Strings: From the Dark Sea, #1

By Austin Finch

STRINGS is an action-packed, existential sci-fi horror that challenges the very mythos of the cosmos. Beyond space and time, beyond the gods of reality, something was consuming it all.

 

Daniel was lost; torn from his own reality and trapped in a violent universe of old gods, enigmas, and decay. The corporeality around him no longer followed the logic of time or physics, and the threat to his life was becoming more real with each breath.

 

A mysterious condition, known only as The Syndrome, threatens the existence of four remaining deities. As his sanity unravels and dissolves like the rotting flesh of the nightmarish beast that hunted him, Daniel must fight to understand the truth of his significance to these gods. Only then may he find a way out of these convolutions of reality before his own mind succumbs to madness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Finch
• Release date: Jul 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223580089

Book preview

STRING 1: THE JACKAL

Forgive me.

The fractals curled at the edge of infinity, calculating every opposing circumstance. The girl was there, young, full of ideas, tinkering with her little automatons.

As was that unfortunate man – the one who did nothing yet everything wrong – the man who would bring about the end of all things, if not just in time.

There was the beast that hunted the wild continent. Stolen, brought against its will to the city of incantation. It would kill them until they worshiped it as a god.

Lastly, there was the boy. A creation of malice – fathered by the mother of all – to be the antithesis to the Arbiter. In a way, his fate was the cruelest.

They were all there, at the end.

Along with those cursed few, the sharks, and the labyrinth.

It was only then that Daniel finally found himself awake in the void.

The surface below him was solid, that much was undeniable. Daniel could feel the ground pressing up against his shoes as he balanced on it, but despite giving the toe a testing tap on his platform, there was no comprehendible ground under him.

Disoriented eyes scanned the horizon only to find it lacking. Each direction Daniel turned revealed a black void to welcome him. Above there was no sky; below there was abyss. Instinctively he wind-milled his arms as vertigo overtook him.

Daniel dropped to all fours, edging his hands out in every direction trying to find the invisible edge that would lead to his perpetual free-fall. Again, his eyes darted to his surroundings, the inky space around him aggressively disorienting. There were no landmarks or points he could reference, nothing he could see, hear, or smell to form any sort of bearing. His head spun as nausea overwhelmed him and he violently dry heaved onto the absent floor.

Time passed. How much was impossible to tell as his mind swirled and Daniel found himself constantly staring at his hands in desperation for a frame of reference. There were no shadows in this place – no darkness but also no light. There was nothing that should have allowed Daniel to see himself, but his own form was the only object his spiraling mind could circumstantiate.

More time swam by him as his nausea worsened. His body hopelessly tried to vomit several more times; almost praying he could – if for no other reason than to have something else in this space that his eyes could focus on. Nothing came from him, just as nothing came for him. He was left in this space alone, swirling with dizziness, until his slow, shallow breath was his last remaining comfort.

It was unclear how long it took. Daniel’s lack of perspective made it virtually impossible to measure the time he remained on the invisible floor before he finally began to acclimate. Minutes? Hours? Maybe longer? He was not sure, but slowly, agonizingly slowly, the swirling pool of his mind began to still. Eventually he was able to pull himself back up to his hands and knees, then shakily returned to his feet.

Around him remained the nightmarish void. An empty, impossible space that spanned forever in every coherent direction. Daniel took a deep, shuttering breath, coughed, and then slowly took another, slightly steadier one.

H-hello?

His uncertain voice seemed to leave his lungs without vibrating his chest. The sound floated out into the abyss, cascading away as if it too was trying to escape this horrible, empty place.

There was no reply.

Daniel swallowed. His stomach still churned uneasily but he had managed to center himself at least enough to consider his situation.

Think.

He was not asleep, and this was not a dream. That had been his gut reaction initially, but he had woken up into this space, not fallen asleep into it. This had to be a place. Perhaps an impossibly large room with a glass floor, an experimental sound chamber, something. This place had to be something. Daniel’s entire body felt sore, he knew that was real. His legs ached and his joints felt stiff. Even his muscles burned with fatigue.

Was there a struggle?

The moments leading up to his predicament eluded him. Was he drugged?

Daniel shook his head of the thought the moment he had it. The idea didn’t feel right. He felt disoriented, but his mind was clear. Sharp, even. Another deep breath filled his lungs and he looked around again, this time more slowly, inspecting. If this was a room, then there had to be an edge. Obviously there was an optical illusion in play with the light. Some trick or technique that was making the space seem endless.

His eyes squinted as he investigated in all directions, searching for any flaw in the illusion. Daniel tapped out a few steps in front of him then jogged forward a bit to see if his perspective changed, or, even if he ran into a wall. A broken nose may be an unpleasant source of information, but it would at least give him a tangible bit of knowledge he could utilize.

