The Alchemist and the Altamere

by T. R. Myers

Based on the comic book. Posting here as there is no readership there. Partial rewrite. Will disappears for two months that she can't remember, an enemy reveals her secret to her mother, and to top it all off, the new villian in her life...is her. Can Will come to terms with the idea that her secret is revealed and she may not even be the real Will? The universe depends on it.

10. Behind the Mirror

Time was up…

…And down, and sideways, and inside out.

Focusing into the Star of Cassidy, the Alchemist's essence flowed through the Seventh Heart. She had to admit, until this moment, she hadn't been certain she could withstand it. She had thought carefully about what her first decision should be. One did not simply rearrange existence without careful planning. First, she decided what part of her world should continue to exist into the new future. Her family, of course, including Thomas and his new future wife should come. The families of the other Guardians could not be simply left in a dying universe.

She was surrounded by what was left of the funhouse. Into the mirrors she delved. There were many worlds in the mirrors; far more than any could imagine. Truly, the realms were infinite. There were infinite Earths and infinite Metamoors and even infinite Kandrakars and infinite Basiliades. It was with this sight that she began to see the inherent flaws in the universe. There was infinite redundancy, a universe that couldn't reconcile the many changes that went through it and so created infinite possible outcomes to infinite scenarios.

The Alchemist would change all of that. She would put an end to the spiraling redundancy. She would put an end to the instability that led to catastrophe that led to uncertainty that led to fear, and anguish. Most importantly she would neuter those who abused power by taking power away. First, the universe would have to reimagined, re-envisioned. The Alchemist would reimagine the universe. Her mother would bear witness.

Speaking of her mother, the Alchemist turned to Susan. "You're awfully quiet."

Susan shook her head. "What do I say, to any of this? Will, you're talking about a concept so vast I can't fathom it. I could never understand. Neither can you. How can you even pretend to understand the intricacies of the universe?"

"By making small changes that move the whole, I can affect the universe on every level."

"But should you?"

"Mom, do you know how fragile the universe really is? A strong wind is enough to scatter it." The mirrors seemed to expand until the room was no longer a room. It was like being in a planetarium, surrounded by stars and galaxies. "Scientists talk about the creative forces of gravity and dark matter, concepts created by their imaginations, but in reality, concepts far too vast to comprehend, especially for those with such a narrow scope of understanding as the scientists that came up with the concepts."

"'Narrow scope of understanding'?"

"They may have had tremendous imagination, but they are only able to subscribe to those concepts of reality they have formulated, too closed-minded to accept any alternative. Of course, they would have you believe that in the beginning, there was nothing, then it exploded and then there was something. The reality is much more elegant. The universe is a tapestry, a weaving that never ceases. Tapestries don't begin by something so crude as an explosion. They begin with a thread. It's a single line of yarn, or perhaps the word filament would be more appropriate, that wends its way around until that line becomes a fabric. The universe is weaved on a loom.

"That thread holds together more than the planets and the stars. Gravity and dark matter are opposites, creating a pretty balance that keeps the wheel of the loom spinning. It holds everything in nature together, even the nature of what we are. You can change the shape of the tapestry. Do you see them mother? The threads dangling from the tapestry?" The Alchemist reached up into the stars and indeed, there were threads dangling down. "If I pull one, the weaver must draw the tapestry together to compensate for the missing thread, but the damage will be done.

"The unraveling of the tapestry will begin. Once the universe begins to unravel, there is nothing that can stop it except its own momentum, and when that happens, I pull another thread to keep the process going. I'm not stupid. I know that once I begin, the process can't be controlled. That's why instead of reshaping this universe, I intend to simply disassemble it and make anew. I intend to remake the universe and put an end to the evil that infests it. Like so." She pulled a thread.

Susan couldn't see anything unravel, but everything certainly changed. "Will, don't you see that this is beyond you too? Don't you see that you can't understand any more than those scientists can? In the end, you're human and there's a limit to what you can know. You're demonstration here is fine, but you're talking about real people. I'm sure your theory is perfectly reasonable, but in practice, I think you're going to find that you're out of your element."

The Alchemist turned with a diffident expression on her face. "Demonstration? This is no demonstration. This is real, and I've already begun."

Susan's eyes widened in shock and panic. "You mean you've already—you've—you're—the universe—everything—right now?"

