Kael stared at the boy standing in front of him.
It was impossible.
The face was his.
The eyes were his.
Even the small scar above his eyebrow was the same.
But this boy looked different.
He looked peaceful.
Almost innocent.
Kael slowly stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
The boy smiled.
"You already know."
Kael shook his head.
"No. I don't."
The boy tilted his head.
"Then why does your heart recognize me?"
Kael froze.
The Last Core inside his chest began beating.
Once.
Twice.
The boy's smile disappeared.
"You really don't remember."
Kael looked at Eryx.
Eryx was staring at the boy too.
"Kael…"
"I know."
The third piece of Eryx stepped forward.
"I remember him."
Kael turned toward him.
"You do?"
The child nodded.
"He was there before us."
The boy looked at him.
"You remember more than they wanted you to."
The child lowered his head.
"What happened?"
The boy didn't answer.
Instead, he looked toward the sky.
The sky was completely empty.
Then the first star appeared.
Kael watched it form.
Another followed.
Then another.
Slowly, the universe began coming into existence around them.
But Kael noticed something strange.
There was no Origin.
No Firstborn.
No creators.
Only the boy.
And Kael.
The boy pointed toward the stars.
"This is where everything began."
Kael stared at him.
"Then who created you?"
The boy looked at him.
"You did."
Kael's expression changed.
"What?"
"You created me."
Silence.
The boy continued.
"Before you became Kael, you were something else."
Kael's heart began pounding.
"What was I?"
The boy smiled sadly.
"You were alone."
A strange memory appeared.
Kael saw himself floating in complete darkness.
No body.
No universe.
No time.
Only consciousness.
He was terrified.
He wanted someone to talk to.
Someone to exist with him.
So he created the boy.
The first Kael.
The boy looked exactly like him because he had been created from him.
Kael whispered:
"I created you because I was lonely."
"Yes."
"Then why did I leave you?"
The boy's eyes became cold.
"Because you became afraid."
Kael frowned.
"Afraid of what?"
"Of yourself."
The universe around them suddenly changed.
Kael saw the first Kael growing older.
He watched him create stars.
Planets.
Life.
Civilizations.
Then he saw the first signs of destruction.
The first Kael created something dark.
A force capable of consuming everything.
Kael immediately recognized it.
"The Hunger."
The boy nodded.
"You created it."
"But why?"
The first Kael looked directly at him.
"Because you were afraid that one day your creations would become stronger than you."
Kael felt a chill.
"That doesn't sound like me."
"It was."
The boy raised his hand.
A massive shadow appeared behind them.
The first Hunger.
But this one was different.
It was enormous.
Uncontrolled.
And it was consuming the universe.
Kael watched as the first Kael tried to stop it.
He failed.
Then he made a decision.
He split himself.
One part became the being who would eventually become Kael.
Another became Eryx.
Another became the third piece.
And the remaining part…
became the Star Eater.
Kael stared.
"You split yourself to stop the Hunger."
"No."
The first Kael shook his head.
"I split myself because I wanted to forget."
Kael's expression changed.
"Forget what?"
The first Kael looked at him.
"Everything."
The universe suddenly went dark.
The first Kael continued.
"I didn't want to remember creating the Hunger."
"I didn't want to remember destroying worlds."
"I didn't want to remember creating Eryx."
"And I didn't want to remember you."
Kael's heart sank.
"You hated me?"
The first Kael shook his head.
"No."
He looked away.
"I hated what I became."
Kael didn't speak.
The boy continued.
"You were the part of me that survived."
Kael looked at his hands.
"So I'm not the original."
"No."
The answer was simple.
"You are the part that refused to disappear."
Eryx stepped forward.
"Then what are we?"
The first Kael looked at him.
"You are the parts he couldn't destroy."
Eryx froze.
The third piece looked confused.
"Why couldn't he destroy us?"
The first Kael smiled.
"Because somewhere inside him…"
He pointed at Kael.
"…he still loved you."
Kael's eyes widened.
The Last Core began glowing.
A memory appeared.
Kael saw himself standing before the first universe.
Eryx was beside him.
The third piece was behind them.
The First Hunger stood in front of them.
Kael's original self raised his hand.
He could destroy everything.
But he didn't.
Instead, he whispered:
"Maybe one day…"
The memory Kael looked toward Eryx.
"…someone will find a better way."
The memory disappeared.
Kael stood silently.
Then the first Kael walked toward him.
"You found that better way."
Kael looked up.
"What?"
"You didn't destroy the Hunger."
"You accepted it."
"You didn't destroy the Origin."
"You changed it."
"You didn't abandon Eryx."
"You brought him back."
The first Kael placed a hand against Kael's chest.
"You became everything I couldn't."
Kael felt warmth spread through his body.
The fourth force appeared.
This time, it didn't feel dangerous.
It felt familiar.
The first Kael slowly began disappearing.
Kael reached toward him.
"Wait!"
The boy smiled.
"I'm not dying."
"Then where are you going?"
The boy touched Kael's chest.
"Home."
Light entered Kael.
The first Kael disappeared completely.
Kael fell to his knees.
Eryx grabbed him.
"Kael!"
Kael slowly stood.
Something had changed.
The Last Core was gone.
Not broken.
Not destroyed.
Gone.
Kael placed his hand over his chest.
He could still feel his heart.
But there was something else there now.
A new presence.
A memory.
A voice.
His own.
The first Kael's voice whispered inside him.
"Now you remember."
Kael closed his eyes.
The universe around them suddenly began shaking.
Eryx looked around.
"What is happening?"
Kael opened his eyes.
"The first universe is waking up."
The third piece looked toward the sky.
Stars were appearing everywhere.
But something was wrong.
The stars weren't forming randomly.
They were forming into a giant symbol.
A symbol Kael recognized.
It was the same symbol that had been on the laboratory doors.
The creators' symbol.
Kael's expression became serious.
"They found us."
Eryx raised his weapon.
"Again?"
Kael shook his head.
"No."
He looked toward the forming symbol.
"This time…"
The symbol opened like an enormous eye.
"…they're not coming for us."
A voice echoed across the universe.
"Kael."
He looked up.
The voice continued.
"We are coming to wake the one you were created to replace."
Kael's eyes widened.
Behind the symbol…
something began awakening.
Something older than the Origin.
Older than the creators.
Older than Kael himself.
The first universe trembled.
And Kael heard the first Kael whisper one final warning inside his mind.
"Don't let it remember you."
TO BE CONTINUED...