Sempiternity (COMPLETED)

Afterword

The end has arrived. Thank you for making it this far! You are reading the words of SilverCrono, without the barrier of fiction in front of myself. Greetings! (SC is only my online pseudonym. James A. Vasya is my personal one.)

First off I'd like to once again thank anyone who made it through this dense labor of love. Sempiternity has been one intense, deeply emotional piece of work that I've often had to force myself through, but it's all come together and has finally been completed. I'm proud to say it's actually the first novel-length completed story I've ever managed to complete!

My writing began in July of 2014, and I only began to write it in fervent earnest near the end of that same year. As all my ideas, it originated from basic character designs - I drew Klaytaza in my sketchbook once, and her story evolved from there.

Sempiternity, in fact, was not even the original title of this piece - and it may not be the final one. Originally titled The End of Eternity (now that's one heck of a spoiler!), I also toy(ed) with naming it Death and Rebirth or Realization: All is Nothing. The title wasn't the only thing I struggled with: many times I battled with myself over paths the story could take, the extent of my actual writing ability, and the many ways I could weave in adequate symbolism. I am very, very pleased to say that I have succeeded, to an extent, and not by my own power. I would never have made it this far without Ace, Daniel, Pearl, Aliyah, and the love of my life, Gabrielle. I thank you all.

In all honesty, though, this story was not theirs, Klaytaza's, nor humanity at all, despite what the tagline may inquire. This story was Arend's, and his story was mine. More than once I have felt the same burning desire in my heart to live, but to see everything else die. More than once I have contemplated the true meaning of life and our purpose on this earth. More than once I have fallen in love.

Since showing many people the ending of the story, I have constantly been asked - "Is that it? What exactly happened? What did Arend do? Where is everyone else?" I think all of those questions can easily be asked through analysis of the text. I'm not asking you to write essays on a Wattpad story, but look through the final few chapters and peruse the quotes a bit. There was plenty of foreshadowing, both subtle and not.

In the end, and above all, Sempiternity was not a book on the fate of humanity. It was not religious in subject matter, not truly. Rather the story was an exploration into the human psyche, a look at the past, present, and future state of our society, and an inquiry on how powerful the human will is. If we can convince ourselves that we are all of creation, all of time, all of divinity, and have complete power over ourselves, we can accomplish everything. But would it be worth it?

Sempiternity had many influences, too many for me to concisely list. (Some of them should be quite clear.) Honestly, my biggest hope is that the story will then, in turn, prove widely influential. I'd love nothing more than to have my words read, analyzed, and praised - assuming they deserve such treatment, of course.

The story isn't over. I will edit through it, of course, and perhaps change some minute details. Following that I plan to have it published. Maybe not now, or soon, but I want Arend's tale to reach the masses as much as possible. For now, to quench my own personal thirst, Sempiternity is available in a (quite badly) self-published edition, cheaper than it will ever probably sell in actual professional book form. Grab it hot off the presses! https://www.createspace.com/5442352

My time here grows short. Eternity has ended. I have said all I need to say. I leave you with a question: Would you have done what Arend did? Does he deserve salvation?