Chapter 10
…Is A New Beginning
He is real. A character from my most unnatural dreams is a real being. Every feature is exact to my vision. He acts the same, looks the same, and even speaks in a familiar tone. Besides being in my dream, though, I feel as if I know him, as if we have so much history together. Yet there is something even stranger. Something that has me stunned with horror, bewilderment, curiosity and concern. This man, whom I have never physically encountered before, knows my newest name. He addressed me as DemonFire.
Soon after tearing down Cara’s reckless grave I was approached by this person. His appearance alone made my body freeze. Once he spoke I was paralyzed. My brain had trouble functioning, I couldn’t feel my body, and my heart even jumped. One thing hung in the emptiness of my head, however. This person, envisioned character, pre-existing individual for all I care, is someone that I know. Yet I don’t know exactly who he is or how I know him. It’s as if a part of me is from a different world and has knowledge under lock and seal.
My mental image of this man was no different from the image of him now. I don’t understand how this can be. I don’t even understand how he even got here! This building is on fire! All of the entrances are blocked by fire.
He’s still an illusion! He’s not really standing there. It’s just a mirage. That or…. I looked around. Perhaps, I’m dead. That would make sense. Seeing how I’m in a burning building that is collapsing by the second. However, if I’m dead why am I still here next to Cara’s dead body? Have I entered another dream? If so, when did it begin? But if it were a dream then I’d be in the mirror room, not in this hellish scene. So this is reality…
“Kaden? Incase you can’t see, this place is falling to the ground. We need to go.” His voice sounds more than familiar.
At first I thought of the words, but they didn’t come out. I coughed, awkwardly, and words followed. “But… but what about Cara? I can’t leave her.” I turned back to the rubble, throwing debris away. The man put his firm hand on my shoulder and pulled me up.
“There is no time. And trust me. Her burial won’t even matter. We must go!” A worried look struck his face.
The heat in the room continued to rise as the building continued to fall. looking back and forth, between Cara and the illusion next to me, I turned to Cara’s grave. I threw away more with each grab. There was a terrible roar from above. I ignored the crumbling building, determined to retrieve Cara’s body. Tears swelled in my eyes. I still can’t believe that I’m trying to get the remnants of Cara’s body! She shouldn’t be dead!
Then the man grabbed me again, only this time he tugged much harder. The air left my body and I felt colder, a great deal colder. I stood up, a bit dizzy. I wiped the freezing tears from my face and looked around. There were new sounds in the area. Cars were driving, and honking from below. Looking down I realized that I was no longer in a basement in Japan. I was atop a clock tower in London!
I spun to the man who had brought me here. I shoved him back, completely pissed off.
“She is gone! Dead! She deserves a freaking appropriate burial! But no! You wanted to leave! I could have salvaged her body if you’d helped! I don’t even know who you are! What you are! Or if I can even trust you!” I looked around. “How in the heck did we get here? Are you one of those special guys too? Like me?” My voice broke, making it hard to speak.
The man stepped closer. “Believe me, Kaden; I am sorry for your loss. She does deserve a proper grave, but you would have joined her if we’d stayed any longer. I was there to save you from a premature death.” he stepped closer again. “My name is Soul. I am a human being. You can trust me. I’m the only one you can trust.”
His voice sounded convincing enough. I even had an internal feeling to trust him. Of course, I thought I could trust Tohoka and look how that turned out! Though, this is different. He sounds like he actually cares about me. Trust is all about care and reliance, and he portrayed those very well.
“I trust you, Soul.” I looked him in the eye. He looked so freaking familiar!
“Thank you, Kaden. Now there is something that I must wear you of.” He pointed behind me, toward the sky. “Tohoka was right about one thing.”
I looked in the direction he was pointing. A monstrous light blazed in the night sky. My memory rapidly jumped back in time. “Please tell me you remember the whole thing about the Yin-Yang. Do you remember the part about the overpowering and crap? Yes well, because of your failures, the more dreadful end is rising above the other. Think Kaden! What will this mean for Earth?” Tohoka’s voice rang in my ears. He was right. But I’m not dead, yet.
“So does this mean that the Yin-Yang is broken? Have I failed?”
“No. You have not failed your ultimate objective. This falling star is meant to happen… for now.”
“For now? Won’t it destroy the world?”
“Look at it. There are still hours before it will devour our entire existence. Study it, DemonFire.”
I hate how no one can ever tell you the answers. You always have to find out on your own. I gazed at the on coming doom again. I noticed two major things. The first was that the meteor glowed with two colors. The rock itself looked blue, but the flames that rendered its light were green. It looked magnificent in the midnight sky. Such a beautiful form of death and destruction.
The next thing that stood out about this star was its connection to fate, destiny and the Yin-Yang. The fact that Soul said how this meteor is meant to destroy Earth links it to destiny, the overall ending. This is the way the world will end. There is no changing the fact that this meteor is destined to collide into my planet and annihilate all of the forms of life on it. That is certain and unchangeable.
But Soul also said how it is meant to destroy us for now. That means it is changeable. As in, it can be postponed, somehow. But how? It’s not like any of us have the capabilities of manipulating how this star should change course. Nonetheless, it does conjoin with fate and its confusing madness. Tohoka was very careful when he explained how fate could change the course something or someone can take to reach there ending. “Many Greek legends and tales teach the futility of trying to outmaneuver an inexorable Fate that has been correctly predicted. This form of irony is important in Greek tragedy. In each case, Fate is external to every individual component, but integral to the network. Every component acts as Fate for every other component. The entire world can be seen as existing within such a network, a kind of mythical spider web controlled by unseen forces.” so that means that an influence occurred in the past that brought this doom earlier than it was meant to.
In reference to the Yin-Yang, this falling star is displaying how the balance is broken. Or as Tohoka had put it, Yin cannot exist without Yang and Yang cannot exist without Yin. However, if ether one ever tries to overpower the other, then the Yin-Yang will be unbalanced. Ultimately, a chaotic struggle between all opposing forces will clash, causing an apocalypse. and this is the result of a fragmented seal. An end that is in the majestic beauty of an unnatural star.
Turning back to Soul, calmly I said, “I now understand. But I have one question. How do we undo the future?”
The man in white smiled. He grabbed my shoulder, firmly and spoke. “Faith can perform levels of abilities far beyond what the mind believes. Do not think about how it is done, but focus on how you will do it.”
Without warning or any sign at all, the location we were just at disappeared. The black atmosphere turned to a completely white background. It felt sort of like teleporting, except for the rush of air around you. This journey was much smoother and slower. I looked up at Soul and saw how he had his eyes closed. Either he felt sick or he was concentrating, I don’t know. And then, just like the departure, we arrived in a completely new scene. The sky was bright; there was no meteor, only a sun and we are on the sidewalk of a busy street.
In the street were dozens of antique cars. They looked like they were from the eighties or early nineties. I never was much of a car person. But I could definitely tell that we were in a place I never have been to. The people even dressed differently. Some people wore hippie clothes, long curly hair, and bizarre colored shirts. Others, the older ones, wore suits and carried briefcases. This place seemed like a secluded environment from the rest of the aging world. Where are we?
To my right there was a crosswalk. The cars began to slow down as the light above directed them to. A young woman saw the light across the street with the stick figure on it light up and crossed the street. As she walked, preoccupied by her pet dog, a car ran the red light. It was headed straight for her. I acted instantly by running after her with lightening speed. I grabbed her and pulled her out of the cars path. The vehicle passed, probably didn’t even know what just happened. The woman screamed in my ear as the car drove by ridiculously fast.
I walked her across the street and let her out of my firm grip once she was safe. Her dog barked at me and continued as she picked it up. She looked at me. Her face was thin and covered with makeup. Part of my mind thought she looked familiar, but I didn’t exactly know who she was. It was the same as Soul, except she wasn’t in my dreams.
“Thank you, sir.” When she said ‘sir’ I realized that I was taller than her by about half a foot. She was a beautiful woman.
“You’re welcome, ma’am.” And with that I walked away. I have changed my mood since Cara’s death, but I’m not in the frame of mind to have new friends just yet.
The crowd made a path for me to take as I left the scene. I remembered how I used to be surrounded by people since I was there hero, Epoch. Now I am a fleeing memorable savior, DemonFire. But my hero life is over. Now it’s all about business and everything that occurs along the way.
I turned down an alley then teleported back to where Soul and I had originally arrived. An elderly man stood beside me as I came from nowhere. He gasped and leapt off his feet. I looked at him questionably. I glanced from him to Soul and smiled. That is so much fun to do to people. Walking over to Soul I thought about where we are. This place is much different from what I’ve ever seen before. Maybe we are in Russia or something.
“Where exactly are we?”
He followed the path I was walking and we made our way down the block. “That was a quick stunt you pulled back there. The best part is there weren’t any cameras.”
“That had nothing to do with my question.” Another perfect example of how people can’t just say something. They have to beat around the bush.
“I know. Did you get her name? Or her number?” He laughed softly.
Fed up I just answered him. “No. She said thank you, I said you’re welcome and I left.”
“So you don’t know who she is?” He looked at me.
“No, but I do feel like I know her. It’s hard to explain.”
“Are you curious?” He stopped walking.
“Yes. I am.” My heart sped up.
“She’s your mother. And you just saved her from dying. You altered her destiny by becoming a tool of fate.”
My mother? That makes no sense! My mother is dead! Unless… “Where are we? No… when are we?”
The End
Explanation
(a note from the writer)
In this story I have went over the basics of how a lifetime can be altered. Of course none of this could be done without the ability to jump in time, or “time jumping” as it will later be called. In the beginning of this story Kaden tells how he a respected hero for his state. He explains how his life is normal, except for his secret hero life. But suddenly everything changes once a new character enters the story. Animal or “future Kaden”, as he explained, kills Kadens’ parents and hunts him down. Tohoka tries to tell Kaden how all of this works by using three factors: fate, destiny and the Yin-Yang. Later on in this storyline I will further explain how each component can change the outcome of the future.
I originally wrote this story to make my own personal hero. Someone who is worthy to be a hero. But I began to take a different path. I was wrapped around time travel, fate, destiny and a very ancient power, the Yin-Yang. So I put them all together to tell a story of a teenager going through it all at once. Some of the things that I wrote are deep, describing things that are only theories, for now. I also wrote this to inspire people. Faith is a power we all have control of. Now I don’t know exactly if it can allow us to teleport or time jump or anything that far. But it allowed Peter to walk on water, so it can do some things. We only need to have faith that what we want to do is what we will do.
Rebirth
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heinzs
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Re: Rebirth
Marvelous... a great parable for our time.
An' it harm none, do what ye will. Blessed Be.
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My Poet's Page Archive | Topics I've started
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Keith1297
Re: Rebirth
Chapter 11
Time Jumping
“Where are we? No… when are we?” I asked in a shocked voice. The question seemed so bizarre, so absurd. Yet, it fit the situation nicely. I was in a different age, completely. I was no longer in the present, I was in the past. At first, I thought that Soul and I were in some isolated zone in the world that had never come out of the 80’s. I was wrong though. The time zone is not out of place… we are.
“We are in the year 1974.” He smiled cheerily. What is he so happy about? “Are you in the mood for a burger?”
What? “No. I’m not in the mood for a burger.” This guy is nuts, I swear! “I would rather hear your explanation for how we got here! How on Earth did we go back in time?”
“Weren’t you listening? I told you before we jumped that Faith could do things you think you cannot. This is an example.” He sounded amused. “I mean, we can rush, cast fire from our palms, time jump…”
“Time jump? Is that what you call it? And what is ‘rush’?”
