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I saw the death of a world today. It was the first time I had been there firsthand. I’ve heard them happening, of course. I’ve even got to see it happen a few times. Not too often though. It’s hard to be in the right place at the right time. It can happen all sorts of ways. Some of them will slowly crumble away, growing smaller and smaller until it completely disappears while others will go out with a bang. I’ve seen the aftermath of the latter from far away, usually when I wasn’t paying attention. They’re like flashes in the corners of my eyes. By the time, I look over, there’s only a bright glow, illuminating everything around it. Smaller worlds get caught in these blasts, either being incinerated in seconds or dying a slow death as they burn into nothingness. Sometimes whole clusters are wiped out at once, creating an absence of light in the inky void they once occupied. What’s strange is that, despite being the most noticeable, they hardly ever happen. Most of these ‘stars’ just vanish. I could watch them, stare with intention, and I don’t see anything. No dwindling light or massive shine absorbing everything in its path. They simply disappear, as if their light was quickly snuffed out or something large came in front of it. I’ve had a lot of theories, all without any evidence. The one that’s always made the most sense to me was the idea of a snake. It crawls through the dark, opening its maw wide while these universes flow in without resistance. It’s like a whale with its mouth open, eating anything that finds itself unlucky enough to wind up inside. This snake is the whale, and these worlds are the fish, destined to become this creature’s next meal. Perhaps they had given up, surrendering themselves to an inevitable death. Or maybe they weren’t even aware of what was happening until it all went dark. It was a sad fate either way. It’s a fate that feels so familiar even if I can’t place my finger on why. Although I’ve seen these deaths unfold, I’ve never been in it. Although I’ve witnessed these deaths, it has only been from outside, only being able to imagine these horrors. That was until today. I saw the death of a world with my own eyes today.

I was standing in a field when I awoke. The air was drenched with a thick fog, obscuring anything in the distance. The air was humid, causing me to sweat a little and make my clothes stick to my body. The passing wind was biting cold and, even though my skin was free of goosebumps, I could feel something deep down inside me freeze. Deep droning ominously passed through the field, smoothly blending with the gusts of wind while also drowning it out. They fluctuated in volume as if the source was repeatedly getting closer and then farther away. Looking around, I noticed an old man staring into the horizon. His eyes seemed glazed over like he was deep in thought. Following his trail of sight, I noticed a town. Despite the thick fog, it was still distinguishable. The outlines formed silhouettes of ruined buildings and rapidly decaying infrastructure. What could have caused all this, I wondered. Was it the fog? I crossed my arms and brought my hand to my mouth in a thinking position, my tails swishing slowly back and forth. At that moment, it hit me. I was in my own body instead of inhabiting someone’s mind. It was strange as this kind of thing has never happened before. I was inside the world, looking around, when I could only look in from the outside normally. Doubting myself, I looked down towards the ground as my eyes found my clothes on my body. My tattered tank top with one shoulder covered by an oddly pristine cropped cardigan reaching down to my exposed navel. My jeans were ripped and tattered as well, same with my socks. My old scars covered my body, my ears stood tall, and three tails protruded from the back of my waist. This was me, alright. Just how I was before I woke up here. While I was studying myself with confusion, the old man seemed to leave his state of deep thought and had turned around, beginning to walk in the opposite direction. It seemed he was paying no mind to me standing right beside him. Perhaps he had simply ignored me or, maybe, he simply couldn’t see me at all. He was walking towards an old cabin that showed its age in more ways than one. It wasn’t run down and collapsed like the buildings in the town, but it was apparent that it had definitely seen better days. I began to follow him as the cabin came into a clearer view. It seemed like a single room as no extensions or upper floors could be seen, not from here anyways. The wood looked wet and somewhat rotten, some planks hanging by mere nails on the wall. Despite that, I couldn’t see inside through any of the holes. Only one or two shudders were attached to the windows, barely hanging on for dear life. Tall grass grew around the foundation, covering most of it. By the door leading inside, there was a small patio, although that might have been stretching it. Most of the floorboards were caved in and a few supports underneath had broken, causing it to sag. It was nothing short of decrepit and I could hardly imagine anyone living here. Its image during its glory days was lost to time, it seems. The man sat down in a chair outside his door. He had a good view of the area, I think. The fog was too heavy to tell. I came up to him and stood right in front of his eyes. He looked right through me, staring at the horizon line. I shifted my gaze from the man to the pseudo-porch around us. There wasn’t much, other than some