Dododex

ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion

The Arks: Over Heaven

Epilogue: Closure

Original Post Date: Oct 7, 2024

Note: The story starts in Wyvern.

~

Hey.

It’s me. Ben.

Been a while since I’ve written in this thing. I thought I was done with writing, especially after everything that happened. Not on the island, though. I think you know what I mean. If you don’t, then, that’s okay. I didn’t ask for you to know.

You’re probably wondering how I’m talking to you like this. Truth is, I’m the author of this book. And you’re probably wondering how I know. About the others. How they felt and all of that. Well, just know that you can always tell what someone’s thinking by their eyes.

I never wanted to write about this. But I needed to take my mind off things.

Not everyone gets their good ending. I know that much, even though I wish it were the case all of the time. It’s reality. The truth. Time and time, we all suffer. The power falls in the hands of fate.

You might be wondering why this isn’t my story, then, if I’m the one writing it. Frankly, I didn’t want to write about myself. There’s a lot of things I don’t want to tell you. Not anymore. And I think Samuel deserved the spotlight more than I did.

Hey, if you’re still reading? Maybe you should stop.

I don’t really get this whole ‘constellation’ thing myself. It always confused me. I never could really grasp it. But I think now I am. So, I’ll say it right now: you probably want to know my ending. That’s why you’re here. Or, maybe not? Maybe you’re just curious. Maybe you’ve stumbled upon this by pure chance. But I think I’m starting to understand what she was talking about.

We’re all books. Poems. Stories. Waiting to be read and uncovered.

And someone’s always watching.

You. And everyone else, who’s eyes also grace this text.

Hell, I’d know because I haven’t shown anyone this story. But everytime I finished a chapter of the story, everytime I revealed a bit more about someone, the stars sparkled ever so slightly. Even in the lonely night of the West. That can’t be a coincidence, right?

I’m tired. You couldn’t understand how this feels. Knowing your whole life was a story to be told to beings in the sky you can’t even see or reach.

Maybe if nobody reads my ending, then it would have never happened.

Maybe if nobody reads my ending, things will be okay. Is it selfish of me to ask you to stop reading my ending, instead of someone else’s? Maybe. No, it is. I know it is.

I never asked for closure.

The others did.

I didn’t want it to end. Really, I did. How is it her fault that she knows more than she lets on?

There’s no point in trying anymore.

I give up.

~

I remember it clearly. Walking up to the steps of my home, where my family would be waiting, worried sick. I was so exhausted. And tired. The memories didn’t come flooding in immediately. Only until after I opened my gift.

I remember stepping away from the front door. I felt a call to go back to her. And I listened to the call. I remember messaging my family. That I wouldn’t be back for a while. I think that would have held them over.

I remember walking into the plane back home. The doors closing, and then the silence. It was so, so quiet. I reflected on my journey. What was the point? Why go through all of that?

I remember looking down. I felt something in my pocket. I reached into it, and pulled out a gift. The gift my father gave me that long, long time ago. I felt surprised. What was this doing here? I didn’t remember touching it for so long.

I didn’t question it. I put my fingers on the lid, and then peeled the lid off.

Inside was a note, and a variety of trinkets.

I inspected the trinkets. A used syringe, a piece of gauze, a coin, a candle, some pieces of grass, and a plastic wand. They didn’t intrigue me. But they felt familiar to me. It reminded me of my cousins, for some reason. I felt my mind spark.

There was a watch. I took it out. It wasn’t a fancy one. It looked like something survivalists would use. I slipped it on my wrist. I felt familiarity wash over my bones.

The final trinket was a necklace with a gold, four-pointed star. This definitely felt familiar.

I put the necklace on, and looked at the note at the bottom.

“Don’t forget.”

And suddenly, I began to remember!

Everything came rushing into my head like a truck. Every single adventure, every single friendship, every single conflict. It was as if a lock was broken off in my mind. It had been there all this time, just tucked away in a place where I could never remember. Had I really asked Emma to make me forget? I had. I didn’t want to return, but I knew I would have eventually. I needed that world to move on. He was right.

I looked at the palms of my hands. I didn’t feel an urge to go though. Even after everything. Even after John. Even after Ian stopped communication, even after Paul hid away in his home, even after I saw Carlos wandering the city without purpose.

Someone was still waiting for me back home.

Her.

~

The rest of the plane ride, I heard many unwanted thoughts. I pushed them away, knowing who it was. Not this time.

After walking out of the plane, I remember bumping into an old man. That felt blurry. He asked me if I was okay, since I looked tired. And he said I looked familiar. I guess he couldn’t recognize me from the news about Terran High. That’s another thing. I remember hearing the whispers about it in the West. For a moment, the violence that resided seemed to fade. Many seemed to be in mourning, out of respect.

