Page Turners - Chapter 14 [Page 35] - The Seam
Six months had passed since they turned the Page. After two months of following the Page's edge, Charlize found the first marker. It directed them deeper into the Grid, and after four months of travel, they had already passed 252 pillars.
Being surrounded by pillars was a surprising difference from being at the edge. It was like being in a cage made for an enormous creature, trapping and suffocating them. Crisscrossing shadows painted the floor, mirroring the Grid. It created the final seal on their three-dimensional prison. The crushing sense of claustrophobia contrasted with the infinite vastness of the Grid. It was an unsettling contradiction they would have to endure while moving across Page 35.
It took a few months for them to adapt. The overwhelming rushing from every direction and the endless landscape of the Grid made it easy for them to lose themselves. Their ears adjusted to the background noise within a few weeks. But the eyes were too easy to fool, too prone to getting lost in the endless Grid. They were lucky to have an experienced Bookwyrm guiding them.
“It’s time, Tilla,” Charlize called out.
“What, again? Didn’t we just go through this? I get it already. Why do we have to repeat it constantly?” Tilla replied with a whine.
“What have I told you? Remembering is not enough. It needs to be seared in your mind, embedded deeply in your long-term memory. I promise you, over thousands of years, even your most precious or traumatic experiences will fade if your memory is not maintained. Once more, the Seam.”
“The Seam is the space between all things. Between us right now, between the tip of my finger and my fingernail, between matter and anti-matter; that space is filled by the Seam. No two things in the entire Book can ever truly touch, as the Seam always exists between them. Without the Seam, if two things were to come into contact, they would fuse into one. The Seam is the barrier that keeps things intact, like the outline of a character drawing. In essence, everything in the Book, from the Grid to us, to the molecules that give us form, is contained by the Seam.”
“Good. And how does the trained eye perceive the Seam?”
“Seriously, this is pointless. I can’t even see it.”
“Come on now, Tilla. You need to know this. If you ever want to see it, you must first imagine it.”
“Fine. People who can perceive the Seam, see it as strands. Like a hair or a string from a spider's web, it is almost too thin and fleeting to be seen. Strands are everywhere. Through training, one can begin to perceive the strands all around but it is initially overwhelming.”
“You can say that again. First time my eyes opened to the Seam, I thought I went blind. Couldn’t see anything but white gold. The Undoing weren’t joking when they said the space between things was more abundant than the things themselves,” Od added.
“Through further training, one can eventually see only the strands they choose to see. Though, some people go crazy before they get that far, right?” Tilla continued.
“Yes. It’s not uncommon for a person to lose themselves entirely once the Seam is revealed to them. Much like the Grid we find ourselves in, being surrounded by the same scenery disorients our sense of place and time. The pure energy of the strands is blinding and can sometimes cause people to have visions,” Charlize confirmed.
“You said that before, but I don't get how. Do you mean they go crazy, or like, they see something in the Seam?”
“I saw my wife. A good two thousand years before I had ever met her,” said Od.
“Your wife? I didn’t know you were married,” Charlize commented.
“I’m not.”
“I don't get it. You’re saying you saw your wife a couple of millennia before you even knew she existed? So, you saw into the future?” Tilla questioned.
“We’ve been over this. The Seam is also the space between what is and what will be,” stated Charlize.
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“But I don’t understand. That would mean you could see into the past and the future through the Seam right? But then that must mean it exists at all times simultaneously. But if it does, and the Seam is everywhere, then doesn’t that mean we also exist at all times? That all matter does?”
“You’re asking questions I don’t have the answer to. I don’t need you to understand the complete space-time continuum, girl, I just need you to know that what I’ve said is true.”
Both Charlize and Od were still struggling with the new form of Tilla. It wasn’t just her body that grew, her mind also matured in tandem. Her incredibly deep takes would still catch them off-guard from time to time. Od was quickly warming to her recently matured personality, but still couldn’t help but treat her like a little girl from time to time. Charlize also seemed a bit happier, if such a word could be applied to her. Their bond didn’t necessarily become deeper, but it was clear that Charlize was relieved that a part of her burden had been lifted.
