Campaign Endings: Another Perspective

I remember.

I remember the swirl of the cosmos as they formed, flaming and freezing. I remember the initial thrill of excitement and fear as my brothers and I formed, the initial few seconds of discovery and the quick development of our society.

I remember as we quickly learned the rules of this existence, how to twist and turn the strands of space-time to bend to our will. We learned about unlimited power, but we also quickly learned about its elasticity, and we were quickly ejected for our tampering.

I remember.

I remember sitting with my fellows, fuming, staring into the world we could no longer manipulate, and the eons passed as we watched the coalescing of the universe. And then suddenly: life, and through its randomness the pure ecstasy of once again being able to influence events. Although minuscule compared to the strength we once wielded, it was something; that's all that mattered.

I remember our experimentations, matching our strength against the new gods of this plane. I remember losing, and remember learning patience and subtlety. It became easier as the mortals themselves learned how to tap into the universal essence, and those that did were invariably easier to influence. And thus, the plan began to form, as I scried the future for the perfect opening, and slowly began weaving the fates to restore us to our former glory.

I remember.

I remember struggling to eventually force myself back without notice, hiding myself exactly where I needed to be. The boy came up, confident in his foolish grasp of the rudimentary grasp of the mechanics of the arcane. I allowed him to see me, and allowed his primitive bindings to take me in. Although weak, they were enough for the form I had been forced to take to exist on this world. I served him, the "years" passing in mere moments from my perspective. And soon, so tantalizing soon: what I had been waiting so long for.

I remember sitting frozen in time, and the subtle hints and trails I had been slowly building finally having the intended effect. The power I had been slowly transferring back was finally allowed to be unleashed, bits and pieces at a time. Of course I served him, helping him defeat the monster that threatened what was rightfully my domain. And then, finally, the turning point: the concentrated energy of the shards impacting blissfully into me, filling me with its force. Just enough, just enough.

I remember.

I remember being at almost my full glory, and feeling the boys slight bewilderment as I refused to obey his petty commands. I could have finished off the beast as well as his pathetic opponents with merely a thought, but my attention was instead focused on that machine that had captured my attention for so long over the centuries, the device that would allow me to finally challenge those so-called gods who challenged my brethren's rightful place in the universe.

I remember sitting in the center, feeling the machine warm up as the power began to flow. I felt alive, like I hadn't felt since the very beginning. Perhaps that pure exultation was my ruin, or perhaps my earstwhile "owner" was a bit more clever that I had given him credit for. Regardless, it was not the immortal creature I should have feared, but rather this ragtag bunch of mortals. And so I felt myself thrust out of the mechanism, and once again found myself constrained. I screamed, or at least tried to; it was to no avail.

I remember.

I remember, and I learn. And next time, I shall not misread the fates. Next time, we shall return. And although the frustration remains burning deep within, I have waited before and I shall wait again. I have failed before, and perhaps I will fail again, but every time we get a bit closer. Every failure holds a lesson for the future.

I will remember.