And now, here I was. With this impossible choice to make.
But, the more I thought about it, it wasn't even a choice between life and death. It was death and death! Either way, it was the end for me. So it wasn't really a hard decision, was it? The obvious thing to do was to be the superhero that I wanted to be, and make the ultimate move. I just needed to make that leap. I was standing on the metaphoric precipice, my toes dangling over the edge, staring at the abyss below. Only, I didn't see anything. Because I had no idea what was down there at the bottom.
I took a long, deep breath.
Alright. What do I have to do?...
I DO NOT KNOW, SIZZLE. I ONLY KNOW OF THE LEGEND, AND MANY DISAGREE ON THE MEANING. BUT I BELIEVE THE CONDUITS SOMEHOW GAVE UP THEIR PHYSICAL BODIES TO ENTER THE OVERWORLD.
Oh, well in that case, this should be easy!
I had no idea what to do. I had thought that I had done the hardest part: deciding to go through with it. To sacrifice my life so that everyone else may continue to live theirs. But that was only the first step. Next, I had to make that metaphorical leap.
But how do I metaphorically do anything? Do I write a poem about it? Include some great metaphors? Make it rhyme, throw in some alliteration?
Or do I simply meditate my body away? That seemed too simple. If that were the case, then anyone could do it. But if I was a Conduit, as Octomus believed, or the Origin of Time, as SHE believed, then that should mean that I need to do something that only I could do.
Could I just shift out of this universe? But I do that all the time. I've never been separated from my body before.
Ok then. What about the mindbuzz? I learned that little trick from the octopuses, and the legend came from their lore. So it may be relevant... but what do I mindbuzz? The universe? Myself? Wait a sec- what about myself? Is that even possible? What the hell. Here goes nothing.
I did the mindbuzz trick, but inwardly. Instantly, my head was hit by a sledgehammer of pain, and I became violently ill. I panicked, self-preservation instincts kicked in, and I immediately turned it inside-out, for healing. The pain in my head transformed into a velvety soft cushion, and my brain felt like flowers. But this time, it seemed as if I was feeling it all from a distance. From outside myself. Maybe this is the only way to heal myself? To step outside of my mind?
I looked closer. Like I was examining someone else's mind, I peered deeper, while at the same time, I was pulling back further. It was a very odd sensation. Like I was looking through a microscope, and focusing smaller and smaller. But simultaneously looking through a telescope, and pulling the focus back further and further away.
And then a tremendous thought struck me, dully from a distance, and clear and precise at the same time. This is how to do it! It's not so much that I have to die, necessarily. I just need to pull further and further back until I've... separated myself. From myself.
I took the leap. I separated from my mind. Everything went dark.
There was no sensory input. No sight, no sound. I couldn't feel anything, I was numb. Not tingly, prickly numb. But completely not-there numb. I couldn't smell anything; I wasn't even breathing. It slowly dawned on me that I had nothing to breathe with. I was separated from my lungs. And for all I could tell, I may have been in a complete vacuum anyway, devoid of air altogether. Devoid of anything.
Of everything.
Well, well, well. You successfully crossed back over, and now you are home again.
Home? Who are you? How long have I been gone?
Time does not exist here. Nothing exists here. Except us.
You did fear that this might happen. You left, and you were able to return. But in the process, it appears that you've lost yourself.
The Life Realm is a strong place, with strong ties. We could feel that much from here. You crossed over, and it took you. You've forgotten who you once were. I wonder. How else has "time" in the Life Realm altered you...
I don't know what you are talking about. Do I know you?
Do you know me? Yes, you know me. Together, it was you and I who created this place.
We... I don't remember any of that. I don't understand.
You were afraid this might happen. I wonder if you will again regain your memory. Perhaps I can help.
You and I are the last of us. For almost as long as time, itself, we fought with infinity. And we nearly lost that war. Most of us did not survive. I am not sure we can use the word, "victorious", but you and I did survive.
But we were not victors in reality, as we quickly came to understand. We were merely escapees, hiding from infinity.
This realm, the Everlast-
The octopuses call it the Overworld.
