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It was a gloomy morning as usual. Tamik awoke from his oxygen chamber and reached for his gas mask. He mustn’t ever forget to wear his gas mask. Four years he’s been living on this world, he never intended to stay this long, but the work was good, and the people were kind. He walked across his circular apartment over to his kitchen and reached for a piece of his tasteless bread. With the bread, he grabbed the artificial taste chips he had picked up last week, set the taste—Earth: Pizza, 21st Century—and popped it in, chewing the bread simultaneously. 21st Century Pizza was his favorite setting, and he gets it as a treat for himself every now and then.

He put on his cloak, gloves and boots. Encased in the pocket of his cloak was a remote, which he took out and pressed ON.

A robotic figure on the ground illuminated.

“Hello sir. How was your sleep?” his Automan asked in its metallic tone.

“It was good, thanks Otto. Did you get a good charge?” Tamik responded.

“Yes, sir, it was quite refreshing.”

“Where are the others?”

“They still have 46 hours of charge left because of your last trip, sir.”

“I see…I’ll need to find better cases for their processing units. We’ll have to go without them. Come on.”

“On my way sir”

Tamik put his gas mask on as his door slid open. He stepped out into the gas-intoxicated environment with Otto by his side. He walked ten minutes to his local tube station—a walk he had done too many times—and entered the line. Three people were in line, and one by one, they were each briskly sucked down to the underground tube connections of the planet’s interior. Four years on this world and Tamik still got a thrill from taking the tube. He stepped into the tall cylinder compartment, strapped himself in, and set his destination for the interplanet port. With that, he descended.

Moving at the usual fast pace of the tube, he was whisked through the planet’s underground cities. He could see, through the glass, where the wealthy stayed, hiding away from the toxic fumes of the surface. The poor of the world were forced to live above in the dangerous environment, wearing gas masks outdoors to avoid sickness or even death.

Tamik arrived at the interplanet port, and immediately was checked by the Automan guards, who were much bigger and had more equipped cases than his Otto. Once he passed the checks, he proceeded to the teleportation bus waiting area.

For some reason, there was a delay upon entry to the area. Each person in the waiting area was being called into a room for what they were told by the guards was a ‘random customary check’.

Tamik observed the faces of the people who walked out of the room. They bore mixed reactions. Some were horrified, some looked intrigued by what they had just seen, and some were filled with energy, gossiping in low whispers. Tamik became anxious to see what he would find when he was eventually called up.

Tamik walked in, his eyes immediately dilating. He thought The Beings were a myth, and the little belief he had, he was sure he would never see one with his own eyes. But there they were, the floating creatures encased in a sleek, white, spherical case with the bright blue light in the center, exactly as it was in the illustrations.

The Beings, as the myth went, were a race of super-intelligent aliens. It was said that they formed an alliance with the humans of earth, giving them access to hundreds of worlds across the universe. In return, the humans allowed them constant surveillance across the worlds. No one knew what for.

The two Beings stayed hovering for a moment. Tamik couldn’t tell if they were staring at him or if they even noticed that he entered the room. They made a strange noise. Tamik had not heard any such sound in his life. He could only assume this was their way of communicating. They both turned to him, continuing to ‘speak’.

“S-Sorry, I- don’t understand…” he stammered.

An old man walked in behind him, “Hello, young man.”

“Hello,” Tamik responded, still shaken.

“Ah, I see you’ve met my friends,” the Old Man said.

“Friends…”

“Yes, my friends here.” The Old Man proceeded to speak in a language that Tamik, even in all his years of interplanetary travel, had never heard anything quite like before. A strange dialect, similar to that of the Beings.

The Beings seemed to respond to the old man, humming back in their strange twang that Tamik found to be creepily unsettling.

The old man turned back to Tamik.

“What’s your name?”

“Tamik.”

“You were headed to Nix Mundi II, yes?”

Tamik nodded.

“My friends and I have recommended that you accompany me on a journey, a quest if you like. Your travel referral has already been changed.”

“What? I have an appointment to sell my Automan’s case and processing units…”

“… But not your Automan?”

“I’m sorry?”

“You said you were selling your Automan’s case and processing unit. Is that not simply…selling your Automan?”

“Well… I suppose it is.”

