10.3) Epilogue ~ The Mortal Man

Atlas slowly opened his eyes. To his surprise, he saw nothing but endless white. It was just like in his dreams. It was neither heaven nor hell–just a place of absolute nothingness.

The universe had collapsed. Mary, Julian, Abigail, Victor, and Victor’s sister were all dead. Atlas didn’t know if they had all died in peace, but he was relieved that he had carried out his duty to completion.

But now, he was confused and alone in the middle of nowhere. He was somehow still alive.

He looked around once again. There was still nothing. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms, trying to think of what to do next, when a familiar voice spoke.

“Open your eyes, Atlas.”

And so he did. Now in front of him was a boy resembling a young Julian Everhart, his hands on his knees. Atlas was unsure if he should be relieved or confused.

“Julian? Is that you?”

The boy shook his head. “No, not quite. I just found that this form would make you feel more comfortable with speaking to me.”

“Then who?”

“A god. One of infinitely many.”

Atlas raised his eyebrows. “Infinitely… many?”

“Yes. I suppose Victor Truman never explained it to you–every single god had once been a human being. Each one of us was once human. We were once like you, who possessed the power of infinity. We simply took the step beyond.”

The god pointed at Atlas. “There are infinite versions of you who have taken that step beyond. There are infinite versions of Victor Truman who have taken that step beyond. Infinite versions of Abigail Kovacs as well.”

Atlas frowned. “Even Julian?”

“That’s right. Though it doesn’t matter so much to me now, I do remember my origin. In fact, I was once a ‘Julian Everhart’ as well.”

Atlas looked at him in shock. But soon, the shock was replaced with a concerned look.

“Tell me. Was it your sister who gave you the choice?”

“Atlas, you must understand something. There are infinite universes. I could have gotten this power in an infinite amount of ways.”

“So it’s a no?”

The god grinned. “It’s a yes, Atlas. Yes, it was a ‘Mary Everhart’ who gave me the opportunity to save myself.”

… So this would have been the result, Atlas thought.

The god shrugged it off. “I don’t have any longing for the past, though. You see, we gods are beings that transcend time itself. I’ve had to lower myself to speak with you. Past and future don't matter to me. Or rather, time does not exist unless we are interacting with beings like you, who are tied to time.”

“Then why talk to me?”

“Because you are one of my creations.”

Atlas paused. “You are the one who crushed this universe?”

“That is correct.”

Atlas felt momentary anger, yet managed to control himself.

“... Why? Did you hate this world that much?”

The god shook his head. “No. I am beyond such negative emotions. It was simply what I chose. To possess power is to possess the ability to be completely arbitrary, Atlas. I have done infinitely many things you would consider evil and infinitely many things you would consider good. I also have already talked to you an infinite amount of times, sometimes in the same way and other times in a different way. This is what lies beyond mortality, Atlas. You would never understand without being one of us.”

The god pointed at Atlas. “But that is no longer a problem. You have the option to go beyond. Your power has already saved you from the collapse of your universe–you know the good it brings. And you can use it to be like me. No more ‘stress’. No more ‘guilt’. No more fear of ‘loss’. Only the good will remain.”

“And if you’d like, you can recreate this fallen world from scratch, tailoring it to your own vision. In fact, I guarantee you that you will create infinite good versions of this same world, sometimes different, sometimes the exact same.”

Atlas rubbed his chin. The god’s reasoning seemed to be somewhat appealing. He could create worlds that would bring happiness, worlds without suffering. Yet he felt that there was something wrong with what the god was saying.

No more ‘stress’. No more ‘guilt’. No more fear of ‘loss’, huh…

Eventually, Atlas pieced things together. The idea was far from appealing.

“You say you are beyond negative emotions–that means you didn’t feel a thing as you destroyed our universe. Am I wrong?”

The god grinned. “You are quite smart, Atlas. You are correct.”

Atlas felt a chill go down his spine, knowing that the god in front of him lacked the human qualities that had defined the Julian he knew.

The god wagged his finger. “But let me offer you some of your human logic. In the process of destroying that universe, I have destroyed ‘good’, but also ‘evil’. Don’t you think that the scales have balanced themselves quite a bit?”

Atlas rubbed his chin, thinking harder to defy the god’s reasoning.

“... By your logic, ‘god’, you would also have to question why I had held up the universe knowing I have saved ‘good’, but also ‘evil’.”

“That is fair. Then you tell me, Atlas: why is it that you held up the sky for thirty-two years?”

Atlas tugged on the white scarf wrapped around his neck, thinking back to all that he had rediscovered in his short time back on Earth. He considered the new ideas he and the others had to adopt when realizing the world could not be saved. And he remembered the vulnerable side of his loved ones that had been revealed at the end of the world.

Atlas prepared his thesis.

“Because despite all the pain and suffering in the world, despite all the people who say they want it all to end…”

Atlas clenched his fist. “Everyone wants to live. Good or evil, happy or sad, all humans strive for life. The people who say they want to die actually mean they want to live in a better condition, but think they can’t. That is why some–like your sister–waited for death. Not because they yearned for death, but because they were giving up on the world…”

“... But she didn’t give up. She eventually came to believe that she could still live and try to make her life better with each day. Even if there were things she didn’t agree with, even if there were things she knew she couldn’t change, she continued living in the present.”

Atlas pointed his finger at the god. “That is my claim–everyone wants to live. Those who say they want to die simply mean that they want to live in a better world. Everyone has a hope within them that wishes things to be better tomorrow.”

The god rubbed his chin, perhaps imitating Atlas.

“So you would have both evil and good to persist?”

Atlas closed his eyes. “If letting the righteous live means also allowing evil to persist, then so be it. I would never crush the hopes of the righteous who are struggling desperately to live out their lives to their fullest…”

He reopened his eyes with no more doubt left in his heart.

“... And that is why I, Atlas, held up the sky.”

“I see,” the god said with a grin. “Interesting.”

Atlas shook his head. “Don’t lie to me, ‘god’. I’m sure what I’ve said doesn’t really make sense to you. I am certain a being like you no longer understands hope.”

The god laughed. “Well said, Atlas. You are quite sharp indeed. Thirty-two years of isolation must have somehow strengthened your reasoning abilities.”

Atlas sighed. “Either way, I will not use this power to transcend my humanity."

“I will never understand why humans ever reject divinity,” the god said.

“I will never understand you gods, either… And I pity you, Julian Everhart,” Atlas said with a sad smile.

The god smiled back. “I don’t understand what pity means, but I suppose I should thank you for pitying me. I do understand gratitude, after all.”

The god exhaled. “Well, so be it, Atlas. Then it’s time for me to finish returning you all to one. I will assimilate you now.”

Atlas closed his eyes, preparing for one last death. But as he remained with his eyes closed in the void, he let out a laugh.

“... It’s ironic,” Atlas said. “I suppose you are what lies at the end of a human’s ideals. Becoming a being that does not suffer, a being that can do anything. That is what we expect of the ideal...”

“... But I suppose such a being is bound to also destroy. A being that does not understand evil or suffering is bound to cause evil and suffering. In the end, the hands of both a god and a mortal are both stained with sin. The only difference is in the ability to perceive it…”

“... Humanity as a whole does as much damage as the gods. But I suppose a single human can spend their entire life aspiring to do good, while a god simply cannot see a point in doing so. Perhaps mortality isn’t so bad after all."

"I think…”

Atlas opened his eyes with a satisfied smile on his face, speaking his final words to the god.

“… I really love humanity.”

~End~