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"I've known you for years and I still don't know how that hat stays on your head," you laugh.
I smirk. "Trade secret.
I know why you’re asking, though. With the wind blowing through your hair like that, you’ve never looked better, but it means we’ve had to huddle together under a blanket for warmth. We’re sitting on the ground in front of a bench, in the hopes of getting some shelter from the wind. It’s blowing all sorts of hell, but the hat stays firmly on my head.
“We gonna finish the game?” I ask. We both look towards the chessboard. It’s our favorite one, the one we’ve played countless games on. It’s currently halfway through a game, not a state one finds it in very often.
You snuggle closer to my chest. “We’ll finish it later.”
“Promise?”
“Promise. But for now, tell me more about this cliff."
I smile down at you, and I wonder if you can see the love in my eyes. “It’s called the Terminus Cliff-“
“The Terminator cliff?”
I snort. “Terminus. It means the end.” A thought, almost an echo of the future whispers into my mind. Terminus means the end, and this is mine. “People used to think that this was the end of the world's land. People used to argue what would happen if you sailed on from here; some thought you’d fall off the edge of the world, others said you’d just keep sailing on an infinite sea until you starved to death or sank. That’s one of the reasons there’s so many legends about this place.”
“Legends? About what?”
“The people who would rule the world. There are two legends, from different cultures, that agree that two people who would rule the world would someday stand here, but only one would walk away alive.”
“So, basically, the same legend.”
“No, they weren’t. That’s one of the things that makes them so interesting. They agreed that two rulers would meet here, and one would die, but they disagreed about everything else: how old the rulers would be, why they were meeting, whether anyone else would be here, even what they would die from. One legend says that the rulers would come here to duel, and one would kill the other. The other legend says that one ruler would have a curse put on them that nothing could lift, and the other ruler would come to say goodbye.”
“Who were the four rulers?”
“Not four. Two.”
“Yeah, two rulers in each story. Two times two makes four.”
“No, that’s one of the two other things that makes the two legends so interesting. It’s the same pair of rulers in both stories: the Hopeful Ruler and the Shadow Lord. The two stories begin as one, but they end differently.”
"What's the other thing?"
"Hm?"
"You said there was another interesting thing about the legend. Legends. Whatever."
"Oh, yeah. Apparently, which ruler would die depends on which legend was true, but no one knows which one would die in which scenario."
You smile at me, and my heart melts in my chest. “Tell me about the ocean. I know how much you love it.”
“That,” I say, “You have to see for yourself. Come on.”
“But it’s so cold,” you whine.
“You can have the blanket. Trust me.”
We walk to the edge of the cliff. We look out; look down; on the endless expanse of blue. It might be windy up here, but down there, the sea is flat and undisturbed.
“Wow,” you say in awe. “The reflection is so clear. It’s almost like...”
“A mirror,” I finish. “It’s called the mirror sea. It’s so unnaturally reflective, people used to think it was a portal to another world. “
“Like that multiverse theory you’re always rambling on about?” You ask mockingly. “An infinite number of parallel universes?”
“A finite number of parallel universes. It’s limited by what’s possible according to the laws of physics” I correct. “There is a number; it’s just more than anyone could ever count.”
“My bad,” you tease. There’s a beat of silence. I can feel the mood shift. “Does that mean there’s a universe out there where we pull this off?”
I look at you solemnly. I want to reassure you, tell you that everything is going to work out, that we can do this. But I don’t. You deserve better than being lied to like that. So I tell you the truth.
“There is. We’re living in it. As time moves forward, this universe will branch out into others, encompassing every physical possibility.”
Another beat of silence.
“Do you think we can do this?” Your voice is hesitant, tentative. You’re afraid of the answer.
“I don’t know,” I say. I’m still staring at the ocean. So are you. “But with the way things are right now, I think we need to. We’re the world’s best option.”
“But still...” You don’t need to finish the sentence. I already know what you’re worried about. You turn to face me. “Promise me something.”
“What?” I ask, turning to face you.
“Promise me you won’t let me go too far. Promise me that you’ll make sure I don’t make the wrong decision. That you’ll stand by my side and tell me when I stray from our goal.”
“I promise. And I promise that I won’t hurt you.” I hear your breath catch at that. I know why. I don't want to.
“Don’t. Don’t promise me that. Promise me something much more important. Promise me that, no matter what happens, you’ll put the world before me. Every time, I have to be your second priority.”
A tear runs down my cheek. “Please don’t make me promise that. I can't.”
“You have to. If you care about me, promise."
I hesitate.
“The world comes first. If you promise me the same thing.”
“I swear it.”
I smile to break the tension. “Back to the game?”
I get a notification. So do you. They tell us our time is up. You smile sadly, and shake your head.
“Back to the world. It’s time to go.”
“I know. But I have a feeling we’ll be back here someday.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, I do. One way or the other.”