“Well, you call it teleporting, but I just renamed it to rush. That’s what it feels like.” He rushed behind me. “Woo! That never gets old!”
Therefore, Soul explained how Faith is the connection to everything that he and I can do that is unnatural. He said how Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth of or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. As with "trust", Faith involves a concept of future events or outcomes, and is also used for a belief characteristically held without proof.
“Many memorable people, such as C. S. Lewis, hold that Faith is merely the virtue by which we hold to our reasoned ideas, despite moods to the contrary.” He stated. “And Rather than being passive, Faith leads to an active life of obedience to the one being trusted. Do you understand that?”
“Yeah. So you’re trying to tell me that all of my actions are fulfilled because I have Faith that I can do it?”
“Exactly. The only catch is if you begin to think that you are the one you put your Faith in. If you do that then you will turn into what you truly are, an egocentric monstrosity.” His eyes were hard now, full of seriousness.
I thought back to how Animal had said that he and I are the same person. We are able to defy all laws of nature by co-existing within the same time. “That’s why the Yin-Yang was unbalanced! Animal and I were together and we should not have been! The scale was being tipped over, allowing chaos to prevail.”
“I’m not sure if that is the only reason. It seems like only a tiny part of a grand picture. I personally believe that it was meant to be dislodged from equilibrium.” He began to walk again. “Everything that happened in the mix was supposed to happen so that the Yin-Yang could be re-forged into its original balanced state.”
This guy over-elaborates. The two of us walked down the sidewalk. I watched the people as we walked past them. Then I began to get glares back. One young woman scanned me from head to toe and back up, and then she smiled. She wore a skimpy skirt and a tied belly shirt. The next person to check me out was a bearded dude with no shirt and holy jeans. He looked at me with one eye open and the other half opened. He only laughed at me and mumbled something like, “Hu-dee-do, huhu…”
Soul pointed to my left, toward a small café. I thought back to the movie Grease and how the café looked. This one was not far from it. The red and white paint, strobe lights and cushioned booths. We walked in, still dressed in our unfashionable outfits. Inside there were many teenaged people standing around or sitting. The place smelled like a backyard grill out. My stomach erupted in reaction to the delicious odor. Soul and I walked over to a booth that was not surrounded by people. Moments later, we were greeted by a young lady in a red and white outfit. The only thing you were really meant to look at were her legs, I think. After we ordered our food and the waitress left, we talked about time jumping.
“Tell me how it works.” I hunched over on the table.
Soul looked around to make sure that no one was listening in. “The way I believe it works is that if you imagine the exact destination, meaning the people, environment, action and if it’s forward or backward in time, you can time jump.”
Wow. That is a long description. “When we jumped you looked like you were in pain. Were you?”
“No, I was only focused.” The waitress came back with a tray of beverages, dropped them off and left.
I collected the old-fashioned coke and sipped up its glory. “One last thing. Are you from the future?”
He paused. There was a slight hesitation before he spoke. “I am, but not like you think. I am actually… well, never mind. I am only twenty-two years old. There is a five year difference between us.”
“But by then the world should’ve been hit by the meteor?”
“No. It was not meant to hit at that time, remember? I was told to actually go back in time to save you.”
“Really? By who?” If there was someone in charge, I would like to know.
“We’ll go and see him in a little bit. But first you have to get past those guys.” Then he was gone. Soul had rushed away, leaving me.
“Get past whom?” I asked no one.
Three studs walked up behind me, laughing amongst themselves. Oh crud. “So, Demon Fire is it? You’re in our booth.” Why do all the popular guys pick on everyone else for stupid stuff?
I stood and faced them. “Oh really. Be my guest to sit down. I’m clearly in the wrong.” I put my hand behind my back.
The leader looked me in the eye. “Are you trying to make a fool out of me? I wanted you out of my seat, punk, not any suck up.” He shoved me back.
I chuckled. “Believe me; you don’t want to push your luck. I’m a short tempered guy.”
“Look buddy, I don’t care if you’re a demon that can shoot fire out your eyes, I demand some friggin’ respect.”
I hate these types of guys. “Two things. One I am not your ‘buddy’. Second thing is,” I backed away and closed my eyes. “I am a demon.” I opened my eyes, unleashing a blast of fire. The leader yelled as his jacket lit up like the sun. His cronies freaked out and fled the scene. Everyone in the café looked at me with terror. The leader dropped to the ground and rolled. Once he was done fooling around I leaned over him and looked him in the eye.
His eyes were filling up with tears. I looked at him with a strange face then smiled. “Boo!” Then I was gone. I rushed from the café and ended up where Soul and I had first arrived. Soul was right next to me, smiling and laughing. “You knew about that, huh?”
“Yeah, I did.” The laughter died out. “Follow me.” He made his way toward an alley and down its narrow path. He then grabbed my shoulder firmly and closed his eyes. Once more the world transformed into an infinite white backdrop. I stood there, attached to the immobile transporter. My mind slowly drifted away to the involuntary portion. The last couple of hours quickly flashed before my eyes, reviewing my primary goal: to save Cara from her death.
Soul said that time jumping is only capable if you have the necessary information to reach that point in time. I clearly remember the point in time, the situation, the people and where it happened. I have the data needed; I now only have to apply them. Nevertheless, I do not know if I could do it alone. Soul could help me take care of Animal easily and then Cara would be in the clear. Moreover, she would be alive.
If I could jump back in time without any limitations I could right so many wrongs, save the lost or even revive the dead! I could fix everything that has ever been broken. Of course, I have to be careful. If this power got ahead of me I could do more harm than good. For now it is probably best to just stay with Soul, learn from him and become a skilled warrior. Besides, with time travel you could always go back to that precise moment and arrive when you want to.
For now I will stay beside Soul. I rather need him anyway. He rescued my butt and in return I should stay with him. In addition there are so many secrets that I need to know. Mysteries, secrets and cryptic information. Many things are out there that I do not yet have knowledge of and I will need them if I plan to undo this ongoing nightmare.
Time Jumping
“Where are we? No… when are we?” I asked in a shocked voice. The question seemed so bizarre, so absurd. Yet, it fit the situation nicely. I was in a different age, completely. I was no longer in the present, I was in the past. At first, I thought that Soul and I were in some isolated zone in the world that had never come out of the 80’s. I was wrong though. The time zone is not out of place… we are.
“We are in the year 1974.” He smiled cheerily. What is he so happy about? “Are you in the mood for a burger?”
What? “No. I’m not in the mood for a burger.” This guy is nuts, I swear! “I would rather hear your explanation for how we got here! How on Earth did we go back in time?”
“Weren’t you listening? I told you before we jumped that Faith could do things you think you cannot. This is an example.” He sounded amused. “I mean, we can rush, cast fire from our palms, time jump…”
“Time jump? Is that what you call it? And what is ‘rush’?”
“Well, you call it teleporting, but I just renamed it to rush. That’s what it feels like.” He rushed behind me. “Woo! That never gets old!”
Therefore, Soul explained how Faith is the connection to everything that he and I can do that is unnatural. He said how Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth of or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. As with "trust", Faith involves a concept of future events or outcomes, and is also used for a belief characteristically held without proof.
“Many memorable people, such as C. S. Lewis, hold that Faith is merely the virtue by which we hold to our reasoned ideas, despite moods to the contrary.” He stated. “And Rather than being passive, Faith leads to an active life of obedience to the one being trusted. Do you understand that?”
“Yeah. So you’re trying to tell me that all of my actions are fulfilled because I have Faith that I can do it?”
“Exactly. The only catch is if you begin to think that you are the one you put your Faith in. If you do that then you will turn into what you truly are, an egocentric monstrosity.” His eyes were hard now, full of seriousness.
I thought back to how Animal had said that he and I are the same person. We are able to defy all laws of nature by co-existing within the same time. “That’s why the Yin-Yang was unbalanced! Animal and I were together and we should not have been! The scale was being tipped over, allowing chaos to prevail.”
“I’m not sure if that is the only reason. It seems like only a tiny part of a grand picture. I personally believe that it was meant to be dislodged from equilibrium.” He began to walk again. “Everything that happened in the mix was supposed to happen so that the Yin-Yang could be re-forged into its original balanced state.”
This guy over-elaborates. The two of us walked down the sidewalk. I watched the people as we walked past them. Then I began to get glares back. One young woman scanned me from head to toe and back up, and then she smiled. She wore a skimpy skirt and a tied belly shirt. The next person to check me out was a bearded dude with no shirt and holy jeans. He looked at me with one eye open and the other half opened. He only laughed at me and mumbled something like, “Hu-dee-do, huhu…”
Soul pointed to my left, toward a small café. I thought back to the movie Grease and how the café looked. This one was not far from it. The red and white paint, strobe lights and cushioned booths. We walked in, still dressed in our unfashionable outfits. Inside there were many teenaged people standing around or sitting. The place smelled like a backyard grill out. My stomach erupted in reaction to the delicious odor. Soul and I walked over to a booth that was not surrounded by people. Moments later, we were greeted by a young lady in a red and white outfit. The only thing you were really meant to look at were her legs, I think. After we ordered our food and the waitress left, we talked about time jumping.
“Tell me how it works.” I hunched over on the table.
Soul looked around to make sure that no one was listening in. “The way I believe it works is that if you imagine the exact destination, meaning the people, environment, action and if it’s forward or backward in time, you can time jump.”
Wow. That is a long description. “When we jumped you looked like you were in pain. Were you?”
“No, I was only focused.” The waitress came back with a tray of beverages, dropped them off and left.
I collected the old-fashioned coke and sipped up its glory. “One last thing. Are you from the future?”
He paused. There was a slight hesitation before he spoke. “I am, but not like you think. I am actually… well, never mind. I am only twenty-two years old. There is a five year difference between us.”
“But by then the world should’ve been hit by the meteor?”
“No. It was not meant to hit at that time, remember? I was told to actually go back in time to save you.”
“Really? By who?” If there was someone in charge, I would like to know.
“We’ll go and see him in a little bit. But first you have to get past those guys.” Then he was gone. Soul had rushed away, leaving me.
“Get past whom?” I asked no one.
Three studs walked up behind me, laughing amongst themselves. Oh crud. “So, Demon Fire is it? You’re in our booth.” Why do all the popular guys pick on everyone else for stupid stuff?
I stood and faced them. “Oh really. Be my guest to sit down. I’m clearly in the wrong.” I put my hand behind my back.
The leader looked me in the eye. “Are you trying to make a fool out of me? I wanted you out of my seat, punk, not any suck up.” He shoved me back.
I chuckled. “Believe me; you don’t want to push your luck. I’m a short tempered guy.”
“Look buddy, I don’t care if you’re a demon that can shoot fire out your eyes, I demand some friggin’ respect.”
I hate these types of guys. “Two things. One I am not your ‘buddy’. Second thing is,” I backed away and closed my eyes. “I am a demon.” I opened my eyes, unleashing a blast of fire. The leader yelled as his jacket lit up like the sun. His cronies freaked out and fled the scene. Everyone in the café looked at me with terror. The leader dropped to the ground and rolled. Once he was done fooling around I leaned over him and looked him in the eye.
His eyes were filling up with tears. I looked at him with a strange face then smiled. “Boo!” Then I was gone. I rushed from the café and ended up where Soul and I had first arrived. Soul was right next to me, smiling and laughing. “You knew about that, huh?”