"Right now."

"But what about our home; what about our friends, the school, the town?"

"They'll still be there. Granted, many things will have changed."

Susan walked around to face the Alchemist directly and said, "Will, listen to me, please. I know you're hurting. I know you feel alone and lost. Sweetheart, I'm asking you to take a step back. Think about what you're doing. Please, for me."

The Alchemist looked deep into her mother. What she saw, Susan couldn't imagine. The Alchemist said, "It will be some before the effects of what I've already done are fully known. There's no point in pulling another thread yet. I think we have plenty of time for reflection."

Susan reached up and cupped her daughter's cheeks in her hands. "Will, please, I'm begging you. Don't do this."

"Don't do what? I see what's wrong with the world. Can't you?"

"Will, it's when people try to fix it that something goes wrong."

"Or maybe nobody's had the chance to do right."

The universe truly was fragile, and a single thread had the power unravel many things. A single thread may not have caught the notice of ordinary mortal beings; it was certainly felt in Kandrakar as storm clouds brewed over the Fortress of Light. A deep rumble of thunder could be felt through the fortress. The Oracle continued to meditate and carefully examined the precipice that represented an unknown future.

A similar storm brewed on each and every one of the Infinite Realms at that point in which the five elements came together. On Earth, the Storm brewed over Heatherfield. On Basiliade, it brewed over the Temple of the Crimson Dawn. On Metamoor, it brewed over Meridian.

"What does it mean?" asked Tibor.

The Oracle did not live his meditation or his pose. "It means that the universe is resisting change. When opposing forces collide, at the front a storm is ever the result."

Endarno said, "The Alchemist will tear this universe down."

"She very well may."

"Is there nothing you could do?" asked Tibor

"There are many things I could do, but I will not. It is the Guardians' task."

"Even if we are destroyed?"

"If that is our fate. For now, there is only one thing I will do. I will watch."

Time was the beginning. It began to drain from the universe. Little bits of history began to disappear, now never having existed. So who would notice? If it never happened, who would remember it? Who would care? Would it matter? The effects of a single thread were small, but in their own way catastrophic. After time was space. Matter began to bleed from the universe, but again, who would care? If the universe was shrinking and all of the rulers were shrinking with it, would anyone notice?

Ordinary people didn't notice and this was the thing that the Alchemist depending on. She would rip the world apart around them and they would carry on with everyday life as if nothing had happened. That disconnection was the nature of reality. Indeed, reality fed upon it. When a tree fell in the woods, the other trees were unconcerned. It meant more food for them.

The conditions got worse on the worlds, but what did it matter? Hadn't been getting worse for years? They still showed news clips of Hurricane Katrina. Florida still hadn't recovered from the devastation of Hurricane Andrew. It seemed that major earthquakes hit Asia on a yearly basis. If the universe were destroyed, would anybody notice? No, nobody would notice. It was happening right now and nobody noticed or even cared.

As the single thread unraveled itself from the rest of the tapestry of the universe, the other threads around it tightened and pulled to compensate, a phenomenon that many women would call a run. It was a split in the fabric. Matter, gravity, and time spilled into that split like a river flowing down the lowest point.

Not only did things disappear, but things appeared that hadn't existed for eons. Monsters that once terrorized the universe, that travelled between spaces, that lived in time, wandered once more. One in particular, an ancient beast of vast intelligence, sensed the will of the Alchemist, felt her torment and began to feed upon her anguish. Thus, the Alchemist's sorrow and misery deepened. The more she fought, the rawer her emotions became.

The being fueled the Alchemist's doubts and fears. It told her that there was no need to wait. Pull another thread now. The end result would be the same. Indeed, why pull one? Pull them all. The Alchemist looked up at the threads of reality. Could she really pull them all now? No, that didn't seem right. It had to be done in processes. The being shoved those concerns aside. What did it matter the process so long as the universe was unraveled and ready to make anew? That seemed to make sense. As she reached to pull another thread, an energy blast hit her on the wrist as a shout rent the air.

"No!" The shout came from Orube. The Alchemist may not have perceived the entity influencing her, Susan couldn't perceive it, but Orube could. To her, it was like a ghost, an evil spirit whispering evil things into the Alchemist's ear. "Stop this madness!"

