Chapter Six

It didn't take long for the mystified human to make his way through the hallway. From there, it was only a matter of following the voices. The human found it quite odd how... drastically the environment changed around him just moments after walking through that doorway all the way back there.

The degrading steel halls of rusting modernity deeply contrasted the antiquated hardy stone walls that still held fast despite their ancient age. Both were old enough to hold enough stories to regale the human for what seemed an eternity.

But as the human looked around and spotted scorch marks and rips in the composite material making up the various halls he was currently venturing in, it was obvious that some of those stories would only further his despair. For he knew that if the ancient walls of meticulously carved and ancient stone of alien design spoke stories of mystery, wonder, and faded grandiosity... the damaged subterranean facility would only sing songs of warning, sorrow and tragedy.

The human winced slightly as he felt a jagged piece of torn metal poke into his heel, for not even the floor was spared destruction. Whistling like he just saw an expensive car get crushed unceremoniously, his head was on a swivel the more he looked around. It's a damn wonder how the lights are still working. What in the hell happened here?

But he knew that apart from the din of flickering lights and the occasional creak of metal finally falling off its burnt hinges somewhere deep, deep within the facility, he was the only other thing making noise here. There ain't no damn rats, no danger, just me... and whatever the hell you are.

The slithering creature seemed to appreciate that his anger towards it was slowly but surely fading away if its little wiggles in him meant anything. Which they might not even. You might fucking be liquidizing me for all I know.

Chuckling at the apparent disappointment the alien in him showed by growing limp after that last thought, he felt the eerie atmosphere of the ruined hallways and destroyed rooms of various alien types of equipment ease up if only a little. Oh shit, he's talking scientific mumbo jumbo again.

If the human had to be honest, he would admit that he was practically zoning out the various entries in the eager scientist's logs. Though he was still interested in finding the source of the scientist's voice, or maybe even better yet, the source of information itself, he wasn't much for the jargon that came with dedicated excavating. As soon he heard something about the walls' texture or what this or that symbol meant, it was like his brain tuned into another channel.

But thankfully, that would not last long, for though there seemed to be days and long log entries where the scientist would just make records about logistical circumstances, there would come a log where the human could've sworn he heard the alien practically running back and forth.

Both the human's eyes and his pace perked up slightly when the exuberant voice replaced the monotone voice that was before. "L-Log entry 87, day 36! A magnificent find has JUST be found! In fact, at this very moment in which I'm recording this, the drilling crew is STILL finding tablets in the rubble! I managed to... 'confiscate' one underneath my coat before alerting everyone to their presence, and the history here is just... ASTOUNDING! Hahaha! Who would've guessed our, nay, the GALAXY'S history ran THIS deep?! I-I-It's almost... UNBELIEVABLE. This tablet ALONE holds just so MUCH, I just wish the lead director would allow me to talk abo- Oh!"

The human, and probably the recorder, heard a distant voice saying something in the semi-static recording background. Though just as it was with the rats from before, it seemed the alien language was too far away enough for the mysterious alien device that dug in his neck to translate. At least, I THINK that this is what it does. I don't even know what anything is anymore.

Stammering slightly, the scientist seemed to be gathering various objects from around him and in quite the hurry if the clattering showcased. "That's the lead director. She's calling me back. I have to get going and FAST! If anything happens while I'm gone, and I missed it, I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror... nor her. Uuum... Ah, end of Log 87, day 36."

The human smirked mischievously, starting to put some things together. Well, that seemed tacked on at the end there. Kid's DEFINITELY young then. There was something about the excited nature of him that put the tense human at ease, almost like it was... familiar to him. And maybe it is. If this damn mist wasn't fucking me around, I might actually be able to tell... But maybe it's just the way he is. Shit, he definitely SEEMS a whole lot different from the various bastards that seem to inhabit this cesspool of a galaxy.

Whatever the case, it was refreshing to hear someone not dedicating their lives to the purpose of maiming but rather improving others. In some small way, it did give him back some lost hope that maybe this galaxy wasn't as cruel as he thought it to be. But just as the human was starting to feel decent once again, he was soon reminded this place did not have a happy ending like he and the scientist probably hoped.

Turning around the corner, simply expecting just another set of stairs to either go or down, or perhaps just another bland hallway with numerous rooms full of abandoned assortments of samples and other scientific discoveries, he was shocked back into weary trepidation. "Jesus..."

In front of him was a large room with multitudes of crumpled stools, counters and tables: most definitely an alien sort of cafeteria meant to meet the variety of multiple species working here. And spotted amongst the flickering lights shining lazily down, giving the whole darkroom a gritty atmosphere of dark green and grey... were the skeletal remains of scores of aliens. This was a fucking massacre...

In fact, from where he stood at the entryway to a morbid scene like this, he finally noticed that there were odd, almost snake-like bodies slumped over with their mouths wide open. Their golden armour, meant to accommodate their unusually skinny body and serpentine necks, were adorned with an identical symbol that could only make the human guess what it meant.

The human did have thoughts of taking the armour for himself, to finally have some sort of clothing covering his battered body, but decided against it when he saw it curved tightly to fit the alien's rounded yet skinny chest. Shit wouldn't even fit me. Damn. The helmets had nearly fallen off, but their bones didn't give way to gravity, almost like it still held the stubbornness this species may have been known for.

Beside one of the corpses, something glittery in the arm caught the human's eye. "Hmm?" As he knelt down, it soon became clear to the human what it was. Holy shit is this an... Damn, what are they called again: exoskeleton? Suddenly, the human understood how that little midget could punch him as hard as he did. Fuckers around here have cybernetic implants! And if that little shit was as strong as he was... Looking around, the human couldn't help but notice that there were more armoured bodies like this scattered about, but unlike the diverse group of dead scientists of various races joined together, the armoured aliens were all the same. There was no need to go into details comparing the losses: for each loss of the assaulters, the scientists seemed to have lost twenty-five score of their own.

For a moment, the human couldn't help but start to feel a wave of grief for the countless unknown and mistreated lives that were lost. That family those damn rats talked about, these scientists... They were doing nothing but minding their own business! How come that shit keeps on happening? Looking around, he couldn't help but frown at the carnage. To think that shit like this is probably happening somewhere else right as I think...

