-
Multiverse Unlimited: Heirs of Ouroboros
Chapter 1 – Down the Rabbit Hole
Written by Collin Davis
"It is unlimited, after all. Who honestly considered that it would really be gone for good?" – Gideon Frost
The rocket detonated several feet from the left rear end of the Humvee, rocking the entire vehicle off balance in a burst of harmful fire, gravel and dirt launching in every which direction as Jerid swerved to try and correct the high-speed machine's forward trajectory back to a favorable course. The force from the explosion would have toppled a lesser, commercial automobile, but thankfully for them their (or rather, the one they had 'borrowed' from Entity) ride was of military grade, and thus a good deal higher in caliber than what civilians generally had access to drive. Unfortunately for them, their pursuer's two vehicles were the exact same durable, armored model as the one they had liberated.
"Whoa-ho! That damn near had our name on it, eh? Haha!" The black-haired man behind the wheel commented with something of a mix between a grin and sneer etched upon his face, his emerald eyes smartly glued to what laid before them, rather than instinctively focusing on what was behind them. His unflappable resolve behind the wheel, coupled with his handling and even his posture, gave away the fact that he was a professional when it came to fast-paced driving. Though what was behind them was most assuredly a concern for him, whether he willingly glanced back or not.
"Whoever is down to run for the position of anti-RPG support, you have my vote in advance." He added with playful cynicism. It was clear that, despite the real and eminent danger at hand, he was getting an immense rush out of the whole experience. Then again, Jerid was hardly a stranger to angry people chasing him down in high-speed chases. Close behind them, the Entity subordinate wielding the RPG launcher readied a follow-up shot.
Alexia continued to concentrate on the spell she was holding, which shielded the vehicle they occupied in a clear, blue shell which effectively guarded them against the bulk of incoming gunfire. She knew it couldn't withstand a direct hit from a weapon of that power, however, and even the sheer volume of lesser shots from the hail of submachine gun bullets were starting to take their toll on the barrier. She lacked the skill and Mana to hold out for much longer, though she continued to concentrate on the task at hand. Her sky blue eyes were transfixed on the item she held firm upon her lap; the high-end container housing the blue, gorgeously cut emerald, which seemed to exude an unnatural inner radiance. Breaking her gaze away from the gemstone, she looked to her dark-haired companion and could immediately tell that she was up to something.
Her raven hair whipping wildly about her shoulders and face, Lucy's keen, hazelnut eyes surveyed the situation, and in her head she calculated matters such as distance, wind velocity, and other important variables. This was all in accordance with her own experiences, rather than any actual scientific method. After all, she was a fighter, not an egghead, and she learned her craft from one of the very best teachers anyone could ask or even hope for. Satisfied that she had appropriately ascertained the situation, she diverted her intense eyes toward the silver-furred, anthropomorphic fox beside her, only to find that his own green eyes were scanning her for the same reason she had turned to him. She offered a coy smile, and his own smile stretched across his muzzle as they both nodded toward one another with a mutual, unspoken understanding before their attention shot back to the enemies on their heels. Mercury prepared himself for what would follow shortly, crouching down as his grip over his spear tightened.
"Alexia, drop the shield. Both of you keep your heads down when you do." Lucy commanded, her muscles tensing as she braced herself for the exact moment the barrier went down.
Alexia considered questioning it, but thought better of it when it clicked how short and valuable time was. Even if the next rocket didn't manage to connect, she didn't have enough energy left to maintain the spell for longer than a few more seconds, regardless. With a curt nod she complied, and the mystical force which had been enveloping them melted away. They were fully vulnerable, but Alexia had confidence in her allies, so her overall concern was modest compared to what it could have been. Though likely not as much as Jerid, she was undoubtedly getting an adrenaline rush out of the whole situation, as well.