The Alchemist couldn't perceive the creature, so all she witnessed was the blast of energy from Orube, and she responded in kind. The entity perceived the threat and didn't understand why the Alchemist was being so kind. Orube wasn't the Alchemist's friend, and there was no need for disabling blasts of energy. Kill the alien and be done with it.

Orube just barely dodged the projectiles being fired at her. It was difficult to know if she was dancing through the funhouse or through the universe as the Seventh Heart envisioned it. "Will, can't you see it?"

"All I see is an attacker with a sword." The Alchemist could only perceive the creature as a representation of her own feelings and emotions, which were growing darker by the minute.

Orube's feet were stuck to the floor. Indeed it seemed her feet were part of the floor and her legs were solidifying inch by inch. "Will, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm only here to stop you from making a terrible mistake. Can't you see? You're becoming like Nerissa." Still, the stiffening in her limbs continued. If Orube couldn't stop this quickly, she would be a statue, and quite dead. "I'll prove it." She threw down her sword and grasped her hands behind her back. "I am completely defenseless now. I just want to help you." The Alchemist didn't move, but the stiffening in Orube's legs came to a stop. She also noted that her hands had solidified. She couldn't take them out from behind her back.

The Alchemist said, "You don't understand. I can put an end to hunger, to war, and torture. I can make this a world worth living in." Still, the monster persisted. Don't negotiate with the alien; kill it. It's a distraction. The Alchemist simply thought that was a darker side of her emotions and she chose not to give in.

Orube noted what had just passed. The being had a great deal of control over the Alchemist, but it wasn't absolute. It was also clear that this creature had been there for some time, feeding on the Alchemist's darker feelings. "Will, don't you see it? It's there, right next to you. Will, this isn't you. The Will I know is full of honor and love and courage. The Will I know would never walk down this road. The Will I know would never forget her friends."

Susan said, "Will, I always thought I could change the world for you, but now I know how wrong I was. I have to change for the world."

The Alchemist said, "Who wants a world full of horrible things?" She reached up to pull another thread, and the mirror in front of her shattered and her universe began to destabilize. The thread became distorted and momentarily blinked out of sight. The Alchemist turned and faced the Guardians.

Will said, "The world may be full of horrible things, but it's full of good things too."

The Alchemist smiled. "So now you're here to fight me? You're going to save this universe from me?"

Cornelia said, "We're not here to fight you. We're here to help you. You're about to do something you can't undo and we can't let that happen."

"Oh, so you're trying to save me."

"We are going to save you. We are not going to try."

The Alchemist nodded and said, "Wow, that's an awfully aggressive way of putting it. That doesn't seem a bit self-righteous to you?"

Irma shook her head. "You're the last one that should be preaching about being self-righteous."

The universe re-solidified and the Alchemist reached to pull another thread. Will shattered another mirror, and all of the Guardians began to shatter mirrors. With a flip of her wrist, the Alchemist sent Cornelia flying into Hay Lin. They both landed in quicksand that turned into concrete.

"How did you do that?" asked Cornelia.

"With the power of the Keeper," said the Alchemist. "I finally understand how it works. The fifth element isn't its own element; it's what's created when all four are combined. Dirt and rocks don't make trees, but dirt combined with water for food, fire creating light, and air delivering it can make a forest. The fifth element is the substance inside the other elements. Knowing that, I can make anything with any of the elements. I can even make quicksand into concrete and turn Orube's limbs into stone. Combined with the Seventh Heart, I can literally create anything. This is the true Philosopher's Stone."

"Nice," said Cornelia, though her tone didn't sound as if she thought it was very nice. "Here's what I can do with concrete." It shattered around her and she and Hay Lin were free."

Taranee and Hay Lin combined their power to make a tornado of fire. The flaming twister sped to the Alchemist, who with a wave of her hand sent it back to the Guardians. Will decided that two could play at this game and instilled life in the tornado. It elongated and took on the shape of a massive reptile. A giant flaming dragon attacked the Alchemist. The Alchemist conjured a shield and her wand turned into a sword powered by the Seventh Heart. Of course, the fire dragon breathed fire, which the Alchemist shielded herself from.

