Chapter 14: Happy Birthday; Link, The Second.

  “The Day is Yours — Have Fun!”

  January 19th, 2026.

  Link II sat in the alleyway, trying to understand what he just thought of.

  “What the… actual fuck? Wait, why hasn't the timeline itself been affected by me or Samuel if it exists?

  Wait, I got something.”

  Quickly summoning a notebook and a pencil, taking notes about how the multiverse works.

  Testing theories like timelines and the Lorentz factor.

  Each pencil scratch on the paper equal to an equation.

  Walking around, processing the options as to why this timeline fracture is possible…

  And why his world hasn't already crumbled into nothingness.

  Eventually coming to two conclusions.

  Hands trembling as he read the results.

  Either the music itself was causing a timeline collapse from the music brought over from the future into the past and never placed back.

  Or that his entire world would slowly crumble on his 11th birthday, in 1994.

  Link II's mind rushing with ideas.

  “What?? W-What does that even mean? Am I the root of these problems?

  Am I even meant to get a life of happiness?”

  Just as he tripped over a wet newspaper.

  The sound of his shoes slipping reminding him of a frog's croak.

  Falling towards the floor.

  Almost as fast as falling through a rift that was never there.

  Accidently aiming his hand towards the floor.

  Ripping towards a rift, the air filled with the same low humming as a car or telekinesis.

  Landing on concrete floor.

  Not the wet alleyway floor.

  But what felt like the streets idealized into a foreign country.

  Getting up and wincing.

  His body throbbing in pain like a heartbeat stuffed with crack and death adrenaline.

  Seeing hell incarnate again, sounds of cries and explosions filled the air again.

  Bolting away like sugar into a donut.

  Feet thumping loudly on broken roads and buildings in the streets.

  Each moment reminding him of the streets of Compton.

  Gunshots similar to the bombs flying in the city.

  Running like a broken man.

  Thump.

  Thump.

  Thump.

  Eventually seeing people carried out to safety by officials.

  The explosions covering the death cries of civilians.

  Watching over loved ones, young ones, pass out or wounded in their arms.

  The air heavy with death and sin.

  Link II walked over, not peering suspiciously, but rather surprised by the amount of young innocents hurting.

  Seeing multiple children hurt…

  Even newborns or months old wounded in some way.

  Their heads, arms, body leaking blood like it was water.

  Covered by bandages and disinfectant.

  Watching it made him horrified, it enraged him of how much sin the world had.

  Making him have an urge to plunge this world into destruction.

  Hearing a little voice in his head while watching innocents get moved towards saftey.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “Go ahead.

  Make the people beg forgiveness on you.

  You'll know how good it'll feel to get revenge for those children getting hurt.”

  “Make them beg forgiveness.”

  Only hearing those words repeat again and again like taking a drink of alcohol.

  “Beg forgiveness.

  Beg forgiveness.

  Beg forgiveness.”

  Pulling himself aside to try and calm down.

  Only hearing those voices repeat like an alarm clock.

  Like a chain of command.

  Voices sharp like a knife.

  His body feeling like bullet filled fodder.

  Trembling.

  Again and again.

  Asking himself.

  “Is this why my world dies?

  Is this what my purpose is? Just to watch humans kill themselves again while I suffer alone?!

  Am I even talking to anybody?!”

  The tears finally spilled to the floor.

  Link II fell to the floor, curling into himself to hide whatever weakness he finally let out.

  His tears racked over the bombs flying towards Gaza.

  Sitting in the sad destruction of a city.

  Wishing that people weren't so cruel.

  Asking himself as he cried.

  “A-Am I just meant to suffer alone while watching the world burn..?”

  His own tears blocked the sounds of war.

  Siting for what felt like hours.

  Weeks.

  Months into years.

  …

  “Hey, you… yeah, you, get up.”

  Link II heard in his blurred vision.

  Barely able to tell who it was.

  But hearing a voice similar to his.

  “Please kid, I know I said some shit, but get up. Drink some water and get us outta this hellhole.”

  Seeing the shape of a bottle near his face, uttering.

  “What's the point anyways? It's not gonna matter anyways, the world's gonna die in four years…”

  Just as Link II got slapped in the face.

  Feeling deserved yet painful.

  Vision coming back to him, he saw Duckworth again.

  This time with some form besides the ghost-like form he had previously.

  As Link II's eyes jumped in surprise.

