by D. N. Leo
“I’ll cut him into pieces,” Ciaran growled.
Kyle seemed to be annoyed and threw the box to the ground. He pulled Jo out of it.
“That’s the real Jo. I can read her. I can see her mind,” Madeline gasped.
Tadgh frowned. “It’s her. She’s scared and angry,” he whispered and quickly ran out of breath just by voicing that short sentence. He could see Jo’s emotions now, but he couldn’t go and get her.
Ciaran watched Kyle dragging Jo toward the exit. He could send in a blade and cut Kyle into pieces right now. He wanted to kill him so badly.
Jo kicked, screamed, and wriggled out of Kyle’s grip. She turned around and pulled out the knife she’d hidden in her secret pocket, the one she had stolen from the zombie gangster on Earth. She stabbed Kyle. The small knife didn’t do much damage, but it distracted him and stopped him from dragging her further toward the exit.
Ciaran clenched his fists. He could feel his fury coming to the surface. If he sent in the blade, it would kill both Kyle and Jo. If he let Kyle go, there would be consequences when he fled to the other universes.
Tadgh was too weak to make a run for Jo. Ciaran knew Tadgh wouldn’t ask him to hold back on this important decision, but he knew how important Jo was to his brother.
The devastation in Tadgh’s eyes cut at him. He had almost lost his brother. He couldn’t give Tadgh another hit by killing Jo right in front of him.
Ciaran withheld the blade.
Jo ran down the hill.
Kyle fled through the exit.
Jo hurried toward Tadgh. She grabbed him and stared at the wound on his chest. “You’re hurt. Oh, my God. Did Kyle do this to you?” Tears rolled down her face. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
“I’m okay. Everything is fine now.” He wiped the tears from her face and pulled her into his arms.
“I know it’s useless to ask you to leave the gate before I do. But I have one thing to see to before we leave. Could you wait for me here?” Ciaran said.
“You’re going back in for Bran, aren’t you?” Madeline asked.
Ciaran nodded. “It shouldn’t take long. And it’s neither hard nor dangerous. During his last trip, Bran became lost and has been trapped in the oblivion for a long time. This invitation will help me navigate to him, and I’ll get him out. I promised him this. Okay? There won’t be any fighting or struggles.”
“Is that all?” Madeline asked.
“That’s all. I’ll get him out, and he’ll tell me where Mother is. That’s the deal. That’s it.”
Tadgh tried to say something. Ciaran bent down. He shook Tadgh’s shoulders gently and looked into his brother’s eyes, the feature with the strongest resemblance between them.
“I can’t handle another episode from you, Tadgh. Please stay here. Leave with them if you must.”
Tadgh nodded and closed his eyes, leaning against the rock to rest.
Chapter 139
Ciaran went back into the cave. He pulled out the blue block. It lit up in the dark. He walked slowly. The light would be strongest when heading in the right direction. That was what Bran had told him. He went deeper and deeper into the cave.
The stone had gone from white to black. The temperature increased. The sound of water dripping somewhere between the rocks sang like music.
Ciaran entered a wide grand hall where he found a black rock arch. He touched the rocks. A wave of strange current pulsed out like electricity. Ciaran reached his hand out into the empty space on the other side of the arched rocks.
His hand disappeared in front of him. He withdrew his hand.
The dimensional gate to the oblivion, he thought. That was where Bran was.
Ciaran pushed the blue block through the gateway to the other side, and unlike his hand which seemed to vanish, he could still see the illuminated block.
Ciaran nodded to himself and was happy with the compass he had in his hand. He walked through the archway.
He was immediately transferred to a peaceful green meadow. He shrugged. Oblivion didn’t look bad at all. In the distance, a small cottage blended nicely into the setting. It was like a live painting of the countryside in England, Ciaran thought.
In front of the cottage, Bran stood like a farmer, a shovel in one hand and a bucket in the other.
Ciaran approached. “Bran.”
“Ciaran. I knew you would make it. Having you as a successor was the best decision I ever made.”
“It’s my honor. We should leave now. People are waiting.”
Bran nodded. “Let me get out of this farmer gear and get my stuff. Come on in.”
They entered the door of the so-called cottage. The door was so small that Ciaran had to bend down to squeeze through.
Inside the tiny cottage was a gigantic space station. Ciaran turned around. He could still see the meadow through the door. How is this even possible? he thought.
Ciaran pointed toward the door. “Is that a dimensional gate?”
Bran laughed. “You certainly don’t disappoint. It is, indeed.” Bran gestured widely. “And this is my dimension. I created it.”
“You created a dimension? How?”
“You have a lot to learn, Ciaran. But now you should have some confidence in the impact of what I asked you to do. You should know how significant your role will be in the history of the multiverse. And you should appreciate what I have given you from Eudaiz.”
Bran entered a series of commands into computer units that were as large as the wall of the space station. He pointed to the flashing light on a control panel.
Ciaran approached. The monitor asked for print verification. He pressed his palm to the square panel. A burning sensation ran up his arm and his spine and shocked his brain.
Ciaran grunted and passed out on the floor.
When he came to, Bran was working on a computer.
