Rise (The Ethereal Vision Book 2)

by Liam Donnelly

  We’re dancing in a bar. She heard herself giggling.

  The oil lamps flickered in the corner.

  What is this, Max?

  We’ve crossed over each other.

  I can see you. I mean, I can see your history.

  There was a shudder, and it seemed as though the entire floor of the bar shook. Somewhere, a small cloud of dust fell from the ceiling.

  She quickly separated from him and stood a few feet away across the empty, but comfortable bar. She gazed downward as the last of his coat formed down toward his ankles, taking on its normal shape as he separated from her. When she looked back up, he was gazing at her and smiling.

  “We have time,” he said. He glanced up around the bar. “We’re not there yet, and… he can’t follow us here.” He looked to his right, toward a bookshelf that stood against a wall in the corner.

  Jane frowned. Where is here?! she wondered.

  As she looked around, she found that the bar was separated into two sections. There was an upper and lower level, separated by just a couple of steps. The upper level on the left extended into an area with several tables where sofas lined the walls. On the right, it extended into a different, smaller section where large bookcases covered the walls. In the center of the two sections was a walkway that led to a door about ten feet away.

  They were standing in the lower area with the bar just to her right. It was covered with red mahogany.

  It’s here, isn’t it? she asked.

  Use your senses, Jane. I didn’t seek it out; you drew us here, so it will appear as something you would recognize.

  She walked away from him, but she found that he was not following. She turned back, and as she did, he released her hand. He nodded at her.

  You have to do this alone. You’re about to find the heart of creation.

  Don’t you want to come?

  He looked at her for a moment. It’s too dangerous.

  After a moment, she nodded her head, understanding. Although she found herself somewhat unwilling to pull her gaze away from his, she felt something electric drawing her forward, and her feet began to move almost immediately. As she turned around, she found herself walking toward the bookcase that lined the walls above the seats on the right side. The ceiling, she noticed, was unusually high, and the stacks of books there rose up to a height of twenty feet. There were thousands of them, and on the spines, she saw titles written in the most foreign, elaborate languages she had every laid eyes upon. She stepped up into that quiet area filled with the immense selection of literature, and her eyes passed over them as she was drawn automatically toward the center.

  There were several small tables in that small, upper section, and she realized quickly that it was not the books that were drawing her forward; it was something else, glimmering on one of the tables at the very center of the room. When she laid eyes on the object, she gasped, for just in front of her, at the center of one of these tables, was the most incredible blue Rose she had ever seen. There was no stem; just the Rose itself sat there, and it was easily the size of four rose heads. Light poured out from it, and in some places it had a silver appearance. Embers rose up around it in a glimmering, sterling-blue aura, floating off the surface and hovering in the air.

  Inexorably, Jane was drawn a step closer. She saw that the leaves of the rose were encrusted with the most incredible diamonds. The glow from the candles on the other tables reflected off their surfaces, scattering beams of light in all directions and refracting it in places so that small rainbow-like reflections appeared on the beautiful, red wood.

  She had to steel herself, for her immediate instinct was to reach out and grasp the astonishing object. Instead, she remained firm, reaching for a state of calm that she knew she could find if she focused. Although she couldn’t take her eyes off it, she spoke to Max in her mind. Is that it?

  He hesitated for a moment. I think so, he replied, though his tone was slightly unsure.

  Her head tilted toward the right, leaning in his direction. She frowned, concerned at the sound of his voice in her mind, for it was distant and seemed to have an uncaring edge to it. She turned around fully and looked at him. Once again, she was surprised and concerned to see that he had retreated further across the bar. Even though he was only twenty feet away, it seemed as though the distance between them could have been light years. What is it? she asked.

  For a moment, he didn’t respond. This is your journey. You do this alone, he replied in a flat tone.

  She stared into his eyes for a moment longer, feeling safe in that gaze. It felt eternal, warm, and loving. But the object that was glowing behind her was fierce and caused her body to seize with an immense longing. As she turned toward it once more, she was surprised to find that Max’s facial expression changed just slightly, and it bordered on a grimace. It was as though he was sad to see her make the decision to turn back toward it.

  As she faced it again and looked down at it, one of the diamonds glimmered and caught her eyes. She gasped as she realized that she could see inside it, and it contained a galaxy. Though the diamond itself was only half a centimeter across, somehow, within it, she could see the incredible vista, as though it had been beamed into her mind. Part of her knew better, and she was aware that the Rose had attached itself to her somehow as she automatically took a step forward.

  She was standing in front it, and it was directly below her. Nestled in the center of its beautiful petals was the most incredible red jewel she had ever laid eyes upon. It was a deep, dripping red, and though it was clearly solid, it appeared somehow to be almost liquid in nature‌—‌as though it were alive. In each cut of the many diamonds that encrusted the surfaces of the petals, she saw tremendous sights. In one, she saw an exquisite gigantic nebula, stretching for light years; it was a cloud of orange-red and beige, and tremendous stellar light poured through the thin cracks inside it.

