Shadow of Destiny - Once Again
Margarete felt dizzy as she and Eike touched down gently back in his bedroom, just as they had left it. Although... in a sense they had never left. Margarete wondered how Eike could stand all this. It must be horribly complicated.
Eike let go of Margarete's hand and walked over to the window. She followed him and looked out.
"Weren't there some..."
"Yeah," Eike said, knowing what she was thinking. "I cut all the vines down in the past so they would never grow, so Hugo wouldn't be able to climb up to my window to kill me."
"Oh..."
Eike turned to her. She looked exhausted and a little frightened. He felt sorry for her, being dragged into all this against her will. He wondered briefly if there was any way he could give her the life that she should have had.
"Eike? What's wrong?"
He shook his head. "I'm just tired I guess". It was a lie. He'd never felt more awake. "You'd better get to bed, otherwise you'll feel even worse tomorrow."
Margarete nodded, not looking Eike directly in the eye. "I guess I'll see you in the morning," Eike said, trying to break the awkward silence that had descended on them. She nodded again and then turned and left. Shutting the door quietly behind her. Eike heard the soft creak of her footsteps, and then the sound of door opening and shutting in the distance.
It was pointless for him to try and sleep. So he removed his jacket and just sat on the edge of his bed, putting his chin in his hands.
He thought about what Homunculus had said. About there being more to all this than Hugo's revenge. Eike didn't entirely trust Homunculus about not knowing what was going on. //I mean,// he thought after a moment, //the guy's practically omniscient isn't he? Can't he just jump forward in time and find out what happens to us. Why can't...//
Eike's brain went on repeat. //Jump forward? Forward in time!//
Was that even possible? He'd never tried to go forward in time. Of course he travelled back in time and then forward to the present day. //'Back to the Future'// he thought with a smile. But he'd never tried going forward from the present day. Was it even possible?
Sleep could go hang itself. Eike had a demon to find. He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.
*******
//Okay, you got out of the house. Bravo. Now what, genius?//
Eike stood at the bottom of the hill on top of which the art museum/ library stood. He had recovered from the initial rush of having such a brilliant idea and was now reconsidering his not so brilliant assumption that Homunculus, if he could be found anywhere, would be found outside.
There's gotta be some way for me to get hold of him. I guess if I got myself killed... Eike shook his head. Killing himself would probably not be the best way to get to Homunculus. Besides, he hadn't been in his lair the last time Eike had died.
//Maybe if I just wander round a bit. I mean he might be keeping an eye on me. This coming back from the dead stuff doesn't just happen on its own. //
Eike wondered for the first time how that part of this deal actually worked. How did Homunculus manage to snatch his soul back from wherever it was heading? Obviously, although he had been granted eternal youth, he was not immortal, or there would be no need for all this fuss.
//So I'll live forever as long as no one comes along and kills me. Charming.//
Eike set off towards the town square. He tried not to think of anything except what was going on around him. Or rather what wasn't going on around him. Every now and again he'd turn around in a full circle, looking down every alleyway, searching every shadowy corner. Just to make sure.
"Don't be paranoid, Eike. You /know/ there's someone after you."
For once, Eike as almost glad to hear that inhuman voice. He turned around. He couldn't see Homunculus anywhere. Finally he gave up looking and just stood there.
"I have to ask you something."
"Well, I didn't exactly think you'd come out here for a healthy stroll, Eike. Honestly. Sometimes I wonder if you humans have any sense of self- preservation. Wandering around outside when there's someone out to kill you. I mean really..."
"Ha hah. I'm glad you seem find my situation so amusing," Eike said dryly. Once the demon had spoken however, Eike worked out where his voice was coming from and in a nearby alleyway he could just see two red eyes. The rest of Homunculus was hidden in shadow.
"It is your attitude that amuses me," said Homunculus. "Don't forget that your situation places me in danger as well. So? What was it you were willing to risk your life and mine to ask?"
