Episode Thirty-Seven: Greetings, Chosen

== Episode Thirty-Six: Greetings, Chosen ==
Castor tears her gaze from the only friends she has in the world, wishing desperately she weren’t leaving them in such dire straits and runs. She hears the sounds of battle. Gunshots, lightning, yelling. But they fade as she runs.
She runs.
And runs.
And runs.
The blinding white light surrounding her gives nothing away. She squints to try making anything out but eventually she has to close her eyes entirely. It quickly becomes apparent she has no idea where she is. She shields her eyes to see. It gets so bright a throbbing begins at her temples but she continues her sprint, her pace unwavering.
Until at last there is a break in the monotony: birds singing, running water. Then she feels a soft, warm breeze. The light fades and now she’s able to see. A small stream trickles, passing under a quaint footbridge. It leads to a pond filled with lilies, swans, fish, and frogs. Past that and up a small hill is a huge oak. Beneath it, a small gazebo sits. There, a man stands with his back turned, adorned in white robes. 
Her feet slow to a walk as she takes in the new environment and her fatigue catches up with her. She walks cautiously up to the gazebo panting, out of breath. Castor’s legs shake either from exertion or nerves but probably both. The man remains silent. 
Her voice is louder than she intends in the tranquil environment as she says, “Excuse me, please, can you help my friends?!” 
He turns around revealing the same man she spoke to in her dreams so long ago. A halo arches over his head. He smiles and says softly, “hello, Castor. I’ve been waiting here for you since…well it’s been a long time. I knew you would come. Do you know who I am?”
“Um. I think I know but I don't actually know for sure—I mean— Can-can you help my friends?”
“Your friends? You are concerned for them?”
“Yes!”
“You do not have to be.”
“But they… I— Please?”
“Look now and be at peace.” He gestures, sweeping his arm back and offering up the view. She looks about and finds everything around them has stopped. The leaves falling from the tree stop midair, the stream’s flow ceases, the frogs halt mid croak, flying birds frozen on high. “I have halted the conflict. He gestures to his side where a glowing portal appears showing an image of an equally motionless Ivetta, Tobias, and Ellen frozen mid-battle. “I have halted every conflict. For you.”
Castor looks a bit wary. “Err- thank you. Um, I think… I know who you are but can you please tell me? Make everything clear. I mean you certainly display a lot of the signs of being God.”
“I am. But also, I am not. I am everything. I am nothing. I am what you might call ‘The Creator.’ This form you see is just one I thought would be pleasing to you. It is not my true form.”
Confused Castor asks, “What’s your true form?” 
“I will show you.” He transforms into a different person. Neither man, nor woman dressed in brown robes. They have earthy green skin and multicolored markings all over their body. Their hair flows to the floor, almost weightlessly behind them.
Castor’s jaw drops open. “Oh– you’re— you’re glorious.” Shaking herself she asks, “W-why are you waiting for me?”
“All the right questions. In due time, Castor.”
“But time doesn’t pass anymore. You stopped it. I–I don’t understand.”
“We have all the time in the world. You need not worry.”
“What world? We were just in this crazy maze—void thing where I was evil and my friends were all dead! What is this? What was that? Can you explain anything?”
“I will explain and answer all your questions.”
“Please.”
“I have called you here, Castor. Do you remember?” She nods in the affirmative. “Your mission is the mission of all Chati. Your mission has been the one to succeed where all the others failed.”
“So, this was some kind of test?”
“In a way. You are a Chati, Castor but you are very special. You just met another Chati, my son, the first Chati.”
“That poor man out there, in the hall? The dying one?”
“The one whom you and your companions fought. He is very…arrogant. Most young men are. Like my son, you Castor, are my daughter. You are the last Chati. Every one of them has led to you.” Castor can hardly speak; a small fearful sound escapes her mouth but nothing more. “There is no need to be afraid, Castor.”
“But if everyone before me f-failed then they’re all dead in that maze or dead somewhere else.”
