Chương 203: B4. 9.1 - Road Trip For Three

I tried to recall Dad's explanation about seeding and Bridging. We had also learned about this in school, though only basic stuff, and most of the info was probably wrong or outdated—the government wasn't too keen on people learning about this because someone was bound to try it. Like, teaching how to make meth in chemistry class for educational purposes would be disastrous. Eloyce Field. We had recently discussed this in law school. I think that was Professor Bansa who asked me to explain it in Criminal Law.

Humanity had a collective consciousness projected in a higher dimension, the Eloyce Field. Dad and some others thought it was the other way around—we were a manifestation of the Eloyce Field on a lower dimension, like how a three-dimensional ball casts a flat circular shadow. I was proud of remembering that analogy. Science bits not related to animals usually leave my brain after a week. This second interpretation of the Eloyce Field didn't really have many supporters because of its implications.

Something similar to people in olden times wanting Earth to be the center of the solar system instead of the Sun. Personally, I didn't care. I wouldn't have an existential crisis if I were just a shadow or a reflection, as Keke kept saying. I was here, on this dimension or plane or whatever, and I'd have fun while I was alive. The way seeding worked, Adumbrae would tap onto humanity's Eloyce Field in the other dimension, like some kind of parasite.

The Adumbrae would select a suitable host, and seeding begins, pushing Adumbrae energy to our world through that connection. Bridging was different. For a very brief moment, a portal to the higher dimension opens, and a tiny part of the Adumbrae goes into its host. It reminded me of a movie where the protagonist gets trapped in a game. Though I suppose that the Adumbrae wanted to enter this game. Keke seemed to be having a grand time experiencing this world.

"What do you mean by constantly Bridging?" I asked.

"Shouldn't Bridging just be for a brief moment because the portal would close, like a tiny black hole collapsing itself?" Cecilia held up a finger.

"I have to correct you there, dear. A black hole is the result of complete gravitational collapse; it can't collapse further. However, black holes continuously emit thermal energy, losing mass through time. But it would take billions of years for a coin-sized black hole to dissipate because it has the mass of—""I don't need a lesson about black holes," I cut in, irritated that I was being corrected. From now on, I hated black holes.

"Stick to Bridging." Cecilia raised another finger, holding up two now.

"To appreciate the absolute wonder happening in your little souvenir, I must tell you about a couple of mysteries relating to Bridging. First, why is a person limited to only one Bridging? It's possible that a second Bridging happens, but no one has ever recorded it. I doubt it. The foremost theory, and the one I ascribed to, is that certain parts of the brain get toasted during Bridging such that a second one could no longer happen."

"Can't an Adumbrae regenerate its brain?" Deen asked.

"If it isn't dead, it can heal every injury, right?"

"You're correct, dear." Cecilia was all smiles, apparently enjoying being a teacher. More likely, we were just feeding her superiority complex.

"However, something fascinating happens to the Vaidya Dots—tiny, tiny regions of the brain, spread all over, seemingly related to Bridging. They deteriorate and decay during Bridging, and regenerate afterward to be different clusters of neurons and glial cells. No more Vaidya Dots."

"Okay, one Bridging per person," I said, still not seeing where Cecilia was going with this.

"What's the other mystery?"

"Second!" Cecilia shouted at nobody.

"Why does Bridging last for only a very short duration? We have very unsatisfactory theories trying to answer this. I refuse to throw in my lot with any of them because none are backed by anything concrete. Maybe reality is pressing on the portal to collapse it? Some even say the Mother Core has a hand in this. In any case, that's that… And that isn't what's happening inside your little souvenir."

"This has never happened before?" On one hand, I was pleased about my specialness. On the other hand, this felt like discovering that I was sick with a disease that had no name yet. Would this be a problem for me? I didn't want hassle in my life.

"Ah, I should be more accurate with my statements," Cecilia said, controlling her instruments again to do more tests on my crystal.

"This hasn't been observed to happen in Complete Manifestations. But this is very common when it comes to—""Purple Blooms," Deen said.

"What about Purple—? Oh!" I snapped my fingers. Fuck Deen for realizing it before I did.

"That's why Adumbrae collect brains to become a Purple Bloom."

