Looking and opening the dark-stained wooden cabinets, I look for the promised cookies. I find them on the last top cabinet next to the grey-painted wall. As I take down different labelled jars, I notice an amusing label: 'Space Jam Cookies Limit 1.' So I take one and have a bite. Crunchy with a pleasant nutty flavour, baked hazelnuts and almonds, or at least I assume. Chocolate chips melt like icing sugar and make the biscuit the perfect consistency to not choke on, unlike some other dry cookies.

Daniel enters, and I look at him. "Yo, this one is quite good," I point to the cookie jar. It's funny how his name is the same as my dad's. How do they know who people are referring to when they are in the same room? I imagine both of them saying yes and having a chuckle.

"Hahaha!" I find my laughter funny as I laugh and continue to laugh full-heartedly. "Aha, ha, ha, ha…."

"Damn it, Ivan. Your Mom's gonna kill me." He walks down to me and takes out another jar labelled 'tranquil lake.' He takes one out and passes it to me. I take it while I continue to laugh.

"Whenever you're ready, try that one. It should help you calm down. Plus, I think it tastes amazing, especially in your state." Oh, tastes amazing? I question. My giggles subside, but my smile doesn't, and I bite at this new biscuit. Once again, crunchiness hits my tongue, followed by sweet citrus and a rich raisin taste. The raisins are nice and chewy, and the leftover crunch makes a great texture. In the end, a refreshing citrussy taste remains and returns after each breath I take.

"Ooooh, this one IS amazing," Feeling refreshed and more focused but still on the edge of laughter, I ask, "Don't tell me I had a Space cookie. Mom is gonna portal ya ass above an active volcano."

"I hope to avoid that, so keep eating those until you chill and don't tell her. If you do, no cookies or coffee. You should have known better. What, with the name and limit. Did you do it intentionally, or did you not believe I would bake something like that? I'm the fun friend, remember?" He grins at me and points at himself.

"Fine, I won't tell, but I want more next time. Next time I visit, we can watch funny movies together without my parents being here. But really, I didn't believe you would actually have the actual Space cookies and call them Space Jam Cookies. My bad." I shake my head at the antics and smile back at his infectious grin. I take another cookie and bite down on the crunchy and chewy fresh goodness.

"That's fine. While we wait for your Mom, try to Imagine infinity or something endless. We'll be doing some image exercises later, and that is a crucial component of the images. Having that down will make everything much faster, and you'll hopefully make it on time for the interview." He waves me to the living room with a smile and gives me the jar with cookies and a cup of tea smelling like mint.

I take them and think. Infinity huh?

I walk and think. I place the cookies and cup on the wooden table and sit on the leather couch with a cookie in hand.

Infinity is basically something endless. What is endless?

Universe? No, it's nearly endless, and it had a starting point. It's getting bigger. So it has an end.

Can infinity get bigger? No. How can something endless become more endless? I can't imagine it, so it doesn't matter.

Can there be an endless cycle? In theory. If nothing changes, a cycle can continue infinitely.

A plant in a glass container with a cork cap can grow, die and sprout endlessly as long as the glass and conditions don't change or deteriorate. Endless cycle, Infinite cycle. But it can be broken.

What about an endless path? A line can't be infinite. At least I can't imagine an endless line.

A circle? It's not getting bigger. The distance remains the same going around it. But it is an infinite path because it has no end. People go in circles endlessly, as they say.

I continue to think. The cookies are halfway finished, and my tea is long gone.

What else? Circles and path. Cycles and unchanging. Hmm, Gravity. Is it energy? Not really, it's force?

Yeah, it's force. It doesn't ever stop. Gravity and non-stop force. Is it infinite? I think so, as in never-ending. If it doesn't end, then it's infinite.

There's also the symbol for infinity, pie, and other stuff I can't imagine, but are technically infinite.

Hmmmm, black holes suck in everything and are super dense gravity. So what about white holes? They are impossible, but they create matter and spew it out. Matter is energy. So, if white holes exist, they would create infinite matter/energy. It's easy enough to imagine. White hole and energy. Black hole for gravity and force. Circles for paths and cycles for unchanging.

I continue to think for a while with no cookies left and another cup of tea finished.

I can't think of anything else that I can imagine as infinite in any other way.

"Daniel, I can't think of anything else I can Imagine as infinite." Daniel looks up from the book he's reading

"Cool, what you got so far?" He closes the book and gives me his full attention. So I tell him my images.

"So you got a circle for an infinite path. An infinite cycle with the caveat of nothing changing. Black hole for infinite gravity and force. A white hole for infinite energy reversing the black hole image.

That's pretty good. Black holes also create a gravity field with infinite range in this universe. You could also associate a black hole with infinite time because of its gravity at the event horizon; where gravity becomes infinite, it breaks physics, and everything outside the event horizon continues to age while you or someone else doesn't. One second could be a trillion years or one year. Because time is broken in that space, it's a lottery for when you would come out. If you could.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Sadly, you don't have any white holes here. The night sky would be a lot more saturated. But you never know. Maybe one of the black holes will explode and change the rules of this universe to become a white hole." He explains more about black holes, what other infinities it has, and the possibility of them exploding and turning into white holes.

