Unknown Dream

CarrollQuest: Unknown Dream



The sand bustles and swirls about the runway. In the scorching haze, it seems to stretch out forever in front of you. Well, in a way it kind of does. You wish the wind would die down a bit, but it should hardly matter.

And all around you, the roar of the crowd echoes…

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, thank you all for joining us for the Vacuo National Hellenic Games! It’s been a fantastic event this year, don’t you think Frank?”

“I couldn’t agree more, Bob! Between the Shade Hornets taking the gold, and a new world record in the Auric Great Jump, it’s been one hell of a ride!”

“But now, it’s time for the crowning event! For the first time in fifteen years, Vacuo is proud to once again host…the Infinite Strip!”

The crowd’s bellowing reaches a tremendous crescendo. But by this point you’re already deaf to the cheers and jeering alike. The only thing left on your mind is the runway.

“That’s right, Bob! For those of you just joining us, the Infinite Strip was the product of Atlesian technology…commissioned for this very game almost 50 years ago! And what does it do? Why, it’s in the name! It lets the athlete run…for an infinite distance!”

“Now, I don’t know how this thing works, Frank, but what our audience wants to know is what we’re using it for...ladies and gentlemen, this is for the event of a lifetime! Welcome to the fourth recorded attempt…to break the light barrier!”

All your senses seem to grind to a halt. The tension was unbearable, but this isn’t it. You can SEE it. In your mind’s eye, you see your destination…

“Say whaaaat? You can’t do that! That’s what people have been saying for centuries. But semblance has shown that where human willpower is concerned, even what we thought impossible may yet be proven. So let’s hear it from our contestant! Hailing from our very own Vacuo, our youngest contest to date, -“

And that’s the last you hear. Your senses have drowned everything else out.

The judge stands by the starting lines. You look to him, and he gives you the nod. He has the starting pistol ready…it’s for ceremonial purposes only. It doesn’t matter when you start. You’re not racing another person. You’re racing against reality itself.

You crouch down at the starting line, and brace for the sweat release. He raises his pistol…

There’s the flash.

[X] Sprint (Max acceleration, high stamina burn)
[ ] Run (balanced)
[ ] Jog (low accel, minimum stamina burn)
[ ] ….walk. To start with.

You’ve waited too long for this moment. You could go steady, build up to the speed you need…but you don’t want to. You don’t want to be on that runway any longer than you have to be…

You focus your semblance…and tear the ground beneath you, rushing forward to the impossible endpoint. You feel the air pressure shatter as you rip through the sound barrier in the first instance of movement.

“Wow, and with an incredible speed burst right out of the gate, she’s already hit Mach 100! That’s a new record for sure! But it’s still a long ways off, and our more conservative athletes have typically had better results in getting to that relativistic sweet-spot. Here’s hoping she knows what she’s doing!”

You keep pushing. Never stop accelerating. Never a single step out of place. Just focus on that endpoint. Never look away…you don’t want to see the world before light touched it…

“Well look at that! She’s already hit six digits Mach! She’s closing in on relativity now!”

The world distorts. You knew it would be like this, but you didn’t think it would be this intense. The distance tinged with Blueshift. And all around you…you begin to hear them…

And they can see you now.

They can’t touch you. They shouldn’t be able to. They only exist in this state, in this instance between points of time…but to them time is an illusion anyway. You can’t outrun them.

You feel the weight now. You semblance can only take so much of the burden. Your mass should have caused you to collapse on yourself by now. And it’s only growing. It’s so tiring…your stamina is burning so fast…

“I shouldn’t look away from them if I were you. It just makes them angrier.”

[X] Ignore it
[X] Tell it to go away
[ ] …look at them


You ignore it. It’s not your problem. None of it matters, so long as you can get to the end…

“Is that really the way to treat a friend? I’m trying to help you, believe it or not. Stop this foolishness and you’ll get off scott free. You have my word.”

