SEVEN
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SOME ANSWERS
☱☷☲☳☶☵☴☴☰☶☲☳☷☶☴
We locked eyes; mine widening in surprise, his narrowing in mockery. A smirk began to play on his lips, disconcerting me further. The room exploded in silver colour as dark energy escaped his taunting visage and my newly tested powers came into effect. Time slowed significantly, effectively turning Adriana and Bishop into unresponsive statues. That proved it was my perception of time that had adjusted, not time itself. Predictable really, but I needed to find the actual rules to the universe and soon. Because operating on outdated if not fundamentally wrong notions was getting old, fast.
“That bitch left the poor little lamb for slaughter. Poor little lamb shouldn’t have fought her. Now your fate is sealed. Because you’re vulnerable and without a shield. Hahahahaha.” The ‘doctor’ said in a song like, creepy, shill voice, before he continued to laugh.
My fatigue was pushed back by the odd energy propagating through my body, and vigilance returned to me, giving me back enough awareness to rediscover my frustrations.
“Mate. Fuck you, the mother that birthed you, the father that fucked her. Fuck your ancestors, your home, town and city. Fuck your country, continent, planet, solar system, galaxy, and Universe. Fuck all your pets, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. Fuck your wife. Fuck the car you drove here in. Fuck the clothes your wearing. And… Go fuck yourself.”
“…”
His laughter halted; surprise sketched on his face. But slowly, it was replaced with realization, his smile re-growing.
“Poor little lamb is ignorant. Doesn’t recognize death is imminent.”
“Oh yeah. And fuck your voice too.”
“I guess I must play with my food. To show I’ve been misconstrued. Don’t worry, I like to play. So let's get started, let me see your dismay.”
What happened next, I don’t recall entirely. There were many chaotic instances dispersed between long monotonous repetitions. I will do my best to describe what I remember and to keep to its chronology.
He didn’t dilly dally after he finished speaking, moving straight for my throat with his outreached right hand. He was slower than I thought he’d be, and I had more than enough time to incline diagonally down and to the left, letting his empty hand flash by my face. Going with the flow, I leaned back with my right shoulder and swung my right fist towards his face with a counter, keeping his right arm between my own right arm and my head. It connected.
Then something I wasn’t ready for occurred. While the doctor's body simply went down to its knees, his hair losing that inky quality and returning to a dark brown, a phantom body was thrown out of its back, quickly disappearing behind a wall. I stared behind it, finding the whole situation incredulous, despite my recent crash-course on the real realm of possibilities.
Abruptly, while lost in thought, and still staring at the wall it disappeared through, the phantom re-entered the room on my right and quickly submerging itself into the doctor’s body before I could react. Moving too quickly, I couldn’t distinguish the phantom's features, only discerning the opaque tint and humanoid shape it had.
Impatient with its objective, the phantom, now back inside the body, kip-upped and instantly threw a simple punch, again going for my throat. Leaning back, the punch sailing over my face and I made to jump back for some distance.
Much of the rest of the confrontation, suffice to say, was more of the same. He would throw simple punches that I would evade and counter, displacing the ethereal being from the doctor’s physical body. I reckoned it would be safe to assume that the phantom and doctor were separate beings — it being rather farfetched to assume it had infiltrated the hospital under an alias or pseudonym. That would have taken a level prognostication approaching the divine. Although I still hadn’t entirely discounted the theory, considering the fanciful circumstances I had recently found myself in.
There were no flashy lights, complicated manoeuvres, or detailed planning involved in his fighting style. That was the good news. The bastard having what seemed like near-infinite stamina and immunity to tangible forces was the bad.
Just like last time, my sense of time was becoming effected, feeling as though hours had passed. At one point, I remembered the black flames I was able to use. It got me out of my last predicament and so I began to try and actively bring it forth. That turned out to be easier than I expected, only requiring me to exert force on a muscle that, although was new to me, was becoming significantly more familiar by each usage.
My hands were both covered by the black flames as the smaller pieces converged to the centre of my palm. The phantom phased through the wall behind me, heading straight for the doctor’s body, which was also behind me. That was on purpose. I couldn’t let him see the flames just in case he recognized them as a danger and chose to flee. Fuck that. if I had anything to say about it, this guy was dead. Today.
