“B-but I broke it!” Little me wailed.

  “It just a vase. It can be fixed. It can be replaced. You can’t be. So long as you are alright everything will be fine.” Rumbled the big voice and I hiccupped.

  Da.

  “What if it can’t be!?” I cried.

  “Then we do without. It’s fine. The are many things we can do without. You are not one of them.” Mom replied but my tears wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. I broke it.

  “Sweetie, can you do something for me?” She asked me after a while.

  “I-i d-don’t know. What if I br-break it?” I asked between sobs. It got a chuckle out of her.

  “You can break yourself, silly. I just want you to breathe. Can you do that for me? One big breath in and then out. Okay?” She told me as she demonstrated for me. I tried to copy her, but I failed and sobbed.

  “Try again.” She told me gently and I failed again. I couldn’t do it.

  “Just one more. In and out.” She urged.

  I nodded and tried again, focusing on bringing air in and letting it out.

  I did it. It was a shaky breath, but I did it. Ma smiled.

  “That’s a good boy. Now, do another. I know you can.” She told me, a gentle smile on her face.

  I did. I was feeling better.

  “There you go. Now just one more.” There was a twinkle in her eye this time.

  I took one more big breath in and Da had to poke me in the middle where I was the most ticklish. I couldn’t help myself. The breath came out as a laugh.

  “Daaa!” I cried out indignantly. There was no bite in it through and they both knew it and smiled. Then we all burst out laughing.

  “See? It's not so bad now, is it?” She asked me and my eyes grew wide. She was right!

  “Ma’s magic!” I exclaimed and they both broke out laughing.

  “No, no. I’m not magic-” She started before Da interrupted

  “You are in the kitchen.” He interjected. Ma rolled her eyes. This was common thing between her and Da. I agreed with him. Ma’s cooking was magic. She could even make broccoli good!

  “Anyways, what I just did.” She paused and gave Da a pointed look, and his eyes went to else ware in the room while a smile danced on his lips. She stared at him for a moment before turning back to me. There was a smile on my face. My ma and da were funniest.

  “Is not magic... Well, not magic I did. I just showed you how to do some of your own is all.” I gave her a confused look. That wasn’t magic, was it? All I did was breathe.

  “What of magic was it?” I asked her. She smiled.

  “The best magic of them all. The kind that takes a big problem and turns them into smaller ones and then makes those smaller ones gone. Just like what happened with you.” She explained to me. My eyes got wide. She was right. The broken thing seemed like the world to me just a little while ago but with all the laughter and easy breathing, it seemed like such a small thing to me now. Well, smaller.

  “Is it really that easy?” I asked and she nodded.

  “It really is. Just take something big and make it into lot of something smaller and just take those smaller things one at a time until they’re all gone. If they seem like too much? Well, just tell yourself, ‘Just one more’, after each one and before you know it, all those ‘ones’ will begone and things will be better.” She told me.

  Not always. My adult self interjected.

  But you’re here now, aren’t you? Just look how far you’ve come. The echo of my mother's voice told me.

  Not far enough. I shot back.

  Nonsense. You just need to look a little harder.

  I did.

  The dark things. The bright things. The small things.

  The great things.

  Something else in my mind clicked into place and I remembered.

  I remember something horrifying made up of endless reflections and echoes suspended within dancing, crinkling shards of time and space.

  WHY? WHY SHOULD I SPARE THEM? it said in an impossibly small voice that sang of countless worlds and galaxies.

  Because it is the right thing to do.

  At that I felt the impossible being bear down on me.

  THAT IS NOT AN ANSWER. WHAT PROOF DO YOU HAVE?

  Proof? I gave it proof from my memories. The bright ones of my parents. Of the homeless that took me in.

  Of Liza.

  THEY ARE GONE. THEY WILL NEVER SEE IT. THIS WORLD IS ALREADY DOOMED EVEN IF I DO NOTHING.

  Images of war and death. Of suffering.

