A Journey Into Unknown

by Aditya Kumar

  Emily said, "I couldn't reach to them."

  "Does Xoguar belongs to dark universe, " Mark asked.

  Emily said, "No… he is someone else."

  "Can you try again... Can you help me see," Mark asked.

  Emily said, "I can't say... I can't control these vibes... I can get those vibes, but I don't know when. But I can’t control this... you can't reach to them through me."

  Vacrain interrupted, "I think someone can help us." Then he went back to his own chamber.

  "Who can help us," Mark asked Ascab.

  Ascab replied, "His own son who was born with some special gifts, but Vacrain thought that his powers can be harmful to others. So Vacrain didn't let his son out in open... we don't know who he is... we have never seen him. Vacrain doesn't like to talk about him, so we never tried to find out his secrets."

  Scene: Vacrain with his Son

  "Hello Voscein, how are you..." Vacrain came to his son.

  "I want to go outside... I want to see the world..." this sound came from a fully disfigured and non-identifiable shaped boy.

  Vacrain said, "No... you can't go outside. World out there is scarier. You can’t fit there... they will never accept you when they will know our truth. I even kept your memories protected inside myself even after I know that no one can read my mind... not even Mark. But I can't let them know who we are, right now. You will not able to protect your identity, if I would let you go out."

  "So, when I can able to see the outside world," Voscein asked.

  "We are close to our success," Vacrain said, "We just need to break this time loop and we both will be free... then you can do whatever you would want to. There will be no restriction... you will not be an anomaly outside this time loop. Once we break this time loop, then they will let us do whatever we want."

  "Who are they... and what they want from us? Why they are doing this to us? Why they forced us to go in this time loop," Voscein asked.

  "I don't have answer of any of your question. I have no idea what they actually want from us or even who they are," Vacrain continued, "But they will leave us free only when we will be succeed in breaking this time loop."

  "If you trust on them, then why you came here for my help," Voscein asked.

  Vacrain said, "It's because I don't really trust on them. I am not sure if they will let us fulfil our desire when this all will be over. Sometimes I feel like we are just a pawn for them... a way to fulfil their desire. I don't know why they want to break this time loop... but I want to know. This is necessary for our existence. I need you son... Will you do that for me?"

  "Yes... I will do anything, but how," Voscein asked.

  "You will have to let your consciousness allow to connect with Emily's consciousness... and she will let you explore the place where you can't go there alone. Then Mark's consciousness will go to explore because he is the only one strong enough to go there... he is the only one to confront them," he saw his son's face... afraid. He said, "You don't need to be afraid. I will protect your identity."

  Then they did. Vacrain connected Voscein's consciousness with Emily's to make a path for Mark to explore the other world... to make Mark able to go into the unknown.

  "What do you see out there... Mark," Vacrain asked Mark when Mark's consciousness left to explore.

  "It's not clear... but I can see that box... that key... there is a wall made of something strange... I can see Crayton... I know who he really is... I know how to defeat them..."

  "Is this all," Vacrain asked. Everybody was surprised as their only aim was to know how to defeat that Rogue Space Time Crayton, to get the key and open the wall, but this surprise didn't last long when Mark said, "There is something more... I can sense a strange energy source which is pretending that he is making everything move, but he is not... I don't know who he is... but I can sense some strange life there who is not actually alive... his name is Ypritte... and he is neither a living nor a non-living... he is something else. Oh no... I think he sensed my presence there..."

  "Come back... come back now..." Vacrain screamed.

  Mark came back with knowing shocking truth. His eye can say this easily. He said, "Crayton is not what we thought... neither are you, Vacrain."

  ◆◆◆

  CHAPTER 30

  Into Darkness

  Our universe is filled with mysterious and shocking truths. But what about other universe... can you sense that? There is literally an infinite number of universes... however most are regular like ours, but some are different, scarier and unpredictable... and dangerous. Can they face those species about which they know very little? What would be their odds of winning? But they are unravelling mysteries one by one and maybe they will able to make it possible.

  Mark's consciousness came back from that unknown world to make a baseline for new mystery. Who is Ypritte... but more important question for him is who is Vacrain and what is the secrets of his son.

  "What are you saying? You know me by now," Vacrain said when Mark told that he found out some strange truth about Vacrain.

  "No... I don't know you. Until now, I supported you blindly because I thought that we want the same thing. But you lied every time... make us believe that we wanted to believe," Mark continued, "But you are not the same. You do not belong here... like Xoguar."

  "You are right," Vacrain said, "I do not belong here, but I was forced to be in this and my only escape is breaking this time loop. I don't know much about Xoguar, but this is me... and I need your help."

  "But how I could be able to help you... if you will keep everything within you," Mark said, "If you really want my help, then tell me everything."

  Vacrain started saying, "There was a time, when I belong to some other moment. I did not know anything about time loop... and I used to be happy. I lived there with my son Voscein. I was little scared of mysterious thing... but I always convinced myself that all bad thing is just a rumor. We were free and could do whatever we like. We could make our world happier. Then I had everything... I used to be known as one of the most powerful persons in that time. I have my own galaxy. There everyone was happy. Everything was balanced... and our technologies was getting advanced with each passing day."

