Chapter 14: Tales of Two Arths Part 2

The soft glow of streetlamps barely cut through the twilight haze that had settled over the city park. Wind rustled through the skeletal trees, whispering secrets neither of them wanted to hear.

“I have to bring you to the station,” Arth said, voice firm, eyes unreadable.

Altair’s expression flickered between confusion and disbelief. “What? I already told you why I’m here.”

“I’m the one who’ll be asking the questions.”

She stared at him, jaw tight. There was no point in resisting. Not here. Not yet.
Minutes later, the cold steel of cuffs clinked softly as Arth led her through the station’s back entrance. 

He said nothing as they passed empty desks and flickering monitors. She could feel the tension radiating from him—too alert, too silent. Not fear. Something worse: purpose.

Inside the dimly lit interrogation room, he closed the door behind them, then approached the control panel in the corner.

“Is everything wiretapped or recorded?” she asked, arms crossed.

“No,” he said as he flicked switches one by one, disabling cameras, audio recorders, even the biometric scanner. “I disabled everything that can record our conversation.”

She leaned forward. “Good.”

Arth took his seat across from her, the steel table between them as sterile and unwelcoming as the silence.

“I know you still have a lot of questions,” Altair said, her voice calm but layered with guarded trust.

He wasted no time. “Did you know that Ouroboros is using variants of us—across the multiverse—as his personal soldiers?”

Altair’s brow furrowed. “I didn’t.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “That’s… twisted.”

Arth leaned forward, steepling his fingers. “If you're going to help, what can you contribute?”

A slow smile crept across her lips. “I know my way around things most Arths couldn’t pull off.”

He didn’t smile back. “Second question.”

She tilted her head. “That’s actually your third.”

He sighed. “Fine. Tell me more about yourself.”

Altair shifted in her seat. “My name’s Altair. In my universe, I’m kind of obsessed with the stars. Astrology, space-time theory, celestial mapping. I’m not just into it—I live it. Let’s just say I’ve always looked upward for answers.”

“And how were you able to meet other versions of us?”

“It was just a normal day… until my mentor came. He looked just like you. Recruited me into something bigger than myself.”

Arth’s jaw clenched. “Other Arth.”

She shrugged. “If you say so. Most of you look the same from my point of view. Only your choices set you apart.”

He nodded slowly, thinking. “How come you're the only female Arth he encountered?”

Altair’s expression dimmed. “Maybe Ouroboros got rid of the others. Or maybe I’m the anomaly.” She met his gaze. “You ever think you’re not the original either?”

A silence fell over the room, thick and suffocating.

“Do you know the Celestial Witch—Sera?” Arth asked suddenly.

Altair blinked. “Who?”

“You’ve never encountered her?” He stood up, pacing. “Most Arths meet her during their cycle as a Space-Time Voyager. Unless…”

“Unless what?”

His hands curled into fists. “It makes sense now. It’s said that when a Space-Time Voyager dies, the universe resets. But the current Voyager hasn’t died yet—so we’re... overlapping. Existing across multiple realities that shouldn’t exist at once.”

Altair sat motionless, her breath catching.

“So that means…?”

“Our universe isn’t capable of maintaining a multiverse,” he said.
Altair's hands gripped the edge of the table. The realization tore through her like a storm.

“So we’re... we weren’t even meant to exist?” Her voice was small. Hollow.
Arth didn’t respond. He just nodded.
The slap rang out like a gunshot in the still room.

Altair stood over him, her eyes burning. “You’re thinking about this like a machine, Arth. Like a damn algorithm trying to solve a paradox.”
He raised a hand to his cheek, more stunned than hurt.

“You're talking about people—real lives! You want to reset everything? Just because a system wasn’t designed to hold us? That’s not solving the problem. That’s becoming it.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but she didn’t let him.
“All sentient beings have something called free will. You want to take that away? To enforce one truth across infinite possibilities? You’ll become Ouroboros, Arth. A self-fulfilling prophecy. A tyrant of inevitability.”
Her voice broke, but she didn’t stop.

 “You want a universe where no one has a choice. Where everything is clean, perfect, controlled—but lifeless.”

Arth sat down slowly, fingers trembling slightly. He took a breath. Then another.
“I haven’t made a decision,” he said quietly. “It was only a proposal. A worst-case scenario.”

“Then don’t speak about it like it’s truth,” she said. “The universe is breaking, yes. But maybe it's not because we exist—maybe it’s because no one ever tried to make room for us.”

He looked up, and for the first time, his gaze softened.
“Help me, Altair. Help me find another way.”

The fire in her eyes cooled, tempered by something more powerful—resolve.
She reached across the table and offered her hand. “Then we do it together. We find a path where no one has to be erased. Where choice still means something.”

Their hands met.

And in that moment, two fragments of a fractured multiverse found alignment—not in certainty, but in shared defiance.
 “Let’s make sure no one has to be a last resort again.”

“If you're going to stay here in my universe, you're gonna need a shelter” he said

“Maybe I'll look for a job be a barista on a cafe anything that can give me a decent money while I'm living in your universe” she replied 

“It's too risky that's why your gonna live with me” he stated

Altair stood in front of Arth as she was only about an inch shorter than him.
“You don't get to babysit me, even though you're just a version of myself” she said “I'm still you at the end of the day?”

“My universe, my rules” he said “You're just a guest here”

“Fine but I want some privacy of my own” she said

“Girls…” he muttered as he doesn't quite get why all do girls act like the way they're actually 

“The fuck did you just say?” She said

“Nothing! Let's just go home alright” he said “I'll just report my findings tomorrow”

“So what will you say..?” She asked what his alibi would be.