“Indeed. Unless you go out of your way to copy the processing units of your Automans, in fear of losing them and being alone.”

Tamik immediately felt a wave of insecurity wash over him. The old man was correct. He was so lonely that he couldn’t even let go of Otto, or any other of his Automans. They had become his closest friends, and family, for that matter. Whenever it was time to sell one of them, he would copy their processing units. The units contain their personalities and their memories. Once copied, Tamik would put the units in a new case, so their appearance and function would change, but everything that made them who they were would remain intact. Automans were not humans. Far from them. But Tamik certainly treated them that way.

“If I may ask. How long have you been living on this world, and what age were you when you arrived?”

“I got here when I was 16… I’m 23 now.” Saying it out loud made Tamik feel even worse about that fact.

“It’s time for you to begin your life, Tamik. Come with me, see worlds you’ve never dreamed of seeing. You are such a young soul, and you have an amazing destiny ahead of you, trust me.”

“But I have a life here. I’m making a living, which is what I wanted for myself. If I go, it’s as if to say I’m ungrateful.” Tamik hadn’t meant to share that much, but he felt comfortable telling the old man for some reason.

“You’ve fulfilled your purpose here…now it’s time to move on to a greater one.”

Tamik took a moment to digest all the information he had just received. He had been unhappy of late, and this could well be an opportunity to escape his situation. “What kind of ‘quest’ is this? What are we seeking?”

“For me to know I can trust you, this decision must be a leap of faith. Don’t worry, I will tell you on the way, but right now, you must choose to come and dive into the unknown or take the safe route and stay here.”

Tamik didn’t like this, but his mind and heart had already married the idea of this journey.
“Fine, when do we leave?”

“Now, my friend!” the old man said with a face of glee.

Tamik looked at the Beings one last time as he followed the old man out of the room.

~

As they sat in the small two-person teleportation bus, the old man asked Tamik many questions about his life. He asked of his family and his home planet and what led him to live on this world.

He then asked about Tamik’s love life, which was what drove Tamik to ask some questions about the old man instead.

“What about you? You haven’t even told me your name. Where are you from, and how do you know the Beings?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you where I’m from or what my name is…”

“What about your relationship with the Beings?”

“I promised them I would keep that information confidential.”

Tamik ceased asking any questions about the old man, but he did have one more that had been on his mind.

“Why did you and your friends want me for this quest?”

The old man smirked as he manoeuvred the bus.

“In time, you will know.”

Tamik looked ahead through the bus’ front window. He could see they were approaching the large teleportation field. He had never seen it up close like this. He could see its ripples and the crackling blue electricity. The bus passed through, and instantaneously, they were on a different world. Tamik looked out his window. For as far as he could see, all there was was water. They were on an Aquarum Planetae.

“Have you ever been on a water world before?”

“Once, when I was a kid.”

“Well, things have changed. A lot.”

“How so—” Tamik was hardly done asking his question when he felt a big thump from his side of the bus. They were knocked off balance for a moment. “What the hell was that?” He screamed.

“Pirates,” the old man replied calmly.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“You heard me.”

The pirates grabbed the bus with a large claw-like mechanism and placed it on their ship’s surface.

~

The one who appeared to be the leader of the pirates asked the tied-up old man and Tamik what their intent was on the planet. The old man responded by telling him they needed to use their second teleportation station so they could continue on their journey to Tualias Mundi.

The pirates got a hearty laugh from that.

“You expect us to just let two strangers who look relatively fit and could be useful workers to just walk away? Besides, we are doing you a favor! You lot would never make it to Tualias Mundi anyway!” The pirate leader beckoned, his voice matching his big and wide frame.

Meanwhile, Tamik was very attentive when the old man was speaking because this was the first time that he had gotten a hint as to what their journey’s purpose was.

The leader of the pirates, still amused with a smile on his face, went to grab a glass of water. He sat down in front of Tamik and the old man and began discussing with his fellow pirates what should be done with the pair. As he lifted the cup to take his first sip, the water began to levitate away all of a sudden, floating right to Tamik.

The old man began to smile.

The pirates looked in awe. The leader spoke, “So you meant what you said. You are granted passage to wherever you need to go.”