  She glanced at another, and inside there she saw a winged creature on some ancient, rain-swept world. It was enormous, and its wingspan must have been a hundred feet. In another, she saw herself and her mother feeding bread to ducks in a local park on a cold winter day. In another, she saw an incredible explosion of light, and she knew instantly that she was witnessing the birth of the universe. As she watched it unfold‌—‌indeed, as she watched space-time itself unfold‌—‌she felt a Presence along with it, watching, observing.

  She blinked, drawing her eyes away from it for a moment. This lasted mere seconds, though, as her gaze was automatically drawn back to the beautiful object. Her arm reached out, unbidden by her, and her eyes glared in shock as she watched herself place her hand on the rose. There was a flash of light as her fingers touched the outer petals, the tips running over the indentations of the diamonds. She trembled as she glared down, watching as the light instantly melded into her arm, running up it and into her body.

  The incredible sights she had been seeing became even clearer to her. In another diamond, there was the same colossal beam of white light that stretched across the entire universe. She felt that if she were to focus on it for a longer time, she could understand it, but there was more to see. In another still, she saw a world at war. She took a breath and sat down, wrapping that same hand around the outer side of the rose fully. She reached her other hand out to it then and, hesitating for just a moment, she held it with both of them. Again, the light bled into her arm and spread upward, electrifying her.

  Don’t touch it, a voice said from somewhere deep inside. It was the same voice she had heard on the street the first time she had used the power‌—‌the incredibly deep, instinctual urge. Under normal circumstances, she would have listened to it without question, but there was a cacophony of power building up all around her, and she was succumbing to it very quickly. She could hear the sounds of distant worlds; millions of voices built up in her mind as she ran her hands over the outer surfaces of the Rose.

  I could channel it.

  What?


  The voices. The psychic energy.

  Jane!

  Was that Max?

  She looked up, her hand still touching the surface of the rose, to see that Max was running toward her. She focused, and froze him. Time stopped. She lifted the rose, and light beamed from it, filling the dim pub with a beautiful spectral dance. She stared down into the bloodred heart at the center, and then hesitated at what she had decided to do. She glanced over at Max again, and saw that he was moving now‌—‌using his own incredible power to push through whatever hold she had placed on him‌—‌but still, he appeared to be moving by mere inches, and he had no chance of reaching her. The world was, literally, at her fingertips.

  Jane took a deep breath and placed the rose back on the table. Then she touched her fingers to the red surface at the center and felt them sink in there. She realized as she did this that it was as she suspected‌—‌the center of the rose only appeared to be solid.

  The pub disappeared.

  Jane was in space, surrounded by incredible vistas. There was a swirling motion. She tried to open her eyes, but then realized she had no eyes. The twisting continued. She could sense what felt like her arms, and stars hovered all around her.

  Where am I? she wondered, and the thought came like slow-moving molasses. She stared out at the stars, her vision covering three hundred and sixty degrees. After a few more moments, or centuries‌—‌she couldn’t really tell anymore‌—‌a bizarre thought occurred to her.

  I’m a galaxy.

  Yes, you are.

  What is it to be a galaxy?

  To witness the birth of life.

  I see.

  She stared at the stars for a moment longer, then remembered the Rose, the pub, and Max. A desperate longing rose up in her heart. This was closely followed by fear, and she recoiled from the vista in front of her.

  Uh! she squealed as she pulled herself away. There was a twisting sensation, and then slowly, the pub once again came into view. She was sure she would have pulled her hands away from the Rose and returned to Max’s presence, but as she looked between it and Max, still frozen by this newfound power, she found herself drawn back to it once again.

  She closed her eyes, and her fingers touched upon another indentation on one of the diamonds. This time, she focused on maintaining her own physical form and found herself standing on a patch of long grass. Looking up, she saw a volcano in the distance billowing smoke into the sky. Something on her right, which she had presumed was a tree, began to move, ripping a chunk of leaves away from a nearby crop of conifers. It was a dinosaur.

  Diplodocus. She remembered the name from school. She looked around and saw a primordial landscape, realizing that her intention had worked.

  Primordial earth. Astonishing. I could change history.

  Yes, you could. But do you want that responsibility?

  Who is that?

  Max called me The Presence. Rewrite history if you wish. But what if you pull on the wrong thread?

  Are you the Rose?

  I am the Rose. And I am the Roses in the other worlds too.

  Should I take my hands from it?

  Whatever you wish.

  I’m sorry, she said.

  That’s OK. No harm in being curious.

  How do I do it?

  Hmmm. There are many ways. Try clapping your hands.

  Jane nodded and reached out her arms. She clapped her hands together, and immediately found herself back in the pub.

  She blinked and quickly realized that she hadn’t actually physically clapped her hands together; they were still held tight around the incredible object, and light still shone from its gleaming surfaces. She looked once more at Max, who was frozen in motion with a look of terrible concern on his face.

  She could still feel the pull of the Rose, like the most powerful magnetism. She winced as she tried to pull her arms away. In her mind’s eye, she could still see it all: the galaxies, the stars, and the furthest reaches of the universe. Even the understanding of the worlds that lay beyond this one became apparent to her. In fact, the longer she held on, the more her understanding of these worlds grew. It was as though her consciousness was melding with it, and indeed, as she looked down, she could see rivulets of the substance that composed the Rose wrap up around her arms.