  He continued, "But something bad had to happen... and I was not ready. One morning... some powerful stranger came to us and told me that I have to do something for them, but I refused. I didn't have any reason to follow them... but after a moment they made that reason. When I refused to follow them... then without any other argument, they started destroying everything around me. I saw everything was getting destroyed... planets, stars and so many people's lives. Every moment I waited to say yes, I saw billions of live converting into ashes."

  He continued, "I had to say yes ultimately. So, I did... I accepted the deal that I will do their job and they will not destroy any more thing. I didn't understand that how they came to me suddenly, but later I realized that they were time travelers. They even forced my little son to come here and said to me that desire of his well-being will inspire me to complete my job. From then I was here getting failed each time. By now I feel like an era has passed... and I am still here, getting failed each time. I even forgot how many times this happened."

  He continued, "Whatever it was, but they told me that I would need your help... Mark, because only you can break this time loop and the way is in front of you. You have to destroy Crayton. Only I and my son can remember. We do not forget previous iteration. But we wanted to keep that secret... so I wrote a book 'Knowledge' describing that it doesn't reset with each iteration. Actually, it does not reset, because only I wrote this and I remember everything. I somehow tolerated this repetition, but my son is a little boy. With passing of each iteration, he started getting sick. I somehow cured him, but it wasn't permanent. You can see him now," Then he took Mark to that secret chamber. Mark saw a completely disfigured child and tears in Vacrain's eye. Vacrain said, "Only you can save his life. He can't sustain anymore iteration. He is losing his will
to survive. You will have to save him."

  "Ok..." Mark took a deep breath and asked some of his own question, "Have you ever heard the name Xena or Trepon?"

  "How do you know them," Vacrain was in disbelief.

  "I have met Xena... and Trepon is my father," Mark said, "Just tell me... Do you know anything about them?"

  "I just have heard their name... don't know much," Vacrain said, "They are like legends to us. They protect people's life as well as keep the time consistent and continuous. "

  "Do you know where they live... or when they live," Mark asked.

  "I am not sure... but I have heard a rumor," Vacrain said, "They live at a protected and strange place. I don't know anything else about them."

  "But first we need to defeat Crayton... you told that you know how to defeat him," Vacrain said, "Can you tell us?"

  "I found out something more about him... He may have shape, but it doesn't change his reality. They are a pattern... an unordered or rogue pattern... and this is his power," Mark continued, "Because we can't fight a pattern. We have no chance to defeat them if he will not fight in any shape. So, we will have to force him to be in his human form."

  "How will you do that," Vacrain asked.

  "I know their secrets now... they utilize their energy to keep their pattern intact. We will have to apply energy against them, so that we can disorient their original pattern... and that will force him to come in human form," Mark said.

  "How much energy do you need for that," Vacrain asked.

  "A lot," Mark said, "and I can easily say that we can never produce that much energy in any way."

  "Then what is your plan," Vacrain said, "What you will do?"

  Mark said, "I have some friend... not friend exactly, but I will need their help. I will have to go to them... I will come back after making sure that they will help us. In this time, we need to unite ourselves. We will have to combine our resources together... only then we will have any chance."

  Mark told Vacrain that he knows some of those powerful beings, but he only knew one - Cloukon. They are those beings which would have killed Mark earlier if his father Trepon wouldn't have saved him. But he has no choice except to go there again for help. This time Mark has another chance to take revenge for his humiliation as well as make them understand that they were wrong about him... that they never tried to understand the reality. They never tried to know about the things that they couldn't see. But Mark decided to go there once again.

  This time he was fully prepared for anything. He reached there... without facing any difficulties unlike previous time. Even their force couldn't identify if some outsider entered in their home.

  "Welcome... but who are you... and what do you want," their leader Clemon greeted Mark.

  "So... you are still alive," Mark said.

  "Do I know you," Clemon asked.

  "You should know me," Mark said, "Earlier you tried to kill me."

  "Oh... now I remember you," Clemon said, "You were the funniest... you challenged me without knowing anything... but you did good. We really enjoyed your show," after a bit of pause he continued, "But I couldn't understand. How or who saved you? My executioner was there to execute you, but you suddenly disappeared... how?"

  "First of all, that was not a show... that was my life and second, there is more important thing to discuss than how I saved myself," Mark continued, "We are not in reality. We are in virtual world which repeats itself after a certain period of time. We need to come out, otherwise..."

  "Why..." Clemon said, "Why should I believe you?"

  "Because this is the truth," Mark said, "I can show you the proof. Just come with me... and believe me you also do not like to face suffering again and again."

  "Suffering... what suffering..." Clemon said, "I enjoy here. I am at the peak of my dream. If you are right, then also why should I help you?"

  "Ok... I understood," Mark said, "Just signal your robot to fight with me which is the..."

