Written: Saturday. July 4, 2020.
As she was trying her best to keep herself out of touch from the wolf-bane that is her friend, June’s alter-aggressive ego seemed to have melded minds with the real June’s wavelength. They were one in the same, holding each other’s ethereal hand as they deflected Amanda’s every swipe. He probably never got to try this thing out like this. June thought to herself. Yeah, well, your friend was already dealing with a war inside him even before I entered his system. Wait, so you’re alive, and not just a version of me caused by the Lady’s powers? Yes and No, I change voices depending on the host, and my level of aggression is determined by my host as well. So you remember being inside of Toby — that didn’t sound right, that wasn’t what I meant to say, I — Look, I dunno what it is you two have with one another, but we’re in the middle of a fight, so let’s focus on that for now and deal with this weird and awkward thing going on between you and your boy friend later. What? No! It’s not like that —
Amanda was starting to really get pissed off since she still hasn’t really gotten to get a good beating out of the flying torch girl that’s getting in her way of destroying stuff in the streets. Why can’t I beat her! Amanda roared at the top of her lungs. Everything seemed to shake around them as she did so. The flaming figure seemed to get distracted and covered its ears. This was Amanda’s chance.
She leaped off of the ground with all her strength. But as she did, something from her left side suddenly tackles her in mid-air. Sending both her and the unknown thing to the ground once more. Not again! Amanda thought. If she didn’t feel like her head was about to explode all of the time, she would’ve noticed who the hell ever got the nerve to sneak up on her like that. But since she was technically out of control of her own movements, Amanda returned the grip ten times more to whoever dared challenge her might. Whoever it was that had tackled her awhile ago was now spurting out sounds of pain as it tried to escape the wolf-bane’s hold on it.
“Amanda, snap out of it!” a voice yelled out to Amanda. She looked everywhere for the voice, even tried to slash at the air to try and grab wherever that voice was. “Stop that! You’re clearly out of your mind.”
“I got an idea.” another voice said from a distance. Amanda lost her grip on whatever it was she was holding, and suddenly felt something sticky covering her body. “That’s for being a bad dog.”
“Can we not with the battle dialogue, Tom?” another voice said somewhat near the second unknown voice. “How much spider thread do you think you can get out of your wrists like that?”
“If you just give me a second — and also, I’m technically Spider-man right now. So why won’t I do some quick banters as I try to web up our friend here?”
“You guys are fucking annoying!” Amanda’s voice yelled out. “Get me out of this stuff!” Why am I saying these things? Do I know who these people are? Wait, then that means —
As she was about to finish that thought, a ball of flame covered Amanda’s body. All of the silver thread melted as it happened. “Yoh, what the hell, man!”
“Save it!” It was the flaming girl’s voice that spoke this time. She descended from the air, but kept herself hovering at a few feet from the floor. Amanda attempted to swipe at the flaming girl, but was surprised that she couldn’t get her hands, let alone her whole entire body, to move.
“What the — “
“How’d you know that would happen?”
“It’s called strategic thinking.” June said. “And also maybe teamwork.”
“But how — “
“Toby, it’s okay. I didn’t get to control it in the beginning either. But we worked it out now.”
“We?”
“Long story.”
“Aaaarrrgghhh!” Amanda yelled as she struggle inside of the melted spider web.
“Can someone get her to change back?” June asked the others.
“I’ll take care of it.” another voice came from wherever. Amanda saw someone moving towards her. She struggled some more, when suddenly she felt a hand over her forehead.
How come I cannot get you to meld with me?
“Maybe because I’m awesome?”
No, that must not be it. Nevertheless, we will be whole again. It’s only a matter of fate.
“See, you’re saying stuff, but I have no idea what they mean, bro.”
I am not your bro. I am you.
“How can you be me, when you look totally different that I am? You look like a transformer, have you noticed that by any chance?”
This form isn’t whole, young one. Once we merge, we’ll get to see our true form.
