READ WEBNOVEL Ch 70 – Catching Up
It all started with Foreworld.
That's not the real name of the place, just what the locals call it. You see mana, magic, life, thoughts, they are all the same thing. Universes, at least the naturally occurring ones, are just divergent beads along various chains of time. These chains of divergent beads tend to group up along conceptual lines. These lines are separated from one another by dark matter.
Did I explain how that works to you? I'm sorry. There's so many of you, I forget who I'm talking to sometimes. A quick summary.
Life, mana and memes are interchangeable. They are one and the same. Life cannot exist without communication. Even a single celled life form needs to communicate within itself to process the chemicals it absorbs. Communication is life. However, communication is only possible in fuzzy areas. You call it The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. The smaller something is, the harder it is to measure it, because the very act of observing it changes what your are measuring. The uncertainty is not a constant, but changes depending on what reality you are in. Because of this uncertainty, life is possible. The more fuzzy your reality, the most fantastical it can become.
The problem is with that which you call "dark matter".
In the vast intricate structures that make up hyper-dimensionality, there are tendrils and rivers of existence that snake and wind themselves through the dark matter reefs. Dark matter is a type of substance that normal matter cannot interact with because it is the very bedrock of reality. The density of dark matter effects the amount of 'CLARITY' you experienced in a given section of space. Clarity is the very enemy of life.
Normal world is literally buried in dark matter.
It's why our friend Jack has so much DNA... why YOU have so much DNA. You need that much just to survive in your world. You'd fall apart otherwise. It's also why none of you have any super powers or magic or psionic or any other sort of nonsense like that. But that's a discussion for another time.
Foreworld is one of a number of worlds that have 'comic book heroes'. Did the comic books come first? Hard to tell, really. History is rather muddled at the moment. Again, a story for another time. What is important is that similar universes tend to clump together. Like a long twisting chain of beads flowing through the hyper-dimensionality of the cosmos. Due note, infinity doesn't exist, so while there are many similar universes, there aren't an unlimited number of them. There are many combinations, but notevery combination, especially because not all of them are naturally occurring. You'd be surprised how many artificial universes exist, but I'm getting off track again.
You may, or may not, be aware that there is a war going on. Demons against angels, basically. Long story short, the demons are trying to get to the Dark World, better known as Normal World to you and your ilk. Due to a rather long and convoluted set of circumstances, Normal World is currently sitting on the largest pile of raw energy the cosmos has. Coincidentally it also has some of the strongest souls in existence as well. Think living in the Himalayan mountains. You become rather efficient at scavenging every last drop of oxygen out of the air you can. Same concept, but with magic. Whoever gains control of the Dark World just might gain enough power to once and for all decide who wins the eternal battle between the light and the dark.
To get there, the demons have to get past the angels, and to get past the angels, they brought an army. There are multiple armies trying to fight through various "genre lines", but we're going to concern ourselves with only this particular neck of the woods. The demons managed to blast their way through several dimensions and they were almost through. Just one universe left to conquer, then it would be a straight shot to your world. All they had to do was take over Foreworld.
Then Multi-Man kicked their ass.
It happened in local time 1982. The demons attacked Foreword and manifested the anti-christ, their local version of a demon lord, and proceeded to try and take over the universe as a staging ground for the final assault. Multi-man had only one power, but what a power. He could duplicate the powers and abilities of any one around him. Friend, foe, strong or weak, he could copy them all.
Originally known as Carbon Copy, a member of the periodic platoon, he was good friends with the Caffiend. He learned much working with the Platoon, but after world war two, he retired along with the rest of the survivors. The war had taken a lot of out Carbon. He spent several decades just dealing with his trauma. However, he also spent this time with his friend the Caffiend who was immortal. So Carbon Copy was immortal as well. He remained youthful as he healed his mental scars, and slowly grew in power as well.
Over time, he learned how to permanently copy other people's powers and learned how to copy more than one power at a time. Eventually, he learned how to copy everyone within line of sight. When the demons attacked, they didn't know he was still around, so none of their plans included him. Their first attack took out a large number of heroes, basically forcing Carbon out of retirement. He took on the name Multi-man and became the leader of a new superhero group, The Composites. He gathered together the strongest superheroes he could find and together over a three week period, defeated the invading demonic army. For years they remained the premier superhero team on the planet fighting against many other would be world conquerers; Doctor Apocalypse, Doctor Monad, Doctor Deranged...
There are a lot of villains with doctorates, apparently.
