He closed his eyes and read the question again. For a moment, he wondered how long “BEGIN JOURNEY? Y/N” would stay there if he didn’t answer. Then his forehead wrinkled as he realized he didn’t actually know how to answer the question.
He tried to focus on the Y. Then, he held the word “yes” in his mind. Nothing happened. He imagined a keyboard, going so far as to type the word with imaginary fingers. Start the journey already. Come on!
Suddenly, the words faded from sight. What the heck? Jim opened his eyes. It was pitch black all around him. He couldn’t even see his own body. The total absence of light came as a shock.
Well, this is new. Jim felt around and could not feel anything, either. It’s like all of my senses have been shut off. Or, maybe this is an out of body experience? It was surreal, regardless.
He floated in the darkness for an unknown length of time with nothing more than his thoughts for company. His confusion amped up a bit. Did WhiteRabbit lie? Is this the journey? Jim didn’t want to be a disembodied consciousness.
Suddenly, a pinpoint of green hued light flared in front of him. Not again. But, this time the light began to emit glowing tendrils that rapidly spread across his field of vision. They spread out until all he could see was the light.
It grew in intensity until he wished he could close his eyes and block it out. But, right when he thought he could take no more of the searing green light, it began to dim. He could make out hazy shapes around him.
He blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to regain his vision. Things drew back into focus as his pupils adjusted. Jim was not in his living room. Also, his clothes had disappeared. Come on, man. Not cool. He looked around his new surroundings.
The room was small, perhaps 10 feet across in both directions. Long fluorescent bulbs filled the room with harsh white light. In the center of the room stood an oval table made of metal.
Surrounding the table were five high-backed chairs, upholstered with some kind of crimson material. The chair backs he could see were each adorned with different, intricate beadwork designs that depicted otherworldly creatures. Their forms were distorted and seemed to swim in his vision, but he thought they were mostly humanoid.
On the table in front of each chair sat a hemispherical metal lump about a handspan across, covered in glassy-looking diodes. Are those buttons? He couldn’t be sure.
The walls of the room were a smooth gray material that he thought might have been concrete. He could make out symbols that had either been pressed or carved into the walls. The edges were indistinct, barely visible.
Of note, there were no doors or windows. Everything in the room seemed to radiate a sense of great age, despite there being no dust, no visible damage, or deterioration. The place just seemed eternal somehow, as if it had always been and would always be. I wonder how many people have been in this room before me.
A low hum filled the room. Jim felt it more than he heard it. He winced. It made his teeth hurt. He could also smell the sharp, metallic scent of ozone. And, as he looked around, he saw that two of the hemispheres on the table across from him were vibrating in place.
Arcs of electricity traveled along the surface of each hemisphere, flitting between the glassy bumps. The two began to rotate in opposite directions. Wisps of liquid light began to escape, flowing toward the chairs that were closest to the two emitters.
Jim watched as the light seemed to shift and move, forming itself together, and eventually taking the shapes of two people. He could barely make out any of their features, looking into the light that composed them. They were devoid of color, yet utterly beautiful. He felt himself transfixed by these beings.
One of them spoke, then. He was pretty sure it was the one on the left. The voice was deep, and the words came out in a slow and measured cadence. “You may call me Theo. Be seated, Jim. It is time for you to decide whom you will serve.”
Jim was shocked. What the hell? WhiteRabbit didn’t say anything about this! He started to speak, only for Theo to cut him off. “The decision will be made before you leave this place.”
“That seems kinda harsh, don’t you think? I don’t want to be somebody’s slave.” Jim paused. “In fact, what I most want right now is just a pair of pants. Who takes away a guy’s pants? That’s messed up.”
This time, it was the figure on the right who gestured and spoke to him. “Are you not beautifully made, Jim? Why hide behind clothes?” The statement seemed to offend Theo, who turned suddenly to stare at the one on the right.
What kind of body positivity garbage is this? Jim wasn’t having any of it. “I don’t like being undressed against my will. Can you give me my clothes back?”
Theo turned back to Jim. “Allow me to set your mind at ease. Your clothes hide the truth of who you are no more than your flesh does. Your being is laid bare before us, utterly translucent to the core. There is nothing hidden.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Jim sat down, finally. “You must be real fun at dinner parties, Theo.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” said the figure on the right. “I’m Hasa, by the way. And, Theo’s never wrong. You do have to choose.”
No way forward but through, I guess. Jim chose to direct his question to Hasa; something about Theo just made him want to squirm. “Ok, so I have to choose. What are my options?”
“It’s not like that. This isn’t multiple choice. You need to decide for yourself what will be the driving force in your life from now on. Do you want money? Power? Fame? Will you help others? Protect the weak? Avenge the victimized?”