“And finally?” prompted Charlize.
“Finally,” Tilla sighed before continuing, “Inside every strand is an almost infinite amount of energy. Tapping into that energy is incredibly difficult and dangerous, with the most common technique for doing so being Snap. Are we done now?”
“How does Snap work?”
“Oh, come on, Charlize. Can we just give it a rest?”
“Why? Do you not know the answer?”
“Those who are trained to wield the Seam can see and collect strands. By weaving multiple strands together they can form a String, the fundamental component of most Seam work. If one folds a String over and over, using a specific technique, it can become brittle and cracked open to unleash the power within. Done?”
“Done. Very good. Your knowledge that is, not your attitude,” Charlize said with a smirk.
“So, when are you going to start teaching me how to use it?” she asked, her tone suggesting it wasn’t the first time.
“Let’s get to the Cube first. There we can stock up on anything we might need. I also have a contact there. Assuming they haven’t moved along yet, they might be able to provide some more recent information on Iglesias King.”
“I also know a guy there. Should be able to heal your fingers too,” Od added.
“Is that right? Keeping secrets again are we?” Charlize accused.
“Hey, you learned about my contact at the same time I learned about yours. What’s the problem?”
“Trust, Od. Trust is the problem.”
“Works both ways, no?”
“No. It doesn’t. Your trust in me is bought and paid for. Betraying you is the same as betraying my own goal. Conversely, my trust needs to be earned. Without the promise of a gifted Creation, we have nothing binding us. It’s in your best interest to make me trust you. You’re not doing great, so far.”
“Fair point. Hopefully, when my mate fixes you up with his Memory Matter skill, you’ll feel a bit differently.”
“Memory Matter? Quite the rare skill.”
“He’s a rare sort.”
“I’d expect nothing less of one of your compatriots.”
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Back at the start of Page 35, two men had just turned the Page. One man was over two meters tall and almost as wide. The other was thinner but still athletic, his chiseled jawline and protruding cheekbones hinting that he actively kept in shape. Both wore a purple jumpsuit with teal arms and legs, though the bigger man had no sleeves. An alteration that was purposely done to show off his bulging arms.
“You see the bitch?” asked the muscular, almost square-shaped man.
“Do you? What kind of stupid question is that, Fudu? We’re at least six months behind. What did you expect, she’d just be standing here at the starting line, waiting for us to take our revenge. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe we share the same genes,” said the younger brother, eyes rolling so hard he almost toppled over.
“She killed my wife, Rin! And my fucking girlfriend! She’s gonna get what's coming!” said Fudu, his face going red with rage.
“I know, goddammit. That’s why we’re here, ain’t it? I told you we’d get her, didn’t I bro? We just gotta find her first. We’ll use our links in the Cube to pinpoint her location. No way she crosses 35 without passing through the Cube.”
Rin placed his hand on Fudu’s shoulder and looked him deep in the eyes. He started breathing deeply, counting to two, then exhaling. Fudu initially resisted, but eventually succumbed to Rin’s rhythm, and joined in. It wasn’t the first time Rin had employed such a tactic. Over the seven hundred years they had been tending the crystal caterpillar farm, Rin had taught himself a few tricks to keep his more bloodthirsty kin in check.
Assured that Fudu had returned to his more level-headed, and genuinely quite pleasant state of mind, Rin walked to the pillar ahead.
Using the middle joint of a finger on each hand, he rapped the pillar. For 30 seconds, he played a percussive rhythm, bouncing his shoulders along with the beat. It was a rehearsed song he must’ve played many times before, considering his confidence and perfect timing.
Once the song ended, he took two steps back. At the bottom of the pillar, a tiny door, only two centimeters tall and one centimeter wide, flung open. From the door came a long-bodied creature with eight legs and the upper body of two men. The two bodies faced each other, positioned at either end of the long body, four legs under each. Both bodies were speedily rambling with incredibly deep voices, seemingly interrupted mid-dispute.
“How we doing today, fella? You mind giving us a ride to the Cube? We have some business to attend to,” Rin asked with a devilish smile.