Chapter 11

~

Break out…

And live..

See beyond…

And know.

~

Soft rays of light bathed the meadow. A slight breeze brushed unruly hair gently across his face.

Numerous quiet chirps and the shuffling of tiny feet could be heard as a variety of critters performed their daily routines. A plaintive calf called after its mother, moving quickly to rejoin the larger herd passing near the watering hole.

Jorin kept his eyes closed, breathing in and out with careful rhythm.

There was a sudden tinge of feeling throughout his fingertips. A cold shiver ran across his skin. Excited, but careful to not move, Jorin tried to trace the energy to its origin. Was this the moment he had been waiting for? He grinned to himself and focused inwards.

A snap of fingers in front of his face was not what he expected.

His reaction was as instinctive as it was desperate. Arms flailing, Jorin threw himself away from the noise, legs tangled as he tried to run. Unable to utilize any movement properly, he ended up rolling a short distance before picking himself upright.

Facing the direction of the mansion, he fully expected to see a group of guards standing there; who would laugh while wrapping that icy copper collar around his neck.

Instead, two men crouched nearby, both watching him carefully.

They were a study of opposites and similarities. Where one was blond and stocky, the other was dark-haired and lanky. The lighter haired man had a tightly trimmed beard, his blue eyes shining with curiosity and humor. The second man was clean shaven and solem, his gray eyes flashing with bits of darkness.

A moment passed, with both sides observing the other. Finally, the blond man spoke. “If you’re trying to cultivate, forcing it will only backfire.”

Jorin stared back uncomprehendingly, before realization struck. “I’m sorry, who are you again? And how are you speaking English?!”

The blond man gave a half bow. “Allow me to offer introductions. My name is Benjamin and this is my brother Daniel. We are Travelers like yourself, coming from a different reality, a different world than this one. Forgive the hurry, speed is a necessity.”

Ben moved a bit closer, though Daniel remained in place, focused on a small device in his hand.

Ben nodded towards where Jorin had been sitting in concentration a moment before. “What you’re trying to do, it is possible. Difficult to start, due to your origin string, but not impossible.”

Jorin, shock now turning into anger, jumped to his feet, hands clenched by his sides. “Did you have something to do with this? With me being here?”

Ben shook his head sadly, remaining crouched against the ground, his hand sifting through the soft soil underfoot.

“While we personally had nothing to do with you being chosen, we are also not entirely blameless. I will explain as much as I can, but I ask that you refrain from any questions until I’ve finished. Is that acceptable?”

Pushing down the anger he felt, Jorin nodded slowly.

“Good. This world is known as Arigo. It is very, very different from Earth. Here, people can grow powerful enough to travel into space without a spaceship, able to visit other worlds, or even rule over them. They control kingdoms and empires larger than the size of Earth’s entire land mass.”

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Here Ben paused for a moment, making sure Jorin was keeping up. Then, he continued.

“You arrived on this world via an event known as a Causality rift. These are a recent development, but they are occurring across multiple realities or Strings. No, you can’t return the way you came, that rift has already closed.”

Ben motioned a hand towards Daniel, who had been tinkering with something in the background. He handed forward what looked like a small tube with a port on one side.

Jorin, against his better judgement, leaned forward; a mixture of confusion and curiosity fueling his interest.

Moving carefully, Ben held the device one hand, the other making a small movement to the side.

“As I stated earlier, our time is limited..”

“About ninety seconds.” Daniel murmured from the side.

Ben sighed. “Very limited. What I’m holding is a way forward, or perhaps a way back. You are a Traveler now, someone capable of moving between the limitless strings of reality. But this comes at a cost.” He tapped his temple, and Jorin nodded in response.

“Memories. Faulty things that they are, are susceptible to rift travel. Our people, the Norkishians, have long used a method to contain and parse information for accurate recall. This is advanced technology, centuries beyond what was available in your home world. We call it a Second-Mind.”

Jorin opened his mouth to ask what it was, but Ben interrupted quickly, shoving the tube in his direction.

“We don’t have time to discuss the details in full. Please, take this as a gift. If you choose not to use it, we understand, but you should be warned. The Council has decided the risk factor of Travelers affecting the universe must be curtailed, and so has sent NCF squads to dispose of such individuals.”

Seeing Jorin’s frown, Ben hastened to explain further. “Soldiers are tracking us even as we track you. We plan to lead them away, but in the event we are unsuccessful, this Second-Mind will give you a chance to survive. It might also help you understand the nature of Thanam, allowing you to grow in strength beyond what is possible on Earth.”

Taking the device being handed to him, Jorin tried desperately to keep up with the sudden influx of information he had received. Then, as a realization came to him, he reached out to grasp Benjamin’s arm.

“Please, you have to help me find my…” he struggled to put into terms what the little girl meant to him, before giving the thought up and instead focusing on Ben’s face.

“I didn’t arrive here alone! There was a girl, a young girl with me. I think we might have been related, but I can’t remember. If everything you say is true, then you can take me to her!”

Even as Ben looked suddenly unsure, Jorin could see Daniel behind him shaking his head and murmuring, “Forty seconds. They’re speeding up the trace.”

“I’m sorry.” Ben grabbed the young man's shoulder. “If we were to stay any longer in this world, even to find this girl, then we would all be in grave danger. Your best chance at survival is for us to lead the Squads away to another String.”

Jorin angrily jerked out of the man’s grasp.

“So what? I just have to find her myself? Somehow survive on my own? She might die, and I wouldn’t even know!”

“Again, I’m sorry.” Ben stood up as Daniel began preparing the formation, pumping more than the usual amount of energy into its creation.

“There was another rift signature far to the south, but we didn’t have time to check it. If that was her, then we know she’s alive. If we are able to, we will try to return in the future. I can’t promise anything else.”

The sorrow on Ben’s features was the only reason Jorin didn’t shout at the man again, but fury continued to build nonetheless.

As the formation was completed a brilliant flash of light emanated outwards, then began folding in upon itself until collapsing into a solid ring of darkness. From that darkness emanated a strange resonance as Jorin shivered, a familiar feeling returning. Staring in horror at the portal that seemed so nauseating, so abhorrently intimate, Jorin barely heard Ben’s shouted words.

“There is a way for you to both find the girl and return home! Cultivate! Become powerful, and the world will open up to you. I swear in truth, if you walk down that path far enough… you will find your way home again. Use the device as an injection, the Second-Mind will cover the rest. You might find yourself remembering your past life, but…”

The sound of a gasping void emanated from the portal, Daniel desperately keeping his formation active, veins popping as he struggled against forces beyond comprehension.

Ben quickly took up a position beside him, both working in tandem to control the energy surrounding them. Even then, he glanced one last time to the boy standing nearby, recoiled in fear from their portal.

“Stay alive! We’ll try to return…” a force began circling them, purple lightning striking the ground at their feet. Ben grimaced, shouting over the noise. “Until then!”

And with a final snap of air, the void portal was gone.

Leaving only the scorched earth… and a young boy gasping in fear on the ground nearby, even as realization dawned.

Curled in a ball, hugging his knees, Jorin didn’t even realize as the first tears fell. All he knew, all he could think in this moment, was the horror of his existence.

He was nothing more than a fourteen year old boy from Earth.

A boy, who now knew the taste of the Void.

A boy, who could barely remember just how much he had lost.

A boy, alone.