Hasa let those questions hang in the air for a moment before continuing. “You have already served, unknowingly. Now, you will know what masters you. But, the choices available to you are limited by your desired outcome.”
“Perhaps you could be strong, or skilled in combat. You might be a great warrior, or your choices might run toward riches and bodyguards depending on what you serve. Maybe you would just be able to talk yourself out of any situation.”
Jim listened in confusion. Finally, he asked, “Are you guys offering me some kind of superpowers?”
Theo held up a hand in negation. “Humans do not have powers. But, you will be granted access to various gifts that you will be allowed to use as part of your service.”
Semantics, much? This Theo guy is a pain. “Ok, so I will have superpowers that I can use.” Jim raised his hands and made air quotes around the word “use”.
Hasa answered him. “Yes, that is essentially true. You must choose a master, and that will unlock the abilities you will have access to.”
Jim finally felt like he was finally comprehending what was happening to him. “Can I see some examples? Like, if I said I wanted to be the richest person in the world, what powers would I get?”
Theo looked at him. “This is forbidden. Hasa has already given examples. You will receive powers as a result of choice, but they cannot be the reason for it. You must choose honestly, for yourself.”
Jim’s mind was racing. This was like nothing he’d expected the journey to be. He was still kind of excited at the prospect. How literal are these superpowers? What if I get stuck with something lame?
He was also on edge about serving a master. Theo and Hasa seemed to be glossing over what that might actually require. He didn’t want to end up someone’s puppet or servant.
“Can I serve myself?” Jim thought that would be an ideal solution, if so.
Theo said, “Some do.”
Hasa nodded. “This is an option. You would still receive powers.”
Thinking back on his conversation with WhiteRabbit, he asked, “Would that make me part of the Resistance?”
“Yes.” Hasa offered no further information.
“Are you guys part of the Resistance?”
Theo said, “Hasa resists. I am the Establishment.”
“So you don’t get along?”
Hasa spoke up, “We disagree, yes. Theo does not want to accept that things must change. This puts us in conflict. But, for now, the struggle is carried out only by proxy.”
“So, what does that mean? If I serve myself and am part of the resistance, then I have to fight the Awakened who are part of the Establishment?”
Theo said, “Conflict is an eventuality for those who resist.”
“Can I just not pick a side? I don’t really know enough to care about either. I just want to live and let live,” Jim said.
Hasa shook her head no. “You can choose to serve any master you desire. But, there is none who are neutral in the conflict. All of them are aligned with either the Resistance or the Establishment.”
“Ok, well, I guess I should just pick myself, then.” He trusted himself a lot more than someone he didn’t know. If he could pick powers from a list that were focused on his personal needs, so much the better. “What happens next?”
Theo “Your consciousness will be returned, and you will be given a guide from the Resistance.”
“Okay, that’s what I want to do then.”
Theo spoke, “Very well. You have chosen.” The light that comprised Theo’s form faded swiftly until nothing remained in the seat he had occupied.
Hasa stood up and looked at Jim. “You did good, kid. See ya ‘round.”
The light in the room around him dimmed until he could only faintly make out the glowing form of Hasa facing him. Then, even that faded. He floated again through the blackness before he was able to open his eyes.
Jim saw his living room as he had left it. He was still sitting on the couch with his wife. She was watching him intently. “Did it not work?”
His eyebrows drew together. “Why would you ask that?”
Sarah shrugged with one hand out to the side. “You just closed your eyes. I thought it would be more dramatic. Or take longer than three seconds.”
“Three seconds?” Jim rubbed his eyes, feeling dazed and confused. “It was a lot longer than that for me.” He told her about what had happened.
“Hmm, I don’t like the sound of you having a master you have to serve. That sounds like a raw deal, no matter what you choose.”
“Yeah, that’s why I chose to serve myself.”
“I understand. But I still don’t like it. We just don’t have enough information to go on.” Sarah frowned.
“I agree. But, I’m supposed to get a guide.” Jim shrugged. “Maybe he’ll be able to help.”
“I guess so.” Sarah didn’t look convinced. “Just promise me that you’ll be careful.”
“I will.” He nodded, grateful for her presence in his life. She was right. And, he felt a sense of peace with her there. “If that guide isn’t going to show up, maybe we should just enjoy the rest of our evening together.”
They nestled together on the couch and watched a movie. He noticed that she fell asleep halfway through, resting her head on his shoulder. Her steady breathing was peaceful, and he held her close.
After the movie finished, he helped her up and tucked her into bed. Then, he brushed his teeth and got into bed himself. He laid there for some time reviewing the events of the day. So much had happened, yet he’d barely begun. There was so much he didn’t know.
This guide better have real answers or I’m going to just do my own thing and figure it out. I need more information about the Resistance. And, the Establishment, too. I also need to figure out what powers I am going to get.
He fell asleep thinking about it.