The Prologue
To truly understand this tale, we first need to cover a few things. First, a brief biology lesson. The human race is a blank slate essentially. An empty program, clean, free to do whatever they liked. Contrary to what they might believe, a human was created with no purpose. The whole point of their existence was to do whatever they wanted and if you could classify that as a purpose then so be it.
With that introduction over, then we have to yet again twist your perception further. The Multiverse theory? It is real. Every universe is interconnected, with some having acknowledgement of the different Multiverses, and some, like potentially your own, not having any of this knowledge. Have you ever heard of your favourite author or director having the idea for their latest book or film come from a dream? I'd bet you've just realised one just from that prompt.
Well, that idea, I hate to say it, isn't original. Often, when they have these 'dreams', it is simply their mind wandering into another universe. The thing is, much like your own life, problems arise in earnest. In plenty. And sometimes, the problems cannot be solved by the inhabitants of that universe alone. This is why the Guardian was created. Going by many names, sometimes foretold in arrival by universes, and in other's non-existent, their job was to travel through the universes, solving any problems, before leaving once again.
The Guardian often took the form of a human but was unlimited to the confines of common humans. This is why they were referred to as 'they'. Depending on the Universe they went into, they would take a different gender. This may be commonly known as a gender-fluid character. Such things as sex and gender did not bother the Guardian, whose only goal was to solve the contracted problems.
I bet you think it sounds like such an exciting life; for, after all, the ability to travel in and out of worlds sounds like a dream come true for many. But the problem was, there were several rules that had to be followed, otherwise, they ran the risk of having their powers removed, their job title removed, and becoming a blank slate in one of the Universe's they had visited before.
Rule number 1 was: Do not interfere in the intended progression of events. That meant, that, no matter how bad the scenario, they were not to interfere, and could only interfere in things that could potentially affect the progression. Over the millennia that they had been doing their job, they had watched many people go and die. People they had grown to know while in their respective Universe. They had never known the feeling of blood-family, and the only family they got were the people they met.
The second worst thing was that there were often various forms of the same Universe- called Parallel Universes. These were often created by a decision, a fork in the road, and could lead to a different end-point. Since they were often travelling through these Parallel Universes, they often saw people who they had met before, but who no recognition at all of them. They were used to being forgotten.
I'm sure that I've perhaps portrayed the Guardian with a sense of impassivity, that they are simply emotionless, but that was not true. They did have emotion, a lot of it in fact, but they had it ripped away from them so many times that it was hard for them to let people close. Even though they tried, people got close, every, single, time. I bet the 'dream come true' statement, isn't looking so appealing any more, is it?
The second rule was: Never tell them who or what you are. That second rule was a convoluted one. You couldn't tell them you were a Guardian unless they themselves managed to guess it. This didn't happen very often, as most people didn't even know about Guardians, but every so often someone would notice. You could tell them what race you were, what your assigned name was in that Universe. The whole reason for its implementation was that in certain Universes, few that there were, some liked to hunt Guardians.
They had been caught once and tortured for a long time. But then they'd been rescued, and well, that rule had been created. There had been fewer torturing instances since then since with age comes experience, and they had a lot of that. But like I said, it was convoluted as all hell. The Guardian could feel pain. Just like emotions, pain was a very real thing.
They could not die, no, not unless their powers were stripped, but pain was something they could very much feel. Every cut or slice hurt, and yes, they could be knocked out. But it wasn't easy, it took a lot of effort to knock them out. Lethal poisons, for example, would not kill but would cause excruciating pain and presumably knock them out if the concentration was strong enough.
The third rule was the most important, and one that was the most punishable: You weren't allowed to fall in love. Cliche as it may sound, falling in love created 'unnecessary' bonds that would tie the Guardian down, and restrict them from doing their jobs correctly. Despite not really being human, they were still liable to human emotions, causing conflict.
Now, when a Guardian goes to a Universe, they are given very specific tools that aids them to complete their goal. The first of which was a book. Yes, a book. Only open-able by the Guardian in question, it details how the timeline would progress. Not only does this book do that, but it also details what their identity will be for that specific Universe, act as a notebook and a map, but it keeps track of the main people within the Universe.
The secondary tool of their trade was what looked to be a normal pen but really wasn't. Like many other things, it adapted to the circumstances. It formed a weapon because when a Guardian went into a Universe, they were likely to run into trouble. For instance, in one Universe, like yours, the pen might become a gun, with self-reloading bullets, but in another, it could become a sword.
The last primary tool of their trade was a necklace. Upon wearing, it could change what they were wearing to anything the user had in mind. It could also produce a set of armour if so required. When it was in use, the necklace would hide against the Guardian's skin. They had a few tools, less commonly used ones, that tended to be left as a backup.
When a Guardian went into a Universe, they may become a race or creature that has certain abilities or powers. They then incorporate the powers of that race, along with the few they had as a servant of Death and Life.
Powers a Guardian have are very subtle in nature: they can influence conversations to a certain degree, they are inherently fluent in any language that could be conceivable, they are immune to diseases and have faster healing then most humans, and if required, can talk to the deceased spirits or other inanimate objects. However, should they take the form of a race that has not got the enhanced healing, then it will not exist, merely serving to keep them alive and not immediately heal them.