One would think a fire dragon wouldn't be hurt by a sword, but this was sword made from and powered by the Seventh Heart. When the Alchemist stabbed the dragon in the neck with it, it screamed in agony and bled molten lava. The dragon swiped at the Alchemist and she rolled out of the way, and came back up swinging cutting the paw off of the dragon. It dissipated into nothing as the fire dispersed. The dragon breathed fire again and the Alchemist rolled under it, stabbing upward. The fire went out and the dragon was gone.

Coming back up, she saw all of the Guardians advancing on her. "Enough," she said and swung the sword in a wide arc. The Guardians fell backwards and couldn't get up. Some invisible force was pinning their legs.

There were only a few mirrors left, but they would be enough. As she reestablished her representation of the universe the threads reappeared. She reached up and pulled another thread. This was coming along nicely and soon, the universe would perfectly malleable and easy to bend to her will. Still, it nagged her, that question. Why not pull another? Why wait? Then there was a sound that the Alchemist didn't expect to hear. It was a guitar. It was accompanied by a steady drum rhythm. Then the bass joined followed by a keyboard harmony. Then there was Matt's voice.

"Ever since I got on this train, I've rode it down the line.

I always promised you that I'd be there every single time.

Now the world's turned on its side and we're stuck upon the rail.

I'd still follow you anywhere all through your sad, sad tale.

"You can let go, you can run away, and leave the world behind,

Close the curtain and hide the sun but turn around and you just might find,

"I'll always be by your side,

Wherever you go, whatever you do,

I'll be right there next to you.

I'll always be by your side,

Whatever you want, whatever you say,

I'll never ever turn you away."

The Alchemist closed her eyes. Had everyone turned out to put a stop to her plans? That dark part of her emotions said that it didn't matter; just keep pulling threads. The Alchemist lifted her hand to do just that, but a pair of hands grabbed onto her wrist. It was her mother. "Will, you have to stop this now. I'm not ordering you, Will. I'm begging. I'm pleading."

Cornelia said, "Will, please just listen to her. We only want to help you."

Hay Lin said, "Will, please, we love you."

When Susan drew the Alchemist into a hug, she didn't stop it. Something inside of her broke and it was like a floodgate opening. The tears fell freely and she couldn't stop them. All of the pain and the suffering that she had felt came out in force. All of the agony returned in spades.

"Ever since you gave me your heart, I've carried it everywhere.

This love's burden you shared with me, to me it's light as air.

Now you think you're all alone, and your heart's been split in two.

I've got to tell you, you're not alone; I'd do anything for you.

"You can cry out, you can scream and rage, and leave the world behind,

Close the curtain and hide the sun but turn around and you just might find,

"I'll always be by your side,

Wherever you go, whatever you do,

I'll be right there next to you.

I'll always be by your side,

Whatever you want, whatever you say,

I'll never ever turn you away."

The Guardians were free, and Orube found that her legs and arms were blessedly flesh and blood once more. All of the Guardians gathered around the Alchemist, each determined to show her that she wasn't alone. Still, Susan held the Alchemist tightly. For her part, the Alchemist's grief was now coming out in full force. She couldn't speak coherently and she tried to pour all of her sorrow, her pain, her complaints, and her longings into the embrace she shared with her mother now. Two other bodies pressed against her and she could feel Orube and the rest of the Guardians pressing into the group. Matt's song still played.

Watching through the Waters of Time, the Oracle said, "You see, Endarno, the crisis has passed and the damage was minor. Once again, the Guardians demonstrate that we must have patience and faith."

Endarno nodded. "But still, the Alchemist's foolishness has awakened one of the Profane Ones, creatures that were destroyed before even Kandrakar existed."

Yan Lin said, "Then we must continue to have faith."

The Alchemist held her mother tightly. Will whispered into her ear, "You belong with us. You don't belong here. You belong with us. You belong with your family." Then Will saw something that chilled her to the bone.

There was an image in one of the mirrors of the most horrible creature Will had ever seen. It had a head like a goat, with no hair, its skin blood red, its eyes glowing bright red. The mirror shattered and the creature stepped into the room. Susan screamed and tried to find a corner where she wouldn't be noticed. The Guardians, Orube, and the Alchemist all stood to face this creature, whatever it was. It stood taller even than Cedric at his largest. In addition to its goat head, it had the body of a man, covered with black fur, and from its back protruded giant black wings. It had the legs of a bull. The love that Susan and the Guardians had given to the Alchemist had cast out her black feelings, the very thing that this creature had held to her with. It longed for another food source even though it had siphoned tremendous power from the Alchemist.

