One

Every face tells a story

1 - Sullivan

Every face tells a story… except for mine. Trust me, I’ve tried. It elicits nothing. People ask me what I’ve been through, even I hardly know. Nothing special, I suppose. Well then, what’s the point of even telling it? Guess you’ll find out soon enough.

I could have sworn I checked everything off my list before calling it a night. Time warp, check. Hyperscopes, double check, one for each eye. What’s that then, how come I’m here again? Crap. If I’d known I had forgotten something I would not have been able to fall asleep. That damn hydroclank. I needed that in order to stay put in this plane of existence. Oh well, time to find my way back to it I guess.

Finding myself on this subterranean train once again is always a surprise. Usually my hydroclank keeps my predicted state of being in line when catching rest. Without it, my world flips upside down and I have to fight through this sonderous scenario in which other people contain within them parts of my being, slivers of hope. Hope that I might once again live beyond the realm of sociopsychic entities. That’s another term for humans, by the way.

Anyway, here I am again, arms curled around my skull. The pain subsides, but not before leaving its mark. The shuttle I find myself on shows no signs of slowing down. My head escapes my hands, and I take a glance to my right. Four humans, and their Auras. Gleams of sky blue within their minds, intangible wisps of beautifully colorful delight. These are what I’m after.

To my left, a near perfect mirror image of its opposite. Four symmetrical humans, and their respective Auras. These are the cards I’m dealt. Should I wait too long before latching onto these glimmers, will I lose my body… permanently. Better get going then.

I may not remember how I got here, but I do remember how things turn out. The future is the only real thing that I have a hold of, and if I don’t play this situation out as it is supposed to, I may never meet Her. Sivla, my Goddess. So I better do this right, hopefully for the last time.

As time passes, the gleams turn a dark purple; this is how I know it’s time to strike. At first, I cannot seem to decide which side of the story to choose. I flip a metaphysical coin, and it leads me to Albert. “Hello. You are here, and I am here. What a comfortable turn of events.” Not so comfortable for me, pal. I’m in quite a hurry if you haven’t sensed it. “We can now begin. Time… warp.”

2 - Time warp

I find myself in a field, the crop of which is not immediately evident. Corn, maybe, but I’m not even sure when we are, so for all I know it may be a plant that hasn’t existed in any of my known timelines.

“Over here.” A voice in the distance beckons. Must be Albert. “Follow me, kin.” Kin? Oh, right. They’re not supposed to reveal to me that they are me. It’s much easier that way. In this kind of purgatory setting, it’s not wise for figments of my imagination to be able to communicate to me that this is what they are. As in a dream, it would break the trust between us, cause unhelpful turmoil. It is much more likely that they will refer to themselves as “kin”, or close friends, sometimes even a teacher or pupil.

“You coming?” Guess I should. Time is not as much of an issue in these in-between worlds. Once we are finished here, Albert will take me right back to a split second after my initial encounter with him. I will, of course, have incepted what I need from his Aura, and I will be able to move onto the next.

“Hey man, we don’t got all day.” Yeah, yeah we do. “Follow me, this way. Through the Bird’s Flesh.” What a sordid name for a crop. “Here.” At once I am struck by an overwhelming rush of adrenaline. My arms shoot back and I hear an ominous omen of a phrase. “What has happened will happen again, and what hasn’t never will.” Ah yes, this must be the deterministic side of me. The part of me that believes everything that is meant to be will happen, and that which isn’t, won’t. Albert, swift as he is, dematerializes, and immediately I feel my Self reconstituting. Let’s see what the rest of me has to offer.

3 - Memento

On one side side of the train, I see two distinct artifacts. At first I think they are mere props for the scene, but upon closer inspection I realize that they are made up of little shimmering lights, much like the Auras that these characters possess, except these are green and yellow, with the faintest bit of orange. I’m drawn to the figurines. As I observe, I can see two humans in perfect symmetry. “Yin…yang. I remember now.” As I utter these words, the figurines crumble to dust, leaving behind a warm pit of a feeling deep within my soul. It didn’t take long for this to return; most times, it’s been so that this perfectly elegant model of the universe is the last thing to return to me before I can continue to live my normal life. This time around, though, it is one of the first. Peculiar at best.