"Well... it was about time travelling actually."
"What about it?"
Eike faltered. He wished he could see Homunculus' expression. It would at least give him some idea, even if it wasn't the right one, as to how he was reacting to Eike's questions.
"I was wondering... if... well..." he stumbled over his words. How the heel was he supposed to ask this question?
He heard Homunculus give a rather bored sigh. "I know we both have eternity, Eike, but I don't intent to wait that long for you to ask me a simple question."
//Oh well. Here goes nothing...//
"Can the Digipad make me go forward in time?"
He saw the two red eyes narrow ever so slightly and, in his nervousness, started to ramble.
"I mean, I thought if we could go forward in time from the present then... well maybe we could work out how to get out of this." Eike suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Like you said, back in the time when Miriam was shot... except she wasn't... I mean, you said you 'tested out a few histories'. What did you mean by that? Did you go forward in time to see what would happen or what?"
Eike suddenly became aware that Homunculus had stepped out of the shadows and was approaching him. His face was expressionless, and Eike couldn't read any emotion in those red eyes.
//Oh God. Please tell me I didn't go too far!//
Homunculus stopped just a few feet away from Eike. He didn't say a word just stood there.
"Err..."
"Eike, you are asking me to explain something utterly beyond human comprehension. To be honest I'm amazed you've taken in all the knowledge you have acquired up till now."
"Um... thanks?"
"Despite that, I can understand why you would think travelling forward in time would solve all our problems. Unfortunately it is not as simple as you might think."
"Nothing ever is for me these days," Eike said half to himself. "So what's the problem?"
"You have heard me speak of the threads of time. Separate threads which lead people down different paths, like before when you travelled back in time in that... ridiculous costume and told yourself to get an iron plate in order to protect yourself."
"Oh yeah. And when I said I didn't remember anything about giving myself any egg letter you told me I was experiencing... the end results of different forks. Right?"
"That's right. Well, I explained how fate branches out into many paths but you can only chose one of them. Therefore, if you were to travel forward in time the digipad would not have just one path to go down which had already taken place but several, unknown paths. The result of such uncertainty can be... somewhat disastrous."
Eike wasn't sure he understood this at all and shook his head. "I think I'm gonna need another analogy here Homunculus."
The demon nodded the familiar smile now replacing that blank expression.
"Well, lets suppose that you are walking through a forest along a path. Suddenly you find yourself confronted with more than five different side paths that you may walk down, each leading to an unknown place. Now, the path you have just walked down you know is safe. If you were to go up and down that path you would know were you would end up at either end."
"Wait", Eike said suddenly. "So if I kind of teleported ahead to the place one of the paths led to then I wouldn't know where I would end up and I wouldn't know how to get back to where I had been before?"
"In a way. The digipad will have to randomly select a thread of time for your future and jump across to its finish. But often threads of time will meet at the same destination, and if that happens when you travel to the future then when you try to get back..." here Homunculus spread his hands. "Like I said, the results could be disastrous for you. Your entire future may collapse."
"Damn. I never realised that could happen."
Homunculus nodded. "It is very risky. Possible. But risky."
"I take it you don't like to take risks".
"Immortality is the greatest of bores if you don't take just a few risks now and again."
Eike suddenly felt the vibrations of the digipad in his pocket. He pulled it out and stared at it, confused. It wasn't glowing its usually green colour. Now it pulsed with a deep red light. He turned to look at Homunculus and saw the smile on his face grow wider.
"What are you..."
"Good luck," was the last thing Eike heard the demon say before he was bathed in the glowing red light and he was thrown down an as yet unknown thread of time.
//Damn I have the biggest headache now. I'm not sure I understood anything of what I just wrote! If no one else understands it please say so and I'll try and clear up a few details. I hope you like this chapter and it was worth the headache! Huge thanks to Mort for the inspiration to write this chapter! ^_^ And thanks to anyone else who reviewed!//
Margarete felt dizzy as she and Eike touched down gently back in his bedroom, just as they had left it. Although... in a sense they had never left. Margarete wondered how Eike could stand all this. It must be horribly complicated.
