Parallel: A Story Of Two Universes

3-Vision

I woke up in a truly beautiful place, surrounded by the warmth of escapism. No longer trapped within the despair-inducing pit that is the compound, I was free within this strange tether. Since I was young I had, in some way or another, been connected to this place. I don’t know how real this all is, but it feels like such a vital aspect of my life that’s been around for so long that I doubt none of it’s actually happening. I gazed upon a truly magnificent sight; a massive field of seemingly infinite size, with blades of grass in every colour imaginable poking through the ground and shards of glass floating peacefully in the air, becoming more closely connected as they near the Parallel itself, almost like atoms becoming more solid. And there it stood, the Parallel. A hauntingly beautiful sight to behold which decided all of the rules of our world and the other, but that seemed precariously suspended in between them itself. I had been learning about it from the very beginning of my life, yet there was still lots to understand. Life itself is not a concept that can be easily comprehended. “I see you’re not doing too well…” A familiar voice crept up behind me, like music to my ears in this time of true despair and misery. “Keeper, you have no idea how glad I am to see you…” I ran up and embraced the only person who I felt really understood me; The Keeper. Though I had connections, friends, and family back in the compound, almost nobody believed me about these visions, nobody had stuck with me from the start of my life to this massive low point, except for him. The Keeper has kept the Parallel in tact for practically all of eternity, and he’s had to deal with many threats which wished to destroy it. Ever since I was young he stressed how vital it was to our world that the parallel never be broken or damaged, lest a fracture will begin, causing total, unbridled chaos. I knew due to his reasonable demeanor that this was someone who I should trust, especially since the pain which my captors believe to be caused by the Parallel doesn’t seem to have any true connection to it, though I can understand this mistake, as they’ve no concept of it beyond a vague idea spawned out of emotions and that same fear which they want so desperately to instill in me. “I know that this is a very tough point, but I believe that the most important part of your journey is still yet to come. You know I can only communicate with you in your sleep, so I’m afraid we cannot talk anymore after this vision, Hælend. You remember your training. You’ve been preparing to stop them your whole life. This is the most important threat I have seen in over a thousand years, and I know you’re the only one with enough knowledge and power of these people to stop them. It won’t be easy, but you need to get the hell out of there and find a way to bring them down, by whatever means necessary.” I let go of him and sat down between the beautiful grass patches around me. “I’m fully prepared to do that, I will save the Parallel no matter what. I will not let you down, I promise.” He smiled and began to slowly fade into a void. I could begin to feel the pain again, and I no longer saw the beautiful sights of the Parallel plane. I wish I could stay there forever, but alas, if we always stayed at our highest we would never be able to confront the demons of our lowest. “I KNEW YOU LIED! HAHA!” That sadistic monster began to laugh in my face as I woke back up, now stranded in the real world with no more visions to secure the journey ahead of me. The two creeps picked me up and began dragging me across the floor towards the door, but my body was so weakened from the beating that I collapsed in spite of their grasp. “Sometimes I wonder how the overseer could approve such runts…” said the one to my right, still with some humanity in his voice. Then the animal had to open his muzzle. “It’s a blessing though, my friend! It gives us something nice to hack away at, something to take out the pain of perfection on… HAHAHA!” He continued to laugh like a hyena gazing upon the most vulnerable prey imaginable. “Well, I think it’s time you go see mommy, eh?” My heart sank. I may have said that very few people here understand me, but my mother actually does, just in a twisted way. She herself has had visions since a young age, just like me, however, they’ve been very different and have motivated very different actions as well. She terrifies me even more than these rabid dogs because she can gaze right through me. She sees a version of herself corrupted by the underworld within me, and she thinks I can still be saved. But the truth is, the only ones who need to be saved are her potential victims, and the only one who can save them, is me.