“You’re very strong Ciaran. We are good to go now.”
Ciaran stood up, looking at his hand. There was no mark on his palm. He didn’t feel any different.
“What did you do to me?”
“Nothing really. I just helped you out with your task. The information I asked you to collect would be a lot to remember using an ordinary human brain. I simply added more memory capacity to yours. That’s all.”
“How long have I been out?”
“Just a few seconds.”
He pushed up from his chair and led the way out of the cottage.
“You’re not taking anything? Your equipment?”
“No, I loaded everything into you. I trust you.” Bran patted Ciaran’s shoulder.
Moments later, they were using the blue block to navigate their way back to the black stone arch. Ciaran pointed to it. “That’s a dimensional gate. That’s why you got lost.”
“I wasn’t lost.”
“What?”
“I knew it was a dimensional gate. Kyle stabbed me through it. He snatched Madeline from her cot and ran through the Daimon Gate. I chased him to get the baby back. We fought. I wounded him badly, but when he pushed the baby in front of me, I hesitated. That’s how he got me. Then the dimension shifted. Without a navigator, I couldn’t get back out.”
Ciaran nodded. “Well, you got yourself a good Sciphil One now, thanks to Kyle.”
They walked through the gate and returned to the entrance of the cave.
Madeline rushed toward Ciaran. Everything in her body and mind told her that things were not going well.
“Darling, are you okay?” Ciaran asked.
“We need to leave. We should leave right now, Ciaran.”
“Yes, of course.” He held Madeline and felt her body shaking.
“Why don’t you sit down for a moment?” Ciaran said.
“No, no. We have to leave. Right now.”
“She’s been like this for ten minutes. We can leave now, Madeline,” Jo said. She turned around to help Tadgh, who was still weak and dazed.
“Ciaran needs to say goodbye to the Host be
fore we leave, Madeline. It would be very inappropriate if he didn’t do so,” Bran said.
“What? No, no. We are leaving right now!” Madeline insisted.
“Madeline, I just need to say goodbye. I have the invitation. It will only take five minutes. Then we’ll leave. You’ll have Bran here with you. If Kyle comes back—”
“No, no, not Kyle. It’s not Kyle. It’s something else. Something is really wrong. Please don’t go in again,” Madeline cried.
“Bran.” Ciaran looked at Bran.
“You have to, Ciaran. Don’t you want to find out about your mother?”
“She—” Ciaran looked at Madeline.
“You’ve just been through the Daimon Gate. It’s a lot to take in. I’d be surprised if she weren’t emotional. Let’s finish this quickly. I want to leave, too,” Bran said.
“If anything—”
“Nothing will happen to you. But yes, I will take care of everyone. I have the power to keep the promise. I am the current king of Eudaiz, remember?” Bran said.
Ciaran hesitated.
“Look, Jo can’t exit the gate without getting killed because she didn’t have an invitation to enter. As the current king of Eudaiz, I can give her the invitation now.” Bran grabbed Jo’s hand and pressed his thumbprint to it. “This is a temporary entry for guests. She will be fine. I keep my promises. I hope you keep yours, Ciaran.”
Madeline wrapped her arms around Ciaran. She knew she could not make him stay.
Her body ached. Her heart ached. She could not explain her feelings to him. She could not find a reason for him to stay. She reached up and kissed him as if it would be their last kiss.
She looked at Ciaran going back into the cave. Her knees buckled, and Zach caught her. He carried her to the edge of the rock where she was violently ill.
Chapter 140
Ciaran walked along the white stone hall to an entrance. He followed the signal on the blue block. A panel slid open. He inserted the block, and a wall-sized door opened widely, revealing a grand reception room.
Ciaran had butterflies in his stomach.
The room arrangement and decoration closely resembled that of Mon Ciel. An automatic voice echoed across the room, “Welcome Ciaran Leblanc. The Host invites you to take a tour of the EYE before meeting in the Great Reception.”
Even the name of the room was the same as Mon Ciel. He wouldn’t be surprised to find his mother here. But he let go of that speculation for the moment and focused on the task at hand.
All he had to do was to go to the EYE, the most sophisticated computer system in the cosmos, and download the data for Bran. Once he completed that task, anything else would be a bonus. If he met his mother here, great. If not, Bran would tell him where she was.
A steel door in front of him slid open. Ciaran entered an eye-shaped room. The walls were covered with monitors, each flashing with images. It was like an enormous cinema that showed thousands of movies at the same time.
The control panel flashed for print verification. Ciaran pressed his palm on the panel, and text appeared.
* * *
Ciaran LeBlanc.
One invitation: Available.
One privilege: Claimed.
Data access: FULL.
* * *
Ciaran nodded. As Bran had predicted, he had full access to the data. He walked around the room and glanced at the panels. He recognized the faces of the prince and the princess at the Red Castle. He touched the screen. Text appeared.
* * *
Factual:
Prince and Princess of the Red Castle.
Status: Sentenced to death by a thousand lightning bolts.
Execution date: Five thousand five hundred – twenty two – sixteen – sixth quarter.
Crime: Manipulating the Daimon Gate system for personal gain.
