The Fabric of Reality

The world tore apart.

Valerie shrieked, but the sound was lost. She was flung off her feet and whipped into the air, as weightless as a feather in a hurricane. Wind swirled around her, her eyes were blinded by greens and blues and whites, reds and yellows and ambers, all colliding into one. Blocks, stones, mountains, trees, debris, stars, worlds, it all flew by her in a whirlpool that spun and spun with ever increasing speed.

The vortex yawned wide beneath her, like the gaping mouth of an unspeakable carnivore, ready to swallow her into its vast gullet. Valerie had never felt such fear as she had in that moment. She watched as things disappeared into the storm below. A crack of thunder and a flash of light, and they ceased to be. She watched the universe break apart and fall around her in despair.

A scream cut across the wind as a flash of colour came by her. She recognised it instantly as the small figure of Jade. Instinctively she lashed out and caught the girl's wrist, rather they be flung together in this pit of death, then alone.

"Jade!" she screamed to be heard over the wind.

"Jade!" They heard another shout and both looked over to see someone clinging to a relatively slow-moving chunk of stone wall. He was reaching for them, brown eyes filled with fear.

"Jackie!" Jade reached back for him.

As they passed, they were almost lost to the current. But Jackie and Valerie reached for each other and their fingers caught. With all his strength, Jackie pulled them in. They huddled against the wall, trying to find some shelter amidst the terrible storm.

Valerie gasped when she saw the blue form of Bai Tza fly past them, her claws lashing at the air for any handhold. She screamed in terror as she was carried away. Yet not far behind her, Uncle spun through space. He looked pale and limp and lifeless. He would've floated by if Jackie had not snatched him down to join them.

"Uncle? Uncle!" Jackie shouted at the old man and tried to rouse him. "Uncle! How do we stop this?"

"Cannot…" he whispered weakly. "Book of Ages gone… fabric of reality… destroyed."

Valerie had never felt so distraught in all her life. Another gust of wind exploded from below, and rocked their delicate perch. As it did so, Valerie noticed a small flutter come past her ear. A page of a book.

She snatched it out of the air. The script was in ancient Chinese, the edges burned, but the overall page still intact. She looked down, and saw more pages fluttering amidst the maelstrom. And down below, in the pit of all destruction, was the Book of Ages. Still on its pedestal, beaming light shooting from its core, the whirlwind sucking everything down into its depths.

"It's the book!" the words were out of her mouth before she fully understood what her heart told her to be truth. "It needs to be fixed!"

"Valerie!" Jade shouted. "In your old life, you cared for books, you always knew how to fix them!"

Bent over, the girl retrieved a corner of a page of the same parchment from her shoe. She handed it to Valerie. The woman held it along with the other page, and stared at them then Jade in mounting panic.

"But how do I get there? I can't do this!"

Jackie held her shoulder. "You must! I will help."

"Jackie, no!" Jade sobbed, tears streaming down her face. Jackie smiled at his beloved niece, and bent to kiss her forehead.

"Now I can be the hero you told me to be," he whispered.

He left Jade holding onto the wall. He and Valerie clung together and readied themselves to jump back into the eye of the storm. Before the leap, they shared a single look. In that moment, and for only that moment, they remembered everything: the lives they'd lived, the trials they had endured, and the friendship they'd shared. They smiled, as friends do when there is nothing to say. Valerie's grip on Jackie became tighter, and she embraced him. If she was to die, then she would be glad to do so in his arms.

And then they were thrust into the fray once more. Jackie pushed and ran from debris to debris, attempting to work his way further into the centre. Valerie clung to him, and on occasion summoned the magic within her to help clear their path. But the further they worked their way in, the more hectic things became. The wind was stronger, the danger moved faster. Several times Valerie was almost unhooked from Jackie's side, but she clung on.

They passed another floating page. Jackie grasped it and handed it over to Valerie. She held it close to her along with the others.

They heard a shout and saw the rest of their friends clinging to a broken tree. El Toro was desperate to hold onto Paco and their perch simultaneously. Viper was barely able to hold on. Tohru lay across the tree trunk, trying to stop two halves from breaking apart. Without a word, both Valerie and Jackie decided that they should head to them. They landed and tried to help.

"Give me your hand!" Jackie shouted to Viper as he reached for her.

Valerie tried to reach for Paco, to relieve El Toro. But her eyes caught a shadow and widened in terror. A huge statue of a fu-dog was hurtling towards them like a meteor. There was nothing they could do in time to stop it. She screamed, along with the others.

And then the statue exploded as two bright beams sheered it in half. A fist smashed into it and disintegrated the blocks to a thousand pieces flung in all directions. When Valerie unshielded her face, she gaped to see Shendu floating before her.

"Shendu!"

The dragon-demon cast his eyes between the humans, before they finally settled on Valerie. A quiet sadness had filled their crimson depths. He held out his hand to her, and she knew without words that he knew and understood what had to be done.

She turned to Jackie. "Get them to safety!"

She didn't stop to see his tears, his look of grief, or his hand reaching for one last embrace. All she could do was hoist herself into Shendu's waiting arms.

