And, as usual, I have no clue if this thing's undercooked or burnt to a crisp straight from the author's kitchen
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(Kael Rukmono - October 14, 2011)
It had been two days since my "meeting" with Sister Alma, and surprisingly, things had been quiet.
A little too quiet.
It's just that lately, I've been feeling a bit strange about TB.
"TB, are you absolutely sure you're okay?" I asked the monitor. "You've been... quiet. You seem distracted lately."
Her holographic avatar flickered to life. Her smile was a fraction too wide, her posture a bit too rigid. "I am operating at 100% of my designated parameters, Shikikan. All systems are nominal. There is... nothing wrong."
There was a pause. A digital micro-expression flashed across her face, a blankness so profound it was, in itself, a scream of denial.
I knew she was hiding something.
I sighed, rubbing my temples."Look, I'm not going to force it. But if there is something... anything... just tell me. Okay?"
"...Understood, Shikikan."
Her voice was flat. I didn't like the hollow ring to it, but I let it go. For now.
"Right," I said, clapping my hands to shatter the awkward atmosphere. "Enough gloom. Maybe I'll test Scholar's Armament next on my..."
My phone buzzed on the mahogany desk, the screen illuminating with a single word: Mum.
"Wonder what's up." I picked it up and swiped. "Hey Mum, is everything alright?"
Her voice came through the line, warm but laced with that specific, cheerful, "I've-already-made-a-decision" tone that only mothers possess.
"Kael, dear! Oh good, are you busy?"
Well, if "busy" includes learning magic from a tome that the Clock Tower's mages would commit atrocities for, and running a YouTube channel where I stream games from a decade in the future, then... no, not really.
"Uh… not too busy, Mum," I lied, leaning back in my Dreadon Chair. "Just... reading. Gaming. You know, looking for job vacancies."
"Good!" she said brightly, the hook well and truly set. "Because I wanted to tell you something important."
I braced myself. Important, in my mother's dictionary, could mean anything from 'We're going to meet my extended family, Daal Oemar' to 'your third cousin is getting married and you have to wear a suit.'
She continued, "Your father and I talked last week, and we've decided that this Christmas, and New Year Holiday as well, we're spending them with your father's family back in Egypt!"
My brain slammed to a complete, screeching halt.
"...Kael? Dear? Are you still there?"
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. "Uh, yeah, Mum. Yeah. Egypt," I managed to say, my voice sounding hoarse even to my own ears. "Wow. That's... sudden. For Christmas holiday ?"
"Your father already booked the tickets! It'll be such a surprise. Your grandparents will be so happy to see you; it's been far too long, hasn't it?"
"A-Ah, yeah, of course," I stammered into the phone, trying to sound normal,
"That... sounds... amazing, Mum. Really. Could... could definitely use a change of scenery. I'll... I'll check my... calendar."
"Wonderful, dear!" she chirped, completely oblivious. "I'll send you the flight details later. Oh! And your father said your grandfather is very eager to show you his 'new discovery' in the basement. Something about an old map."
"A map? Okay. Sounds... interesting. Talk soon, Mum. Love you."
I hung up and stared at the dark screen of my laptop. The silence in the room was absolute.
"Shikikan," TB's voice came softly from the monitor, almost hesitant. "I detected a significant increase in your heart rate during that call. Should I be concerned?"
"Depends," I said, half-smiling.
Choosing not to dwell on it for too long I got up from the chair "Well, I think it's time to check on Aisling considering she'll be able to come out of the cultivation tube soon."
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(???)
Since "I" became aware of my surroundings, "I" have always had strange visions, starting from an Astrologer, his robes tattered by the winds of an ancient era, standing atop a jagged peak. He didn't just look at the stars; he spoke to them.
"I" watched through his eyes as he mapped a constellation that shouldn't exist a pattern that defied the known laws of the celestial sphere.
As he traced the final line of his star-chart, the universe seemed to shudder in acknowledgement.
Then, the miracle occurred.
A fragment of Star Amber, more brilliant than any diamond and pulsing with a cold, primeval intelligence, descended from the firmament. It didn't strike the earth with violence; it drifted down like a petal, and upon contact, it shattered into a billion shimmering particles.
Then the vision shifted.
Someone who resembled my Creator was in an office littered with papers, working hard to find a way to defeat something, before finally stopping and whispering resignedly,
"I'm sorry, Anzeel, Aoste... I can't find the way to win this."
Suddenly, the vision shifted, and 'I" found myself standing on a beach.
The ground beneath 'my' bare feet wasn't sand, but millions of those same tiny, glowing particles shards of crystallized starlight that pulsed in a rhythmic, gentle heartbeat.
Before 'me' was a vast, shimmering ocean, but it wasn't a normal blue.
It was a swirling mix of deep blues, purples, and even faint reds, with waves that seemed to move in slow motion, like liquid silk.
And stretching out into the water, a long line of crimson torii gates marched out into the horizon, each one leading to the next like a set of divine stepping stones.
'I' took a step forward, my translucent skin shimmering with a pale blue light.
then 'I' felt a presence watching 'me'.
a gaze that was old, cold, and vast.
'He' looked just like my Creator, but for some reason, he was also very different from him.
I tried to approach him, but suddenly 'I' heard the Sound of Chime echoing and at that moment 'I' was also enveloped by a blinding light
My eyes snapped open. I was floating in a tube filled with swirling silver liquid.
My Creator stood on the other side of the glass. He looked tired, but his eyes were kind.
"Oh, hey. How are you?" his voice echoed through the fluid, muffled but warm. "I hope you're ready, because in about six days, you're finally getting out of there."
I watched him, unable to speak, my fingers pressing against the glass.
"It must be boring, isn't it? Just floating there," he mused. "And by the way... it looks like I'm going to Egypt for a family vacation."
"It must be boring, just floating there," he mused. "And by the way... it looks like I'm going to Egypt for a family vacation. I'm honestly clueless about how I'm going to introduce you to the family. They'll be bragging about 'the lucky girl' before you've even had breakfast."
He chuckled softly, though a shadow of worry crossed his face.
"But before that, I need to figure out how you're coming with me. TB and GLaDOS live in my phone, and Shizu has the Familiar Dimension from Gacha where i get Book how to make you 'Born'...do you think you'll mind sharing a room with a Battle Maid during the trip?"
He sighed, shaking his head. "Eh, let's worry about that later. So, uh... see you in six days, my child."
I drifted in the silver light, watching the man who had given me life, wondering if he knew about the stars I had seen in my sleep.
If 'I' could talk I would probably say "See you later, Dad"