Chapter 9: Haunted

I walk up to Gwen and say, "Now, let's talk. Explain what you meant by time travel and blowing up the Omnitrix. I don't think I have to tell you that you're dead… Not just that… But I watched you die right in front of me… And how does this all track to being your mistake."

She takes a deep breath and starts talking, "So, this all started with the day Vilgax made an announcement, requesting a conqueror's challenge. I'm sure you remember that day, right? Well, after grandpa informed you of the challenge, we ended up going to Kevin's garage where he suggested that you hack the Omnitrix to gain an edge."

"Yeah, I remember that. You were very angry and decided that it was better if we didn't hack it. You ended up pinning us to the wall and made us promise we won't do it. Sigh, those were the days. I thought I was invincible, and we were breezing through every threat while having fun doing it…"

"So, here's the thing… Originally, I didn't stop you from hacking the watch and we ended up damaging it. A couple of aliens escaped, and we had to go through a whole journey to bring them back. Most importantly though was that Kevin got mutated by the watch…

He ended up looking like and becoming a mixture of different elements that he used to absorb. It granted him new powers, but we couldn't cure him… In the end, I got desperate and found a spell through the book Hex was using that could send me back in time.

I took my chances and went back in time and stopped you from hacking the watch. This created a new separate timeline that we are in now… That you are living through. Apparently, if Kevin mutated, we would've won the battle that you lost since his new powers made him stronger.

Paradox warned me… I should have listened."

I start laughing... 'Of course, after all these struggles, after all this loss… I'm not part of the main timeline… Well, how should I react to this? Am I supposed to be angry at her for what she did? I know I would've done the same in a heartbeat if it was for helping one of them.

And to think that the thing that would've busted the watch and messed up my best friend would also be the thing that would've made us win that battle and just stopped this war before it even started.

One small choice… One decision… That's all it took for me to lose my world and everyone I cared about. Not to mention Gwen being right next to me while she was also the first one that I failed. I honestly don't know what to think.

I'm genuinely surprised that I'm keeping it together like this… Guess it comes with the acceptance of her and everyone else being dead.

Well, as if the ghosts of all the people I failed that keep constantly reminding me of what I've done… What I could've done better, whispering into my ears asking why I haven't saved them.

All around me are corpses… Always… Mangled up and disfigured… just like the way when I first saw them.

Well, it's not like I don't deserve them following me around. They are now just a normal part of my daily life, a constant reminder.'

Gwen just keeps on watching me, waiting for me to respond. She approaches me slowly and wraps her arms around me, pulling me into a hug, seemingly noticing the dark nature of my thoughts. I instinctively push her back and she looks at me surprised and confused.

"I'm sorry… I haven't had any good physical contact in a long time… I didn't mean to…. I guess my mind instinctively associated contact with danger and pain… Come here"

I then walk up to her and hug her tightly. She hugs me back and we stay like that for a couple of minutes before I pull away and start speaking again.

"Gwen, honestly this is by no means your fault. You just tried to save Kevin from his self-hatred that stemmed from his mutation at the time. I don't blame you. I blame myself… Always have… You should blame me too. I know for a fact that I am fully responsible for what happened.

I was arrogant and overly confident. I believed that I couldn't lose, I believed that all would work out no matter what event unfolds, no matter how bad it looked. That's because I was used to it working out like that ever since we were kids.

I couldn't handle the fact that billions of lives were at stake, and I was the only one who could make a difference. I didn't know how to deal with that so, I didn't… I thought that if I pretend that everything is a game, that I cared about nothing, then, when the time comes, and when I'm needed the most… I'll be able to do what had to be done.

And as you can see, this is where it led me. One wrong choice… One small oversight, and here I am…"