“Most of them never made it to the maze. Like you Castor, I gave them free will. The ones who did come, chose to come here.”
“Why did they fail, and I succeed? I’ve seen the lives some of them led. They were heroes, smart and strong.”
“I did not wish to make them suffer. I hope in time you will come to understand why you had to go on the journey you did.”
Slightly exasperated, her anger flares, “I understand the journey is important. The struggle and being challenged is a good thing but why am I here? What was the point? Why did I do this? Why did I–” she cuts herself off, reigning in her emotions and taking a calming breath. 
“I will answer this.” The Creator pauses briefly. “I know everything. But even with all the knowledge in the world, I can be blind. I created you. The Chati to help me solve a very specific problem. You are the culmination of this. I hope for your help. The world as you know it, the Caelium, the different realms. It didn’t used to be the way it is. Rather than fractured, it was once whole. One. The realms as you know them are simply part of that world. Time works differently, each its own separate instance continuing a simple progression from one to another. And for a time, I let my creations do as they like. As I did with you and all my creations. I gave them free will. I let them be free.” 
She pauses again awaiting questions Castor might pose but she remains silent and attentive. “But there is a problem. One that grew as humanity progressed. No doubt you have seen this manifest in the Caelium. In the real world, the one that wasn’t fractured, men simply believed in demons and monsters but in the Caelium, man’s imaginings became reality. No doubt you have seen this. But as time progressed man slowly stopped worrying about what wasn’t real and began to fear what was. Humanity sought to dominate itself. To subjugate, to rule. These ideals consumed humanity. Greed, hatred, ignorance. It all destroyed my creation from within. A self-destructive spiral until my creation destroyed itself.
They launched a war so terrible, so devastating that none could survive. My creation had destroyed itself and I had failed. I did what I thought I could only do. I stopped time. I couldn’t watch. I didn’t want to. Instead, I sought to understand where I went wrong. I took key moments from history. The history of humanity. I cordoned them off to study. Eventually I gave each realm what they believed to be real. But this did not give me the answer for which I searched. I needed a new solution. I needed a perspective I lacked. A limited perspective. A cohort of memories, experiences throughout time but from a mortal’s perspective. From your perspective. I gave you powers to defend yourself. I let the Chati, as you call them, travel freely. Call them what you will, the name does not matter, but their purpose—that is what truly matters. What I seek from them. What I seek from you, Castor. Should you like to aid me.”
Castor, overwhelmed by the information, starts to sink into a chair she prays is behind her. As it happens, one appears right beneath her. She takes several long minutes to process and simply breathe.
“So… all the realms we went to are these… pockets.”
“Yes.”
“Now you have all these realms and all these memories, these things to look at. You can solve the problem now, right?”
“I created the Chati to get them, yes.”
“but…I don’t have any answers!”
“You can help.”
“I contributed to your memory stream thing, can’t you– I don’t know, assess that?”
“As you talk, Castor, the memories of your past lives will surface as necessary. You will understand the others.”
“So, you just want me to talk about everything I’ve ever seen in every life?” 
“They will be there as I ask questions. I need to know. When did it all go wrong? Why did humanity destroy itself? I can give you any information you wish. Answer any question you have, but eventually we must come to some kind of conclusion. I need to know what to do.”
“Can’t people just live in their little realms forever?”
“If you believe that is the solution.” 
“I—I don’t know.”
“I could destroy it all, Castor, start anew.”
Castor bolts up from the bench, “NO! No! No, no, no, no! That’s not—no!”
“Perhaps free will was a mistake. The suffering it causes could be prevented.”
“But without free will, there would be no point.”
“I know. But perhaps there is a moment in history, something happens that we can pinpoint and I might alter to fix this destruction.”
“What if they always destroy themselves and there’s nothing we can do?”
