It was the end, the end of everything.
The stars had long ago flickered their last light and the emptiness of the void oppressed the remaining pockets of life.
The emperor of the last Milky Way Kingdom sat on his emerald throne. He was musing over the various plans that his advisors had cobbled up.
He knew, just like everyone else, that something needed to be done before the end engulfed them too.
The decay had been spreading even faster than the years before. The once shining obsidian sky pebbled with dots of milk had grown dead, stagnant, dark with its advance. A change had to occur and, unlike the kings of old, the emperor was ready.
But the only problem was that all the schemes and ideas the advisors concocted were worthless.
The emperor needed something concrete, something safe. The billions of sentient beings in his possession required such a plan.
A century had passed and the decay was on the footsteps of the kingdom. Many of the outer planets had already succumbed to it and the people had begged the emperor for help.
The emperor cast aside his advisors and sent a radio message throughout all the existing planets and clusters of life.
“Heed this call, children of tomorrow. The last days are upon us. Come to the Palace of Gods with an idea and become immortal.”
A man heeded the call and came to the palace. He was bewildered at the sight of the diamond columns, the golden guards, and the emerald throne which sat the emperor.
“Blessed inhabitant of the final kingdom, do you have a plan which can save us all?” The voice of the emperor was transcendent. Every word seemed to be carefully spoken with the foresight and maturity of a wise sage.
The man told the emperor of his theory that other universes existed and this was only one among many.
The court of advisors went in an uproar with many shouting “lies” or “trickster!” The man was surprised that they were even there, the eminence of the Emperor and the divine beauty of the stygian heavens overwhelmed his senses. He didn’t even notice anyone else.
“Quiet,” called the emperor.
“Son of the stars, we have disapproved the existence of other universes many millennia ago. Nevertheless, go! Go out and find a home. One that will fit you, me, and all of our brothers!”
And so the man was granted the fastest ship in the universe, "Eden's Blessing," and went sailing into the dark in an attempt to find the edge and overcome it. He sailed and sailed and sailed for many years. Eventually, after a few decades, the ship began to malfunction and the engine shut off. The man was not an engineer and so he was not able to fix the parts. He decided to enter cryo-stasis.
And so the ship floated.
Every so often, maybe once per century, an infinitesimal dust particle would make contact with the ship and it would be pushed forward.
And so the ship floated and was pushed.
The man opened his eyes. He was lying down in a patch of grass. The first thing he laid his eyes upon was the night sky. It looked cold.
He looked around and realized that he now lay in a sylvan garden. He sat up, trying to remember anything,
Oh yes! He realized he was trying to find new land for his people. How many years has it been since he first entered the stasis and where could he possibly be now? All these thoughts tumbled around in his mind, bouncing off each other, combining to create new thoughts. Did not all stars succumb to the decay? Where was he?
While the man attempted to comprehend his situation, he noticed a shifting figure coming from the forest.
He stood up and prepared to run, but a voice whispered to him "relax…" and so he did.
Nobody came out of the forest.
The man saw him, but curiously, it was as though his eyes couldn't quite catch him. He shifted in and out of focus, his face was blurry, his steps were soundless, and his body seemed to warp in and out of existence.
"You're the last one, you know. The last living piece of the universe."
The man started to ask questions, not of himself and his circumstances, but of his people and of the emperor.
"The ones you speak of lived and fought the decay, They lived and died and the ones that came after also lived and died. And so on for billions of years did they keep living and dying, both the people and the empires that came after."
The man sat down, crossed his legs, and took a deep breath. He asked the thing what it was. "Oh, I'm nobody, just a wanderer. I have no goal, unlike you. I was traveling the multiverse today and I saw that you were the only living being here."
A slight breeze picked up. The trees rustled and a sweet breeze enveloped both of them. "Ahh, what a nostalgic feeling. Reminds me of my home…" The thing looked down at the watch that was on his wrist.
"Hmm, looks like the Big Bang is going to happen in a few minutes. Would you like to watch it together?"
The man was not familiar with the term "Big Bang" but he nodded anyway. They both sat down and looked up.
"By the way, when I came here and found you, this holotape was next to you. Here you go."
The man pressed play and the sound of the emperor emanated in his ears.
“Son of the Milky Way, we have not heard from you in an uncountable amount of years. We have found a way to delay the decay. I send this message into the unknown, hoping that you hear it one day.
Don’t despair, my son, your call to travel that day reignited our passion to save ourselves. Without you, we may have stuck in our ways and never found a plan.
Wherever you end up, remember that you carry with you the legacy of all who have lived in our land. In days long past, we looked up to the sky and saw the darkness, the decay, that threatened to consume us all. Now in this era and in the coming ones, we look up and see our hero, you.
All men since the start of the world have pondered the question, ‘what is the meaning of life?’ I believe the answer is that we exist to contribute to the spirit of others. I may be wrong about that but I know that is the least you, my child.
I hope that you receive this message and that you one day find the edge of the universe. Some of our forefathers have referred to it as the Garden. But I know not what that name entails. I will see you in heaven, brother."
The holotape began repeating the same message and the man turned it off.
Sparks started to appear in the abyss above. Out of the darkness, a small point started to flare intensely.
“By the way, I never got your name.”
“My name is Adam,” whispered the man.
The point expanded rapidly.
It was the beginning, the beginning of everything.