He also tried to save people as well. With his powers to duplicate others, he managed to contact Nowhere Man who was trapped in-between dimensions. Every attempt Nowhere Man made to communicate with the real world only killed the people he tried to reach. A most stirring story of redemption about a tragic foe if ever there was one. Multi-man eventually managed to restore Nowhere Man's sanity and he joined the team. The Composites continued to fight the good fight until, one day, the demons returned. The battle turned against The Composites for the demons had planed well. It looked like it was going to be the end of Multi-man, until Dreamweaver showed up.
You might know him as Christ.
There are many versions of this figure. A lot of universes seem to have a Christ somewhere or somewhen. He's an archetype and as such a recurring figure in most histories. In this universe, he was called The Dreamweaver and when he teamed up with Multi-man and the White Queen, it was all over. Once the demons were finally pushed out, from that point on, it looked like it was going to be smooth sailing for Foreworld. The rest of the galaxy had contacted Earth and were discussing them joining the greater galactic community.
Alas, the demons had other plans.
The demon lords had expected the battle for this genre line would be tough and had passed onto the Anti-Christ an artifact of great power. A type of weaponry known as the chronobombard. Time weapons come with many different features, but this one was rather simple. Activate it and you can cause a split in time creating a parallel universe. From a hyper-dimensional perspective, it's the same universe, as far as trying to get an army through. However, you can't just choose how the new universe comes out. It's sort of like rubbing Aladdin's Lamp. You make your wish, poke time, and deal with how it turns out.
The demons wished for the Nazis to win world war two.
It was two in the morning when Jack got a teleport from Wanderer back to his apartment.
After spending several hours with Adam, Grease suddenly abruptly said that she needed to go for a run. Though she thanked Adam with a kiss and caress of his cheek, she abruptly vanished. Meanwhile, the rest of the team had been tackling various problems around the city on their own, putting out fires here and there. The figurative "fires" caused by the city's massive disruption were opportunistic crimes, although nothing so bad they couldn't handle it without Grease. Fortunately, as per the law, it was all hands on deck for an omega alert, so they had more than enough part-timers to help fill in the operational gaps.
Clean up only lasted into midnight when the omega alert was finally canceled.
The aftermath of the incident resulted in approximately 1,800 individuals sustaining injuries severe enough to require medical attention, but only 14 fatalities, which unfortunately included Balloon Boy. The circumstances surrounding Balloon Boy's death were considered justified, and as such, no charges were filed. Much of the battle was captured on various cameras, and ultimately, it was determined that even if Grease had managed to get through to Balloon Boy, The Golden Knight decision to not take any risks was deemed fully justified.
The fate of the multiple demonic incursion remained unknown. Nth Factorial surmised that the majority of them were likely intended to be a distraction, given that several of the detectors designed to detect disturbances in the fabric of space-time had been sabotaged. As a result, WASP OCL had to rely on its far less precise satellite array to monitor the situation. You might think it would be safer to breach the walls between dimensions away from the detectors, except that the detectors are needed in the city. The very presence of self-aware beings causes minor fluctuations in monadic fields and that makes it harder to detect inter-dimensional portals near large populations.
When Nth ended the alert, Sass immediately checked whether Grease was still with Adam. Upon learning that Grease had left, Sass occupied the next hour and a half of Adam's time. During this period, Sass repeatedly vacillated between asking "Where the hell were you?" and expressing her concerns about his well-being. Sass's usual assertive demeanor was absent, replaced instead by a Yandere-like persona.
She was worried sick.
After speaking with Sass, Adam came to a rather unsettling realization. He began to feel that he was partly to blame for what had occurred. As Sass spoke, he couldn't shake the sense that she had been too preoccupied with his safety to properly lead the team. Despite his attempts to communicate with her, she seemed uninterested in discussing the matter. When he pressed the issue, she made an excuse and abruptly departed, alluding to a past event that remained unresolved.
Feeling too remorseful to rest, Adam teleported to Wanderer's room, only to find her awake and visibly distressed. The team's emotional turmoil had become overwhelming, and even her mind-shielded sleeping pod had offered little relief. Adam was determined to do what he could to assist her, but instead, Wanderer asked if he could transform into Jack and asked if she could sleep in his apartment.
That's how Jack wound up sitting in a chair with his feet up on the corner his bed while he watched Wanderer sleep.
~I don't think I mentioned this before, but you've got a lot of self-control.~
Jack whispered under his breath, "I dunno if I really need all that much in the way of self-control. I just can't see her that way. I know she's older than me, but she just feels like... I dunno. Like a daughter."
~I noticed you haven't been watching lately.~
"I've been tired."
~Or are you just serious about Ivy.~
"Her name is Myrtle."
~Ah. Right. Myrtle.~
There was a long pause, ~You know we're going to have to tell her at some point.~
Jack didn't say another word. Eventually he quietly got up to go the bathroom. After he finished his business, he contemplated taking a shower, thought better of it, then turned to leave.
