DISCLAIMER: MARVEL Comics, MCU and DC Comics Franchises are not mine. Only the OCs are mine.
...And… - Telepathic conversation
"And" – Normal Conversation
And – Thoughts or Talking to self
"And" – Alien
+And+ - Radio Conversation
::And:: - Internet/ Chat message
"And" – Whispered conversation
PROLOGUE:
Somewhere in the South Pacific;
I had been hiking for about two hours, I had estimated another hour or two to reach the "Mystic Cave" this island was famous for. Clear my mind from the pressures of life; recently jobless due to some worker-to-worker incompatibility- I mean, when your co-workers decide to let some items "jump over the wall" from the warehouse you are responsible for doing inventory; that is where you draw the line.
I had tried going thru channel; and that was a big mistake on my part. I had blindly brought up the problem to my direct superior without even making sure to check the guy's background- turns out he was one of the founders of the little band of misfits in my workplace.
I suddenly found myself guilty of some workplace violations I had never committed.
Ten years in that company and I had maintained a spotless record; only to fall from grace due to some corrupt band of misfits! what a shame.
Nevertheless, I had decided to spend some of those hard-earned savings for some needed vacation before I decide to try my luck in some other job that catches my fancy.
I shook myself of my recollection to take a bit of rest; take in the scenery. Wow! This part of the mountain where I'm at has sparse collection of trees and gives you a breathtaking view of most of the island.
I could even see the white-sand coastlines from where I'm at.
Why I'd never taken this trip eludes me until now, this had been waiting for a long time.
Sure, I've joined some mountaineering group when I was in college- scaled some impressive mountains, camped-out in some thick jungles; but that was long ago.
I've found myself reminiscing my younger years, carefree and the only pressures you get were those impossible deadlines for some engineering project- yes! Until you start facing the real world where you have to compete against other individuals for spots in some paying job that gives just enough for you to get by.
I was taken off my daydreaming when an eagle crossed my line of sight. The magnificent beast was circling at a high altitude above my head; probably looking for some prey on the forest floor.
That sight took me back to my even younger self, easy times when you had much time to yourself dreaming; times when you imagined slaying dragons or using magic to fly and touch the clouds….
I sighed in awe at the combine prowess the eagle and the panoramic view before me; I took out my phone to get some pictures of the area, this is definitely going to instagram! I mused to myself.
After returning my phone to its rightful place in my chest bag, I stood and marveled how I had unconsciously sat on the grassy knoll; was I that entranced by the scenery that I had the simple action of sitting down elude me? Wow!
Taking in the scenic view for some seconds more, I turned towards the direction of the "Mystic Cave" which, according to my map and my estimates were about a kilometer away from where I'm standing.
I continued my trek towards my goal; to bust the myth that surrounded that cave the locals were religiously believing in. In this age of digital computers, smartphones AND the Internet- there are still people who believe in voodoo magic! That was a refreshing thought….
The trek had lasted longer than I expected, due to stops and picture-takings I did along the way. The route was just so scenic a view, that I could not stop myself from pausing and take pictures of the place.
It had been a bit dark in the late afternoon when I arrived at the mouth of the cave.
There was a clearing and on the open space, some locals have cut and arranged blocks of rocks to serve as some sort of theater? Or the arrangement of the stone benches just looked like a roman-esque theater to me.
I finally reached the goal of this trip. All by myself, I would mark this as an achievement- a badge unlocked on steam, and I have to get back to my gamer days after all of this ruckus;
Anyways, the legend goes that the cave shows the underworld to whosoever enters at the last week; of the last month of the quarter, there had been "incidents" wherein those who braved to find the legend; had come down with mysterious ailments or fits of insanity.
All of which I dismissed as superstitious mumbo-jumbo. I will believe it when I see it! I say to myself.
It is March now, and the twenty-sixth, so that is two of the conditions checked.
Time to bust this myth once and for all; I took a deep breath and started my way towards the cave entrance, all the while fishing out my headlamp that I had clipped on my right hip by its strap.
The cave was in pitch darkness; and was illuminated by the headlamp I had now worn. It was like a long and wide corridor from the mouth of the cave and would most likely to accommodate a horse-drawn carriage with ease.
I don't know exactly how long the tunnel was- but to my pace count, I could roughly estimate that I had traveled about a hundred twenty? Hundred and fifty? Meters from the entrance; and it was still going on a little bit further.
Then my light beam had illuminated a natural archway which opened into an open space with a deep and dark drop downwards.
For how deep? I don't know, I had passed the cave's twilight zone a few minutes ago and with the time that I had arrived here, the light had been waning and it was difficult to guess the parts of the cave.