“They have only ever destroyed themselves once. That was the culmination of many years. Perhaps the Caelium is the solution, shall I leave everything as it is? Yet, even in the Caelium, man broke past barriers that I erected. I realized they came up with solutions I didn’t think possible. They gained the ability to jump between these isolated worlds. A power only previously held by Chati.”
“Yeah. They even created an organization to specifically hunt and find us.”
“The Kaldien. Yes and no. They have a complicated history.” 
“Please share. I am very curious.”
“That is a long story. But I shall tell you a short version for now. They were originally founded by a Chati. They have been around for trillions of years although you can’t track the history of an organization that has lasted multiple timelines. Their ideologies shifted over time. At first, they hunted magic abusers. This turned into hunting Chati. After that Mallum came to power and they began targeting and killing Chati. After he left, they continued hunting until the Chati fell into myth.” 
Castor’s mind whirls but grasps the general gist and nods. “People are endlessly creative, we can’t assume whatever barriers you raise won’t be broken.” She sits and ponders for a time, “When people started prioritizing themselves over the greater good, I think that was a start.”
“When was that? People have always been greedy. Greed is not something I can eliminate, not to also have free will.”
“Can we ask my friends?”
The Creator sighs patiently, “Castor–”
“They’re very wise. They’re smarter than I am. I don’t know why you want my help!”
“That is why. Your humility, Castor. What you have seen. I want–”
Uncharacteristically, Castor interrupts stressing, “I’ve seen that other people are smarter than me and make better decisions than I do. On a daily basis!” 
“I want your perspective, Castor. Just yours.”
Castor sighs and nods. “Alright. But I can’t promise a perfect solution or even a half decent one.” The Creator gives her a smile, shaking their head at first before nodding encouragingly. 
Castor takes a long time to contemplate. Thinking about how to possibly fix this. What the goal is. The very point of life. How free will is completely necessary. How to spare the most amount of life–it is precious and sacred. How struggle is needed–If there are never bad people or pain then there would be nothing to rise up for or against. Perhaps if empathy were a stronger emotion? To band together a more natural instinct? But then that might turn sour—evil may be a stronger output. Perhaps make them feel how they act toward others? And what of magic? Does it help or hinder? The people of the Caelium broke the rules set for them, this should also be considered. And at the same time she must have faith in people. For every evil there is a good to balance it. Feeling the fate of the universe pressing on her shoulders she struggles to find a solution. 
“What-what if I give you bad information. What if I mess it up or-or make the wrong decision? What if I just make it worse?”
“It will be the right decision. Even with all the knowledge of the universe, I made mistakes. I need your help to make it better.”
“There was no one moment that things shifted for the worse. I think that’s it's a culmination of how people coped with their problems. If we give them more options, more resources, perhaps that they have to earn, it gives them another way to express their ideas.” Castor stands up and paces back and forth. “If everyone is given inherent magic and must complete a journey of self realization to earn it, that might give good a chance to rise. If bad should come to power, good might gather in more force to counteract it.” Seemingly having come to a decision, Castor comes to a stop and tells The Creator, “Magic should be a part of the world.” 
“It will be done.” The Creator bows their head only pausing briefly before intoning, “The second problem I have is that the people on Earth are about to die. I have perpetually frozen them in time until I make a decision. The real Earth needs its fate written.” 
“That Earth is at the point of dying? What we saw, the streaks, the explosions… What was the plan before I got here?”
“My plan was you, Castor.”
“Can’t you just disappear the bombs? An act of God?”
“They chose to destroy themselves. Over hundreds of years they chose to destroy their planet from within. If I unpause time, they will be gone. I can take away those bombs but the decisions to launch them will still be.”
“Will the planet be dead or will there be life again?”
“They’ll die. Everything they are or had been will be gone.” 
