[???]

[Maximus POV]

Maximus began to wake up from the nap in the hospital like he woke up from a hot nap in the afternoon. A white glow entered his vision like the shining star of Eos was right above him and he soon covered his eyes with his hand before realizing that he was wearing heavy clothes, unlike the one he went to sleep with. As he brought up his hand towards his eyes he realized that something was different about his hand. His hand was covered in a metallic sheet like a high-tech android’s hand and he was wearing a long trench coat. In between his mechanical parts he noticed a moving line of code like ants marching along his parts instead each ant was a rune like word.

Maximus touched his chest and felt that his body lacked any heat and instead it was cold. It was cold….wait...machines should not be able to feel. How could he feel his cold body? Maximus noticed that the runes which were running up and down between his mechanical body parts resembled his blood. He started to breath really fast, forcefully pumping his heart and the runes began to move at a faster rate. It seemed like he was using a biomechanical body of sorts.

What mattered now was, Where exactly was he?

Maximus looked around to find himself in a small park where a galactic pavement stretched through the middle of the park. The width of the park was around the size of a soccer field and it seemed to stretch forever like a bridge with no end or beginning. From Maximus’ point of view he was lying on the pavement that stretched across the long side. Beside him were a neat column of trees methodically planted and looking around he noticed that there was no one else. There were a number of bushes which lined up with the path as if they were filling in the space between the trees creating an artificial wall of greenery alongside the pavement. At the edge of the pavement was a large door decorated in white marble statues which made Maximus feel like he’s looking at the gate of heaven.

Maximus slowly got up and found that his new body was fresh and young. He remembered the feeling of moving in his younger body but he truly felt alive in this body. Like he had full control and he wasn’t bound to the physical limits of flesh, he began to feel like a superhero. He noticed that everything about the tree was white from the leaves to the bark and branches. Taking a closer look he realized that between the bark the same line of runes ran up and down the bark and the ceramic like leaves were still as though it was in a picture. The bushes were also white like they were made from dried white paint and shaped into the form of a bush. The pavement was like the starry night with numerous stars scattered like sand on the void of space. Maximus stared back opposite from the heavenly door and he saw that the path stretched to the horizon, almost into an endless abyss.

The same layout of the trees, bushes and pavement kept repeating systematically as if someone copied and pasted a single section multiple times, as he began to wonder what kind of being could make this type of architecture before something mysterious and powerful caught his attention.

A voice boomed inside Maximus’ head, “Welcome to the interdimensional hub”

It was an andryogenous voice which was very soft and relaxing like it was welcoming you back home from a long day of work. The voice continued to speak,

“You must be new here, let me show you the ropes around this place.” Light began to form in front of Maximus and they combined to form an andregenyous being which resembled a faceless porcelain statue with very long strands of what seemed to be hair. As the statue began to form Maximus realized that the hairs were actually hundreds of thousands of really small tentacles that were attached to the back of his head. He was a head taller than Maximus and a dark black line formed on the bottom of his head like someone cracked open a rock.

Creak. The cracked line opened revealing a mouth which began to speak,

“Hello newcomer, my name is Dux and today I will be your guide”

Snap. He snapped his fingers and a small black portal appeared right above his hand. Out came a small ball which looked like it was a steel ball with layers of runes covering it. It looked like the ball was covered in rune like snakes which kept moving like tangled strings. Dux pushed the orb to Maximus as it slowly levitated towards Maximus.

“This is the Aydron, a tool which will help you navigate the interdimensional hub. Touch it to link it to your mind and you can begin to use it”

Maximus reached out and gently tapped the orb and the runes rippled like water. Silence filled the park as the runes kept rippling before they suddenly flew out like snakes biting for the kill straight at Maximus’s finger and integrated itself with the runes on his body that were moving. They began to coil from his arm and the runes approached his heart like lightning. As it connected with Maximus he felt like he could control the orb as if it was his finger. A single command of moving up or down made the orb move whatever direction he wanted to. The orb felt like it was part of Maximus’ body, as if it has always been there.

Dux began to speak again.

“The interdimensional hub is a place where people across dimensions can meet with each other and communicate. The Aydron can answer all of your questions about this place, open portals, disguise yourself and more. I suggest you go through the gate once you’ve figured everything out.”

Dux’s statue-like body began to crumble into dust like a mummy was dropped from a high building and the wind suddenly came and brought the crumbles of what Dux’s body used to be away. Maximus stared at the Aydron that was floating and realized that there was a translucent line of rune connecting both of them. A mechanical voice entered into his mind and in a monotone voice stated,

“Please give me a name and select the voice that you want to hear” the layers of runes unfolded from the ball and displayed a grid of voices that Maximus can pick from. Scrolling through the samples of audios Maximus heard a very nostalgic voice. A voice which reminded him of the smell of alcohol and the large tree city on the planet of Zaretta. It resembled the loyal voice of Donavan L. Cantarito, the Basilisk who served him drinks and comforted him during his hardest time. The gentle, deep and heavy voice of Donavan resounded through the white park.

“Hello, sir” The voice was filled with a rich tone that was filled with life and age old wisdom, camaraderie and friendship. It was the sound of intelligence and brotherhood. It was a voice, to Maximus was someone he could trust.

