Limbo Part-1

I'll never get used to traveling this way; the glitch surrounding me settled down, and the dark tear in space time vanished. As I emerged from the space-time glitch, I was immersed in an unsettling darkness that seemed to choke the air around me.

I teleported into the zombie base, but no one was there. Aiden and the other comrades had already left, and the inside of the base was not in its previous state.

The lights had been shattered, and the paint on the walls had been scratched off, as if some beast had gone wild here. All of the machinery was annexed, and many walls were demolished.

The lack of light is disconcerting, with only the faint glimmers of a few shattered windows piercing the blackness.

My heartbeat faster as my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit chamber, exposing the presence of something else in this place with me.

I could hear crawling sounds all around me, and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could just make out a human-like bug monster crawling the walls. The thing had a human face but insect claws, and each movement it made caused fissures in the wall.

Before I could observe this beast any further, it vanished as if it had become invisible. It's not difficult to believe that these creatures had some form of camouflage ability as well.

This, however, was not the only monster present; the entire base was teeming with them, their humanoid shapes bearing a twisted combination of human and insect traits, their chitinous exoskeletons glinting in the scarce light.

My instincts kicked in, sending a shudder through my veins. My hand instantly grabbed for the weight of my rifle, clutching it securely in preparation for a defense against this prospective threat.

The cold metal provided reassurance, a remnant of the power I possessed in my hands. My gaze darted from one corner to another as I attentively studied the space.

The insect-like creatures glided with such perfection that it appeared to be a predatory dance. I wasn't sure if the bullet would ever penetrate the exoskeleton, and even if it did, if I'd be able to take on all of them.

I could kill one of these critters, but what about the others creeping around in this base? These animals have yet to assault me, as if they are ignoring me. It's likely that they can't see and must rely on sounds to navigate their surroundings, and I've been careful not to agitate these critters.

A booming voice resonated through the dimly lit room just as I was beginning to make sense of it all.

"They won't hurt you; you know."

My heart skipped a beat, and my eyes widened in amazement and horror, but this was also within my expectations. I slowly turned around, and there was Limbo, seated on an eye-catching chair that seemed out of character in the dismal scene.

The mere sight of him sends shivers down my spine, and my mind races with a flood of emotions.

Limbo projected intentional confidence, his stance was comfortable, and his look was smug. His gaze was fixed on mine before he opened his mouth to finish his sentence.

"Until I tell them otherwise."

It was certain he was threatening me; with a single thought, he might unleash torrents of these horrifying monsters on me, and I wouldn't be able to take them all on with a single rifle.

I took a long breath to settle my anxiety. It was expected that Limbo would arrive here, and it did so for the first time.

"How did you...?"

I couldn't think of the perfect words to finish my question, but Limbo got it. When I originally entered the room, it was vacant, and then he appeared behind me as if he teleported, although there was no evidence of this.

"That is of little significance," Limbo said as he rose from his chair, his intimidating form approaching me and threatening my entire life with his very presence.

"So, how have you been, Freddy?" He asked, placing his hand on my shoulders and speaking as if we'd known each other for years.

Despite the fact that I did not respond, he proceeded.

"Killing David, I presume."

So, David was acquainted with Limbo, and I may presume that Limbo shares David's purpose of bringing death to all.

"As for your friends, they were too busy making this little toy."

His graze directed upwards, where a massive mechanical branch-like device was attached to the ceiling. It stretched like a tree branch throughout the entire foundation, with a central trunk in the middle of the building to which it was linked.

I took my gaze away from the mechanical apparatus and looked at Limbo, but I was surprised to see the mechanical trunk behind him. We were no longer in the same room. We teleported inside the base's center room without even me noticing.

"Do you seriously believe this device has the potential to repair the entire multiverse's glitch?"

"No," I said confidently, but deep inside, I was terrified of the largest monstrosity in this room.

"This device is designed to halt you, not the glitch."

"Heh," a quiet, mocking chuckle emitted from Limbo's mouth as a massive rush of energy emitted from his body, destroying everything in the room; the walls were shattered and may collapse at any moment, while the furniture was blown to bits, but the machine was unharmed.

"Interesting"

Limbo examined the white metal contraption; the complicated wiring structure was beyond my comprehension, yet it was built by three people from a far more advanced universe than mine.

"What are you and David, and why do you want everything to perish?" I yelled out to Limbo, who was busy operating the machine.

"Is that your attempt to buy time?" Limbo arched an eyebrow in response to my question.

Yes, I am buying time. Aiden informed me that Limbo couldn't damage this machine since it uses the strength of the storm to build a force field around it, but I didn't want to take any chances.

"Well, I'll entertain you." He struck a contemplative attitude: "Since it doesn't appear that I can destroy this machine," His smile darkened. "Then I'll just destroy you."

The burst of energy was released from his body once more, but this time it was directed at me, and when it touched me, my left arm bulged and exploded into a red fountain.