With that, the old man, followed by a puzzled Tamik, headed back to their teleportation bus to make their way to the planet’s second teleportation station.

~

“What the hell was that? First, the waters started floating, and then they just let us go?”

“Indeed.”

“No! For once, I want answers from you! I’ve followed you around like a stray Automan.
Now it’s time you finally tell me what the hell is going on!”

The old man sighed.

“The water floating is called an omen. When the gravity of any of the elements is manipulated, it means that one is close to fulfilling their personal legend and achieving full peace.”

“So why would the pirates care about my personal legend?”

“Because of where we are going… Tualias Mundi.” The old man explained to Tamik that Tualias Mundi, or Mecca world, was a planet that brought one the closest to God and the afterlife, the closest one could possibly be while in the realm of the living.

Tamik kept quiet from then on. He was satisfied with the old man’s answer and decided to get some rest.

~

Tamik awoke from an uncomfortable but much-needed sleep. His head pressed against the window; the first sight he saw was the fire-lit homes and ships among the darkness of the sea. He turned his head and saw the old man, still awake as if he hadn’t just been flying the bus for 15 hours with only one break. Instantly, Tamik remembered the conversation he had with him hours earlier about the strange occurrence back on Nix Mundi.

“Are we almost there?” Tamik asked groggily.

“Almost,” the old man said.

About 15 minutes later, the bus was passing through the teleportation field. Tamik braced himself for whatever world he would find himself on next.

Upon entry, Tamik couldn’t tell which world this was because they were passing through clouds. The bus sped past what looked like a floating island. As they emerged from among a flock of clouds, Tamik saw it. No land was in sight, it was as if there were only layers upon layers, rows upon rows, of the floating islands. Some of the smaller ones looked like houses, and the bigger ones had tall buildings and mini-cities with bridges connecting them. The old man merged into the freeway, where they joined other flying vehicles zipping across the sky. Tamik admired the beauty of the city in the sky, the golden sun making it all the more mesmerizing to stare at.

“So are we just passing through again or do we have a purpose on this world?” Tamik asked.

“We are here looking for a woman.”

“A woman?”

“Yes.”

Tamik smirked. He saw this as an opportunity to poke fun at the old man and maybe lighten up their stiff relationship. “So, is there a history with this woman or…”

The old man cracked a rare smile.

“Why are you blushing?” Tamik said, laughing.

“Shut up child,” the old man said, still smiling. He parked the bus on a vehicle island.

Tamik exited the bus and took in the thin air.

“We’ll catch a train. She lives in the scarcer areas on the outskirts of the city.”

“You’re the boss, boss.”

Tamik had really enjoyed the view from the train ride. Even though he had been on this planet just a couple hours, he was already in love with it. Maybe once this whole journey is completed, I can come here to stay, he thought.

~

They exited onto an island that had its own artificial grass. The grass was tall and had a yellowish-green color. It reminded Tamik of his home planet.

“She lives just up there,” the old man said, pointing to a tiny, old-looking shack on a hill.

They began to walk up, passing playing children, and chatting parents. Tamik found himself smiling and looking at them for a bit too long. That must be nice, he thought.

The old man knocked on the door rhythmically eleven times.

“Special knock?” Tamik asked.

Then, almost as soon as Tamik closed his mouth, a loud yell rang out. “Is that who I think it is?!”

The old man sighed and looked down with a smirk.

The door swung open and a short old lady in ancient dress looked up at the old man. She said, “I didn’t think your petty self would ever come back to see me.”

“Yes, well I’m here. Good to see you too.”

The old lady turned and looked up at Tamik.

“And who is this dashing young man you’ve brought me?” She maintained eye contact with Tamik as she spoke, as if she was staring into his soul.

“Ah, yes. Tamik this is Iliza. Iliza this is Tamik.”

Tamik and the old lady shook hands.

“So, what do you want?” she said, looking up at the old man.

The old man scoffed. “The same thing I’ve wanted for the past 35 years.”

“Ah, you still desire passage to Tualias Mundi. You don’t give up, do you?”

“You know I can’t.”

“And why do you need the boy?”

The old man kept quiet.

“Very well, spend the night, and we’ll start tomorrow.”

“Excuse me, I’m sorry. Start what tomorrow?” Tamik cut in.