“I want this voice”

“Do you wish to confirm?” The rich voice of Donavan resounded once more from the orb.

“Yes”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you sir” Donavan’s voice resounded in the park once more before it fell into silence.

“Please give me a name and tell me how I should address you”

“Donavan, Maximus formally, address me as Max in most occasions”

“Yes Sir Max, I am Donavan. Your personal Aydron which will help you navigate the interdimensional hub” The voice replied while the runes on the ball began to dance excitedly to show that it was glad for being given a name.

“Tell me everything that I should know”

“Yes sir. The interdimensional hub isn’t exclusive to Tryphant Agents, although Tryphant Agents often have the ability to go to places and have more freedom without restriction. Most of the civilizations and people who are in the interdimensional hub are often from other civilizations who are technologically on the edge of interdimensional travel. Although we call this a hub it’s more accurate to describe it as a sub-universe by itself. The interdimensional hub is a place where hundreds of thousands of miniature worlds exist and people would create portals to go from world to world where miniature worlds are created and destroyed everyday As you enter the gate you’ll be greeted by the largest world, the hub. You can use me to open portals as long as you have the correct coordinates and the proper permissions I can transfer you to that world. Typically the rules lie within the boundaries of using common sense. Don’t kill, steal, commit fraud, assault another person, etc. If you are about to do a crime I will tell you that it’s a crime and the corresponding punishment as well. When you pass through those doors a fellow Agent will meet with you.”

Hmmmm “I heard that you could also disguise yourself?”

“What would you like to be disguised into?”

“What are the options?”

“Anything you can imagine”

“Like a really large dragon?”

“Transforming into, a very large dragon”

Maximus’s skin began to crack and crumble and underneath came out the same biomechanical skin but this time it was in scales. Maximus’ entire skin crumbled and cracked as a new layer of white scales grew out of the broken skin. The scales began to expand like they were filled with air before they solidified into titanium like plating. Maximus could feel that Donavan was getting smaller and smaller until it was nothing more than a single dot in his vision, like a single dot by a pen the orb floated silently before asking,

“Was this to your liking?”

The runes continued to flow between his scaly body in between the scales like flowing water and he could feel the three dragonhearts in his chest beating fast. Maximus spoke but this time his voice echoed from the bellows of his belly as it rang out in a might, rich and commandeering voice,

“Tell me the average size of lifeforms in the international hub Donavan” he roared in a deep voice

“Most lifeforms are roughly 2 meters tall in the hub”

“Transform me BACK this INSTANT” a voice rumbled throughout the white park ruffling the ceramic like leaves.

The scales began to fall and as they hit the ground the crumbled into dust and the layers of runes fell and wrapped themselves around Donavan leaving a dust cloud of scales and a Maximus in a trench coat sitting on the starry ground.

“Can you see what I’m imagining right now?” Maximus inquired

“Only if you give me permission”

“I allow it”

“I see a man with black hair and black eyes with a strong jawline and a pair of glasses with short hair. He’s wearing a white hoodie and jeans with it. He looks very common. Do you wish to transform into this form Max?

“Yes match his physique with mine”

“Very well”

The changes this time were very subtle like Maximus was a clay statue that was gently being molded into his shape. Like an invisible hand was kneading a strong jawline, a muscular body and the right kind of hair. His hair turned into black like a painter came and stroked his brush across Maximus’ head and his trenchcoat became a white hoodie. He retained his biomechanical looks with runes flowing across his entire body like runic ants marching up and down in a single file but it was now covered with a white hoodie. Maximus commanded the orb to create a mirror and was satisfied with his current looks.

“What’s the currency in this place?”

“The largest currency are Tryphant Points which can be used to directly buy the services from the Ancient Tryphants. A Tryphant Point can be transferred into 1000 Selics which are the common currency used. 1 Selics can be divided into 100 Pectus which are the smallest currency inside the hub. You currently have 1,000 Tryphant Points inside your account.”

“What’s the basic price for food?”

“Loaf of Bread - 1.47 Selics, Apple - 2.10 Selics, Kilogram of Rice - 1.49 Selics, Kilogram of Potatoes - 2.12 Selics”

“Examples of services that a Tryphant Point can give”

“Indestructible heart - 10 Tryphant Points, Ancient Tryphant’s Consulting - 100 Tryphant Points, Eternal Rosewood Tomb - 3 Tryphant Points, Dragon Egg - 70 Tryphant Points, Lotus Blossom of Truth - 4 Tryphant Points”

“This should be interesting, say Donavan are we ready to go through?”

“Ready whenever you are sir”

“Let’s go”

The sound of two objects coming through the portals echoed in the empty park and silence filled the entire sub-world. Soon the still white park was empty with no trace left behind of Maximus or Donavan, it was like you were staring at a picture and someone just photoshopped them out. The peace returned to the world before the starry pavement began to crack the same way glass would crack if you smashed a hammer onto it. The epicenter of the cracks begin to expand as the lines of destruction spread out onto the entire sub-world before a final crack brought the world into destruction, leaving nothing behind.