Reality Diveregent

The sun begins to slowly crawl beneath the green, rocky mountain. The dusk wind heralds the night's return. Promising that survival is a shroud of purple falling light. Why am I here? The silent young man sits on an old oak stump, watching the beautiful darkness overtake the mountain. Fondly reflecting on his old books of deities and consciousness. Of the physics of the world and it's tangible truths. As he closed his eyes, he began to envision an eye opening, surrounded in violet.

" I am opening my third eye. I am aligning my chakras. My crown is open and receiving the divine."

He silenced himself for a moment. Taking in the cool breeze, as the wind created a beautiful static of noise between the trees. His dark, hair swayed back and forth. On his forehead was painted in woad, a blue spiral. He began to see a great stag, snorting and eating vegetation. His mind vividly conjured up another stag, wildly snorting. They began to have showdown, and displayed their competing dominance. Both stags had great huge antlers, and they charged one another. They violently clashed with one another. Never backing down. The first stag, then side stepped and overtook the challenger snapping it's neck. The victor roared aloud, kicking it's front legs into the air. Victory was life, and defeat is death. Then his mind shuffled to a huge ancient tree towering in the forest. From behind it came a figure of a something humanoid. Long antlers protruded from the sandy brown hair. A torc was around it's neck. With some old Celtic symbols over it's hands and upper torso.

" Do you know me?"

" You are the Lord of the forest!"

" I have had many names. Cernunnos, some knew me as Raphael. Great Horned one."

" What is it that you want of me?"

Three rays of the Earthy green light appear from the tree tops. Two of the rays were diagonal and pointed away with a single straight ray pointing from sky to earth.

" Choose your path. This why you have come here."

" I am drawn to the ray on the right."

" Bold choice, this is the ray of wisdom and learning. Find the man who speaks without words. He will show you the way."

As quickly as the deity had appeared, he became one in the wooden oak behind him. The God seemingly melded with the bark, defying the physics of the world. The dark haired young man, could hardly believe what he had witnessed. He had connected to Cernunnos. He had been given his path. He thanked the lord of the forest and began his descent down the forest filled mountain. He followed the winding trail that had been carved out by human footsteps long ago. He passed the easy-going river, and followed it down further. Until he came to a clearing with a stone bridge. On the other side of the stone bridge was a parking lot. The young man, made his way to his vehicle. A small Subaru Forester, it was black on black.

A small coffee tumbler inside the cup holder was decorated in photographs. There where pictures of him and a woman. Pictures of an older gentleman holding a smiling woman. At the top of the tumbler was a name, Killian. Killian stares into the distant forest road, reflecting on his life. As the road winds and comes to a clear stretch, so to does his mind become clear. " I have to find a way to go back! I have to change yesterday! It's the only way to exorcise this dense being of despair!"

Killian thinks," How can I change the past?" He seriously contemplates. What equates time? What particles govern space time? Is there a scientific answer? Or is there a metaphysical technique? The road turns to the right and is met with guard rails against the forest. Killian's eyes begin to soften as moisture collects into the ducts. The road widens and a small suburb comes into view down the hill. The dark SUV glides along the road, as it comes to a four way intersection. Killian makes a right, scouting the views ahead. A small ice cream shop to the left is taking in a family of customers. An elder couple escorts two small boys into the shop. Their faces filled with a incomparable joy. A simple treat on a hot day, a memory that will last an eternity. He trails into another wooded road, perched at the top of a inclined driveway is a smaller old home. Two story, blue trim and a khaki finish with a dark colored roof.

Killian parks his Subaru in the driveway and enters the home. It is quiet except for the hum of the central air. He immediately moves to a glass windowed wooden cabinet. Reaches for his bottle of Glenlivet, finds himself a scotch glass. As he pours, he gazes at a picture of a smiling woman and himself across in his living room. The room looks more like a research center now. Dossiers everywhere. Pictures of different landscapes, with strange engravings and earthen structures. He sits in front of an opened laptop. The screen lights up, and a search bar appears in front of him. His eyes narrow, as the search history pops up underneath the bar. " How does time travel work? Space-time physics. Anti-matter. Positrons. Anti-positrons."

" How can I build a time machine?" Killian puts down the scotch glass, as he types. He presses the enter button. The first thing that pops up in the search is an article about a children's time machine used with photographs.

" Ha! Funny! Funny! Seriously how can I?" Killian scrolls on.