“Again, you’re talking gibberish here. I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE! AND WE ARE NOT THE SAME BEING! And what did you do to that old guy awhile ago? Why did he suddenly fall asleep like that? And what was that red stuff that came out of him? Do all humans do that?”
Well, that was just me getting rid of an irrelevant factor.
“Then shouldn’t you be getting rid of…yourself? Oh snap, gotcha!”
Hmm, this may take longer than I thought.
“I can do this all day, dude.”
“Thank you.” Amanda said.
“That is redundant.” Lady Veergha replied to her. They were both back inside of their own heads. Nothing was really there, for there was no time to set up the dream plane.
“And also to hell with you, dude.” Amanda walked a few steps away, even if distance wasn’t really relevant in the dream world. “You could’ve given us a heads up before giving us random powers.”
“I understand.” Lady Veergha replied. Then, she just stood there, looking at Amanda as if she was waiting for something. When Amanda didn’t seem to understand what was going on, the Lady proceeded with her thought. “Do you still recall where you were before everything that happened after waking up from the accidental group-breach?”
“Very savage of you to call it an accident, but then again, you weren’t actually yourself awhile ago, either. Yes, maybe, I dunno. I can remember something being repeated over and over again. But what it meant was beyond me.”
“I see.” Lady Veergha simply said. “Amanda, what happened to you was not in any way part of the breach.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you believe in alternate dimensions?” Lady Veergha asked her.
“Oh not this again! Mr. Reyes already bombarded us with strange theories like that.”
“It’s not a theory, my dear. It’s part of the laws of cosmic reality. Do you believe that there is another dimension, beyond that which is known to anyone you know?”
“I honestly don’t really think about those things at all, cause it doesn’t affect my daily life, but my religion kind of has this whole study on it. Never bothered reading about that, either…sorry, go on. You were saying?”
“‘Til now, I seem not to grasp it fully myself, but there were also teachings in my youth that centered on the idea of this ‘other dimension’. It is speculated to be the most absolute dimension in existence. It is the middle ground between light and darkness. Of any science and superstition alike. And this dimension lies between the pit of creation and the summit of a great explosion.”
“You’re losing me with all this — “
“It is an area of imagination. An area that has absolute reality. It may even be the only reality in existence.”
“Now you lost me, completely. What does that even mean? I don’t understand you.”
“Think, for a moment: has it ever occurred to you that you might not actually be real? That you are some idea created by an invisible force?”
As Lady Veergha said that, Amanda started remembering what happened in that dream she had. She remembered the hundreds of times she woke up on her bed, checking her computer, then finding herself walking towards school, and then sitting down on an armchair, alone in the classroom. She remembered the voice that kept whispering in her ear. Tempting her to look down on the armchair. To see the stack of papers, and what it held before her.
“I think I…I think I remember now.” Amanda rubbed her temples, as the dream seemed to overwhelm her. “It felt so real at the moment. But also quite annoying that it kept repeating itself. But it wasn’t really repeating itself every time. When a week passed by in the dream world, that stack of papers would gain a few more sheets. Another chapter… is that what you mean?”
“Indeed, Terran. Somehow, out of all of us that went under you went somewhere else entirely. Not a dream. Not entirely. But a pocket reality. A fragment of something that exists, but can only be entered by those that are randomly selected.”
“So you’re saying that I just so happened to enter a different dimension while I was dreaming? Isn’t that just normal dreaming? People always say that it’s probably our conscious minds being able to reach into other universes. Mostly, those that never make sense, or whatever. You’re telling me, right now, that that’s real?”
“Cannot be any far from it, my dear.” Lady Veergha seemed to have a thought in her. “But the question isn’t necessarily how, it’s why. Why of all times does this invisible force choose to take someone out now, to see a glimpse of the Absolute Reality?”
