BOOK FOUR: THE KINGDOM BEYOND THE LAST GATE
Chapter 19: The One Behind the Gates
The Gate stopped closing.
Everyone stared.
Something was pushing against it from the other side.
The golden frame began cracking.
Riva held Elara tightly.
"What is happening?"
The First Aurelia whispered:
"The Gate is afraid."
Riva looked at her.
"Can a Gate be afraid?"
"No."
"Then what is it afraid of?"
The First Aurelia looked toward the darkness.
"What's coming."
---
A hand appeared through the crack.
It was enormous.
Black veins covered its skin.
The fingers wrapped around the edge of the Gate.
Then another hand appeared.
The Gate screamed.
Not a sound.
A feeling.
Everyone felt it inside their bones.
Aren dropped to one knee.
"What is that?"
The First Guardian's face had gone white.
"The Original."
Riva frowned.
"Original what?"
"The first thing that existed before the Gates."
---
The First Aurelia stepped backward.
"We have to leave."
Riva stared at her.
"You said nothing could destroy the First Kingdom."
"I was wrong."
"What is it?"
The First Aurelia looked at Elara.
"It is what created the Devourers."
---
The Gate shattered.
A figure stepped through.
It looked human.
Tall.
Thin.
Completely black.
Its face was smooth.
No eyes.
No mouth.
No nose.
Yet everyone heard its voice.
"Aurelia."
The First Aurelia fell to her knees.
Riva had never seen her afraid like that.
The figure looked at her.
"You ran for a long time."
The First Aurelia whispered:
"I thought you were gone."
"I was waiting."
---
Riva stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
The figure turned.
For a moment...
Riva saw herself.
Then Caelan.
Then Elara.
Then the First Aurelia.
Its face changed continuously.
Finally it became nothing.
"I am the End."
Silence.
Riva tightened her grip around Elara.
"The End of what?"
"Everything."
---
Caelan forced himself to stand.
Blood ran down his side.
"If you're the End..."
"Why haven't you ended everything?"
The creature looked at him.
"Because I needed permission."
Riva frowned.
"Permission from whom?"
The creature looked toward Elara.
"Her."
Elara froze.
"No."
The creature continued:
"The Lock decides when the End begins."
---
Riva moved in front of Elara.
"You're not touching her."
The creature didn't move.
"I don't need to."
It pointed toward Elara.
"She only needs to choose."
Elara shook her head.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
The First Aurelia whispered:
"You do."
Elara looked at her.
"What?"
"You were born beyond the Gate."
"You grew up between worlds."
"You've heard the End your entire life."
Elara covered her ears.
"Stop."
The voice came again.
Not from the creature.
From inside Elara.
"Open."
Elara screamed.
---
Riva grabbed her.
"Look at me."
Elara's eyes were black.
"Mother..."
"I'm here."
"I can't stop it."
"You can."
"No."
"You can."
Elara shook violently.
"It's inside me."
Riva held her face.
"Then we'll get it out."
The First Aurelia shook her head.
"You can't."
"Why?"
"Because it's not inside her."
Riva stared.
"It's inside you."
---
The Eighth Flame inside Riva suddenly turned black.
She gasped.
The creature smiled.
"Now you understand."
Riva looked at her chest.
The blackness spread.
Caelan stepped toward her.
"Riva."
"Don't."
He stopped.
Riva felt another presence inside herself.
Cold.
Ancient.
Patient.
Then she heard a whisper.
"You accepted the consequence."
Riva closed her eyes.
"Now accept me."
---
Riva saw a vision.
A place before time.
No stars.
No worlds.
No Gates.
Nothing.
Then...
A single thought appeared.
The thought became light.
The light became darkness.
The darkness became the first world.
And from that world came the First Aurelia.
The First King.
The Devourers.
The Gates.
Everything.
Riva watched.
"What are you?"
The voice answered:
"The first thought."
---
Riva opened her eyes.
She understood.
"You aren't the End."
The creature tilted its head.
Riva continued:
"You're the beginning."
The First Aurelia stared.
"What?"
Riva looked toward her.
"The End and the Beginning are the same thing."
The creature smiled.
"Finally."
---
The First Aurelia stepped forward.
"If you're the Beginning..."
"Then why destroy everything?"
The creature answered:
"Because everything must end before it can begin again."
Riva shook her head.
"That's your mistake."
The creature looked at her.
"What?"
"You're assuming the world needs to be destroyed to change."
The Eighth Flame began glowing.
"Maybe it just needs someone to choose differently."
---
The creature raised its hand.
The sky disappeared.
The First Kingdom began collapsing.
Buildings turned to dust.
Mountains disappeared.
The golden river evaporated.
People screamed.
Elara cried:
"Mother!"
Riva grabbed her hand.
Caelan stood beside them.
"We need to go."
"Where?"
Caelan looked toward the palace.
"The First Gate."
Riva understood.
"The place where everything began."
---
They ran.
The First Aurelia followed.
The older Riva stayed behind.
Riva turned.
"Come!"
The older version shook her head.
"No."
"Why?"
She smiled.
"Because someone has to hold the End back."
Riva's eyes filled with tears.
"You'll die."
"I already did."
She raised her sword.
"This time..."
"...I'll make it mean something."
---
Riva, Caelan, Elara, and the First Aurelia reached the palace.
The First Gate stood inside.
It was enormous.
Bigger than any Gate they had seen.
Symbols covered it.
At its center was a single empty space.
Elara stared.
"That's where I belong."
Riva shook her head.
"No."
Elara stepped closer.
"If I don't enter..."
"The End begins."
Riva looked at the Gate.
"Then we'll enter together."
The First Aurelia looked at her.
"You can't."
"Why?"
"Because the Gate doesn't accept groups."
Riva smiled.
"Then we'll make it."
---
Caelan took Riva's hand.
Elara took her other hand.
The First Aurelia placed her hand over theirs.
The four stood together.
The First Gate began glowing.
The creature appeared behind them.
"You cannot change what was written."
Riva looked back.
"Then we'll write something new."
She stepped through.
Caelan followed.
Elara followed.
The First Aurelia followed.
The Gate exploded with light.
And somewhere beyond time...
A new world began.
End of Chapter 19