"One of the many reasons," said Cecilia.

"Purple Blooms constantly Bridge with human brains," Deen somberly said, "becoming a factory of monsters. That's how they can make Adumbrae without the usual slow process of seeding."

"Purple Blooms are such a boring topic," said Cecilia, "in comparison to this most precious crystal. The crystals is not a brain—a child can see that."

"Definitely not a brain," I said.

"And yet, there's tiny instance of Bridging, or something similar to it happening inside," Cecilia continued.

"I am interested to know where this is from." She flashed a knowing smile, hinting that she didn't believe my story.

"This crystal will change most of what we know about Bridging! The mountain of knowledge waiting to be scaled makes my heart race. We should make haste to stabilize my body so I can study your little souvenir."

"That's not what our alliance is for," said Deen.

"You should focus on curing our friend, remember? No side projects until then." Cecilia gestured at the crystal on the pedestal.

"Who's to say this crystal doesn't hold the answer?"

"You're the one to say it," I pointed out.

"Why is there a portal to the Adumbrae dimension in this crystal?" Cecilia cackled.

"I have no idea! Oh, what a wonderful feeling to not know the answer. If I have to surmise, the entwined Core and Adumbrae energies are a factor. I haven't drawn much attention to this because the sustained Bridging is more interesting, but it is—" Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Are we in any danger?" Deen asked, pointing at the crystal.

"This is a portal to the Adumbrae dimension." Cecilia shrugged, still laughing.

"So far, nothing bad has happened to you, hasn't it? That should be enough of an answer for now. We need more tests. More equipment! A bigger laboratory. Most importantly, test subjects! We should find—""Enough of this." Deen punched through the glass walls on the table, wresting the crystal from the robotic arms tinkering with it.

"No! What are you doing?" Cecilia tried to grab Deen's hands, but Deen was too quick to step back.

"I haven't finished analyzing it!"

"We need to find an Adumbrae for you," Deen said.

"Or were you lying?"

"Not lying, no." Cecilia sighed.

"Goodbye, fountain of knowledge. I'll drink from you next time."

"Here you go, Erind." Deen handed me the crystal.

"Take good care of it, now that we know it's very important. The next time you'll do something like this, tell me first," she added in a lower voice. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, Mom." Bitchy Deen couldn't ruin my mood. Cecilia's findings lessened my drive to become human again. I should milk my specialness. The protagonist was the character who crossed the point of no return, leaving their simple village life to become a hero. Stupid if I remained a villager or a normal law student. The universe was telling me I was the chosen one!

"Keep your souvenir a secret, dear." Cecilia pulled stuff out of a cabinet and placed a large grey bag.

"Many will be interested in it. Everyone should be. But not everyone is dangerous. I suspect even Euphonia would covet it, if she knew of its existence…" Deen and I locked eyes. Message transmitted—Cecilia might offer my crystal to Euphonia in return for forgiveness. If my crystal was as awesome as Cecilia had explained, Euphonia might bite. Even the information that such an item existed was worth Cecilia's life. This was bad. On the flipside, we possessed an incredible item. And I could make more of these.

Infinite crystals? Infinite money! I could be richer than Deen! But there came the risk of spreading the crystals, for people would look for their source. One day, people would hunt me. Well, I was already hunted to some extent. But I'd unnecessarily make my life more difficult if more people knew that I was the main character.

"Where do we exit?" Deen asked Cecilia.

"Through the history exhibit?"

"PCM members might be waiting for us to emerge," I said.

"Cecilia, do you have a camera to—Oh, there we go." The monitor showed the hallway outside. A portly man with a wide-brimmed fedora, looking so weird that it looped back to being discreet, was checking the walls. He had no reason to do that, unless he was looking for a hidden doorway.

"Worry not, dears. We have another—oof!" Cecilia slung the heavy bag over her shoulder and stumbled to the floor.

"Help me up, will you? My body is at sixty—""Don't make up numbers." I bent down to pick up the bag. Cecilia looked at my neck. She pushed herself up, not saying anything. I arranged my hair to cover my inhuman patch of skin.

"Do you have another way out of here?"

"Of course," Cecilia replied, eerily smiling.