“Yeah, I did.” The laughter died out. “Follow me.” He made his way toward an alley and down its narrow path. He then grabbed my shoulder firmly and closed his eyes. Once more the world transformed into an infinite white backdrop. I stood there, attached to the immobile transporter. My mind slowly drifted away to the involuntary portion. The last couple of hours quickly flashed before my eyes, reviewing my primary goal: to save Cara from her death.
Soul said that time jumping is only capable if you have the necessary information to reach that point in time. I clearly remember the point in time, the situation, the people and where it happened. I have the data needed; I now only have to apply them. Nevertheless, I do not know if I could do it alone. Soul could help me take care of Animal easily and then Cara would be in the clear. Moreover, she would be alive.
If I could jump back in time without any limitations I could right so many wrongs, save the lost or even revive the dead! I could fix everything that has ever been broken. Of course, I have to be careful. If this power got ahead of me I could do more harm than good. For now it is probably best to just stay with Soul, learn from him and become a skilled warrior. Besides, with time travel you could always go back to that precise moment and arrive when you want to.
For now I will stay beside Soul. I rather need him anyway. He rescued my butt and in return I should stay with him. In addition there are so many secrets that I need to know. Mysteries, secrets and cryptic information. Many things are out there that I do not yet have knowledge of and I will need them if I plan to undo this ongoing nightmare.
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Keith1297
Re: Rebirth
Chapter 12
Ghost
The time jump ended soon after my mind came back to the reality. The glow of the white background stayed in my eyes as we stopped the jump. After a few moments my eyes adjusted to the dark room Soul and I were now in. The room was very old looking. It also looked abandoned. The floors were wooden and creaked under the pressure of our bodies. I tried to look at the far end of room but it was too dark. An instant fear came over me. Due to my previous dreams, I do not find myself too comfortable with dark places. Then, on cue almost, across the room a candle lit up. The candle moved from the left corner to the center. It touched a trail of oil or flammable substance. The fire lit in to a circular shape. The fire lit the painted emblem. The Yin-Yang glowed in the candlelight.
Then the floor creaked as a figure walked out of the shadows. He wore clothes of an old Englishman, the leather vest over a white sleeved shirt. The pants were black and made of soft cotton and for footwear, he wore leather boots. To finish it all off he wore a white topcoat that came to his ankles.
“Hello Kaden. You know you can never put a good man down.” In addition, he laughed.
I could not believe my eyes. “How the heck are you still alive?”
He chuckled. “Well, you threw that ball of fire at me and then walked away. I was able to only take a slight burn.” He turned his face, showing a scorch that took up the whole left side of his face. “But I got over it. There are always sacrifices for everything.”
I moved after him, but Soul put his hand on my shoulder. “Please, Kaden, listen to the poor man before you kill him. He is still useful.” He pleaded.
“Tohoka! You’ve got this last chance to prove your worth or you’re dead!” My blood boiled. This hideous man does not even deserve that!
“That’s all I ask for, my confused friend.” He smiled.
“Tohoka, don’t try to get killed. Be nice you two.” Soul advised.
“Yes, sir. However, would you like to here my story, Kaden? It is an action packed tale.” He stood against the wall and began. “As you know I was able to dodge your assault. After that, though, there was a chain reaction of explosions. Fist the fire spread to the walls and other labs. Next, however, the lab that controlled time was broken. This lab, unleashed from its borders, saved me from being devoured by those flames. It turned on and slowed the flames’ progression. I was able to make it to The Miracle room before the machine forced the flames to speed up there motions. Within the room I was confronted by this kind man, Soul, who saved me. It had been awhile since we had last encountered, but I recognized him immediately.”
“He told me to hold on with to him and to take in a deep breath. After doing so he ‘time jumped’ and we landed here. I was very dizzy from the trip and it took an hour to regain my vision. By the time I was able to function Soul was gone and I was next to that wall.” He pointed over to the wall with the Yin-Yang sign on it. “How ironic that it was already there and I am part of it.” He smiled proudly.
“I have some news for you, Tohoka. You are not part of the Yin-Yang. I am both ends of the emblem.” I loved to watch him be told he is wrong.
“And who, exactly, gave you that information? Was it Soul?” He asked.
“It was Animal.”
“And you think you can believe him? The same man who killed you family, girlfriend and tried to kill you. You should really try to find better friends.”
“I believed you didn’t I? And look how that turned out! You are no different than Animal! You practically allowed him to kill Cara, putting her blood on your hands and you expect me to believe you? You said how I would die! Take a fresh look, Scarface! I’m still alive!”
The old man stood there. He thought about what to say back, but nothing came. He was frozen. I began to walk toward him, this time Soul was walking with me. He spoke, changing the subject. “Do you understand what is happening to you?” I stopped in my tracks. “Do you want the honest truth? Just go over to the study area and take a seat. I have a few more lessons for you.” We all walked over to the clustered study area. There was a couch, a reclining chair, a small table and paper everywhere.
“You really need an assistant, Tohoka.” I said.
“Well, thanks to you she’s dead.” His voice sounded dry.
We all sat, each looking at one another. I stared at Soul for assurance that I could trust Tohoka. I watched Tohoka because of his history. Soul nodded at me, reassuring me. Tohoka leaned forward and stared at me. “How was your trip? Real quick I am going to sum up what you are able to do. Physicists take for granted that if one were to move away from the Earth at relativistic velocities and return, more time would have passed on Earth than for the traveler, so in this sense it is accepted that relativity allows "travel into the future" (although according to relativity there is no single objective answer to how much time has 'really' passed between the departure and the return). Of course, it applies the same if you come back in time, like you have been doing.”
“However, the theory of general relativity does suggest scientific grounds for thinking backwards time travel could be possible in certain unusual scenarios, although arguments from semi-classical gravity suggest that when quantum effects are incorporated into general relativity, these loopholes may be closed. These semi-classical arguments led Hawking to formulate the chronology protection conjecture, suggesting that the fundamental laws of nature prevent time travel, but physicists cannot come to a definite judgment on the issue without a theory of quantum gravity to join quantum mechanics and general relativity into a completely unified theory.”
“None of that really applies to you two, though, because you are able to do things by another method, Faith. Many noted philosophers and theologians have espoused the idea that Faith is the basis of knowledge. One example is St. Augustine of Hippo. Known as one of his contributions to philosophy, the idea of "Faith seeking understanding" was set forth by St. Augustine in his statement "Crede, ut intelligas" ("Believe in order that you may understand").”
“One illustration of this concept is in the development of knowledge in children. A child typically holds parental teaching as credible, in spite of the child's lack of sufficient research to establish such credibility empirically. That parental teaching, however fallible, becomes a foundation upon which future knowledge is built. The child’s Faith in his/her parents teaching is based on a belief in their credibility. Unless/until the child’s belief in their parents’ credibility is superseded by a stronger belief, the parental teaching will serve as a filter through which other teaching must be processed and/or evaluated. Following this line of reasoning, and assuming that children have finite or limited empirical knowledge at birth, it follows that Faith is the fundamental basis of all knowledge one has. Even adults attribute the basis for some of their knowledge to so-called "authorities" in a given field of study. This is true because one simply does not have the time or resources to evaluate all of his/her knowledge empirically and exhaustively. "Faith" is used instead.”
“However, a child's parents are not infallible. Some of what the child learns from them will be wrong, and some will be rejected. It is rational (albeit at a perhaps instinctive level) for the child to trust the parents in the absence of other sources of information, but it is also irrational to cling rigidly to everything one was originally taught in the face of countervailing evidence. Parental instruction may be the historical foundation of future knowledge, but that does not necessarily make it a structural foundation.”
“It is sometimes argued that even scientific knowledge is dependent on 'Faith' - for example, Faith that the researcher responsible for an empirical conclusion is competent, and honest. Indeed, distinguished chemist and philosopher Michael Polanyi argued that scientific discovery begins with a scientist's Faith that an unknown discovery is possible. Scientific discovery thus requires a passionate commitment to a result that is unknowable at the outset. Polanyi argued that the scientific method is not an objective method removed from man's passion. On the contrary, scientific progress depends primarily on the unique capability of free man to notice and investigate patterns and connections, and on the individual scientist's willingness to commit time and resources to such investigation, which usually must begin before the truth is known or the benefits of the discovery are imagined, let alone understood fully. It could then be argued that even in science, until one possesses all knowledge in totality, one will need Faith in order to believe an understanding to be correct or incorrect in total affirmation.”
I got lost a millennium ago. “What are you driving at, Tohoka?”
“I’m simply saying that you two are left without any leader or authorities to guide you so you are acting on your own.”
“So Soul and I are special beings without any regulations. And you’re trying to tell me that this all means…”
“It means that neither of you know if what you are doing, will be doing or have already done is the right thing to do. You are acting off of what you have learned since birth and are now trying to apply it to something much greater than you think.”
Ghost
The time jump ended soon after my mind came back to the reality. The glow of the white background stayed in my eyes as we stopped the jump. After a few moments my eyes adjusted to the dark room Soul and I were now in. The room was very old looking. It also looked abandoned. The floors were wooden and creaked under the pressure of our bodies. I tried to look at the far end of room but it was too dark. An instant fear came over me. Due to my previous dreams, I do not find myself too comfortable with dark places. Then, on cue almost, across the room a candle lit up. The candle moved from the left corner to the center. It touched a trail of oil or flammable substance. The fire lit in to a circular shape. The fire lit the painted emblem. The Yin-Yang glowed in the candlelight.
Then the floor creaked as a figure walked out of the shadows. He wore clothes of an old Englishman, the leather vest over a white sleeved shirt. The pants were black and made of soft cotton and for footwear, he wore leather boots. To finish it all off he wore a white topcoat that came to his ankles.
“Hello Kaden. You know you can never put a good man down.” In addition, he laughed.
I could not believe my eyes. “How the heck are you still alive?”
He chuckled. “Well, you threw that ball of fire at me and then walked away. I was able to only take a slight burn.” He turned his face, showing a scorch that took up the whole left side of his face. “But I got over it. There are always sacrifices for everything.”
I moved after him, but Soul put his hand on my shoulder. “Please, Kaden, listen to the poor man before you kill him. He is still useful.” He pleaded.
“Tohoka! You’ve got this last chance to prove your worth or you’re dead!” My blood boiled. This hideous man does not even deserve that!
“That’s all I ask for, my confused friend.” He smiled.
“Tohoka, don’t try to get killed. Be nice you two.” Soul advised.
“Yes, sir. However, would you like to here my story, Kaden? It is an action packed tale.” He stood against the wall and began. “As you know I was able to dodge your assault. After that, though, there was a chain reaction of explosions. Fist the fire spread to the walls and other labs. Next, however, the lab that controlled time was broken. This lab, unleashed from its borders, saved me from being devoured by those flames. It turned on and slowed the flames’ progression. I was able to make it to The Miracle room before the machine forced the flames to speed up there motions. Within the room I was confronted by this kind man, Soul, who saved me. It had been awhile since we had last encountered, but I recognized him immediately.”
“He told me to hold on with to him and to take in a deep breath. After doing so he ‘time jumped’ and we landed here. I was very dizzy from the trip and it took an hour to regain my vision. By the time I was able to function Soul was gone and I was next to that wall.” He pointed over to the wall with the Yin-Yang sign on it. “How ironic that it was already there and I am part of it.” He smiled proudly.
“I have some news for you, Tohoka. You are not part of the Yin-Yang. I am both ends of the emblem.” I loved to watch him be told he is wrong.
“And who, exactly, gave you that information? Was it Soul?” He asked.
“It was Animal.”