  It’s time to let go, Jane.

  I don’t want to.

  Fine. This power will be yours then: command of the stars and galaxies, space, and time. Never to return to who you are or what you were. Max, Morris, and everyone you know and love will be so far beneath your mind that they will appear to you as amoeba. You will have no peers. You will know knowledge and love, but not friendship, for there will be nobody to match your intellect. The very concept of intellect, in fact, will no longer exist for you. Language itself will be but a memory.

  Then how are you communicating with me so clearly?

  Because you’re becoming part of the Rose. If you wish to reverse the process, you must do so now.

  She frowned and yelled out, trying to pull her hand away, but the diamond, silvery substance had swirled up to her shoulder, and now her entire arm was covered with it and was glinting with incredible light. She had a glimpse of herself in the near future, formed from head to toe with this new glinting beauty, but she knew that it was only a representation of something that her mortal mind needed to understand; the physical manifestation of life, love, time, space, gravity, and command over all of these forces.

  Although I am somewhat disappointed‌—‌you would have been good company, Jane‌—‌I believe you have chosen wisely. I can help you to let go if you wish.

  OK, she said, the sound of her telepathic voice revealing her tremendous fear. Mom! She said over and over again in her mind. I can’t leave her. I can’t. I can’t leave Morris. I can’t leave Max. I can’t leave them behind.

  You’re right too. The truth is, at the moment, the earth needs you.

  The diamond-silver substance stopped rising up her arm and began to run backward toward the Rose, slinking back into its form in the corners and edges. She watched, her mortal mind returning, as the remainder of the substance flowed from her arm and once again became part of the Rose. The last of the silvery substance was running across her hands when she realized she had forgotten something, and that this may be the only chance she would have to find the answer to a question that had been burning in her mind.

  WAIT! she yelled.

  Immediately, the substance stopped moving and froze with its edges just at her wrists. Her hands were still connected to the Rose. She looked around the pub once again.

  What is it?

  Max. It’s about Max. She glanced over at him now, still trying ever so desperately to reach her. Why not him? Why not his kind?

  It’s simple, really. They were needed. Some were chosen from the pinnacle of various species‌—‌primarily those with the strongest moral fiber‌—‌and they accepted.

  Why isn’t he able to access the Machine?

  The Machine was built by an incredibly advanced race of beings in the earlier history of the universe. They knew what they were doing, Jane. Though they never quite reached the apex of psionic development, they came close, and their technologies more than made up for what they lacked. They built the Machine to respond to very specific psionic signatures, and knowing about the existence of Max and his kind, they locked them out.

  Why?

  Because they wanted nothing to do with their plans. They didn’t agree with them. They believed they were smart enough to chart their own destiny. I believe “hubris” is the correct word here.

  Where did they go?

  They created their own reality, completely separate from this one‌—‌an ever-changing paradise of sorts. Mildly interesting, but not very productive.

  Jane sighed and looked back at her hands. OK, she said. Continue, please. And thank you, she said as she glanced deeply into the bloodred heart o
f the Rose.

  Anytime, Jane.

  The flowing silvery-diamond substance once again resumed its course. It moved across her wrists and down her palms. Then it was flowing down her fingers, and diamonds rolled inside the substance as it moved. Inside one of these, Jane caught one last glimpse of a beautiful, blue-white galaxy streaked with flecks of red and clouds of dust. Then the last of the substance flowed into the Rose, and the image was gone. Immediately, she felt her mind freed from its grasp.

  Grunting, she pulled her arm free from the surface with great effort. As she did, an unusual clank resounded throughout the interior of the pub. She took deep breaths, finding herself exhausted and thirsty.

  Here, Jane. Take this.

  She frowned, watching as a small, glimmering diamond lifted off the surface of the Rose and floated toward her right hand. It came to rest on the surface of her palm, and then Jane gasped as it quickly fell beneath the skin there, disappearing.

  What is that?

  You’ll see in time. You may need it.

  OK, she said, thinking it best not to question the voice of this Presence any further.

  Are you ready to proceed?

  She glanced up at Max, and without much consideration, she nodded. “Yes.”

  Time resumed, and Max rushed at her. He came to a jarring halt a few feet from her and looked around him. He glanced between Jane and the Rose. After a moment, he nodded at her and remained where he stood, his hands clasped in front of him like a sentry.

  Jane stared down at the Rose. What happens now? she asked, directing her thoughts toward the beautiful object.

  Now, you return to your world and continue to build. You have a lot of work to do.

  What do you mean?

  Silence.

  Jane frowned and continued to stare at the Rose, which she realized was, in reality, the epicenter of the universe itself, and all life that had ever been passed through it. She stood up and walked away from the table toward where Max was standing, finding the courage to leave the Rose behind her. She glanced up at him, and regarding him, she nodded. He opened his arms as she fell into them. She felt his arms wrap around her tightly as he drew her in close. For a moment, she let her cheek rest against his chest, breathing deeply.