Is that so? Well, this Overworld, then, was created when we made the octopuses. It seemed fortuitous that a bi-product of the creation of the Life Realm was exactly what we had been searching for all along; the solution to our impending extinction, an escape from infinity. But alas, it was an imperfect outcome. We found ourselves in a realm of nothing. No sights, no sounds, no worlds. And no time. Actual infinity! We were no longer at war. We had beaten infinity.
But was it worth it? Eternal, silent blackness, nothing but each other to keep us entertained. We escaped the doom infinity had to offer us, but we found our own surrogate doom. One of forever boredom.
So, what was I supposed to accomplish in the Life Realm?
You devised a scheme to make contact and enlist the octopuses' help to free the omniverse from infinity for us. So that we could return to a meaningful existence once more.
Well, I did make contact. I was a human. I could talk to octopuses with my mind. I could shift between universes in the multiverse. No one else could do that, apparently.
And there was another voice in my head, one who was manipulating me for a while, until I caught on and put a stop to it. His leader thought I was the Origin of Time, and that I was going to inadvertently destroy the multiverse. She thought I was infinity, essentially. She tried to kill me, but I bested her.
And Prime, he's my octopus friend, he thinks I'm a Conduit. He wanted me to give up my body to come here. To make contact with the Creators. So I tried to do just that, and this is where I ended up.
Ah... well you did indeed make contact. Ha! If they would have known you were one of the Creators...
But, I didn't know that either.
So, they have legends of us. Very cool. And you were... human? What is that?
Another species. Not an octopus.
The octopuses created other beings?! Well, well, well... we did pretty fine with those little fellas!
I'm not sure if humans were created by the octopuses or not. They have a strained relationship at times. Humans actually eat the octopuses!
Really?! Well, that's not a very nice thank you for creating them, is it?
But, at the same time, the octopuses were controlling the world through telepathic suggestion.
Oh. So perhaps it is all in fair play...
And the octopuses had to have created the humans. Because we did not. We only created the octopuses.
So, then, who created the dolphins? Or cats and dogs? Or birds? There is this beast that is a mixture of all of them, they call it the duck-billed platypus. That one is very strange. I wonder if the octopuses have recreational drugs...
My, my! Our octopuses have been very busy indeed! Such intelligent creatures! I guess I am very proud of them.
So I am a creator? One of those in Octomus Prime's legends?
Indeed, you are! One of only two left in existence, if one can call this existence...
According to the legend, Conduits were created so that they may find us. He thought I was a Conduit that could help him make contact with the Creators. Turns out, he had a Creator for a friend all along!
You have no memory of anything at all from before you left Everlast?
I would have sworn to you that I am and have always been a human my whole life.
Fascinating! I wonder what would have happened to you had you stayed there in the Life Realm indefinitely... We couldn't create the octopuses with the immortality that we possess. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to hide from infinity. But I wonder if you would carry that with you when you pass through...
You- we, have been around since the dawn of existence?
Yup.
Humans and octopuses and all the other life that I encountered... they eventually die. Compared to you- to us-, they exist for but a moment. And then they are gone.
So sad...
I wonder... I wonder if I could go back. I don't remember my life as a Creator. But my life as Sizzle was... exhilarating! I didn't always know it, or appreciate it. But I would trade eternity for the brief flash of life that one can experience in the life realm.
But, if I forgot who and what I was when I went there the first time... if I were to go back, do you think I'd be starting all over again?
I don't know. We had so few preconceptions about how this experiment would go. But if you lost yourself the first time...
So you are thinking about going back?
I want to save them. They're my friends.
And if you don't remember them when you get back there?
...I don't know. But I have to try.
What are you going to do? How do you think you can fix the stretching of time? We've been trying to do just that for our entire very, very, very long lives! What makes you think this time will be different?
Because this time, we have access to both the Life Realm and the Overworld.
You may not be able to return to Everlast this time.
A chance I'm willing to take.
This is where you and I differ.
You think this is life?! This isn't life. This is existence. There is a difference. I want life! Yes, I'd be willing to give this up. As the humans say, "in a heartbeat".
Then I wish you luck, old friend.
Come with me. You have no idea! It is indescribable. It is... not this.
Tempting, but I have strived for too long for eternal life to chance it now. I have my eternity here.
