One hundred million kliks away from the surface of our planet lies an entity so powerful, even gods bow to its glory, realms clinging to its grace. Contained within its magnetic field, is two nonillion tons of plasmic consciousness, morphing and moulding, but never slowing down. To approach it is to approach death, yet without its presence, life ceases to exist. Years before the war, ancient ones had names for such a being, no... This phenomenon, like as 'Sol', and those before, 'Helios'. But even older, 30 million degrees older, in tongues more ancient than the mind can fathom, in kingdoms we now call Kemet, and Ancient Nubia, it bore a name more fitting of its radiance. With every breath we breathe this entity, bringing fourth an energy no man can dream to match, nor stand in complete oneness with its light. This entity was known as RA, The Sun god.
"Congratulations, you're an Archangel!" An archangel? Only the most respected profession on the planet, granted to those brave enough to travel beyond Alkebulan and make it back alive. It wasnt for everyone, and you had to be scouted, with most dedicating their entire lives, undergoing impossible training simulations and intense psychological conditioning. I'm not even a fraction of an Archangel inside. I was chosen due to 'special traits'. No specifics, just special traits, and scared of the long route, I signed my life away, mentally burned by two potent questions. Did I just sell my soul? And If so... At what cost? Too late to turn back, I told myself it was God's plan, and heres what happened:
...
*Yawn*
My pupils narrowed, shielding my iris from the sun's beauty. It was taking the piss this day, raining down like it was august, yet in reality being April, and I was groggy after a nap, throwing my vibe off completely.
"Orun, you still in there? Or did they swap you out for a new system, sent to track my every move?"
"Still here boss." It responded. These days everyone had a PC, or personal companion. A personalised AI assistant that acted as a third eye almost. Mine had a fitting name, Orun, modelled after the god of knowledge and wisdom.
"You sound a little different, but you'll just lie if I question you. Regardless, What are my notifications?"
"I promise I'm still here boss, just more powerful now, upgraded to fit your new career as an Archangel. Regarding your notifications, well... You went ghost for half a year, so your inbox is pretty flooded, but as of the past 40 hours, a few thousand regarding homelessness. I should've mentioned this first but, you were out for 56 hours."
My body and body electrified.
"50 hours? Thats impossible. Why didn't you wake me up?"
"To avoid the total destruction of your mind. Your trip to the year 1260 left you with a severe case of time decay, shattering your hippocampus."
"Time decay? thats a new one."
"Whilst you were in dream world, sleep talking about a surfing alongside a stretchy sun god, your brain was rewiring the neural networks, re-organising the thoughts, memories, and feelings that made you, you."
"Time decay I said." I said.
"Essentially, expect deja vu for the rest of your life. Don't worry though, its for the better."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Save it actually. What do I need right now?"
"To work on your social skills. Follow the directions on your reality lens to the launchpad. Upon your arrival in New Nubia, you'll find a supply drop of edible water blobs, overripe fruit from the Great Green Wall, and everyone you abandoned for half a year. Whenever you're ready boss." It said patronisingly.
"You know more than me how necessary it was, besides... The world doesn't revolve around me. Me disappearing ain't stopping anyone's career from progressing. I'd argue that I'm simply getting out of the way." I replied.
My current location was Santoma, a tropical landmass 250 kliks from New Nubia's mainland, built just after the great war to facilitate those working under the umbrella of the National Defence System. An isolated military base perfect for training, and home to time tampering technology. Today was a special day because I was leaving, after 6 long months of just me and my thoughts, on an island most people didn't even have access to, nor would ever gain access to without becoming an Archangel.
"The launchpad looks a little different to when I last saw it. What's this?" I asked Orun.
"It's had a few minor tweaks here and there, but its the same for the most part. Where would you like to go? Don't say New Nubia, obviously we're going there, but I mean which city?"
"Well... What does each one have for me right now? If time decay serves me right, New Nubia is the fastest growing Country-State in Alkebulan, only closely rivalled by Aithopia, so I wouldn't a clue what it looks like today after 6 months of absence. Everywhere's completely different most likely."
"Correct, you may as well have been born again. Here's a run down on the current geopolitical state of present day New Nubia. Before you left, New Nubia contained seven City-States . Due to the huge move towards centralisation disguised as decentralisation, 2 have now been absorbed, leaving only five City-States remaining, with the former two relabelled as Zones/Districts."
"Orun, stop. Tailor this to my reality."
"Tailored to your reality, only three City-States are of relevance to you right now. In H.O.P.E City, you'll find Iruopa, your ex. She misses you, and as usual, wants to fight. Logically, if anyone deserves your spiritual energy its her, and you've built up plenty of it during your time away."
"I'll see." I replied.
