Chapter 6: 5 – An Everwinter Forest (3)

‘Tell me more. How do they work?’ Bailey continued to follow up. The prospect of reversing time was so interesting. How far could they reverse? Could they move forward?

‘The timepieces are birthed in every universe, within the star in the center of the universe. They seem to be a final gift to the first entity within a universe to harness the power of stars.’ Jordan stared at the enrapturing, blood-soaked onyx in his hands. ‘They cement your existence as ruler of the universe.’ 

‘Oh, so are you a big shot? Ruler of the universe? Isn’t that a bit vain, to call yourself that?’ 

‘Not exactly. See, the one in my hand is not from my universe. It was taken from another universe.’ Jordan seemed to get lost in past memories, before snapping back to the present. ‘And that is how my universe got a timepiece in the hands of every single citizen!’ 

‘Wait, you said that there is only one single timepiece in every universe. How many citizens are in your universe?’ Bailey inquired.

‘About a billion,’ Jordan responded. ‘We, as a race, have invaded and plundered the greatest universal power of one billion different universes.’ 

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The history of the Origin Race is very detailed, but nothing was as important as the year they broke open their star. The population of the universe counted among the quadrillions, and constant spatial wars were being fought for the ownership of every planet. With energy crises everywhere, the nation with the greatest researchers attempted to harvest the energy of a star. A year after their success, the star fizzled out and died, but that was no issue- With the incredibly accelerated energy production, every single war had been won with overwhelming dominance. 

What was more important was the leader of the country at the time, the Minister, finding an object whilst inspecting the rubble of the Dyson star. It was an incredibly beautiful golden stopwatch, with pure black hands rotating around the field. It seemed to tell some sort of time, but what time it told was unknown- after all, the nearest star had just been snuffed out. 

The Minister seemed to take a deep interest in the watch, but was unable to break it apart to see how it worked or what powered it. In his spare time, he tried to wrench it apart. It was only when he cut himself and bled on the watch that the magic really happened.

They say the feeling of your first time manipulation feels like ecstasy. The feeling of controlling everything in your hands can’t be compared to anything else in the world. The Minister had walked through the halls, awe-struck by what had happened. The world turned black and white, and nothing moved. Nothing reacted. It was only when the blood stopped flowing that colour returned to the world, and time flowed freely once again. 

Every single remaining anti-sympathetic force was culled, and the universe had gained its first and last ruling force. The Ministry treated every single citizen of the Homeworld as family, and provided the absolute best living conditions possible. But as centuries passed, everyone began to die, and the newer generation moved forward. Everyone except the Minister.

He had reached a state of immortality, and there was only one reason why that could possibly be the case. The timepiece he always kept on him extended his lifetime- how long? Infinitely, possibly. But he couldn’t sit still and watch his people die under him. The universe had been motionless and without a goal for years, and so he set forth the first major order that had ever been implemented- they must find a way to gain more of these watches.

At first they tried draining all the stars, but after the hundred thousandth star, it was quite clear the occurrence was a one-time thing. The Minister then decided to attempt to travel universes. How hard could it be, with an infinite amount of time and resources, to attempt to shatter the fabric of space and time?

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‘I see. That’s quite the interesting story! Do you think I could get one of those?’ Bai asked excitedly. 

‘Probably not,’ Jordan laughed. ‘At the rate your universe is developing, it’d take centuries before your first Dyson star gets formed. Maybe if you got it from someone else…’ 

Bailey pouted, but had been expecting this answer, so it wasn’t quite as disappointing. ‘How far can you rewind time?’ 

Jordan thought about it for a bit. ‘Why? Made a mistake you regret? But even if I did, you wouldn’t remem- ah.’ He thought about it for a bit longer. ‘Well, I could effortlessly rewind about a month in your primitive universe. It would take significantly more effort in a world with timekeepers, and much more concentration and power. If I tried my hardest, I could bring it back about two years, but then I’d exhaust myself for such a long time. I’m sure you don’t expect me to do that, right?’

‘Sad, but not altogether unexpected. That’s all right, though. I’m pretty thankful you’ve answered these questions at all.’ 

‘No problem, Miss Bailey. Well, it’s been nice talking, but it’s best we leave it at that. You can leave with the portal behind you. I’ve got work to do, and rest to take.’ Jordan concluded, with an air of finality. ‘Just go back to your normal life in your primitive world, and enjoy yourself.’ 

‘Would you mind me popping by every so often to talk to you?’ Bailey asked. There was something alluring about talking to this man who claimed to be from such an enthralling world. ‘Don’t just believe everything he says, Bai,’ Maybelline warned, but this fell on deaf ears- the fantastical reality of a multiverse being real was sweet and incredible. 

‘Wait, that leaves me with a question for you, Bailey. Where did you even get a portal device? I’m quite sure only highly advanced universes have access to Gates.’ Jordan asked, as Bailey was exiting the room. The question froze her in her place, and gave her a long pause. 

‘I have absolutely no idea!’ Bailey stated, before continuing onwards. ‘But don’t worry! The next time I come here, I’ll have got the answer! Just trust the reputation of the Sariel Detective Agency!’

Jordan seemed to want to reach out to stop Bailey, but decided to sit still and watch her leave the cave in silence. 

‘Maybe these last few months of recovery will be something to look forward to,’ he thought.

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