Before the shield had even fully dissolved, Lucy and Mercury were airborne, having leapt from the back of the Humvee. A few skilled (or possibly lucky) bullets riddled the areas they had occupied mere milliseconds earlier, but nary a one of them managed to lodge itself into either of their forms. Mercury's black-padded foot touched down on the roof of the closest enemy Humvee, much to the surprise of the occupants, but didn't remain there for long as he merely used the vehicle for leverage, much like a stepping stone, before he made a follow-up leap to the more distant of the two armored cars. During his descent he poised himself in mid-air, preparing to bring his spear, whose metal surface gleamed in the sunlight, down upon his enemies. Light radiated from his weapon, engulfing it in a golden aura as he closed the distance. Upon impact a burst of light exploded from where the spearhead made contact with the roof of the Humvee, and the three soldiers whom had been leaning out in order to take shots with their SMGs were easily displaced by the force of the attack, and had fallen out of the fast-moving object. They rolled and tumbled along the tough desert dirt like rag dolls before disappearing from view, having been left far behind within a matter of a couple of fleeting seconds. They would certainly live, though their rude expulsion from the Humvee would leave a few notable bruises; particularly to their pride. The driver staggered to get the vehicle under control while two remaining armed soldiers scrambled to replace the ones whom had just fallen from the shaken ride. With no intention of allowing either to accomplish their intended tasks, Mercury swiftly followed up his initial assault, kicking off and away from the vehicle. Drawing back the arm holding his prized spear, it again illuminated with an aura comprised of his chi, and he thrust his arm in a throwing gesture. Though he pantomimed a throw, his spear never actually left his hand, which continued to hold fast to it. Though that wasn't to say that something didn't, for an intangible replica of his spear, formed of the golden aura, was thrown in the absence of his physical spear. The phantom spear collided with the ground beneath the flank of the car, and the resulting explosion proved adequate in flipping the heavy automobile, which performed a ninety-degree pivot through the air to land upon the previously damaged roof. Mercury's feet gracefully met with solid ground a good ten feet away, landing with the ease and the calculated efficiency of an acrobat.
While the nimble lancer engaged his own adversaries, Lucy had taken to the front-most vehicle. She and Mercury had grown to understand each other's merits, and so she understood why he had chosen the more distant target, since his speed and dexterity ensured that he was the better candidate to reach the furthest vehicle more effectively. That was not to say that she didn't have her own strengths, of course. Drawing her right fist back as she closed the distance, the black, rune-like tattoos adorning her exposed arms began to glow as if back-lit by some mysterious force just beneath her flesh, the light gradually intensifying until the markings were golden lines tracing along her toned limbs. The soldier wielding the RPG launcher seemed torn between taking a shot at the vehicle still manned by Alexia and Jerid, or taking the impossible, though panic-induced, shot at the glowing woman heading right for him and clearly ready to strike.
"Hah!" She yelled out in a brief, though powerful, battle cry as she delivered a Heracles Punch to the hood of the car. To punch an armored vehicle's hide would have proven to be a fool's folly for an ordinary person, but an ordinary person she was not.
Her fist crushed through the thick hood as though she had merely struck a surface comprised of stale, brittle saltine crackers, her appendage continuing its descent into the inner workings before mangling the engine itself, which sputtered and belched thick clouds of dark smoke. The RPG-wielding soldier had taken too long to decide upon a target, and with the force of the impact from her formidable strike he dropped the launcher altogether. Meanwhile, the driver wasn't faring much better as he struggled to maintain control over the vehicle, his vision obstructed by the web-like cracks streaking across the damaged windshield, as well as the billowing smoke of the damaged engine and, lastly but most importantly, the woman upon the hood whom had imbedded her fist into the guts of his ride. Her tattoos returning to their usual, non-illuminated, inked state, Lucy withdrew her fist from the crippled engine and hopped down off of the hood of the ever-slowing Humvee, careful not to get crushed by its massive form through the shaky, seemingly drunken movements of the driver. Before long the armored car reached a full stop, billowing smoke and a cloud of dust, kicked up from the commotion, lending themselves to a disorienting atmosphere in the immediate vicinity. As the first Entity soldier emerged, Lucy was quick to deliver a hard-hitting blow to his head, effectively knocking him unconscious as he slumped to a heap. As the others emerged she repeated the process, taking each of them out without incident. Only one of them ever managed to fire a gun, and even then only wildly into the air as she was upon him in a heartbeat. Once all of her foes were still, she chanced a look to see that, not too far away, Mercury had wrapped up his own loose ends.
