Controlled Chaos Forger of Worlds
Chapter 3
Harry shot through space as a jagged beam of light, passing planets and weaving through asteroid belts as he journeyed to the tear in the universe. After what seemed like hours, Harry reached his destination.
A tear in space shaped like a broken pane of glass. Its edges shone with white energy, and smaller cracks spanned out from the tear, glowing pale white.
Harry stared into the tear, looking out into the void that contained the multiverse. As he watched, nearby stars were pulled through the tear and winked out of existence, transforming into a higher form of energy.
Keeping his eyes on the tear, Harry shifted back into his human form; his wings flared behind him. A stray feather floated through the void as his clothes rippled in a breeze generated by his transformation.
Harry tapped his fingers against one another, thinking, "How am I going to do this?" While helping Gaia, they traded information, which gave Harry some ideas on how to do what he was planning.
Tiamut, the Golden Celestial, also imparted knowledge when he touched Harry with his finger. However, that was all knowledge with no practical experience. He had never tried anything like this before.
Drifting forward, Harry tried to circle behind the tear, but the gravity of its pull tugged at his clothes, and while he could survive going into the void, he didn't want to waste time traveling back.
Harry stretched out his hand and closed his eyes, feeling the energy that the tear was made up of.
"This seems like dimensional energy, but what could've pierced the fabric of the universe." His brow furrowed, "The wound seems old." His eyelids wrinkled as he increased his concentration, "There's something in here,"
Opening his eyes, Harry focused on the foreign bodies within the tear. Reaching out with his power, he split his focus as he counted the objects. Before long, ten strings of blue-white power pointed at the objects that made up the tear buried within the dimensional energy.
Using the energy threads as an extension of his body, he pulled.
The tear stretched like taffy as the foreign bodies within fought to stay in the dimensional energy. Smaller cracks leading away from the tear flared brightly.
Glancing at the spreading cracks, Harry's ten power threads became twenty as he sent a thread to each gap. His eyes flared with blue-white power as he began absorbing the energy leaking through the cracks while at the same time focusing a portion of his mind into rejecting the damage, therefore, healing reality.
While training with his parents, Harry learned to reject certain parts of reality, altering it.
Sweat ran down Harry's face as he struggled with two monumental tasks. Just because he could reject reality for something he wanted didn't mean the universe would roll over and accept the change, even if he was trying to help it.
Suddenly, one of the stretching portions of the tear snapped, and an object flew toward Harry. In a blur of motion, he caught it. Opening his hand, Harry saw it was a small corner fragment of something.
Focusing on it, Harry breathed in deeply, trying to absorb the memories of the object.
Images flashed through Harry's mind.
This was a small fragment of an object called a cosmic cube used during the attack on the heroes. However, nuclear weapons were set off before reaching its full potential.
Absorbing nuclear radiation and the psychic death of billions during its embryonic stage caused the cube to become unstable. It shattered, its pieces flying throughout the universe and eventually arriving here. It created the tear to absorb higher forms of energy to become complete, but in its fractured state, each piece was trying to become a whole cube, worsening the instability as they struggled for dominance.
"Add to the fact the multiversal energy isn't as pure or as potent as the energy that created it, and this thing would've taken forever to heal if it ever did."
Turning his attention to the shard, Harry reached inside it.
Blood leaked from his nose as he pushed his mind to the limit by doing three tasks simultaneously.
Grabbing hold of the sickly green energy within the shard, Harry pulled it out, wincing as it burned through his body before converting it into cosmic power.
Wiping his nose, Harry held the shard up, using resonance to affect the others.
More shards snapped free of the tear, causing it to shrink as they formed a circle before Harry. Sickly green power streams flowed from the fragments, and Harry inheld them.
The skin around his mouth burned as the energy entered his body, causing Harry to gag as the smell of burned flesh filled his nose.
Harry floated backward, his body hunching in on itself as a more intense burn flowed through his veins.
Now purified, the shards flew together, forming a crystalline cube shining with blue energy.
The hole in the universe grew shut with a flash of light.
Harry straightened as the energy was finally converted, his white clothes sticking to his sweat-soaked skin. He glanced down at the cube with a tired smile, "I hope you're worth all this trouble."
Turning, he disappeared in a flash of blue-white light, his body transforming into a bolt of energy streaking toward Earth.
–XX –
Gaia floated at the South Pole, near where the end of Harry's mutant island would be in his universe. The nexus point of realities, the gateway into the multiverse of her world, shifted beneath her, transforming into a small island ringed with trees, creating a dome over the island.
Branches grew from the trees, creating a pedestal in the dome's center.
Fragments of what looked like glass grew from openings in the dome, casting multicolored light on the pedestal as they showed scenes from other realities.