Preview: Y/N
Ciaran typed: Y
* * *
The prince and the princess had not yet been executed. There was still hope, Ciaran mused. He made a mental note of the execution date. He had to ask Tadgh to translate the date into something more sensible.
A stream of images flooded the screen. Ciaran washing onto the shore. The princess finding him, taking him home, and tending to his injuries. Being fed the inducer. Ciaran and Madeline in a subconscious state. The two of them sharing their vows and consummating their marriage. Leaving the Red Castle.
It was exactly as the prince had said. The system captured everything—the conscious and subconscious levels of every living thing inside the gate. Ciaran promised himself he would come back and rectify this death sentence now that he knew how.
* * *
The screen flashed: Download data: Y/N
Ciaran typed: N.
Then he typed in: Search Bran LeBlanc.
* * *
The computer flashed:
Factual:
Bran LeBlanc - Sciphil Three - King of Eudaiz.
Qualification: Pass Daimon Gate.
Black stage: Ten challenges, gatekeeper: Simon Bannon.
White stage: Five challenges, gatekeeper: Lucas Masr.
Red stage: Twenty challenges, consummated with Jennifer Wyse, gatekeeper: Martin Chinxz.
Preview: Y/N
* * *
Jennifer Wyse was his mother’s maiden name. Ciaran typed: N to decline the preview. Then he searched for Jennifer Wyse.
* * *
The computer flashed:
Factual:
Jennifer Wyse, now Jennifer LeBlanc - Hostess of the Daimon Gate.
Family status: Married to Conan LeBlanc, children: Ciaran LeBlanc and Tadgh LeBlanc.
Past marriage: Bran LeBlanc.
Past position: Sciphil Six.
Qualification: Pass Daimon Gate.
Black stage: Ten challenges, gatekeeper: Simon Bannon.
White stage: Five challenges, gatekeeper: Lucas Masr.
Red stage: Twenty challenges, consummated with Bran LeBlanc, gatekeeper: Martin Chinxz.
Preview: Y/N
* * *
His mother had gone through the gate at the same time, and she had married Bran. They must have divorced afterward, and then she resigned from her Sciphil Six position. That was plausible. If she was now the Hostess of Daimon Gate, Ciaran would see her soon. Ciaran typed: N to decline the preview. Then he searched for Madeline Kelley.
* * *
The computer flashed:
Factual:
Madeline Kelley, now Madeline LeBlanc.
Family status: Married to Ciaran LeBlanc, children: Son and daughter, not yet named.
Current position: Sciphil One - appointment in progress.
Qualification: Pass Daimon Gate.
Black stage: Five challenges, gatekeeper: Snitxc Mitchell.
White stage: Six challenges, gatekeeper: Laureen White.
Red stage: Zero challenges, consummated with Ciaran LeBlanc, gatekeepers: Lecal Brandon and Leciel Brandon.
Preview: Y/N
* * *
Ciaran could not withhold a smile—he was to have a son and a daughter with Madeline! Their consummation had conceived their children. They had twins. He was a father! How was this even possible? He didn’t know. He didn’t care. He was just happy.
The EYE was genius—it recorded everything, Ciaran thought. He could not resist a preview of this.
On the screen, Ciaran saw them making love at the Red Castle. Under the light of the eternal flame, she was beautiful. That moment was the most sensational experience he had ever experienced. They had made love before. Several times. But at the Red Castle, the experience was profound.
It was a rebirth of their love and lives together as soul mates.
On the screen, a line of text appeared: Transmutation rebirth. Children conceived.
Ciaran shook his head, astonished. The EYE must record information down to the level of the atom.
The screen flashed: Download data: Y/N.
Ciaran typed: N.
* * *
He glanced at the other screens. Billions of images flew by. The lives and events of everyone and everything that had ever occurred in the multiverse.
Ciaran recognized events on Earth. Some were as significant as world wars, and some were as minor as a spat between neighbors about whose dog had shit in whose yard. Ciaran was sure the EYE had recorded which dog had committed the crime. He wondered whether the people engaged in the argument over the dog’s business would ever be informed of the data.
On a bigger scale, the EYE must have recorded factual information behind all of the scandals and mysteries on Earth. If that were discovered, Ciaran was sure that it would change the history of humankind.
He looked at his left palm. All he had to do was to download the data for Bran by pressing his palm against the control panel. Would the capacity of the memory Bran had designed be large enough for this database? Ciaran didn’t think so.
He wagered Bran only wanted to establish the connection. Having access to this kind of information was equivalent to having the power of the creator of all things. Knowing everything that anyone had ever done in any world.
This was the power of God.
The computer continued to flash: Viewing will end in ten seconds. Download Data Y/N?
Ciaran pressed N again.
The room lit up. A door to the next room slid open. Ciaran walked into a reception room which was almost identical to the one at Mon Ciel.
Chapter 141
At the end of the long table sat a man Ciaran was not surprised to see—his father, Conan LeBlanc.
Ciaran approached slowly, calm and sure.
Conan gestured toward a chair.
Ciaran sat and gazed at his father.
“Congratulations for passing the Daimon Gate,” Conan said.
“Thank you,” Ciaran said dryly.