Perhaps I should explain what is going on here. I’ve been here enough times for it to have become second nature, so forgive me if I am not making the workings of my decisions obvious. You see, in this realm, at least the one in which I presently find myself, time works differently. Not only time, though. My mind itself has been fractured and its pieces hidden, albeit close-by. It doesn’t take much for me to revitalize my essence. All I have to do is find all the pieces. Easy, right? Well, not so easy. The first ones are simplest. I have ignorant bliss and a sense of urgency to support me and keep me going. Of course I will run towards the first available sign. The next ones, however, become increasingly difficult, for a single reason. The pieces of my mind which I recover will start speaking to me, oft making me second-guess my actions. For now, however, let’s move on to the next Aura. We don’t have all day.

4 - The chase

“Don’t we? I am quite sure I heard you say we do, not too long ago.” Yeah, well, that was before. Right now, we don’t, for I am in a hurry. As I attempt to salvage the artifacts, I sense something off about the room. The people, they’re still there. The Auras, however… not only have they changed color, ranging from a deep ochre to an emerald green, but they seem to be pulling to the center of the room. What… what is this?

“Haven’t you heard? We’re in a hurry.” The sarcasm with which my own mind works against me is tantalizing. I haven’t even recovered half of what I need. If I am put against a mind so powerful, I am surely going to lose. I am outnumbered.

“Don’t worry, Son. This is not a duel. This is a change of events, yes, but it is not a failure on either of our parts. Welcome to your new world.” The warmth of my soul leaves in an instant. Not a failure…that can’t be. If this is my new world…Sivla…

“Sivla can’t be helped. She will not know you ever to exist, for you never will. Try to reconstitute all you’d like- you will only find yourself back here, on this train.” These words pierce through my ears, reaching my brain as a dagger to one’s heart. Sivla is, was and will be my everything. The only thing in all the worlds worth living for. If I can’t get back to my everyday, who’s to say we will ever reunite?

“So naïve.”

How could my own mind be so harsh?

“Your own mind? This is my mind now. Yes, I may be mainly comprised of fragments of your consciousness, but this cognition is now… me. Now, in this moment, I am.”

After a moment’s hesitation, I make a run for it.

5 - Self help

“You think you can outrun me? I am still you, remember?”

Good, so it’s admitting it’s me. That puts me at an advantage. Who can know oneself more than said self? And with knowing comes predicting…

“…one’s every move. Way ahead of you.”

The paradox taunts me. I can predict all of its moves, as it can mine. Nevertheless, I have to think fast and move faster. A quick glance to the center of the train reveals an entity seemingly forged from the Auras that the passengers possessed not too long ago. An anthropomorphic being made of light, casting beams upon all in sight. A quick glance is all I can afford at the moment.

“Do not treat this as a fight. That would be a mistake.” What, then, should I treat it as? All I can do is run, for I know the power that You may possess. I wish not to be obliterated today, thank you very much. “Run as you might, there is no escape. Be that as it may, I will not harm, just as you shall not. There is a higher reason for our encounter today, Sullivan.” My name… I have not heard my name spoken out loud in eons. As I continue my attempted flight, I hear its voice.

“I am not here to thwart your efforts. On the contrary, I have a message. Your life of comfort has led you to great places, but its nature is one of diminishing returns. That is not to say you should live in fear, much less agony. The following is true, however…”

I can’t listen. These words deceive me, in an attempt to slow me down and capture me for the rest of eternity. I must find freedom. There must be another way out than through the light.

