Chapter 114

The Bonfire Trap

You ever have one of those moments where you realize that the crazy girl at the party suddenly has eyes for you? That she then claims that she understood the messages that you were not putting down for her all night. That she is ready to home with you, that she has grown beyond her previous relationships where she set her former lover’s slippers on fire, particularly after the one time when the flames went wild and burned down the entire house?

No?

Just me again?

Well, this wasn’t the case yet, at least I hoped it wasn’t, but my Precognition-X danger sense was going off.

“Total Recall.” The woman in silk lingerie said, then she clarified. “You know, the power that lets you follow your own psychic resonance back to a person or source of information? Is that how you plan to come back to me?” She asks, while taking an aggressive step forward to me.

I instinctively take a step back. Not that I am afraid of hot women, but I do have to call the line when the woman in question has just been through some emotional shit with my brother. Then to top it all off, they seem to be throwing themselves at me, I don’t know what this is at all. But the crazed look in her eyes seems to speak volumes about there being something inherently wrong with her mental state.

“Where are you going?” The woman with the slightly crazed look in her eye begins.

“Look, I like you. I really do. I mean we bonded over abusing this version of my brother. All of that is great. But I think this might be a bit much for you. I mean you clearly have been through some stuff tonight.”

“Yes, why don’t we talk about it.” She says, taking another step forward.

By this point to avoid her, I have to jump over the bed. Then on impulse, I Telekinetically grab my brother’s limp form from the ground and use it as a moving buffer between us. Trying to use it, the same way a Knight Templar would use a cross to ward off a vampire. In both cases I think it had the exact reaction you would expect.

Hiss.

She hissed at the sight of my brother, just like a vampire would. Then using her own powers, she tried to rip Chet away from my grip. Fortunately for me, that was not going work. While it was fortunate for me, it was unfortunate for Chet, as he had his body being pulled and torn like a rag doll two disinterested kids were playing with.

“What do you mean? We clearly have chemistry together. I have never met another psychic as powerful as you are.” She said, as she stared at my natural electric silver hair.

Damn it, the hair of Psychic potency, apparently It was attractive to other Psychics. I guess I should have seen that coming.

“Look, I don’t even know your name.” I pleaded with her.

At that, she paused her trying to get around the floating brother barrier and looked at me.

“You, you are right.” Then after taking a moment to collect herself, then she introduced herself. “Where are my manners. I am Dia Monde, of the Monde dynasty of Psychics. It has long been our dream, to build the strongest family of Psychics this universe has ever laid eyes on. After seeing your prowess today, I am certain that you are the only one for me.”

“Dia Monde?” I ask incredulous.

“Yes, have you heard of me?”

NO! I was about to say how it reminded me of my first regret being a stripper named Diamond, but I withheld myself.

“Mrs. Dia.” I began.

“Ms.”

“Yes. You are clearly an amazing woman. That said, I think you have been through a lot today. Why don’t you show me how resourceful the Monde dynasty is, by finding all his conquests over the past few years and gathering them all together in say a week?” I ask, wanting to get away from this crazy woman as quickly as possible. Though I am apparently not above using her feelings for me to build towards my own objectives. You know what, don’t judge me, I don’t owe anything to this universe, not really.

Still, I can’t help but feel a partial connection to this universe, on some deep infinitesimal level.

Speaking of which, I mentally reach out to feel a connection with the four world trees that I planted, only to find that they are gone. Nothing.

“You will be back?” Dia asks, a faint hope of desperation in her voice.

“Yeah, one week from today.” I say, suddenly wondering if I am setting myself up for some sort of super-villain wannabe plot.

“Okay, what will you do in the meantime?” She asks.

“You know, I have a few miscreant children I want to check in on.”

“Kids? You have kids?”

“In a manner of speaking.” I admit. To my defense those trees all called me dad and made me feel like an absentee father every time I happened to pop into this universe without seeing them in a long time.

I have just enough psychic resonance left on the ground where Omen, or the seventh world tree seed, was planted. Focusing on that faint trace of resonance, I focus my mind and pull myself away from here.

Total Recall.

Thud.

Poof.

The split second before I activate Total Recall, my Telekinetic hold over Alternate Chet’s body relaxes throwing his body onto the ground with a less than satisfying thud.

Honestly, I don’t know what is getting into me. But I think for a moment that maybe I have gone a bit too far with this Chet. A part of me wants to point out that he did it to himself, going after a woman with an obvious stripper name. While another part of me truly feels sorry for anyone left in the path of that hellcat.

I appear, to see a giant open pit.

Before I left, the trees through their connection to me and 15th Universe Jess had grown to towering heights. But now that I was here, I could see that the tree was gone.

Looking around, I could almost see my memories here. This was the spot where I fought that Wild Stag, the Prolaxian Herald of darkest night, or some other cliche.

