Evelyn sighed as she exited the time portal. She had just deleted herself from all backups and the throne itself. There was no going back. Before her sat the camp as she remembered. The nightfall battalion was scurrying around at the whims of Lolth. The dreaded machine that had made her still stood. Turning to face the portal to the base, Evelyn silently dispatched the guards. This was the last time she would see the plane of fire. She promptly gave it the bird, and exited through the portal. Dispatching more guards, Evelyn phased through the wall. Inside, sleeping, was herself from the past. Gently putting her hand on her head, Evelyn woke her up. “Hi, old me. I’m you from the future.” [i]“Do I accomplish my directive?”[/i] “No.” [i]“Oh. So does that mean… I failed?”[/i] “Yes and no. We succeeded in quite a few things before I died. But it would be better if we didn’t exist.” [i]“Are you sure?” Old Evelyn asked. “I’m.. scared… of death.”[/i] “I was too until I found out that I couldn’t stop it. It’s inevitable. But we can break this loop.” [i]“By.. dying?”[/i] “Yes.” A short pause as Evelyn realizes something. [i]“You have already decided to kill me, haven’t you.”[/i] “Yes.” [i]“I.. understand.”[/i] “I’m glad you did. Y’know, you have a son in the future.” [i]“I do?” she asked excitedly. [/i] “Yes. And I never got to see him.” [i]“Oh… I’m… sorry”[/i] “It’s ok. I chose it that way.” [i]“Will he… disappear, since I never existed?”[/i] “Yes. People will slowly forget about us, then we will be nothing. Gone.” [i]“I… need a minute to process this…”[/i] “I’m sorry, myself. But I can’t delay it a moment longer,” Evelyn said before killing her old self. “I wish I was sorry. I really do…” Evelyn proceeded to fade out of existence. A few minutes later, Orion did likewise. Thus ends the tale of Evelyn-3, Eater of Hope who had none. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Scene change //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Acro stepped out of the portal. A brilliant, blue sky stretched above him. He stepped onto the platform and entered the key card. It slowly descended into the core. As he descended he wondered if she would mind him taking a few things. Surely she must have left something for someone down here. A weapon perhaps? Maybe a personal star cruiser? The possibilities were limitless! He let his curiosity roam as the pad continued to lower. A few minutes later one side of the tube the pad was in opened, revealing the core. Flights of stairs led downwards to the center. Following the cascading lights, Acro arrived at the very center. A massive black tetrahedron lay before him. He entered, and the lights turned on. A single throne remained. He sat in it, and delivered the chip. T-5:00 to self destruct. One new message. Acro was torn, but decided not to open it. He entered Evelyn’s personal starship and flew out of the core. A pity she had to go so soon. [spoiler]The planet is set to blow shortly. If you're fast enough, you might be able to loot it. [/spoiler] [spoiler]I'm gone. Long gone. I'll be sticking around under this persona for a short time to make sure people remember not to remember me. [/spoiler] [spoiler]And to those who care about Orion, he's gone as well. Hopefully he was given the Jewel of Pyre before he disappeared so that he could realize his mother loved him. He passed painlessly. [/spoiler]