Eike let go of Margarete's hand and walked over to the window. She followed him and looked out.
"Weren't there some..."
"Yeah," Eike said, knowing what she was thinking. "I cut all the vines down in the past so they would never grow, so Hugo wouldn't be able to climb up to my window to kill me."
"Oh..."
Eike turned to her. She looked exhausted and a little frightened. He felt sorry for her, being dragged into all this against her will. He wondered briefly if there was any way he could give her the life that she should have had.
"Eike? What's wrong?"
He shook his head. "I'm just tired I guess". It was a lie. He'd never felt more awake. "You'd better get to bed, otherwise you'll feel even worse tomorrow."
Margarete nodded, not looking Eike directly in the eye. "I guess I'll see you in the morning," Eike said, trying to break the awkward silence that had descended on them. She nodded again and then turned and left. Shutting the door quietly behind her. Eike heard the soft creak of her footsteps, and then the sound of door opening and shutting in the distance.
It was pointless for him to try and sleep. So he removed his jacket and just sat on the edge of his bed, putting his chin in his hands.
He thought about what Homunculus had said. About there being more to all this than Hugo's revenge. Eike didn't entirely trust Homunculus about not knowing what was going on. //I mean,// he thought after a moment, //the guy's practically omniscient isn't he? Can't he just jump forward in time and find out what happens to us. Why can't...//
Eike's brain went on repeat. //Jump forward? Forward in time!//
Was that even possible? He'd never tried to go forward in time. Of course he travelled back in time and then forward to the present day. //'Back to the Future'// he thought with a smile. But he'd never tried going forward from the present day. Was it even possible?
Sleep could go hang itself. Eike had a demon to find. He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.
*******
//Okay, you got out of the house. Bravo. Now what, genius?//
Eike stood at the bottom of the hill on top of which the art museum/ library stood. He had recovered from the initial rush of having such a brilliant idea and was now reconsidering his not so brilliant assumption that Homunculus, if he could be found anywhere, would be found outside.
There's gotta be some way for me to get hold of him. I guess if I got myself killed... Eike shook his head. Killing himself would probably not be the best way to get to Homunculus. Besides, he hadn't been in his lair the last time Eike had died.
//Maybe if I just wander round a bit. I mean he might be keeping an eye on me. This coming back from the dead stuff doesn't just happen on its own. //
Eike wondered for the first time how that part of this deal actually worked. How did Homunculus manage to snatch his soul back from wherever it was heading? Obviously, although he had been granted eternal youth, he was not immortal, or there would be no need for all this fuss.
//So I'll live forever as long as no one comes along and kills me. Charming.//
Eike set off towards the town square. He tried not to think of anything except what was going on around him. Or rather what wasn't going on around him. Every now and again he'd turn around in a full circle, looking down every alleyway, searching every shadowy corner. Just to make sure.
"Don't be paranoid, Eike. You /know/ there's someone after you."
For once, Eike as almost glad to hear that inhuman voice. He turned around. He couldn't see Homunculus anywhere. Finally he gave up looking and just stood there.
"I have to ask you something."
"Well, I didn't exactly think you'd come out here for a healthy stroll, Eike. Honestly. Sometimes I wonder if you humans have any sense of self- preservation. Wandering around outside when there's someone out to kill you. I mean really..."
"Ha hah. I'm glad you seem find my situation so amusing," Eike said dryly. Once the demon had spoken however, Eike worked out where his voice was coming from and in a nearby alleyway he could just see two red eyes. The rest of Homunculus was hidden in shadow.
"It is your attitude that amuses me," said Homunculus. "Don't forget that your situation places me in danger as well. So? What was it you were willing to risk your life and mine to ask?"