"Little Guardians," it said, its voice gravelly and deep, "you have deprived me of my fun."

Irma said, "Wow, you really got way up in that ugly tree before you fell, didn't you?"

The creature laughed. "Amusing girl, when I have devoured the others and conquered this puny world, I may keep you as my court jester."

"Bring Cornelia, too. We do a double act."

Will stepped forward. "Who are you?"

"I am Belial. I ruled the humans of this world before they even knew fire. I was the first devil."

Will looked around to the other Guardians. The creature didn't seem to be attacking, and she didn't want to just pick a fight. Taranee said, "Will, this creature is as evil as they come. There's no shame in hitting this one below the belt."

Will sent a desperate telepathic plea for Matt to get himself, Peter, Nigel, and Joel as far from the carnival as he could. She tried sending images of Belial to him and she hoped that was enough to get the message across. The Guardians charged the creature at once, and it became immediately clear that he would not go down easily. He was like Frost times 100. He was fast and his body was as durable as stone. All of their attacks glanced off of him, barely stinging him, but they did sting him. That was the first thing Will needed to know. Belial could take inordinate levels of punishment, but he couldn't take it forever.

Belial extended one of his wings clipping Irma and Hay Lin with such force that they were thrown through a wall into the house the Alchemist had created. Cornelia chose to be creative, making a stone avatar to fight Belial in her stead. It was sculpted to look like Cornelia and stood twice as tall, and it attacked Belial with absolute abandon. Belial broke pieces off of the avatar only to see them grow back. He howled in frustration and breathed fire onto the avatar, to no avail.

Orube had retrieved her sword and she and the Alchemist were both swinging their swords at the creature hoping to pierce its hide. The Alchemist was pouring all of the energy she could through the Seventh Heart, but as she did, Belial seemed only to get stronger. She put the Heart away and tried to attack with just her own power, which was nevertheless amplified by the Seventh Heart. Belial turned toward Orube, clearly hoping to smash the pest with the sharp sword and the bursts of disintegrating energy, but she was too fast.

Belial seemed to be covered in a snowstorm and he quickly froze over. Irma and Hay Lin stepped out, well aware that the ice wouldn't hold him for long, and they were right. They were barely out of the path of his swing as the ice shattered and he lunged for them. Taranee lit herself on fire, literally a walking fire fairy and launched herself at Belial. Wherever she touched him, he blistered up and developed serious burns.

Taranee said, "He's weak against fire!"

Belial spread his wings and buffeted the girls. Mirror after mirror shattered and the full size of the interior of the building could be divined. This had been designed to be multipurpose. Now it was getting totally demolished. The Alchemist's sword was doing nothing and she couldn't understand it. Whatever energy she threw at Belial either absorbed into him or bounced off. She was thrown backwards with everyone as the wings continued to buffet them. The Alchemist was the first to her feet.

Belial said, "You can still finish what you started. You possess the Seventh Heart. Bring the universe to nothing and we can build paradise from the ruins."

The Alchemist had an epiphany. All of the pain, all of the sorrow, all of the misery that had come after her torture; this monster had been fueling it. Belial had found the Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar, one of the most powerful beings in the universe and fed upon her sorrow, reaping the benefit of her power along with it. She was still feeding it her power, but did it come from the Heart or her? She couldn't disperse it. That would free Phobos. She did the only she could.

"Orube, take the sword." The Alchemist thrust the hilt at Orube.

Orube looked down at the sword and said, "That contains the Seventh Heart. I wouldn't dare."

The Alchemist said, "Belial is feeding on me! This is the source of his power. If you take it, he'll be cut off. If I disperse it, Phobos will be released and who knows what will happen. Just take it. I have power of my own."

Orube reluctantly took the sword and as the Alchemist expected, the Star of Cassidy extricated itself from the formation and returned to her. Belial hadn't been paying attention to them, but when the Seventh Heart broke and Orube was given command of the six pieces, Belial's energy source was cut off from him. The Alchemist took Orube's katana in trade and jumped onto Belial's back. She drove the sword down between Belial's shoulder blades and he screamed in pain. Arching his back, the Alchemist was thrown from him, tossing her through one of the mirrors. The Alchemist stood to return to the attack, but immediately stumbled. Looking down, she saw a large shard of glass protruding from the back of her knee. She was down for the count.

