Beyond Infinity: The Convergence

Man of The Hour

The woman had stopped her laughter, mainly because she had run out of dopamine to draw from, but also because she had to prepare herself for what was about to come.

She stood up to the cold silence that the place fostered, truly, there was no sound offered but that of her breath, and even that was strained.

She walked in the opposite direction of the cube, pacing up the river's bank, not even blinking, not even thinking. As for Brody, he was crouched in the grass, knees to his chest, eyes fixed on the cube.

As for their cargo, May and Bob were still laying there, tossed asunder in the foliage. Kim would eventually stop a ways away, turning to face the cube. She'd unsheathe her dagger with trembling hands and hold it with both, pointing it towards the golden relic.

She shook so much that she almost dropped the thing, yet she never let go. They waited, and though it should have been a while, it was only seconds later. The cube did not shake or gyrate, in fact, it lost its golden hue and returned to what it was before. The consequences of such actions were nigh still.

The ground below the cube shattered as if struck from below by a great blow, but more was awry. It stayed there, in the air, debris, and as for the ground below it, a void.

A hand would emerge holding the cube, silver, moments later the cube would regain its golden hue, but for a different purpose. The thing would let out currents like pillars of dust, only they were golden, and there was no wind.

The constructs of golden dust flailed in the air, as if alive, and then they reached into the river's depths. They'd begin their retrieval, as removing themselves, they were holding something covered in black burning sludge, it was August, but his body was lifeless, and human.

He'd be set down, and the pillars would fade into him. Thus, he stood on his own. As for the cube, it had long lost its hue, the void and the hand long gone, the fragments of earth scattered about.

He'd soon fall to his hands, regurgitating a barrel's fill of water and sludge. He'd cough uncontollably for a few moments after that, spitting out all remnants of the depths he emerged from.

He'd soon gather the strength to stand, the sludge evaporating as if steaming water, a crimson full body suit donning him from out of thin air. He'd look around at it all, his sister, his friend, the cabin, the armed woman, the waterbody, and the burly man cowering in the grass.

He looked to be patient too as he walked straight to his sister, ignoring everything else. He picked her up, and ensured that she was indeed still alive. He'd then bring her to the river's bank, and lowering himself to his knees, he let her down into the stream.

By some sorcery, her body began to drift away, and as it did, she sunk to just beneath the water's surface, crossing the expansive divide, all on her own.

"You have until she makes it to the other side, to convince me not to kill you..." The aspect stood up, looking out onto the water's surface, content.

Brody, hearing those words, knew that he finally had his chance, but the words were deliberate, as they always were. He had to convince someone that was an aspect, he had to bargain with someone that had nothing to gain, and then, nothing to lose. It was an impossible task, by every metric, and by every measure, but he'd still try. He'd stand up first though, and he'd dust himself off.

"Even if... even if we're no longer the people you knew... you'd still be killing your friends... their memories... we still have their memories... we're—" Brody would be refused the chance to blunder.

"You're not them..." The silver man finally turned to look at Brody, and his eyes were bleeding.

Brody would instinctually step back as they made eye contact, but he'd keep going.