In this universe? Are there others? White holes can exist, and they come from black holes? He sounds so confident in what he's saying, too. I never learned this in school or on the internet.

"Daniel, why do you sound so certain and like you've already been or are from a universe like that?" I ask curiously. Superpowers exist, so weirder things have happened. Like that one time, an octopus got telepathy and was super smart.

"Well. I. Am. From another realm, really." He has a shit-eating grin while brushing his hair back. As if that's common information and everyone knows it, except me. Like I didn't know my parents have superpowers. As if anyone tells me anything.

"Why doesn't anyone tell me anything?" I ask indignantly." I didn't even know my mom had portal powers until a few hours ago." I pointed him." And now it turns out you're not even from the same universe as me." I look at my empty cup. Feeling stupid. "On top of that. My dad has powers too."

"Don't beat yourself up. Kid." Daniel walks up to me and places are comforting arm on my shoulder. Trying to console me. His signature smile. Gone without a trace. "They just wanted you to have a normal life. Being a kid of superheroes. It wouldn't have been an easier life. You wouldn't have been able to see your parents every day. You could have started blaming yourself. Thinking that they didn't want to spend time with you because you haven't awakened your powers. In reality, they would have been too busy." He tells me in a solemn voice. Looking into my eyes.

"Fine." I mumble under my nose. "So tell me about your universe. Our realm. Or whatever you call it" I changed the subject so I don't need to think about it anymore. I'll talk with my mom and ask her.

Daniel smiles. Seeing right through my strategy. "Changing the subject, huh? That's cool. It would be best for you to talk with your parents. Now you wanna know about my universe, huh? Sure. Where should I begin?"

"The interesting parts, obviously. What are those white hoes? How can they exist in your universe but not mine? I mean, we have superpowers here." Get up from the couch. And go for another mint tea.

"Superpowers aren't that unique in universes. No matter how crazy that seems. All the nearby universes here have superpowers in them, and that's a thousand. as for the white hole. The realm I come from has different rules than our realm. Realms are other realities. It's a bit… It's a bit complicated to explain." As he talks, I look for the tea bags and switch on the kettle.

"Where are the tea bags?"

"Next to the sink in the Jar." I find them, take a teabag and put it in my cup. "So different universes exist. Next to ours. But dreams are a lot further apart. Are just under different plane. Of existence. You know what? That doesn't matter. Is there a realm full of magic? Like in the stories you know?" Like in the books I read.

"Sure, there's all kinds of realms. The problem is getting to them. For me to get to this realm. A star had to be extinguished. Straight up. Deleted from reality. Thankfully, in my room, we have white holes. Many of them. Here, they worry about having too little energy, while we have too much energy. No place is perfect." I came back with my dear ready and sat down next to him. The leather sofa hugged my body. I relax and listen to him.

As I sat on the leather couch, sipping my mint tea and listening to Daniel's explanations about his universe, my mind swirled with thoughts and questions. The idea of different realms and universes existing alongside ours was mind-boggling. It was hard to wrap my head around the concept of white holes and the vast differences in the rules governing each realm. Still, I was eager to learn more, to expand my understanding of the multiverse.

"And how would you use all that energy up?" I asked, genuinely curious about the intricacies of Daniel's realm. His explanation of a system that allowed anyone to acquire any power or skill intrigued me. It sounded like a place where the possibilities were limitless.

"We created a system, much more sophisticated than my power," Daniel explained, leaning back on the couch. "My power is like a fragment of the whole. Everyone in that realm gets a system and can acquire any power or skill they desire. It also serves to stabilize the excess energy and prevent reality from tearing apart."

I tried to imagine the sheer scope of such a system, but it was challenging. It was easier for me to grasp the concept of infinity than to comprehend the intricacies of Daniel's realm. Still, I listened intently, eager to learn more.

"So why did you leave your realm?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. "Did you run away, or is this just a vacation for you? And if you could acquire any power or skill, what abilities do you have? Surely, it's not just your system power and your taste and smell power."

Daniel chuckled, his eyes reflecting a mixture of nostalgia and amusement. "I asked for a favor to be transported to another realm," he replied. "I didn't want to live there anymore. Many people in my realm had various powers that could facilitate inter-realm travel. Besides, we had an abundance of energy, so losing one star wasn't a significant loss. As for my abilities, well, aside from my system power and heightened taste and smell senses, I have another 2000 years to live. But that's not really a power or skill. It's just something that was applied to me. Our system is like a sentient AI, and I didn't trust its long-term stability."

The revelation of Daniel's extended lifespan left me momentarily stunned. Two thousand years sounded like an eternity to me. His nonchalant attitude towards it was both fascinating and bewildering. It was clear that the world he came from was vastly different from my own.

Just as we were delving deeper into the intricacies of Daniel's realm, my mother and father suddenly materialized in the room, their sudden appearance startling me.

"Mom, Dad, we need to talk," I blurted out, my emotions running high. "About why you've hidden your powers from me."

My parents exchanged a glance, their expressions filled with a mix of apprehension and understanding. It was a conversation long overdue, and I was determined to get the answers I sought.