Still using the simplistic approach it had thus far adopted, it rushed into the doctor's body and straight at my back, right hand reaching for my neck. Moments before the hand connected to the back of my neck, I dropped, twisted, and pushed out my arms simultaneously, hitting the doctor’s abdomen with my palms solidly.
This time, when it flew from the doctors back, it was accompanied by my flames and a high-pitched scream that caused the windows to shake violently.
Before it even reached the wall, the phantom was reduced to nothing, consumed by my flames. Not even dust or ash left behind as residue.
Immediately following the disappearance of the phantom, time began to revert to its usual speed. Taking advantage of the transition, before time returned entirely, I whirled through the room, replacing all that was moved to the best of my memory. Including the doctor body.
What followed was predictable and happened largely outside my knowledge. The doctor, falling as soon as time resumed, simply looked to Adriana and Bishop as though he fainted. They called a nurse for the doctor and rescheduled their appointment for the next morning having found the hospital unable to find a cover for the doctor who was already a cover.
I, on the other hand, slept, right where I sat. Until they came to get me after dealing with the hospital’s bureaucrats. By that time, my body felt better, although only partially, from the additional stress it had recently experienced.
We walked down the depressing halls of the hospital towards the back exit where Bishop parked. Quietly, I excused myself and went to the reception again to check on the mysterious girl — Adriana and Bishop happy to wait in the car for a few minutes. Good thing too. Because I wasn’t leaving till I got some answers.
Just as I walked down the stairs, I saw Charmaine coming into the hospital with an elderly woman who, given she had rather similar features to Charmaine, I determined was a family member. I ducked behind a staircase, knowing that I didn’t want to add that to today’s to-do list.
You see, Charmaine was a crush of mine. Well, more of an intense curiosity that had vaguely transformed into attraction. She was the only person whose countenance matched her behaviour and speech. You see, I’ve never caught her lying, having malicious intent or apathetic ambitions. That was unheard of for me. Even Adriana and Bishop occasionally had those.
My attraction to her was helped by the fact that she was classically beautiful. A petite but tall figure, dark blonde hair usually kept in a bun, a symmetrical oval face, a button nose, large blue eyes and full, luscious lips all came together to make her universally attractive.
But despite my vehement curiosity and sequential attraction, Charmaine was not the most attention-seeking matter for the day. That victory went to the crazy girl with the existential answers.
Charmaine and her family member took a lot longer than I thought for them to find their direction and move on, but I didn’t mind as I used it as an opportunity to rest and sneak a few glances at the beauty, wondering if today was the day I would see her visage crack. It wasn’t.
Walking down the stairs got harder every step I took, my brief rests being used up quickly. And although I could scarcely handle the motivation needed for my actions, my resolve still pushed me to find answers. Today was just a cacophony of fuckeries, and I would find out why.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
✦
The receptionist had changed and the replacement — a young brunette with a chipper disposition — guided me to the ground floor of the southern section of the hospital where the A&E department was located. As we walked, she began to try and alleviate her imagined concerns of mine, invented by the assumptions she had of me — one predicated on human sensibilities. Don’t you hate it when that happens?
“Don’t worry, love, she is gonna be all fine and dandy. Should be good as new in no time. Just a simple case of fatigue and dehydration from what I could see on her file. Been on vitamin and mineral supplements for a while so she’s probably well on her way to recovery by now.” She rattled off in quick succession like a personified battery holding my hearing hostage.
“Thanks. I’m sure you have more important things to do than escorting me. Pretty sure I know where it is from here. Appreciate the help,” I interjected, taking advantage of the first time she paused. She grew dejected, my request taking the wind out of her sails.
“Ah, sure. Take care then…” she replied, still lingering, hoping I changed my mind about her escorting me. I didn’t. I walked away.
Proceeding to the accident ward, I took the third left, coming into a wide, white room to find only three empty beds and an old man supporting himself on an IV stand, exiting what I assumed was the washroom. I approached him as he locked the lavatory door behind him and turned.
“Have you by any chance seen a teenage girl with dark hair recently?” I asked.