Still, it gave the human some hope and grim determination to see the few bodies of the attackers lying here and there. It was impressive to the human how their scientists, their robes probably thin and weak if the decomposition compared to the still regal armour, managed to take down a few of the attackers. These guys must've been smart as hell if they were still able to take down even a few of these guys, unprepared as they were. But the question is, why did this even happen? What did they discover here that warranted this shit?

Sighing something between feeling the loss of life for the scientists and a wave of anger for the assaulters, the human had no choice but to keep pushing forward when the voice seemed to start up again.

"L-l-l-log entry 5237, day... 876. It's, uh... It's been a long day... and month. Been a quite a while since we found anything as big as that previous archive. Some say that we already found it all, that there is no more to discover. And for a moment, I actually had to agree with them." Shit, now ain't that a big jump. Sounds like it was that long too. Sedately making his way, he sometimes had to step over the dead to make sure he kept up with the drifting voice.

Wavering for only a second, the scientist seemed to compose himself as he shuffled in what seemed to be a chair. "But not anymore! I KNOW there is still much to find! The seismic tests indicate that we have only found a good... err, twenty-seven percent! The number of rooms and tombs that we have yet to discover is still unimaginable! The lead director, bless her beautiful, has given me a full division to work with! But I... I'll be completely honest, I don't know why but I... I think she's taken a liking to me...I-I-I'm getting off track. B-b-b--b-beside the point r-right now! The point is that I STILL haven't found ANYTHING else about those 'humans' yet. It's almost like the Transcendents are... HIDING them from being revealed. Why would they leave so many texts like the ones from before by what is basically the front entrance if they're going to hide the rest as best as they can?!"

Not only baffling the scientist, but this new information baffled the human as well. Hiding us? But that doesn't make sense... Why would they want to hide us when we're already... all gone? The human DID have problems when trying to recollect ANY of his memories, but there was a singular thing that stood through the mist and made itself one clear, one way or another.

Except for him... Somehow, at some time... humanity had gone extinct. But for beings that sound as wise and ancient and as ALL-KNOWING as this dude is stroking them to be... that means that they had to know we were going to end up dead, right? Unless we fucked up somehow, and I still SOMEHOW managed to fulfill their little PROPHECY. Doing an exuberant hand motion, a chill went up the human's spine, slowly his pace slightly as he ignored the alien stirring inside of him, faster and faster, the more he thought about it. Which would mean that they aren't trying to hide my race but rather... me..?

But why?

The scientist hit his fist against a nearby table and took an aggressive of... something. Gasping loudly and seemingly hitting his chest, the scientist had to pause to get his breath back. "Damn. The Unsance Guild might be just a bunch of slaver-mongers, but do they know how to make a good brew, by the COSMOS. Eh, what am I going on about again? Ehhh, oh, right! Mark my words: I WILL find out why they wrote so much about those 'humans'!"

The scientist got up REAL close to the recorder's mic, and since he just took a drink from what the human assumed was the universe's most powerful brandy, the moist sounds of his mouth and breathing made him cringe. But what he said next stunned him. "I will FIND you, human. Don't you worry about THAT! End of Log 5237, day 876."

The static sound of his recorder sounding off finally went away, which would leave the human alone by himself for only a few moments before the successor to that log would come.

For a moment, he did want a cheesy, snarky response to satisfy whatever ego he had left, wanting to let the overbearing sense of importance the human felt assure him that everything was going to be okay. But as he looked back at the massacre full of people that simply wanted to know more of their home galaxy, he knew that wasn't how it worked in this galaxy.

The next log led him deeper and deeper into the facility until he finally came across a set of mangled stairs leading deeper down than any distance before. The apparently motioned censored lights hadn't activated yet, so as he stood from his perch before the descent, it looked like nothing more but a giant gaping hole that threatened to swallow him whole.

He tried to swallow the doubt that was holding him back, and after a look back at the massacre full of hopeful souls, he forced himself to take a step of faith. There HAS to be something down here. There just HAS to be! So this is it: all or nothing. There's no way that all of this has been for nothing... right?. He held back nothing as he continued to entomb himself in this dark grave that already belonged to so many others. I'll either die here and just be as equally as forgotten as the rest of you. Or maybe, just maybe, you actually did find me.

Whatever the case, I...

I really hope you did...

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The logs kept on going, and while the human tried to understand just how that was, he couldn't stay concentrated on those thoughts, not when discoveries that were as equally interesting as they were baffling were revealed with each log. He didn't care that no matter where he went, they were still as clear and yet echoey as they were back in the hall, leading him on to a destination he had no possibility of imagining.

The stairs still lead him downward, and from the looks of it, the climax of the firefight took place here. Still, mysteriously enough, the lights suffered none of the damage the walls took in. How oddly convenient... For the first time in a while, the alien moved in tandem, almost attempting to show it agreed with him. But as it was like before, the human had no way of knowing that's what it was actually doing or not.

"Log 5467, day 3248! My children... are... FUCKING... BLESSINGS!" The sudden enthusiasm took the human off guard, but he soon composed himself with a chuckle. Holy shit, this dude loves his kids. Somehow, even more than his wife-- fucking back at it. The human had to resist bursting out into laughter when the memory of the recording depicting the ex-virgin scatting by himself after he finally managed to bag his now-wife, the lead director. The dude has the hustle, I gotta say.

After a burst of alien chittering, which the translator neglected to translate for some odd reason, the human just assumed it was victorious laughter of sorts and went back to listening. "They must've got their talent from their mother because the discovery they uncovered was nothing more than a stroke of genius! I never would've thoguht to use a literal ton of Quake-tier explosives to open up a single wall!"

The human stopped in his tracks, eyebrows going up in abject bewilderment, his indecision on how to feel about that quite prevalent. "UUUUUhhhhhh... Hmm. Right..." Shaking his head, the human managed to ignore the poor parenting and kept pushing on, rubbing his belly gently like he was trying to soothe a rabid dog. I think I'll just let that pass right on through...