“And you think you can believe him? The same man who killed you family, girlfriend and tried to kill you. You should really try to find better friends.”
“I believed you didn’t I? And look how that turned out! You are no different than Animal! You practically allowed him to kill Cara, putting her blood on your hands and you expect me to believe you? You said how I would die! Take a fresh look, Scarface! I’m still alive!”
The old man stood there. He thought about what to say back, but nothing came. He was frozen. I began to walk toward him, this time Soul was walking with me. He spoke, changing the subject. “Do you understand what is happening to you?” I stopped in my tracks. “Do you want the honest truth? Just go over to the study area and take a seat. I have a few more lessons for you.” We all walked over to the clustered study area. There was a couch, a reclining chair, a small table and paper everywhere.
“You really need an assistant, Tohoka.” I said.
“Well, thanks to you she’s dead.” His voice sounded dry.
We all sat, each looking at one another. I stared at Soul for assurance that I could trust Tohoka. I watched Tohoka because of his history. Soul nodded at me, reassuring me. Tohoka leaned forward and stared at me. “How was your trip? Real quick I am going to sum up what you are able to do. Physicists take for granted that if one were to move away from the Earth at relativistic velocities and return, more time would have passed on Earth than for the traveler, so in this sense it is accepted that relativity allows "travel into the future" (although according to relativity there is no single objective answer to how much time has 'really' passed between the departure and the return). Of course, it applies the same if you come back in time, like you have been doing.”
“However, the theory of general relativity does suggest scientific grounds for thinking backwards time travel could be possible in certain unusual scenarios, although arguments from semi-classical gravity suggest that when quantum effects are incorporated into general relativity, these loopholes may be closed. These semi-classical arguments led Hawking to formulate the chronology protection conjecture, suggesting that the fundamental laws of nature prevent time travel, but physicists cannot come to a definite judgment on the issue without a theory of quantum gravity to join quantum mechanics and general relativity into a completely unified theory.”
“None of that really applies to you two, though, because you are able to do things by another method, Faith. Many noted philosophers and theologians have espoused the idea that Faith is the basis of knowledge. One example is St. Augustine of Hippo. Known as one of his contributions to philosophy, the idea of "Faith seeking understanding" was set forth by St. Augustine in his statement "Crede, ut intelligas" ("Believe in order that you may understand").”
“One illustration of this concept is in the development of knowledge in children. A child typically holds parental teaching as credible, in spite of the child's lack of sufficient research to establish such credibility empirically. That parental teaching, however fallible, becomes a foundation upon which future knowledge is built. The child’s Faith in his/her parents teaching is based on a belief in their credibility. Unless/until the child’s belief in their parents’ credibility is superseded by a stronger belief, the parental teaching will serve as a filter through which other teaching must be processed and/or evaluated. Following this line of reasoning, and assuming that children have finite or limited empirical knowledge at birth, it follows that Faith is the fundamental basis of all knowledge one has. Even adults attribute the basis for some of their knowledge to so-called "authorities" in a given field of study. This is true because one simply does not have the time or resources to evaluate all of his/her knowledge empirically and exhaustively. "Faith" is used instead.”
“However, a child's parents are not infallible. Some of what the child learns from them will be wrong, and some will be rejected. It is rational (albeit at a perhaps instinctive level) for the child to trust the parents in the absence of other sources of information, but it is also irrational to cling rigidly to everything one was originally taught in the face of countervailing evidence. Parental instruction may be the historical foundation of future knowledge, but that does not necessarily make it a structural foundation.”
“It is sometimes argued that even scientific knowledge is dependent on 'Faith' - for example, Faith that the researcher responsible for an empirical conclusion is competent, and honest. Indeed, distinguished chemist and philosopher Michael Polanyi argued that scientific discovery begins with a scientist's Faith that an unknown discovery is possible. Scientific discovery thus requires a passionate commitment to a result that is unknowable at the outset. Polanyi argued that the scientific method is not an objective method removed from man's passion. On the contrary, scientific progress depends primarily on the unique capability of free man to notice and investigate patterns and connections, and on the individual scientist's willingness to commit time and resources to such investigation, which usually must begin before the truth is known or the benefits of the discovery are imagined, let alone understood fully. It could then be argued that even in science, until one possesses all knowledge in totality, one will need Faith in order to believe an understanding to be correct or incorrect in total affirmation.”
I got lost a millennium ago. “What are you driving at, Tohoka?”
“I’m simply saying that you two are left without any leader or authorities to guide you so you are acting on your own.”
“So Soul and I are special beings without any regulations. And you’re trying to tell me that this all means…”
“It means that neither of you know if what you are doing, will be doing or have already done is the right thing to do. You are acting off of what you have learned since birth and are now trying to apply it to something much greater than you think.”
-
Keith1297
Re: Rebirth
Chapter 13
Acumen
“Like what? Do you know, Mr. Know-it-all?” I asked, sharply.
Irritated the ghostly man said, “I have some theories. Of course I don’t have enough proof to set them as factual.”
“Out with it you over-descriptive geek! I’m tired of you wasting my time!” Will that help?
“Don’t push your luck with me, boy. I may seem fragile, but if you continue to treat me with such little respect, I’ll-”
“You’ll what?” I interrupted, rushing up to his face. We maintained eye contact. “Don’t forget your place in this chaos, Tohoka. I may have failed to kill you the first time, but I will not make that mistake twice. In this new time you are the one who delivers the information, we take it in and you shut up. No comments, none of your humor or any mental attacks. And if you can’t understand this and you fail, I’ll kill you.” I rushed back to the couch, next to Soul. He seemed unbothered by the quick discussion.
Tohoka only glared at me. He glanced at Soul for protection. However, none came. “Tohoka, he has a point and you do nothing but try to get killed anyway. You are getting to be a huge nuisance.”
He remained silent, only to be a smart aleck. Therefore, I asked him my question again. “What do you think is going to be the ultimate ending?”
He shuffled his feet then spoke. “I have estimated that the ending will only consist of death and decay.”
“But Soul told me that the meteor isn’t meant to hit Earth just yet. So what is my ending?”
“You are going to die, as you know, by the past you. You will evolve into Animal after all of your Faith is converted to self-confidence. And once you are Animal, you fight your previous self and die.”
That, unfortunately, makes sense. Nevertheless, I can change that. I have to make sure I put my Faith in God every time I use it, instead of myself. “Are there any other ways I could change into Animal?”
“I don’t think so. You have to remember the Yin-Yang though, Kaden. I told you how if either overpowers the other, there will be chaos. If you never turn into Animal you’ll mess up the order of the cosmos.”
I unsheathed a knife and held it in a firm hand. “And what if I ended it all now? What would that do?”
He paused. “It would make matters worse for everyone. Besides, some force of nature would stop you from dying until it was meant to happen.”
That settles that. So at least now I know I can charge into a fight and have no worries of dying. Yet. However, I can change it. I can completely avoid my death. “What if I went to the future and killed my younger self? Then I’d never turn into Animal.”
“Then the world would be standing on the edge of destruction.”
“Why? I’ll be out of the picture, along with all of the nonsense I’ve started.” This has too many rules.
“There are things that are meant to happen, Kaden. Here’s an example, if I may?” He paused and looked at me. I nodded. “Thank you. Have you ever heard of déjà vu? Many people think they of déjà vu as a dream the night before something actually happened. Say you dreamt that you were going to walk down a corner and be encountered by Soul, without ever planning it. Then you wake up and you have no instant memory of the dream. Yet once you meet Soul you remember a vague part of the dream and you would classify that as déjà vu.”
“Now,” he continued. “Let’s say you have that same dream but remember it all day. As you find yourself walking down the sidewalk, you suddenly stop and run in a different direction. Therefore, you altered the path you were originally going to take. However, ultimately you were meant to run in the opposite direction for some unknown reason. It is a very difficult topic. Basically you rewrote the timeline for that one moment because you were meant to do so.”
I took in every bit of information. It is hard to understand, but that was not even my question. “How does that relate to my question?”
“I said all that and you don’t get the connection? Think, for just a moment, Kaden.” He spat.
I asked why the world would mess up if I were not here. He explains how people “change the future”. Is he saying how I am able to avoid changing into Animal? On the other hand, is he telling me that my future can be rewritten? Either way, I do not turn into Animal.
“You see it, don’t you?” Tohoka asked.
I answered, hesitantly, “Yeah. I see what you meant. I think. So can I avoid Animal?”
“Only if you ‘rewrite’ your future.”
“But what about all those things you said about destiny and how it’s inevitable? Isn’t this sort of contradicting all that?”
“I said that destiny is the ultimate ending right?” I nodded. “So you are ultimately meant to change your future.”
I was looking at destiny as a one-path timeline. I never would have guessed it could be remade. So now, I can create my life the way it was all along meant to be. I can be happy, normal, peaceful and with Cara. My parents would be alive, I would be in school and I would be with Cara. She would never have been killed by Animal, because he will never exist in her time. I can rewrite the future into a completely new timeline. A better timeline too.
But why stop at my life? I could prove this theory right now. I can go and stop Cara from ever dying. I could have her alive, with me, right now. “Then why can’t I go and stop Cara’s death? I can rewrite her future as well. She’d be alive.”
Soul stood up and spoke. “Death, Kaden, doesn’t follow the same rules as destiny. It randomly selects a beings’ ending whenever it feels like it. You cannot change that. Your best bet is to focus on your own life and no one else’s.”
“I can do both. She can live and stay with us. Then we’d all be together and rewrite my life.”
Soul looked at me with caring eyes. “Don’t you think that is a bit selfish? Besides, once you saved her from that death she would be killed by the meteor. She can’t come back in time with us, Kaden.”
“What? Why not? Tohoka did! What’s the difference?” This is all bullcrap.
“Because he was meant to. It is all part of something that none of us can fully grasp until we have talked it out with God.”
“How do you know it wouldn’t work?”
“Because I knew she would die and I tried to jump here with her, but nothing ever happened. We stayed where we were and time was the same. I’m sorry Kaden.”
“No you’re not! If you cared wouldn’t you do something about it?” I began to get hot.
“Calm down. I know someone who can help explain it. Of course, he’s in a different time.” He held out his hand. I looked at the Yin-Yang tattoo.
“Whatever.” And I grabbed his hand.
Time left us or we left time, I am not sure. Either way, we returned to the white atmosphere that took us to another time in Earth’s existence. Once again, my thoughts left the present and meandered to loose trains of thought.
Why can’t I be able to save Cara? What good, understandable reason is there that she cannot time jump with us? I swear when I come face to face with God, I will give him my full opinion on the matter. Of course, that is after I snap out of his amazement, if I do…
Then the jump ended. We were in a college classroom. Soul and I were at the top of the desks. I watched Soul.
He looked over at me and said, “I’ll race you down.” Then he was gone. I followed, not as excited as he was. “Come on, lighten up, Kaden. This is all going to get better.
Then I mumbled. “But things always get worse before they get better.”
I followed Soul into an office that was filled with binders, notebooks and reports. Sitting at his desk was a chubby man with a balding head. He wore a plaid dress shirt and black pants, as well as black shoes. He turned his bespectacled face toward us and smiled brightly. He rose from his seat and greeted us warmly.
“Hello my old friend. Of course, I do not know neither of you. How may I serve you?”
Soul spoke with a bargainers tone. “I need you to describe death and destiny to this young student of mine.”
The man hesitated. “Yes,” He chuckled. “I have that reading, oddly enough, memorized. I believe it goes something like,
Death speaks: There was a merchant in Baghdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, “Master, just now when I was in the market-place I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture; now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me.” The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw me standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, “Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning?” “That was not a threatening gesture,” I said, “It was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.””