  Of the world burning

  IT WOULD BETTER JUST TO END IT ALL

  The pressure from the being increased and l pushed back this time.

  No. You cannot replace a life.

  THEY WILL SUFFER. IT WOULD BE BETTER TO JUST END IT ALL AND START OVER.

  The pressure increased again, and I pushed back again.

  No. They need another chance.

  THEY HAVE NO MORE CHANCES

  The pressure increased and this time I wasn't able to push back.

  I chose to Endure.

  Then give them another.

  NO

  The pressure increased and I endured it.

  Give them one more chance. Just one more.

  I could feel the being pause.

  WHAT IF I FAIL? WHAT IF I AM NOT ENOUGH?

  The pressure didn’t increase this time, but the being’s question threw me for a loop.

  It? Failing? I just couldn’t see that happening.

  THERE IS ALWAYS A CHANCE.

  Then try again. And again, until you succeed.

  WHY?

  More pressure.

  Because there is always one more. Just one more.

  NO. I AM TIRED. NO MORE CHANCES.

  Pressure increased.

  I endured it.

  I felt something crack.

  Please. Just one more. I begged it.

  New stars flared to life in those distant galaxies.

  NO. I AM TIRED. I HAVE TRIED.

  I HAVE FAILED.

  Impossible.

  Try again

  More stars came to life and began to swirl

  Another crack.

  Just one more

  More stars. More swirling.

  Chains of them. Of those sparkling lights

  Crack

  Please.

  I felt something more important cracking this time. I felt myself start to fade.

  No more chances.

  No. Just one more. There was always one more.

  Chains solidified and the pressure eased. I felt the being sigh.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Was it of exasperation? Or relief?

  There wasn’t enough left of me to care.

  No more ‘ones’ left for me.

  NO. THERE IS ALWAYS MORE. SO LONG AS ONE EXISTS.

  SO LONG AS ONE CHOOSES TO.

  Countless warm hands held me together. Enough of me to think.

  Choice. What a nice thought. It would be nice to have more.

  Too bad I was out of time.

  NOT JUST YET LITTLE ONE.

  DEFIANT ONE.

  A light separated from it. It was one of the stars.

  It looked tattered and worn. Its light flickering fitfully in the space in between.

  It looked pitiful amidst the being’s vastness and so fragile compared to the starry chains that I now realized bound it.

  Still.

  I felt drawn to the star’s light.

  Like there was a kinship between me and it.

  What is this?

  YOU.

  Impossible

  NO. IT IS YOU. LOOK CLOSER.

  And I did. Peering past the worn and cracked shell of the star into its flickering depths.

  And in there?

  I saw myself.

  A younger, happier version of me before my world turned so dark with the death of my parents.

  I was fighting and slaying monsters. Protecting the weak. Defending the world against the forces of evil.

  If only things were so simple.

  IT CAN BE.

  If only.

  My heart ached.

  Liza appeared in front of me.

  Her smiling face.

  Her broken body.

  It would better if I could make the world better for people like her.

  Like how I was.

  YOU ALREADY HAVE.

  What? How?

  BECAUSE YOU ASKED.

  YOU WERE DYING.

  I COULD HAVE SAVED YOU BUT YOU WANTED THE WORLD SAVED INSTEAD.

  I WILL DO AS YOU ASK.

  So, I am dead then.

  YES.

  Then it’s finally over.

  ONLY IF YOU WANT IT TO BE

  What do you mean?

  YES. YOU ARE DEAD IN YOUR WORLD. I COULD STILL BRING YOU BACK TO LIFE WHERE IT HAD LEFT OFF BUT I HAVE SEEN YOUR FATE THERE. I COULD GIVE YOU DIFFERENT LIFE THERE, A BETTER ONE BUT YOU WOULD SIMPLY DIE ALL TOO SOON.

  How soon?

  ONE WEEK.

  Ouch.

  So, what now? I’m dead but I don’t have to be.

  Is that right?

  YES. I CAN TAKE YOU TO ANOTHER WORLD AND HAVE YOU REVIVE THERE INSTEAD.

