A Look through a Black Hole

With a motion of his finger, then grabbing the air, or atmosphere we'll say, he ripped open the empty space with both hands, opening up a dark chamber with only a single spec of light glimmering which seemed, I kid you not, light years away. But I could see it, as faint as it was. 

Widening it enough so that we could both walk through, I took a glimpse, but I was scared. 

"It's safe. You can walk through." He held out his hand towards me. In the middle of this strange land that I was in, I was starting to become more convinced that this was a separate realm of its own. 

No gravity, air, light, or food sustenance yet everything grew according to how he wanted it to. Every imaginable surface and landscape you could think of on Earth was present here. And now, in the middle of this forest of barren trees, was a black hole the size of a door edged with white specs laced around its borders. The granulated sand beneath our feet started to shift and glide into a tornado, forming thick clouds dense enough to carry a ship's worth of people. But yet, I couldn't move. And so, he posed a question.

"What are you afraid of? According to you, this isn't real. Unexplainable. If so, wish it away. Leave off your own volition and free will. But you will have to step through that portal. It is the only choice you have."

Free will my ass.

"Does it exist? The idea that we choose the life we are going to lead or is it that we choose to live the life that was chosen for us in the way that we desire?"

"Like guardrails."

"Exactly," he said, hovering atop of me on the cloud of sand, lifting me up off of the ground with the mere movement of his hand-

"H-hey! I didn't ask yo-"

"At this rate we'll never get anywhere, and I have too much to explain to you in the time that we have."

He keeps contradicting himself. Time? There is no time. 

"Not time for me, but for you. On Earth, the concept of time exists, and I don't want to interrupt things more than I already have. Let's go." 

Basically, he pushed me into a black hole against my will. My thoughts get read, interrupted, I get pushed into a black hole...maybe I really have no free will! Hahhhh...

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When we stepped through the portal, upon closer review, it was more like a tunnel with an infinite ceiling. The entire ground stretched far beyond than I could see and for meters and meters, the darkness below was illuminated with silver webs that led in every direction, all intertwining between one another. 

Zmmmp!

With that, the entrance behind us had vanished!

"Although I can't alter reality in the plane of your realm, I can however, transfer you to mine if the person comes into contact with something that I can use as a tether. It's a two-way connection. It wouldn't be exactly correct to assume nor say that I summoned you here. The correct term is exactly that, a tether." Even though I can say with certainty that there was no external light, I could see everything in front of me. Numbers, names, white string, trillions of molecular particles & faces all floating by and around me as if it was a seamless flow of traffic; yet no space was empty nor had been wasted. It looked like a school of jelly fish that traveled in opposite directions going the same way.

"Lift your arms. You should be able to feel something now."

And so, I did; observing billions of particles emit from the underneath of my arms, slightly levitating me off the ground. I quickly placed my arms back down to my side.

"It's okay, try it again. There isn't any limit here. If you want to release yourself from the ground, imagine that you've fallen on a pillow or landed on two feet, and you will."

"And if I don't?" I asked, trembling. I've never been so scared in my life. I don't know why!

I shouldn't have said that because the very next second, the ground had vanished and before I knew it, I was falling town a tube, enclosed by those same white specs spinning around its edges at the speed of light that resembled a water slide or life-sized air duct that projected still images in and around its cylinder. Moving around and round, all of these projections produced a shot that felt and appeared way too tangible to be three dimensional, gliding in and outside of the duct. My back is hunched in the air, facing down and the speed of it all doesn’t even feel real, there’s no wind passing me by or sound that—I’m even, it’s just SCARY!

"AHHHH, STOP, OK, OK, I'VE HA-"

"Take a look around and really feel what's happening." I heard, looking for the man. Wondering why this bastard let me fall! He said it was safe!

I was standing. Back in the school of organisms and shapes that kept swimming by my side, above, under, next to and around me. It’s like I’m stuck in a fish tank.  One glance down and the silver spider web remained.

“This…is reality.” He stood around, looking at all that surrounded us. “You are the second person to arrive here.” For some reason, he walked on a straight line on one of the webs and pulled on it, opening up another portal that showed…!

“Wait— “

“Mhm. That’s you.” 

When he opened the portal, an image showed a Black-tinted SUV pulled over on the side of the road. Inside were two men in suits in the front and passenger seat and a covering that divided those two seats showing a man facing myself and Rin. Had not even a moment passed?