Then I wish you well. I have had a taste of life, and I cannot give it up.
I thought that if an inverted, inward mindbuzz separated myself from, er, myself... then maybe doing it again, but from the Everlast side, might bring me... back together again? It was worth a shot.
As it turned out, it was well worth the shot, because that is exactly what happened.
... SO IF YOU TRY TO DO THAT, TO SOMEHOW GIVE UP YOUR PHYSICAL BODY, MAYBE YOU CAN-
Octomus! I'm back!
WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU ARE BACK?
I did it! I left my body, and I found the Overworld!
BUT, SIZZLE, YOU HAVE NOT EVEN TRIED YET.
I did! I went, and then I came back! It was not a happy place. It was a no-place. There was nothing there. Except-
ARE YOU SURE? YOU DID NOT SEEM TO GO ANYWHERE. WE WERE STILL DISCUSSING HOW YOU MIGHT ACCOMPLISH IT, AND-
I'm telling you! I went! I separated myself from my body and I went to the Overworld!
BUT, THERE WAS NO TIME...
That's just it! There is no time there! The creators found a way to escape infinity afterall. They created a realm where time does not exist. Where nothing existed. Just the Creators. They call it Everlast.
YOU... YOU MET WITH THE CREATORS?! SIZZLE... THEY ARE DEAD. THEY GAVE UP THEIR LIVES FOR US.
No, Octomus. They created that nothing realm when they created the Life Realm. And that is where they live. Sort of...
THIS IS AMAZING!
Prime, listen. There's more...
THIS IS TRULY INCREDIBLE! TO SPEAK WITH A CREATOR... YOU ARE TRULY BLESSED, MY FRIEND! YOU ARE THE ONLY LIVING BEING WHO HAS BEEN IN THE PRESENCE OF THE CREATORS! IMAGINE...
Well, about that. That's not exactly accurate.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
I mean, I'm not the only one who has been in their presence...
SIZZLE? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?
Prime... you have also been in the presence of a Creator.
THIS IS A STRANGE JEST, SIZZLE. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE JOKE.
It's not a joke, Prime. Listen, I learned a lot while I was there. Revelations that I am still trying to process.
YES? I AM LISTENING.
I was told that I... Prime, there are only two Creators left. After all that time being chased by infinity, it dwindled their numbers catastrophically. There are only two survivors.
... and I... am one of them.
The silence stretched on for an uncomfortable length of time.
SIZZLE. ARE YOU CLAIMING TO BE ONE OF OCTOMUS PRIME'S CREATORS FROM HIS LEGEND?
Well, Verschna, that is what the Creator told me. That I am a Creator, and I came here to the Life Realm for a time, then returned to the Overworld, to Everlast. But when I returned, I had no memory of being a Creator before. I only remembered my life as Jamie Blaise, as a human.
And that is still all that I can remember. But, I think that a decision stood before me there, in Everlast. There, in the black nothing. No, not even black. Black is a color. There was no color there. This place had absolutely nothing. Not even time. Which, I guess, was the goal, afterall. There was just me, my spirit or soul or... whatever you call it. My essence? And the Creator. They named it home. Safe, apparently, from infinity. They said that they and I were the last of all the Creators. And it was a lonely place. Devoid of life. Even if I lived forever there, what kind of life is that? I told them that I wanted to live. Not hide from life. So if I could come back, I would.
AND HERE YOU ARE...
I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. HOW CAN YOU BE ONE OF THE CREATORS? YOU ARE SIZZLE!
I don't know. It's a weird thing to contemplate. I'm not sure what this means.
PERHAPS IT MEANS THAT YOU CAN FIX THE OMNIVERSE, SIZZLE. WHAT IS THE USE OF BEING ONE OF THESE CREATORS IF YOU CAN'T FIX WHAT'S WRONG? FIX TIME, SIZZLE. THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS. IT MEANS YOU CAN FIX TIME.
But, I don't know how! Being a Creator doesn't seem to have granted me superpowers!
I was blasted with a sense of incredulity from both of them.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? EVEN FORGETTING THIS WHOLE CREATOR BUSINESS, YOU ARE THE ORIGIN OF TIME! YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN THINNING THE FABRIC OF THE MULTIVERSES WITHOUT EVEN TRYING! FIX IT!