Before him appears a science article with the title, TIME TRAVELING SECRET. The article isn't very lengthy and hints an impossible amount of speed to travel forward. To the past is different in it's perplexity, having to build a cylinder with the mass of the sun!

" Well that is just great! Their has got to be a way!" Killian places his hands on his head gripping his hair.

He devours another scotch and his head begins to swim in a lucid haze of sensation. His eyelids become falling hammers, rushing to meet the anvil. Weariness takes hold, it is time for the black out. Darkness envelopes the waking world.

" Killian, keep your eyes open!"

A high shrill of a female pierces the air. The landscape allows only a short distance to be perceived. The thin layer of mist becomes a dense cloak twenty feet out. Killian jolts, and immediately plants his feet firm. He scans the surrounding area. I know your near. I can feel it! Darting through the dark alley, the sections of brick wall fading out as he transcends the murky surroundings. The haze has a sort of buoyancy to it.

" Killian! You can't be here!"

" Where are you?!!"

Killian doesn't let up his pace for a minute, as another shrill rings down the left of some abandoned warehouse. He impatiently sprints onwards through the broken chain link fence. Ahead of him is, a meat-processing plant. It is dirty dingy, windows boarded up. He enters through the slightly raised loading dock door. It is the darkest of night inside the building. He feels his way along walls! Not slowing down for a second, as another shrill pierces and echoes just ahead!

" I am almost there Natalie!"

Laughter bursts through a door on the right. A poorly lit room, with a massive shadowy specter bellowing with joy. Killian immediately tackles the hidden assailant!

" What did you do to her! You sick fuck!"

Killian stabs the shadow over and over with a piece of broken glass found on the floor. The laughter has died. He turns to see his sister with knife wounds to her face and chest. He finds a cell phone next to her, and dials 911. He immediately begins to apply pressure to the chest wounds. The operator answers and asks for his location.

" The meat processing plant of Richter and Colden! It's my sister, she's been wounded, but she is conscious."

" Killian! Your not suppose to be here!"

" Your going to be alright! I got you!"

" You can't be here!"

" What are you talking about? I am here, that's all that matters!"

The ambulance arrives and Natalie is rushed off to the hospital. All of the sudden Killian experiences a pressurized sensation inside his mind. It feels like a sudden expansion, as if he experienced a universal fragmentation expansion of his mind. A big bang of the psyche! A green light appears, and he is pulled forth, the rushing of wind can be heard. Killian awakens as he falls out of his chair.

" What the hell was that?!"

Killian grabs his head assured he is hungover, What time is it? Killian looks around and his apartment is...well...it's different! Shockingly different, there are pictures he recognizes yet they seem unfamiliar! The pressure in his head slowly fades, as a faint whisper quietly speaks.

" Knowledge is your gift! Apply wisdom to it! You have the power!"

A cellphone rings out loud. Killian confusingly looks at his cellphone which is oddly different.

" Hello?"

" Killian! Get your lazy bones up! We are having dinner tonight. My treat!"

" Natalie?! It can't be, you died!"

" Are you feeling okay?!"

" This doesn't make any sense, I had the strangest dream.."

" Listen, I am okay."

" That loon killed you...this can't be?!"

" You saved me Killian! Don't you remember?! It's over, he is dead. Are you sure your okay? I am coming over."

Killian drops into his living room couch, it's soft velvet texture embraces him as the tears stream down his face. His mind flashes images of that day, and an immense pressure expands his mind. As if his molecular structure was disassembling and reassembling instantaneously.

" What is happening?"

Killian filled with complete shock and discombobulation, as he seems to know it is true, yet is perplexed to the contradicting flashes of images. How can this be? That green light again. It was him. I must've somehow traveled in that dream, to that very day! This is insane!

A heavy knock belts out on the front door. Killian raises his head and steps up from the couch. His heavy steps, drag the floorboards. He opens the door, and Natalie smiles.

" You ready for dinner?"

" Yeah...I. Yeah."

Natalie clicks the unlock button to her Nissan Altima, and the siblings ease into their seats. As she starts the car and shifts into drive, Natalie notices Killian's puzzled stare.

" What is wrong with you?"

Killian shifts his head towards the passenger window and utters," I had this strange dream. That you died that day, and everything felt so real."

" Killian, it's okay...everything is fine...I am right here."

Killian's eyes become like the condensation of a condenser. The increasing crawl of his tears down his cheeks, can not hide his paramount pain paired with his overwhelming joy, mitigate his mourning.

" I know. I don't understand any of this. I am so happy."