Upon nothing

Ch 11

Somewhere in the middle of Europe, a train was speeding down the rails.  Many carts were attached to the front, containing a mix of crates and people being transported.  Despite how fast the train was traveling, it was calm and peaceful within the carts.

One of the carts was fairly empty, only having a few people populating it.  The sounds of classical music were playing in the background, providing a relaxing environment for the passengers.  Everyone was busy chatting amongst themselves as the train was taking them to their destinations, except for a certain silver haired man.

The man who was walking around the rainy town months ago was now sitting silently.  He considered himself lucky to have some space to himself,  the last few times he had to stand up while surrounded by strangers.  There was no grudge or hatred towards them, but he would take a clear area over a crowded one.  It allowed him to think clearly and plan where he would go next.

He gazed out the window next to him, watching the scenery he passed by.  Large clearings of land were a very common sight on the ride, along with occasional houses around them.  Observing the beautiful sights was something that he enjoyed during moments of travel.  As much as he wanted to watch the view forever, he couldn't forget his objective.

He looked around before pulling out the device from his pockets.  The phone shaped item was crucial for him to accomplish his goal, but it was even more crucial to avoid having it seen by anyone.  If he lost it or damaged it, the chances of finding them would still be possible, but much harder than it already was.  He turned it on, displaying the 3d replica of the earth.

"Search for X-1 and X-2."  He said quietly to the device.

The device glowed faintly as it searched for the requested designations.  Ripples spread out from the dot that marked his current location.  Unfortunately, he got the same results as the hologram began glitching out.  The man let out a deep sigh as he turned the device off and placed it back in his pocket.  He looked out the window again and began to reminisce about everything that happened that led up to him being here.

He remembered when he explored the universe with the rest of his species.  They would go everywhere they haven't been in search of new discoveries to make.  They had created the most advanced tech when most of the universe was still within the beginning steps of evolution.

Their sole objective was to discover the meaning of life and the reason for existence.  They wanted to know why life was, well, life.  They were brought into existence along with everything else in the universe, and they sought to know why.

However...

"I believe that this will be a huge step in discovering the meaning of life!"

They tried something that they all believed would further their study into existence...

"Pull him back!!"

"Shut it down now!!"

How could they've known what would happen from using it...

"I'm glad and thankful he's alright, but I feel like he's been acting differently lately."

How could they've known the consequences of their quest to understand life...

"What the hell is Alluren doing!?"

The horrors that were on the other side...the horrors that they've unleashed upon their world...

"We must stop it, no matter the cost!"

The costs that it took to stop it...the lives that were taken in order to contain it...

"Who are you!!?  What are you!!?"

"I...am..."

"Are you alright sir?"  A voice spoke.

The man's eyes widened in surprise as he was pulled away from his thoughts.  He turned to see a train worker that was staring at him.  A worried and concerned look was visible on his face.  The man cleared his throat and remained calm.

"Oh, I'm fine.  Just having a hard time making a difficult choice."  He answered, refraining from disclosing the truth.

The worker stared at him silently for a moment before nodding and walked down the aisle.  The man let out a sigh of relief as he wiped his face and realized he was sweating.  He wiped the droplets off his face and relaxed himself.

He couldn't forget what had happened back then, even if he wanted to.  He wished that what had happened was just a bad dream.  But wishing for that wouldn't solve the problem, not in the slightest.

There was nothing that he could do to change the past.  What had happened was impossible to correct, but the future was ahead of him and could be saved.  It was imperative that he and his partner found the contents they were searching for.  At the very least, they needed to find one of them before something happened to them.

He could only hope that if they were discovered, if someone on this planet found either of them, they wouldn't be opened.  If it was X-1, then there may be a small chance they could still succeed in their mission.  It would be much more difficult without a doubt, but it would be undeniably better compared to the latter.  If X-2 was open, then the likelihood of success would be even lower.  They would have to be much more offensive and hope that they could defeat that...thing.

But the ultimate worst outcome would be if both were open.   If both were open together, if what's contained inside those two things were to reunite...

This world, along with all other worlds, would bear witness to true fear and terror beyond anything ever seen before.