SIZZLE, YOU ARE THE MOST INCREDIBLY CAPABLE BEING I HAVE EVER COME INTO CONTACT WITH. NOW... HAVING MET THOUSANDS OF YOUR SPECIES THROUGH THE AQUARIUM, THAT IS NOT REALLY SAYING MUCH. BUT EVEN AMONG MY OWN PEOPLE, YOU ARE A VERY POWERFUL INDIVIDUAL. I HAVE THE UTMOST CONFIDENCE THAT YOU CAN DO THIS THING.
YOU HAVE ALREADY CONNECTED MY PEOPLE WITH THE CREATORS, FULFILLING YOUR PURPOSE AS A CONDUIT. EVEN IF WE DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE FULL TRUTH OF IT UNTIL NOW, YOU HAVE DONE SO.
And that's when it hit me. I was a Conduit, reuniting the octopuses with their Creators. And I was the Origin of Time, who traverses universes and connects them all together. I did have superpowers! What was I thinking?
Alright kids, I got this. Cue the superhero music. I'll be right back.
I separated from myself once more. Back in the Overworld, I had some convincing to do.
You have returned again. Have you found that life no longer suits you?
Life... No. On the contrary, it is for life that I have returned.
You speak in riddles now? Is this what the Realm of Life does to you?
Life is everything, man. I admit that I don't remember anything about what it is like to exist in this empty place. But I can tell you from experience that life is what gives me purpose. What is the point of existence in this world? Sure, you have beaten infinity. You have ensured your immortality. But what do you do here? What is your purpose?
My purpose? Well, I've beaten infinity. For nearly the entire span of time, we have sought to circumvent the one constraint that we had. We could do what we wanted, and did. We made new universes. We searched for an answer to our only form of mortality, the inexorable thinning of time. And in the end, that is just what we did. We solved our problem.
And it has gotten you... this. But what can you do in here?
I get it. If you leave, you will again be at the mercy of your mortal enemy. So you stay. But to do what? There is nothing here! What will you do with your stolen time? Your most precious commodity. Your only possession.
You have nothing here. You are nothing. You may have extended your existence indefinitely, but what will you do with your time, in this place with no time? Such a weird paradox. I'm finding a lot of those lately...
But out there, in the Life Realm, you'll find purpose again. A reason to exist. You'll find life!
Are you trying to sell me something here? Do you want me to come with you? Is that it?
Yes, actually, I do. I want you to choose life. And in doing so, you will have not only enriched yourself with the incredible sensations and experiences that life has to offer, but you will also acquire a sense of purpose.
You overestimate my need for purpose. That is your need, perhaps...
Perhaps. But I believe there has to be a reason. Life provides that.
And what is your reason? What is your purpose?
My reason? Experiences. Falling in love. Watching my kids grow up. Stubbing a toe...
What is love?
That is a million dollar question right there.
What is a million dollar?
Ha! That's just it. These are things you will not find in this nothing realm. There is nothing here to experience.
Why do you want me to come with you?
Well, to be honest, I need you to come back with me. The omniverse out there is still collapsing. The octopuses and every other living being is in danger now. Time is still the enemy. But I've figured out a way to neutralize the threat. Not to beat time, not to hide from time, but to negotiate with it.
After everything we have gone through... we finally escaped the clutches of time. It destroyed all but the two of us. And now you want me to negotiate? Are you out of your mind?!
Yeah, you won. You have your Overworld. Your nothing realm. Your prison. Congratulations. But out there... everything will be destroyed. Everything we've created and left behind, all that has flourished and learned and grown and evolved... all the beauty, all the love, all the joy, and the sadness too. Everything. All will be gone. Then you will truly be alone. Because that life out there will be extinguished, and me along with it. I will not live here. This is not life. You will be left with nothing and no one. Forever. And you say there is no time here. But forever is a long, long time.
I need you to come with me, to help stop the thinning. To help stop the annihilation. And to help yourself, too. To learn what it feels like to live.
Let's just say I did this thing. Let's pretend I give up the Everlast that we worked so hard for. How do you propose we solve this problem of infinity stretching and thinning out reality? When we have spent our entire existence trying to understand how to escape time?