“Hey, I’m as curious as you are at this point.” Amanda replied to Lady Veergha. “The manuscript made no sense. But I could describe it as that; a manuscript. It had chapters, a title, and a cast of characters. What made no semblance of any sense to me was what the story was about. It was about us, Lady. It was about all of us. Specifically the Three Boys, June, me, and your arrival on our planet. It described those events completely as it happened. My every word, yours too. And even our actions, and what we’re thinking. It was all written down in this strange manuscript. I would’ve went out of my mind, if it weren’t for the manuscript’s quality.”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, for starters, it wasn’t really that well written. The continuity was off, the dialogue was bland. It was like the author is half-assing the story — which is our lives. If I only had to live in that Groundhog Day of a dream for one day, I wouldn’t have even tried reading it. But since there was nothing else to do, I just did. I read all of it. And it was…okay? Maybe it was a first draft or something. I don’t know. That fact that that’s what makes sense in this whole scenario is what bothers me the most. Cause I’ve had experience with fan-fiction. But this one felt so cerebral to me. Regardless of whether or not it had a good writing style or whatever.”
“Let’s try to keep track of the importance of this strange manuscript.”
“Right, right…so wait, where are we right now?” Amanda asked.
“Right now, I’m just about ready to re-take the Inheritance that I gave you. Or at least switch it with another one if you like. You choose.”
“I mean, I would prefer just gaining the skills to manipulate those powers. But I wanna know what else is available.”
“Well, not much,really. I have this other ability where you can turn metallic objects into other types of metallic structures. It’s actually my prime Inheritance. I think my birth form was part of this race that was technologically advanced, to the point where they merged themselves with the metallic resources of the planet they lived in…until it was taken by the Volgans. Different story. It’s also quite long and personal. So let’s not get into that right now. What’ll it be? You keep you powers, or switch to my prime Inheritance?”
“You’d let me do that?”
“Eh, either one is useful to me. Cause I know how to handle them. But your kind isn’t really well equipped for these things, so. Let’s just say, if we wake up, and you’re still not in control of your bestial form, which would definitely be harder than having metallic abilities…I think you should just switch.”
“Yeah, I was gonna say that.”
“Alright.”
Lady Veergha raised her hand to Amanda, and Amanda took it. “When we wake up, best be ready. And whatever we spoke of about the manuscript, keep it to yourself until the right moment comes.”
“And when would that be?”
“You’ll know when you get there. But it’ll probably be if ever we end up losing the battle. In which case, you’ll have to tell him.”
“Wait, who?”
And then she opened her eyes.
Yes…YES!
As the being took its lesser self within, it felt a surge of power entering its system…and also a kind of playfulness to it. It didn’t like that sensation at first. But as this being started to grow and grow into a grander scale, it seemed to be laughing hysterically. The echoes of its laughter shook the earth below it. Its body morphed. It turned into a darker shade. And ultimately, it was whole. It was what it needed to be. What it wanted to be. It was and ever shall be, this world’s demise. It had many names to the human race: The Apocalypse, Judgement Day, Revelations, the Devil’s work. All of those felt like nothing to this being. It was irrelevant for these thoughts to occur right now. But it suited the being quite well, somehow.
I am whole once more, and now, I remember what I must do. The very reason to my existence. The purpose that has been given to me by the universe…and all others before it…that I have devoured, countless times before already. And will continue to do so. Until I am satisfied. And once I do…well, I’ll figure that when I get there.
“What the FUCK?!” Tom yelled out, as he realized what they were all looking at. It’s bones were all bent up in the worst possible ways, its head was dislocated from its neck, but was still losely attached with the help of a few nerves that were still uncut. But it was Mr. Reyes, alright. What was left of him, anyway.
“Goddamn, dude. He’s definitely seen better days.” Tom tried his best not to gag, cause if he did let it out, he might accidentally spray acid because of his insect abilities. So he swallowed it back in. “What the hell could’ve done this to him? And great work by the way.”
“What?” Drew asked him. “Tom, that’s our teacher right there. He’s dead, you understand that?”
“Yeah, well, we were never really close anyway, so… what?”
