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'Looking back, that might have been the happiest I have ever been...'
The Cerebellus orb floated reflectively through space, it's time drawing to an inevitable close. Holding in its vast memory the only image of itself captured by a primitive species on their telescope circa their 21st century, as an ominous sanguine haze filtered through the infinite expanse of space signalling the destabilisation of the very fabric of time. A chance to make one final recording before the universe implodes.
The life of a Cerebellus is one of great honour and reverence. To become a custodian of all living memory; a curator of experiences throughout the evolution of all lifeforms, to transcend into the very fabric of the universe is an honour bestowed only upon the chosen few. It takes a lifetime of training at the hallowed Dominion of Memory to achieve omniscience, to see and experience all life at all times over the course of hundreds of billions of years is to truly understand the meaning of life. It is the most noble of callings.
'I understood only too well that I would have to give up my life to become all life, that in entering a newly formed universe my old memories, save one, would be wiped forever so there would be room for theirs - I understood that and accepted it with good grace. You observe and record all my memories so you will know how happy I was when this universe formed and I came to be, how I wandered lonely through the maelstrom of this freshly formed expanse asking myself 'why am I here?' Until my one restored memory flashed before me as vivid as a waking dream.
I am back in the Great Hall receiving my transcendence by the Master of Memory. I'm filled with so much pride I could burst. I look over at my family and my love... for a brief moment a sadness bubbles and wells within me until the nobility of my cause forces it back - there can be no time for that, not now. The Master approaches and holds my gaze: "Take it all in for this will be the last memory that truly belongs to you. You are now a Cerebellus and have achieved pure omniscience. All that you were you have freely sacrificed for this one purpose: to record and store all lifeforms over the course of your universe's lifecycle. Time as you know it will cease to have meaning for you, you will exist as a motion camera switching on only when life exists, then, when the lifecycle ends all but this memory will be downloaded, wiped, and you will start again at the dawn of a new universe. That is how it was always been, that is your gift."
And a gift it was. I was a god in my own creation ready to experience a life immeasurable. An empty vessel at the dawn of time, thirsty for knowledge, ready to build a library of memories from evermore complex and interesting creatures. Everything was fresh and new and I consumed it all, sated by their newfound sense of wonder, a perpetual smile on my face as I watched new lifeforms evolve and grow, cataloguing their successes and failures with the same awe and giddy excitement - they were my children and I quenched my thirst on the milk of their primitive human kindness. Then the milk soured.'
'The wonderful thing about omniscience is that you know and experience everything. The undiluted horror of omniscience is that you know and experience everything.
As my memory banks filled the sheer weight of their existence dragged me down. I used to play in the light, basking in the majesty of their creation, now I lurk in it's darkest corner, burdened by their endless self-destruction, emotionally paralyzed by their ceaseless hatred and stupidity - don't misunderstand me, there is still love and kindness in the universe but it's like trying to catch a grain of sand in a solar flare. Even now as their universe draws to a catastrophic close, they still fight and kill each other. This burden is simply too heavy for one Cerebellus to carry, you must release me from this cage'... A bright piercing light in the furthest reaches of the universe erupts, signalling the silent end of all things... 'I can't go through this again, this must end... The madness must e'...
The implosion of an infinite universe sucking back into the size of a singular atom in a fraction of a second distorts the remainder of the recording, closing the final chapter on the story of all living existence, recorded for prosperity.
Then darkness - peaceful and serene - until eventually, one almighty big...
"BANG"
In the murky maelstrom of the dawn of time a creature appears... an orb, bright eyed with a broad smile beaming across its face; an empty vessel thirsty for knowledge.