The man finished with a large smile upon his meaty face. What is with all of these freaking bizarre people in my life? It’s as if they are drawn to me or something. There’s Tohoka, Soul, Animal, my second grade teacher and now this rotund dean... Perhaps I’ll get a big break after this all calms down.
Acumen
“Like what? Do you know, Mr. Know-it-all?” I asked, sharply.
Irritated the ghostly man said, “I have some theories. Of course I don’t have enough proof to set them as factual.”
“Out with it you over-descriptive geek! I’m tired of you wasting my time!” Will that help?
“Don’t push your luck with me, boy. I may seem fragile, but if you continue to treat me with such little respect, I’ll-”
“You’ll what?” I interrupted, rushing up to his face. We maintained eye contact. “Don’t forget your place in this chaos, Tohoka. I may have failed to kill you the first time, but I will not make that mistake twice. In this new time you are the one who delivers the information, we take it in and you shut up. No comments, none of your humor or any mental attacks. And if you can’t understand this and you fail, I’ll kill you.” I rushed back to the couch, next to Soul. He seemed unbothered by the quick discussion.
Tohoka only glared at me. He glanced at Soul for protection. However, none came. “Tohoka, he has a point and you do nothing but try to get killed anyway. You are getting to be a huge nuisance.”
He remained silent, only to be a smart aleck. Therefore, I asked him my question again. “What do you think is going to be the ultimate ending?”
He shuffled his feet then spoke. “I have estimated that the ending will only consist of death and decay.”
“But Soul told me that the meteor isn’t meant to hit Earth just yet. So what is my ending?”
“You are going to die, as you know, by the past you. You will evolve into Animal after all of your Faith is converted to self-confidence. And once you are Animal, you fight your previous self and die.”
That, unfortunately, makes sense. Nevertheless, I can change that. I have to make sure I put my Faith in God every time I use it, instead of myself. “Are there any other ways I could change into Animal?”
“I don’t think so. You have to remember the Yin-Yang though, Kaden. I told you how if either overpowers the other, there will be chaos. If you never turn into Animal you’ll mess up the order of the cosmos.”
I unsheathed a knife and held it in a firm hand. “And what if I ended it all now? What would that do?”
He paused. “It would make matters worse for everyone. Besides, some force of nature would stop you from dying until it was meant to happen.”
That settles that. So at least now I know I can charge into a fight and have no worries of dying. Yet. However, I can change it. I can completely avoid my death. “What if I went to the future and killed my younger self? Then I’d never turn into Animal.”
“Then the world would be standing on the edge of destruction.”
“Why? I’ll be out of the picture, along with all of the nonsense I’ve started.” This has too many rules.
“There are things that are meant to happen, Kaden. Here’s an example, if I may?” He paused and looked at me. I nodded. “Thank you. Have you ever heard of déjà vu? Many people think they of déjà vu as a dream the night before something actually happened. Say you dreamt that you were going to walk down a corner and be encountered by Soul, without ever planning it. Then you wake up and you have no instant memory of the dream. Yet once you meet Soul you remember a vague part of the dream and you would classify that as déjà vu.”
“Now,” he continued. “Let’s say you have that same dream but remember it all day. As you find yourself walking down the sidewalk, you suddenly stop and run in a different direction. Therefore, you altered the path you were originally going to take. However, ultimately you were meant to run in the opposite direction for some unknown reason. It is a very difficult topic. Basically you rewrote the timeline for that one moment because you were meant to do so.”
I took in every bit of information. It is hard to understand, but that was not even my question. “How does that relate to my question?”
“I said all that and you don’t get the connection? Think, for just a moment, Kaden.” He spat.
I asked why the world would mess up if I were not here. He explains how people “change the future”. Is he saying how I am able to avoid changing into Animal? On the other hand, is he telling me that my future can be rewritten? Either way, I do not turn into Animal.
“You see it, don’t you?” Tohoka asked.
I answered, hesitantly, “Yeah. I see what you meant. I think. So can I avoid Animal?”
“Only if you ‘rewrite’ your future.”
“But what about all those things you said about destiny and how it’s inevitable? Isn’t this sort of contradicting all that?”
“I said that destiny is the ultimate ending right?” I nodded. “So you are ultimately meant to change your future.”
I was looking at destiny as a one-path timeline. I never would have guessed it could be remade. So now, I can create my life the way it was all along meant to be. I can be happy, normal, peaceful and with Cara. My parents would be alive, I would be in school and I would be with Cara. She would never have been killed by Animal, because he will never exist in her time. I can rewrite the future into a completely new timeline. A better timeline too.
But why stop at my life? I could prove this theory right now. I can go and stop Cara from ever dying. I could have her alive, with me, right now. “Then why can’t I go and stop Cara’s death? I can rewrite her future as well. She’d be alive.”
Soul stood up and spoke. “Death, Kaden, doesn’t follow the same rules as destiny. It randomly selects a beings’ ending whenever it feels like it. You cannot change that. Your best bet is to focus on your own life and no one else’s.”
“I can do both. She can live and stay with us. Then we’d all be together and rewrite my life.”
Soul looked at me with caring eyes. “Don’t you think that is a bit selfish? Besides, once you saved her from that death she would be killed by the meteor. She can’t come back in time with us, Kaden.”
“What? Why not? Tohoka did! What’s the difference?” This is all bullcrap.
“Because he was meant to. It is all part of something that none of us can fully grasp until we have talked it out with God.”
“How do you know it wouldn’t work?”
“Because I knew she would die and I tried to jump here with her, but nothing ever happened. We stayed where we were and time was the same. I’m sorry Kaden.”
“No you’re not! If you cared wouldn’t you do something about it?” I began to get hot.
“Calm down. I know someone who can help explain it. Of course, he’s in a different time.” He held out his hand. I looked at the Yin-Yang tattoo.
“Whatever.” And I grabbed his hand.
Time left us or we left time, I am not sure. Either way, we returned to the white atmosphere that took us to another time in Earth’s existence. Once again, my thoughts left the present and meandered to loose trains of thought.
Why can’t I be able to save Cara? What good, understandable reason is there that she cannot time jump with us? I swear when I come face to face with God, I will give him my full opinion on the matter. Of course, that is after I snap out of his amazement, if I do…
Then the jump ended. We were in a college classroom. Soul and I were at the top of the desks. I watched Soul.
He looked over at me and said, “I’ll race you down.” Then he was gone. I followed, not as excited as he was. “Come on, lighten up, Kaden. This is all going to get better.
Then I mumbled. “But things always get worse before they get better.”
I followed Soul into an office that was filled with binders, notebooks and reports. Sitting at his desk was a chubby man with a balding head. He wore a plaid dress shirt and black pants, as well as black shoes. He turned his bespectacled face toward us and smiled brightly. He rose from his seat and greeted us warmly.
“Hello my old friend. Of course, I do not know neither of you. How may I serve you?”
Soul spoke with a bargainers tone. “I need you to describe death and destiny to this young student of mine.”
The man hesitated. “Yes,” He chuckled. “I have that reading, oddly enough, memorized. I believe it goes something like,
Death speaks: There was a merchant in Baghdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, “Master, just now when I was in the market-place I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture; now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me.” The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw me standing in the crowd and he came to me and said, “Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning?” “That was not a threatening gesture,” I said, “It was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.””
The man finished with a large smile upon his meaty face. What is with all of these freaking bizarre people in my life? It’s as if they are drawn to me or something. There’s Tohoka, Soul, Animal, my second grade teacher and now this rotund dean... Perhaps I’ll get a big break after this all calms down.
-
Keith1297
Re: Rebirth
Chapter 14
The Undead
“What in God’s name are you driving at?” I shouted. I am fed up with random people telling me random stories that have the most irrelevant ways of making sense. “Are you trying to tell me I can’t avoid my death? Tohoka just gave me a small amount of hope, but this parable just stole it!”
Soul looked at the professor. “I’m sorry for the lack of respect this poor fool has for you. He isn’t the brightest of my students, either.” With that, he turned me around and headed for the door. I pushed him away and walked quicker. Why can’t this guy just stay away for a while? I’m mad, but he won’t leave me be.
“Professor Acumen, I have only one more thing I would like to know.” I spun around to watch. “Can Faith be real?”
Acumen looked rather shocked. “Faith is only an expression. A mental stability, if you will. I personally don’t have any facts on Faith. Christians say that Faith is what allows them to gain “connection” to God. Faith is what Jesus Christ used to explain his powers and capabilities. So if your question is asking if “faith” is a real element, I say no. It is a made up connection just like a bridge, only a bridge is actually able to be seen and touched.”
“What makes you think Faith isn’t real, Soul?” I walked back toward him. “You think there is a scientific solution to what we’ve seen? I find it hard to believe that science created and founded everything.”
“That is because you haven’t taken the time, Kaden to look at all other options. You’ve read the comics. Spider-man got his power from a mutant spider, Batman became a hero because of determination, money, Superman was a freaking alien, and Hulk was a scientist. Never in the entire existence of mankind or comic making, has a group of heroes gained their power and skill through Faith.”
I paused. Soul had a good point, but… “Exactly! All of your examples are fiction heroes! We aren’t fiction; we’re real people with real supernatural gifts. So who’s to say that Faith isn’t what gives real heroes power? Especially if you and I are the only ones able to do these things.”
Soul was silent. Now I had the good point. Soul walked away from the professor and left the room. I followed and left the epically confused man behind. Nevertheless, as I left the room and entered the suddenly crowded hallway I found myself lost. Random college-aged students were passing me by, either by pushing me or being kind. I watched and held myself back from rushing any of these jerks to the peak of the atmosphere. I continued to watch, however, and nearly died at the sight of one of the students passing me. I thought I was dreaming or perhaps even delusional. Because the sight before me was one that couldn’t be real.
Cara walked right past me, into the classroom with Professor Acumen. She didn’t even notice me. I studied her as if she was an angel! She’s not real! I can’t be seeing this. I must be sleep deprived or maybe I’m just out of it completely. Because dead people don’t just hop up, join college and… College?
Quickly I ran over to Acumen. “Hey, Professor Acumen, what year is it? Call me retarded, but I forgot.” However, the round man just laughed.
“It’s 2014.” Came a reply from behind. It was Cara and her haunting voice. “Don’t feel bad, I forget the year a lot myself.” What is this sick and twisted dream?
“Thanks.” In addition, I ran back out the room. She’s alive in year 2014? But how? I saw her die. I was the eyewitness to her premature death. But she was just there. How! It’s not possible! Unless…
“I’ve been trying to find you.” Soul teleported in front of me. “Where have you been?”
I thought it better to hold my thoughts, for now. I’ll think on this for a while longer before I dare speak of it. “I was being shoved around back there. Hey, I’ve been wondering; what year is it?”
Soul walked over to a board on the wall. On it, there were papers and posts tacked onto it. After a second or two Soul pulled away from the bulletin board and spoke, “It seems we have ended up in the year 2014.” He looked at me with a raised brow.
“What? We’re time-travelers, remember?” I smiled as I asked this.
“Yeah, I remember that, but I don’t remember this part of my past…” He walked down the hallway, which was now clear. “You can’t time jump to another time unless you’ve already been there before. But as you can see, we are in the future. I don’t have a future…”
Don’t have a future? What kind of talk is that? “This is your present, so anything after this is your future.”
“No. I don’t live anything after I made my first time jump. Since that time, I’ve been jumping back and forth in time and space. This throws my rules off a bit.”