Susan dragged her to safety and once they were hidden, she pulled the shard from her knee, and used her belt as a tourniquet. "Don't worry," said the Alchemist, "I'm sure Cornelia will fix it up."

The katana was still embedded in Belial's back. The monster couldn't pull it out. Will remembered what Kadma had said about devils being failed gods. When the Seventh Heart separated from the Star of Cassidy, Belial's power broke. He was still horribly strong, but the Guardian's attacks were now connecting.

"It was you!" Will shouted. "You're the monk that enslaved the other six and used their power to reshape the universe!"

"Astute, little girl." Belial, still unable to dislodge the sword, flung the last remaining mirror at Cornelia's avatar, a useless gesture.

"You never gave up. The second you saw your chance you used a Keeper of the Heart in her most vulnerable moment to reclaim your power."

Belial said, "And it would have worked, too if you hadn't divided your essence. When you created the Alchemist, I was cut off from my power again."

That stopped Will. "When I created the Alchemist?"

"Of course, why do you think you possessed the Heart of Kandrakar while she merely possessed the Star of Cassidy? You intended to spare her the agony of torture, but I couldn't use you. You were too damned virtuous. So I used the power I had established over you to trade your efforts. You lost your memory while she gained everything, including the anger I needed to feed on her with. She had the bitterness I needed. Most importantly, the one who remained in Phobos' cell was the only one I could use, because the one outside would possess the Heart of Kandrakar and would escape not just Phobos, but me. You were determined of that. That meant that the real Will had to be outside. If I had left you with the bitterness, I would have been bound to you, a woman who would go back to her family and would have no use for me. You slowed me down little girl, and now I've lost again."

Taranee said, "Then why are you still fighting?"

"Because, as long as I have the power to shred as many of you as I can before I'm forced back into the Void, I'm going to use it!"

Belial used telepathy to pick up every shard glass and hurl it at Taranee. If those shards connected, Taranee would literally be ground to nothing. Will, panicked and shot energy into Taranee, using Taranee's life essence to temporarily turn her into her element. The glass went through Taranee harmlessly. She wasn't engulfed in flames; she was flames, and then she was human again.

Taranee ran her hands along herself, wondering how she could have survived that attack. "What just happened?"

Belial, too, froze, just as surprised as Taranee.

Will said, "What the Alchemist said about the fifth element being the essence of the other four; I thought it might be possible to draw your body completely into your element."

Belial breathed fire at Will, but it looked as if a fire hose had been directed into his mouth, water filling his cheeks to capacity and more water spraying from his nostrils. He extended his wings again, but this time, he got dragged backward as Hay Lin sent gale force wind in his direction. Cornelia's avatar tackled him and held him in a full nelson. Taranee pummeled him with fireballs. Orube jumped on his back and used the Alchemist's sword upon Belial's horns. In that moment, it seemed a tear in time opened, and Belial disintegrated and his remains were drawn into the rift.

The battle had ended, and the Guardians were exhausted. Cornelia's avatar melted into mud. Orube recovered her Katana from the ground where Belial had fallen. Will turned them all back into normal girls. Susan came out, helping the Alchemist, who was limping beside her.

Will looked squarely at the Alchemist and said, "Whatever Belial said, one of us was still tortured and made the decision to the send the Heart of Kandrakar back to Earth with an altamere. There is no way to know which of us it is, and a creature as evil as Belial couldn't be capable of telling the truth.

The Alchemist said, "I know what I did, and I know what I saw, and I know what I created. That's good enough for me."

Will looked around and then looked to Susan. "Mom, how are we going to explain my twin sister?"

The Oracle's voice said, "I suspect you will have an easy enough time of it."

They had found themselves in Kandrakar.

(Yes, for those comic collectors old enough to remember the early 90's that opening line about time being up was an X-Men reference.)

Author's note: Darkensis has informed me of the error of my ways with regards to the bullet injury in chapter 3. So noted, so corrected. The easiest way was just to get rid of the exposition fairy.