Training!” Iliza responded.

Tamik and the old man traded looks.

“Come, let me show you your rooms,” Iliza said, walking inside her shack.

“Rooms?” Tamik asked, questioning if they could all fit in the tiny, cramped shed.

The old man and Iliza laughed.

“Just come in!” Iliza exclaimed.

~

Tamik couldn’t believe what he saw when he walked in. What on the outside looked like a small run-down shack, on the inside was a lavish palace. It had polished marble floors, paintings on the wall, and a staircase leading to a second floor. It had a kitchen and even a living room equipped with a Holo-vision set!

Tamik, shocked, ran back outside to look at the exterior once more. It was still the same small shack. He ran back in and out three times before Iliza and the old man finally told him to stop.

“How is this possible?” Tamik asked, wide-eyed.

“Come, let me show you to your room and I will tell you.”

Tamik followed Iliza up the stairs until she halted when she realized the old man was trailing behind them.

“Ah ah ah! Not you! Just me and the boy. Go to the kitchen and make yourself a 21st-century hamburger—your favorite.”

The old man wanted to protest, but he allowed it. He was very hungry after all.

~

So you want to know how this place is bigger on the inside?” Iliza asked.

Tamik nodded with a curious look on his face.

“Real magic,” the old woman whispered before laughing at Tamik’s shocked expression. “You should see the look on your face!” She laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

Iliza ceased her laughter so she could explain to Tamik. “Real magic does exist, but this isn’t it. I was only granted access to future technology.”

“How?”

Todd must have introduced you to the Beings by now, right?”

“Ah, yes. And hold on…Todd?” Tamik said, amused.

“That’s not his real name! That’s just something I call him to tease him,” Iliza said with a chuckle.

“Oh,” Tamik said, a bit disappointed.

“I have no idea why he is so secretive about his name. It’s quite stupid if you ask me.”

“Do you know it?”

“Yes.”

There was a momentary silence before Iliza told Tamik that she swore to her friend, ‘Todd’, that she wouldn’t tell anyone. She showed Tamik to his room, and almost as soon as his face hit the pillow, he began to drift off, not knowing what the next day held.

~

Early in the morning, Tamik was awakened by both Iliza and the old man. They explained to him, finally, what he and the old man were going to be trained for. Tualias Mundi was not open to just anyone. It requires one who desires entry to have ultimate peace and absolute belief, trust, and faith in God.

Days and months passed. Tamik and the old man went through the vigorous spiritual training. At times, Tamik thought it to be too much for him, but his support system, Iliza and the old man, refused to let him quit. The two often made him remember his own mother and father. Even though the tasks were difficult, Tamik was happy. His love for this world grew as the days went by, and he was well cared for.

~

A little over a year had passed and Tamik felt more spiritually in tune than ever. On an ordinary day, Iliza suddenly felt her work was done.

“You are now ready, Tamik,” Iliza told Tamik.

“How can you know?”

“Don’t you feel it? I can sense it even in the way you talk. You’ve matured.”

“What about our friend, Todd?”

“He’s been ready for a long time. You both will set off tomorrow.”

The next day came, with Tamik and the old man leaving for their brand-new teleportation bus. Iliza stopped them.

“My intuition tells me it is time for you two to part ways. You must take separate buses.”

“But we are both going to Tualias Mundi!” Tamik protested.

“No, no, young one. We must trust her. It is said that one can only enter Mecca World alone anyway.” The old man said.

Tamik looked around. There was another brand-new bus just behind. “Fine… I’ll see you there, old man,” he shrugged.

The old man smirked.

Tamik and Iliza met in a warm embrace. He thanked her for everything, then turned and entered his bus. He looked out and saw the old man and Iliza talking. They hugged and then the old man made his way to his own bus. They took off at the same time, and as they were ascending, both looked down to see Iliza waving to them from her island.

~

Across the distance, the two buses travelled together to the teleportation field. Tuslias Mundi must be entered from outer space, so that’s where they would be teleported. Tamik had never been to outer space. He only saw it on Holo-vision shows and movies.

He made eye contact with the old man as they approached the teleportation field. They smiled at each other, and then looked forward to brace themselves for entry. Then, with the usual blue flash of light, they passed through.