As she was trying her best to keep herself out of touch from the wolf-bane that is her friend, June’s alter-aggressive ego seemed to have melded minds with the real June’s wavelength. They were one in the same, holding each other’s ethereal hand as they deflected Amanda’s every swipe. He probably never got to try this thing out like this. June thought to herself. Yeah, well, your friend was already dealing with a war inside him even before I entered his system. Wait, so you’re alive, and not just a version of me caused by the Lady’s powers? Yes and No, I change voices depending on the host, and my level of aggression is determined by my host as well. So you remember being inside of Toby — that didn’t sound right, that wasn’t what I meant to say, I — Look, I dunno what it is you two have with one another, but we’re in the middle of a fight, so let’s focus on that for now and deal with this weird and awkward thing going on between you and your boy friend later. What? No! It’s not like that —
Amanda was starting to really get pissed off since she still hasn’t really gotten to get a good beating out of the flying torch girl that’s getting in her way of destroying stuff in the streets. Why can’t I beat her! Amanda roared at the top of her lungs. Everything seemed to shake around them as she did so. The flaming figure seemed to get distracted and covered its ears. This was Amanda’s chance.
She leaped off of the ground with all her strength. But as she did, something from her left side suddenly tackles her in mid-air. Sending both her and the unknown thing to the ground once more. Not again! Amanda thought. If she didn’t feel like her head was about to explode all of the time, she would’ve noticed who the hell ever got the nerve to sneak up on her like that. But since she was technically out of control of her own movements, Amanda returned the grip ten times more to whoever dared challenge her might. Whoever it was that had tackled her awhile ago was now spurting out sounds of pain as it tried to escape the wolf-bane’s hold on it.
“Amanda, snap out of it!” a voice yelled out to Amanda. She looked everywhere for the voice, even tried to slash at the air to try and grab wherever that voice was. “Stop that! You’re clearly out of your mind.”
“I got an idea.” another voice said from a distance. Amanda lost her grip on whatever it was she was holding, and suddenly felt something sticky covering her body. “That’s for being a bad dog.”
“Can we not with the battle dialogue, Tom?” another voice said somewhat near the second unknown voice. “How much spider thread do you think you can get out of your wrists like that?”
“If you just give me a second — and also, I’m technically Spider-man right now. So why won’t I do some quick banters as I try to web up our friend here?”
“You guys are fucking annoying!” Amanda’s voice yelled out. “Get me out of this stuff!” Why am I saying these things? Do I know who these people are? Wait, then that means —
As she was about to finish that thought, a ball of flame covered Amanda’s body. All of the silver thread melted as it happened. “Yoh, what the hell, man!”
“Save it!” It was the flaming girl’s voice that spoke this time. She descended from the air, but kept herself hovering at a few feet from the floor. Amanda attempted to swipe at the flaming girl, but was surprised that she couldn’t get her hands, let alone her whole entire body, to move.
“What the — “
“How’d you know that would happen?”
“It’s called strategic thinking.” June said. “And also maybe teamwork.”
“But how — “
“Toby, it’s okay. I didn’t get to control it in the beginning either. But we worked it out now.”
“We?”
“Long story.”
“Aaaarrrgghhh!” Amanda yelled as she struggle inside of the melted spider web.
“Can someone get her to change back?” June asked the others.
“I’ll take care of it.” another voice came from wherever. Amanda saw someone moving towards her. She struggled some more, when suddenly she felt a hand over her forehead.
* * *
How come I cannot get you to meld with me?
“Maybe because I’m awesome?”
No, that must not be it. Nevertheless, we will be whole again. It’s only a matter of fate.
“See, you’re saying stuff, but I have no idea what they mean, bro.”
I am not your bro. I am you.
“How can you be me, when you look totally different that I am? You look like a transformer, have you noticed that by any chance?”
This form isn’t whole, young one. Once we merge, we’ll get to see our true form.
