Finding Utopia

Chapter 13: Unexpected Coincidences?

"This gate is in fact a stargate but it leads to the only place other stargates cannot lead to, be careful not to tell anyone about it unless you trust them. It leads to a place where you can get whatever you want and need, a perfect place that fulfills all your desires, it leads to Utopia."

Xeelai: " Wait! this place actually exists?!"

Thiyya: " Should we try it? at least try opening it, not like going in or anything"

Marco: " What if it sucks us in?"

Maanaa: " We could belt and attach ourselves to something and stand on the sides of the gate"

Ziri: " There isn't anything solid down there that we can attach ourselves into unless you do some of your architectural alchemy or something"

Maanaa: " I can do something about it, like another gate that we can hold onto"

Maya: " Sounds all great and all, but are we sure we want to venture into the unknown"

Xeelai: " Well, the unknown isn't completely unknown in this case, we do have this book and maybe other things that can help us down there"

Marco:" It did say when we hold hands, we can read the language, so maybe the gate won't open unless we read the sentence aloud?"

Ziri: " Comics and sci-fi books did not prepare me for this, I mean, anything could be possible"

Thiyya: " Yeah, we went from doubting extraterrestrials exist to magical stargates that take you to a perfect place that grants your wishes"

Maya: " But what's the catch? why would a place grant our wishes just like that?"

Maanaa: " I understand your skepticism but not everything in the multiverse works like on earth, a lot of places have no concept of right and wrong and of giving and taking"

Xeelai: " Yeah I went to this planet called something I can't pronounce, let's call it TOI 700 d like you guys do, and they had this belief that the universe is only giving, even death is a gift"

Maya: " No planets where they achieved immortality?"

Xeelai: " None that I know of but there are some creatures that have lived for thousands of years"

Maanaa:" Well if Utopia is what it is described in this book it could potentially grant immortality"

The friends decided to finish reading the book before they could make any decisions. The book was fascinating, it described the experiences of so many people who got their wishes granted, but it also told of others that stayed back.

On the back cover, there was an opening and there seemed to be a paper in it, Xeelai got it out, it was handwritten unlike the book and he read a title: " A list of people that went and came back successfully" there were a bunch of names, with dates of birth, among which were Maya's parents, the list also read another title " Those that never made it back" this list had fewer names but as he read them out loud, Maya, Thiyya and Ziri showed a shock response, they turned to each other with concerned faces.

Thiyya: " Wait, can you read the last two names again?"

Xeelai * confused*: " Mariana Gil, Luis Gil? these two?"

Ziri: " Guys, those are Luz's parents!"

Marco, Maanaa, and Xeelai are shocked but also concerned, many thoughts come rushing to their heads but there's one thing everyone In the room was thinking about.

Marco *takes the initiative*: " Maya, did your parents know Luz's parents? is that how you two met?" 

Maya: " No, I met Luz in an orphanage, I was there for a year after my parents passed away, but Luz was there for like 10 years."

Maanaa: " This is a very interesting turn of events!"

The friends fall into an even deeper existential crisis, how can all these coincidences lead to an even bigger coincidence? Are they truly coincidences? Or has Utopia been calling for them, the book did say Utopia is a living being with a mind of its own, Utopia is a place but it's also a creature and perhaps a giving god. But how much does this god want to take back?

Is it this creature's fault that it's so addictive? Or is human greed stronger than the circumstances? But there's something stronger for sure, the human intention, the human will, that's right -the will- that's the only way Utopia can take over a human, the absence of will which is set with the intention.

How strong is the human mind? Even individually, it is capable of many things, but paired with another human mind, it could open portals to other worlds.

The silence settles for a long time in the room before someone finally decides to break it.

Xeelai: " I'm sure we're all thinking about it by now, should we try to go there?"

Thiyya: " I honestly don't know anything anymore, I can't make any decisions now, I need  coffee, rest, and a bubble bath!"

Ziri: " Ugh, so relatable, sorry guys, I'm not as smart as you, my brain cannot handle all of this! like I get it, I understand but I also don't understand anything" *sighs*

Marco: " You and me both, I am at maximum capacity and somehow my whole body is tired like I've been through some extensive workout"

Maya: " Yeah, I can relate to that too, I'm beaten and exhausted and confused and sad and so many feelings and emotions I can't process, my thoughts are all jumbled up and nothing is helping."

Maanaa: " It's not just you guys, and although we know a lot more about space travel, this is something beyond our current understanding"

Xeelai: " I've been through many stargates but none nowhere near how this one is described, plus this place sounds unbelievable"

Maya: " I keep thinking about Luz too, this will be devastating for her, her parents suddenly disappeared and she always thought they abandoned her, she searched for them everywhere, despite our differences, I think she has the right to know about this"

Marco: " I do too, but I think we should break it out to her in pieces"

Maanaa: " Maybe we should contact Aliaan first, if anyone can break this to her without her overreacting, it's her now husband"

Ziri: " Yuck! It's so weird to think of her as a married woman now, we weren't prepared for this. But in my humble, unsmart, uncultured opinion, I think we should try going to the place first, what if this doesn't work? we can't give her high hopes about such a sensitive topic!"

Thiyya *visibly drained *: " I agree, if we decide to go through that gate, which I doubt I will -sorry not sorry- we should wait until we have a practical understanding of what it is"

Maanaa: " Ok, I think it's time we all go and rest, I made a copy of the book for each of you and sent them to you on messenger, you can all take your time reading it, let's give it a few days then come back here with our decisions"

All nod in agreement.

Xeelai: " I will contact some friends of mine and do some research about this, maybe even try to get in touch with an Elder in Aaraa, but don't get your hopes up"

The friends disperse to their own places with heavy minds and hearts and a promise for an unfathomable adventure.