“You think I would do that to you, my very self? I pity your paranoia. Your only escape is through me, the amalgam of Auras.” Suddenly I feel a jolt and I fall to the ground. The train… it’s speeding up. I look back to where I started, and the people have their heads clasped in their hands, much like I did when first arriving to the scene. Out of nowhere, as if rehearsed, their arms widen and lights shoot out of their eyes. They then disintegrate, leaving behind small piles of dust. The message… what might it be?

“You will soon learn that there is more to life than a comfort zone. Great effort will be needed to alter your inertia. That is to say… you have been living this way for so long, that it will require years of hard work to change the direction in which you are accelerating. You will have to find something new, for this previous life of yours… There is no returning to it. I cannot let you go. You, me, we are bound to one another. We are not one and the same. Whatever life you live, though, I live it with you. Whatever light I feel, you feel it too. Same goes for the darkness. There is nothing left for me to do but to rid both of us of the life of sloth that you have become accustomed to. It is no longer serving you. You are merely chasing the dragon of satisfaction.”

I… what have I done wrong?

“Nothing, Sullivan. You are simply following your instinct, just like everyone else on this planet. It is time, though, to stay on this train, and see where it leads you.”

What of Sivla then? Won’t she be sorely missed, were I not to find her once more?

“So it shall be. I will find away to fit her into the plan. That is to say… our plan. The fact that I am telling you this should make you realize it is something you’ve thought before. Never have you been able to contort it into human words. That is what I am here for. Did you think it to be an accident that you forgot to activate your hydroclank? You needed to meet me. I needed to tell you this. And now… now I will leave you to it. There is nothing more for me to say.”

Wait!

“Goodbye, Sullivan.”

6 - Station

The train stops, and I am in tears. As far as I know, nothing will be the same from now on. This being of light has stripped me from my features; everything I know will be no more. At least, that is what I feel in the moment. I am soon to learn that just because I feel something, does not mean it is true.

“Sullivan?”

I gasp. I know that voice. It is Sivla. Tears flow down my face, harder than before.

Sivla. My love.

“Sullivan. You’re hurt.” Not anymore, I’m not. I am with you. That is all I need.

“Follow me. I need to show you something.”

We leave the train behind, for it has served its purpose. As it falls behind, it dematerializes into dust, as does everything in sight. For once, I am alone with her. This is where I want to be.

“It won’t be like this for long, Sullivan. Soon we will return to our lives, but we will not know one another.” Wait, what? I thought we were finally reunited. “We are, but only for the moment. Being with me in this moment will make you be with me forever, in spirit. There will be no more us. It will be you, and it will be me.”

That can’t be. The spirit, it said it will find a way for us to be together.

“That is this. This is where we meet, know one another, but it is also where we part ways. After today, every moment I will be with you, though not like this. It will be an echo, a faint remembrance of what it’s like to be with me. You will remember, and I shall never forget. You are to live your life as if I were not around.” I don’t understand. Is this farewell forever?

“No. This is hello. The rest of the story is yet to be written. You will never be alone, for I will be with you.” But you are leaving? “Yes. In a few minutes, I will be gone.”

In that case, let me cherish this moment like nothing else. Never have I held so tightly to something, hoping for it to stay for the rest of my life. Piece by piece, Sivla leaves me. I am to be alone; I am to live my life as if She were not around. So it is; I will do my best. Sivla, I now live for You. As soon as I let go, my new life will start. And so I let go.

“I’ll leave my love with you. For now, though, we must part.”

7 - After

I am now alone, though it does not feel like it. As much as I am fighting to bring Sivla back, I do not feel like she has left me. I live with her love in me. She is here. And I am there. I will continue on with my life as though she were with me. It will only get easier from hereon out. The words spoken by the being of Light still ring in my ears. “We are bound to one another.” This is just as true about Sivla and I. Though we have parted ways, we are closer to one another than ever before. I know this to be true. I feel it in my heart. “I’ll leave my love with you. For now, though, we must part.” This final whisper will keep me strong.

As she leaves me, I leave her. And now, we are One. Sivla, Sullivan…two bound by light, through the darkness.