“Aha! This is supernatural! You can’t explain this.”
Soul paused for a moment, thinking of an explanation, no doubt. “Well, Tohoka seems to think that everything happens for a reason. That relates back to a scientific theory. Which makes that science, meaning that this is all a scientific result of a mislead experiment.”
Bull. “You made that all up.” I punched him in the arm. “But we should leave this time, before we find ourselves in a situation.” I pointed down the hallway at a teacher coming our way.
Soul grabbed my shoulder and we were gone. I wonder what it looks like for someone who witnesses us time jump. Maybe we fade out like a ghost or just vanish immediately. I wonder if those random people have to go to therapy after they preach about ghost and crazy illusions.
“Where are we going now?” I asked Soul. “Do you know this time?”
He laughed, “Yeah. We are going to the city the day you and Cara were arriving at Japan. I have a feeling that there, we might be of importance.”
And at that, the world filled in around us and we left the white eternity. We were standing atop a building that had a perfect view of the bay that Cara and I had taken to enter Japan unnoticed. I began to sulk within myself. Even from miles away, I could still see Cara and her living beauty. I wish I could rush to her, rip her away from her doom and be a hero. The one I am suppose to be.
“So, what exactly are we s’pose to be here for?” I would rather be distracted from torture. I looked up at Soul who only stared down at my past self and my deceased friend. “Soul!”
He snapped out of it and shot his eyes over at me. “Um… we are going to stand here and intercept an atta-”
His body leapt forward without warning. I watched and reacted, surprisingly, as Soul was tackled off the buildings edge. I rushed to his position in the air, meeting up with him and the attacker. Animal.
Animal was trying to get at Soul’s sword, but was being wrestled out of it. I reached for my sword and held it out and ready to run him through. Animal unrepentantly leapt off Soul and came flying my way. He spun around and faced me with a sword in hand. Quickly I deflected the attack and fell past Animal. Ahead, Soul was freefalling and headed toward the earth at a speedy pace. I rushed after him and teleported us back to the building. I placed Soul on the roof then looked over the edge for Animal, but he wasn’t there. I widened my search and found him fleeing toward the bay at a terribly quick pace. The irony of this is that I’m about to save my own butt. My own guardian angel.
I rushed to the bay, behind a small car. Cara and I were leaving the area. I stayed closely behind them, but at a safe enough distance so that I wasn’t noticed. They were going to the hotel. So as far as I know, they should be safe. But for now, I have no idea what is going to happen to me! I listened for any quiet approaches or deep growls. None. Crap.
Animal is obviously not here, so I’ll just check the main roads. I teleported to Tohoka’s lab. At the entrance I watched for Animal or any signs of him at all. It seems that this monster fled for once in his life.
I heard a familiar voice squeak from behind me. It was Tohoka’s voice and he sounded terrified. I rushed to the experiment hallway and listened to Tohoka and his desperate voice.
“W-why do you need me? I-I have nothing to do with this crisis!” Tohoka sounds pressured. I looked around the corner to see whom he was talking to. A giant compared to the cowardly man, Animal snarled at Tohoka. I rushed behind Animal and grabbed him in one fast motion. I then rushed us back to the building where Soul was lying.
Animal reached for me from behind then threw me away from him. I charged back at him, sword unleashed and held high. Animal still had Soul’s weapon and used it to deflect my attack. He countered my dodge with a swing at my legs. I leapt into the air, avoiding a swift slice. In mid-air I rushed even higher into the air. I continued this action until Animal threatened to murder Soul. I then rushed to Soul’s aid. I landed on his chest, sword blocking Animal’s attack. I rolled away from Animal, sneaking in a smooth diversion. Animal fell over Soul as he tried to bring his weapon down upon me. I rushed to the opposite edge of the building and stood up, facing Animal. The monster began to race at me with rage in his eyes. He was on all fours, stampeding with hatred.
I shoved my arm forward collecting a mass of air and brought it toward Animal with an immense amount of force. (This is what it probably was) The air between Animal and I began to shake and blow everywhere with high speeds. Animal was already in the air, about to make his pounce. I threw out my other arm, pushing even more matter at Animal. His eyes saw the oncoming doom and widened more than ever. From his mid-air position, Animal was ripped away and hurled into the distant horizon. When I looked for him I only found an enormous impact crater on the face of an adjacent building. There was a thunderous thud from below. At the bottom of the building there was another impact crater with Animal inside it. I watched Animal try to crawl away from his defeat. He attempted to stand on two feet, but came tumbling to the ground soon after. I felt tempted to finish him off, to save Cara from her death and end everything right here. Yet, something came over me. Like a voice in my head that guided my thoughts to Soul, rather than Animal.
Soul was already getting back on his feet by the time I retrieved his sword and placed in his hand. “Keep it.” He grunted. He put his hand on his side and then spoke, “I don’t need it anymore. Besides, yours is made for amateurs. I think this sword is more within your rank, DemonFire.”
I took the sword from Soul. I wasn’t sure if he was out of it or serious. “Then what are you going to use next time you get tackled?”
“You saw how Animal stole my sword. I would be better off without it.”
Suit yourself. I sheathed the new sword and asked, “Does it have a name?”
Soul looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Not that I know of. It’s not jewel embedded or contain any runes. I don’t see anything more special about it really. Name it if you want, but I never saw a need for it.” He turned away and waited for me to join him.
I unsheathed the clean blade and examined it. Everything happens for a reason… The voice echoed within my head. On the handle of the blade were two dragons wrapped around each other. At the butt of the handle the dragons mirrored each other as they roared. One dragon had a white stone for an eye and the other had a black stone. At the hilt there were the tails of the dragons, splitting in opposite directions. On the blade there were carvings. I read them aloud for Soul.
“Undead.”
The Undead
“What in God’s name are you driving at?” I shouted. I am fed up with random people telling me random stories that have the most irrelevant ways of making sense. “Are you trying to tell me I can’t avoid my death? Tohoka just gave me a small amount of hope, but this parable just stole it!”
Soul looked at the professor. “I’m sorry for the lack of respect this poor fool has for you. He isn’t the brightest of my students, either.” With that, he turned me around and headed for the door. I pushed him away and walked quicker. Why can’t this guy just stay away for a while? I’m mad, but he won’t leave me be.
“Professor Acumen, I have only one more thing I would like to know.” I spun around to watch. “Can Faith be real?”
Acumen looked rather shocked. “Faith is only an expression. A mental stability, if you will. I personally don’t have any facts on Faith. Christians say that Faith is what allows them to gain “connection” to God. Faith is what Jesus Christ used to explain his powers and capabilities. So if your question is asking if “faith” is a real element, I say no. It is a made up connection just like a bridge, only a bridge is actually able to be seen and touched.”
“What makes you think Faith isn’t real, Soul?” I walked back toward him. “You think there is a scientific solution to what we’ve seen? I find it hard to believe that science created and founded everything.”
“That is because you haven’t taken the time, Kaden to look at all other options. You’ve read the comics. Spider-man got his power from a mutant spider, Batman became a hero because of determination, money, Superman was a freaking alien, and Hulk was a scientist. Never in the entire existence of mankind or comic making, has a group of heroes gained their power and skill through Faith.”
I paused. Soul had a good point, but… “Exactly! All of your examples are fiction heroes! We aren’t fiction; we’re real people with real supernatural gifts. So who’s to say that Faith isn’t what gives real heroes power? Especially if you and I are the only ones able to do these things.”
Soul was silent. Now I had the good point. Soul walked away from the professor and left the room. I followed and left the epically confused man behind. Nevertheless, as I left the room and entered the suddenly crowded hallway I found myself lost. Random college-aged students were passing me by, either by pushing me or being kind. I watched and held myself back from rushing any of these jerks to the peak of the atmosphere. I continued to watch, however, and nearly died at the sight of one of the students passing me. I thought I was dreaming or perhaps even delusional. Because the sight before me was one that couldn’t be real.
Cara walked right past me, into the classroom with Professor Acumen. She didn’t even notice me. I studied her as if she was an angel! She’s not real! I can’t be seeing this. I must be sleep deprived or maybe I’m just out of it completely. Because dead people don’t just hop up, join college and… College?
Quickly I ran over to Acumen. “Hey, Professor Acumen, what year is it? Call me retarded, but I forgot.” However, the round man just laughed.
“It’s 2014.” Came a reply from behind. It was Cara and her haunting voice. “Don’t feel bad, I forget the year a lot myself.” What is this sick and twisted dream?
“Thanks.” In addition, I ran back out the room. She’s alive in year 2014? But how? I saw her die. I was the eyewitness to her premature death. But she was just there. How! It’s not possible! Unless…
“I’ve been trying to find you.” Soul teleported in front of me. “Where have you been?”
I thought it better to hold my thoughts, for now. I’ll think on this for a while longer before I dare speak of it. “I was being shoved around back there. Hey, I’ve been wondering; what year is it?”
Soul walked over to a board on the wall. On it, there were papers and posts tacked onto it. After a second or two Soul pulled away from the bulletin board and spoke, “It seems we have ended up in the year 2014.” He looked at me with a raised brow.
“What? We’re time-travelers, remember?” I smiled as I asked this.
“Yeah, I remember that, but I don’t remember this part of my past…” He walked down the hallway, which was now clear. “You can’t time jump to another time unless you’ve already been there before. But as you can see, we are in the future. I don’t have a future…”
Don’t have a future? What kind of talk is that? “This is your present, so anything after this is your future.”
“No. I don’t live anything after I made my first time jump. Since that time, I’ve been jumping back and forth in time and space. This throws my rules off a bit.”
“Aha! This is supernatural! You can’t explain this.”
Soul paused for a moment, thinking of an explanation, no doubt. “Well, Tohoka seems to think that everything happens for a reason. That relates back to a scientific theory. Which makes that science, meaning that this is all a scientific result of a mislead experiment.”
Bull. “You made that all up.” I punched him in the arm. “But we should leave this time, before we find ourselves in a situation.” I pointed down the hallway at a teacher coming our way.
Soul grabbed my shoulder and we were gone. I wonder what it looks like for someone who witnesses us time jump. Maybe we fade out like a ghost or just vanish immediately. I wonder if those random people have to go to therapy after they preach about ghost and crazy illusions.
“Where are we going now?” I asked Soul. “Do you know this time?”
He laughed, “Yeah. We are going to the city the day you and Cara were arriving at Japan. I have a feeling that there, we might be of importance.”
And at that, the world filled in around us and we left the white eternity. We were standing atop a building that had a perfect view of the bay that Cara and I had taken to enter Japan unnoticed. I began to sulk within myself. Even from miles away, I could still see Cara and her living beauty. I wish I could rush to her, rip her away from her doom and be a hero. The one I am suppose to be.
“So, what exactly are we s’pose to be here for?” I would rather be distracted from torture. I looked up at Soul who only stared down at my past self and my deceased friend. “Soul!”
He snapped out of it and shot his eyes over at me. “Um… we are going to stand here and intercept an atta-”
His body leapt forward without warning. I watched and reacted, surprisingly, as Soul was tackled off the buildings edge. I rushed to his position in the air, meeting up with him and the attacker. Animal.
Animal was trying to get at Soul’s sword, but was being wrestled out of it. I reached for my sword and held it out and ready to run him through. Animal unrepentantly leapt off Soul and came flying my way. He spun around and faced me with a sword in hand. Quickly I deflected the attack and fell past Animal. Ahead, Soul was freefalling and headed toward the earth at a speedy pace. I rushed after him and teleported us back to the building. I placed Soul on the roof then looked over the edge for Animal, but he wasn’t there. I widened my search and found him fleeing toward the bay at a terribly quick pace. The irony of this is that I’m about to save my own butt. My own guardian angel.
