their capabilities, willing to throw away a guaranteed eternity for the chance to grow in ways beyond what most souls could dream of.

Souls who choose this path accrue the ability to directly grow in potency, specializing in various spheres of power and capability generally recognized as classes.

But there is a grave cost to choosing this path.

Immortality is sacrificed.

Upon death, these daring souls who would stride the worlds as kings and queens will instead find themselves in purgatory, where true death awaits those unable to find the path back to Eternum.

Jack felt a cold chill upon reading those words. Thoughts of the horrible inescapable doom that had consumed his whole planet left him shaking under his cotton sheets.

He took deep, calming breaths, remembering the sense of overwhelming relief he had felt upon his first waking up, finding such joy at the promise of eternity.

Endless adventures in paradise along The Path of Eternity was clearly the choice for him.

And even if he couldn’t level up, who cared? The system had already told him what he needed to know. Those who chose wisely also sensed just when and where it was safest for them to adventure, sensing the paths to storybook like quests where the cause was just, the challenges surmountable, and his survival all but assured. And even should he fall… he would be reborn to loving parents anew, never having to experience a lick of pain more than he was prepared for with each life, and equipped with the opportunity to improve his skills even if he was forever level Zero, or whatever rank those who chose the path of Eternity were.

After all, hadn’t he played numerous games where he grew by perfecting skills, not worrying about levels at all?

He gave a relieved smile, feeling the awful hoary grip of death easing from his heart, knowing his future would be sweet, so long as he chose wisely.

Yet he sensed as well that there would be no further meta conversation with his interface, once he chose his path. He smiled, determined to get as much information as he could.

“What percentage of those who choose the Path of Peril survive their first death?” He asked aloud, not really expecting an answer as he tried to puzzle out how to pull up the interface still blinking in the lower right corner of his eye.

He gasped as words suddenly flooded his mind. Or the memory of words, remembering the taste of them in an eyeblink, as if the knowledge suddenly flooding his mind he had heard in its entirety minutes ago.

Percentage of adventurers who permanently fade away with each death is unknowable. All system records of their existence vanishes along with them.

Jack blinked at this. “Wait, does that mean that everything they accomplish is cancelled out? So every person they save is in peril, every monster they defeat comes back?”

Incorrect. Causality is maintained. Their psyches are merely purged from Eternum. Blueprints alone are stored.

Jack felt a chill with those words. “Why?”

Balance.

Jack blinked. “But they’re dying forever! Even if you somehow keep a blueprint of their souls, the memories and passions of the life just lived are completely wiped from the system, right?"

Correct.

Jack blinked, surprised by the prompt answer. "Then they're no more the same person than if you cloned someone and shot the original and called it a continuation! Eternity versus limited power. How can that be considered a fair trade-off, no matter what level they achieve? Eventually, they’ll die. Eventually, they’ll be no more. Why would anyone ever choose that?”

But there was no answer to this question, no longer how long he waited.

And how could there be? How could any AI know the hearts and minds of its citizens? It could only conjecture, never truly know. And for all he knew, the irrationality of giving up immortality for a temporary burst of power that could be taken away by a deadlier opponent in a heartbeat was something that the AI system was measuring for reasons Jack couldn’t begin to understand.

He tried to rework the question. “Is this a remnant of the original Eternum game engine used to forge this reality? Deathmode?”

And again, he received no answer.

He shook his head, morbidly curious as to why anyone would choose the Path of Peril, yet he couldn’t help but follow through with his questions.

“How do classes work?”

Classes count as areas of specialization for a given adventurer. All skills progress at an accelerated rate, all feats within area of specialization are open to the adventurer. All spells of matching affinity can be learned once basic requirements are met.

“What class options are available?”

And immediately he found himself mentally scrolling through multiple options: warrior, mage and rogue variants in the dozens. The flood of data was overwhelming, and he had only a basic outline of the information that had rippled through him, as if he had just skimmed through a massive tome. But one underlying truth was that each of those classes had a limited set of skills and powers they could develop without penalty. Fighter types were masters of melee combat and combat feats including tanking massive amounts of damage. Rogues had some combat abilities and the ability to hide, cloak themselves in shadows, and/or evade damage that would kill most men. Mages who specialized in healing had combat skills but few combat feats, yet were masters of all healing magics. Offensive casters could channel the elements or various types of curses and banes against their enemies to devastating effect, whereas Enchanters had only modest magical attacks, but could forge epic items upon which kingdoms would rise and fall.

There were countless variants as well, with their own unique feats and trump powers they could develop. Yet each of the variants took on traits from one of the other major branches, while sacrificing some of the potential of their base class.