I propose that we marry the Life Realm and Everlast together. You created a universe of life. And you beat infinity by also creating a universe absent of time. Separate from infinity.
So we join them together. We create another paradox. We combine time with the absence of time, and establish a stability.
Or implode everything to nothing.
So what have you lost, then? You have nothing now! At least everyone and everything else might have a chance. As it stands, they will all perish, and you will be left with absolute nothing. I am going with them, one way or another.
What will it be? No pressure, but only the matter of existence depends on your decision.
You suck.
I've been told that in both realms now.
Ok. Fine. You win. Let's see what I may gain from this.
Alright! We will both win! And listen; if it doesn't work out, you can just kill me.
I showed them how to slide over, and together, the last two Creators left Everlast behind and entered the Realm of Life, the act combining the two realms into one.
There was a brief, but violent, whoosh and there was a pop in my ears as if the air pressure suddenly changed. That hadn't happened before. And something else felt a little off, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was.
Octomus? Verschna?
There was no answer.
Creator?
No reply.
I began to panic. What had I done? I tried to go back to the Overworld, but I couldn't this time. I couldn't separate from myself. It didn't feel the same. Nothing felt right. This was alarming!
SIZZLE? WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT WAS THAT?
Oh! Octomus! I was afraid you were gone now! I thought I really screwed up and lost you!
I AM STILL HERE, SIZZLE. BUT SOMETHING... FEELS... DIFFERENT...
INDEED. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HAS CHANGED, BUT I NO LONGER SENSE THE DISTORTION OF TIME. IT IS SUBTLE. IT IS LIKE EVERYTHING IS LESS TENSE SUDDENLY. MORE RELAXED. TIME IS... SETTLING? THAT'S THE ONLY WORD I CAN THINK OF TO DESCRIBE IT. LIKE PIECES ARE FALLING INTO PLACE. IT IS RATHER SOOTHING.
I brought the Creator here from the Overworld, and- wait a second! Where are they?! I don't feel them here with us!
YOU BROUGHT THEM HERE? AND YOU LOST THEM?!
I can no longer sense them! And I can't go back! It's like the Overworld is just not there anymore! Oh, what have I done?!
I BELIEVE YOU HAVE DONE WHAT YOU WERE DESTINED TO DO. YOU SAVED TIME. YOU FIXED IT.
...
Whoa...
...
NICELY PUT, SIZZLE. YOU HAVE DONE IT AGAIN. YOU HAVE SAVED US ALL.
But, where's the Creator?
*Baby Born Due to Immaculate Conception*
Reuters
On April 2, at 12:42am, a healthy baby boy, Mujiberg Devedander Abbercrumby III, was born to Flik and Mujiberg Abbercrumby in Everlast, WA. A successful home birth, mother and baby both healthy, the circumstances would appear to be a joyous, but normal, occasion that happens every day in America. However, it would seem that the normalcy ends there. Doctors are perplexed, and scientists are looking into the abnormal circumstances leading up to the birth.
"We are doing some tests", said Dr. Blake. "We are not saying anything more, to protect the privacy of the family."
While details surrounding the pregnancy are scarce at the moment, it has been learned that while the Abbercrumby's have a new addition to their family, many are confused. It would seem that no one, including the Abbercrumby's themselves, were aware of the pregnancy before the birth.
"We go jogging every morning together," said neighbor and friend, Jillian Henderson. "You wouldn't have known she was pregnant if you looked at her. She's nothing but a bean pole! We had no idea!"
The Abbercrumby's are understandably very busy now with the unexpected new family member, and so declined to answer questions. But they did release the following statement:
"We know that it sounds crazy, but it's true. We were most definitely not pregnant these last nine months. We've been trying to have a baby, and it has taken some time. Multiple negative test results as recently as the last few weeks. We were even beginning to consider going to a fertility specialist. But then this little precious miracle showed up out of nowhere! And we couldn't be happier! Please respect our privacy, and let us raise our little Muji in peace. We are starting a blog though, because we know there are many curious people out there who would like to know how the little miracle is doing. We're calling it 'Life, From Out of Nowhere'. Keep an eye out for our first post soon."
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