"Arghhhh"

The pain was excruciating, so I grabbed my coat and wrapped it around it to halt the bleeding. I sat on the ground, clutching my arm, as Limbo approached.

"As for your question," he lowered himself to my eye level.

"You see, David was just like you, an escapist, but he also couldn't take the slightest disorientation in his life, and when the glitch started, he tried to find out about it. The objective truth of the matter, and by chance he encountered me. I quickly showed him the truth, which ended up turning him insane, and he proceeded to hang himself while carving 'DEATH IS COMING' on his body. Well, it was also your teammates who brought him back from insanity."

I puffed heavily while lying down, thinking I was used to this kind of anguish from all of my deaths around the multiverse, but I wasn't.

"My actual plan was to kill you before David could kill himself; that way, you'd be part of that spiral of memories, leaving one less threat for me, but it was a slight miscalculation on my part."

When Limbo made a strangely human face, all I could do was laugh.

"Miscalculation, huh?"

I chuckled mockingly. Limbo appeared to be in a bean-spilling mood today, so I followed suit.

"Hoh," Limbo said, puzzled. "And where does this confidence of yours come from?"

Limbo had always used knowledge as a weapon; he knew he couldn't kill us, so he tried to drive me insane. His first attempt was when he tried to kill me on the subway train, but he failed, and he tried again in the middle of the highway when Edward came to my rescue.

"Same as yours," I replied, "control; you may believe you have control, but your defeat was planned 300 years prior."

326 years ago

"I've been waiting for you, Freddy."

Aiden broke the awkward space between us, and I stared at the massive facility in the distance for a few seconds more before composing a meaningful query.

"How long have you known about me?"

The Aiden I'm speaking with is not the Aiden I know; he's the Aiden of the past, Aiden from 326 years ago. The Glitch began eight days ago; thus, Aiden living for over 300 years is unlikely unless humans in this universe have extended lifespans.

"I don't, actually," he replied, a slight surprise forming on my face.

"It's this glitch that gives us the feeling of déjà vu, and all I knew was that I'd be meeting someone named Freddy here."

His explanation made sense because it happened to me at the time of the accident.

"I get visions, snippets of the future," Aiden explained, not waiting for me to ask more questions. "I don't exactly know what's going on in the future, but I know you, the glitch, and some other glimpses."

His statements mirrored my own experiences exactly; perhaps it's another aspect of the glitch. I had work to finish, but I wanted to stay at this peaceful cliff for a little longer, so I posed another pressing question.

"Do your world's humans live for more than a hundred years?"

Aiden was stunned for a moment, not anticipating such a question, but he responded regardless.

"No, they have the same lifespan as you; it's me; I'm the anomaly here."

"..." I cocked an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue his explanation.

"I have quantum immortality."

I was expecting some strange science-related information, but I would have preferred if he went into more detail; fortunately, Aiden confirmed his immortality.

"Have you heard of Schrodinger's Cat?"

"I do"

"Now, replace the cat with me and the observer with me, and that's how I've lived this long."

"..."

I stared at him blankly; the future Aiden was used to it, and he always used easy words to explain these strange abstract concepts, but now I'm going through it again with him.

"In simpler terms..." I sighed.

"Imagine you're dead." Now that's an opening line. Now, can you imagine what death's like? No, because you don't know what death feels like." The Schrödinger's cat exists in two forms, one dead and one alive, and there is a third person who is the observer, and depending on the observer's perspective, the cat will either be alive or dead. If the observer thinks the cat is alive, then that's what it is.

I pretended to grasp everything and asked another question.

"How is it immortality if you can still die?"

"I can't. You can perceive Schrodinger's cat as dead because you know what a dead cat looks like, but you don't know about your own death. Death is the loss of consciousness, and loss of consciousness means being unable to think, so as long as I'm thinking, I'll be alive. I just don't know what comes after death, so I'm unable to think about it, so I have this immortality. You can try to kill me, but I'll just feel some pain, but I won't die, as long as I perceive myself as alive."

So, this guy was a cheat from the start. I couldn't help but look shocked, and at this point, all the dots started connecting, which I hadn't noticed previously.

Edward's face altered slightly after dying a few times since his consciousness skipped bodies, while my face changed completely due to me dying a lot more than them; however, Aiden's face remained the same throughout. There was no difference, as if he had never died.

Aiden waited for me to begin, and I was filled with apprehension and curiosity.

"If I recall correctly, the glitch began 8 days ago—or, in your case, 326 years later—how did you obtain this quantum immortality?"

"There," he said, pointing to the massive facility beneath the cliff, "I was created."

When I heard the words 'created,' my brow furrowed.

"It was a bold experiment nearly a thousand years ago to unlock the cosmic code—the code of the multiverse itself."

Aiden spoke while gazing out the window at the facilities in the distance.

I've seen Aiden from the future talk about the cosmic code, but I've never completely grasped the concept.

"What exactly is this cosmic code?"