“We have to help somehow. What if you change…no.” Several times Castor perks up and begins to pitch an idea but then she thinks on it harder for a few more moments then deflates and returns hypothesizing. Finally, she sits up slightly, “The Earth will be destroyed if we let events take place. Effectively, right now everyone, everything is dead. We can’t just wipe their memories and set back a few minutes, that would be chaos. If we scrub the face of the planet of buildings and such not touching the people that removes their history, a blank slate. But there’s too many people, if we take everything there won’t be enough resources to survive. Unless we give them magic, or split them up, there would immediately begin conflict.” 
Castor puts her head in her hands. 
“I can do anything, Castor. I can move them. I can break the population into smaller groups and put on separate planets with no memory of Earth. I can give them magic, change the situation, new parameters, new life.”
“They can start fresh but…nothing of them will be left. They’ll be alive but the art, the history, the stories…they’ll all be gone.”
“They will create again, Castor. Mortals love to create almost as much as I.”
Castor sighs, “it is the best idea so far, I suppose. Alright, yes. Separate them, give them new homes and let them start again. This time with magic they must earn. Perhaps they will not destroy themselves but then again, they might. It's not a perfect solution but I don’t have one of those. This is the best I can do.”
Castor raises her head to look at The Creator and gives Them a rare, crooked smile.
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“A last thing I ask of you Castor, what do you want me to do about you, your friends, the Caelium? Everyone there is real, is alive. What shall I do? Shall I leave you, return you to your world, your time or anywhere in the Caelium. I could wipe your mind and allow you to live in blissful ignorance. I can do anything for you. What do you want me to do?”
This time Castor is sure of her answer, well, as sure as Castor can be. “I want everything to be the same, I think.”
“Wholey unedited?”
“N-no.”
“How shall I change it? How do you want me to untangle this mess I have brought you in.”  
“Father Tobias has to go back to his Germany with everything he needs to fix the revenant problem. Mrs. Ba- Mary Ellen should return to her time as well, wherever will make her happiest.” She hesitates and averts her eyes from the glorious form of The Creator, “And Gerrard…is he happy?”
“He is stable. That depends on what you mean.”
“I– I hurt him. He deserves happiness. He should be returned to his home and forget me, forget all the pain and anguish I caused him. Please, wipe his memory of me and make sure he– he finds someone.”
“Is that what you want? He chose to go with you, Castor.”
“I should have known... I was selfish. He should not suffer for it. Please.”
“Alright. It will be done.” 
Castor swipes a tear from her cheek and sniffs before facing The Creator once again. “What timeline are we in? Does Ivetta grow up with her father?”
“The father that Ivetta had, the one she knew as a child is dead. The one you have met, the one you know is a different one altogether.”
“Where did he come from, why was he there?” 
“His name is Titus. He was born in Rome, at the center of the Empire in 86 CE, he joined a legionary at 19 and served in some minor skirmishes against Barbarians. He was wounded and nursed back to health by a mysterious woman, Ivetta’s mother, who disappeared into the woods. He finished his tour of duty and returned to the woods, looking for the woman, to no avail. His search became all encompassing, it eventually took him to Rome’s dark underbelly.
“There Titus met his future master, Muhammad, who was a very old man, who had already trained Titus earlier in life. Muhammad began to teach Titus, but abruptly died. Titus eventually ran into a younger Muhammad, who he convinced to continue his training. Titus learned of magic from the Kaldin’s 6th edict, those who hunted Chati, traveling to the Temple to learn. He disagreed with Muhammad on many of his teachings, and the teachings of the Kaldin.
“He graduated at the age of 24, by this point his dream of finding the mysterious woman was diminished in his mind, still there, but not as before. Eventually, he was sent out with a band to capture a Chāti. He followed his orders, returning him to the Temple. He did this for a few years, until a fateful mission capturing a child Chāti, I believe you know her as Elizabeth, this was too much for Titus. Titus helped the Chāti escape, and he was branded a traitor while being chased from the Island. 