The scientist continued on with another victorious chorus of alien laughter. "This is one of our biggest breakthroughs yet! It's nothing less than a miracle what they did. Not only did the blast allow a picture of the labyrinths below us more detailed than anything we were able to obtain, but they FINALLY got that blasted barrier open! That simple yet almighty powerful wall which has been alluding to us since the day my kids were BORN has finally FALLEN!"

The human had a little bit of a clue of the significance of that wall, and hearing that it had finally been blasted open haphazardly was as much of a relief to him as it probably was to the scientist. Seems like it was a vault to a treasury for these 'Transcendent' folk; it feels like that wall will hold a lot of important shit behind it! To say that the human wasn't even just a little bit excited about what was going to be discovered was a lie.

The scientist was rapidly gathering materials of various textures; the rapid-fire pace he used to have in his earlier logs seemed to be reinvigorated once more after being dwindled down for so long. "There's no time to waste! I gotta get down that staircase before they discover something without me! That cheeky Treyi, Junieth, has probably got her grubby paws all over everything already. But, uh, before I go, I'm just going to make a note here for future reference: spank the absolute ZZTTCCCHHH out of my kids later. End of log 5467, day 3248."

The human took a look down at his feet just as he was stepping down onto the stair below. Staircase? I have to be getting close, then!

He couldn't help but put a little hop in his step, his excitement and anticipation growing exponentially as he rushed down. There were no railings, so he did have to take it slowly, but the human swore that if they were there, he would've been sliding down them without a moment's hesitation. Let's fucking move it!

The lights didn't reveal a single thing ahead of him, the world barely six feet ahead of him being made up of nothing more but black. But while that would've halted the approach of any sensible person, it did nothing to stop the human, not even for a second. For he had no rational thought still left in his mind, not after all he had been through.

For him, this was the make-or-break moment of his extremely short life. There was no place for sensibility: only action. And how that action took him the distance, just where he needed to go. His exhausted body reminded him about his state not soon after, but despite that, he kept pushing forward.

But that didn't mean he couldn't complain all the while. Holy SHIT. Why ANYONE would need to make a staircase THIS FUCKING LONG is beyond me. Seriously! There hasn't ONCE been a single God damn elevator: just long-ass drops and LOOOONG-ASS stairs! The absurd situation where he was confronted with another never-ending descent did help him alleviate his fears and anxiety as he could only think about how silly it was over and over again.

But thankfully, the makers of this ancient, forgotten place were not so unsensible that they would make such a tedious journey a wasted effort. Not so long after he began to struggle to get his breath back into his worn lungs did he arrive at where he wanted to be. He stumbled at first due to the sudden evening-out, the stairs ending abruptly. Woah! Oh? "Hahaha" Fucking fin-ua-lly! Alright!

The lights hadn't turned on yet, which felt odd to the human considering their surprising ability to time themselves perfectly to his steps. But this short curtain time did allow him to look down and around the large dark space in front of him, letting the significance of where he stood sink into him. He, whoever he is, for sure stood... right here. The human lifted his feet almost like he was scared he was desecrating a holy ground with his stained feet, but soon put it down when he felt his other leg immediately start to wobble. Chuckling despite his weary body, he couldn't help but feel a certain sense of satisfaction run down his body as he looked into the large void in front of himself.

But just as satisfaction flowed through him, he couldn't help but feel a foreboding weight settle on his shoulders. There were no more logs to be heard so far-- in fact, there wasn't even a single one he heard on his way down. Silence once again ruled this dark domain he found himself in, and while it no only sent shivers of fear down his spine, he still found himself holding his breath for something, anything, to happen next. He thought back to the ancient massacre behind him, and he had to gulp down the uneasy ball of dry spit that formed in his throat. Fuck... Was he too late? There weren't any logs about opposing forces; that shit had to be done fast and out of nowhere.

Despite having emptied itself numerous times, the human's stomach felt all of a sudden EXTREMELY heavy. The sense of dread came with tragedy and disaster-- the saddening sense of lost potential-- pushed down on the human as he began to wobble back and forth nervously. Was... I too late?

Just as he thought that the answer revealed itself. At once, like his arrival sent off a chain reaction, every single light came alive. His eyes had warning and no time to adjust as his world once again exploded into light. "Tch!" Shielding his eyes, he turned away as his hands went to cover his eyes. The lack of food and water combined with the stinging sensation of light made his head throb in a way he never wanted to feel again. What the..? What just... happened..? Woah...

Giving time for his pupils to shrink, he finally turned around and saw what all of that man's hopes and dreams, all that man's aspirations, brought about.

Death.

The human wished he could find the word to describe how he felt when he turned around and saw the sight. But sadly, he could only describe the sight as he saw it. In front of him and not so far away, down a row of shoddily put-together lights, were heaps upon heaps of skeletons. Some bones stuck to their original owner, while the wear and tear of time caused others to collapse into a morbid pile. Everyone belonged to many different races, piled up against an uncaring giant, monolithic, ancient alien wall engraved with runes that he had no chance of understanding. Perhaps it was just the joints slowing rotting away during the inescapable march through time, but if the evidence from what the hallways and the massacre before were enough, the human knew that most of the reason for the unhinged jaws screaming silently was their untimely deaths.

For a split second, the human felt unbelievable anger, like millions--nay, billions-- of voices inside of him all cried out for one thing: violent retribution. But as the feeling passed as quickly as it came, the human could only sigh quietly in abject depression and disappointment as he came to reason that he wasn't among the dead; he had no real reason to feel that way. Damn it... Damn it, man. It was not only there that the remains of the hopeful, curious crew were located. Looking around, he grimaced in quiet anger and gloom. Bodies: some were curled up in defeat behind the useless, skinny lamp poles like they were using the skinny poles for protection, while others were splayed on their front, which might've meant they fought till the bitter end. But the black marks and holes where alien ribs once were; it was fairly obvious that they all died the same way: ruthlessly and with a blast of something that melted flesh and bone together.

The assailants were coordinated and efficient, though in the human's eyes, despite how advanced they seemed with how their armour once was, he knew that in the end, the aliens were just another race of ruthless creatures of sadistic nature that took what they wanted. Might... made their rights. And this is what those sadistic pricks did with it.