“No. Well, it’s in between a moment. You touching the seed created a tether and before you could blink, I created a bind to pull you to the other realm. I am the master of land of the First Tree. Maybe soon, no longer. Who knows what will happen after that.” He continued, closing the portal.

“Each web is its own reality, or the perception of it at least.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling a bit more relaxed so I tried to fly once again.

I opened my arms and imagined myself to be a bird, caressing my body weight to match the density of the atmosphere and flapping my arms. I look stupid, but man is it cool!

And he did the same, following me. 

“You know, it’s not the density of the air that allows birds to fly,” He continued. What a smart ass. I know you hear me.

He chuckled. I guess humor is the same across any timeline. “but the arrangement of feathers across their wings and body that enables them to use the air pressure to propel airborne and maintain their equilibrium by flapping to lift themselves up through a twisting motion of their feathers. Tilting the edge of its wings to increase the altitude of their flight; in addition to using wind to take off and warm air currents to stay afloat, gliding if you will.”

“Thank you, for another useless fact. I'm so grateful for your knowledge. Seriously.”

But something occurred to me. “Wait, you said I was the first person here or second or whatever, I mean who was the first?” 

“Me.” He looked around, flowing through all the species of life through a swimming motion. “I was left to figure this realm out by myself and throughout the moments, I’ve come to understand quite a few things. Which is why you are here. You know, there was a human also named Shin who followed me around years and years ago. He resembles you.”

“Oh?” 

“You seem relaxed now.” 

Looking around, all the numbers, string, floating amoeba, creatures that passed by nudged my skin, sending warm sensations through my veins. There was nothing to fear.

“Exactly, there never was. Long ago, I was made a God by the Gods who had taken pity on humans. Through my own curiosity I suppose, I stumbled across the First Tree by pure coincidence although now I know, I was chosen by it.”

“Chosen. Are you actually saying this fable is real?”

“Don’t ask questions you know the answer too. You’re only playing into your own denial, depleting your energy of connectivity here.”

And he was right. With every negative thought or pessimism, doubt, or skepticism, I felt myself drop just a little and before giving in to full blown fear, I had imagined myself falling into nothingness.

“There are laws, maybe not applicable to humans or ones they don’t understand but they are there. We live amongst them every day but without the awareness to notice them, we’re oblivious to their effects.”

I had a thought. “So, if we go based on what you’ve told me, and I will believe this for the sake of the Law of Positivity here— “

“Ok.”

“You’re the one who removed the ability of humans to cure themselves, causing havoc across humankind. You’re said Demi-God, of the story of the Seven Trees.”

“I am. Do you scold me for that? Believe that I was wrong in doing that? And technically speaking, it was a human who planted the seeds. You forget; I too, was once a human. There were issues prior to me being alive, before the Gods intervened, during the period of “peace” and the chaos that is ensuing now. Humans have created the problems that they seek to eradicate themselves of. There is no Divine Force coming to save them because it didn’t intervene to cause said issues.”

“You seem to have a lot to say on the matter. Now it’s confirmed you don’t know everything.” Where were we going? It’s just an endless sea of interconnected webs and organisms that swirl around us without ever-changing. All we do is keep swimming or flying or whatever.

“I was a human after all. It goes without saying that there is a limit too on what I can know and oh they change, that is certain. Whether you notice it or not. They’ve rubbed against your skin, no? Meaning they have intelligent thought and choose to move into what attracts their attention and that is known as Fate. There’s nowhere to go because everything that ever was is here. This is Reality.”

“Ok, so you say they choose to crash into things and interact with them or whatever and that’s Fate. But they chose it.”

“Who says you can’t choose Fate?” He continued, lowering his voice. “There is only one Reality, that is true. And it is finite, meaning there is an end. If there is only one Reality, then what is of all these creatures and webs? You must’ve thought they were different lives and realities because I showed you yours. It’s only Perspective that alters it.”

“So, these creatures are just perspectives?”

I asked, hoping I was right but utterly confused out of my mind. 

“No need to intellectualize something that you can’t understand; and you are intelligent, Shin Suigokyu. I assume it’s why the First Tree chose you. To carry out its mission. But yes.” He replied languidly, now upside down, swimming breaststroke like. Fancy.

“They are perspectives. All of these trillions and trillions of creatures, souls, numbers, webs of energy if you had wondered what they were- “

“I was wondering.”