"This other way couldn't be accessed with Euphonia's flash drive." We walked through a different tunnel on the opposite side of Cecilia's lab, passed through swooshing doors, and exited inside one of the old train cars attached to the side of Barstow Station. Unlike the other train cars, this wasn't turned into a themed dining area. It was also walled off from the rest of the shopping complex.

Deen used her phone's light to guide us through piles of discarded appliances and cardboard boxes filled with ancient newspapers and magazines. Cecilia explained that only she could open this place. The owners have been well-paid, and thought of her as an eccentric rich person who really loved trains.

"People will be waiting for us," I said, exiting the train car. We were hidden in the shadows at the far side of Barstow Station. We had to go around and walk into the open parking area to reach Deen's car.

"We can handle any danger," Deen said. I took that to mean her Guardian Angel was silent because she wouldn't actually fight if anyone accosted us. The frat boys were hanging out by their pickup truck, now parked a row behind ours. But they didn't do anything other than bullshit catcalling because Khaki Cop was also nearby. Other people were also milling about the parking lot as the dinner crowd was leaving Barstow Station.

I tried to get a rise out of the frat monkeys by looking them in the eye—tough guys, or those pretending to be one, would easily get offended by it. Goatee Guy and Coconut Head yelled obscene shit about Deen and me being girlfriends, but nothing beyond that. The three freshies sitting in the back of their truck kept glancing at the people beside a red sports car—Action Hero and Skull Tattoo were arguing about something.

"Good evening, miss," Khaki Cop said as we passed him, leaning against his SUV. We continued to Deen's car. He approached us, staring with narrowed eyes at Cecilia—he must think that she was our hacker friend.

"Where are the files?" he asked.

"Our leader's been calling me nonstop. But I stuck to our agreement and didn't bother you."

"We appreciate it." I tossed Euphonia's USB drive to him.

"Here you go." Khaki Cop caught the USB drive, opening his hand to examine it. He caught a whiff of Euphonia's rot and gagged.

"The hell is this?"

"Ask your boss," I said.

"That's not a normal USB drive, so be careful handling it. Hurry that to him." I got in the car, and Deen drove away. Khaki Cop didn't stop us. Cecilia, sitting in the backseat, laughed as she turned to watch Khaki Cop through the back window.

"Euphonia will be furious at Auron. Several possibilities as to what happens next. It's a waste of brainpower to think about what ifs, so I won't bother. But I can predict it'll be a couple of days before either Euphonia or Auron or both will make their move."

"A couple of days is not too long," Deen said.

"We'll have stabilized my body before then," said Cecilia.

"Together, my valuable allies, we'll formulate a plan to defeat Euphonia and Auron. I propose we use the crystal to—""No!" Deen interjected.

"Enough talk about the crystal or anything else." She turned up the music—some familiar pop song—and opened the windows.

"You two get some rest. Let me think in peace." If Deen wanted to overthink and agonize over the worst possibilities, I wouldn't bother her. Excitement tickled me as I daydreamed about my future as the chosen one. I was going to be a super important figure in the fight between Corebrings and Adumbrae. Maybe the fate of the world would be in my hands? It had to be, or I'd be really pissed and find a problem for this world. For about half an hour, we peacefully zoomed across the dark desert.

I savored the unpolluted air blowing my hair. Deen switched the music to mellow jazz, and I was nodding off to sleep. But before I could completely close my eyes, something glinted on the side mirror. I sat straight up and turned down the music. Deen asked, "What is it?"

"Is that them?" I looked over my shoulder. Cecilia lay on the backseat, somehow asleep despite the rap music vibrating our lungs. Above Cecilia, the rear window was bright with headlights. The sudden switch to fucking high beams answered my question.

"It's them."

"Only the pickup truck? Enrico's sports car?

"Isn't with them," I answered.

"They must've ditched him to chase us. The PCM cop isn't around either. I'm going to be so pissed if they tailed us all the way to Vegas."

"I've had plenty of guys chase me over the years, but not as literally as this," Deen grumbled.

"Erind, control your anger," Deen added in a whisper, barely audible over the music.

"We don't want to draw any suspicion to us."

"I'm not going to punch their heads off," I said, puzzling over how to convince Deen that violence was the answer.