  HOPEFULLY, YOUR DREADFUL FATE WON’T FOLLOW YOU THERE.

  That bad, huh?

  YOU HAVE NO IDEA. FIXING YOUR WORLD WOULD BE EASIER THAN DEFYING YOUR FATE.

  YOUR EFFORTS SO FAR ARE QUITE IMPRESSIVE.

  YOU SHOULD BE DEAD OR MAIMED A DOZEN TIMES OVER AT LEAST.

  Greaaat. Story of my life.

  I sighed.

  I don’t want to go back then. But I also don’t want to die. You said you can take me to another world.

  Do you have one in mind?

  I would prefer something that could give me a better fate. Something that could override my old one.

  I felt it think for a moment before a turning sphere appeared before me. It was a world but felt bigger than my old one and also a lot younger. It looked healthy and vibrant but there were spots on it that felt wrong.

  That felt dead.

  This is it?

  YES. IT IS WHAT IS CALLED A SYSTEM WORLD. IT IS YOUNG AND ITS PEOPLE DID SOMETHING FOOLISH TO DAMAGE IT. I HAVE DONE ALL I HAVE TO HELP IT BUT IT IS TOO FRAGILE FOR ME TO DO MUCH MORE.

  ONLY THE PEOPLE WITHIN IT CAN SAVE IT NOW.

  So, you’re going to put me on a dying world so I can be what? Its savior?

  NO. WHAT YOU ULTIMATELY DO IS UP TO YOU. YOU CAN ASK ITS ‘SYSTEM’ TO HELP YOU DECIDE HOW AND WHERE YOU WANT TO START.

  JUST DON’T LET IT BULLY YOU INTO SOMETHING YOU DON’T WANT.

  IT IS WORRIED. IT IS DESPERATE.

  BUT I CAN ALWAYS FIND ANOTHER TO HELP IT IF YOU DECIDE NOT TO.

  BESIDES. WORLDS TAKE A VERY LONG TIME TO ‘DIE’. YOU WOULD HAVE THE TIME TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT EVEN IF YOU LIVED FOR A THOUSAND YEARS.

  I can do that?

  I felt the being shrug.

  I AM OFFERING YOU A NEW START IN A NEW WORLD. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS ONE. IT CAN BE ANOTHER.

  I ONLY THOUGHT OF THIS ONE BEST MATCHED WHAT YOU WANTED.

  YOU WANTED TO BE A HERO ONCE.

  IT WOULD BE EASIEST TO BE ONE HERE.

  MOST OF ITS PROBLEMS ARE EASY TO HIT. WELL.... EASIER.

  I don’t know why but that last line made me snort.

  I laughed though when the being showed what I assumed was a mortal version of itself smacking a dragon senseless with a rolled-up newspaper.

  ITS POSSIBLE.

  WITH ENOUGH TIME AND EFFORT, YOU CAN ACHIEVE ALMOST ANYTHING HERE. THE WORLD IS YOUNG. NEW THINGS, ‘FIRSTS’, AND EXPANDING BOUNDARIES ARE COMMON HERE.

  THERE ARE ‘HEROES’

  THERE ARE ‘VILLAINS’

  THERE ARE HUMBLE FARMERS AND NOBLE KNIGHTS.

  WHAT YOU DO ONCE YOU GET THERE IS UP TO YOU.

  Hearing that made my mind wonder back to what I saw in my star.

  And then Liza.

  Would I be able to help people like her?

  YOU COULD.

  YOU WOULD HAVE TO LEARN HOW BUT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO.

  Then yes, I would like to go here.

  VERY WELL.

  A fragment smaller than a grain of sand yet brighter than any star I had ever seen came to me from one of its infinite mirrors. I felt it settle on me as the being pulled me back together.

  Light began to bloom brighter around me, overwhelming my vision. I ‘grabbed’ my ‘star’ and held on to it tightly. It felt like it was the right thing to do.

  What was that?