He held her tight against him, and she felt his power over his talismans and his new found boosted-chi as he shot them through the vortex towards the heart of the storm. His fire blasted aside debris that would've crushed them, his flight was smooth and unchecked. Valerie would point to a page as it floated by, and he would steer them close so that she could catch it.

She clung tighter to him as he made his way closer and closer, as they were buffeted with turbulence and shockwaves. Her heart felt as if it would burst through her ribcage, such fear made her legs tremble and her stomach threatened to constrict until she almost soiled herself. But she refused to surrender, and braced herself against the onslaught.

"There!" she shouted and pointed to what seemed to be left of a giant column still attached to the piece of earth that held the Book of Ages.

Shendu grunted and tried to push forward. But he was met with resistance. It was like a gale was pushing against them, the hurricane wind forcing them back step by step. Shendu roared as he pushed everything he had into forcing them both closer to the inferno. Valerie held onto him, and pushed all of her energy into the bond they now shared. She felt it drain from her, until she was left weak and shaking. But Shendu's roar held new vigour, and he thrust himself forward with just enough strength, so that his free arm could stretch and cling to the column as his talons sank into the stone.

Anchored in place, he brought his other arm forward. He tried to shield Valerie from the worst of the blast, but it was still rough on her as she tried to hold on to the stone. But this was as far as they could go. She looked back at him, fear in her eyes.

"Do it!" he shouted so that she would hear him. "I will get you as close as I can!"

"Shendu!"

His eyes met hers. "Valerie… It was for you. All of it, was for you. Always."

Valerie felt her heart flutter, and tears sprung to her eyes. She nodded, and whispered, "I know."

He gave her one final nod, and then his body glowed with fire and electricity. An explosion erupted around him, blasting the column into a thousand pieces. Valerie screamed as the blast forced her back, countering the shockwave of the Book of Ages. It sent her hurtling towards the book, until her back slammed into it. In doing so, it flung Shendu back as well and he was flung away into the abyss above.

Valerie searched the sky for him with her eyes, tears streaming down her face. But she could not see him. With the last of her resolve, she turned towards the book in front of her.

The wind was not so bad here, and at least she had gravity again. But the book was surrounded by heat that burned all who came too close. Valerie could feel her skin turning raw and peel and sear.

She reached up and plucked one of the sharp hair pins that had managed to stubbornly remain in her hair. Looking to her ruined wedding dress, she caught the hem and pulled on a loose thread. The pearl white silk sparkled in the blazing light. The pages in her hand she stitched together first of all, then turned to the book.

Pain flared up her arms as she pressed the pages against the book. The heat was unbearable. She saw her skin melt away from her shaking hands. But she pushed the needled into the book to cast the first stitch.

She saw her friends, alive and well, yet specks of insignificant dust in the cosmic expanse. Jackie was forced into a job that no longer brought him pleasure at the hands of Section 13. Uncle was abandoned and forgotten in a nursing home, his mind crumbled to gibberish. Jade was a grown woman, but one who had lost her laughter and heart, and instead became cold and alone. Tohru a shadow of his former self, alone in a shop he'd inherited.

Valerie grit her teeth and pulled the thread through. She pushed the needle in again.

She saw Shendu, a spirit once more, roaring in grief and rage. He looked upon her with such adoration, such yearning, that his twisted heart broke and he shouted his cry for vengeance. He swirled in a pit of endless darkness and despair. The only thing left for him was endless torture and pain.

The needle was pushed through for another stitch.

She saw her mother, sitting alone at a table. The clock ticked behind her as she waited for the daughter that would never come home. Her cheeks were sunken, her eyes dark and forlorn. Utter misery eclipsed her very being, until tears streaked silently down her face. Loneliness and guilt drowned her little house. But she never took her eyes away from the door, always waiting.

Another stich of the needle.

She saw her father.

Valerie froze mid-stitch.

She saw him in the new reality, alive and beaming at her. He swept her up into his arms and held her close. She was allowed to be with him, to speak with him again as if he'd never left. Though his clothes were fit for beggars and his chains couldn't be seen, he was alive. But then she saw him get out of his police car. She watched him walk towards a group of youngsters, his face always calm and kind, always understanding. He'd given her that same patient look through all her worst tantrums and fits, and always been there to hold her afterwards. But she saw the youths panic at the sight of his badge. She watched them desperately grope for any protection they could. She heard the shot go off and saw the blood. She watched her father be taken from her. She saw a world form with her father no longer in it.

Tears were streaming down her face, and sobs made her shoulders shake. She wept, grief and guilt bowing her head as she lost herself to despair. Loathing filled her as she pushed the needle through the rest of the way, and finished the stitch. She held up the last little corner.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Her fingers trembled as she placed the last corner in its rightful place.

A shockwave exploded out from the book. Valerie was flung into the air. Her ears popped and rung. Fire flashed before her eyes. Then the world went dark.

Valerie groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Every part of her ached, her head pounded. It took a long while before memory returned to her. She blinked and gasped in fear. She looked around.

