Chapter 3

“You’ll be working under Professor Miller.” Michael Astley shakes the young man’s hands as an acknowledgement. All the young man did was nod in return.

The young man has decided to intern at Astley technologies to add to his portfolio. Their work on Artificial Intelligence specifically caught his interest.

The Levesque is an international conglomerate company that revolves around production of various goods and services. They’re considered an empire in the modern era.

They were discussing on what specific research he’d be working on and who would be guiding the young man with the other research students.

The research is estimated to last around 1 to 2 months at the start of the winter break.

Astley walked them towards the gates of the mansion to their car. He was busy talking with his old friend, Dominique Lévesque, about their plans with their sons.

“My son has been thinking on…”

The young man has tuned out of their conversation as he already knew what his father would say. His eyes wander off to the garden not far from where they were walking and sees a lady sitting on a balcony railing on the 2nd floor.

The young man doesn’t know who the girl was but he had a hunch that it was Mr. Astley’s daughter. It made him remember what happened in the event that Cecil held.

“You were only invited because you were Mr. Astley’s daughter, don’t get your head too high up in the clouds.” Cecilia approached a girl that has just been standing quietly and observing the surroundings. Cecilia held a gathering and it was exclusively for the rich circle.

Invitation to banquets, parties, and social gatherings is nothing new. Families who are against each other also like inviting each other on public parties just to show off or feed their own egos. With intimidation in mind, Cecilia approached the girl with a mocking voice.

“Do you think I wanted to be here? This lame excuse of a party filled with greedy business men who matches their children, as if it were a game?” What she said was true, one of the main purposes of the event was to gather the children of the rich. It can be compared to a social debut for Cecilia but of course, that’s nothing but an old practice.

“Oh, come on Cecil. We both know that I’m only here because your father desperately wants your brother engaged to me. He even offered a large sum of shares from your company.” The lady played around with the drink in her hand and smiled.

Wallace is nouveau riche, or new money in other words. Their business was newly established 17 years ago and they were climbing the social ladder for more than 10 years now. It was nothing but wishful thinking for the young Cecilia to think that she had power over the young lady. It was none other than the daughter of the Astley’s after all.

“We’re just here to humor you.” She looked back up and into Cecilia’s eyes with a humorous look and put her drink down the table. She started walking towards Cecilia’s who’s now wearing an exasperated look on her face.

“So don’t get your head too high up in the clouds.” She whispered in a mocking way and laughed right after. She left Cecilia gritting her teeth who lost in the argument she started herself.

The young man sitting near them couldn’t care less.

They made eye contact and he could hear the two old men walking behind him. Isabella’s expression was visibly seen as she saw her father walking. She hopped back in the balcony and into her room and closed the door.

‘Rather than shocked, she looks disturbed.’ He thought to himself.

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The young man’s father called for him and they continued to walk towards their car. He entered their vehicle with an unreadable expression.

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“So it turns out that we have to trigger something for both Isabella’s and your memories to resurface.” The ball of light has now returned. It’s apparent that its light has become dimmer and its voice has become weak as well.

I’ve just told the ball of light what I had observed these past two days he’s been absent.

“We don’t have to worry about Isabella’s since I know everyone here like Irina knows her books.” I was clueless as to what it was saying and I could only guess what he meant from context clues.

“Irina’s…books?” It must mean that he knows the people in this realm a lot.

“Oh, it’s a saying. Irina’s my cousin and uh, she has a thing for books. And she has…millions of them. She knows which row, column, and which bookcase a specific book rests and its contents.” The ball of light specified and explained what it meant.

“So it’s an idiom?” I said.

“Ah yes, it’s an idiom. It means that if you have vast knowledge in something, ‘you know it like Irina knows her books’.” It explained the idiom one more time before sighing and losing energy in its voice.

“This is lame…” I could only giggle at his sudden change in energy.

“Why do you say so?” I asked while smiling.

“It’s like explaining a joke; it isn’t funny or meaningful anymore once you explain it.” The ball of light seems embarrassed and sad from its voice.

“It’s just an idiom I’m not familiar with. Besides, we have a similar idiom in our realm.” I said as a matter of fact.

“You do?” The light asked enthusiastically.

“Yeah, ‘I know it like the back of my hand’.” I said and raised my hand.

“Oh, so you use body parts as a relation.” The light seems more interested as it laid close to me.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s like you know it’s there even if you don’t see it.” I explained which made his sad voice disappear.

“Exactly! That’s what ‘like Irina knows her books’ mean.”

“A-anyway, back to what we were talking about.” As we were already going off from our main topic at hand, the ball of light quickly put us back.

“You need to have a prior knowledge of this world to be able to access it so I thought you already had an inkling as to where you are.” I had been inside this room for almost three days now and I haven’t seen anything other than the same four walls.

Honestly, I was too unfamiliar and cautious of my surroundings that I do not even dare to step out of this room without the little light beside me.

“Your soul must have been that damaged to forget everything.” He floated around me as he got lost in thought.

“Okay so, let’s start in the beginning.”

“There are different realms, dimension, or whatever you call them, that exists in every plane. Different realities that have similarities or realities that are very different from one another.”

One thing only comes to mind when he explained that. “A multiverse?” I whispered.

“Is that what you guys call it? Yes, then let’s call it that.” They seem to have a different term.

“So these realms or realities are connected to one another, there would always be similarities with each other no matter how different they seem and you can only find one or two connections that link two realms.” I listened attentively to what it was saying.

“Now, the complicated thing is, you have to know the specific link or medium that was made between the two realities to be able to go back and forth. It may have something to do with a specific event that happens in your realm that has a connection with an event that happened in another…”

“Or perhaps, a person or an object.”

“Well, have you been to other realms?” I asked out of curiosity.

“I- well…other than my home and this one, I haven’t really been anywhere.”

“Ah, that’s an example.”

“My realm is completely different from here, however, the link that connects the two is me. The fact that I materialized this realm, it means that I’m a medium connecting the two.” The light explained in detail.

“Now, we have to find the medium that connects this realm to yours.”

“Wait, if you made this reality, doesn’t that mean that you control it, and therefore, should know what links to it?” I asked in confusion. Since from what the ball of light has stated so far, it’s somehow a ‘god’ of this reality.

“Yes, I should have power over it, however…as I’ve said, I’m not in a state I used to be in. I barely saved you what makes you think I have the power to control this whole realm.” The light dimmed even more and from its voice, it seemed to be heartbroken.

“Sigh, when everything came crashing down and my core was broken, everything that I had control over went loose. As I don’t have the ability to overseer my creations… I was left with nothing.” He paused and thought about something before telling me that he had lost everything.

I could only imagine what he had gone through. To lose his family, his powers, and become…disabled.

“We call something like you a god in our reality…what do they call you here?” I said as a matter of fact to change the subject and asked.

“Ah the term god, a being with utmost power, we use that as well but only for one person…” The light paused for a moment and continued. “My father.” He said in an almost inaudible whisper.

“Ah…” I uttered. I seem to have made the light a more painful memory, I messed up. I panicked a little and thought of a different topic in mind.

“What do I have to know about this realm…you know, the basics? So that I’m somehow familiar with everything.” I said. Even though I’d eventually learn everything as if it were natural to me through triggers, it’s better safe than sorry.

“Of course! Let’s do that shall we?” The light enthusiastically said.

I’d be going back to the academy tomorrow and I honestly don’t know what to feel. I should be feeling nervous and worried as to what would happen, but somehow, I feel…nothing.