Chapter 25: Andorra, March 2057 (Ending)

It was my 72nd birthday, and I celebrated it, watching the beautiful sight of the valley below from my cliffside house. I had grown tired of the heat in Kiribati and I had decided to move to the small nation of Andorra located in the Pyrenees between Spain and France.

I sighed, and bittersweet feelings filled my mind. The world was so beautiful, and I wanted to stay in it forever, yet it was time for me to go. I had received the news of my terminal brain cancer a few weeks earlier. My initial reaction had been to go on another treasure hunt. I had hoped to find another replicated Zeto Crystal that would heal my wounds and make me healthy again.

But then I had stopped myself. I was too weak and too weary to go on a dangerous expedition on my own. My poor vision due to my one-eyedness didn't make things easier. I had thought of asking Elenoa and Simona for help. But I had stopped myself. They were bringing up a family together and why should I risk their lives to extend my own? If something happened to either of them, and I survived the ordeal, that would be a worse punishment than death.

I thought of Simona, Elenoa and their son David. Bringing them together was one of the lasting achievements in life that I could be proud of. I had convinced Simona back in 2041 to let go of her obsession with Sabina and give Elenoa a chance to love her. Simona had followed my advice, forgotten about Sabina, and fallen in love with Elenoa. I wished that I had followed my own advice and had forgotten about Sabina there and then. That way I wouldn't have sought my vengeance against Sabina that would ruin her life, Keila's life and my life.

I wrote my confession in a letter to Sabina, and I attached the advanced eye colour changing lenses as evidence of my claims. I would have loved to admit my lies while I was alive, but I couldn't bring myself to it. At least this way, Sabina and Keila wouldn't need to suffer, believing that Rangda possessed Keila, after my death. The doorbell rang, and I tried to walk over and open it. I didn't get far. My cancer caused a severe migraine attack and I collapsed to the floor.

'Please give me enough life to say farewell to everyone.' I prayed to the True Maker. My migraine disappeared, and I felt light-headed and at peace. I got up and opened the door. My adopted daughters and their son greeted me.

***

"Can you pass me the wine?" I said to Elenoa, and she passed me the wine. As I poured us glasses of wine, Elenoa made a rejective gesture.

"Are you not drinking today, Elenoa?" I asked.

Elenoa smiled and replied, "I am pregnant again, papa."

"I wish I could be there when the child is born." I sighed.

"You can. You're only 72. Don't be so gloomy, Martin" Simona replied.

I shook my head, and I handed over my medical report. Simona read it and replied. "This is not the end. I won't let it be. There must be something we can do?"

"There isn't. The replicated Zeto Crystals stopped working on me many years ago." I guess I have fulfilled my purpose." I sighed.

"We'll stand by your side until the end. I'll pray to the True Maker for a miracle." Elenoa stated.

I nodded. You are by my side until the end. I came into this world precisely 72 turns around the sun ago. It's fitting that the day of my birth is also the day of my death." I stated.

"You can't be serious. Suicide is a terrible sin. I worry for your soul in the afterlife." Elenoa stated.

"No. Fearing death is the greatest sin. Nothing else brings more suffering to humanity." I stated. "Martin is right. Let him choose the time and place for the last step of his journey." Simona said.

Simona took Elenoa's hand and whispered softly to her. Elenoa's face changed, and she accepted the inevitable. "Okay, Martin. We'll stay with you to the end."

"Thank you, Elenoa. Deliver this letter to Sabina and ask for her forgiveness. I am sorry that my spirit is too weak to ask for forgiveness during my lifetime." I coughed.

We went out to the balcony and watched how the sun was setting behind the snow-covered mountains. It was beautiful scenery encompassing all the colour of the rainbow.

I took the syringe with a lethal dose of heroin that I had prepared and injected myself.

"What is happening, grandpa." I heard David say.

"He is moving on to the afterlife, it's nothing to fear," Simona explained.

I grabbed their hands, and I felt complete bliss as my body turned comfortably numb. The scenery faded into black.

***

I opened my eyes, and I was in an eerie but peaceful place. Elaine was looking at me. It was not Elaine from my life but a more beautiful version, the perfect version that never exists in the real world.

"Elaine?" I asked.

Elaine shook her head and replied. "No, I am the True Maker. I took the form of the human that you love the most." The True Maker stated.

"Is this the afterlife?" I asked.

The True Maker smiled at me. "There is no afterlife. You already know this. All life consists of different states of energy, and when you die, the universe absorbs this energy." The True Maker revealed.

"So, what is this then?" I asked

"I stopped time for you, moments before the universe absorbs your energy. I wanted to thank you for fulfilling your purpose." The True Maker revealed.

"I don't understand," I said.

"You made Sabina face Rangda. This encounter stopped the future apocalypse." The True Maker revealed.

"What about the gamma-ray-burst meant to strike the earth in 2131?

"The gamma-ray-burst would have destroyed Sydney. However, your intervention caused Keila to focus on controlling her inner demons and maintain a positive outlook. Sabina and Keila will die together, absorbing the blast and saving the city." The True Maker revealed.

"So, everything turns out fine in the end?" I asked.

"Good and bad are human constructs. The life force will keep flowing on Earth for many millions of years to come. That is a positive outlook in my world." The True Maker replied.

"Thank you!" I replied.

"You're welcome, human. Is there anything else you need to know before you pass on?"

"No, I am ready," I replied.

Time resumed, and I experienced a bright white light before my consciousness became one with the universe!

The End!