  Clemon interrupted, "Same robot who defeated you and according to the deal I had to execute you."

  "Ok... you can say so," Mark said, "But if I would defeat that robot, then you will have to help me in the way I want."

  "Yeah... I am ready for this," Clemon said, "This would be fun."

  "Then don't wait," Mark said, "Activate your robot."

  As Mark said this, Clemon activated the robot. That robot came faster than anything else, but it wasn't enough for Mark. He gave a huge punch to that robot and as it fell on the ground... rest is done by Mark's energy blast. Robot didn't have any chance.

  "Ok... so what do you need," Clemon said accepting his defeat.

  Mark said, "First you need to understand about our enemy. They are not any creature... they are a specific pattern oriented in specific way bind with huge amount of energy. I have seen him in his original form and we can't even touch him in that form. We need to make him to come back in human form, then only we will have any chance. So, we need huge amount of energy to make him disoriented to force him to convert in human form."

  "How much energy do you think we need," Clemon asked.

  "Well, I have some data and calculation. I need to you verify it," Mark said and showed him the amount of energy.

  "Your calculation is correct," Clemon saw the data and said, "But do you really think that we would ever be able to achieve that much energy. I mean... even millions of Dyson sphere together can’t harness that much energy."

  "yeah... that's the problem," Mark said, "And even if we try to harness the Star's energy through Dyson sphere, it would take millions of years to achieve that much energy... and we don't have much time."

  "Why didn't you think about harnessing the energy from super massive Black Hole," Clemon suggested.

  "Can you do that," Mark asked excitedly but in a moment his excitement fade and he said, "If we harness the energy of Black Hole which plays major role in binding the whole galaxy together, don't you think that harnessing its energy will make the whole galaxy unstable?"

  "Your doubt is quite expected and possible," Clemon said, "But we will not disturb the Black Hole itself, but we will just use it to convert mass into energy. Still our universe will become unstable, so we would keep this as our last weapon."

  "How will you do that," Mark asked.

  "We will have to throw objects having mass into it... a small part of mass will go in event horizon to get disappeared forever, but Black Hole will transfer its small fraction of angular momentum to remaining mass which will get amplified with passing time, if we trap it into something... and we can use that huge kinetic energy on Crayton to disorient his pattern forever."

  "How would you do that in such a short period of time," Mark asked.

  Clemon said, "Actually, we have ongoing project regarding this. You just need to arrange the enough mass to throw into Black Hole."

  "Can you make a complete spherical shield around Black Hole where we will trap the mass, and we can release that energy transferred from Black Hole's angular momentum on those creatures," Mark suggested.

  "Actually, we have the same. We call that Shalloac," Clemon said, "You just need to take care of sufficient mass to throw into this."

  "Okay... but this is not the only thing," Mark said, "We will have to be ready for after successful execution of this plan. We need to have large number of warriors to fight with them. We need to unite this whole universe..."

  "For that I can suggest you a way," Clemon said, "We... Cloukon are one of the most powerful species of this universe, but there are more like us... some are even more powerful. Some of us are very conscious towards the safety of everyone. So, we assemble every week for meeting regarding the safety and well-being of everyone at Khoestra. You can come there and put this truth there hoping if they would help you as well you will also have to convince them to use our Black Hole energy project to use for your own purpose."

  "I will be there," Mark said.

  ◆◆◆

  CHAPTER 31
<
br />   Arrival

  Just a few moments left to celebrate, to enjoy the leftover moment of life... because Crayton is about to enter to fulfil his insane purpose, to make everyone realize the true meaning of hell. However, for Mark being alive yet is a wonderful achievement, but he needs to be strong enough to break the barrier of time loop and give everyone a new hope to choose their own direction... a direction towards happiness. But to be ready to this war, he needs to convince them to let him use the Black Hole energy.

  "'They are here... in our universe, just a moment away and that moment will pass with blink of eye. And then we will left with only our compulsion... regretting the moment that we couldn't do anything when we should have done... when we should have tried to stop them, we were in our comfort zone... doing nothing and making ourselves believe that everything will be okay. We were trying to convince ourselves that everything is just an illusion, when it was not. When those threat were real, then we were sitting on our comfortable space chair and enjoying the moment that we should never have done,' I don't want to spend my last moment thinking like that... actually I don't want this to be my last moment... I want to extend it… I want to write my last moment myself. I don't want to spend my rest of life (if I would remain alive) regretting. I always live in present and I want you all to do the same," Mark said this at their weekly meeting at Khoestra.

  He continued when he saw that he is not able to convince them, "It's not like I am demanding your everything... and I believe that you must have enough energy in store for some emergency situations like this. Moreover, it's your place too... and so it is your duty to protect it."

  "I don't want to fight against imaginary magic," one of their leader said.

  Other said, "If this is true, then send the proof... we will discuss on that."

  "We don't have time to discuss," Mark still tried to convince him.

  "I am sorry, but our time is valuable, and you are just wasting it," one of those leader Cleok said.