Finished with her task, she turned away from the island.
Animals packed the islands around her; all knelt as they caught her eye.
Sealife churned in the water below her feet, jumping from the sea to touch her.
Gaia raised her arms, allowing birds to land on them.
Gaia glanced up as a blue-white streak shot through the sky toward her. The animals tensed, the predators prepared to fight on their mistress's behalf as Harry coalesced out of the light, his white wings flaring behind him.
"It's done. Your universe is no longer leaking energy," he held out the cube, "this was trying to draw energy from the multiverse to heal itself after being corrupted by nuclear energy."
Gaia floated into the air, the animals on her body leaping away as she rose to meet Harry. She stretched out her hand, and Harry allowed the cube to fall into it.
Gaia brought the cube to her face, the pale blue light shining from it washing over her tanned skin, "I'm not surprised; these things often cause trouble for universes."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "You recognize the energy?"
Gaia nodded slowly, tossing the cube back to Harry, "The cosmic cube is formed of energy from a higher plane; I'm surprised it was able to be corrupted by nuclear energy."
"From what my psychometry told me, it had just begun to form a rudimentary soul when the supervillain's battle happened. The rush of nuclear energy and the psychic screams of the deaths of so many people shattered its fragile mind, and the cube broke as a result. However, like most living things, its survival instincts were strong."
"Even shattered, its pieces flew into space, eventually joining their energies enough to punch a hole into the multiverse and absorb some of its higher energies. However, in its shattered state, it could not keep up with the flow of energy, and the energy from the multiverse wasn't as pure as the energy that created it, so the healing process was slower."
Gaia chewed on her lip, "You got all that from shattered pieces."
"Major events leave psychic impressions."
"That cube can alter reality and become a being rivaling the strongest gods given enough time. How did you do it if it couldn't put itself back together?"
Harry shrugged, "I removed the nuclear energy. Once that was gone, the cube reformed itself."
Gaia stared at the cube; she felt he had more of a hand in its reformation than he was letting on, but she would let go for now. Tearing her gaze from the cube, she stared into his eyes, "So what are you going to do with it?"
Harry stared at Gaia, taking in the tenseness in her shoulders and the slight narrowing of her eyes. 'She scared,' he thought, 'this cube must be as powerful as she is saying, if not more so.'
"There is a universe in a similar state to yours before I arrived. However, it is much younger, still in the early stages of the prehistoric era. I owe Lady Phoenix, so I plan to use this," he raised the cube, "to create a bridge between your worlds."
"I thought you were going to connect my world to yours."
"I am, but this universe needs my help, and putting it off would only make the situation worse, so I will do this first."
Gaia looked between Harry and the cube, surprised he would use such a powerful object for such a simple task, "Who is the Phoenix you are going to help?"
Harry glanced up, thinking, "I believe she calls herself Firehair."
Gaia's eyes widened.
"You know her?"
"She saved my son, becoming his third mother."
'Third,' Harry thought before shaking his head.
Her lips thinned, and her eyes hardened, "I'm coming with you."
"What about your people?"
Gaia glanced down at the earth; she could feel the survivors of her world still in their protective cocoon around the earth's core, "They will be fine until we return."
"And if you die?"
"You want this universe to become a haven for your people? I'm sure you can figure something out."
"No pressure there," Harry muttered as he turned away and floated toward the pedestal Gaia had created on the island.
Touching down on the island, Harry weaved through intertwining branches, taking note of the runes the branches formed as he stopped before the pedestal in the center. Placing the cube on the pedestal, Harry touched the smooth wood and shaped its center into a recess that would hold it tight.
Jumping into the air, Harry floated backward, his arms rising into the air as he cleared the island. Suddenly, the world shook, and the water around the island turned, sending ripples into the distance as bubbles began to rise to the surface.
Gaia watched six pillars rise from the sea, sending massive plumes of water into the air. Rivulets of saltwater ran down the pillars as curved interconnected runes began to spiral across the pillars' surfaces.
Gaia floated up to join Harry in the air, "I'm skilled in magic, but I don't recognize the runes or what the pillars would be used for."
"It's part of my alchemy; I will use the island in the cube to connect to Lady Phoenix's universe; the pillars will act as a stabilizing force. Hopefully, I will be able to use this to fix the tear that's causing her universe to leak energy."
"Do you need anything from me?"
"Some of your power and connecting to your counterpart would be appreciated. If we can get the Gaia of that universe to reach out to us while we're making the connection, it should form easier."
Gaia glanced at him, "Tell me what to do?"
"Just like that?"
Gaia gestured around her, "You healed my world," she stared at the island, "Besides that, Lady Phoenix is a friend of mine, and if she needs help, I will be there for her."
Harry floated forward, "If you're sure, join me in the island's center."