“Again, you’re talking gibberish here. I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE! AND WE ARE NOT THE SAME BEING! And what did you do to that old guy awhile ago? Why did he suddenly fall asleep like that? And what was that red stuff that came out of him? Do all humans do that?”
Well, that was just me getting rid of an irrelevant factor.
“Then shouldn’t you be getting rid of…yourself? Oh snap, gotcha!”
Hmm, this may take longer than I thought.
“I can do this all day, dude.”
* * *
“Thank you.” Amanda said.
“That is redundant.” Lady Veergha replied to her. They were both back inside of their own heads. Nothing was really there, for there was no time to set up the dream plane.
“And also to hell with you, dude.” Amanda walked a few steps away, even if distance wasn’t really relevant in the dream world. “You could’ve given us a heads up before giving us random powers.”
“I understand.” Lady Veergha replied. Then, she just stood there, looking at Amanda as if she was waiting for something. When Amanda didn’t seem to understand what was going on, the Lady proceeded with her thought. “Do you still recall where you were before everything that happened after waking up from the accidental group-breach?”
“Very savage of you to call it an accident, but then again, you weren’t actually yourself awhile ago, either. Yes, maybe, I dunno. I can remember something being repeated over and over again. But what it meant was beyond me.”
“I see.” Lady Veergha simply said. “Amanda, what happened to you was not in any way part of the breach.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you believe in alternate dimensions?” Lady Veergha asked her.
“Oh not this again! Mr. Reyes already bombarded us with strange theories like that.”
“It’s not a theory, my dear. It’s part of the laws of cosmic reality. Do you believe that there is another dimension, beyond that which is known to anyone you know?”
“I honestly don’t really think about those things at all, cause it doesn’t affect my daily life, but my religion kind of has this whole study on it. Never bothered reading about that, either…sorry, go on. You were saying?”
“‘Til now, I seem not to grasp it fully myself, but there were also teachings in my youth that centered on the idea of this ‘other dimension’. It is speculated to be the most absolute dimension in existence. It is the middle ground between light and darkness. Of any science and superstition alike. And this dimension lies between the pit of creation and the summit of a great explosion.”
“You’re losing me with all this — “
“It is an area of imagination. An area that has absolute reality. It may even be the only reality in existence.”
“Now you lost me, completely. What does that even mean? I don’t understand you.”
“Think, for a moment: has it ever occurred to you that you might not actually be real? That you are some idea created by an invisible force?”
As Lady Veergha said that, Amanda started remembering what happened in that dream she had. She remembered the hundreds of times she woke up on her bed, checking her computer, then finding herself walking towards school, and then sitting down on an armchair, alone in the classroom. She remembered the voice that kept whispering in her ear. Tempting her to look down on the armchair. To see the stack of papers, and what it held before her.
“I think I…I think I remember now.” Amanda rubbed her temples, as the dream seemed to overwhelm her. “It felt so real at the moment. But also quite annoying that it kept repeating itself. But it wasn’t really repeating itself every time. When a week passed by in the dream world, that stack of papers would gain a few more sheets. Another chapter… is that what you mean?”
“Indeed, Terran. Somehow, out of all of us that went under you went somewhere else entirely. Not a dream. Not entirely. But a pocket reality. A fragment of something that exists, but can only be entered by those that are randomly selected.”
“So you’re saying that I just so happened to enter a different dimension while I was dreaming? Isn’t that just normal dreaming? People always say that it’s probably our conscious minds being able to reach into other universes. Mostly, those that never make sense, or whatever. You’re telling me, right now, that that’s real?”
“Cannot be any far from it, my dear.” Lady Veergha seemed to have a thought in her. “But the question isn’t necessarily how, it’s why. Why of all times does this invisible force choose to take someone out now, to see a glimpse of the Absolute Reality?”