"Jerid, stop!" Alexia cried to her companion once she witnessed Lucy and Mercury make their daring leaps from the back of the moving vehicle.
Almost before he even screeched to a full halt, both the powerhouse woman and spear-wielding fox had successfully finished their objectives, and thus it was a simple matter of letting them catch up and re-board before they all continued on along their way. Jerid held up a gloved hand.
"She's hot, she's got sick tattoos, she can punch through armored vehicles..." With each notation he held up a new finger, as if keeping track of the number of positive points he was listing off. "I think I'm in love." He concluded jokingly before lowering his hand.
As Lucy and Mercury sprinted back toward their two comrades, both stopped dead in their tracks and looked beyond them in surprise. Seeing their reactions, Alexia and Jerid were inspired to look ahead of them as well.
"Son of a..." Jerid started to grumble before trailing off.
Half of a football field before them stood an entire platoon of Entity reinforcements. They formed a straight, orderly line of foot soldiers, standing in practiced uniform, all having adopted the same armed stance. Behind the infantry was a cream-colored tank bearing the insignia of Entity, with a dome canopy from which a threatening cannon barrel protruded. Flanking either side of the intimidating tank were two additional Humvees. The soldiers had all managed to cut them off, which was not entirely unsurprising considering they were more familiar with the layout of the land. The superior officer commanding the platoon, whose face was not unknown to the quad of interlopers, stepped forward. Jerid detested that smug look on his face, which he could make out even given the relative distance separating them. And, sure enough, the 'good' captain looked rather cocky as he leered at them from behind his peek-a-boo hairstyle of wheat-colored locks. Captain Niles motioned for a subordinate with a simple hand gesture, and said lackey was quick to comply as he scrambled toward his superior, offering him a megaphone. The captain snatched the tool and proceeded to put the sound amplifier to his lips.
"I dare say it is high time we put this game to an end. You are outnumbered and outgunned. Relinquish the emerald to me and I will personally see to it that you are... unharmed." his weasely voice bellowed through the megaphone, his unoccupied gloved hand extending expectantly toward them during his demand, as if he wanted them to hand it to him right then and there despite their obvious distance.
Before anyone could answer, though all had retorts at the ready ranging from "not on your life" to "or we can keep it and you can stick that megaphone where the sun don't shine," the latter courtesy of Jerid's colorful mind, a voice not belonging to any member of either group cut through the barren landscape.
"Funny, I was just considering stating much the same to the both of you!" The voice boomed far louder than even what had passed through the captain's megaphone moments earlier, though the digitized voice was clearly projected via its own, far more powerful speaker system, as revealed by the echo-laden feedback of the audio.
Everyone present, friend and foe alike, had their eyes shoot skyward toward the sound of the booming voice as something enormous blocked out the sun momentarily before descending at great speeds to solid ground. The hulking figure proceeded to land in a crouched position atop the tank, crushing it effortlessly beneath its massive, robotic feet. The soldiers all cried out various obscenities not fit for children's ears as they fled from the site where the massive robot touched down, those whom had been within the (then ruined) tank crawling out of the wreckage, frazzled but seemingly unharmed, before joining the panicked troops as they scattered. To see the Entity troops react in such a manner after having appeared so disciplined moments earlier would have been a shocking, and even amusing, contrast if everyone's focus weren't glued to what was truly important: the appearance of a third party who held interest in Alexia's cargo, which she held tightly against her chest, her mouth agape as she looked up at the metal titan. The towering, egg-shaped, primarily red behemoth with black and yellow accents was clearly a man-made construct, though it was designed in such a way as to resemble something of a humanoid appearance: namely its creator. It grinned down at the beings below, who might as well have been ants, while perpetually grinning with a row of white, teeth-like tiles set into a head. The cranium also feature a large, maroon-colored nose, a prominent, fluffy rust-colored mustache jutting out on either side of said nose, and two blue portholes resembling glasses or goggles above both the faux nose and mustache. The four of them immediately recognized the behemoth for what it was, but the Entity soldiers were still shocked and clueless as to just who or what had dropped in uninvited.
