Extra And MC-Chapter 204 - 200 - Hope

[What’s my name?]

That was the question that Liam asked.

Ken, upon hearing that question, frowned a bit and then responded;

[Liam. Liam Callagher. That’s your name.]

In response to that, Liam nodded in agreement and then replied;

[And you’re Ken. Ken Callagher.]

To that, Ken also nodded in agreement, only for he and Liam to immediately freeze when they realized what they had just deemed normal.

[But you are, also, Aiden. Aiden Belmont.] Flynn pointed out, the puzzling perplexity on his features, unmistakable, an expression Aiden also shared as he responded;

[And you, are Flynn. Flynn Belmont.]

No sooner had they both come to that realization, a sudden influx of info, one that should’ve originally being theirs, found its way into their brains.

Like a torrential surge, they both also, regained access to their Mana and Prana, the realization of what had happened this past 1000 years, dawning on them!

This wasn’t their first time finding themselves in this scenario!

Far more than that, this was their thousandth reboot, all as a result of dying to the traps present in the darn Astral Maze the gate before them opened up into!

In fact, the first few years they had arrived here, they didn’t remember a single thing, not even their names or who they were, making both of them feel like they were strangers whom had just stumbled into the wrong place together.

However, with each and every death they had experienced, a tiny bit of memory was returned to them, although any memory of them previously being in this place before was wiped clean.

That said, those constant deaths, had gradually piled up after the past millennium to return their core memories and personalities to them.

That return, of those core memories and personalities, was what had made it possible for them to really sit down and talk, just like they had always done from the onset to find solutions to all their problems.

This, as they had always done in the past, ultimately gave rise to the trigger they needed to finally, recover all their lost memories.

Coming to that mind blowing realization, Aiden and Flynn, also gained the ability to speak again!

"A thousand years Flynn!" Aiden exclaimed in trepidation!

"I know! This is bad. We need to get out of here pronto!" Flynn’s expression was one of genuine distress as he responded.

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Despite understanding that a thousand years here could mean a few hours on Arcanora, the youths understood clearly well that they still had to be back in time before the third wave.

Considering they had no exact conversion rate as to the exact amount of time they must’ve spent here relative to that of Arcanora’s, time was of the essence for them.

Turning to face the door, mana and prana coursing through their every cell, Aiden and Flynn, without a single moment wasted, pushed right though the gigantic, rune-engraved, glowing white gates!

-BAM!

Immediately finding themselves in the Astral Maze, one whose transparent glass walls were currently shifting, reflecting and refracting, a grateful appreciation, surfaced in their minds for Amael.

This glassy labyrinth, was one that was meant to trap any being, who so much as stepped foot in it, for all eternity.

Having experienced it multiple times over and over again for a thousand years, they knew exactly what the maze was doing.

By making navigation an endless cycle, it was created to prevent them from ever reaching Gaia’s abode, the Astral Plane itself.

Even Beelzebub, whom had figured out the route to the constantly shifting maze just like Amael, only did so after trying and trying for millenniums on end.

And yet, due to a certain siren song that was currently playing in their heads, one that had suddenly reset itself the moment they opened said gates, the brothers, followed through with it, effortlessly making their way through the kilometer-long maze.

That said, as if reminding them that truly, they did spend a thousand years in the Eternal Labyrinth, the youths, watched as a multitude of old skulls and bones, littered every path of the maze.

Gradually though, as they made their way through the maze, evading the traps along the way with ease now that they could use mana, two distinct set of bones, one that wasn’t human and one that was, became the most noticeable, their own bones nowhere to be found.

These two distinct set of bones, respectively, were Beelzebub’s and Amael’s, both of whom experienced the exact same thing as the youths and spent far longer in the Astral Maze than they could have ever known.

The only advantage they had over them however, and also one of the major reasons why they had recovered their memories at a faster rate, was because they hadn’t come alone.

Because they had someone to talk to, and were also familiar with each other, jogging each other’s memories and recovering said memories, had happened so much faster than that of Beelzebub’s and Amael’s, both of whom, came alone to the Astral Plane.

…

…

…

After many long hours and a few more minutes of constantly moving about the Astral Maze, Aiden and Flynn, finally reached the end.

Standing before the glowing gates, one that had a slightly radiant, golden hue to it, both, stared at the otherworldly lady with a luminous alabaster skin who sat before it, legs crossed and a curled fist, propping her angelic face.