“Titus helped the Chāti stay safe for 7 years, on the run with her, he taught her magic, and she in turn taught him about the true nature of the Chāti. Eventually, after jumping many islands together, they parted ways. The Chāti gave him a waypoint, which he wears around his neck, that will send him to where she has decided to hide. A few years later Titus found himself in Germany. Hiding his magic, he took a job as a marshall for a wealthy benefactor.”
Castor looks stunned. She just nods for a few moments before she gives a self conscious chuckle, “heh, he really doesn’t like sharing. Titus, huh?” She sighs, “so Ivetta’s father is dead but Hollen-Titus is there now. I…I want Ivetta to be happy. She should get everything she wants. She’s protected me so long, she deserves peace.” 
“I can tell you what Ivetta wants, but what she wants and what she needs might not be the same. For the Caelium to work I have to keep things the way they are. If I don't, the world will break down quickly. If I change it, many Ivetta’s will appear in her new version of Florence in different timelines. However, if I made all Florences one in the same, infinite Ivettas would flood in one after the other.”
Castor turns fearful, “I–I don’t want that. But I want her to be happy. With her family.”
“I can give her her family, but I can’t make her happy.”
“Yes, but her duty to you is fulfilled. Please give her the chance to be happy and safe.”
“I can make Florence safe. I can kill anyone who would oppose you.”
“I don’t want that! That’s too…harsh. I– just keep things the way they are and let her be at home.” Castor wonders vaguely if she was too unspecific for the requests of her other friends. When The Creator asks,“Now what of your enemies, Castor? Viridis and Marco. And the pain they’ve caused you. Would you have me punish them for their sins?”
Confused Castor says, “what? Sins? N-no. They suffered more in their lives than I ever did at their hands.” 
“Would you have me prevent their suffering all together? What would you have me do? I can take them from the moment of their deaths and keep them forever. Whatever you desire.” 
“What if they had never come with us at all? They stayed in Florence.”
“They would still have gone. I can’t erase their free will.”
“But you asked them to go!”
“They made the decision.”
“What if you never asked them?”
The Creator smiles sadly, “I cannot change this. Castor, no matter how much I scrub, I cannot erase what has occurred. If anyone, I will know it has happened even if no one else does. That it was real.” 
Castor contemplates a few moments before speaking softly. “Take them from the moment just before their deaths, heal them, and return them to the ones they love, without memories or magic… let them live in peace the rest of their days.”
“It will be done. Castor, thank you. Now one final matter is at hand. What shall I do with you? What can I do for you? I will give you anything.”
“M-me?”Castor hesitates and gives a nervous chuckle, “I–I’ve never known what I've wanted… I thought I wanted to provide for my mother, I thought I wanted to get rid of my magic. Now this is…over…I…I don’t know what I want but I don’t want to forget. I will remember all my mistakes and all my victories. I’m happy just remaining…me.”
“Do you want to be with your friends?”
“They live in their own times.” She smiles sadly, “I won’t be selfish enough to drag them alongside me anymore.”
“You can do whatever you want. If you want to see them.”
“I could have the ability to go see them whenever I want?”
“I can’t grant you that,” The Creator shakes their head, “you already have the ability, Castor.”
“But I don’t–the waypoints aren’t exact– I don’t know how to use them again, to detach them from their times.”
“Now you do.”
A look of incredulity dawns on Castor’s face, “I want to continue doing what I have been. I want to help people.”
“Then you will. I will leave the Caelium as it is. It will be wholly apart from the other worlds. Whatever solutions you came up with to problems will be their own. You have helped me, Castor. Thank you.”
Castor blushes and seems at a loss for words. “I hope…well, you’ll call on me again if I made the wrong decision, right?” 
The Creator shakes their head, smiling broadly, “I’ll give you this stone,” a smooth round, blueish stone appears in their hand. Castor cups her hands and receives the stone, it pulses and gives off a gentle warmth. “You can contact me through this if you want or need for anything. Castor, I am truly grateful. Thank you, my daughter.” 
Then Castor blinks and everything is white.
Epilogue