"Except I can make no false promises regarding you going unharmed! Ha ha ha haa! Ahem... nevertheless, I will be taking that Chaos Emerald back with me!" The voice was audibly emitted via the unseen pilot as the Death Egg Robo righted to a full standing posture, its black-and-yellow forelimbs preparing as the three-pronged claws affixed to the end of each artificial limb clenched and unclenched in preparation for what was to come.
"This guy again?!" Jerid exclaimed with a grimace as he exited the Humvee, his gaze transfixed upward as he looked the robo in the... well, what at least looked to be eyes. Alexia had exited the car as well, and still held the significant item in question in a near death grip in both of her arms.
"I'm on the verge of filing an inter-dimensional restraining order at this point." Lucy said mockingly from her position just behind Jerid and Alexia, having successfully caught up by that point to rejoin the ranks of her colleagues.
She placed a fist upon her hip and leered at the spectacle before them. She seemed prepared for anything, but far from intimidated. Alexia, however, was far less confident in her ability to contend with this newest development, and all she could do was stare up at the metal aggressor with a hesitant facial expression. She couldn't help but think right then and there just how she had arrived at that point in her life. Mere weeks prior to her current predicament she had been concerned about grades and lofty expectations of inheritance. How then had she wound up in a desert canyon, clutching an object of great power, staring down a heavily-armed radical group and a giant, robotic war machine piloted by an egg-shaped lunatic? Life could be funny that way, often leading you down paths you would have never fathomed in even your wildest dreams until they were directly in front of you. But this was the path her life had taken her, and she would be damned if she intended to stray from it. Her soft features hardened with a new found resolve, her troubled expression replaced with one of determination. As if reacting to her shift in attitude, the Chaos Emerald radiated an even stronger light than it previously had been.
Two months prior...
The clattering of his chalk strokes against the blackboard were producing a white noise which was nearly hypnotizing her and, along with the steady clicks of the wall-mounted clock and the droning of his voice, successfully created a cacophony capable of lulling even the most stubborn insomniac to sleep. With one fist planted against her cheek to support her gradually sinking head, her other hand fiddled with a no. 2 pencil as she struggled to pay attention to his lecture. Quickly forgetting said objective she started to rapidly rock her pencil back and forth between her fingers, producing an optical illusion which made the sturdy pencil appear as though it were rubberized.
The nineteen-year-old was of average height, and though she was currently seated at her desk, at a full stand she would easily reach 5' 4". Her figure was shapely and attractive, if not remarkable, with an average sized bust and smooth, pristine skin devoid of any blemishes or imperfections worth noting. Her figure, accompanied by her noticeably light skin tone, gave her an almost delicate appearance. Her eyes, though full of daydreaming and boredom at that moment, were a beautiful shade of light blue like that of the sky, and peered out from behind a pair of modern-looking, black-framed glasses. Naturally golden blonde hair cascaded about her back and shoulders, and her long bangs were styled into several locks which were swept to the right so as not to obstruct her vision. She wore a simple short-sleeved, white, collared blouse with three buttons at the neck and upper bust (all fastened securely), and below that a green and black plaid skirt which draped to about an inch above either of her kneecaps. Ankle-high white socks and black loafers were worn on her lower legs. On the whole she had a subtle, reserved beauty, though not the sort which demanded attention.
"...which leads to variables within the Ether Thread itself, which, if you refer to this pie chart here..." her mind cut in to part of his explanation before she abruptly drifted off again. Slumping down even further in her seat she rested an elbow upon the polished wooden surface of her desk, propping her chin upon her hand and gazing out of a nearby window, at the green of the campus lawn which stretched out beyond, a lone tree visible from her position.
"Ms. Light, am I boring you?" His voice cut through her daydreaming easily enough then, and she snapped to attention, tensing and sitting upright in her chair as her pencil clattered noisily upon the desktop, her wide eyes locking onto his. His middle-aged face was clearly displaying annoyance, his magenta eyes crowned by thick, furrowed eyebrows of disapproval as he stared her down. He stood in at 6' 1", with an average physical structure which was masculine, though a figure befitting of a university teacher. His skin tone was light, and his facial features were broad and chiseled. His short hair was in a disarray, as if he had only just gotten up out of bed, and was black near the bottom, through entirely grey the further up his scalp one were to look. He wore a brown suede jacket with a forest green, button front collared shirt underneath, and a loosened neck tie with alternating slanted black and red bars. Simple, though professional, brown slacks supported by a black waist belt with a silver buckle adorned his lower body and extremities, and black business-casual lace-up shoes adorned his feet. He looked rather intimidating, and in fact had a reputation as being just that. He lived up to it oh-so well, she thought.