I edged carefully to the drop-off from the ledge…
The light from my headlamp could not reach the bottom of the circular chasm; but I could see that the drop was cylindrical in nature, like a well that plunged deep into the earth.
Turning my head to my right, I spotted that there was a walkway cut into the cave wall about two meters wide. More than enough to comfortably walk on without grasping the cave wall.
Steeling myself, I made my way down the winding footwalk- down the depths of this chasm. It was dead silent I noticed; not the sound of insects or bats or any other nocturnal creature that should inhabit the cave.
I would not be able to traverse this walkway if not for my headlamp. This must be the reason that some of those people got bits of paranoia, the stillness of the surroundings added with the extreme darkness… just might drive someone mad.
My breathing was getting harsher as the air got staler on the way down. The shadows cast by my lamp was starting to play mind games with me; I remedied this by concentrating on the spatches of land illuminated by the beam.
Looking at the edge of the light would only add to my growing jitters.
It was to my estimate that I had been walking for a rough thirty minutes down the spiraling walkway, provided that I had been walking at a slow pace due to the darkness and being overly cautious because the walkway had no hand-holds or railings to prevent you from plummeting to your death- but, I finally reached the bottom of the chasm.
Down here, it was barren- except for that well? Or fire pit? In the middle of the circular space.
Other than that, nothing noteworthy- unless of course you count some bits and pieces of food wrapping left by some irresponsible tourist, the bottom was barren but disturbingly flat.
"Well, I am already here, why not make the best of it." I said to myself.
I decided to peer down the hole in the middle of the area; I was now sure that it was a well and not some shallow fire pit because of the fact that when I worked towards the lip of the arranged blocks of rock, the sides of the downward shaft was becoming clearer.
Upon reaching the flat blocks of rock that adorned the lip of the shaft, I noticed some runic inscriptions on every rock face.
The blocks were at least six inches by twelve inches in dimensions and the flat side facing up had the runic inscriptions- which reminded me of that gateway from the movie Stargate from the 90s.
"Wow, all of this just to find a wishing well? How depressing." I mused.
Unbeknownst to me; that out in space, the moon had aligned perfectly with the center of the "Well" that I had been peering down- and that also aligned with a magnetar-pulsar on the far side of the galaxy.
Even with the immense distance between the solar system and the neutron star; intense cosmic radiations cross the blackness of the void due to the neutron star's massive starquakes.
These cosmic rays reverberate across the surface of the moon and redirected towards the Earth; and by some quirks in the laws of physics, the beams pass through the mountain peak wherein natural occurring heavy metals and exotic crystals convert the energized radiation into a vortex wave that vibrates contrary to the Earth's natural vibration which in-turn get funneled into the "Well" that I was currently peering into.
"What the FUU-" was all that I could scream before a blinding flash engulfed my entire being; before the feeling of nothingness set in.
This phenomenon was recorded across the nation's Volcanology and Seismology centers as an intensity one tremor, a common occurrence- however followed by the collapse of the mountain where moments ago I had been.
This would be the last time that I would exist on this reality…..
The Twenty-sixth of March two thousand and twenty would be the day I ceased to exist on this Earth.
Did I die? What happened? Where am I? Who am I? Am I still…. ME?
These questions plagued my mind while I was... floating? In something cold, something within the texture of syrup? egg yolk? Cold yet bone dry egg yolk.
The feeling was indescribable to say the least. I opened my eyes which I had realized I had instinctively shut.
'Why am I not drowning?' I thought to myself.
'Why can I still breathe?' I pondered further.
My senses started returning gradually, and I can feel more stimuli from my surroundings. I could feel that I was actually moving; at what speed and velocity? I do not know.
I tried to move around; and the sensation was like being too drunk to actually move- but the sensation of tossing and turning around was there.
And I also noticed that everything around me was blurry; like trying to peer through smoked glass. The substance I was plowing through was semi-transparent though, for I could see flashes of light pass by.
It was like being half-asleep in a car and your brain is trying to distinguish between the lights from passing cars or of the roadside lamp posts.
I also realized that I was traveling through a tunnel of sorts; and up ahead was a pinprick of light. It was like sitting in front of a bus traveling through a long underpass wherein it is poorly lit and all you could see was the exit.
EXIT! Maybe I was being dragged to that point of light!
'That's it! I died. The end. I had so many things I wanted to do.' I groaned in my head.
'Is that where all the souls go to? The afterlife? Or is that Hell?' I rummaged through my thoughts again.