I rushed to the bay, behind a small car. Cara and I were leaving the area. I stayed closely behind them, but at a safe enough distance so that I wasn’t noticed. They were going to the hotel. So as far as I know, they should be safe. But for now, I have no idea what is going to happen to me! I listened for any quiet approaches or deep growls. None. Crap.
Animal is obviously not here, so I’ll just check the main roads. I teleported to Tohoka’s lab. At the entrance I watched for Animal or any signs of him at all. It seems that this monster fled for once in his life.
I heard a familiar voice squeak from behind me. It was Tohoka’s voice and he sounded terrified. I rushed to the experiment hallway and listened to Tohoka and his desperate voice.
“W-why do you need me? I-I have nothing to do with this crisis!” Tohoka sounds pressured. I looked around the corner to see whom he was talking to. A giant compared to the cowardly man, Animal snarled at Tohoka. I rushed behind Animal and grabbed him in one fast motion. I then rushed us back to the building where Soul was lying.
Animal reached for me from behind then threw me away from him. I charged back at him, sword unleashed and held high. Animal still had Soul’s weapon and used it to deflect my attack. He countered my dodge with a swing at my legs. I leapt into the air, avoiding a swift slice. In mid-air I rushed even higher into the air. I continued this action until Animal threatened to murder Soul. I then rushed to Soul’s aid. I landed on his chest, sword blocking Animal’s attack. I rolled away from Animal, sneaking in a smooth diversion. Animal fell over Soul as he tried to bring his weapon down upon me. I rushed to the opposite edge of the building and stood up, facing Animal. The monster began to race at me with rage in his eyes. He was on all fours, stampeding with hatred.
I shoved my arm forward collecting a mass of air and brought it toward Animal with an immense amount of force. (This is what it probably was) The air between Animal and I began to shake and blow everywhere with high speeds. Animal was already in the air, about to make his pounce. I threw out my other arm, pushing even more matter at Animal. His eyes saw the oncoming doom and widened more than ever. From his mid-air position, Animal was ripped away and hurled into the distant horizon. When I looked for him I only found an enormous impact crater on the face of an adjacent building. There was a thunderous thud from below. At the bottom of the building there was another impact crater with Animal inside it. I watched Animal try to crawl away from his defeat. He attempted to stand on two feet, but came tumbling to the ground soon after. I felt tempted to finish him off, to save Cara from her death and end everything right here. Yet, something came over me. Like a voice in my head that guided my thoughts to Soul, rather than Animal.
Soul was already getting back on his feet by the time I retrieved his sword and placed in his hand. “Keep it.” He grunted. He put his hand on his side and then spoke, “I don’t need it anymore. Besides, yours is made for amateurs. I think this sword is more within your rank, DemonFire.”
I took the sword from Soul. I wasn’t sure if he was out of it or serious. “Then what are you going to use next time you get tackled?”
“You saw how Animal stole my sword. I would be better off without it.”
Suit yourself. I sheathed the new sword and asked, “Does it have a name?”
Soul looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Not that I know of. It’s not jewel embedded or contain any runes. I don’t see anything more special about it really. Name it if you want, but I never saw a need for it.” He turned away and waited for me to join him.
I unsheathed the clean blade and examined it. Everything happens for a reason… The voice echoed within my head. On the handle of the blade were two dragons wrapped around each other. At the butt of the handle the dragons mirrored each other as they roared. One dragon had a white stone for an eye and the other had a black stone. At the hilt there were the tails of the dragons, splitting in opposite directions. On the blade there were carvings. I read them aloud for Soul.
“Undead.”
-
Keith1297
Re: Rebirth
Chapter 15
A Light
Life is a puzzle that is taking millions of scientist to crack. We have tried saying that human existence is a bunch of luck, an accident within evolution. The Big Bang, which I personally believe means; God said “Boom!” and then we came into reality! There are a hundred thousand things in this universe that no man or woman could explain. Why is there a constant flow in the timeline? Cities rise, exist and then fall. Repeatedly, until this world dies out. Molecules form energy from an unknown supplier. Strange phenomena occur in daily life, especially mine!
Nevertheless, there is something else out there that many of us do not notice. That would be irony. Irony is a type of humor based on using words to suggest the opposite of their literal meaning, incongruity between what actually happens and what might be expected to happen, especially when this disparity seems absurd or laughable, something that happens that is incongruous with what might be expected to happen.
Moreover, irony is the only word that can describe what happened when I read the words carved into my new sword, The Undead. At first, I thought what kind of name is that? Most of the time you find swords called something like executioner or death-bringer. Then I thought about the name. I thought about how it relates back to all of the people I have recently ran into, people I thought were dead. I thought I killed Tohoka, I thought Cara was crushed beneath a massive chunk of ceiling and my own sword murdered Animal. Yet all those people just passed me by.
This sword is called Undead. This is not the creepy part, though. The creepy part is how it comes into my hands after I see all of these ghostly beings! That is irony! Moreover, another addition to the mystical world that we live in, but to the endless wonder I am around everyday! It blows my mind that I got this weapon with this name! You cannot possibly say that this is random luck! After all I have been through I have come to realize that everything happens for a reason! In addition, that there is a God who has seen the layout of my life and has deliberately made it possible for me to obtain a sword that would open my mind to all of these things.
I cannot wrap my mind around the very concept that there is an all-powerful Creator who knows everything in every mind! In this ongoing thought process I feel hope. Like when you watch a freakin awesome movie, the music kicks in with trumpets, and that crescendo in the bass. Just as the hero finally reaches his true moment of victory and glory! I am at that peak right now! Only mine is not because of a victory or triumph. I am excited because I have just come to the knowledge that this is meant to happen! I am part of a greater plan and as hard a reality tries to block it out, I have grasped the hope that God is with me even in this struggle.
Before now, I only thought of God in church and science class. He never played a role in my mind during the random times between. Yet I think He likes it that way. If He made Himself obvious every moment of every day, then we would grow bored of Him and His amazing abilities. Therefore, He sits back and throws out small hints of His presence and power. I cannot think of any other reason why he would remain so hidden.
So where am I going with this? I am mainly describing how I am amazed by this wonderful gift I have received, the power that God has over the universe and the marvels in this world that none of us take the time to observe.
///
After the Soul and I time jumped back to the Gathering Point, I collapsed to the ground. Mentally, I feel fully charged and ready for anything, but my body cannot go on without rest. My vision faded into black and decreased as I felt Soul pick me up in his arms and lay me on a couch. There was a little bit of mumbling from above, but I was in a coma soon after my body touched the soft couch. The light in my world faded out completely and I entered the deathly abyss…
Light. From above an intense ray of sun shot into my eyes. My body felt the sudden warmth come as the light grew brighter. I failed to close my eyes, for the ray was so intense that my body felt stunned. Therefore, I am left to stare into this magnificent beam of warmth, with no will of my own.
As I stood, in awe of the light, I saw a small shadow move. It grew in size rapidly at first, but as it came closer, it reached its peak in altitude and stopped. The black shadow began to emit its own source of light, revealing the face to the silhouette. The same pain that I felt when I saw Cara at the bay returned now. I tried to force my body forward, to embrace the ghostly figure before me, but I failed. So I was forced to stare at her now, with the immense sun in the background.
Cara watched me intently. I felt her eyes pierce my flesh and enter my mind. Her eyes remained fixed on mine as she began to smile. I felt like crying. I tried to open my mouth to talk, but my jaw would not budge. Again, I tried to break the seal between my lips. No luck. Repeatedly I tried to rip my mouth open and speak, but every time I was left silent. My anger began to rise like a flame as I threw my tongue, my jaw muscle and every bit of strength in me to force open my mouth. I felt the blood in my mouth flood as my tongue broke through tissue. Tears ran down my cheeks, tickling my face. Cara, however only stared with a growing smile. My body felt hot as the stress of my body only continued and my anger rose. Why is she smiling? What is so funny about my situation?
I felt like roaring at her, time jumping back to when I kill Animal and do it again! In my body the temperature rocketed past my limitations and I broke the seal. As I cracked open my jaw I heard the sharp snap of my mouth, followed by the caged roar. I doubled over, gripping my chin, feeling it dangle uncontrollably. A hand touched my shoulder as I closed my eyes and popped my jaw back into place. I felt the low click when it went into its socket. Looking up I saw Cara kindly offering me her hand to stand up.
“Get away from me. I don’t need your help.” I growled at her.
“You will, if not now.” She said in a dazed voice.
“What are you talking about? You are a figment of my imagination. This whole thing is a dream. It’s no different than the visions I had of Soul.” My victory attitude from earlier is gone.
Cara kneed me in the chin while I was getting to my feet. I fell onto my back, clenching my teeth so hard I squirted the blood out through the gaps. My chin throbbed as blood dripped from it. I roared again and leaped at Cara. Just before my right foot left the ground, I kicked to the side, just missing Cara. Even if she was being cruel, I have no reason to attack her.
“If this was only a dream or illusion why did that hurt?” She sounded like she was my mother.
I grunted out the reply. “Well, if this is reality I shouldn’t be surprised. Seeing how all hell seems to rise one moment, then I feel uplifted and then I see dead people. So yeah, technically this is real. Logically, I need therapy!” I came to my feet and stared at her with a small amount of rage. “So how will I need your help?”
“In the near future you will be appointed to make a fatal decision. This decision will form your new life. Each choice has its benefits, however, you can choose only one and it cannot change.”
“Well, what are the choices?”
“I am not the one to tell you this. In the future, you will learn about that and its own paths. For now, though, I have something for you. A gift.”
A gift? What could she give me? “And what would that be? I seem to have a lot of gifts already.”
An orb, slightly dimmer than the sun-lit background, floated out from behind Cara and came toward me. It had no immediate effect on me. However, as it came closer I felt a friendly atmosphere come over me. I felt like my parents were standing on either side of me smiling. They were proud of their son and his great accomplishments.
The orb sparkled as it spoke to me. “They are proud of you, Kaden. They are gone from the natural world, but they will forever be with you in your heart.”
This statement felt hopeful and loving. “What, exactly, are you?”
The orb flowed back to Cara and replied, “I am all of the souls that have been lost because of you, Soul and Animal. Do not feel sorry for this. We were only accidentally massacred in the backwash of your existence. Within me are all of the collected souls that have been put down.”
“How many are there? How many were killed because of me and Soul?” I felt horrible knowing people were dead cause of me.
“First let me clarify that you and Animal are not the same person or being for that matter. Animal is a past ‘version’ of you. He lived out his life and became the creature he is now. You are living your life completely differently than Animal.” The orb sparkled once more. “Within me there is over ten million people, but of course nine and a half million were killed because of that meteor that collided into Earth. Only five hundred thousand have been killed by your reckless lifetime. Yet do not be disheartened by this news. You, Kaden, DemonFire, are not the killer. You are the hero, in the end.”
“But this is not the reason we have summoned you.” Cara chimed in. “We have brought you here to help you in the future. Soon we will be the only friends you will have. Soul will be gone, Tohoka as well. During this solitude you will be left alone and have no one to go to for help. You will also be on a mission. Time will no longer be under your control and you will have to race against time. Animal will be more powerful than before and a much bigger threat to the world.”