Despite being deeply disturbed by the horrifying sights in front of him, the human pushed out his chest in defiance of the overwhelming sorrow around him. But I came all this way. I can't stop now... The human noted that there were pieces of rubble here and there, and by the looks of the settled dust on them, he assumed them to be the work of the children blowing up the wall that once existed.

So that is why the wall with the horrifying display of death threw him for a loop. Odd. So the wall from before hid... just another wall? No, that can't be right. Making sure as to not step on the 'resting' places of a few skeletons seemingly cut down before they even made it to the rest of their comrades, the human almost failed as he was taken by surprise.

Just then, the eery and depressing silence mixed in with his quiet breaths was finally expelled when he heard the comforting tone of the enthusiastic scientist beginning to echo once more around the room he was located in. But the human couldn't help but spin on the spot, clearly confused the obvious way it was being broadcasted. They sounded like they were on a PA system of sorts. Yet this sounds like it's coming right behind... a locked door. Unlike before, where it was obvious that the logs were relayed throughout, this time, the voice seemed more... raw; how a voice should sound coming straight from the source.

A faint hope sparked in him again when his head snapped up with his ear turned to the mysterious and grim wall. And sure enough, deep, deep inside of it was the voice that guided him all this way. "Log 5468, day 3248. By every single God that there may or may not be, I am beyond confounded! Right behind that wall, to the surprise of my children, comrades, and even my WIFE, we found just... another WALL?! What sort of sick joke is this? I just can't-wait, what was that, sweetie?"

The sound of a small hand tugging quietly on a long coat made the scientist stop his rant before it even began. The wait for the little child to finish speaking whatever language their race spoke was killing the human. Thankfully, he was still gathering speed in the form of a speedwalk, so his heart had something else to do instead of standing still. "There's... what: a hand? In the wall, you say? That can't be right, little one, now please. Hey, Goru, perhaps we can-Hmm? Come with you? Woah, okay, okay, I guess I can... Hey, stop tugging!"

Barely a minute passed by before the distant sounds of alien chittering and passing conversations of curiosity were smothered by the recorder once again. "Okay, okay, I'm here, I'm here! Slow your roll a little!" The playful banter between father and daughter made the human slow down and grasp his bare chest in a paternal joy he didn't understand. Hehe: "Slow your roll." I like that... The log continued on. "What's this about a hand again? Hmm... Uhuh... Right in front of me? What could you possibly... mean..? B-By the Cosmos... Your mother! Get your mother RIGHT NOW! Ye... Yes, you, sweetie! Who else could I be talking to; your brothers aren't beside me, now are they? Go, young one, go, go!"

The adorable sound of little feet pattering away during all the commotion made a small part of the human's heart melt in cuteness. Still, the revelation that the scientist just discovered was about to be once again revealed to the world... or rather, to the man it was about. "I think my daughter just found out what a human's hand looks like, boys!" The wild uproar of excitement, shock, and disbelief that came from the other scientists hearing that sentence completely suppressed any other word that might've come out of the scientist's mouth. The human found it odd that he understood the bizarre accent of the alien speaking but none of the words spoken in the approaching alien cacophony, but he was too excited to care much. A giddy smile finally cracked on his face as he finally made it past most of the bodies, the joyful feeling of hope being discovered once again, making the grim area around him MUCH more bearable.

Hearing that, the determined human found the strength, the hope, to push himself to get through this very last barrier. That realization, coupled alongside what made the human gasp and run forward in excitement, his childish hope ignoring the logic that told him that it made no sense how it would be impossible for him to still be alive after all this time. He IS right in there! This is it then!

Slowly but surely, the scientist SOMEHOW managed to calm everyone down enough that the recorder could pick out his voice once more. And just then, the adorable sound of little feet accompanied by probably the daughter's mother came next to the scientist. "I wonder where she gets it from, huh? Look at this, dearest: this HAS to be it! This structure: the four long digits, the short stubs on the very base. Yuli... This is it, my love. This handprint RIGHT IN FRONT of us is exactly the shape of the tablet I... err, 'confiscated' all those years ago! After all this searching... I... no, after all these years... WE DID IT. Everyone: WE FOUND HUMANITY!"

What came next stopped the human right in front of the wall of skeletons, his face going wide with every single emotion that a human could feel. For the sound that came out was not the cruel mocking of murderous rats; they were not the jeers of murky memories of pain laughing at his expense. The hooting, the hard stomping, the cheering, the hollers of pure ecstasy from a job well done... It was unleashed in the CELEBRATION of humanity. Not in an attempt to ridicule, but in a moment of respect that came with finally uncovering, at least in the way they made it sound like, the greatest secret the galaxy held from them. My God... They... really did care, didn't they?

After one last round of rambunctious laughter and cheers, the lively energy started to dwindle away as it was replaced by a sense of urgency. "Everyone! There is no time to waste! Startup the modelling stations ASAP! We have a key to make." A battle cry of sorts erupted, and soon the human heard the multitudes running away up the stairs, rushing along with the determination to fulfill their newfound duty. Which left the family in silence for but a moment. "This is it, my love. Beyond this door... may hold what we were looking for all those years ago. It has to be here; the legends have held true up to this very POINT. Hmm? Yes, that's right, young one...

This galaxy may be changed yet—end of log 5468, day 3248."

And once again, the static voice from deep inside turned off, smothering some of the human's childish hopes that maybe, just MAYBE, he managed to survive the onslaught that was unleashed upon them. Shaking his head at the realization that there probably wasn't going to be a happy ending to this tragedy, after all, the human couldn't help but puff out a breath full of emotion.

But releasing that breath full of hope, joy, fury and grief, the human felt a different sort of... atmosphere take over him. Every single of these people put in their hearts the hope, the resolve, to find out what a human was. Every last one 'em... Slowly and heavily, he stepped up to the burden placed on him by these assuredly ancient beings however long ago. Or perhaps it wasn't like that at all. Maybe... it was the IDEA of a human that pushed them forward beyond reason. Well, whatever the case...