Together, they floated to the center of the island.
Facing Gaia, Harry offered her his hands, "Take my hands."
With only slight hesitation, Gaia placed her hands in Harry's. Harry gently closed his fingers around hers. "Next, we need to form a circuit by allowing our power to flow through one another. Once we are in sync, I will send our combined energy into the pillars and begin building the gateway."
"After the gateway is formed, use your new connection to your counterparts to find the one we are looking for and see if she will help us build the bridge on her end. If not, this will require a lot more energy."
Floating before each other, pale green power flowed from Gaia while blue-white power flowed from Harry. Both stiffened as the other's energy rushed into their body, lighting up their veins.
Their eyes snapped open, shining with their power as they released a mixture of both energies into the pillars below. The moment their combined power touched the posts, the runes carved into their surfaces burst to life with a combination of their power.
The pillars slowly fell apart, transforming into motes of blue and green light flowing toward the island. The moats sank into the trees, ringing the island and causing the runic lines between the branches to flare with power.
The Cosmic Cube reacted to the flaring runes, releasing a pulse of pure white energy that washed over the island.
The island changed instantly, going from a landmass to what looked like a large lump of molten glass.
Releasing Gaia's hands, Harry shot toward the island, "Now, we need to form the gateway. Do you remember what you need to do?"
From his left, Gaia nodded as both flew into the strange substance; its surface rippled like water as they passed inside.
–XX –
Harry and Gaia appeared in a white void that stretched into the distance as far as the eye could see.
Gaia knelt, placing her hand on the floor as Harry spread his arms wide.
The space around them began to shift and shimmer. Slowly, the void faded, and a black star-filled expanse took its place.
Gaia stood as stars appeared, watching as they blurred around them. Translucent energy flowed toward them as familiar planets passed, energy flowing from them and sinking into Harry.
His Emerald eyes flared with blue-white power as they entered the Milky Way galaxy.
"You've already connected us to Firehair's universe?"
"The universe seeks to be whole," Harry said, keeping his eyes locked into the distance, "what energy I can't absorb from the void will funnel back into your reality, strengthening your universe. Your universe will then push laws onto this one."
"Creating a symbiotic relationship."
They slowed, and Gaia turned her attention to their destination. Her eyes widened, and a gasp escaped at what she saw.
The planet before them was not the blue ball of the Earth but a world surrounded by a purple haze that formed a skull. The landmasses of varying colors were gone. In their place were Ebony stretches of land that oozed suffering.
Harry stared at the earth before him, his lips pressed into a thin line, "It's worse than I thought. See if you can find your counterpart."
–XX –
Nodding, Gaia closed her eyes, a shudder running through her body as she reached out with her senses to touch the earth.
As her consciousness settled down on the planet, images appeared in her mind.
People in roughly stitched animal furs traveled across the blackened land, their bodies emaciated, their skin waxy with malnutrition and disease.
Hair fell from their heads with each step they took.
A child wailed in hunger as blackened veins spread across its mother's skin.
The child's mother rocked back and forth to calm the child, stringy, dirty hair falling around her sunken eyes.
The mother stretched out a shaky, bony hand that was more bone than flesh and picked up a bowl full of purple water so dark it was almost black.
Gaia gasped as the mother fed it to her child.
Tears burned at the corners of Gaia's eyes as blackened veins spread over the child.
Pulling back to return to Harry, Gaia noticed a black vapor rising off the people, including the child who had just drunk the water.
Searching for the cause of such pain, Gaia twitched as a man in black armor with six different colored stones embedded in it burned in her mind like a beacon. She watched as the black aura rose off the few surviving people and sank into the man.
Red veins pushed against his blood-colored skin, and his eyes shone a solid black.
–XX –
Gaia opened her eyes and turned to Harry, "My counterpart is dead. A villain calling himself the Red Skull now rules the world with the power of the infinity stones. Five stones created from a long-forgotten God that allows the user to manipulate mind, reality, soul, power, space, and time."
Harry ran a hand through his white hair, "That's not good. Did he sense you?"
"No, but it gets worse."
"Perfect."
"He is using the power of the stones to feed on the suffering of the few remaining sentient beings of the planet."
Harry licked his bottom lip, "Something's not right. I don't know much about the red skull, but I do know he wanted to rule the world, and this wasn't the type of world he wanted to create. Disregarding that he's acting out of character, this world is in the prehistoric age. What is a man not born until the early 20th century doing here?"
"I can't answer any of those questions," Gaia shook her head, "But I've seen the red skull re-create the world in my universe; this is not the world he would create."
"Looks like we need to do some recon. Are you coming?"
Pale green power filled Gaia's eyes, "It appears this man killed me; do you really have to ask?"