She was back in the Temple of the Book, it was all intact, even the book was on its glittering pedestal right in front of her. Not a page or word seemed out of place. She was back in her usual clothes, sprawled out across the floor as if she'd fallen asleep right before the book. All around her, she saw the faces of her friends: Jade, Uncle, Tohru and Jackie, all sleeping soundly and alive.

A staff clunked on the stone before her. Valerie squeaked and looked up to see the Guardian stood above her. She felt her cheeks go red and a shiver of fear subtly work its way down her spine. No doubt he blamed her for everything that had happened. After all, it was her that had deceived him into letting Shendu enter this holy place.

He knelt beside her and rocked on his heels. His worn, wrinkled face crinkled as he smiled. "Thank you."

Valerie blinked in shock. "What?"

"For what you've done, I thank you."

"But I was the cause of all this. If I hadn't–"

"And if it were not for you, all would have been doomed." His smile grew softer, kinder. He placed a hand on her shoulder as gentle as a father to a babe. "I will tell you a secret, child. You don't keep this job as long as I have, without learning a few things. Some things in this world cannot be changed. They are what they are. But… everything has its reason, and it all works out in the end."

"I…" she wanted to argue further, but stilled herself. Slowly she sat up and looked around herself at the magnificent temple around her. "What will happen?"

"The demons have been banished back through to the Netherworld. I have personally made changes to the book so that not even spirits can pass through the veil. Fear not, you have no fear of possession from him any longer."

"But how are you going to stop this from happening again? What if some other evil comes for the Book?"

"Ah," he sighed. "I think it is time for the mortal world to be done with the enchantments of time. I have waited a thousand years for pilgrims such as you to find the Book of Ages and worship the marvel of creation. But perhaps, they do not need my help anymore. Perhaps they can worship creation in that which is around them, every day. Tiamat herself would be pleased by that, I think."

"So, you'll destroy it?"

"You saw what happened because of that. No. But the gate to this ancient place… will be lost to time."

Her brows tilted upwards in concern. "What will happen to you?"

"What happens to the characters of every story? They become legend."

"Guardian…" Valerie murmured, as memories haunted the dark recesses of her mind. "When I mended the book, the visions that I saw… are they–"

"Real?" he snorted softly, and leaned against his staff tiredly. "My child, no future is set in stone. All that will ever be is left to the realm of possibility. It all depends on the choices you make."

Valerie chewed her lip and pondered his words. The visions still frightened her, the hopelessness and insignificance that they promised. But she found slight comfort in the Guardian's words. They were enough to get her thoughts moving. She nodded.

The aboriginal smiled and stepped back from her. "Now it is time for you to go."

"Go?" she frowned.

"As a token of my thanks, I will send you back to a happier time, before all this trouble began…"

"Jade!" smiled two adoring parents. One had Jade's face, but older and more calm. The other had her eyes.

Jade beamed and embraced them fiercely. "Mom! Dad!"

Valerie walked into a beautiful apartment, right behind Jackie and the ever excited Jade. For a moment, she blinked, wondering if the events in her mind had all been a dream. But then she looked at Jackie, and he shared such a significant look with her, a gaze of endless gratitude and relief and brotherly love, that she knew it hadn't been. They shared a smile and she squeezed his hand.

The parents looked back at their other visitors. "Cousin Jackie! Uncle!"

The old man was right beside Valerie and Jackie, suitcase in hand. A proud, if small smile twinkled his eyes behind his spectacles.

"What brings you to Hong Kong?" asked Jade's mother.

"Hong Kong Moose-World," said Tohru as he stooped to fit through the front door. He winked at Jade, and the girl grinned.

"Look at the watch Jackie got me!" she exclaimed and pointed to said watch.

"Moose-World?" asked a voice. "Can I go too?"

Valerie laughed at the astonished faces of her friends as Paco, El Toro and Viper walked into the apartment. Though they looked slightly confused as to why they were there in the first place.

El Toro scratched his head. "What mooses? We were fighting demon–"

Viper elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up. "Err, traffic! We were fighting Hong Kong traffic to visit you."

"So I could show you how much I've learned in America," Jade finished.

Her mother was smiling brightly. "We know you have been doing very well there, Jade."

"No doubt due to cousin Jackie's excellent training," her father said.

Jackie blushed sheepishly. "Though honestly, it is Jade who sometimes trains me."

Uncle and niece shared a look. Eyes filled with love and joy and relief to be home.

Jade's parents welcomed the massive amount of guests into their home. And after the introductions, they were laughing and joking along with all of them. Such an air of joviality permeated the air, it gave the small crowd such lifted hearts that they felt so full and unable to explain the cause. The room blossomed as no arguments or squabbles persisted. Everyone was just glad to have things returned to normal and to be with each other again.

Jackie looked over everyone that had assembled, his rather unorthodox family. But his eyes drifted to one person who did not seem to be as happy as the others. Her smile was polite, but had whenever she thought people were not looking, it would slip momentarily. Everyone else seemed happy to be back where they belonged. All that is, except for Valerie.