  “D-Duckworth??? Y-You're alive-”

  Before getting shut up by Duckworth's hand covering his mouth.

  Hearing him take a breath and speak.

  “Look kid. If it makes you better and not whine like a little bitch, I care for you, okay?

  But we need to get our asses out of this hellhole and back to our time, we don't belong here-”

  As Link II shoved him back, yelling towards him.

  “WHY DOES IT MATTER, DUCKWORTH?!

  Look around you! Children die in the future anyways…

  Why do I even matter if all I've been my whole life is experimentation between music and DNA?”

  While Duckworth spoke again, sighing in very light meekness.

  “Yeah, you're right.

  You could be an experiment made by the goddess to test if mortals of this specific realm or not…

  Or, you could rise up from your whining and become something.

  Something you have the choice to be.

  Not what they think.

  Not what any underprivileged child would ever say about you.

  A purpose that you choose.

  Something that you choose besides experimentation and becoming a judge.

  You have those options, Link.

  Make a decision.”

  Duckworth's hand reached out towards him, offering a single water bottle filled to the brim, brand new.

  “Kid, I know it may seem bad now, but that's only if you make it.

  Sure, you may be alone and isolated from real friends, but to me?

  You have your future planned.

  You're ready for life.

  You just need to keep moving forwards.”

  As Link II looked up towards him, conflicted with emotions of anger, and confusion.

  Asking hesitantly.

  “Why do you even care to offer help? And where did you get this water bottle anyways?”

  His breath trembled in the air filled smoke.

  Duckworth looked away, his gaze focusing the broken roads to his right.

  “Because… it's pathetic to see you like this, really.

  But… maybe I have a slight sliver of care for you. A millispec of care.

  Or maybe I want to see you thrive rather than lose yourself in what most don't survive.”

  Taking a breath and holding back something…

  Something that both barely knew what to call it.

  “Kid, think of me as a brother, not a personality.

  Not as something you created from trauma.

  Just… like a sibling.

  I have a form anyways… and that's all I ask.”

  He darted upwards, his eyes darting towards everything besides Duckworth.

  Arms shivering in the war ridden air.

  “W-Why should I even consider that anyways? You're just-”

  Getting interrupted again by Duckworth.

  “Because I'm more than that, you know it too.

  …how do I say this?

  Willard… me, the other's voices that speak to you…

  We're your biological brothers.

  But because the gods above focused on you, they…

  They killed us in the womb.

  Afraid to make more mistakes every time you have a meltdown.”

  Immediately making Link II tear up even more than his fits about war.

  His eyes turned red again.

  Tears falling like concrete into a box.

  Asking in a small voice.

  “So… what you're telling me, is that…

  You are my brother, or rather, those personalities are created because you were killed in the womb in addition to my trauma creating them?”

  And Duckworth nodded.

  “Yeah… I'm the last one they wanted to try out, so…

  That's why I'm here.

  To help you grow and support you for the last four years of this universe.

  Not just created for grief and sadness.”

  Immediately, Link II drank the water.

  Gulping large amounts of water enough to try and get them in a better place than the field.

  Thrusting his arms out to focus a rift.

  And the same car humming returned alongside the rift.

  Showing a portal straight into his home.

  Clean.

  Organized.

  Whatever home felt like to a damned godchild.

  Stepping towards it, smoothly connecting his feet with the leveled home.

  Arriving back into his home.

  Still shedding the tears onto the carpet like cats and dogs.

  And Duckworth followed.

  Their steps echoing then…

  Silence.

  Closing the rift with a snap.

  Both Link II and Duckworth stood.

  Eye to eye, standing like siblings but complete opposites.

  Eventually, Duckworth burst out in laughter.

  And Link II, shyly asked.

  “What’s so funny?”

  While Duckworth responded.

  “I lied! You fool!

  There aren't any more of you! It's just your personality getting you safely home!”

  And from that, Link II, his fists glew in anger.

  Glowing a mix of blue and purple.

  His eyes glowing with those same tones of his hands.

  Jumping towards Duckworth and punching him like he saw fresh meat.

  Both tossing each other back and forth in loud thumps across rooms.

  Thump.

  Smash.

  …Thump.

  As one question yelled from the both of them.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?!

  Why the hell would you even say that shit knowing that I had to bury children?!

  Why would you lie about something so sensitive?!”

  Reminiscing on their past as the battle ensued.