“I'll just say that you're a distant relative of mine who doesn't know their way in the city that's why you're unconscious back on the park” he said “Pretty much a clear alibi right and besides I can watch over you”

“Why are you treating me like a little sibling or something? I'm still you!” She said 

He pats her head as he smiled “Maybe it's just the way I am”

Altair and Arth arrived at his home which in the outside looks like a regular apartment but when Arth opened the door. It become a makeshift base with computers, board with connecting red threads, paperworks, and different kinds of books.

Altair looked at her counterpart's base with awe, admiring the base.

“Amazed?” he asked “Not that I planned on a interior design of this place, I just put a different space out from the door to here”

“This felt like home to me” she said 
“I guess you're getting comfortable here, huh?” He said “That's pretty fast”
He then smiled as he took to the sofa to relax, looking at the knitted vest he's working on…it's the same design as the one he's wearing.

“Are you not gonna continue searching for the Time Cogs?” Altair said

“Can a man relax for a bit?” He replied “I have a life too you know”

He then picked up the knitted vest he's working on as he started knitting…
“Really knitting? A man like you who have the power of space and time” she said 

“I love a peaceful life” he said “Sera said, to me that I was too stale that I lack defining traits and she recommended me to get a hobby at first maybe I was reluctant since I have duties as The Space-Time Voyager but as long as I've been thinking about her word, she's kinda right so I picked up knitting to past my time”

“While the universe is literally collapsing around you?” She said “I know Sera might be a good and she only sometimes care about anyone…but you are literally wasting your time”

“The universe needs you, Arth”

“I know and I'm doing my best, I don't want to have this weight of a responsibility…that's why I grounded myself with all my peers and friends because I know they're worth fighting for” he said as he's being done with his knitting and the vest is about to be completed.

“If you think I'm being passive about this whole entire crisis, I promised you I'm not” he said with a serious and tired tone.

He took a deep sigh as he was done knitting, the vest is ready to be used but Arth dropped it at the table and left for his room.

“I just need some rest okay, we can't always rush things up” he said as he went to his bed and left Altair in the living room.

“Are we all really goal oriented into saving the universe that we stopped enjoying the simplest things?” Altair asked as she looked at the LED screen projecting a makeshift cosmos.

“Maybe he learned to be a human even with all these powers” she said glowing her own green eyes indicating of using her time related powers too.

Altair looked at the vest Arth made as she took it with her.

The sun rises as Arth who just woke up is still looking ugly as his hair isn't fixed and his posture looks tired. He then heard a doorbell.

“I'll get it for you” Altair said already in her usual clothes but Arth noticed that she's wearing the vest he finished last night.

“Oh Hi Miss!” Gabby greeted her at the doorstep. “Is Mister Arth awake yet? He ordered a chili fries from Nanny”

“Hi Gabby!” Arth greeted tiredly

“Hi Mister Arth!” The kid greeted back.

“Hey, Altair can you get the chili fries from Gabby? I already paid for it with my card” he requested.

“Sure” she said as Arth left to go in the kitchen.

“Hey Miss Altair, are you Mister Arth’s girlfriend?” Gabby asked as Altair was dumbfounded in her question.

“No, Gabby…I'm a distant relative of Arth, I came here to look over him…our family kinda missed him a lot after her left” she lied as naturally as she breathed.

“I hope I get to have a family like you and Mister Arth…” she said with a voice of sadness.

“Why…?” She asked the little girl.

“My mommy is gone and my dad is in jail, they said he's the one who killed her but I know my dad didn't do it…He's my hero!” She said as she started crying 
Altair hugged her as she said “I know how it feels like to lose someone dear to me too” 

“What would he do if he was in this situation?” Altair asked herself as a glimpse of her mentor “Other Arth” popped in her mind, arms crossed with a smile.

“How about we hang out in the park?” She asked her “That would be nice right?”

Gabby wipes her tear as she smiled at her “I would love too since it only Nanny who took me out sometimes”

“Hey Arth, I'm just gonna put the Chili Fries here near the Vase as I'm going to take Gabby out in the park” she said 

Arth who now prepared himself a coffee drinks it infront of them as he replied “Sure”

“Alright let's go, Gabby” she said “Big Sis Altair is gonna take you to the park”
She then grabbed Gabby's hand as they're about to go before Arth stopped them.

“One more thing, Altair” he said “That vest I made for you fit you so well”

“Thanks for making it” she said

“Have fun you two!” He said as Altair and Gabby already left for the park.

Arth smiled as a hologram of Other Arth appeared in front of him.

“You almost gave me a heart attack!” he said in shock.

“I'm glad she arrived safe in your universe” he said 

“Yeah but Ouroboros still chased her down” he said “I think you're hiding something from me”

“I already told you everything I know [in my database]” the hologram replied.

“I thought that every single Arth have all their memories inside the hexahedron condensed into information?” He wondered

“It seems that there's some corrupted file on the memory drive of “Other Arth” sir” the A.I replied with the appearance of Other Arth.

“I still have so much to know….” He sighed as he sat in a chair relaxing.
“Are you ready to make another jump again?” The hologram asked

“What do you mean?” Arth asked with curiosity.

“Altair is right even though you kept yourself grounded and living your life in your universe…all of these cherishment will lost meaning if you don't make an action” 

“I'm aware how dire the situation is and after a few months of not jumping into another universe…Altair's arrival here put me in notice and how Ouroboros arrived here.” Arth said

The two Time Cogs in his possession illuminated as his tracker proceeded to show a new signal.

Chapter 14: Tales of Two Arths Part 2 End