Practically able to kiss the wall now, the human felt a heavyweight drop on his shoulders as if all that talking and discovery meant nothing at the moment where he was now. Hearing tales of regalia and nigh-worship from the 'mouth' of a man most likely long gone by now was one thing, but SEEING your people's legacy in front of your very eyes was beyond comprehension.

FEELING the pressure that came with upholding and assuring the efforts of all the wonderful minds of this galaxy DID have meaning at the very end of things was beyond comprehension.

And finally, UNDERSTANDING that perhaps, though long-extinct and forgotten by all in the grand scheme of the uncaring cosmos... humanity DID still have a role to play.

All the efforts of the people who gave their lives for a purpose far greater than they DID matter in the end. If it weren't for you guys. The human's lips trembled momentarily, feeling dark that he WAS too late in the end: he was too late to meet what may have been the only kind people in this God-forsaken galaxy. But glaring down at the imprint in the wall, his expression hardened with a passion he could only describe as one thing.

The resolve to make things RIGHT.

With a resolute grimace, the human's face wrinkled in such a way even a bear would be intimidated. The human found the resolve in himself once more to push back against the darkness that threatened everything he and these people stood for.

His sore and shaking hand steeled itself, his heart once more finding HOPE within itself to keep on FIGHTING. No matter what... I WILL make this right for ME and for EVERY single one of you. Whatever the cost, and no matter the trials and tribulations I will face, I will NEVER let this dog-eat-dog galaxy get the best of me again! No matter who I have to face or kill, I will not stop until I find the hope, the future, that all of you hunted so diligently for! For the future that I desire!

I accept my fate, whatever it will be. But if it comes to it, this wretched galaxy around me shall BURN to obtain my vision and yours!

The speech was equal parts for himself as it was for the spirits he hoped were looking down at him. His hand lifted up, uncurling itself from the tight fist he made... and gently fell into the perfectly shaped hole that awaited him.

Like before, when escaping the mountainside labyrinth, his body lit up in the white alien runes. However, this time was different; EXTREMELY different. For then, it was simply the limbs that radiated power and light, but now, his entire body-- that being even his nose and eyes-- shone that glorious and mysterious eldritch light. The power surge entering the wall through his fingertips caused almost every light behind him in a cascade of overloaded bulbs.

But it would not last long. As the white energy was sucked out through fingers and palm, it spread like wildfire all over the wall, dark engravings the human didn't even notice before being lit up like a firework display. A loud hum resonated throughout the room as if the entire room took its first breath in millennia.

And as quickly as he was struck by awe... the door began to slide open. "Woah!" Exclaiming as he ripped his hand from the imprint that started all this, and as his body dimmed into its normal colour once more, the human kept an eye out for the loose pebbles and fragile lamps that continuously fell from the rumbling. The bones that leaned on the door rattled and shook, already turning to dust from the minor disturbances.

Like an old man waking up, the doors took forever to get moving, leaving only a dark crack for the human to look into the next room. But slowly, it did speed up until, in one last burst of energy, the walls slid into their openings with an intensity that nearly took the human off his feet. "God damn, son! Wwwwoah!"

That one last effort did the job of finishing off all the lamps standing. The room went dark with a collective resounding crash as the human was left stranded in the dark. That was until white energy seeped from the guarding gates and into carvings in the walls that gave the appearance of veins leading to the heart.

The rattling and brittle sound of bones hitting the floor and disappearing into the air as powder haunted the human, though oddly enough, it almost sounded like they somehow breathed their last breath. A sense of finality took over the human and pushed him forward without a moment's hesitation. No longer afraid of his surroundings-- even though there was no reason to be afraid considering that the room hidden by the gate had LITERALLY nothing in it, not a single pedestal or anything decorative-- the human confidently took his time advancing. Hmm, well, perhaps not so empty... Where are those going?

The human inquisitively watched as the veins approached the end of the room just as fast he did. And as he passed on through, the completely empty room began to glow as he stepped forward, almost like he was stepping on pressure pads that lit up the walls around him. If there were anybody there, the effect of the lights in the wall gave him an ethereal glow. The veins did a loop in the wall and brightened everything, and that feeling of importance only further bolden the human on his quest forward. All of this is for me...

While this understanding may have stroked the ego of any other human like a well-experienced prostitute, he did not feel that way at all. Indeed, he didn't contemplate that fact any further, for there was no time to do so, nor did he care. All he could concentrate on was the white energy that was beginning to curve downward.

It sped ahead without warning, the veins in the blackened walls looking like shooting stars in the night sky. Because of the darkness ahead only being slightly illuminated by the white energy, the human still found himself surprised by the absolute scale of everything around him when the light revealed further depth. These guys didn't play around with the architecture, that's for damn sure.

On and on, they went. And as the shooting stars of the human's energy went, little spirals detached from the 'comet' and made exquisite and fascinating shapes on the wall around him. Some looked the part of galactic flowers while others bland straight lines forming symbols of unknown meaning.

Regardless, and compared to the previous scene of death and hopelessness, this new realm of alien sights was a spectacle the human desperately needed to see. Twinkling as much as the 'stars' forming above him the further the energy curve, the human had the feeling of curiosity begin to glow within him once more, watching the show above, around and below him.

At this point, the two lines that ran parallel to each other had long since intertwined with each other, producing a mesmerizing dance the human swore to never forget. The spun and swirled and twirled all around him, making him stop to look down at his feet to make sure he didn't lose even a second of witnessing such a HUMAN display of dance. It's like those weird art dances... fucking... inter-something-or-another dance back... Back at home.

The human felt an odd sensation at the back of his mind when he recollected the meaning, like the mist obscuring who he is lifted, only for a second. Gah, it feels like I know what it is! So why does it feel like it's not really ME? That it's some ELSE that knows what it is? But before he could get lost in that rather mind-boggling thought, he barely saw what happened next. Like a gunshot going forward, the energies broke from one another, scrambling away from where they spun underneath the human and straight ahead on the floor, almost like they were making a highway forward. That left him standing boggled by the sudden turn of events, stationary in the exceptional circle made around him. "Huh?"