It’s not going to give up. You knew it wouldn’t. It doesn’t matter if it’s being observed or not. Since it’s not really what the observer sees anyway…

“It’s not like you can actually do it. It’s physically impossible. That’s the rule. And the rule is there for a reason. And even if you broke it, you wouldn’t like what was on the other side.”

You’ve lost your patience. You’re drawing closer…it doesn’t matter what it says…or if you acknowledge it…you won’t put up with it any longer.

“Go away, Chester!” you growl. And immediately regret it. Even making the slightest utterance is exhausting. You’ve already past the point where being able to breath effectively was realistically feasible…controlled use of your aura lets you allow the air to physically safely touch you, but it’s extremely reduced…you’re running on empty…

The shape stirs on the fringe of your vision. In this space where light and time have only theoretical meaning, its wicked grin finally distorts. A serious expression, for once.

“Stop talking to imaginary cats. You know damn well who you’re talking to, and it’s not me. I’m not even here, or anything for that matter.”

The shapes are finally beginning to fade, as the endpoint looms brightly ahead. Light itself, the very concept, repels them. You’re almost there. If only it would just go away…

“Please…go away…let me be…”

“Who are you asking? I can’t do anything. You decide. You have to make that choice.”

You can see it. The non-Euclidean gateway. By definition of its very nature, it shouldn’t be possible to see it…and yet you can. You’re so close now…you could just reach out and touch it…

The face beyond your vision distorts once more. The expression is inconsolable. Does it matter if something like that cries real tears...?

It hardly seems to matter at all. You have everything you needed an arm's reach away. It's so beautiful...

“Stop. For love of everything sacred. For the love everything that matters to YOU, stop it! NOW!”

[X] Touch The Void
[ ] Stop

It doesn’t matter. You’ve made it. You’ve finally made it!

You drown out the scream of the yowling cat, and reach out…and touch it.

The frame shimmers. And on the other side…

She smiles. Her expression, her body, her mind, her existence…it mirrors yours.

Your arms outstretched to the impossibly thin fabric that separates you…your fingertips touch…

//////

????

Unknown Dream?


It’s all so still here. Everything seems to remain in its rightful place. The incomparable rush of before seems like a laughable dream…

Every surface has a reflection. There’s you. There are many of you. Some happy, some sorrowful. Those that succeeded, those that failed…those that lived…those that…

One is not like the others

The purple cat lies prone. It is quite dead.

Good.

And yet…

“I fucking hate you. You don’t even know how much that shit hurts.”

“I can guess.”

“You really think I deserve this, don’t you?”

“I know better than anyone else.”

“True. But guess what? It paid off. You’re not staying here.

What? How?

“Maybe next time I’ll be a better person. See you around~”

You scream in rage.

The stillness ends. Time resumes. And you’re thrown back from the gateway.

/////


The crowd’s groans of disappointment fill your ears. You can’t really ignore them anymore…

“…What. An. UPSET! Ladies and gentlemen, at no less than ninety-nine point nine recurring percent of the speed of light, contestant Inaba Alabaster has fallen from the Infinite Strip! This is an unprecedented accident! Medics on hand are already at the scene, we can only hope that a fall at that speed from the Strip wasn’t fatal!”

Reality seems to swirl about you as you lie prone on the coarse dune. Its relentless presence seems to mock your efforts. But even as your eyes manage to draw into focus…

No. It can’t be!

“…What on Remnant?! Ladies and Gentlemen, do my eyes deceive me? It appears that…a cat-faunus girl has appeared on the strip! Where the hell did she come from?!”

NO. NO! How the hell can it be here?!

Your body is beyond drained of all strength and resources. You shouldn’t have the energy to even twitch. But you won’t stand for it. You won’t suffer it.

“nnn…” it groans. It’s alive? It has form?!

It’s all its fault. You try to move…it’s simply not possible.

It stirs.

“…Ow…what happened…?”

Your eyes meet. You stab pure hatred into its eyes with your own.

“…Er…hi? Do I…know you…?”



Unknown Dream: End