That's when he saw a man standing behind him in the mirror.
As Jack turned around, he swung his arm, attempting to strike the mysterious figure in the throat. However, his arm hit nothing but empty space. Confused, Jack glanced around before turning back to face the mirror, where he saw a white figure standing behind him. It wasn't a person dressed in white, but rather a figure devoid of any defining features or contours. It appeared as if someone had used a photo editing software to remove a person's physical form and replaced it with a flat, white silhouette. The figure was not luminous but simply... white.
Jack checked behind him then the mirror several times. The figure stepped forwards and off to the side so Jack could clearly see there was a man in the mirror, but nobody was standing next to him. Jack leaned away from where they figure would have stood, if it physically existed, and muttered out of the corner of his mouth to address Adam, "Tell me you're doing this."
~Wish I could. All I can say is I see it too.~
The outline spoke, and as it did the sound came from the mirror instead of from next to Jack. The voice was a continuous monotonous droning sound without variation in pitch, volume, inflection, tone, or tempo, "Greetings Jack Cooper Jack Trades Adam Angel I have information that I will convey you."
Jack glanced at the exit and then back at the mirror, "I'd be a lot less inclined to scream for help if I knew your name."
"Foolkiller."
"Not helping your case."
~Do you think he's a reverse vampire? Like, he's only visible in mirrors?~
"I'm not here for your approval I'm here to clarify things I know what your father is up to I know his little project has brought an army of demons wanting to break through my territory and I am unhappy about it however I am aware of your unhappiness with his choices so I have no objections to your presence even if you are about to cause a great deal of trouble."
Jack went from wary to down right confused and squinted at the mirror so hard he felt the strain in his forehead, "SayWhatNow?"
"I do not interfere in the now for the others the now has past and your now is still arriving I will not interfere until then you will have to make your choice and once it is done it cannot be undone both choices are beneficial and detrimental I wish to give you a third option."
Jack blinked a lot, "Only... really caught that last part."
The figure held up his hand as if he was going to snap his fingers, "I can send you home choose."
Jack stared, "Wait. Tell me about my father. My father is a nobody. What the hell could he-"
"Choose."
Jack rubbed his eyes for a second, then leaned in closer to the mirror, "You aren't giving me much to work with here. I don't want to just-"
"Choose or I will choose for you."
This caused the hairs on the back of Jack's neck to stand up. He blurted out, "Can I have time to think about it?"
There was a pause that stretched on for what seemed like an eternity, but eventually it spoke a single word, "Yes."
The image vanished like a bad jump cut.
Jack looked around, then gently reached out to touch the mirror.
Nothing happened.
"Hey, Adam?"
~Yes, Jack?~
"What the hell do you remember about Dad? Because, I'm drawing a blank on what he could have-"
~You might have a different dad than the one who raised you.~
"Oh Fuck." He stared at the mirror with wide eyes, "Do you think I got a birthmark that looks like a six-six-six on top of my head?"
~The number of the beast?~
"Yeah."
~Well... Check?~
Jack looked around the counter of his bathroom until he found his shaving mirror. He held it up to the back of his head and started to part his hair in various places to see if there was anything hidden.
There was.
With his heart in his throat he started to read it out loud.
"Six..."
"Six..."
"..."
"Eight?"
In his head, Adam burst out laughing and the 'birthmark' vanished, ~Six Six Eight? My GOD! You're the NEIGHBOR of the beast!"
Jack looked pissed. No. Pissed was not the word for it. VOLCANIC would be a better word. He barely managed to keep his voice down as he hissed at the mirror like he was spitting steam, "Oh You ASSHOLE. This is not the time for fuckin' JOKES."
The reflection started moving independently of Jack, ~Oh c'mon! You would have done the same thing if the situation was reversed and you know it!~
Jack took a deep breath and raised a finger to point at his reflection, "Listen-" Someone knocked on the door. Jack cursed softly under his breath and opened the door expecting Wanderer, "I'm Sorry. I didn't mean to-"
It was not Wanderer.
Standing in the hallway of Jack's apartment was an old British man who looked quite familiar. "I apologize for my impoliteness, but I'm pressed for time," The man gestured with his thumb over his shoulder, adding, "I am afraid I already sedated your girlfriend, but you needn't worry about her. The effects will dissipate within a few hours, and she'll feel quite reinvigorated upon waking. Right as rain."
Jack stood there in a t-shirt and boxer shorts and stared at Lord Od, "What???" Jack was having a hard time reconciling the statements he had just heard and the apparently harmless old man before him.
Lord Od squared his shoulders and looked Jack straight in the eye. He spoke with conviction and with the weight of over a century of life experience behind his words, "I'm trying to save the world."
"I Need Your Help."