“Huh?!” Tamik exclaimed in shock.

He was expecting to see a black canvas illuminated by the stars, but instead, all he could see was a purple sky covered in clouds and fog. He looked all around him, but the old man was nowhere in sight. He continued to steer his bus until it emerged from the fog, showing him more of the new world he was on.

He descended on what looked like a regular desert planet, although everything was weirdly purple. The sand, the clouds, and the sun, all in different variants of the cool color. All of the sudden, the energy of Tamik’s bus began to waver. A teleportation would normally deplete some of your vehicle’s charge, but because Tamik hadn’t accounted for a jump to this particular world, he didn’t add extra energy. He had just enough left to land safely on the purple landscape.

He sat for a moment, staring into the vast desert, wondering what to do. The purple sun was just beginning to set, and he could sense the coming chilliness of the night. He’d have to find some shelter, as his ship’s energy was now completely gone, and there would be no heating.

He walked for about 20 minutes before he caught sight of a small town in the distance. He thanked God that even in such a dilemma, he was provided with some fortune. He also understood that everything happened for a reason, and this may yet prove to be a good thing, somehow.

By the time he got to the town, the people were all locked in their houses. Tamik stood in the middle of what he assumed to be the town square with his head on a swivel, looking to see if anyone would come into view. After a few glances around, he found a corner and lay down. He removed his cloak and threw it over himself as a blanket for at least some attempt at warmth in the unmerciful cold night. He closed his eyes.

~

“Hello?”

It was a female voice.

Tamik opened his eyes.

“Hi,” she said, smiling awkwardly.

“Hi,” Tamik responded, his voice cracked and raspy from the sleep.

The girl giggled. “Do you need a place to stay for the night?”

“Oh, uhhh yeah! Yes. Thank you,” Tamik said, still a bit disoriented and overwhelmed by the girl’s beauty.

Tamik entered the warmth of the house and shuddered, full of relief.

“By the way, I’m Lyla,’

“Tamik is my name,” he said awkwardly.

“I see you still cold. You can go sit by the fire while I prepare you supper and a warm drink.”

“Oh, thanks!”

Lyla prepared the supper as Tamik warmed up. Once finished, she sat down and traded stories with her new guest. She told Tamik about her world, and her father’s item shop. In return, Tamik told her all about the old man and Iliza and his training for Tualias Mundi. Lyla’s eyes were filled with curiosity and amazement.

They finally got tired after a while, and Lyla unintentionally fell asleep on Tamik.

Tamik was shocked. He hadn’t really done anything with a girl before, because of his work. This was what he told himself at least. He put his hands around her, trying his best to slow down his fast-beating heart and fall asleep.

The next morning, Tamik met Lyla’s unassuming father and it took a lot of explaining as to why there was a stranger in his house with his daughter. Lyla explained to him that Tamik was seeking entry to Tualias Mundi, and that he was marooned here.

“I see,” the father said. “He can stay with us as long as he works.”

So he did. After many months living on the world, Tamik grew closer to Lyla. Her father and everyone in that small town became like family. He slowly forgot about his purpose to go to Mecca World. Sometimes he thought of the old man and wondered if he reached his goal, but it was never anything more than that. He was happy where he was and wanted to stay there as long as he could.

~

Tamik woke up next to Lyla who was still fast asleep. That day marked one year since he had arrived on the planet. He got out of bed and kissed her on the forehead. He got ready and left for work.

It was a busy day, so he was occupied with customers most of the time.

Sometime in the afternoon, out of nowhere, a commotion could be heard outside. People were screaming to the gods. Tamik, along with the rest of the shop, ran outside.

His heart stopped when he saw it. Just like at Nix Mundi years ago, water was floating. This time though, it was on a much bigger scale, the water being from an entire well. Tamik looked at it until it splashed down to the ground.

For the rest of the day, the whole town was buzzing about what occurred at the square. Lyla’s father had to close the shop because people were using it as a meeting point to talk about the event.

Lyla and Tamik sat down near the fireplace.

“It’s just like what you told me, with the pirates,” Lyla said.

“Yeah.”

“Do you think it’s a sign? That you have to continue your journey.”

“I don’t know.”

“I mean, it’s been a year since you arrived here, so it makes sense.”

