Ellipse

Aaron wasn't surprised, and realized it actually made a little sense, or perhaps he was getting used to being upside-down, and another change felt right on cue.

The three continued walking through the garden. An extraordinary arrangement of colors reverberated around every corner. Aaron saw colors he had never seen, and some colors he had once, in a thousand-faceted stone.

"Spend some time here Aaron, and when you're ready… I will show you your future." Eternity held a glance of admiration, and turned to depart the garden.

Aaron bent over to smell an exotic-looking flower. He felt at ease, a quality he attributed to a place at the beginning and end of the universe. As he inhaled, a tingling sensation ran to the top of his head.

Although he was enthralled by the scale of it all, there was one thought that Aaron couldn't avoid… What am I doing here?

A clear view of Aura rose over a multi-spectral hedge. A dew-like vapor ascended in the air around her as she walked amongst the flowers. Aaron watched for a moment, mesmerized by the grace of the garden.

"So this is your home?" He walked up beside her.

"Yes, do you like it?"

"Yes, it's beautiful… but you don't need me to tell you what I think… do you?"

Aura smiled, "It's not your thoughts. It's your emotions… how you feel."

"Well… I'm grateful to be able to see your home," Aaron replied, smiling.

They continued to walk together, feeling the warmth of the trillion stars as they glided through the gradient flora. It was easy to be around Aura now, and Aaron carried on with her like an old friend.

"I must confess," Aaron continued, "I saw a glimpse of this place when I lifted you up on Peridot at the stables… I mean… It wasn't the garden… but a connection to it all… of light through time."

Aura held up a flower petal that lifted off from her fingers. It fluttered around their heads for a moment and rose to the top of the palace's walls. "Was that me or you? I don't remember anymore," Aura said playfully.

It was all so clear and confusing at the same time; everywhere Aaron looked was something he had never seen before, yet it felt rooted in everything that always was.

"After The Teacher told me… you know, about how you took the form of my imagination… I was worried that you weren't real… but you're not just my imagination… are you?"

"No," said Aura, "I am my own ousia. I know you were worried… but it was better for you to find out on your own."

Aaron held a look of doubt in his eyes, and paused to think. "Couldn't you have just brought me here to begin with?"

"You think so?!" She laughed. "And what would you have thought of the Kingdom at the Beginning and End of the Universe then?"

"Hmmmm, I guess I see your point."

Aaron thought about the farm back in Tara, and his hikes along the mountainside. He imagined what his former self would have thought about this Garden of Time. He looked back at Aura, who embodied the harmony of her surroundings.

"For a moment, I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with you in that cottage… That would have been nice… I mean, it's unfortunate that all the work you did will go to waste."

Aura smiled. "We're not trapped here; we can still live there together."

"What? Well then, what does Eternity want with us?"

A few droplets of water hovered over Aura's shoulder and landed on a tree bearing semi-transparent fruit.

"He's waiting to tell you, isn't he?"

Aaron glanced at the Atrium and felt a surge of nervousness. When he looked back at Aura, she was already out of sight around the next clump of bushes.

Why am I here?

He began to walk towards the atrium and his foot scraped across something metallic and smooth. Looking down, he saw some type of engraved plaque covered in topaz ivy.

Uncovering it with his hand, he wiped away the leaves and recognized a phrase he had once seen on the Captain's door: 'ELGIA LORE LASANT, ENTA TY'.

What was it doing here?

Aura came into view as he knelt above the plaque. "Eternity's not going to wait forever."

"You sure about that?" Aaron smiled and rose. Heeding Aura's cue, he took one last look around.

When Aaron approached the atrium, Eternity was leaning against his staff, watching the amethyst slowly crystallize out of the ground.

"My apologies, Aaron." He stood up straight. "I shouldn't have enticed you to leave the garden. You could have spent more time there."

"It's something else… I was wondering, though, why do you care who I am?"

"Oooo, everyone cares who YOU are," Eternity's ice blue eyes caught the stars. "Come, follow me."

They wound their way back through the Atrium and ascended the spiral staircase. When they reached the third floor, Eternity waved his hands, and light without origin illuminated the hall.

"Aaron, what I am about to show you is very old. I brought it here when I was much younger, and I'm glad that I did when I had the chance."

Entering a new room, Aaron was confronted by a towering archway made of Pezzotaite. It was at least four times his height, and presented a righteous proportionality.

"This is the Portara," said Eternity.

Aaron nervously swallowed. Eternity slowly walked around the room, followed close by Aaron. Light refracted off the Pezzotaite, sending particles shimmering in every direction. Both organic and composed, the geometric crystals growing out from the base extended the whole length of its sides.

"This archway will take you back to your world."

However, centered in the middle of the amethyst walls… the Portara didn't seem to lead anywhere. Aaron was about to question Eternity, but thought better of it.

"Aaron, Aura brought you here because it's your responsibility to shape a future. I understand that you think everything is in a reasonable order, but you must consider this: the grand design is designed by no one but yourself."

Aaron didn't really understand what Eternity was telling him.

"Why do I need the gate? Can't I just go back with Aura the same way I came?"

A look of concern fell over Eternity's face. "I'm afraid that your future is not your past… The Portara is going to take you somewhere you can start from the beginning."

Aaron was getting frustrated, Eternity was clearly leaving something out, and the enchantment of the palace was fading as Aaron grasped to fill the gaps with ominous answers.

Eternity leaned against his staff as though he bore a great weight, one he had been carrying for a long time. "It's not just me that you're helping; others will follow in the path you lay out for them."

Aaron could feel a deep undertone of sadness come from Eternity's voice. He wanted to ask, but realized he might not want to know.

"You must learn to place your trust in Aura. She is paramount to your success. There are forces that would wish to undo my work… but if you trust in Aura, you will always find yourself at the doorstep of the Kingdom at the Beginning and End."

In this moment, Aaron realized there was danger in his future, and the possibility of never returning again. Aaron didn't like what he was being thrown into, but there was little room for choice.

"What are you asking of me?!" Aaron demanded directly.

Eternity looked at him with aged admiration. "For you to be exactly who you are."

Aura walked into the room and broke his chain of thought. A comforting smile emanated from her eyes. Aaron thought that as long as he was with her, things would be okay.

"Will I ever see you again?" Aaron asked Eternity, noting something familiar in his face.

"Ooo, I won't ruin the surprise," Eternity chuckled like an old man.

A great sadness weighed on Aaron's chest. He was unsure of what lay ahead, but knew that his journey was only beginning.

And with a brief moment between father and son… Aaron walked through the gate.