The human heard and felt another rumble around him, his body swirling around as he struggled to keep up with what was happening. The impressive paintings on the walls, roofs and floors behind him started to condense into one singular blob before they too went to join the arrows around him. It was like he was in an aquarium, and he felt the unbelievable mass of a blue whale swimming right below him. His eyes couldn't believe what they saw as the guidelines made by the pioneers were filled in by the blob of pure energy.

And right before his eyes, a one-way lane forward lit the way. The distance it went was anything but long as he had practically already walked enough that he was at the end of the vacated room. And what it led to made the human finally step out of the little pedestal made for him in shock, followed by a gasp of grief. Oh, my God... It couldn't be...

At the end of the pathway... laid five bipedal, reptilian-like skeletons of the same species all huddled around one another. Two adults, one just slightly bigger than the other, had their heads leaning on each other and with their arms encasing three little ones like it was the last hug they would and did experience. An air of despair yet... peacefulness hung around them, the atmosphere so heavy that the human felt it weighing down on him from where he stood. And what stood out the most was the device resting in the limp skeletal hand of the largest one.

The human didn't want to believe it at first. Still, as the all-too-familiar static crackled in the air once more, he kept his eyes closed as tight as possible, trying to stay composed as the last vestige of hope he had for the family dwindled into nothingness. "Damn it all..."

It creeped the human out to a certain degree when the voice began again as now he finally had a body to attribute it to, and considering that the owner was not only dead but actually long, long gone, it felt... wrong. For the first time since the human heard the scientist, gloom and despair overtaken the tone in his voice, almost like all hope and heart he once had were ripped from him not too long ago. "L-log 5470, day 3260... This will be... my... OUR last record. There is no more to discuss. All has been... been... LOST. My daughter, my sweet little love's birthday... WAS... going to be today. B-but those... those Framichs... Those FUCKING BARBARIC FIENDS..! They destoyed and took EVERYTHING! The-they..!"

The human took a step forward, almost like he didn't want to hear any more of the scientist's broken and choppy breaths. But as the scientist's breathing turned to sniffle, it was followed by a heart-wrenching moan that made the human barely able to keep his lips from quivering in rage. Something in the human, something between his own memories and someone else, made it feel all the more personal.

But before the scientist broke into sobbing, there was a gentle, soothing chirr that eased not only the scientist in the recording but the human as well. And that was when the human, almost nearing the collection of bodies, heard the wife's voice for the first time, she finally being close enough for the recorder to comfortably translate it. "Shhh... I-it's okay, dearest. It's okay, it's okay. It'll be done soon. We can see them soon..."

The grim undertone of her words made the human sick to his stomach. But even then, and even though her voice was DRIPPING with despair and agony, she must've hidden it well as her voice was of sweet, thick caramel. Her voice had a texture to it that made her irresistible. The two males couldn't deny her wishes, and now, soon after and a few well-placed kisses on the recorder's cheek, the recorder sniffed away enough of the tears and despair to continue talking in broken chops.

"W-we were so CLOSE, damn it. The replica had been MADE, down to the very FINGER PRINTS! But just as I brought it out of the lab... I k-knew immediately that something had gone wrong... So terribly wrong. I am not one for superstition but there was this AIR to everything. I don't know how or why I did it but I dropped just about everything except for the arm and RAN. I ran so FAST, I did..!" The wife made more of that gentle chirring, except now there was a hypnotic trill added in.

The human had slowly but surely made his way over to the family now, his resolved grimace slowly fading away as he knelt just a few feet in front of the family. The way the two adult skeletons had a hole in their head while the children seemed... fine, in a sense, only intensified the growing dread the human felt as this horror story was coming to a close. He simply sat and listened to the pained sobs with a stoic expression in a moment of silence.

"B-b-b-but I was too late..! My boys, oh, and my sweet little girl..! They were already... and so was Grih..! I-I-I didn't know what to do I just... I just... Oh, I can't do this! Please, jus-just take the damn thing." The scientist he had been listening to for hours now finally let the dam loose, drooping the recorder to the ground, which produced a metal shriek of feedback.

The human's heart throbbed painfully as his head dropped, fearing that was it. There was a solid minute where he just listened to the wife attempting to soothe the husband from a distance, but no matter how she tried, nothing seemed to be working. With a trembling sigh of defeat, the two seemed to sit down together, whispering into each other's ear sweet nothings.

The human didn't even know that the tape was over as he had grown accustomed to the scientist cheerfully or resolutely logging off. There was just silence. The human sat back for a minute, almost in disbelief. That's how it ends? No, no, that can't be! But no matter how he didn't want to believe it, it seemed that was indeed the final log.

Until he heard the woman speak once more. "Log 5471, day 3261." The human took notice of her voice and just how... empty it sounded. It appeared somebody had drained all the life out of her and left nothing behind. And yet, why is it that she sounds so... certain! It's almost like she... KNOWS something. I can feel it! He leaned forward, all but completely enthralled by the smaller skeleton now. For some odd reason, despite seeing the family's ultimate fate, he still managed to find a single sliver of hope left. What did you find out? What did you know?! "I... don't know how to start this... or end this. But I might as well state this. My husband... He... We..."

Her breath shook with emotion unbound, her cold tone betrayed by the boiling cauldron of emotion that most definitely in her. But with one single deep breath, she composed herself, a feat the human had nothing but the utmost respect for. "I killed him. But let this be known for ANY that find this: my husband was NOT a coward, and he never will be. What he was when opened those doors was NOT a man scared for HIS life but a FATHER trying... so hard to save his CHILDREN. He didn't know that it would shut so fast; how was he supposed to know that there was barely enough energy to even squeeze through? There was barely enough time for even me to get in..."

She paused for a second; breathing deeply, she forced herself to talk even though her voice warbled painfully. "I think it was the voices that broke my husband. All of our friends, our families, on the other side being butchered by those barbaric monarchists... Who wouldn't break after that? Our family and them: it was all he had left. There is no shame for what he did, for if I were in his boots, after seeing ALL of my life's work disappear in but a day, I too would've done the same!" She seemed to contemplate something as her voice turned grave. "And I too have no intention of living past this day. I-I said that we would do it together and meet our little ones as one again... But... despite that, no matter how much my heart BLEEDS... I can't go. Not yet. Not until I say what NEEDS to be said."