pots and a nearly identical chair sitting empty next to him. It would’ve been an exact copy if it weren’t for the carvings across it. They looked like flowers and vines. Faded paint showed some kind of color that was added later on. I lowered myself into the seat. I’m not sure why I did. Maybe it was to keep him company, even though I knew he couldn’t see me. Maybe I thought he could sense my presence next to him, even if he couldn’t perceive me. The droning began to increase in volume with it alternating between sounding close and feeling like it was right on top of me. The fog grew thicker, eventually enveloping any view of the decayed town left. The old man showed no fear and seemingly no desire to leave. I resonated that there wouldn’t be anywhere to go, even if he did. All he did was sigh, picking up an acoustic guitar next to him. As he began to tune the strings, something happened. In this moment, my mind was filled to the brim with emotions and memories. They were just clear enough to understand what was happening, but not enough to understand why. He began playing a solemn tune while I began reflecting on my situation, thinking about this town. Even if I would never know why this fog was here, I could theorize. Maybe this was some supernatural event or something from the depths of space. Maybe this universe has closing in on itself, forcing all life to here. The scientists would warn the public and nobody would listen. The streets would be filled with people shouting their sins to the sky, praying for any kind of salvation, while onlookers called them crazed beggars. People would call it a government plot while others paid it no mind. Then it arrived, and eventually, this tiny town on the edge of the world became the only thing left in it. The droning seemed to get louder, circling the cabin like vultures circling their prey. This small cabin had become the entirety of the observable universe itself, all brought to its knees by this thousand-pound fog weighing on my shoulders. The man kept playing, reaching a harmony with the wind and the dull buzz that felt like it would rupture my eardrums. The droning seemed to reach a consistent volume. both me and the man felt sorrow and despair. His face expressed that of unending sadness and, if I could see my face in that moment, I probably looked the same. But despite this sorrow, I was at peace. This cabin turned from a depressing, abandoned dump to a place where I wouldn’t mind spending my last moments, if this truly was it. Acting on a strange instinct, I began to softly rock back and forth in the chair. Perhaps I did it to calm my nerves. However, it felt more like I was acting as another person in that moment. My mind solidified conclusion amidst my racing thoughts. If I were to die here, if these really were my last moments alive, I would be okay with that. The old man seemed to notice the rocking chair, looking over slowly. His eyes, previously showing many emotions, suddenly overflowed with sorrow. And despite that, he smiled. It was a soft smile that brought reassurance to his face. He muttered something, I was not able to hear from the droning. He stopped playing the guitar, sitting it down next to him. He let out a sigh of relief, leaning his head backwards. Maybe I reminded him of someone he lost. Maybe I made him feel safe, made him think that someone special was in the chair next to him. I could only watch as the fog closed in and listen as the droning increased its volume. It seemed as if whatever was out there was enjoying his melody. A melody that was woven together perfectly with their sounds and the winds of his dying world, they couldn’t help but listen. As the fog rolled in, a force flew into the cabin. It was a force that could flatten the rotting wood and rusted metals. It was like a wind that could only be found in a hurricane. Something was getting closer. I expected to feel this force against my entire body as I braced for any impact to come. What felt like a blast of wind hit me, throwing me backwards.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Or at least that’s what it felt like. I opened my eyes with surprise like I awoke from a nightmare. But instead of that dying world, I was greeted with the inky void and white dots surrounding me. I’ve never hated this sight more than I did in that moment. The droning was still ringing in my ears louder than ever before. I pinned my ears to my head, begging for it to stop. As it began to fade, I could hear my own breathing again. It was ragged and coarse. My throat felt tight, and tears were welling in my eyes. I don’t know why I felt that way. I was still me, floating in this void, surrounded by universes contained in their bubbles. They looked like stars in the night sky. I knew these were nothing more than a poor imitation made to taunt me. I wanted to see real stars again, even if I didn’t remember what they looked like. I could still feel the damp air and biting cold, even after all the time I spent in this vacuum. I had lived through the last moment of a universe and lost the closest thing to a friend I had. I let myself go limp, resigning myself to this desolate place. My breathing was still shaky, and tears started sliding down my face. They floated away after falling from my chin, disappearing soon after. I watched the ‘stars’ around me with glass eyes. There were some small ones and some big ones. There were a couple dwindling lights and even one growing in size. The eternal snake passed above me, feasting on the stardust of these dying worlds once again.