THE BEGINNING AFTER THE END

After searching for years, I gave up. I felt like it was not possible. They told me that I was mental, crazy, weird. But I took everything. I accepted it all.

I even did my study in a mental asylum for 2 years just to give in. But the truth is, those 2 years were fruitful. Cause I was able to work on a theory. A beautiful one. And today is the perfect day to test it out. I waited for so long, but it will finally be mine.

The fruit of immortality.

In reality, the human genetic code never gets destroyed. Cause we are energy. And energy can never be destroyed. So, to a level, we can never truly completely die.

After finding animals with extreme DNA and studying them:

The Immortal Jellyfish: Capable of living forever but can die when attacked.

The Axolotl: Able to regenerate any part of its body in seconds.

The Armadillo and Rhinoceros for their tough skin.

I was able to genetically engineer a virus. A virus able to infect the cells, causing the cells to grow young up to a few years and retain their form permanently. And increase the regeneration of the cell, causing it to reproduce at a really fast pace and increase the density of the epidermis.

It was perfect, and it was finally coming together. My fruit.

But I know that immortality is forever, and forever is a long time. So, I have decided to give it to my wife. The love of my life. She told me to give up on my research, but once she experiences it herself, she is definitely going to understand.

I took it as pills and turned the second pill into a powder while she was asleep. I kept it close to her, and she inhaled it all. It was final. I know I am being selfish, but she is going to understand. She is going to thank me.

And then it got blurry and colorful, like really colorful.

Then I heard screaming. I woke up.

And she slapped me. Then hugged me. Then slapped me again. We were... we... we were young again. She was exactly like the first time I met her. Then I said, "Honey, you look beautiful."

She yelled, "Why, how, wait, yesterday, you said you had to do something in your study. I should have known that was what you were up to. I told you to stop, but you did it, and now you have dragged me into this."

I held her hand. "My dearest, calm down. Okay? I know it was selfish of me to do it without asking, but I knew you might not have accepted it, and I didn't want to take my chances. And look at you. You are beautiful."

We hugged and danced, and it was amazing. It worked. They called me crazy, but it worked.

We packed. We knew we could not stay there anymore. We got our things and left early the following day. I had actually gotten us tickets and a speech in case we died, but we don't need the speech anymore. We are freaking immortal. We can be reckless.

Before going, I shaved. I tried to cut myself, but the blade could not even cut me. I was A MAN OF STEEL. I can't believe this at all.

We left the country. We were both scientists, so we got a lot from our retirement fund. Money was not an issue. Though my wife could not bear kids, so we don't have any children, but it was fine. We had each other, and we loved each other.

We went around the world and spent at least a year in a place.

10 years later

My love, are you ready?

We need to go.

Open up!

What are you doing there?

That's when it happened.

I opened the door.

And there she was,

On the floor

Bleeding...

I panicked and rushed over to her, trying to assess her injuries. But to my surprise, she was healing at an incredible rate. The wounds on her body were closing up before my very eyes. It was then that I realized the truth of what had happened.

The virus that I had created had not only made us immortal but had also given us incredible regenerative abilities. I was relieved to see my wife recovering so quickly, but at the same time, I was scared. What other side effects could this virus have?

Over the years, we continued to travel the world, and our bodies remained youthful and vibrant. But with each passing decade, I started to notice something strange happening to my mind. Memories from the past started to blur together, and new experiences became harder to retain.

It was then that I realized the true cost of immortality. With our bodies constantly regenerating and repairing themselves, our minds couldn't keep up. We were like children with endless energy but no wisdom to guide us.

I started to regret my decision to create the virus, to take away the natural order of life and death. I tried to find a way to reverse the effects, but I couldn't even begin to understand the complexity of the virus and its effects on our bodies and minds.

Eventually, my wife and I came to the realization that we had to live with the consequences of our actions. We couldn't turn back time, and we couldn't change what we had done. All we could do was live our lives to the fullest and try to make the most of our eternal existence.

And so, we continue to wander the world, living each day as it comes, and cherishing the time we have together. We have seen the rise and fall of civilizations, witnessed the wonders of nature, and experienced things that most people could only dream of.

But still, there are times when I can't help but feel a sense of emptiness, knowing that we will never truly experience the finality of death. We will never know what lies beyond, and we will never be reunited with the ones we have lost.

But for now, we will keep on living, embracing the endless possibilities of our eternal existence.

Or at least that is what I thought.