"The multiverse is infinite; each universe is unique with its own set of laws; the laws of physics of this universe may not exist in another, and at the center of the multiverse is what we call the root or the heart. The scientists of my world were thrilled to discover such a thing; they researched it and discovered that everything in the multiverse can be broken down into information. Everything, the physical matter as well as the concepts and laws, are made of a cosmic code, a set of information, and the people of my world tried to harness that power for their own."

This sounds eerily similar to the glitch; is this universe where the glitch began?

"You see, the experiment was centered on transcending human limitations in order to elevate our species to a higher dimension of existence; they sought to harness the power of the cosmic code, the underlying fabric of the multiverse, in order to rewrite the very essence of our existence."

My brow furrowed as I struggled to comprehend the magnitude of the experiment, and Aiden's voice came to a halt.

"And this experiment caused the glitch that gave you your abilities?"

Aiden looked at me as I completed my question, his face expressionless but his eyes filled with surprise and pity.

"What...?"

I blurted out after seeing his reaction, and it was only then that he broke his silence and spoke.

"I never told you about it in the future, did I?"

What are you talking about? The Glitch? Yes, Aiden from the future never informed me how the glitch started, but is this really so bad?

"What's the big deal?"

Aiden was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Freddy..."

"In their pursuit of knowledge and power, the people of my universe unknowingly violated a fundamental law: they created something from nothing, an anomaly that shattered the delicate balance of creation. That anomaly, Freddy." Aiden paused, locking his gaze into mine. "It was me."

My breathing became heavier, and my heartbeat became faster. My paranoia had returned, and I was expecting the worst.

"You?" "But... you're telling me you were created...?"

I couldn't finish my statement, but Aiden still nodded solemnly, his eyes steadfast.

"Yes, Freddy. To restore balance in the multiverse, the will of the cosmos spawned a different version of me in each universe, but that wasn't the solution, and it delved into the worst-case scenario, the collapse of the universe to erase everything, and so a new multiverse will form from the ashes of the previous one; that is the glitch we are fighting from."

My mind raced with questions, and my voice trembled as I tried to grasp the consequences.

"So, all of us who were unaffected by death, all of us who retained our memories and identity, are we all different versions of you?"

A slender smile of pity played on Aiden's lips as he nodded once again. Aiden had already detected my inner agony as he whispered softly.

"We are all byproducts of humanity's delusion of grandeur."

My graze hardened, and my pulse raced as I tried to comprehend the situation in front of me. My head became jumbled with multiple questions.

"What would happen to us, the drifters, even if we fixed the glitch?"

I knew what the response would be, but I wanted Aiden to say it.

"We will all vanish, and the memories others have of us will vanish, as if the Glitch never happened."

I had a choice: let everything go and start over or sacrifice myself to save the rest. I didn't have the white knight mindset; rather, I was more of a sacrifice other to rescue myself type of guy. My entire family taught me how harsh the outside world is, and thus I adopted this mindset.

Aiden remained staring at me, waiting for an explanation that I doubt I'll ever get. Simply put, I had no choice in this position, and any sensible, rational person would probably have just one solution.

"He..." A gentle chuckle left my mouth.

This must be a nasty joke.

I couldn't help but sigh at the twisted irony, and I had no choice but to accept it.

The only thing I can do is accept it.

After a little moment of stillness, I gathered my bearings and glanced at Aiden, unfazed by what I had heard, before pulling out a flash drive and handing it to him.

"This is what I was instructed to give you."

Aiden's message indicated that 'You will give my former self that flash drive' as if he had anticipated the future, because he always had that vibe as if he knew the future, and now I know why.

Aiden looked at it for a few seconds, waiting for me to explain.

"It contains the data required to stop the glitch." I paused before explaining everything to Aiden.

"326 years from now, the multiverse will fall into chaos, and it will be on the verge of destruction." That flash drive contains the blueprint for a machine that can use an interdimensional force called The Storm to fix the glitch, as well as data about three people who will help you build that machine: Noah, an engineer who built interstellar spaceships in his home world; Damien, who built a complex A.I. system named Jack; and finally, Edward, who is not the technical type, but he'll be your weapons. Later on, you'll receive an SOS, and that would be me."

I stated everything in a monotonous voice, and I believe deep down I was sad because, no matter how accepting I am of the situation, a part of me still wishes for a different conclusion.

I grazed back to the cliffside, taking in the wonderful scenery before leaving this universe.

"Now, since I've finished my part here, I'd like to depart."

I gave Aiden a faint smile, not trying to mask the underlying melancholy beneath it because he was fully aware of it. I chose a universe and turned on my QS Band.

"Freddy..."

Aiden's words prevented me from teleporting.

"Are you...ok?"

I don't think I am, but he is well aware of this. So, all I could do was leave with the most hopeful remarks I could muster in this bleak situation.

I smiled, assuring him that I was fine.

"There's nothing to lose because nothing was ever mine to begin with."