But enough of that, perhaps we should discuss what Universe our resident Guardian is visiting next. Our Guardian, the one we are following, is not new to their job. They've been doing it for six millennia. The manifestation of them- a ball oddly reminiscent of the equinox- stood in front of two undefined figures, one highlighted in pure green, the other in a hazy, midnight sky purple colour.
The surroundings were deep and black, like the night sky, but without the bright stars shining the way. The only entities were the two figures and the Guardian we follow. The purple figure began to speak, the voice sounding feminine, but echoing like several choir singers singing at the same time.
"Guardian. We have a new assignment for you."
There was no response from the Guardian, as they knew their place in this hierarchy that they had lived their whole life in. The whole situation lacked a distinct human-like quality, serving to remind us that they weren't human- nobody in the space was. This time, the green figure, with a voice that had undercurrents of both feminine and masculine tones, waved their hand, an orb reminiscent of Earth, our Earth, appearing out of thin air.
It spun around a few times, before stopping at a particularly large landmass, a small dot appearing, later labelled 'Credenhill, UK.' Even if the Guardian could presently display any emotion, it would be likely that it would be kept hidden: they weren't exactly used to sharing emotion.
"You will be entering in a place called Credenhill, in the United Kingdom, under the command of a Sergeant from the 22nd SAS Regiment. You should be familiar with this Universe, even if the directive is different."
A quick interlude on the matter of Universes. A 'Main' Universe, is essentially the idea that the Universe follows. This sounds confusing in the manner I have explained it, and I have found it is best to explain it while providing an example. Just give me a moment to find one that lines up with your Universe. Ah. So, if we take 'Red Dead Redemption 2' as an example.
That seems to be a known thing in your world, yes? The Main Universe would be the story: Arthur Morgan, his redemption, and so on and so forth. The Main Universe is the way that the story would normally progress. The 'Canon' ending, if you will so will please. Branching off the Main Universe, there would be very similar, smaller Universes: called Adjacent Universes.
These would detail different paths, and using our example would include things such as the 'Good' ending, 'bad' ending, and the 'neutral' ending. With that hopefully explained, we shall return to what the Guardian is witnessing currently.
"Your new mission is one that takes place in an Adjacent Universe this time."
They nodded, looking at the figure that was Life, absently wondering where Death had disappeared off to in the small lapse in conversation, but not vocalising their question. It wouldn't matter either way, as Life likely wouldn't answer it. Next to Life, a picture appeared, showing a man with scruffy brown hair with matching brown eyes, a scar going down his cheek, and dressed in what seemed to be a military uniform.
There were a lot of Universes that they could be visiting, so there was no point in making a guess. By his side, there was what looked to be a SCAR-H, its distinctive muzzle noticeable to them after years of experience with the said weapon. It gave them a very specific idea of what Universe they were going to. The picture moved aside, revealing some personal information about the person they were going to portray. 'Name, James Gibben, nationality, Scottish.'
"In this Adjacent Universe, everybody- that being, notable characters- must survive. You cannot let any of them die, otherwise, it will be a failure on your part. You already have extensive knowledge of this Universe, so I expect perfection. Otherwise, there will be consequences."
Again, the Guardian did not bother to ask any questions, knowing they would not be deigned with an answer. Especially with that threat that was not subtle in the slightest. Nodding, they turned and walked towards where they would enter the latest Adjacent Universe, the events of the previous one still lingering on their mind. They always did.. and they would never forget the impact they had, for better or for worse.
"You will be entering in a place called Credenhill, in the United Kingdom, under the command of a Sergeant from the 22nd SAS Regiment. You should be familiar with this Universe, even if the directive is different."
Credenhill is a place that you might recognise from your Universe. It is, after all, a real place. It's in Hereford, England, and it does indeed have several different barracks- including one for the SAS and one for the RAF, depending on which route you would want to take into the military. The facility was expansive, considering the nature of Credenhill the village, with training facilities, a fully functioning hospital and accompanying medical facilities, PT Trainers and of course, specialist training available for different areas.
If you wanted to specialise in medical training, then there were several celebrated nurses and doctors you could train under, just like there were specialists in demolitions and sniping. And demolitions was an area that the Guardian's cover happened to specialise in, along with CQC and CQW: Close Quarters Combat and Close Quarters Weaponry. The living spaces at Credenhill were extremely comfortable, even if you had to bunk with others, but that was because the training was a hard slog.
Only the best of the best got to stay at Credenhill full time- full time excluding mission time. Now, back to the Guardian, who had turned away from Life, and instead moved towards the white portal which had lit up, it being his transport to the Universe he was going to. It had been a while since he had been to the normal version of the UK.
Without any speech from the Guardian, a white flashy portal, which threw off sparks, appeared behind the three figures. The Guardian turned to walk into it- or float, considering the ethereal form didn't have any legs,- and without further ado, the portal sealed shut the minute they stepped through, into another Universe that needed saving, which was just another day in the life for the Guardian.
Author's Note
Here's the prologue. Next chapter we actually kick off the plot!
~Cait