“Yeah. Like I said, I don’t know.”

Lyla ran her fingers through Tamik’s hair. “I think you do,” she said.

“But it’s been so long, and I’ve made a life here, with you.”

“I know, and I’ll be here when you come back.”

“What if I don’t come back?”

“That’s something I’ll have to live with, but you have to pursue your personal legend. You are even more at peace now than you were a year ago, I can imagine.”

Tamik was still reluctant. Then, the flames in front of them began to rise before dispersing in a similar way to the water. The two made eye contact, and they knew it was time.

The next day, Tamik said his goodbyes to the people of the town. He was able to retool his teleportation bus so it could hold a larger capacity of energy, just in case something went wrong again. When it was time for him to leave, Lyla, and even her father, were emotional. They all hugged, hoping one day they’d all be together again.

~

Tamik passed through the teleportation field, and he thanked the gods that he ended up in outer space. He already found himself missing Lyla. She would have loved this, he thought.

In the distance, there he saw it. A shining world that could almost be mistaken for a star, just as Iliza had described to him. He began to steer his ship there when boom, his bus was hit with a laser beam. The defence shields were automatically activated.

“God, why do you test me!?” Tamik exclaimed, looking upwards.

The beams continued to hit the bus from both sides. It appeared that Tamik was in the crossfire of a battle between two worlds. The bus’ energy was being used up quickly because of the defense shields. He knew the energy he had left wouldn’t make it to his destination if he didn’t break out of the crossfire, so he turned to the left and sped for that world.

He barely made it before crash-landing in a field near a big city. He crawled out of the bus and began walking towards the city.

As he walked through the city, the people stared at him wide-eyed. Tamik noticed them but was more concerned with how futuristic and sophisticated this world’s city looked. The staring turned into loud murmurs until a hovering vehicle pulled up next to the confused Tamik. The door of the long vehicle slid open, and a voice could be heard from the tinted windows telling Tamik to get in. He didn’t have many options at this point, so he did as the voice said.

Tamik sat in the backseat with not a word exchanged between him and the front. Another black-tinted window separated them, so he couldn’t even see whose custody he was in. He could tell they had gone underground because of the long descent the vehicle had taken. When they stopped, the door slid open, and he hesitated before he stepped out. When he stood up, he looked around and saw all sorts of military weapons, ships, and soldiers in the biggest hangar he had ever seen.

“What does the name Lyla mean to you?”

Tamik turned around quickly. Who was it that said the name of the one he loved? “What did you say?” he asked.

The military general repeated himself, observing Tamik’s face as he spoke. “He’s the one. Let’s take him to the site,” he told the men behind him.

The men behind him obeyed, but they whispered as though they were giddy children. Tamik overheard the words ‘Prophecy’ and ‘Real’. Soon, the general, his men, and Tamik entered a lift and descended once more. The doors of the lift opened, and lying outside was a dark cave-looking tunnel. The group walked through, illuminating the way with green-light lamps.

“I can imagine you are confused right now,” the general said without taking the fixation of his eyes away from the path.

“You think?” Tamik said, trying to respond in a cheeky manner.

“Well, let me do my best to explain. Our world has been at war with the world opposite us ever since their planet just appeared out of thin air. One day, we were alone, and then boom, this planet just showed up. Our world had only ever been in one other long-lasting war before, hundreds of years ago. When that war concluded, a prophecy said that another war would come, and the only one with the power to stop it would be a strange foreigner. The only hint we were given as to who this foreigner is that he has some emotional connection with the name Lyla.”

Tamik took all this information in. The prophecy seemed pointed at him. But how?

“Ok, we’re here,” the general announced.

They arrived in an ancient-looking room, and that’s when Tamik saw them. He didn’t ever think he’d see the Beings again, but there they were.

“These Beings have been aiding us ever since this war started, but we can’t seem to decipher their language.”

Tamik stared at the Beings, and the Beings stared at him.

The Beings, in the same way they did in his first encounter with them, started talking in their strange language. This time, however, Tamik understood understand. They were saying: “This is the one, this is the one.”

Tamik responded to them in the same strange dialect that the old man had used those years ago, “I am the one for what?” he asked, shocking himself. He had never studied or even spoken that language before.