Then without warning; I suddenly sped up through the tunnel, the hazy but bright point of light growing bigger and bigger every second.
Awhile ago, the light had been the size of a puncher hole- now it is as big as a quarter and still expanding.
I had resigned myself to my fate, so I relaxed my body and closed my eyes as I felt the tug of gravity pulling me along.
It happened in an instant, I had burst out of the tunnel. Eyes still closed, I felt that sudden freedom as I sailed through the air, tumbled a bit and slammed my back to the ground. The wind knocked-out of my lungs; I wheezed with effort to regain my breathing…
Still lying down, I slowly opened my eyes and the first thing I saw were…. Puffy Clouds…. Blue Skies…. A bit bright, like mid-morning summer sky…. I blinked; yes, the skies are still there.
My heart was pounding and I decided to lay still and just stare at the sky for a moment to still my heart.
'Did I dream all of that?' I thought.
While in this position, I started to feel the ground beneath me- Grass! My right hand brushed against grass, then some hard earth with a powdery texture.
I brought that hand to my face. The powdery stuff I recognized immediately, Badlands-type of terrain, more like powdered limestone.
By then, my heart had steadied and I started to check myself for injuries- none! Everything seems to function properly, that is a good sign….
Standing slowly and carefully, I looked around and my mind went blank at what I am seeing.
I was standing on top of a rock tower, naturally created to my observation, and there were similar rocky formations that cropped-up as well some distance away.
Some towers had a smaller conjoined tower placed lower to its peak; others were lone and same as the one I was standing on. The scene before me reminded of that famous James Cameron movie.
I could not gauge how high this was because aside from the tops of the rocky mesas, was an endless sea of clouds! And this extended as far as my eyes could see.
Where is this place? Are there any other sentient beings here? Was I alone here? These questions were then answered magnificently in the sudden appearance of a gigantic creature which rose from below the clouds….
'Is that a Xel-Naga?!' I could only gape dumbly at the being that came up and was hovering in front of me.
...That is correct human… The voice resounded in my head.
For a second my fight-or-flight instincts triggered; but logic won through this time- Xel Naga, creators of life, psionic creatures, logical explanation: Mind Readers.
That, and I was trapped who knows how high up on this twenty-meter in diameter plateau, so, no other choice but to stand my ground…
"What am I doing here?" I asked.
...You seem to have found one of our reality bridges… The being replied telepathically.
"Did I die?" I followed with another question.
...No, you did not. Just like the others that came before you. All were by mere chance. But not all were successful… came the telepathic answer.
"Uhh… what do you mean by that? But before you answer that, where are my manners? Umm... what is your name? I am Emilio." I said in a hesitant tone.
...I am Xan Atax, keeper of the reality-crossroads leading to and from your reality and to other realities. Yes, YOU were not the first to see this plane. There were hundreds of thousands that came here before you through the course of millennia, hundreds were successful. The rest… Xan replied, this time with a bit of sadness.
"Okay then, can you send me home?" I blurted out immediately.
...My deepest apologies, but that cannot be done… Xan replied flatly.
"Why? I mean, you can waltz in and out of this realm to ours! Why can't you send someone back?" I asked in a worried tone.
...The reality bridges were designed and created by us... and we the Xel Naga are the only ones supposed to travel through those bridges. You being here is a testament that there is something special in you… Xan replied with a hint of pride.
"Why can't you send me home? And what do you mean by something special?" I followed with a slight agitation in my tone.
...Any non-Xel Naga that manages to survive the travel between realms is altered. The changes are subtle, but your entire being is forever marked, down to a molecular level on the physical and as is your very essence... Your "soul" as you humans fondly call it… Xan paused for abit.
...No. No longer can you return to your origins for eternity. Returning would cause catastrophic shifts in the skeins of your timeline. And as for your second question, only time will reveal what you will be… Xan followed ominously.
Xan's revelations are hitting hard on my psyche. Not only could I return home, but that would mean that my previous life is over.
I have or at this point HAD a sister and a brother, both of which I haven't seen in years and could no longer see… ever; I've had relatives that I haven't seen since birth, aunts and uncles that I would only know through old picture albums.
Deep inside, I was trembling with grief. But there was that side of me, the side that thrived on adventure and discovery.
A side that I had long forgotten, and that part of me is returning with a vengeance. I could only sigh in a defeated manner….
"What would happen if I would force myself to return home?" I asked in a hopeful tune.
Xan, actually paused at this and looked at me with those twelve glowing eyes of his. Like he was considering his words before saying- or thinking them out.