“Tohoka told you about the Yin-Yang,” sparkled the orb. “And how if it is unbalanced then chaos will consume the world and humanity will be at an end. Your job is to not allow that to happen.”
“Animal is dead, though. I watched him die, so how could he be more powerful?” Why when someone dies can’t they stay that way?
The orb continued, “In your lifetime you have undergone much deception. Animal told you that he is the future you. He is wrong. Because you, Kaden, are a completely new being. Meaning there is no connection with you and Animal. Animal is, however, linked with Soul. As I said, your life has been full of deception. This is the gift we want to give to you.”
“Knowledge that can save your life.” Cara said.
My heart sank deep into my stomach. I saw where this was going and I am not proud of my foolishness. I should have known that Soul was the future me. We have so much in common! Besides the powers, we look the same almost and act the same in most situations. How could I have been so stupid? To miss something that obvious is pathetic! On the other hand, is it? I mean, Tohoka did not seem to notice. But why did Soul keep it a secret?
“His secrecy has kept him alive until now. If he would have told about his true self then you would have ruined his plans.”
“But if he plans to turn into his pride-filled self then there would be two Animals, right?”
“That is impossible. The same exact form of someone cannot co-exist with each other. This would result in a chaotic collapse in the cosmos. Soul believes he is destined to kill Animal, but he does it on his own.”
“No Faith.” I muttered, shocked to be hearing this.
“Precisely. Soul will find his own path to reach his own goal and will become the monster within. He will then be determined to eradicate you so that he will always be the ultimate power.”
“So my mission is?” I felt the tension rise in the atmosphere.
In unison they spoke, “You, Kaden Trooper, are the one to end this endless lifeline. Animal will be killed by Soul and you will be forced to kill your closest ally in the struggle between Fate and Destiny, Good and Evil, Right and Wrong, Yin and Yang, Life and Death.” They paused. “When the time comes you will have the moment to make this all fade away into nothing more than a distant memory. So we grant you strength, courage and ongoing Faith to pursue the Heroic Disaster.”
Light.
A Light
Life is a puzzle that is taking millions of scientist to crack. We have tried saying that human existence is a bunch of luck, an accident within evolution. The Big Bang, which I personally believe means; God said “Boom!” and then we came into reality! There are a hundred thousand things in this universe that no man or woman could explain. Why is there a constant flow in the timeline? Cities rise, exist and then fall. Repeatedly, until this world dies out. Molecules form energy from an unknown supplier. Strange phenomena occur in daily life, especially mine!
Nevertheless, there is something else out there that many of us do not notice. That would be irony. Irony is a type of humor based on using words to suggest the opposite of their literal meaning, incongruity between what actually happens and what might be expected to happen, especially when this disparity seems absurd or laughable, something that happens that is incongruous with what might be expected to happen.
Moreover, irony is the only word that can describe what happened when I read the words carved into my new sword, The Undead. At first, I thought what kind of name is that? Most of the time you find swords called something like executioner or death-bringer. Then I thought about the name. I thought about how it relates back to all of the people I have recently ran into, people I thought were dead. I thought I killed Tohoka, I thought Cara was crushed beneath a massive chunk of ceiling and my own sword murdered Animal. Yet all those people just passed me by.
This sword is called Undead. This is not the creepy part, though. The creepy part is how it comes into my hands after I see all of these ghostly beings! That is irony! Moreover, another addition to the mystical world that we live in, but to the endless wonder I am around everyday! It blows my mind that I got this weapon with this name! You cannot possibly say that this is random luck! After all I have been through I have come to realize that everything happens for a reason! In addition, that there is a God who has seen the layout of my life and has deliberately made it possible for me to obtain a sword that would open my mind to all of these things.
I cannot wrap my mind around the very concept that there is an all-powerful Creator who knows everything in every mind! In this ongoing thought process I feel hope. Like when you watch a freakin awesome movie, the music kicks in with trumpets, and that crescendo in the bass. Just as the hero finally reaches his true moment of victory and glory! I am at that peak right now! Only mine is not because of a victory or triumph. I am excited because I have just come to the knowledge that this is meant to happen! I am part of a greater plan and as hard a reality tries to block it out, I have grasped the hope that God is with me even in this struggle.
Before now, I only thought of God in church and science class. He never played a role in my mind during the random times between. Yet I think He likes it that way. If He made Himself obvious every moment of every day, then we would grow bored of Him and His amazing abilities. Therefore, He sits back and throws out small hints of His presence and power. I cannot think of any other reason why he would remain so hidden.
So where am I going with this? I am mainly describing how I am amazed by this wonderful gift I have received, the power that God has over the universe and the marvels in this world that none of us take the time to observe.
///
After the Soul and I time jumped back to the Gathering Point, I collapsed to the ground. Mentally, I feel fully charged and ready for anything, but my body cannot go on without rest. My vision faded into black and decreased as I felt Soul pick me up in his arms and lay me on a couch. There was a little bit of mumbling from above, but I was in a coma soon after my body touched the soft couch. The light in my world faded out completely and I entered the deathly abyss…
Light. From above an intense ray of sun shot into my eyes. My body felt the sudden warmth come as the light grew brighter. I failed to close my eyes, for the ray was so intense that my body felt stunned. Therefore, I am left to stare into this magnificent beam of warmth, with no will of my own.
As I stood, in awe of the light, I saw a small shadow move. It grew in size rapidly at first, but as it came closer, it reached its peak in altitude and stopped. The black shadow began to emit its own source of light, revealing the face to the silhouette. The same pain that I felt when I saw Cara at the bay returned now. I tried to force my body forward, to embrace the ghostly figure before me, but I failed. So I was forced to stare at her now, with the immense sun in the background.
Cara watched me intently. I felt her eyes pierce my flesh and enter my mind. Her eyes remained fixed on mine as she began to smile. I felt like crying. I tried to open my mouth to talk, but my jaw would not budge. Again, I tried to break the seal between my lips. No luck. Repeatedly I tried to rip my mouth open and speak, but every time I was left silent. My anger began to rise like a flame as I threw my tongue, my jaw muscle and every bit of strength in me to force open my mouth. I felt the blood in my mouth flood as my tongue broke through tissue. Tears ran down my cheeks, tickling my face. Cara, however only stared with a growing smile. My body felt hot as the stress of my body only continued and my anger rose. Why is she smiling? What is so funny about my situation?
I felt like roaring at her, time jumping back to when I kill Animal and do it again! In my body the temperature rocketed past my limitations and I broke the seal. As I cracked open my jaw I heard the sharp snap of my mouth, followed by the caged roar. I doubled over, gripping my chin, feeling it dangle uncontrollably. A hand touched my shoulder as I closed my eyes and popped my jaw back into place. I felt the low click when it went into its socket. Looking up I saw Cara kindly offering me her hand to stand up.
“Get away from me. I don’t need your help.” I growled at her.
“You will, if not now.” She said in a dazed voice.
“What are you talking about? You are a figment of my imagination. This whole thing is a dream. It’s no different than the visions I had of Soul.” My victory attitude from earlier is gone.
Cara kneed me in the chin while I was getting to my feet. I fell onto my back, clenching my teeth so hard I squirted the blood out through the gaps. My chin throbbed as blood dripped from it. I roared again and leaped at Cara. Just before my right foot left the ground, I kicked to the side, just missing Cara. Even if she was being cruel, I have no reason to attack her.
“If this was only a dream or illusion why did that hurt?” She sounded like she was my mother.
I grunted out the reply. “Well, if this is reality I shouldn’t be surprised. Seeing how all hell seems to rise one moment, then I feel uplifted and then I see dead people. So yeah, technically this is real. Logically, I need therapy!” I came to my feet and stared at her with a small amount of rage. “So how will I need your help?”
“In the near future you will be appointed to make a fatal decision. This decision will form your new life. Each choice has its benefits, however, you can choose only one and it cannot change.”
“Well, what are the choices?”
“I am not the one to tell you this. In the future, you will learn about that and its own paths. For now, though, I have something for you. A gift.”
A gift? What could she give me? “And what would that be? I seem to have a lot of gifts already.”
An orb, slightly dimmer than the sun-lit background, floated out from behind Cara and came toward me. It had no immediate effect on me. However, as it came closer I felt a friendly atmosphere come over me. I felt like my parents were standing on either side of me smiling. They were proud of their son and his great accomplishments.
The orb sparkled as it spoke to me. “They are proud of you, Kaden. They are gone from the natural world, but they will forever be with you in your heart.”
This statement felt hopeful and loving. “What, exactly, are you?”
The orb flowed back to Cara and replied, “I am all of the souls that have been lost because of you, Soul and Animal. Do not feel sorry for this. We were only accidentally massacred in the backwash of your existence. Within me are all of the collected souls that have been put down.”
“How many are there? How many were killed because of me and Soul?” I felt horrible knowing people were dead cause of me.
“First let me clarify that you and Animal are not the same person or being for that matter. Animal is a past ‘version’ of you. He lived out his life and became the creature he is now. You are living your life completely differently than Animal.” The orb sparkled once more. “Within me there is over ten million people, but of course nine and a half million were killed because of that meteor that collided into Earth. Only five hundred thousand have been killed by your reckless lifetime. Yet do not be disheartened by this news. You, Kaden, DemonFire, are not the killer. You are the hero, in the end.”
“But this is not the reason we have summoned you.” Cara chimed in. “We have brought you here to help you in the future. Soon we will be the only friends you will have. Soul will be gone, Tohoka as well. During this solitude you will be left alone and have no one to go to for help. You will also be on a mission. Time will no longer be under your control and you will have to race against time. Animal will be more powerful than before and a much bigger threat to the world.”
“Tohoka told you about the Yin-Yang,” sparkled the orb. “And how if it is unbalanced then chaos will consume the world and humanity will be at an end. Your job is to not allow that to happen.”
“Animal is dead, though. I watched him die, so how could he be more powerful?” Why when someone dies can’t they stay that way?
The orb continued, “In your lifetime you have undergone much deception. Animal told you that he is the future you. He is wrong. Because you, Kaden, are a completely new being. Meaning there is no connection with you and Animal. Animal is, however, linked with Soul. As I said, your life has been full of deception. This is the gift we want to give to you.”
“Knowledge that can save your life.” Cara said.
My heart sank deep into my stomach. I saw where this was going and I am not proud of my foolishness. I should have known that Soul was the future me. We have so much in common! Besides the powers, we look the same almost and act the same in most situations. How could I have been so stupid? To miss something that obvious is pathetic! On the other hand, is it? I mean, Tohoka did not seem to notice. But why did Soul keep it a secret?
“His secrecy has kept him alive until now. If he would have told about his true self then you would have ruined his plans.”
“But if he plans to turn into his pride-filled self then there would be two Animals, right?”
“That is impossible. The same exact form of someone cannot co-exist with each other. This would result in a chaotic collapse in the cosmos. Soul believes he is destined to kill Animal, but he does it on his own.”
“No Faith.” I muttered, shocked to be hearing this.
“Precisely. Soul will find his own path to reach his own goal and will become the monster within. He will then be determined to eradicate you so that he will always be the ultimate power.”
“So my mission is?” I felt the tension rise in the atmosphere.
In unison they spoke, “You, Kaden Trooper, are the one to end this endless lifeline. Animal will be killed by Soul and you will be forced to kill your closest ally in the struggle between Fate and Destiny, Good and Evil, Right and Wrong, Yin and Yang, Life and Death.” They paused. “When the time comes you will have the moment to make this all fade away into nothing more than a distant memory. So we grant you strength, courage and ongoing Faith to pursue the Heroic Disaster.”
Light.
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