He looked at me, rather bewildered. And several seconds went by in silence, him growing more befuddled and I more annoyed. This continued for a good 30 seconds, my patience ultimately wearing thin.
“No worries, old man. You carry on…doing whatever it is you’re doing” I said, exasperated by his oblivious reticence.
With no other option, I approached the bed she was likely assigned, which still had the banana bag leaking on top of it, the line haphazardly resting atop the bed. Looking inside the canister, it contained a small amount of water or at least a water-like liquid. And like water, it was transparent, odourless, and of a similar viscosity.
I thought to myself ‘what could possibly go wrong if I were to drink the solution’, and found that a great many things could. But as I contemplated my next actions, the hypothetical possibilities became potential ones, finding that bad options turn into good ones when they are all you have.
In my weakened state of fatigue, I was too tired and slow to stop the dark blur that raced by me, pushing the canister into my face — nearly choking me on it. This action led to a series of others that eventually had me on my back, on the floor, gurgling with half the liquid irrevocably down my throat and the other spattered on and around my face.
For the first several seconds, I didn’t feel anything. Then it hit both hard and fast. My whole body reinvigorated and all the pressure on my body vanishing into thin air. The hefty weight of fatigue unburdening my previously cumbersome state. Just as I celebrated my newly acquired health, I heard a voice.
“You should have drunk the whole thing; it would have restored your animus completely as well.”
I turned around to find her standing there as healthy as when I first saw her.
There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment before I finally spoke.
“So, we moving straight to answers, or do I have some time to cover the stupidity of what you just said.”
She smiled, slowly walking towards me. As she got closer, I could see her more clearly. Her face seemed to have many complexities, changing vastly depending on the angle. She was comparatively tall for a girl, reaches my eyes which would make her about 5’8”. Two feet away from me, she stopped and although subtle, the feeling started to return, beginning at the five centres and spreading out.
“Can you feel that?” she asked.
I raised my head and looked at her in wonder.
“You know what’s happening to me?” I immediately asked.
She laughed briefly, coming even closer. Close enough I could feel her breath on my chin. She looked up and stared into my eyes until I quickly moved back, still mindful about the danger she represented.
“Don’t worry, I was just checking what Secta you were in. Strange. You don’t seem to have a signica in your iris” she said.
“WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TAKING ABOUT!!!” I shouted in retaliation, my faked frustration escaping my nonexistent, imaginary hold.
She started to do that weird intimidating gawk again as I started to walk towards her.
“You think you can scare me. I’m the one who beat you into a hospital. Remember?” I explained.
She opened her mouth, clearly ready to transition into a more aggressive stance, before I saw a flash of light cross her eyes, instantly making her more tranquil. There was a quantitative difference in her demeanour, losing many of the indicators of anger and impending violence, replaced by signs of amiability and patience. That was new to me. I’d never seen someone switch so expeditiously. So much so I had to do a double-take to ensure I wasn’t reading her wrong.
She made her way passed the lavatory door, causing me to discern that the old man had suspiciously disappeared, IV stand and all. Her voice pulled me from following that train of thought.
“Firstly, remember, after I tell you what I’m about to, consider what has happened to you so far, before questioning my credibility,” she said in a calm voice and a cadence that hinted at practice.
This was the first time I could see even a scatter of innocence on her face and the unadulterated rage and aberrant pleasure momentarily subsided.
“Sit. And prepare.” She continued, adamant that I would construe what she was about to tell me as too outlandish to be possible.
Before anything that would even give me a sense of what was happening came out of her mouth, my imagination took over and the endless explanations flooded my thought. I didn’t know what to anticipate and so expected everything and anything. All manner of ideas came to me from the benign, like the fact it could all be in my head and the inconvenient, like the possibility I was transforming into something dangerous and uncontrollable. I pondered on the ideas as she took a breath, got comfortable and began.
She started to tell me about higher planes of existence which only a select few knew of and fewer could travel to.
“Your world is not alone. Or I should say, your plane is not alone. Far from it really. Our records tell us there are 4 planes but we are not sure those account for all that exists. What is certain is that there are 64 worlds on the second plane and at least 100 on the third. The fourth plane, which this world, your world, is a part of, is rather new to us. It is the first we have discovered and we weren’t certain until we landed an agent here 10 of your worlds years ago.”