"N-no! I was just, um..." she attempted to cover for her absent-mindedness during his lecture. "...not listening much because, well–" She failed miserably, and stopped talking before she dug herself in deeper.
Several students in the classroom giggled, though a cold, hard glare from him quickly ceased any and all merriment over the situation. The others silenced, he directed his gaze back toward her.
"Yes, I noticed that. Unless, of course, you were viewing my blackboard notes via the reflection in the window, which is an unorthodox method of gleaming knowledge, particularly with a crucial test just over the horizon." His dry cynicism did little lighten the mood, and she continued to stare awkwardly at him, unaware that she looked not unlike a child who was caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
He sighed with discontent before turning back toward the blackboard, where he continued with his lesson visuals, though he continued to offer her a different kind of lecture before he intended to move on with the school work.
"Do not entertain the false notion that your position here excuses you from your studies, Ms. Light. On the contrary, given that you stand to inherit this school some day, you could afford to pay as much attention to your studies as humanly possible."
"Yes, Mr. Gilde. I apologize." She ultimately replied in a clearly defeated tone.
When the school bell rang she couldn't have been more thrilled, and quickly made like a bat out of hell from Mr. Gilde's classroom, lest he call her to his desk for further reprimanding. Making her way through the crowded halls of the esteemed school, she exited the building into sunlight and fresh air. Pulling in a deep, satisfying breath, she stopped to enjoy her momentary freedom before adjusting the brown book bag on her left shoulder and heading down the stone steps and onto the path which would lead her to the girl's dormitories. As she walked she looked down at the ground with a solemn expression, her mind trailing off.
"Alexia! Hey, Lexie! Wait up!" A familiar voice called after her.
She turned toward her friend, Stacy Goldberg. The vivacious teenager was the same age that she was, separated by only three months, making Alexia her senior by one quarter of a year. She was roughly at eye level, though shorter by an inch at 5' 3". Her physique was rather fetching, with voluptuous curves and an ample-sized chest which could likely have other girls her age green with envy. She had naturally full lips and peach-colored skin which was a few shades darker than Alexia's, though not bronzed. Her hues were a lovely dark green, above them her eyebrows thin, dark lines. Her shoulder-length hair was orange, like a midsummer sunset, and was styled in a simple yet attractive free-fall manner where it was not unkempt or messy, but also natural and far from overdone. Her top was comprised of a white T-shirt with a green rose insignia (perhaps the logo of some band or company, or something of that nature). Beneath she wore a pair of form-fitting denim bluejeans, and lower still on her anatomy were white, ankle-high socks and white tennis shoes with red laces and decals. She held a black and green backpack slung over her right shoulder. Unlike Alexia, Stacy was the subject of much adoration from the male student body, given her model-esque attributes. Despite her outward appearances, however, she was really rather humble and modest, which would likely surprise those who didn't know her as intimately as Alexia did. She had a mild nature which gelled well with Alexia, which is how the two became fast friends almost immediately upon entering Zenjira University.
The blonde waited until Stacy had reached her side, then the two of them proceeded to walk together. Alexia was concerned for a moment that Stacy would bring up the scolding she received during class, given that she was present and accounted for, being one of Mr. Gilde's students herself, but she did no such thing.
"So, do you want to go to the Whisper Place? I have a couple of parim apples we could eat." She offered cheerfully.
Alexia's eyes widened. "How did you afford those?"
Stacy giggled, then offered an impish expression. "My dad imported them. I swiped a couple from his study, where he locks them up to hide them." She admitted willingly. Alexia smirked, shook her head in a jest judgmental manner over the stolen delicacy, but ultimately decided to take her friend up on the offer.
