I would like to thank everyone for their support, and I hope you all enjoyed this story. This is the last chapter, a little snippet of Allen after he loses his memory, when he asks about the origin of the Noahs. There is also a second line that includes his conversation with his inner Noah, leading up to him forgetting all of his memories.

Bonus Chapter

The Origin of the Noahs

"How did the Noahs come to be?" Allen asked a few months after his transformation. He remained bright and sweet, always a little naïve. Of course no one minded this, because he was utterly adorable and they all loved him dearly, and he still retained many of the same characteristics as the 'Red' they had grown to know. The twins found that, while his mind retained no memories of his life before, his body still moved automatically in response to attacks—or the occasional pranks.

"That is an old story," Adam replied, studying Allen fondly. He wondered if it was too early to tell Allen a story involving death and darkness. After a moment of deliberation, he decided it would either be something Allen could understand in its wholeness, or something that he did not understand (and would likely not come to understand for many years yet to come, for the true horrors cannot be comprehended without a greater understanding of life and every value within and belonging to life). Adam was also reluctant to admit that Allen did not always need to be sheltered by the,. With a soft sigh, he began his tale.

"The people who built this city were not of the Vatican. They worshipped the sun, not the Noahs, for we did not yet exist in those days. They sought shelter from a sun that was slowly growing harsher, and carved a city from the rock of the cave we call home today. In this city, they built seven temples dedicated to the sun, to light. Six of these temples were built around the outskirts of the city, and the seventh temple is now the entrance to the Ark," Adam began. "Each temple housed a column made of special stone that glowed whenever the shamans used them. The glow of these temples kept the city protected from Lost Ones, the people who wandered too far from the light and became wraiths of the Abyss."

"Apocryphos," Allen supplied.

"Apocryphos," Adam confirmed. "Eventually the temples lost favor and became abandoned. With the old ways dying, the shamans grew fewer and fewer in number, until they died out completely. When the last shaman passed away, the columns of light glowed no more, and the Apocryphos attacked."

Adam was quiet for a moment, his mind lingering in the ghost of memories from his past. The memories were not his, yet still he could recall that time, the end of a great era, when darkness fell and the city fell to the evil creatures of the Abyss. He remembered the screams, the awful visions of people dying. It was not the first fall—Lulubell was the one to Awaken during that time. But it was no less an awful memory.

"The shamans had foreseen this future, and in the years before their great decline they worked in secret to protect the people as best as they could," Adam continued. "They carved their marks into the pillars of light, leaving behind the essence of themselves. After the shamans died, their descendants continued to tell stories of an impending doom, and of the pillars that might save them. As predicted, The Darkness came, and the descendants fled to the aging Temples of Light. The essences of the shamans were awoken from their deep slumber, and became the new temples. These people housed a holy light within their own bodies, and it drove away the Apocryphos."

"Noahs…"

"Noahs are the host to the last remains of the shamans' essences. Though these glowing columns no longer remain, our bodies have become the new pillars. This is why a Noah's skin glows from within," Adam explained.

"But there are fourteen of us, and only seven columns," Allen said slowly. His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "We also reincarnate, right? How can there be so many Noahs?"

"To answer the second question…a descendant must awaken the essence. As you know, even though we live long lives, Noahs are not immortal. We die, and the essence passes onto another host. This host does not need to be a descendant. The only requirement is that the host and essence must share qualities, be of kindred spirits," Adam told him. He thought of Allen's last act of defiance when he threw himself off of the cliff with Leverrier. The Fourteenth essence had finally seen what had nearly been beaten out of the boy, and it liked that spark. This allowed Allen to become a host. Adam wondered if perhaps the essence had always watched Allen, knowing he was worthy. Noah essences could not live long outside the Ark, but then again, the essence of Allen and Adam was special, even more so than the twins'. Perhaps it had always been with Allen, knowing he would one day become the perfect host.

"And to your first question, well, that is simple. Every column had three or four essences embedded in the stone," Adam said. "During the first Black Out, only four Noahs awoke. There was the potential for many more Noahs, but over time, the edges of the city degraded, and the temples fell into the Abyss. For now, they are lost to us, perhaps even destroyed in the fall."

"But the Ark is a temple as well," Allen pointed out. "Surely we have more—"

"A Noah only awakens in times of darkness," Adam interrupted him softly. "Though our lives may be lonely, I hope that no more Noahs will need to arise from the stone."

"You are right," Allen realized. He was quiet for a moment. "So we are not gods, then? Are we shamans ourselves? Do we guide the people?"

Adam smiled. "I suppose we are."

Red's Conversation with the Noah and Last Moments

Just like the sun rises and brings light, then sets and allows darkness to rule, time promises that love will come and go.

Love is wonderful in the moment...and when it leaves, those memories make it easier to withstand the darkness.

"I have faith that I can make my own memories," I answered at last. I met its eyes. "Do you know what I have chosen?"

It nodded.

"And do you think I am a fool?" I asked.

"I think you are a soft-hearted person. No one would ever sacrifice those precious few moments of happiness simply because he knew he would not be able to forgive or forget the things that his loved ones did to him," it replied.

"It is a new beginning for all of us," I murmured.

"Do you truly want this?" the shadow asked. A tear fell from my eye.

"I want happiness. I want to love my family without conflict," I responded. The Noah of Time bowed its head.

"Very well."

The white around us ebbed away.

"You will wake and have a few minutes as the memories are locked away." It paused. "Others have taken the time to write short messages to themselves. You may do the same."

And I succumbed to the whirlpool of darkness.

::

I awoke, and for the first time in an eternity filled with utter darkness, I saw and looked and beheld the world with my own two eyes.

Sitting up, I looked around, drinking in the sight of beauty that lay all around me, despite the gloom. I reminded myself, using all of the self-discipline I had in my body, to write the letter to myself lest I forget. It was simple, short, and heartfelt. I kept it tucked in my hand. And with that done, and no worries on my heart beyond my impending doom, I went to the window where the fingers of dawn crept through the window. And for the first time in years, I beheld a sunrise in all of its amazing beauty.

I do not rightly know how to describe it, for some colors I cannot even remember to name. But it was beautiful, and brilliant, the slow climb of that glistening orb almost too quick and fleeting. The way that the rare desert clouds caught and held the light made it that much more awe-inspiring. Tears ran down my face at the sheer magnificence of sight, and I can think of nothing more appropriate to see as my first, and last, sight. I watched light chase away the darkness, unfolding with it what must be a thousand different colors and a thousand more shades of those colors.

It is a comfort to know, that though these may be my last moments as me, there is still a wonderful future awaiting me.