"Well... it was about time travelling actually."
"What about it?"
Eike faltered. He wished he could see Homunculus' expression. It would at least give him some idea, even if it wasn't the right one, as to how he was reacting to Eike's questions.
"I was wondering... if... well..." he stumbled over his words. How the heel was he supposed to ask this question?
He heard Homunculus give a rather bored sigh. "I know we both have eternity, Eike, but I don't intent to wait that long for you to ask me a simple question."
//Oh well. Here goes nothing...//
"Can the Digipad make me go forward in time?"
He saw the two red eyes narrow ever so slightly and, in his nervousness, started to ramble.
"I mean, I thought if we could go forward in time from the present then... well maybe we could work out how to get out of this." Eike suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Like you said, back in the time when Miriam was shot... except she wasn't... I mean, you said you 'tested out a few histories'. What did you mean by that? Did you go forward in time to see what would happen or what?"
Eike suddenly became aware that Homunculus had stepped out of the shadows and was approaching him. His face was expressionless, and Eike couldn't read any emotion in those red eyes.
//Oh God. Please tell me I didn't go too far!//
Homunculus stopped just a few feet away from Eike. He didn't say a word just stood there.
"Err..."
"Eike, you are asking me to explain something utterly beyond human comprehension. To be honest I'm amazed you've taken in all the knowledge you have acquired up till now."
"Um... thanks?"
"Despite that, I can understand why you would think travelling forward in time would solve all our problems. Unfortunately it is not as simple as you might think."
"Nothing ever is for me these days," Eike said half to himself. "So what's the problem?"
"You have heard me speak of the threads of time. Separate threads which lead people down different paths, like before when you travelled back in time in that... ridiculous costume and told yourself to get an iron plate in order to protect yourself."
"Oh yeah. And when I said I didn't remember anything about giving myself any egg letter you told me I was experiencing... the end results of different forks. Right?"
"That's right. Well, I explained how fate branches out into many paths but you can only chose one of them. Therefore, if you were to travel forward in time the digipad would not have just one path to go down which had already taken place but several, unknown paths. The result of such uncertainty can be... somewhat disastrous."
Eike wasn't sure he understood this at all and shook his head. "I think I'm gonna need another analogy here Homunculus."
The demon nodded the familiar smile now replacing that blank expression.
"Well, lets suppose that you are walking through a forest along a path. Suddenly you find yourself confronted with more than five different side paths that you may walk down, each leading to an unknown place. Now, the path you have just walked down you know is safe. If you were to go up and down that path you would know were you would end up at either end."
"Wait", Eike said suddenly. "So if I kind of teleported ahead to the place one of the paths led to then I wouldn't know where I would end up and I wouldn't know how to get back to where I had been before?"
"In a way. The digipad will have to randomly select a thread of time for your future and jump across to its finish. But often threads of time will meet at the same destination, and if that happens when you travel to the future then when you try to get back..." here Homunculus spread his hands. "Like I said, the results could be disastrous for you. Your entire future may collapse."
"Damn. I never realised that could happen."
Homunculus nodded. "It is very risky. Possible. But risky."
"I take it you don't like to take risks".
"Immortality is the greatest of bores if you don't take just a few risks now and again."
Eike suddenly felt the vibrations of the digipad in his pocket. He pulled it out and stared at it, confused. It wasn't glowing its usually green colour. Now it pulsed with a deep red light. He turned to look at Homunculus and saw the smile on his face grow wider.
"What are you..."
"Good luck," was the last thing Eike heard the demon say before he was bathed in the glowing red light and he was thrown down an as yet unknown thread of time.
//Damn I have the biggest headache now. I'm not sure I understood anything of what I just wrote! If no one else understands it please say so and I'll try and clear up a few details. I hope you like this chapter and it was worth the headache! Huge thanks to Mort for the inspiration to write this chapter! ^_^ And thanks to anyone else who reviewed!//