“Hey, I’m as curious as you are at this point.” Amanda replied to Lady Veergha. “The manuscript made no sense. But I could describe it as that; a manuscript. It had chapters, a title, and a cast of characters. What made no semblance of any sense to me was what the story was about. It was about us, Lady. It was about all of us. Specifically the Three Boys, June, me, and your arrival on our planet. It described those events completely as it happened. My every word, yours too. And even our actions, and what we’re thinking. It was all written down in this strange manuscript. I would’ve went out of my mind, if it weren’t for the manuscript’s quality.”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, for starters, it wasn’t really that well written. The continuity was off, the dialogue was bland. It was like the author is half-assing the story — which is our lives. If I only had to live in that Groundhog Day of a dream for one day, I wouldn’t have even tried reading it. But since there was nothing else to do, I just did. I read all of it. And it was…okay? Maybe it was a first draft or something. I don’t know. That fact that that’s what makes sense in this whole scenario is what bothers me the most. Cause I’ve had experience with fan-fiction. But this one felt so cerebral to me. Regardless of whether or not it had a good writing style or whatever.”
“Let’s try to keep track of the importance of this strange manuscript.”
“Right, right…so wait, where are we right now?” Amanda asked.
“Right now, I’m just about ready to re-take the Inheritance that I gave you. Or at least switch it with another one if you like. You choose.”
“I mean, I would prefer just gaining the skills to manipulate those powers. But I wanna know what else is available.”
“Well, not much,really. I have this other ability where you can turn metallic objects into other types of metallic structures. It’s actually my prime Inheritance. I think my birth form was part of this race that was technologically advanced, to the point where they merged themselves with the metallic resources of the planet they lived in…until it was taken by the Volgans. Different story. It’s also quite long and personal. So let’s not get into that right now. What’ll it be? You keep you powers, or switch to my prime Inheritance?”
“You’d let me do that?”
“Eh, either one is useful to me. Cause I know how to handle them. But your kind isn’t really well equipped for these things, so. Let’s just say, if we wake up, and you’re still not in control of your bestial form, which would definitely be harder than having metallic abilities…I think you should just switch.”
“Yeah, I was gonna say that.”
“Alright.”
Lady Veergha raised her hand to Amanda, and Amanda took it. “When we wake up, best be ready. And whatever we spoke of about the manuscript, keep it to yourself until the right moment comes.”
“And when would that be?”
“You’ll know when you get there. But it’ll probably be if ever we end up losing the battle. In which case, you’ll have to tell him.”
“Wait, who?”
And then she opened her eyes.
* * *
Yes…YES!
As the being took its lesser self within, it felt a surge of power entering its system…and also a kind of playfulness to it. It didn’t like that sensation at first. But as this being started to grow and grow into a grander scale, it seemed to be laughing hysterically. The echoes of its laughter shook the earth below it. Its body morphed. It turned into a darker shade. And ultimately, it was whole. It was what it needed to be. What it wanted to be. It was and ever shall be, this world’s demise. It had many names to the human race: The Apocalypse, Judgement Day, Revelations, the Devil’s work. All of those felt like nothing to this being. It was irrelevant for these thoughts to occur right now. But it suited the being quite well, somehow.
I am whole once more, and now, I remember what I must do. The very reason to my existence. The purpose that has been given to me by the universe…and all others before it…that I have devoured, countless times before already. And will continue to do so. Until I am satisfied. And once I do…well, I’ll figure that when I get there.
* * *
“What the FUCK?!” Tom yelled out, as he realized what they were all looking at. It’s bones were all bent up in the worst possible ways, its head was dislocated from its neck, but was still losely attached with the help of a few nerves that were still uncut. But it was Mr. Reyes, alright. What was left of him, anyway.
“Goddamn, dude. He’s definitely seen better days.” Tom tried his best not to gag, cause if he did let it out, he might accidentally spray acid because of his insect abilities. So he swallowed it back in. “What the hell could’ve done this to him? And great work by the way.”
“What?” Drew asked him. “Tom, that’s our teacher right there. He’s dead, you understand that?”
“Yeah, well, we were never really close anyway, so… what?”
End of Chapter.
* * *
* * *
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