Cyberknight: One Path (original novel)

With one dry stroke, Kadyn ripped apart the fabric of the darkness that imprisoned her and Mike. Suddenly, after staying so long in the shadows, she was blinded by the sight of bright overhead lights which illuminated the world outside. After quickly adapting to the brightness, Kadyn noticed how she was inside the room where she stayed before being enslaved by Jagger. While things seemed to be normal at first glance, Kadyn quickly noticed how quiet the place was. 

[Kadyn] - "It's so quiet... Usually, I could hear the footsteps of the base's personnel outside of my room. "

Said Kadyn, puzzled.

Cautiously, Kadyn headed toward the door while unknowingly passing in front of a mirror where her reflection was shown. While Kadyn investigated the outside, Mike stepped before the same mirror but couldn't see his reflection. Meanwhile, after looking left and right, Kadyn failed to notice a single soul, not even a fly or a speck of dust.

[Mike] - "Well, this sure isn't home from what I can tell. "

Said Mike as he arrived behind Kadyn.

Suddenly, Kadyn turned around and gently pushed Mike only for her hand to phase through his chest. 

[Kadyn] - "Bloody hell, turn back a human already, I deserve hugs and snuggles. "

Said Kadyn as she began heading down the hallway. 

[Mike] - "Sure, let me come back from the dead like Dracula and take you on a sassy romance adventure which ends up with a tragic end for one of us. "

Said Mike in a satirical tone while following her.

[Kadyn] - "Trust me, I'm desperate enough to let that happen. "

Said Kadyn as she stopped in her tracks to throw a side look at Mike.

[Mike] - "Just let me rest in peace at this point. They had desecrated my corpse enough. The last thing I want is for you to use another weird device to animate a Frankenstein version of my dead body. "

Said Mike as he arrived beside her.

[Kadyn] - "Well, unfortunately for you, my name is Kadyn and I'm your overly obsessive wife, so deal with it. If this ability of mine manages to bring you back, you will owe me a committed marriage and at least 3 children. "

[Mike] - "Issuin' a list of demands now, are we? "

Said Mike, amused by Kadyn's attitude. 

[Kadyn] - "Yes and for every extra year you make me wait, I will add an additional demand to this list, so better pull your bloody spectral ass back to reality or I'll eventually go fetch you myself. "

Said Kadyn in an entitled voice.

[Mike] - "It's that time of the month, ain't it? Emotions run high like the waves down the Red Sea. "

Said Mike jokingly.

[Kadyn] - "Ugh! Don't I just love it when my idiot husband keeps giving me reasons to add more demands to my list? Let's see, mandatory movie night on Sundays, a fourth child instead of three and... and... "

Said Kadyn in a passive-aggressive tone, clearly angered by Mike's tasteless joke. 

Mike moved forward and padded Kadyn on the head with his hand.

[Mike] - "Whatever you say, Lemon. I'll play by your rules as long as it keeps you happy. "

Said Mike with a grin.

Although Kadyn didn't feel Mike's touch, Mike's gesture sent a current of warm sensation through her heart. The two then walked silently for a moment where they still encountered no one. 

[Kadyn] - "The demands are just a joke, you know? I just want to bring you back over anything else. "

Said Kadyn in a humble voice. 

[Mike] - "There's still so much mystery about your ability. Hey, maybe salvation is closer than you think. After all, an exfoliated ability is the closest reflection of a person's character and inner self. "

[Kadyn] - "Say, will I be able to do that thing you called "Existential Judgement"? You know, since now I got myself an ability. "

[Mike] - "Haha, don't rush to the finish line just yet. That type of technique ain't something a person can pull off on their first day. For say, me, even with how I was sometimes considered the strongest user of all time, I only unlocked my first Existential Judgement at 17 years old. "

Said Mike in an amused tone.

[Kadyn] - "Jagger, since he is technically you, does that mean he is unstoppable? "

Mike laughed confidently before slowly down his steps.

[Mike] - "Let's say you gave me your weapon, would I, with my skill and mind, be as good as you with your wrist blades? "

[Kadyn] - "No? Well, I suppose so. "

Said Kadyn, intrigued by Mike's response. 

[Mike] - "Well, Jagger, on the other hand, is a different story. It's like handing a puppy a bloody Sweihander, a medieval weapon weighing 4 kilogrammes and measuring close to two meters in length. Jagger is physically, mentally and potentially handicapped trying to unlock my full power. Neither time, training, growth or cybernetic augmentation could make a puppy a master of a Sweihander. It's what's called being pissed on by fate. "

[Kadyn] - "But have you seen how much more powerful he is compared to Arthur? Mike, be honest with me, how many percent of you is Jagger really? Can anyone win against him? "

Said Kadyn with a shocked look.