It all looked suspiciously balanced.

He knew in the original game there had been a number of advanced classes one could graduate into upon completing specific quests or achieving certain milestones in the game. Even elite and epic classes had been hinted at, for those truly devoted to uncovering all the secrets of Eternum.

Jack smiled, recalling in that moment many hours he had lost himself playing the game upon which this reality was forged. As much as he had enjoyed the base game, he had tended to get his butt kicked in PvP. That is until he had finally figured some of the tricks to the game never to be found on the offical forums.

But this was now his life. His reality. No game at all. And nothing said the rules hadn’t changed in ways drastic and profound.

Of course they had! Level 1 characters, those he suspected had once taken on the roles of NPCs in the base game, now had the promise of immortality. And those who dared the Path of Peril could only do so once. At least not without memories of all the lives they had ever lived before, most particularly any recollections of the world they had all once called home, forever expunged from their minds. From then on they would be no more than a simulacrum, a duplicate or twin, of the person they had once been before. But the original soul, assuming, of course, that the soul was a continuation of spirit between one life and the next? Would be forever irrevocably gone.

Jack pushed aside his growing anxiety. Having come so close death… but he had already made up his mind. This was just research, scratching his bump of curiosity, nothing more.

“The classes seem kind of limited. Are there any other ways to gain classes? Are there prestige classes one can obtain? Is dual-classing an option? Are there hidden masters that can teach us a better path forward? Or… just a class that isn’t so limited in its path of advancement?”

Advance class specifics can only be discovered in play.

Jack frowned at the answer, but supposed he should be grateful. His question had been answered, yes, but the details were hidden to him for now. Which meant he had insufficient data to even plan for any sort of endgame build, let alone plot out the optimal path to maximizing his character’s potential.

Do you wish to choose a class at this time? Class options will be highlighted, should you choose the Path of Peril upon leaving Halcyon Valley.

Jack hissed, heart hammering, all but imagining the noose of his fate locking tight about his neck.

“No,” he whispered hoarsely. “I don’t want to choose any class at all!”

He sighed with relief when the prompt faded.

Class choice deferred at this time.

“Class choice will be deferred forever, if I can help it,” he muttered to himself, rubbing the last of sleep from his eyes as he gazed about his room.

A thousand childhood memories flittered through his head as he gazed upon the hardwood desk and chair he had learned his letters and numbers upon, his mother whispering tender words of encouragement as he first strove to master the art of scribing with quill and ink, stubby fingers learning the intricate swirling letters of a language far different from the phonetic and coding languages he had learned a lifetime ago.

A universe ago.

He gazed out his open window, a cool early morning breeze scented with wildflowers, hay, and crops delighting his senses, gazing upon the field where he had embraced so many adventures, in a life he had never quite lived.

Yet had most definitely experienced, countless memories of his time on the family farm, helping his quiet, hardworking father tend to the animals, enjoying the odd bits of wisdom the older man would share while peering out from under his wide-brimmed hat at the land under their care.

He remembered endless summers enjoying an idyllic childhood when done with his family chores, many hours playing soldier or racing through the fields and forest with his friends and relatives, older sisters long since moved away, with families of their own in the adjoining townships, til only he and his baby niece were left, little Kittie whose bright smile had always warmed his days now apprenticed to the wise woman the next town over, their mother making the trip to see her every week, bringing baked goods for elder and apprentice both to share.

Jack swallowed, struck by those poignant memories. Memories which he realized, at that moment, were every bit as real as the ones that had struck him so viscerally upon waking up.

For odd moments he felt dizzy with the insights, memories, and perspectives of two people at once as his mind sought to incorporate the life he had lived with the simulated memories of another… and for long moments, Jack wasn’t sure which was which.

In the end, he decided both were true.

Both lives lived, equally real.

He was one of the last survivors of a universe that had been caressed by oblivion, far, far closer to the big rip than anyone had ever realized. And he was the lastborn son of a family of prosperous farmers, his father and mother both far more than simple farmers, though he had never thought to pry before this very moment, on the day of his 18th birthday.

The final day of his life within Silvermeadow, before he took his first steps exploring the great world beyond.

He took a deep, nostalgic breath, gazing at the burnished toy and clothing chests on the far wall of the room. For countless hours the boy he had once been had played soldier and adventurer upon the exquisitely crafted flatweave rug his mother had made for him years ago, as artfully detailed as any tapestry, flowing from the magic of her loom as if by magic, such was her gift, her works prized by traders throughout the region, his father had said on more than one occasion, with a certain measure of pride.

