Clown of the Multiverse

Outside the Universe...

Beyond the multiverse—where neither gods nor demons dared to enter—there existed only a silent, endless void.

A lone figure stood in that void, wearing a clown mask. His presence was eerie, timeless. He stared at the infinite universes stretched before him, each one hanging like a glowing fruit on a cosmic tree. Some shriveled and collapsed into dust, while new ones bloomed into existence.

In his right hand, he held a mysterious book. With his left, he removed the clown mask, revealing a calm yet unreadable face.

"Finally, she's started to take a step..." he murmured, voice quiet and serene. "I just hope she doesn't repeat the same mistake she always does."

He began walking toward one of the universes.

Then—placing the mask back on—he disappeared the book and summoned a stick. But this was no ordinary stick; it felt alive, as though it contained a multiverse of its own.

He stepped into a chosen universe.

"This one has already completed its 57,869,032nd cycle," he observed. "Seems like it still has some time before reaching the 73,000,000th."

Then, without hesitation, he created 700,000 copies of himself. Each clone bore deep green eyes, identical and focused.

"Go," he ordered.

Each clone vanished into different galaxies, replicating again and again on every planet and dimension within that universe.

The original figure turned his masked gaze toward us—toward the readers, the watchers, the unknowable observers.

"Burn."

Meanwhile, in Country A…

Under a quiet tree bathed in starlight, Luceniel and Elunara sat close, arms wrapped around each other, gazing at the stars above.

"The stars look beautiful tonight, don't they, Luceniel?" Elunara said softly, her head resting on his shoulder with a warm smile.

"Yeah… tonight really is peaceful," Luceniel nodded, then glanced at his watch. "We should go home. It's already 10:20 PM."

"Let's stay here tonight," Elunara replied in a calm, almost sleepy voice.

Luceniel gave a nervous laugh. "Hey, you need some rest." Without warning, he lifted her gently in a princess carry.

"Nooo, I don't want to go yet," she pouted. "Let's stay a little longer!"

Luceniel chuckled and placed her back on the ground. From his pocket, he took out a pair of earbuds and popped them in—shutting out whatever Elunara was going to say next.

His clothes shimmered, changing to white and blue. He picked her up once more and, spreading wings of light, took off toward home.

In the air, Elunara stayed quiet, eyes fixed on the stars. Luceniel smiled seeing her so happy.

(She's happy now… I hope everything stays like this. I should slow down so she can enjoy the flight.)

He gently slowed his speed.

Soon, Elunara drifted off to sleep in his arms. Twenty minutes later, they reached home. Outside, in the yard, all four elemental robots stood waiting.

Luceniel landed gracefully, still holding Elunara.

"Why are you all standing outside?" he asked.

The robots bowed.

"Master, we were training to control our elements," said Sky.

"But we're still far from mastering them," Ember added in a calm voice. "Please help us tomorrow."

"Alright, alright," Luceniel smiled. "Sky, check the perimeter. The rest of you, take some rest now."

"Yes, Master," they said in unison and bowed once more.

Luceniel carried Elunara inside. She slept peacefully in his arms.

Just then, Lily appeared before him—nervous, her voice soft.

"Welcome home, Dad."

"Thanks for taking care of the house, Lily," Luceniel teased. "You didn't cause any mischief, did you?"

"N-No! I didn't do anything," she replied quickly. "You should put Mom in your room so she can sleep comfortably," she added with a mischievous grin.

"Okay, okay. Let me put Mom to bed first, then I'll come work on our next project."

He gently placed Elunara on their bed. She didn't even stir.

In the hallway…

Lily paced nervously.

"Oh no... Uncle Kaelron told me to inform Mom as soon as she got home. But she's asleep now, and if I wake her up, Dad will ask questions…"

Just then, Luceniel entered with his iPad, laptop, and some papers. Lily quickly formed a duplicate of herself.

"Hey you," she whispered to the clone. "You have one task—go wake Mom and tell her her brother called an hour ago."

The clone nodded and walked toward the room.

Luceniel noticed it but said nothing, returning to the hall and setting up his workstation.

"Hey Lily, come here and check this out," he called.

Lily took the form of a five-year-old girl and sat on his lap.

"Dad, didn't we finish this design two weeks ago? Why are you showing it again?" she asked calmly.

"I know," he smiled. "But it had too many flaws. Now I've got an idea to control all elements at once."

Lily's eyes widened with excitement.

Inside the bedroom…

Elunara still slept soundly. The AI clone entered and gently shook her awake.

"Huh? What happened?" she murmured.

"Hello ma'am. Message from Lily: your brother called an hour ago. You forgot your phone at home. Please call him."

The clone vanished. Elunara sat up, confused.

"My phone… where is it?" She checked her purse. "Ah, found it."

She dialed Kaelron's number.

Back in the hall…

Luceniel overheard the call. He glanced at Lily, who was writing something beside him.

(Why does Kaelron only want to talk to Elunara? I hope nothing's wrong…)

"Hey Lily, what were you doing while we were gone?"

"Oh, just helping Ember and Sky with their elemental control. Helped Geomarx ascend and Aquaryth with the weather… nothing else," she said with a smile.

But inside, she felt a pang of guilt. For the first time, she had lied to her father.

Luceniel patted her head gently.

(Lily… I never thought you'd lie to me. But if you did it for a good reason, then I'm proud you made that decision on your own.)

"Thanks, sweetheart. You really help Dad a lot."

They shared a soft smile.

(Sorry, Dad. I lied… but Uncle Kaelron said he only wanted to tell Mom first…) Lily's guilt deepened, though she returned to her tasks.

Inside the room…

Kaelron's voice finally came through on the call.

"Elunara? First—tell me… is Luceniel with you?" he asked, his tone tense.

"No, he's in the hall with Lily. Why?"

"Elunara, something happened at Luceniel's home…"

Her heart skipped.

"What? What happened?" she asked, her voice rising.

"Shhh—please don't let Luceniel know yet. I want you to tell him, calmly."

"Okay… but what is it?" she whispered, nervous.

"…Luceniel's father is no more."

Silence.

Elunara's eyes widened in horror. Her hand flew over her mouth.

"What do you mean? How? When?" she stammered.

"It happened the night you both left for Country A. We don't know who did it yet. But… his mother has also disappeared."

"Wait—what?! His mother too?" Elunara was in shock. A memory flashed in her mind—Luceniel's mother, treating her like a daughter the very first time they met.

"Yes, Elunara. You must be strong. You have to tell him. Keep him calm… please."

"…Okay," Elunara whispered. She ended the call.

But she couldn't stand.

She couldn't move.

Back in the hall…

Luceniel paused. Though no words were spoken out loud, he felt it.

Something inside him shattered.

He had heard it all…

And now… he was breaking from within.