“are all perspectives. We live the same lives, have the same experiences across moments and come to understand the same things, leaving only how we think and feel about them, how we relate to them being the difference maker. Giving birth to Perspective, leading our minds to believe that we live differently, in other realities. Alternate realities do not exist. Other realms exist, because a different set of rules apply. Such as this one. I am a master of my realm and within there, I can do and imagine what I want. But there are limits.” He grimaced. I can’t keep my thoughts to myself because he will read them, but I wonder what made him call me. A man who can warp time and gravity called a mere human to show him the depth of reality? 

“Can you do me a favor?”

“Okay.”

“Can you not read my thoughts for a while? I want to have a real conversation.”

He looked at me, and he was beautiful. Not more than Rin of course, ha…! But in an otherworldly kind of way. I can’t explain what made me feel that way. He smiled, “I can do that. Now we can talk seriously.”

That’s all I had to do? Bastard. 

“As a human, I dedicated my life to that Tree. Knowing that it wasn’t ordinary. With it being of such magnitude, it struck me as curious as to why I couldn’t grow any seeds in the human realm. I know now that is because it was never meant to be, except that it was. Only I, not the one to carry it out. It’s a very hard thing to accept, being inept to do what you want to do.”

“But you said you chose Fate, but also that it’s chosen?” Hey, I'm getting the hang of this swimming flying thing. 

He held his hand out, allowing all the organisms to swirl around his arm, forming a ring of light that then shot out a burst of energy, opening up another black hole to show me a friend. 

“Woah…”

“This is an old friend of yours from Canada. It’s sad, but he will die in three months due to a car accident. This is Fate.”

“What?!?! Why would you show me that?!?!”

“Because that’s what you wanted to know. What it is exactly that’s Fate. All it is, simply, is what you were born to do. Live and die. That’s it. You were given abilities, family or none, interests and circumstances to help cultivate them to reach the highest potential possible for your Soul. It cannot be changed. Reality, however, can be.”

Cryptic, but I like it. He was totally right. I would give up almost everything to know more. But something still doesn't sit right. Let's keep with this thought.

"That makes no sense."

"It doesn't have to," he said, continually floating. It's all there was to do. "Only that it's true. And that we abide by these principles. You know, it's why humans are so interesting to me. It's something I never realized nor appreciated while being one and becoming...this-" he chuckled; does he have identity issues? "that made me understand that it is human nature. That's what people mean or search for. It is the search, the discovery. To change things and seek beyond what's possible without knowing of what will come of it. Even if it's fruitless."

"Back to this reality thing-"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try. You've brought me here. Can I also assume that it was the wish of the Tree to have me called here by you as well?"

He smiled, spinning in circles around me, like a dolphin. His description is rather weird. Every time I look at him, or whatever he is, the appearance changes. Sometimes he appears as a Black woman from the United States or an Asian man from China, with varying levels of height, weight, eye pigment, etc. "I have no wishes, nor do I really care about the Fate of humanity, but yes. It so happens that the Tree does, and I do care about this Tree I love so dearly. Humans undergo change every second and make up to thirty to forty thousand decisions per day. Which makes thousands of decisions by the hour, meaning so does reality, changing at least. What if I told you that this was already factored in?"

"What was?"

"The fact that we as humans would make said decisions but are still able to change the outcome of Reality by believing and acting on said thoughts and feelings. But then there is Fate. The constant. Where you grew up, the pain you experienced, the mistakes you made, the life that was given to you all so that you can grow. Would you believe me if I said some people were destined to suffer and that was their purpose?"

"Like only suffer and experience nothing else?"

"Correct."

"I would say you're stupid and quite the pessimist and there can't be a Creator out there that would do this."

"But see that's the thing. There isn't a Creator that would do this. Remember that I told you it is humans who cause the suffering they seek to escape themselves from. It's humans who do this, make these decisions, live and die by them. All of this was factored in and yet, you still have the choice to choose differently because you wouldn't have known whether you had a choice or not. Free will exists and it's also an illusion at the same time. If I told you that you've spent 10, 000 years in this realm without a second passing in your plane, would you believe it?"

"Not without proof."

"But there isn't. Or rather there is, if you see the signs. That's why humans can never know about this and once you leave, you'll forget we even had this conversation or where you were...sadly. This is the first time I've enjoyed myself in quite some time."