The Beings told Tamik that he spoke their language because he had had the proper spiritual training. They explained to him that their race comes from the absurdly far future, and that they had the ability to time-travel. They came back to help advance the human race but had caused chaos.

“How?”

“We will show you,” they said.

The room around Tamik and the Beings started spinning, and then the general and his soldiers disappeared as the spinning slowed. Tamik realized they were in the same cave, only this cave looked much less ancient.

“Have we time travelled?” Tamik asked the Beings.

“Yes, we have. Now, let us take you to the surface so you can see for yourself.”

The Beings teleported with Tamik to the surface of the planet, and Tamik looked around. It was a smaller, much more primitive city in comparison to its future version. Tamik observed that this past version was also in war, with wounded people all over and laser beams being fired in the sky.

“You’ve brought me to the first war?”

“Look again,” the Beings said.

Tamik looked up at the sky and saw a planet up in the distance.

“Wait, how is that possible, that would mean…”

“It’s one war. There is no other planet. The future version of this world is fighting it’s past.”

Tamik’s head was hurting just thinking of the paradoxes of the war.

“How did this happen?”

“Alas it is our fault. When we gave you humans access to worlds across the universe, we were not able to put you on the same timeline. For most, it’s an hour or even a couple of days difference, but because of this planet’s close proximity to Tualias Mundi, it ended up being a couple hundred years. In fact, as we speak on this planet’s timeline, another version of you could be out there. Maybe it’s you as a child growing up, or it could be you on your deathbed.”

Tamik paused to take this all in.

“So, what do you need me to do about it?”

“We have the means to communicate to both worlds, but they do not know our language. We need you to tell both worlds what is going on and to cease fire.”

“Is there any catch?”

“It would be painful for your human body and could damage your mind.”

Tamik thought about it. He didn’t want to endure the pain, but he knew he was the only one able to stop this war and prevent a massive paradox. He also thought of what would make Lyla proud.

The Beings surrounded Tamik and so did a swirling energy. He saw everything. All of time and space at once. He keyed into the two versions of the worlds he wanted to communicate with. He could feel the pain in both his body and mind rising. He focused with everything he had so he could deliver the message, his voice being projected to every able ear on each world. Once the information had been passed on, he began to lose it. Neither his body nor his mind could take it any longer, so he let out a scream, the name of the only person he wanted to be with at that moment.

“Lylaaaaaa,”

And then he was gone.

~

Tamik woke up in a bed. His body felt completely fine, and he was in white robes. He looked around at the room he was in. It was somehow familiar. Then through the door came someone else.

“Hello there, young one.”

Tamik looked in disbelief. “It’s you! Where are we?”

“Take a guess.”

“No way… we made it?”

“Indeed. I have been here for many years actually. I passed on to being here permanently a while ago.”

“You mean… You’re dead?”

“Well my body is, yes, but are you not talking to me now?”

Tamik smiled.

“So I assume things make sense to you now.”

Tamik looked down and began to put things together. “You’re from the world I saved!”

The old man nodded, smiling. “I was just a kid when you did it, saved us from that horrid war. I heard your voice from the heavens.”

“So you and the Beings set up my bus going to the wrong world then, right?”

“Aren’t you glad we did? Do not forget even God’s interference with the gravitational anomaly omens.”

What the old man said reminded Tamik of his loved one. “How do I get back to Lyla?”

“Who says you aren’t already there?”

Everything around Tamik, including the old man, began to slowly fade away.

“It’s been quite an honor, Tamik, until we meet again… Oh and by the way, my name is…” The old man completely faded away before he could finish his sentence.

~

Tamik again awoke. He sat upright and looked around. He realized he was on that purple desert world he landed on all that time ago, huddled in that same corner where he was once preparing for a cold unmerciful night. His heart jumped and his eyes lit up. If he was back here, it could only mean…

“Tamik!”

The two ran to each other and thanked God for allowing them to be together again. They grew older together over the next years and their love was strong.

Eventually, they moved to the planet with the beautiful floating islands that Tamik loved so much, so they could settle down in the peace of the sky and start a family. Tamik always laughed, saying that if it wasn’t for the war that went beyond time, he would still be spiritually lost and alone. He thanked God, for everything happens for a reason.