Jack smiled, savoring every childhood memory of the room he had lived in since he could remember, somehow knowing that once his birthday had passed, this wondrous village and all the secrets it held would fade to mist and dream.

For him, at least.

And despite the earliness of the hour, he heard the plaintive moo of a cow ready to be milked, the goats in the nearby stall much the same.

He chuckled softly as he stretched.

A farm boy’s chores were never truly done.

Even for one as lazy as he.

Then he blinked and jerked back to his feet, realizing how close he had been to flowing right back into the dream of a life he had only woken from minutes ago, memories of his origins having hit him so abruptly.

Then he recalled his fathers admonition to get his chores done early, that there was a surprise waiting for him, and somehow he could already sense what it would be.

The birthday and sending off party waiting for him in the community hall, where all his friends would be waiting to say farewell, and the promise in a certain girl’s eyes he had seen just the night before, when a stolen kiss had made it clear that this would be a night to remember for them both.

He smiled in memory of the trader that had stopped by just the other day. Phelps, had been his name, who had so admired Mother’s flatwoven rugs, offering to buy her entire collection for a fat purse of silver. Normally, Jack might worry that a savvy city trader was trying to take advantage, but he already knew his parents had explored the world themselves for a bit before settling down here.

Neither were fools, and both had thought Phelp's offer a generous one. Best of all, when Jack had raised his concerns, wanting the best for his family, the trader was the farthest thing from offended. He had actually looked impressed when Jack tried to make a case for a better return, even going so far as to commend Jack as having the eyes of a trader, before offering to bring him along on his journey through neighboring towns, all the way to the city of Greyspeak, a number of days journey to the west. As it was a major metropolis connected to a major river, it enjoyed considerable prosperity through trade, the merchant had assured, and was a fine place for any young man to begin his journey through life.

Considering that that was the end destination for most village youth expected to spend a year apprenticing away from home in any case, at least those compelled to leave the village for a time, it was a more than generous offer.

Jack smiled at the memory of the family conversation, somehow confident that Phelps had no intention of steering his parents or him wrong, eager to keep his mother as a happy partner in his rug venture for years to come. In fact, Jack had been looking forward to hearing all about the man’s adventures as a traveling merchant while accompanying him to the city, and had no doubt that Phelps had plenty of insights on the ins and outs of trade in all its forms that Jack could make ready use of, should he choose to pursue the merchant's path in life.

Jack abruptly stopped himself cold, near tripping over his own feet as much as he stilled his wandering thoughts, heart now pounding in his chest.

He clenched his fist so hard his nails left indentations.

He had almost done it again.

Falling into the story of his life, letting his memories overtake him once more.

It wasn’t scary or painful or strange, it was the same as late night wandering thoughts slipping fully into dream.

But he wanted to stay awake, this final day filled with halcyon memories of a life some part of him had lived. He wanted to stay awake as Jack Cypher just as much as he was the farmer’s son Jack Evergreen.

He looked into his small bedroom mirror and smiled at the young man looking back a him. Symmetrical features that were neither supermodel handsome nor ugly, with eyes that shifted from blue to green, depending on how the light hit them, his thick head of hair also straddling the divide between dirty blonde and brown, though it quickly lightened during warmer months, as it always had.

It was a familiar face. A friendly face. One he had known in both lifetimes, as long as he didn't look too closely at his ears. A thought that made him grim. Because his was a gamer’s smile. The smile of a young man determined to make the best of the adventure before him, even as he wiped away a tear for the mother and baby sister who had perished to a dying universe, a lifetime ago.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, Mom, Janice. But I promise I’ll never forget you. And if I ever get married in this world, I’ll name my daughters in your honor. And Dad? Thanks for giving me that final push. The world might have forgotten what it owes you and mom and everyone else who worked on this, but I never will. I hope you’re enjoying the adventure as much as I plan to. I hope I make you proud.”

He then swallowed, raising his fist to his heart. “Sarah, I am so glad I got the chance to have you in my life. I’ll never forget you or the family we almost had.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I hope you’re out there, somewhere, living a life both wondrous and sweet. Who knows? Maybe we’ll meet again, either in this life or the next.” He placed his fingers to his lips, gently pressing it against the mirror.

“I love you guys, wherever you are.”

He then wiped away the sting in his eyes and turned around with a smile, excitement for all the possibilities before him, soothing away bittersweet memories as he quietly made his way out of the home he had lived in for so many years, slipping on a woolen cloak and boots before heading outside to the cow pen, ready to begin what might be his final day in the valley he had known all his life, before embarking on an adventure wondrous and grand.