Weight of the World

[EightMDB]

A thousand thousand lifetimes. Millions of moments. Holding my first born, tears of joy streaming down my face. Proposing to the love of my life, the overwhelming joy when he said yes. Growing old with my wife, watching our children grow up. Leading a tribe into unknown and dangerous territories to find shelter for the upcoming winter, knowing it would be harsher than usual. Betrayal, at the realization of my closest friend joining my political opponents in a conspiracy to murder me.

All these lives and more. The experience of the elderly, tempered by the curiosity of the young. The wisdom of a hundred philosophers, the knowledge of a hundred scientists. The Faith of a million crusaders.

Every moment experienced all in a second, but for hours at end.

A final memory. I feel the weight of Chaos surrounding me, eating at the stability I have granted a billion billion worlds and a trillion trillion people. Faith sustains me, and the moment it fails, is the moment I die.

But nonetheless, I sit in a gilded chair, a throne. Looking up at the stars. Knowing. Just knowing, that I have done my best, and I have left my children with the tools to grow and become better than me.

And as I sit there, I feel something reach out to me. 'Is it time?' I think up at the being reaching towards me. 'Have I reached the end? Or will this war continue on? Will my children sacrifice themselves to delay my ever-impending death?'

A feeling of peace, the ever-encroaching weight of Chaos, disappears from my mind. And I drift ever on in a sea of worlds, distance traveled, and I never move.

And suddenly. I'm lying on the ground swaddled in a warm blanket. The ground is hard and rocky. As I twist and turn, trying to gain some form of control over my surroundings, I look around and see lush mountains nearby.

I feel heavy, my actions tiring me quickly. 'My body has never been this difficult to move before.' I think to myself trying to force my body into at least rolling over.

I finally managed to roll myself over onto my side and I come face to face, with what I first think is a dog. But looking more closely I come to a startling realization. 'This dog is blue.'

'[AMUSEMENT]' I feel from the dog in front of me. '[QUERY]?' It feels at me. Seemingly to bundle its emotions and context into a package and shoving it at me.

'Help please [DESPERATION].' I try to think at it. I think I manage to get it to understand me.

'[AGREEMENT] [MATERNAL LOVE]' It, She? thinks back to me. What I thought to be a dog I realize to be some form of bipedal furred being, she looks vaguely familiar. Her shape and actions, as well as her ability to seemingly communicate with me even with my status as a child, have an inkling of remembrance and... nostalgia?

As I'm thinking she picks me up and begins to walk towards a nearby cave system. She takes care to not jostle me around and begins to hum a lullaby to me.

Her warm body pushing against me and the vibrating chest, put me at ease. I feel safe and before I know it, I'm falling asleep.

Before I fully fall under, I hear a sigh and she begins to growl at me lightly, "Grrr grrr grrrrr. [It's as if I had one of my younglings once again]."

'Oh shit, she's a Pokémon.' I think as I succumb to sleep.