Chapter 2

The secret of the Ether. Marta’s decision

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Thousands of years ago, back on the magicless days of old boring planet Earth, scientists reached the peak of astronomical knowledge by discovering a substance they referred to as ether, or “The Ether”, in more ominous citations. They realized that ether explained why their numbers didn’t work sometimes. Why this should weigh X when weighs Y? Well, there is this substance that erases space and time. So, when contacting something, it doesn’t just disappear. The very past of its existence disappears from reality. If you where to throw a person into The Ether, not only would that person disappear. Your memories of that person would disappear too, as it would have never existed in the first place.

So, how do we know all this? It involves more math and weird speed-of-light-things than any sane person could comprehend, so just assume it as fact. Then, we’ve got this reality erasing substance around. Is it dangerous? Yes. Should we be worried? Not actually, as it is nearly impossible to find it in the universe. Outside the universe, on the other hand… You know, the universe just grows and grows. Another discovery. But it is surrounded by ether. Or trapped, we should say, like a boiled egg floating in the sea. You should imagine, then, The Ether as the death guardian of the Universe, keeping it in place between fixed limits. When the universe grows, this final frontier makes it stay the same. And when science could not do anything else…

Magic. The final entanglement between mind and matter. The force by which humans, entities or various forms of souls change nature and imbue objects and tools with their trained consciousness, defying logic or any kind of scientific notion of reality. The magicians of the Indirian Monarchy devised a plan to build a “canal” across the universe, from its edge toward the very center. Redirect the ether inside the universe, erasing all in its path, while freeing it to expand eternally outside its primordial cage. The Indirian Monarchy meant to sacrifice the existence of entire galaxies to finally free the Bird from the Cage.

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Marta’s dad was the magician that trained the military engineer corps in this planet, the eldest of the galaxy. At first, like many others, he didn’t believe this project was feasible. But one day, he could experience in his own soul what it meant to move the ether. One very day, he walked home to his daughter, like he always did, only this time he realized how little sense it made that he didn’t have any memory of the coming into existence of his own child. She just appeared. No mother. No wife. Could it be…?

His realization made him understand why everyone was so chill about the project. It wasn’t that their galaxies would cease to exist. It would have never existed.

‘A world without pain…?’ Marta has made her mind. ‘Yours is a world without life nor joy.’

Just after his father execution, Marta found a data disk well-hidden between her favorite music. It contained all the discoveries and studies her father had conducted in secret, and the missing files he stole to derail the project, that caused his demise. He talked her many times about the Prince of the Free Counties, in this very world. Past the desert, along the shore, across the sea, inland, the great Countal City, with him as its jewel. He could be of help. It is her only hope.

Cornelos sighs sadly with disgust.

‘If only you could understand…’, he says, while approaching her.

But Marta understands it already. It will take pain and it may break her will, but she has never been so certain of anything. Of course, she had a mother. Of course, her dad loved her. Of course, she loved her too. Now, she will come to the bottom of this no matter the cost.

Against the day of death that the canal brings to this world, she jumps over the last lit cobblestones and starts to run inside the black desert.

Some of the engineers try to follow her, but they get afraid and stay back at the last moment. Deep down, they all believe she’ll be back by morning.

‘Silly child…’, shouts Cornelos. ‘Where will you go?’.

Marta keeps running.

‘Lifeward’, she says to herself.