I listened intently and so far, it was going relatively well, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what twists could form from the start of this explanation, my mind still formulating possibilities. Before that though, I needed to know something that had me intrigued.
“Eh..” I attempted to interrupt when she stopped me with a raised palm.
“Let me finish first,” she said, to which I nodded but continued anyway.
“What are the differences between the planes?” I asked, curious if one of them was a difference in how pain is felt or perceived.
My interruption annoyed her as she scowled but composed herself quickly, the same light flashing in her eyes again, calming her before she continued.
“This plane would be categorized as a subsidiary plane to its higher, until you reach the God realm. Can't go higher than that. Each subsidiary planet or system of planets within the plane is subject to another in a higher one. Currently, this planet is a subject of contention between my own and another.”
That shocked me. But the feeling I felt most was definitely excitement. How much easier would it be to stave off my boredom when there was possibly an infinite number of worlds to explore. More importantly, it was highly likely that all the answers about my past could be found out there. I was fascinated, more so than I had remembered being since first waking up.
“I’m Runderian and come from a country called Rundera; one that is roughly 10,000 times the size of yours. Our country is on a world called Midgard, in the Norsinian sector ruled by the Norsinian Prime. We are currently at war and are trying to maintain protection and possible recruitment of this place from the thieving Deronians, vassals of the Norsinians.”
There was one thing I still didn’t understand, one thing I wanted to know before the rest: why the hell did she attack me? The first thing to understand, logically, was the dynamics of the conflicts, so that I could ascertain which side of it I should lie on. The phantom I fought in the hospital demonstrated clear signs that he was fighting for a different team.
She seemed to realize my confusion and began answering. Just not the question I had in mind.
“My country is a vassal of the Pandoric Allegiance, enemies of the Norsal, protectors of the innocent, avatars of Joy and Nature.”
I looked at her, and choosing to skip over the sanctimonious and cliched declaration she made, only one question was at the forefront of my mind.
“That’s all well and good, but what does it have to do with me”?
She stood up and continued, snubbing my question utterly.
“Norsinia has become obsessed with obtaining control of this realm and introducing slavery to the population, a practice they had ceased for their native subordinates centuries ago.
They have a belief that people of this realm are of an inferior existence and it is the law of order, to serve your betters, as they have done theirs. The ideology they employ for justification is both convoluted and sinister and I do not have the time to lecture you on the specifics.”
My question remained.
“What’s it got to do with me?” I asked again.
She started to look a bit frustrated again. Still, she took a long deep breath and her wintry expression returned, her voice gaining an edge of danger.
“My people sent me to find a Deronian agent who was given a bottle of Kyon ink, a valuable substance from my home system. I found his animus signal several times but quickly lost it, a greater one obscuring my senses. I thought it was his partner but…well…instead, I found you.”
This time I got frustrated and I aggressively explained why.
“You still haven’t told me what I asked you!”
“You don’t have much patience, do you?” she accused.
“You having animus means you are not born of the fourth plane, the only one with natives that are born without. I tried to check the Sect you were in but it didn’t even say if you were of The Dhraw or The Bogsil.”
I looked down and started to think. If I wasn’t from here, that would mean my real parents weren't either. That could potentially explain my oddities. Her odd relationship with pain and emotions, in general, helped this theory’s prospects.
I looked back up ready to ask but I only other person in the. That must have been some sort of payback. Bitch left me with answers that just raised more questions.
I stood there trying to convince myself about how useless she was. Although I was bothered by her not telling me everything, I couldn’t deny the fact that she did give me enough for me to know vaguely, how to proceed. Just as I noticed she had left behind a ring and a note where she stood, I heard Bishop’s voice from the hallway.
“Where you been? The receptionist told us you were looking for some girl. You arent ‘busting game’ on an unsuspecting girl, are you, Noah?” Bishop chuckled, leaning into the room.
I put the ring in my pocket and began to walk towards him.
“Don’t worry, met her in the hospital. I was just checking she was alright.” I replied as I made my way around the old man and started toward the exit.