[Mike] - "Against the Empire's strongest, he'll fold harder than an origami. Against me, however, I would only need an eraser. "

Said Mike confidently.

[Kadyn] - "Huh? For what? "

[Mike] - "That's how 3D beings remove 2D beings from existence. "

Kadyn thought for a moment before bulging her eyes out of shock upon realizing what Mike meant. 

[Kadyn] - "No wonder why everyone who knew you personally was so scared of you. "

[Mike] - "Hmmm? Are you scared? "

Said Mike with a playful hum. 

[Kadyn] - "Nah, I've already won. You might be the strongest but I'm the only one pulling your neck on a leash. "

[Mike] - "Sure you are. I've never seen you being the dominant one in our relationship. "

[Kadyn] - "Aren't you the one agreeing to my demands like a good doggy? Besides, I might like being submissive but I'll always get what I want. "

Mike gradually slowed his steps while surveying the vacant cafeteria. While everything seemed ordinary on the surface, the time on display was what caught Mike's attention as he stopped and pointed his finger at the clock above the emergency exit. 

[Mike] - "There is something wrong with time. "

On the wall, the digital clock was frozen at 13:56:10 despite the numbers glowing red, suggesting the presence of electricity. As they strolled through the empty cafeteria, Mike noticed plates with half-eaten food still littering the tables as if the occupants phased out of existence while eating. To confirm his suspicion, Mike suggested for Kadyn to lift a random metal mug. To their shock, the shadow created by the mug remained where the object used to be despite it being removed from its spot. Meanwhile, Kadyn's body projected a normal shadow like how things should normally be.

[Mike] - "Time is frozen here, except for us. Light photons refused to behave for that mug but they did for you. "

Said Mike as he silently noticed the absence of a shadow on his end. 

[Kadyn] - "However, this still doesn't explain where everyone went. I don't understand what's going on here anymore. "

Mike observed the place before sitting at one of the vacant chairs.

[Mike] - "I have two theories. Either we were transported to an alternate dimension or your ability transported everyone to an alternate dimension. "

[Kadyn] - "God, neither of these options sounded good. What do we do? "

Said Kadyn as she began to panic.

Mike thought for a second before his eyes drifted to Kadyn's crystal where he noticed a tiny glow amidst the dark void. 

[Mike] - "Hold still, let me check something. "

Said Mike as he leaned toward Kadyn's crystal where he noticed a small spark. 

Upon looking closer, Mike noticed movements as the spark danced like a fire. However, the moment Mike's face touched the crystal, he was abruptly dragged into the void before falling back into their departing point; The campfire surrounded by endless darkness. Suddenly, Kadyn slashed through the veil of darkness and appeared in front of Mike.

[Kadyn] - "Oh, thank God, I thought I was abandoned in that dreadful place. "

Said Kadyn while appearing battered as if she had just outrun a tsunami.

After standing up on his feet, Mike looked up to see a window into reality where he saw the dim atmosphere of the room where Kadyn was kept in a coma. 

[Mike] - "What the bloody hell? "

Whispered Mike as he saw a nurse walk toward Kadyn to check on the tubes and instruments.

[Mike] - "Do you see this? We can see what's going on outside. "

Slowly, Mike moved to the side where he got a glimpse of the nurse's smartwatch which showed 13:56:19 and counting. As Mike watched the nurse turn on a switch to allow the flow of nutrition, he counted exactly nine seconds since both he and Kadyn got to this place. Meanwhile, Kadyn took a seat on one of the logs surrounding the fire and breathed a sigh of relief. 

[Kadyn] - "Yeah, cool, but you were an asshole for leaving me there by myself in there for two entire days. "

Said Kadyn with frustration in her voice.

[Mike] - "What? Didn't you get here as soon as I got here? "

Said Mike, confused by Kadyn's statement.

[Kadyn] - "The fuck you mean? After you disappeared, I searched for you everywhere and after hours in pure panic and dread, I thought about trying to rip through reality as I did with this place only to end up at random locations which were just as vacant as the previous ones. I'm lucky to have found my way back to this place after two fuckin' days! "

Yelled Kadyn with anger in her voice. 

[Mike] - "Wait, wait, so two days passed on your side? "

Said Mike as he tried to piece together the puzzle. 

[Kadyn] - "Bloody hell, do I look like I'm lying here? "

Mike gently nodded his head before a basic idea of what could be going on formed inside his mind. 

[Mike] - "Let's go back out there. I have a theory I want to confirm. This time, try to get us into this very room where you are staying in real life. "

[Kadyn] - "Are you insane? I'm not leaving this place to go back to that wasteland of a dimension. It's psychologically scarring to venture through that forsaken place. "

Yelled Kadyn while waving her hands.