"Well, make yourself known to me."

He paused, turning into a shark made of white specs, swimming underneath me to lift me on his back. This was starting to feel like a never-ending amusement ride in a fish tank. I hate them so much. But, as with anything, there's always an exception to the rule. "What do you mean?"

"You say I'll forget everything and that I will never know you existed. So, whenever I forget, make a sign. Show me something that only I would know to remind me of who you are. I don't think I want to forget you either."

He smiled again with his wide shark teeth. Creepy, but I get the sentiment. The feeling is returned. "You are quite the interesting being, Shin Suigoyku. I have no doubts as to why you are here."

"Are you saying you did at one point?"

"No. I just wanted you to come to Yourself. Understand your role and carry it out. All of us have to do it."

"Hmm." It was a lot to think about. It's hard to respond to something that virtually is not meant for me to understand. But I at least gave him something to think about. I bet he didn't expect that. "But, I mean, I don't mean to rush you or doubt you or whatever, because, honestly, it would be really hard to forget something like this. But why am I here? Why me?"

"We all ask that question, don't we? Placing an incredible amount of pressure and importance onto ourselves and what we will do. The truth is, it’s not something I can tell you. It’s for you to find out. It was a wish of the Tree to have you here just as it was a wish of the Tree to keep me alive. I can, however, give you context.” 

I don’t know how his body became material enough for me to ride upon it, but even in the midst of all this, Rin still crossed my mind. How far will I go with her? This wondrous place, full of life and amoeba and life yet to be lived and already passed simultaneously makes you think something. Makes you feel something. Things I hadn’t thought of before or wanted to avoid that I avoided.

“As I was telling you, it was never meant for me to tell you what it is you’re seeking. Only to deliver a message. Back when I was first made a God, I came to this exact place where I was asked if I wanted to come back to life. I couldn’t remember anything at the time but over the years, I’ve come to understand-“

“You keep saying that.” C’mon, get on with it. 

“Understanding comes with time. This you will know. As I was saying, I had the choice to come back but really, it seems as if I didn’t. I only wanted to pass on.”

“Then why’d you come back?”

“It was the wish of the Tree. I felt tied to it, connected as if I didn’t want to leave it. The fondest memories I had as a human were in that strange land of barren Trees. It all came back to me, the conversations, what had happened and why I took on the form of when I was 25. The age that I had found the tree. You’re familiar with the story?”

“Of course.”

“It must have been years and years until that the human who followed me around had finally been able to cross over to that land. It was he who had named the Yuzu Tree. There were these strange, yellow bumpy fruit that had grown from the one seed I gave him. A fruit that had not been seen by a person like me. One who has trekked all across of Earth for many centuries. It had grown so tall, exponentially larger or as equal to that tree you had seen me underneath when you too, entered that land. He was the first human to cross over and once the Yuzu Tree—“

“So, I assume the reason I’m here isn’t to understand the existential meaning of life. The tree wants to grow again.”

He smiled. “It does. I suppose it was the wish of the Tree to bring you here to know all of this. Life calls us in the direction it wants us to go in. We have Fate and things are meant to be, but they do not have to be so. You can choose if you want to live up to your potential or not.”

“Why did it stop growing? And by the way, what is it that the Gods did that was so wrong?”

I assume I struck a nerve, because his face went dark, transforming back into his human form. “The nature of the world. The rise of the climate, the strife of nation feudalism and the advancement of technology at a rapid pace to reproduce profits beyond the margins and outside the realm of humanity is what caused it. As I said, I am the Master of that land. The only thing that I do not control are those trees. Somehow, someway, they are connected to the life force on Earth, which is why— “

“You mean you don’t know?” I find that hard to believe.

“Well, it’s not possible to know everything. Many things change per second, moment to moment. I know many things, but I’ve blocked myself off to knowing everything. It’s not useful.”

Looking around at all of these things, how could it not be? “How not? I imagine that it’s very useful to know some of these things. Imagine if everyone had this knowledge. We could live our lives in a much more efficient way. I can see where the Gods were coming from, even if I don’t agree per se.”

This time, he dismembered his body, allowing all of the floating particles to form a manatee. Cute. “What if I told you that you’ve already been here for 10,000 years and not even a single second has passed?”

“You already asked me that. There’s no proof of it.”