Draped in a gown of glowing-white, silken threads, the material flowing like a waterfall, just like her silvery hair, the Gatekeeper, kept humming a tune, a tune Aiden and Flynn were all too familiar with.

’The siren song… it came from her…’ both immediately deduced, wondering just how exactly Amael had replicated and infused it into the celestial orbs.

Having noticed their presence, the Gatekeeper, slowly raised her head up to stare at the youths before her.

Gazing at them for a few seconds, her shimmering irises with various iridescent hues of sapphire and jade, seemingly scrutinizing their entire beings, the youths, kept quiet, waiting for her to speak.

Before her, for some reason or the other, they felt… naked.

And yet, there seemed to be not a single ounce of malice in her gaze.

Soon, after about a minute had passed, she spoke, her echoing and reverberating voice, celestial, dignified, and yet, symphonic;

"To reach the Astral Plane, you must answer a question."

"To answer wrongly, is to restart your journey from the beginning of the Astral Maze."

"To answer correctly, is to gain access to the Astral Plane."

"Are you ready?" she asked, her expression casual and nonchalant.

Letting out a deep breath of air, knowing fully well that this was it; the last obstacle to reaching Amael, Aiden and Flynn responded in unison;

"Yes. We are."

"Good." the Gatekeeper responded and then asked;

"Everyone and everything, regardless of how great or powerful, eventually, dies."

"No matter how long something or someone lives, death is always the inevitable, looming above the heads of anything to ever exist."

"Now tell me, if death is inevitable, what is it, that death, is unable to kill?"

Staring at them, waiting for an answer, the Gatekeeper, watched as the humans before her, began to contemplate.

Truly, nothing escapes death.

The brothers knew that.

But, at the same time, for people whom had escaped death many times, enough to make them even reincarnate into Arcanora, there was only one answer.

An answer, that Aiden and Flynn, even if they had been asked years prior to this exact moment, would’ve still answered with the warmest of smiles.

"Hope." the brothers, simultaneously answered.

That was the one thing, the one entity that death, no matter how much of a finality it was for anything, could never kill off completely.

That was an undeniable truth, Aiden and Flynn, believed to be right.

Even if it died in one person, another person would carry it on.

Even if the entire universe burned to the ground, a sliver of hope would live on somewhere, existing till eventually, it found more and more people to carry it on.

Having said that though, the youths, watched as the Gatekeeper, stared at them for a few seconds, and then, with a warm smile, one that reciprocated theirs, she stated;

"You may proceed to the Astral Plane."

No sooner had she said that, the giant doors behind her opened up with a bright wave of luminescent, glowing-white light.

Staring at the sight before them, the brothers, giving the Gatekeeper a grateful nod, soon walked past her and right through the gates.

After they had walked in, the gates still stayed open, almost as if waiting for them to come back out.

As this was happening, the Gatekeeper, soon allowed for a radiant smile to bloom on her features.

"Ah~. Humans will always be the outliers. Always…" Gaia commented with a small sigh.

Actually, the riddle thing was bullshit in every sense of the word.

Since they had already escaped the loops and the maze, they had already done the necessary and there was actually no reason for her to have asked such a question, before granting them access to the Astral Plane.

In fact, their answer, however philosophical as it might’ve seemed, was utter rubbish to her.

Nothing could actually survive death really.

Not even hope, as they had put it.

However, her question, was one that was only done to gauge their beings, beliefs and wills.

To see through their spirits and ensure, that they were of good souls.

Because, only a good soul, would be willing to go to such lengths to save their world.

That was the only thing Gaia was after.

Considering she had returned, a few years after Amael had taken her place, she had allowed for him to stay in the Astral Plane instead because she knew he wanted the best for Arcanora.

As for Beelzebub who wanted to forcefully make his way through the gates after failing to answer her riddle these past few millenniums, she had simply, allowed for him to only have an audience with him, serving as a gatekeeper to prevent untoward The Demon King from reaching him.

But as for Aiden and Flynn Belmont, information she had garnered just from the single answer they had given her, she deemed them worthy enough to finally, take Amael, out of the plane.

…

…

…

Stepping foot into the Astral Plane, the atmosphere was just as they remembered when they had glimpsed it during the incident in the Crystal Caverns.

And standing right before them, just a few meters away, was Amael, hands placed behind his back as he watched the Fate Globe, one that had almost changed into a complete hue of white.

Noticing their presence too, Amael soon turned around, greeting the youths with the warmest of smiles;

"Hello Liam and Ken Callagher. We meet again."