[Mike] - "Look, I'm not touching that crystal of yours this time. I'll stay right by your side the whole time. "

[Kadyn] - "See this, Mike? Whoosh, straight up yours for this stupid idea. "

Said Kadyn as she showed Mike the middle finger. 

[Mike] - "Wow, real mature of you, Lemon. "

[Kadyn] - "Yeah, I'm a big baby! I didn't choose any of this. I only wanted to be pampered by my husband and live a carefree life where my only troubles were raising our kids and doing house chores. "

Said Kadyn as she crossed her arms before turning her back against Mike. 

[Mike] - "Sigh... Alright, let's make a deal. "

Said Mike as he sat on another log facing Kadyn. 

Moments later, Mike stepped into the alternate version of Kadyn's confinement room followed by Kadyn herself who now sports a satisfied look on her face. 

[Kadyn] - "A private fridge stocked weekly full of my favourite cakes, remember it well! "

[Mike] - "Christ... I'm really going to end up being held by a leash at this rate. "

Whispered Mike as he approached the bed. 

Just as Mike had predicted, Kadyn's body was absent from the bed but the instruments and tubes remained in place. As Mike leaned closer to the digital clock on one of the machines, he saw the same frozen 13:56:10 as before. To further confirm his theory, Mike checked the nutritional bag which the nurse began administering to Kadyn by 13:56:19 and realized that the release switch was still on the off setting. 

[Mike] - "Lemon, during those two days, were the times in the places you've been also frozen at 13:56:10? "

[Kadyn] - "Well, obviously nothing had changed in this world. It's just me counting the time while I travelled. "

[Mike] - "Then I get what's going on. That place with the campfire is a starting point here where it's like a transitional space to all the locations accessible within your ability. From my deduction, I believe your ability has the power to capture a moment like a photo and transform it into a plane of existence where time is halted. No matter how much time was spent in this frozen film of a dimension, in reality, no time would've passed at all. "

[Kadyn] - "Aaaand? "

Said Kadyn while spinning her fingers, expecting Mike to elaborate more. 

[Mike] - "That's as far as my theory goes. If I'm not wrong, contact with your crystal allows you or anyone else to return to the campfire. "

Kadyn remembered how she had accidentally touched her crystal at the end of the second day before she found herself in front of Mike. 

[Kadyn] - "Now I just feel stupid for wandering around like a bloody idiot. "

Said Kadyn while crossing her arms and looking away.

[Mike] - "However, that's where things are for speculation at this point. What happens when you wake up and how do we escape this place? Also, to what extent do you have control over your ability? "

[Kadyn] - "Well, for now, it's not like I'll be waking up anytime soon thanks to your evil clone. So let's explore our other options and see what I can do. It would be so cool if I secretly possessed a resurrection spell to bring you back. "

Said Kadyn with excitement in her voice. 

[Mike] - "It's an ability, not a spell. We aren't a bunch of wizards and witches, it's an art based on chemistry and physics. "

Said Mike, annoyed. 

[Kadyn] - "Then explain this fever dream, Einstein. "

Said Kadyn in a taunting voice before she retreated to the campfire through the wall.

[Mike] - "I suppose this would fall within the realm of quantum physics and... "

Said Mike while he traversed through the wall behind Kadyn.

[Kadyn] - "Stop before you bore me to death. I thought I married a knight, not some nerd. "

Said Kadyn while rolling her eyes.

[Mike] - "Says the one who knew as much as I do. I'm sure you know enough to formulate the same quantic theory as mine if you tried to explain this realm using logic. "

Kadyn thought for a second and realized that Mike was right. After all, physics and chemistry were a set of knowledge she had learned in her free time out of curiosity. 

[Mike] - "I learned physics and chemistry because I needed them to construct my techniques, you learned these things because you were curious. We are not the same. I'm a tactician and you are a nerd. "

Now left speechless by Mike's calculated remarks, Kadyn quickly thought of a rushed comeback without using the time to think properly.

[Kadyn] - "I wish Sniper appeared and turned you into a donut again. "

Said Kadyn before glancing at Mike upon realizing that she had gone overboard.

Mike, instead of feeling offended, found humour in Kadyn's remark and laughed before sitting down on one of the logs. Upon seeing Mike's reaction, Kadyn let out a relieved giggle before taking a seat beside him on the log. Although Mike didn't have a physical body, Kadyn pretended to lean against his shoulder while placing her hand on his. Unlike the mirror, as Kadyn looked at Mike, his reflection was shown clearly inside her emerald green eyes.

No word or comment was needed between the two for them to exchange apologies and show forgiveness as if their hearts had a bridge between them. 

To be continued...