The Whisper Place was well-known to the students, and likely even to a fair number of faculty members. It was a secluded field with a hill which bore a solitary old, twisted willow tree situated almost perfectly atop the natural mound. It was far enough from any given building to be off the beaten path and private, but close enough so that it could be reached without need for a day-long trek. It was a prime make-out place during after hours, where students snuck from their dorm rooms for some late-night love-making, though it was generally deserted during the daytime hours. The wooden hide of the willow was scarred with numerous initials and crudely-carved hearts, some of which so old that they dated back to the school's first class.
Alexia and Stacy laid in the grass on their backs, peering at the clouds in the sky as each of them munched on a marbled blue and purple fruit. Stacy was a good friend to not bring up the incident, realizing how much it probably bothered her, but after a while Alexia herself wanted to address the elephant in the room.
"I'm not really so sure it's what I want." She stated in a near whisper. Stacy pushed herself onto her elbows, looking sympathetically at her friend.
"Don't let Mr. Sourpuss get to you, Lexie. No one is going to force you to take over the magick school if that's not what you want to do with your life. Your dad is so laid-back that I doubt he'd strong-arm you into anything you didn't want to do. He'd want what's best for you, like I do. In his own mean way, I think even Mr. Gilde just wants what's best for you. He just doesn't know you like we do."
Alexia righted herself and returned her friend's gaze. Stacy's words were definitely comforting, though she couldn't escape the nagging feeling nipping at the back of her mind.
"But that's part of the problem, Stace. I don't know what I want." Stacy smiled softly and shrugged her shoulders.
"Who ever knows exactly what they want at nineteen? Graduation is a ways away. You have plenty of time to decide." And with that she finished off her rare treat, tossing the core as far as she could for the local wildlife to have a go at later on. Alexia finished her own apple, again staring at the sky in deep thought. She wished her father were around more often. Considering he was the founder and dean of the school, it was strange to her just how often he was away on his enigmatic and suspiciously ill-defined 'business trips.' She never pressed the matter, though truth be told she was curious as to just where he went to so often, and for such lengthy periods of time.
Stacy stood to her feet with a content sigh, patting her posterior with both hands to brush off any grass or other materials she may have invited upon her jeans while lazing out on the grass. She leaned forward and offered a hand to her friend. Smiling, Alexia accepted the offer and got to her feet. She had spent enough time daydreaming; she had more than her fair share of studying to put behind her, and she was certain that Stacy did, too. In moments like the one they just shared, she really appreciated having a friend like Stacy.
The soothing sound of crickets chirping just outside of her window more often than not aided Alexia in her nightly routine and promoted her drifting off to sleep, but on that night she found herself restless. She dozed off several times, but kept awakening before she could ever reach what generally followed. With a half-awake groan she rubbed her left eye before cracking it open to inspect the clock on her nightstand, which read 3:19 AM. Deciding to get a bottle of water from her mini-fridge before attempting to go back to sleep, she pushed herself to a sitting position. She was wearing a white T-shirt which was a couple of sizes too big for her, and below it a pair of comfortable-fitting, navy blue short-shorts with baby blue stripes running down either side. Her right hand fished about in the dark for her glasses, which rested upon her nightstand, before locating them as she groggily slipped them on. It was only then that she noticed someone was in the room with her.
With what little moonlight crept in through the parts in her closed curtains, she could make out the silhouette of someone several feet from her. She gasped and backed away in her bed to put a greater distance between herself and the shadowy being, her heartbeat intermediately accelerating. A strike-match flared thorough the inky black, producing a flame which lightly hinted at the facial features of the being, though not enough to define anything other than the fact that it was, in fact, a person and not a late night illusion, such as a coat rack or any such groggy mistranslation of the eyes. The flame moved to ignite the end of what could only be a cigarette before being shaken out. The being inhaled deeply, the cherry burning in the darkness, before exhaling. She was so shocked that she hardly knew just how to react. Before she could snap-to and make sense of it, he extended a hand toward her, and instantaneously she was encased in a dome of translucent, cream colored light. She banged on it, but found that it was quite stable and impervious to her blows. The man slowly clenched the fingers of his outstretched hand, and wavy ripples appeared on the surface of the ethereal trap. She felt herself getting lightheaded, and understood that whatever he was doing would soon rob her of consciousness.