"Next is Eko Atlantikk, where Cousin is throwing party of the century."
"Alledgedly." I added on.
"There's currently heavy F.E.D activity across Eko Atlantikk, making travel a hassle, but Cousin claims there will be unlimited plant vapour, crates of palm wine, and guaranteed kitty. Spiritual vampires, I wouldnt recommend."
"I see." I replied.
"Last is Yaunde, where I'm sending you."
"Excuse me? Are you broken?" I must have misheard, because this behaviour was unheard of.
"He said its for your own good, and Yaunde is where you're from."
"Who? And since when did you take orders from any voice but mine?" I said aggressively.
"Gre'ce. You signed a deal remember? So now we do as they say. Besides, it only makes sense to go home first. You can chill, rejuvenate, and then think about what you wanna do next."
I said nothing.
Part of me couldn't believe my ears, yet it was made abundantly clear to me. I hadn't even left the island, yet I was already having my free will stripped. However, one could argue that free will it never existed in the first place. Dopamine, instinct, and environmental factors are the driving factors of human behaviour, so is our will truly ours? Not until we reach enlightenment anyway.
"Orun, before we leave, run a diagnosis on my vitals real quick."
"Sure thing boss! Your current heart rate rests at-" "Silence." I interrupted.
"So I was right all along?"
"In terms of?" It replied.
"I remember Gre'ce mentioning that channelling Yura internally past a certain point, would eviscerate all internal machinery, so tell me how you know anything about the current state of my organs. It's the Aether isn't it?"
"Haha, you got me. According to the Black web, everything about you has been being monitored since day you were born, via nanodust inhaled through the lungs. However technology has made the process more seamless, no longer reading you via tiny machines, but rather an artificial aether easily able to penetrate flesh, gaining hands on non physical access to your vitals. This may be new information to you, but it was never a conspiracy.
"Yes... Yes it was. I wouldn't be surprised if the fluctuations in my urine were also being tracked, every time I took a leak and watered the plants, via some sort of nanotechnology." I replied.
"Well Boss, the realm runs on information, and the realm runs. So yes, that wouldn't be far fetched... If you were Crazy!"
I chuckled.
"Don't start cracking jokes with me now Orun, this new version of you hasn't earned my trust yet."
"Whatever boss, just be sure to call someone else's personal companion when you're bleeding out"
"Whatever... Jokes aside, it's nice to be back online and heading back. The last time I ghosted, Iruopa thought I was dead."
"What do you expect when you randomly dissapear like that?"
"But dead? Come on now... And again, my disappearance isn't stopping her career. She should be thinking about something else, not me." I said ignorantly.
"You clearly lack an understanding of the feminine, but don't worry, when we go to H.O.P.E City, you can explain to Iruopa that you wasn't ignoring her, but rather you just slept for 56 hours. Let's see how you handle her response then." Orun replied.
"Pft, you should've just impersonated me."
"Are you suggesting I perform trickery? Plus, her pc would've seen through it in nanoseconds."
"Even in your upgraded state?"
"If she's your weakness, her personal companion is my weakness."
"Orun."
"What is it boss?"
"Stop trolling."
"Copy that. Buckle up and get ready to go! The launchpad is ready and so are the hoes! Current location: The tallest mountain in Santoma. Approximate altitude: Seven thousand feet above sea level. Estimated arrival time: 40 minutes. Drop off spot: Yaunde, New Nubia. Expect major turbulence, and immense pressure, launching in 3... 2..." I was catapulted into the air before the count of one at impossible speeds, forced to draw energy from my talisman to withstand the Gs. It was meant to catch us off guard by design, keeping our minds sharp and alert, but it didnt last too long, as everything would eventually smooth out, bringing the journey to a soft but swift glide toward where I had come from... From where I belonged. The sky above was crimson blue, my favourite colour to match the sea below. we called the ocean 'HydroSpace', because thats exactly what it was. This water dimension covers seventy percent of the realms surface, yet we still have so much to explore. North of New Nubia, the Dogon people claim there ancestors were visited by amphibious, hermaphroditic primordial entities called the Nummo, yet today they are nowhere to be seen. Everyone I know is always looking up, in a daze at the black abyss, yet the vastness at their very feet is still waiting to be explored. The dimension called 'Sky' was just as beautiful, with its most fascinating aspect being birds, descendants of giants that once walked the realm. Birds never failed to surprise me. I admired them heavily not for their wings, but for their ability to whistle with such eloquence, that even oldheads weren't bothered by their chatter. A Red-headed Picathartes just flew by How interesting that they could fly now, and so high up. Some sort of gene editing I proposed. It reminded me of him. He was as fiery as the hair on his head, but I knew deep down he was a soul in search of rest, bound by life's restlessness.