Echoes in the Fog

A Tale of Three Worlds

THIS STORY WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE WORLD OF MY SERIES:

THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL SAGA,

AND WILL CONTAIN CHARACTERS AND INFO FROM THAT SERIES, AS WELL AS FROM MY STORY:

FOR LACK OF A BEZOAR.

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE OTHERS YOU WILL BE ABLE TO FOLLOW, BUT YOU CERTAINLY WON'T BE PICKING UP AS MUCH OR UNDERSTANDING AS WELL AS IF YOU HAD.

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"If a coin comes down heads, that means that the possibility of its coming down tails has collapsed. Until that moment the two possibilities were equal.

But on another world, it does come down tails. And when that happens, the two worlds split apart."

Philip Pullman - The Golden Compass

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There are many worlds, the theory goes.

An infinite number of them, filling the empty expanse of space like water in a bucket.

As far away as the opposite end of the universe, as close as the other side of a shadow.

These worlds are created, the theory continues, whenever a choice is made.

Whenever someone, or indeed, something, makes a choice, they create a world wherein they chose differently.

Some of these worlds will only have the most minor differences. Some will be starkly different.

Theoretically, it should be possible to travel from one world to another.

The theories are correct.

The chances of inter-dimensional travel occurring are minute. Minuscule.

So unlikely that it is the next best thing to impossible.

But when dealing with an infinite number of worlds, something which is merely almost impossible is as good as certain.

In a vast number of worlds, there exists an artefact that could, under the right conditions, lead to inter-dimension travel.

In many worlds, this artefact was discovered. In some, it was left where it was found. In some, it was destroyed. In some, it was studied.

In most of the worlds, its true purpose was never discovered.

But in some, it was.

Interestingly enough, in every world that this artefact existed, it could be found in the same location.

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In one world, approaching evening on the first of May, 2028, the English Department of Mysteries was finishing their daily experiments with the artefact.