Before she would allow that to happen, she tried her best to concentrate. Muttering something under her breath the bubble spontaneously disappeared, and she was free. Disoriented, she could feel her consciousness quickly returning to her, though the intruder was already advancing upon her, looming over her bed. Darting out of reach, she hopped from her bed and grabbed a nearby lamp before smashing it over the silhouette's head. The grunt which followed revealed that it was a man, and he turned toward her briskly, rubbing the back of his skull.
"Really? The daughter of one of the most elite mages in the multiverse, and you attack with a lamp?" He commented.
If she weren't so terrified and confused she would likely understand that what he had pointed out was pretty silly. Dropping what remained of the lamp, she tried to move toward the door, but in an instant he had beaten her there. She quickly darted away from him as the area she had stood in a moment earlier was enveloped in another clear bubble. Whatever he wanted, he wasn't trying to harm her; he was attempting to capture her. Thinking on her feet, she conjured a simple spell, producing a burst of intense white light from her open palm as she looked away so as not to fall prey to her own magick. He grunted in pain from the bright light, which was all the confirmation she needed. She dashed to the window and, ripping open the curtains, raised it and slid out into the night.
As she ran she looked over her shoulder, toward the window, to see if he was following after. Not looking ahead, she bumped into something and landed on her behind. She glanced up and nearly screamed to discover the presence of another man, but her horror turned to relief upon realizing who it was. She could honestly say that it was the only time she had ever been so excited to see Mr. Gilde. She scrambled to her feet, talking a mile a minute about some strange man in her room, though he was seemingly tuning her out completely, instead focusing behind her, to where the man was climbing out of the window in pursuit. A sea green aura radiated from Mr. Gilde's body then, his hair moving and swaying against the nature of logical, comprehensive physics, as though he were suddenly underwater. He muttered something she couldn't quite make out, but she soon realized that he was chanting a spell, and at the tail end she could more than make out his words, as he shouted them.
"...ULMAGEIST!" A burst of intense magickal power blasted toward the shadow-veiled stranger, a luminescent explosion of raw energy bursting with a force unlike anything she had ever seen before. When the intense light produced by the potent spell cleared, she could see that the wall outside of her dorm room was completely destroyed, revealing the interior for all to see... but that the mystery man was still standing, unscathed, a protective shell around him.
Mr. Gilde began fishing into his jacket pocket for something as he prepared a follow-up attack.
"Who is that?! What does he want? What– "
"Here." He cut her off, retrieving what he had been searching for: a polished, black orb, which he offered to her. She accepted it, feeling its weight in her hand and growing more confused than ever.
"Go to the Whisper Place. It should work there. Pass through the gate which forms. GO!" And with that he launched another potent spell upon the intruder, who was advancing. Her sensibility and desire for self-preservation overcame her curiosity, and she turned away from him and followed his instruction, running toward the Whisper Place as quickly as her bare legs would carry her.
By the time she arrived her sides ached, and her lungs struggled to intake much-needed oxygen. She could spot the willow under the moonlight, and quickly deduced that not a soul was present, pursuer, lovebird, nor anyone in between. As she made her way up the hill she could feel the orb reacting in her palm. Stopping where she stood, she raised it closer to her face and inspected it, where she saw that within the orb it appeared as though a galaxy were spinning, comprised of countless stars and constellations. In front of her something reacted to the orb, just as the orb was reacting to whatever it was that laid before her. Ripples of distortion formed in the air, looking not unlike heat vapors or a mirage. A moment later a vortex of black and purple energy formed, swirling in upon itself like water down a bathtub drain. 'Pass through the gate which forms,' he had said. And while he wasn't the friendliest man around, she knew that he wouldn't instruct her to do anything that would potentially harm her. Listening to his command, she passed through the portal, butterflies filling her stomach, her head becoming light and somewhat dizzy as the world around her melted away.
End Chapter 1
Closing Notes:
• Special thanks to: Joseph Label and McKenzie Maclaine, who have inspired me through the years and who have been two of the greatest writing buddies I could ever hope for. If it weren't for their dedication and loyalty over the years, Multiverse Unlimited would have never gotten as far as it has.
• Dr. Eggman/Dr. Robotnik is © to Sega. All other characters and scenarios are the intellectual property of Collin Davis.