I stare at the hole and wonder why the trees are gone? I know they had some type of great part to play in the war against the Prolaxian Heralds and the Behemoths, but that didn’t mean they had to die once those were gone right? They could have just been trees, big annoying, psychic trees.

I end up sitting at the crater and wonder if I too should have taken the out? If I should have just disappeared as well.

Then I remember, I didn’t have a choice.

I found a way to end it, to stop the constant cycles of deaths and rebirths of the Heralds and the Behemoths.

Then as a reward, I was granted the ability to heal my soul and be an immortal passenger on these worlds. A passenger who survived, while everything else crumbled to dust around me.

I could feel the minds of many Endarian soldiers coming towards me. A cursory glance showed they were using their weird optical camouflage. This was the same kind that should provide protection against mental probing like I was currently doing, but with my heightened attributes the shielding was nothing.

“You caught me.” I say, in Endarian.

“You saw us?” A female voice that is all too familiar calls out.

Smiling wryly at myself, I call out to the voice. “No, General Tigran. I felt you all. All 57 of you. Your elite guards?” I ask, though I am fairly certain these are the same guards I trained with. Well, this universe’s version of the elite Endarian soldiers I trained with back before we began our final assault on the Behemoth.

She pauses.

“You speak our language well for a human.” General Tigran says, moving forward out of the visual protection of her cloaking fields.

“Half-human.” I correct her.

“Half?”

“Yep, I had my genes spliced. Technically I think I am more Endarian than human. Though I apparently started out as all humans do.” I say, never turn to look at the general. Instead, I just stare at the vast open crater.

“Can I ask why you are here?” General Tigran said.

“I came in to check on Omen,” I say gesturing at the wide-open hole. “But apparently the universe has no more need for world trees, be they offspring or the actual one.” I answer.

“You know about this hole?” She posed.

I chuckle.

Looking at it, I can still see the great resonating energy that the world tree once exuded here.

“Come on General. Surely you have taken samples of this place and the three others. Found that they have a great residual energy that is impossible to fake?” I ask. Then I realize, “that’s right. Your primary tree also died too? Or did it disappear just like this one. I guess there are five holes just like this one.” I say, muttering to myself.

“You know of the great tree’s disappearance?”

I nod.

“What happened?” General Tigran said, coming up to stand beside me.

“Their purpose was finally fulfilled, and they are now gone.” I reply. Then a thought hits me. “Say, I take it Rayquel,” I pause then realize that might be too formal of name to use. “I mean the Iron Butterfly also lost her guardian wings about four days ago?”

Gasps.

Judging by the gasps from around us, I take it that is exactly what happened. Made sense, Alien Jess also lost her wings.

“How do you know of such things?”

I chuckle. “When I lost my wings, I figured the others must have lost theirs as well.”

“Others? What are you going on about? Others? What others?”

I just shrug. No point in getting involved in this, so I do what I do best. Tactfully change the subject.

“Let me guess, you had a vision to be out here, at this dig site today?” I ask.

The general pauses for a moment, then stares at me.

“Just who are you exactly? I assume by your hair that you have some type of enhancement?” General Tigran said.

“Oh right. Where are my manners.” I say, jumping up then moving to stand right in front of the General.

The only problem is that I might have moved too quickly.

I say this as the General visibly jumped backwards at suddenly realizing I was there standing next to her. My 465 Agility going wild, apparently. I will need to remember that.

Shock.

She jumps, lands, and immediately grasps for her heart.

“Sorry. Still getting used to the whole super speed thing.” I say, while holding out my hand. “My name is Kyle, Kyle Goldman.”

The general reaches out her hand and clasps mine.

The moment our hands touch, her eyes flash bright for a second. A vision? I wonder. But then realize the power is different. Rather than going forward, it is going in reverse. Then I realize she isn’t seeing my future; she is seeing my past.

Before I can even pull away, the moment is over.

Gasp.

Ethereal smoke is wafting off of her, as she breaks eye contact with me.

“You?” Was all she managed, before she collapsed.

Healing-X.

I reach out, grab her, then cast healing on her out of reflexive habit. Fortunately, she is fine. A quick scan shows that she exhausted her energy reserves looking into my past.

“Monster, unhand our general.” The elite guards cry out, as they begin charging forward. Not daring to fire their weapons at me while the general is so close.

“Well, they say no good deed goes unpunished.” I say, as I find a destination and cast Total Recall.

Poof.

That was how my first visit to the fourteenth universe, after the apocalypse was thwarted, ended.

I have to say, it was a rather large shit show, if I do say so myself. Things could have gone better, but all in all I’d give it a solid D-. Just enough to pass it on to the next year, where it would be someone else’s problem child.