Anyway, the old man asked me if I was okay, right? Yeah, he did. I remember saying I was, and that I just had intense jet lag. It was nice of him to ask me.

He introduced himself as Old Man Johnson. Apparently, one of his grandchildren was a victim of Terran High. He never said who it was. We had a nice chat about it. I remember feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. At least someone could understand.

I remember him wishing me good luck. And I wished him luck as well.

I walked out of the airport, breathing in the air. It felt musky, and rough. Just at home. It was still day time. I remember it being around 1:13 PM. I wondered what she was doing. Was she worried? Probably not. She knew it all.

Sometimes I wish she didn’t know so much.

Maybe what happened wouldn’t have happened.

~

The sun was beginning to set, its streaks of light blending away with the rest of the sky.

I remember walking down familiar streets, filled with unfamiliar people. Everyone seemed so quiet. Everything seemed so quiet. The West was something, to say the least.

I remember passing by the cemetery. I looked out at all of the graves. It reminded me of what happened. And then I felt a sudden urge to visit. I grasped my red backpack straps.

When was I carrying this?

I didn’t remember. But I had a feeling I knew who it was.

I pushed past into the lively grass. Rays of light pushed eerie fog out of the way. It was like it was parting for me. There wasn’t a sense of dread entering the cemetery, but release. Some form of, I guess you could call it peace. These people were at peace.

I remember traveling far. And far, and far, until I couldn’t walk anymore.

It was quiet. There was nothing except the sound of the hollow wind. And the chirping of birds. Flowers bloomed under my footsteps. It reminded me of her again. And then, I felt a bouquet of flowers grow in my hand. Light blue hibiscus. I remembered all the promises I broke.

“Take care of this flower, will you?”

“You have my word we will meet again safely.”

“Find a purpose, okay? Promise me. Promise me you will find a purpose in this life.”

“Promise me one day you’ll be able to understand others as I have.”

“I promise I’ll come back. And we can do the things we were destined to do. I promise, I promise.”

I clutched onto the bouquet tighter. I felt the grass under my feet shift, suddenly. The soft, hard touch of the stems brushed against my hand. The backpack I wore felt heavier, and my watch felt uncomfortable. The wind slowly dragged my hair and thin black jacket to the side.

The air felt heavier.

I mustered energy to take a few steps.

I took a moment to look.

It’s her name, embedded into the gravestone. A visible death date, and birthday scribbled on. Nothing but a name, and no flowers in sight.

Can’t say that I was surprised either.

I just thought that maybe, MAYBE I could have gotten a good ending, like we always dreamed of. Maybe, I could’ve seen her again. Maybe my broken promises could have been forgiven. Maybe I wouldn’t be here, placing the flowers atop the resting site.

Too late. No going back now.

…

Maybe in another timeline. Maybe some other version of me is out there, having fun.

I guess, this situation is on me.

I gently move away. My jacket tugs at my body, begging me to stay. But I know I can’t.

A faint, familiar laugh rings in my ear. Then, the voice tells me it’s okay. She forgives me. I didn’t have to be upset.

That was probably just my imagination.

~

There was just a single bench, rooted in the grass of some strange place. It felt odd to me. I could see worlds upon worlds in the distance.

There was someone sitting on the bench. It looked familiar. A wisp made of shadows and light, cowering.

I walked up to the bench and sat down next to it. Voids swirled in place of where its head should have been. It looked like it was in pain. I glanced into the voids. For so long, I could never understand it. But now I could. I read its eyes.

I suppose we weren’t so different after all.

We both want things to go back to how they were, right? For different reasons. Still. I think we both know that’s not possible.

I remember we both sat there for a while. We both sulked, looking out at the many worlds akin to our own. Its plan didn’t go well, obviously. Now it was worse off. I still wonder if it regretted giving Dan Walker those blueprints. Or the element. I think it did.

At last, it said something.

“At first you were my prison. Then you became my hope.”

I’m sorry I got your hopes up, Key Master. Back when we first entered that world. Things are different here.

“You didn’t ask to be created,” I told him, “Like how I didn’t ask to be put through all of that.”

“I’m sorry.”

Its words were filled with grief and pain. It sounded more human than I did.

“Maybe, the only thing you can do is move on,” I suggested, “It’s the only way.”

The Key Master nodded.

“You’re right. It is the only way.”

The Key Master closed its eyes. Tears dribbled down its face.

It had no other words, as it faded away into nothingness.

I looked back out at the worlds.

At least one of them had a happy ending, right?

Who knows.

I’m just a walker of stars, after all. Lost in my dreams. And dwelling on those who remain over heaven.