He smiled, chuckling a bit. Out of nowhere he started to go faster, seamlessly flying through this space at mock speed. It felt like it at least. I couldn’t identify anything, and it only appeared to me as a white blur with specs flying back, smiling as if they knew something that I didn’t. “Open your pockets.” He asked, rather calmly. And so, I did, forgetting that I had…! “This wasn’t in my pocket when i came here.”

“It’s a real one now. Open it up. And there isn’t much time left and to be honest, I can’t say I know what the Tree wants with your bloodline, but it has a lot to do with that man. Shindo Osaka. You will forget this, but you will believe this is true and it will guide you moving forward. It’s the only thing I can impart with you to keep.“

“Ok…what does that mean?”

“The Gods messed up because it was false peace. People were content. They lived longer. General stress was gone, they lived healthier lives. One would say that is a life humans strive to feel.”

“I agree. You sound pretty bad, you know? Saying people don’t deserve these things. Im sure there’s not many people in the world that would disagree with this.”

We stopped. Both in human form, well I never was not in human form. He didn’t teach me that trick. But all the organisms, numbers and energy webs had vanished, except the string that had remained on the ground, interconnected with one another. It was like looking at a tightrope that had a million people on it, constantly trying to withhold it’s balance.

“You are probably correct in assuming that,  but what would then happen? I lived during that time and behind the content was nothing but longing.”

“People long for things now.”

“Sure. But in this regard, they know there is something better and they have the ability to chase and receive it, obtain said result desire. The problem isn’t it if I don’t believe people should have it, I only know that’s not how the world was meant to be.”

“People can change Fate, no? Mold it to what they want, no? It’s what you’ve told me at least or were you lying?”

“Reality changes, not Fate. And you can do it, theoretically. What the Gods did was feel pity  for humans and erase the primary proponent into their growth: Change. Everything is dialectical, calculated and synchronized to a certain beat, rhythm. This is true for anything. By having equal and opposite forces in the world, it creates tension, gray matter in which everything falls in between. It’s where change lies. Between the struggle of trial and error, gray matter. What is not known to exist, but can be created. Change must go on to see the survival of a world that thrives on it. Those times were only filled in the white matter. The Positive. And without a counteracting force, species didn’t grow or evolve. People remained in the same rigidity. Nothing changed. Is a bad thing? Some say yes, some say no but what cannot be disputed is that the Gods went against Nature, and for that, I deem it a cardinal sin. And the Tree seems to believe so too.”

“But, and what you’re saying is true, I agree. But the tree has lost its power or-“

“Not it’s power. The influence to change peoples lives.”

“That is power.”

“Not to this extent. It’s magical influence. The tree was at its largest before the period of White matter, let’s call it. It grew through struggle and the wishes of humans seeking a better life. It’s currently in the Dark Matter, with corporate greed, excess, rapid technology and don’t be fooled it was the Dark Matter before, only then, the path had been foreseen to find Balance.”

“What?”

He turned towards me, staring through my soul. I felt it. Something in the center of my chest started to open, forming a hole right where my heart would be. Nothing was there, wait!

“W-woah! What the fuck is this?!”

“It’s your life force. Everyone has it. Yours right now is small, and shaded and marked the color green. Emerald is the stone you should look for if you need to know a sign that I am around, working behind the veil for your favor because it is the wish of the Tree. That you are doing something correct. When your life force becomes pink you will return back to this land and we will talk as Equals.”

He opened up a web from the ground, peering back into the life that I was all too familiar with. Opening his mouth, he transformed into the largest tree I have ever seen in my life. 

“This is my final message. 

Shindo Osaka has found 3 of the Ancient Trees and is on his route to his 4th. I want you to follow them there and take at look at the map that you now possess. You will meet many comrades along the way who will help you further your goal. Step one is completed. You have found who you are. The plan you made was destined to fail because the story you are meant to live has yet to be written and has only begun. Good luck.”

***

“I accept. Let’s take over the world together.”

I blurted it out, without thinking. All that I knew was that it felt right. I suppose not all things need an explanation. 

“Now, if I am to accept this I will do this on three conditions: 

1.) Rin comes with me.

2.) You keep your word on all that you will offer me-“

“And the third?” He smirked, interrupting me.

“3.) Take us to the Yuzu Tree.”

He started laughing, I mean hysterically. Rin looks too shocked to say anything and I will have to explain to her later, but I don’t know what to tell her. 

“We were going there anyway!”

***