Darkness. An endless, silent void. Ben drifted, a disembodied consciousness, unsure if he still existed at all. Had he succeeded? Had he truly erased the Carnitrix and restored the multiverse? Or was this just another cruel illusion, another twisted facet of the nightmare he had been battling?
A flicker. A spark of light in the infinite black. It grew, coalescing into a swirling vortex of colors, sounds, and sensations. He was being pulled towards it, drawn back into existence.
He awoke with a gasp, his body aching, his mind reeling. He was lying on a soft bed, in a bright, unfamiliar room. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. The air smelled clean, fresh, utterly unlike the toxic wasteland he had last seen. He sat up, his head swimming, and looked around. The room was sparsely furnished, but comfortable. A small table held a pitcher of water and a glass. He reached for the glass, his hand trembling, and took a long drink. The water was cool and refreshing, washing away the last vestiges of the nightmare.
As he drank, memories flooded back – the Carnitrix, the destruction, the alternate Bens, the Forge of Creation, the ultimate sacrifice. He remembered using the power of Ultimate Alien X to rewrite reality, to undo the Carnitrix's damage. But he also remembered fading away, losing himself in the process. Had it all been a dream? Or had he truly paid the ultimate price?
The door to the room opened, and a figure entered. It was Gwen. But not the Gwen he remembered, not the Gwen who had perished in the Plumber HQ inferno. This Gwen was younger, more carefree, her eyes filled with warmth and concern. "Ben! You're awake! How are you feeling?" she asked, rushing to his side.
Ben stared at her, speechless. "Gwen? But… how? I saw you…"
Gwen frowned, placing a hand on his forehead. "You saw me what? Ben, you've been unconscious for days. You were found near the wreckage of a Plumber ship, babbling about monsters and alternate realities. Are you sure you're alright?"
Ben shook his head, trying to make sense of it all. "The Carnitrix… it destroyed everything… you and Grandpa Max…"
Gwen's expression softened. "Ben, Grandpa Max is fine. He's out on a Plumber mission right now. And I'm right here. You're safe. Whatever you saw, it wasn't real."
But Ben knew it was real. He knew what he had done. He had rewritten reality, creating a new timeline where the Carnitrix never existed. A timeline where Gwen and Max were alive and well. A timeline where everything was… normal.
But at what cost? He was gone. Erased from existence. A ghost in a world that no longer remembered him. Or was he?
"Where's the Ultimatrix?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
Gwen looked confused. "The what?"
Ben frantically searched his body, his heart pounding in his chest. The Ultimatrix was gone. Vanished without a trace. He was just Ben Tennyson, a normal teenager. No alien powers, no interdimensional battles, no cosmic responsibilities. Just… Ben.
He stumbled out of bed, ignoring Gwen's protests, and rushed to the window. He looked out at the world, taking in the familiar sights and sounds of Bellwood. The town was bustling with life, people going about their daily routines, oblivious to the horrors he had witnessed, the sacrifices he had made. Everything was as it should be.
But something was wrong. He could feel it, a subtle dissonance, a nagging sense of unease. It was as if a piece of him was missing, a vital part of his identity that had been erased along with the Carnitrix. He was Ben Tennyson, but he was also something more. He was the Ultimate Alien, the hero who had saved the multiverse. And now, he was neither.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head, and he stumbled, clutching his temples. Visions flashed before his eyes – fragments of alternate realities, glimpses of battles fought and lost, echoes of faces he no longer recognized. He saw Ben 10,000, sacrificing himself to protect him. He saw the corrupted Alien X, unleashing its destructive power. He saw the desolate wasteland, the burning Plumber HQ, the faces of his fallen comrades.
The visions intensified, overwhelming him. He collapsed to the floor, writhing in agony. Gwen screamed and rushed to his side, but he couldn't hear her. He was lost in the storm of memories, drowning in the weight of his past.
As the pain subsided, a single thought crystallized in his mind. He wasn't completely gone. A part of him, a fragment of his former self, still existed. And that fragment was calling out to him, urging him to remember, to reclaim his destiny.
He looked up at Gwen, his eyes filled with a newfound resolve. "I have to go," he said, his voice trembling but firm. "I have to find something."
Gwen looked at him, her eyes filled with concern. "Find what, Ben? What's going on?"
"I don't know yet," he said. "But I will." He stood up, his legs shaky, and walked towards the door. He had a feeling, a faint glimmer of hope, that he wasn't alone. That somewhere out there, someone else remembered. Someone else knew what he had done. And that someone was waiting for him.
As he stepped out into the sunlight, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was Professor Paradox, his eyes twinkling with a knowing smile. "Welcome back, Ben," he said. "I've been expecting you."
Ben stared at Paradox, his heart pounding in his chest. "You… you remember?"
Paradox chuckled. "Of course, I remember. Time is a funny thing, Ben. Even when it's rewritten, some things remain. Echoes of the past, lingering in the fabric of reality. And you, Ben Tennyson, are a very loud echo indeed."
"What now?" Ben asked, his voice filled with a mixture of hope and trepidation.
"Now," Paradox said, "we rebuild." He gestured towards the horizon. "But first, we need to find a few… missing pieces." He snapped his fingers, and a portal opened, revealing a swirling vortex of colors. "Are you ready, Ben?"
Ben hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He didn't know what lay ahead, but he knew he couldn't stay here. He couldn't live in a world that had been bought with his sacrifice. He had to reclaim his destiny, to honor the memory of those who had fallen. He took a deep breath and stepped into the portal, ready to face whatever challenges awaited him.
The End