Parallel Illusions

Chapter 1

"Welcome to Illusion Square Mega Plaza!" Sunny exclaimed into his old video camera, his voice brimming with enthusiasm as he panned it around the bustling mall. With his fluffy blonde hair tied back in a small ponytail, his vitiligo skin glowing under the neon lights, and his lanyard adorned with pins reading 'Daycare Attendant: Sunny,' he radiated warmth and energy.

"Sunny, what are you doing?" Umbreon's voice, in stark contrast to Sunny's cheerfulness, cut through the cafe's ambient noise.

Umbreon, with his dark navy hair streaked with grey and blond roots hidden under a beanie, leaned against the counter. His blue eyes mirrored Sunny's, but his demeanor was more subdued, a shadow to Sunny's light.

Sunny's excitement dampened slightly as he explained, "It's Astrid's first day here, and her first job in general. I thought we could capture some memories with the old video camera. Silly, I know."

"Shouldn't you be doing your job?" Umbreon's tone was gentle but firm, a reminder of responsibilities.

"I'm on break, and it seems Ace is too," Sunny said, spotting their friend approaching.

Ace strode over, his vibrant red hair styled in a Skrillex cut, his green eyes sparkling with mischief. Despite his scars, which he never explained how he got, and unconventional appearance, there was an undeniable charm about him.

"Hey!" Ace greeted, taking a seat next to Sunny. Umbreon swiftly served Sunny a banana milkshake and Ace an iced coffee, seamlessly slipping into his role behind the counter.

As the trio chatted, the vibrant atmosphere of Illusion Square Mega Plaza unfolded around them. Neon lights danced off the walls, and the sound of laughter and chatter filled the air.

Illusion Square Mega Plaza was a huge mall that consisted of an array of things like the cinema, mini golf, arcades, food courts and so much more! Walls were covered in neon lights and there were kids almost everywhere!

Sunny worked in the daycare along with his sister who had started earlier that day, and his twin brother Umbreon worked in the Caffeine Corner Coffee Shop just across from the daycare. The pay wasn't the best, but it got the bills paid, especially now that Astrid started working there.

They had quite a normal life. Well, as normal your life can be when your parents are dead and you have to take care of yourself and you siblings. They got through it though.

All three of them lived in a small house in Cleveland Road, which was a street over from Ace who lived in Spring Street, though Ace had only come over once or twice to help Umbreon with his weird science projects he did in the back shed.

Ace never came inside to say hello, and he'd never met Sunny and Umbreon's younger sister Astrid. Actually, as far as Ace is concerned he doesn't know the twins even have a younger sister.

In the maze of Illusion Square, Sunny and his siblings found joy amidst the chaos. Sunny and his sister kept the kids happy in the daycare, while Umbreon whipped up drinks at the coffee shop. Despite the challenges of their past, they stuck together, leaning on each other for support.

Closing time comes around and it's time for Sunny, Umbreon and Astrid to go home. The three only live approximately 10 minutes away, so they walk home every afternoon. On their walk, Astrid talks about her first day and although he's still listening, Umbreon is trailing behind playing Pokémon.

Once they reached home, Sunny plays with his cat, Mr Pickles, before drawing to ease his mind. Astrid suggested it to help with his Anxiety, she always gave the best advice.

Astrid was watching a movie, and Umbreon practiced some violin before heading down to the back shed to do more science stuff.

Umbreon always loved science, especially when it came to space. He got A's in Science and Math's almost every year in school, whereas Sunny got high marks in other subjects like English and Art.

Sunny and Astrid didn't know what Umbreon did in the back shed, all they knew was that he was doing something with string theory.

Sunny had finished drawing for the day so he went down to the back shed to see what his brother was doing.

"Hey brother!" Sunny beamed, looking around. There were benches of tools, notebooks, a computer, a pair of gloves, and his brother. Umbreon was now wearing some old blue overalls covered in what seemed to be oil.

"Hey" Umbreon replies, giving his brother a small wave.

Sunny looks behind his brother to see a circle made out of metal connected to a bunch of wires. Kind of like a portal someone would build in a space movie.

"What's that?" Sunny asks, pointing towards it.

"Well, I'm researching string theory which is a physics theory that posits that all particles and forces in the universe are the result of tiny strings vibrating at different frequencies. It suggests that these strings are not point particles but one-dimensional beings that interact with each other, producing the particles and forces seen in nature. Essentially, it proposes that the universe has extra dimensions beyond the–" Umbreon pauses, looking at his confused brother, sighing.

"It's a portal to different dimensions" he answers, as stupid as his remark sounded.

Sunny's eyes widened with wonder and a hint of apprehension. "You can do that?"

Umbreon chuckled, adjusting his gloves as he resumed his work. "It still needs a few tweaks, but hopefully."

Sunny walks around and explores while Umbreon continues to work on the 'portal'.

"I'd close your eyes if I were you" Umbreon implies as he pulls out a welder and pulls his glasses down. Sunny turns around and looks at what's on the table.

The three of them have lived here for years now, and Sunny had never seen inside the back shed. I mean, there may have been one or two times he came in when Umbreon first took it over as his own little work spot, but it had changed a lot since then.

Umbreon was now working on the wiring connected to the portal.

Sunny's gaze wandered across the walls, where a collection of photos adorned the space, held up by strips of tape. He found himself drawn to these snapshots of the past, a simple pleasure he cherished. Maybe it was the memories they held, or perhaps just a sense of comfort in seeing familiar faces frozen in time.

One photo captured Sunny and Umbreon on their very first day of kindergarten, both sporting bright smiles and matching blonde hair. It was a reminder of simpler days, when the world seemed full of endless possibilities.

Another photo caught Sunny's eye, a candid shot snapped by Ace when he had managed to swipe Umbreon's phone. It was typical of Ace, always the prankster, caught in a moment of mischief that perfectly encapsulated his playful nature.

Despite Ace's antics, there was a warmth in the memories shared within these frames. One particularly vivid image depicted Sunny, Umbreon, and Astrid dressed up for Halloween as youngsters. Astrid, radiant in her Belle costume from "Beauty and the Beast," stood between Sunny, who had dressed up as Mario, and Umbreon, donning the attire of a Pokémon trainer. It was a snapshot of childhood innocence and sibling camaraderie.

As Sunny's eyes roamed over the multitude of photos, he couldn't help but smile at the memories they invoked. Each image told a story, a fragment of their shared history etched in pixels and ink, a testament to the bond that held them together through the years.

Sunny continues to walk around, before tripping over a wire and falling on top of his brother. The two tumble to the floor.

As the two of them go to get up, weird noises start coming from the portal. It begins spurting out flashing lights, and the brothers look at each other with a worried look. Maybe one of them accidentally pressed a button when they tumbled.

Small objects sitting on the table closest to the portal start getting sucked into it, and the more things that were fed into the portal, the stronger the force pulling things in became. It was pulling things in like a black hole. Sunny grabs onto a table and his brother's hand as his body begins being pulled towards the portal. Sadly, Sunny's strength isn't enough to stop him from being pulled into the grasp of Umbreon's contraption. With a final surge of energy, they were pulled into the portal's grasp, hurtling towards a destiny yet to unfold.