...The closest thing that you could relate with, would be your Warhammer 40,000 universe! Cataclysmic energy storms would ravage the void and plummet everything into eternal darkness… Xan answered in a dead serious manner.
I flinched at that! Let's not Warhammer 40k the timeline okay?
"If that is the case, I am stuck here for eternity?!"
...No, as proven by your arrival here you are one of the rare individuals with the potential to change worlds, as such, you would be sent to another universe. Another reality, a reality wherein you could start anew. But I should warn you, all the choices you make in your new life would affect the future and have direct effect on that reality's timeline; for good or for worse… Xan stated offhandedly.
"Wait, that thing about the multi-verse is real?!" I sputtered.
...Partly. The correct line of thought about the multi-verse would be- pockets or bubbles of existential planes, each with its own unique multi-verse. Take for example your reality, your Earth does not have humans with unique abilities- Superheroes as you would call them; it would stand to reason that its parallel Earth would mostly be the same- albeit, with slight changes in its history and its defining moments in time… Xan said in a dismissive manner.
"So you are saying that in MY original reality there is no parallel Earth that would have people with superpowers in them? Like in the movies?!" I said in a shocked tone.
...Correct. Your reality revolves heavily around events, culture and the arts as well as Opinions, petty differences among others. So its parallel is limited to those; If you had crossed-over to another Earth within your multi-verse, you would only have seen the Nazis win World War Two or the Japanese Empire rising to power. There was one instance even, that the Roman Empire was defeated by Cleopatra and Marc Anthony, and their descendants would rule your Earth in the present times… Or the Mona Lisa was never painted… Or Elvis becoming the King of Country Music, rather than Rock and Roll… Xan stated in mono-tone, as if reading a script.
"Are there aliens in my reality?" I asked while scratching my head.
Believe it or not, the Xel Naga blinked its twelve eyes for some seconds and stared at me as if weighing my worth.
...No. Humanity is alone in your multi-verse… Xan said finally.
"THAT! is just soooOOO SAAAADDD!" I exclaimed dramatically.
...That is what makes your universe unique. It is the only reality wherein humans are the sole inhabitants of your universe… Xan said in an even tone.
"Wait, what?! There are only HUMANS in the entire universe in my reality?! Not one other unique being out there?!" I basically screamed with frustration while waving my right hand around.
...Correct!… Xan replied in a smug tone.
"Shit! Damn! Anyways, I remember that magic well you call a bridge was inside a cave. How'd you even manage to FIT in there?" I said in a cautious tone.
What happened next was out of the extraordinary, the Xel Naga started glowing then shrinking until there was only a ball of light the size of a car; Said ball hovered gently and landed some few meters away from me and dissipated- leaving behind someone who looks exactly like me; and I just stood there gaping.
"Hello there! I believe this form would facilitate a better medium for communication?" The Xan turned me said with a wave of his hand.
"Man! That would've been much weirder…" I replied while gaping at my look-alike.
"You would rather communicate with someone… who looks non-human?" humanized Xan said, eyebrow raised.
"Its too common talking with other humans. AND you chose to look like me! Its like looking at a.. Ahhmm… interactive selfie? I HATE selfies." I replied indignantly.
"You seem to be taking all of this in stride." Xan said while motioning to our surroundings.
"I try to do my best in every situation."
"Good! Good! That attitude would certainly aid you in wherever you end up after here." Xan answered jovially- which I found creepy.
"So, how do we do this? Crossing over, I mean."
"Just clear your mind. I'll do the rest." Xan said conversationally.
"Before I go, just one more question." I requested in a respectful tone.
"Ask, young-one." Xan replied.
"If in one parallel Earth, Elvis became the King of Country Music, what happened to Metallica?" I blurted in a dreadful tone.
"You mean the Electro-Disco band Metallica." came the dead-serious reply; and just like that, my world crumbled into ashes as I shook my head in disbelief.
Better get the hell out of this place before I ask too many questions and end up questioning life and my existence.
"Okay… Here goes nothing…." I exhaled; calming myself of thoughts that involved James Hetfield belching-out Fuel in disco fever kind of twinges.
I closed my eyes and just let my thoughts drift through. Who knew that those instructional videos on YouTUBE about meditation and clearing your mind had it nailed to the T.
...I have seen your thoughts, what you yearned for since childhood…
I started to feel light-headed and my thoughts start to dissolve….
...You will forget seeing this realm, but for your resolve, I am willing to part with you some small gifts as compensation…
Then I felt as if my body is turning into sand….
...Farewell young human, and I wish you good luck! May you find your peace in your future journeys…
And with that, it was lights out for me.
Author's Notes: And there goes the intro.