She found a vigour for her voice that was so strong, so resolute, that even though she was practically afoot within the grave already, it sounded like she was ready to face the universe. Still sounding stable, the human noted the sound of something lightly tossed up and down within her palm, and because of that, his eyes instinctually went to her own hand.

And it was there he found an orb, shimmering and producing a sort of buzz that only meant one thing. Power. He was immediately entranced by it, no longer wallowing in the despair brought about by the cruel end of the family. "If only he could've seen this with his own eyes." Her voice trembled with all sorts of emotion: intrigue, love, grief, disappointment but most importantly of all... resolve and acceptance. "Though I'm sure he knows right now, one way or another, that we did it. I know he never believed in that sort of stuff, but... my love, do you see it? This is it: everything you were searching for for all these years. The thing that convinced me to join you all those years ago on Jequil-9."

The sound of tears landing softly on the floor as she chuckled in the recording finally made the human understand just how deep their bond really went. Wiping away what now sounded like a cascade of tears, her blank voice was seething with a heartbroken love. "Oh, how I wish you were still here, even if it was just for another day! Yo-you always did know how to read this language far better than I did. A-and you always made sure that I knew, you cheeky prick, you. But do you know what, honey? It worked. That CONSTANT teasing of yours DID work. It really did! Hehe... It was just... just enough. Because I know now what this is..." She threw the orb in her hand again, her voice no longer distraught but rather concentrated, captivated by the object in front of her. "What did that old coot say, my love? 'That which commanded the stars? Giving life its fullest brillance?' I don't think he was that far off. If this is but a FRACTION of what they used back then..."

She went quiet for a moment, almost like she finally understood something said to her long ago. Understood what, sadly, the human had no chance of knowing. She took in a deep breath, and just as soon as the human was about to take the orb from her hands, he paused mid-reach from one simple word.

"Human."

The human never breathed in that sharply before. His eyes almost popped out of his head, but thankfully the dust he inhaled made his eyes stay shut. Did she just..?

He didn't even get the time to finish his thought as she spoke again, her voice brimming with a mixture of heartache and unyielding hope. "I'm ashamed to admit, but for all my life, I and many others thought my husband to be overly obsessed with your race. Since the discovery of your name ALONE, he never stopped talking about you. And we just let him talk, over and over; he was too cheerful to put down." Her voice changed, almost like she was begging for the perplexed human to understand and forgive her while also stuck in complete awe of the implications she just discovered. "But I get it now! I do! Human, I know not what that orb contains but one thing is for certain..!"

The human stared at the orb, awaiting an answer. His heart was POUNDING, completely at the mercy of what she said next.

And what she said made the small cinders of hope in his heart burst into a flaming inferno of pure, unrelenting RESOLVE. He heard her tap the orb's thin covering rapidly like she just saw the answer to life in there. "In here is our HOPE! With this, someway, somehow, you may very well become our SALVATION! I know that this orb, this POWER inside, belongs to no one else...but you! And I don't know who or what the HELL you are, but my husband was RIGHT! Human: in this lies the POWER to change the galaxy as it is! And I... But I..."

Out of nowhere, she started sobbing loudly, almost like all the emotion she had been bottling; not only now but all of her life finally exploded from the glass wall she set up. It took the human off guard but for some reason, hearing the words of a tortured soul crying out gave him the sense of urgency he needed to finally grasp the orb with all his might. "I just wish I had more TIME! Everything is just so WRONG! My children DESERVED to live, and yet this awful fucking galaxy took them away just like so many others. The state of this galaxy has gone for FAR TOO LONG! My husband, he-he died in my arms! He DIDN'T deserve any of what happened to him; NONE OF US DID! He deserved to grow old and with me and the kids and I-I just..." Her outburst was short, but the emotion it held moved not only the human's soul but his body upwards in a moment of perfect clarity. "I'm just so tired." The recording picked up her leaning against a limp object, probably who her skeleton was now leaning up against. But it also picked up another object. Looking around, the human tried to think of what else there was in the room with them.

He didn't need to look for long. For right in front of the pile was a sharp object, a simple shard from a metal wall, stained with alien blood that seemed to be drying for centuries now. "I had hope that maybe, just maybe, things were finally starting to turn around. But with the Framichs rising to power once again and the other Enclaves falling alongside us, I suppose your arrival in our period was simply... not to be. And who knows? Perhaps you've already come and passed by this galaxy, leaving it to rightfully burn."

"But perhaps, even though this galaxy will only get worse, the future may still have hope. But whatever the case, I think it's time for me to go. Wait..!" For one reason or another, she seemed to start gasping incoherently, almost like her mind was finally beginning to snap. "Is... Is that... Everyone, could..? Oh, oh...Honey, is that..? Oh..!" The last words she spoke were nothing more than the pleadings of a hopeful woman. "I'm coming soon, don't you worry, little ones."

The human had to wince himself once he heard her pained gurgling, unable to even imagine the pain. The sound made his stomach churn enough that he almost looked away from the skeleton even though the deed had been done long ago. "Puh-Please, h-human. Just try... p...lease..."

Hearing the pained gasps and the sound of blood rushing forth onto the recorder, it seemed that she put the recorder in her husband's hands in her last moments, right before enough of her blood could possibly short circuit the only thing that proved that they existed.

And once again, as the log shut off and no more of the comforting voices announced themselves, the human was once again... all alone. His tongue spoke no words, and his mind wasn't unable to think of any thought.

For those didn't matter anymore. This was not a situation in which words would soothe the lives lost to the hands of sadistic beings. There was no plan the human's mind could think of that would set things right. There was only one thing he COULD do for the distraught woman who lost it all...

And that was to set his soul ablaze.

He was about to stand back up, but as he heard the distraught and yet hopefully sniffs of the female in his mind, something he was sure he would and could never forget, the human knew he had one last thing to do. It's the least I can do...

Placing the orb softly on the ground, away from the family, he slowly took the now-empty hand of the wife. He slowly placed it around her husband in a moment of overwhelming admiration and compassion flooding him. Her bones held together nicely as the joints seemed to still hold on tightly.

And the human, though he knew they were long dead and this was nothing more but an illusion caused by the sudden draft that comes with an opened door, felt chills when he heard one last breath leave the hanging jaws of the family, almost like they fulfilled their purpose as best as they could. You've all been waiting a long time for that... haven't you?

The human turned around as he went to pick up the orb in his hands. You go on now...

And there he was. Standing alone once more in a path of light that offered no more solace: only a grim reminder of the weight that would lay on his shoulders if he were to accept this offering. It's almost unimaginable. The last human alive holding what may very well have been the last hope this galaxy could offer. And who would've thought: it's so damn small. Memories of the rats and their inhuman strength reminded him just how difficult his journey would be. Nothing more than vermin, and I almost died without a fight... What other bastards might I have to face out there? Do I... even stand a chance?

But there was an odd feeling inside of that kept on wiggling within him. The human eyed the thin layer covering whatever energy there was inside of it as well as the family which seemed to no longer paint a picture of despair... but hope. No matter how much I try, it's almost like... I don't care anymore. Even death doesn't really scare me anymore. But I could die just like them, and that... would just be that. I'd be forgotten as just another lost soul and nothing more. Nothing else.

On the other hand, both literally and metaphorically, the orb in his left hand still had the same feeling persisting. Total and absolute... power.

He made a choice. And as simple as it was, that was all he needed to clinch his jaw and hunch over as he readied himself for what he was sure to be an experience he had no way to prepare for.

"So be it."

His free right hand smashed into the orb, going right through the thin wire mesh covering the orb of light like it was thin glass. A wave of the latent power within immediately erupted from its prison with such strength that the family's bones disintegrated into the wind.

Around him, the air began flying about the room carrying the fragments of the family in a whirlwind around him. "Jesus... GAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!" In a brief second of underestimation, the human fell to one knee as he clutched his glowing-white forearm in growing agony. What is this fucking thing DOING TO MEEEE!? "HHHHHHRRRRNNNN!" It spread and probed him, almost like he was being tested to see if he was REALLY worthy of housing such a relic. The tendrils, whiter than even the floor below him, covered his entire body just as the mysterious runes did before stabbing into him over and over like painful burning needles. "Gah! Grrh! Da!" Whatever it was, in some sort of way, it felt... alive. I... It's too m-..! N-NO! "I CCCCCAAAAAN'T! I..."

Despite the odds and despite feeling his body screaming from the strain that it was suddenly experiencing, he pushed back. No matter how much his body wanted to crumble and fall, no matter how bad the scorching anguish made his body feel as if it was being torn apart from the inside... he never fell. In fact, with bloodshot eyes feeling like bowling balls, he resisted the entropy with all the willpower he could muster and forced himself to stand taller than he had ever before. "I WON'T DIIIIIIIIEEE!" And after that, it wasn't just in the symbolic sense.

It was in a physical sense as well. The human's bones broke and healed faster than he could even register, his mind just about to become overwhelmed. It would've driven any other person MAD. It was only through the determination to SURVIVE, no matter the cost, that allowed him to push through.

His muscles felt like they were about to go over the point of no return all over his body. But right before that happened, they would only snap back to where they belonged before the process repeated all over again. Though he cried profusely due to the overload of ecstasy and pain his body was experiencing thanks to the power surge, he was finally getting used to the feeling JUST enough his eyes opened back up. He noticed his limbs, in some way or another, grew... denser. H-huh?!

For he was already a large man as it was, it seemed the orb's magic decided not to elongate his new body too much: his arms, legs and various other parts of his body expanded just enough so they could match his new body. But with every crack of his bones, he could feel them growing denser, more robust. Once tight and cramping from misuse, his muscles relaxed enough that they seemed to hang like wet hair before suddenly tightening around his legs, torso, and arms again at speeds faster than he could blink. It was like they were almost they were testing themselves out, and from what he could tell, the results were exactly what the orb wanted as they stayed flexed from there on out.

Just as he thought the sensory overload couldn't get any worse, he managed to see the white floor below begin to go up to his legs. What the fuck is THAT doing now?! "Oh, ffffffuuuckkk!?" It was like the energy desired nothing more but to return to its host, especially now that his body was going through such changes. Not now, you DIIIIIIIIICKS!

The return of the energy he gave to open the door and light the way was beginning to be too much for him to handle, and yet he stood strong. Foam left his mouth as he kept pushing through the pain, and soon enough, he managed to catch his breath. "Yeesss... Yes!" The power started to subside as slowly but surely, the orb's energy seeped into him as if it was becoming ONE with him. His groans of pain gave way to harsh laughs of jubilation. "NyoHOHAHAHAHHAHA!" From there, as he looked down into his clenched fists brimming with power untold of, the build-up of energy within him asked... No, demanded that he only did one thing...

And that was release.

With all the strength he had left, the human screamed out into the void above him, his body glowing like a white star. Oh, God! I feel like... a reactor about... to blow! He had no choice but to fall to his hands and knees, watching as his skin went from bloodied and tanned to the pure white force within him. The mountain and cavern around him shook, almost like he was becoming a force of nature itself. I... can't take it anymore! The explosion that followed suit was the final nail in the coffin for the human. Despite feeling stronger than ever before, simply containing the power took all he had staying awake. The room became ablaze in white as his pent power escape him in a glorious supernova and, for a moment, a solitary second... He understood. Dear... my, God... I... I..!

It was like the mist had disappeared in the blast as well. But just as all of the human's memories and purpose in life started to come back to him...

The moment was gone. Wait, no! Come back, I didn't... I couldn't... do what again? "Oh, Fuck!" With the power and the adrenaline fading as quickly as it arrived, the human was just left standing in the pitch-black room, wheezing as his mind started to go blank. Swaying slightly as his body was still miraculously standing, he took three deep breaths.

And then, as he rolled his eyes into the back of his head, he thought his last thought before he fell face-first into the ground below him.

God...

Muthafuckin'...

Damn.