After several moments of moving in as straight of a line as he could manage, all Daniel obtained was a lack of breath. He stopped, panting a moment and looking around again, hoping his new position would reveal some sort of witchcraft to all this, but was still only greeted by the black, endless void.

It was almost laughable in its simplicity. Around Daniel, there was just nothing. Absolutely, undeniably, nothing.

It was then, in that moment of frustration in the acknowledgement of this vacuum, that the creature stood next to him.

Daniel could see endlessly in all directions. In his desperation to explore this senseless environment, his eyes had been scanning his surroundings constantly. If he had been able to approach anything, or if anything were to approach him, Daniel would have easily noticed it well in the distance.

The creature that now stood in front of Daniel had not walked up to him. Nor had it spontaneously materialized. The being simply now existed where it had not previously and its sudden, yet not sudden, appearance implied that it had always been there.

As Daniel’s mind reeled to catch up to the unexpected anomaly, his first impression was that a man loomed over him. Tall. A fair deal taller than Daniel. As his eyes flowed up it however, it was quickly obvious that the creature in front of Daniel was certainly not human. Sharp, predatory eyes cut down into him from the face of a beast, looking not at, but through Daniel, as though the entity were looking directly into his soul.

Instinctively he took a step back, some distant wilderness factoid telling him to back away slowly and not to run – because running from a predator would entice them to chase.

The creature watched him. Eyes evaluating, calculating, fiercely intelligent. Far more intelligent than a human’s eyes, and far more frightening.

His instincts screamed now. This was not a creature that existed. There was no animal on Earth that stood like a man but was clearly not one. Men wrote stories about such creatures. Cautionary tales in both fiction and religion. Carvings etched into stone in ancient languages and forgotten empires.

Daniel knew what – who – this creature was. Who this creature was but could not be.

He was the judge.

He was the ferryman.

He was death.

Their eyes locked, and the creature spoke.

I am called Anubis.

The confirmation did not comfort Daniel. The half-swallow remained in his throat as his mind shut down. His legs and his hands quivered as the realization of his circumstance sank in. Daniel had been unsure where he stood religiously in life, choosing to give little thought to what came after it. Most likely, he assumed there would be nothing. At best, some blissful utopia, at worst, a fiery lake for not paying his weekly Sunday homage. But this, this Daniel did not expect.

The... God?

The meek words squeaked from him like a frightened mouse. It was a foolish question, but what does one say when they find themselves face to face with the end.

Anubis focused his eyes on the human with a gaze that reminded Daniel of a raptor. The intensity of the jackal’s stare was a terrifying combination of predatory superiority and unimaginable intelligence.

God? The jackal pondered with an unexpected introspection. The very nature of the inquisitive pause almost seemed unnecessary and for a fleeting moment, Daniel wondered if he had done it entirely for show.

No. I am not a god. Your creation of God, or of gods, resembles no factuality. There are no such creatures in this, or any universe of such omnipotence or divine control. There are others such as myself, but we have no influence, direct or suggestive, to any other being.

Daniel reeled. For some reason he had not expected the entity to so casually respond to him. Not only that, but the jackal’s words, so unceremoniously spoken, weighed with much heavier implications than he was prepared for. He lowered his eyes away from the creature; attempting to decipher and absorb the information he had just been told. He wasn’t quite sure he understood the answer.

He’s not a god? What does that mean?

Daniel lifted his head and once again met the jackal’s resolute eyes. It took him a moment to speak.

How... The words failed him momentarily and Daniel had to collect himself before attempting again. How is it humans know your name and likeness, if you’re not a god?

It felt like his mind was being seared. No line of cognitive thought could find dominance over the others as his subconscious faltered. What did he just ask? The words had simply spilled from him without any thought.

The jackal’s eyes never wavered. Never blinked nor watered nor shifted any direction. He simply stared as if Daniel were the only other thing that had ever existed.

You knew my name and my likeness, did you not?

Daniel opened his mouth but was unable to formulate a reply. He felt himself take a step backwards from the creature. The simplicity of the deity’s answer physically upset him. It wasn’t a fair response. Of course Daniel knew what Anubis looked like; he had seen so many pictures in books and films, even learned about him in school. He considered calling him on his round-about reply but had a suspicion that if he did he would only end up with one to match it. Which unfortunately left him a bit blank on what he should say next. The very nature of such an inane, casual conversation was completely absurd.

What is going on?

Shouldn’t something be happening? Something? Anything? They were both just standing there, having this ridiculous chat about nothing. He half expected the next thing to come out of one of their mouths to be some blithe comment about the weather.

Daniel stared at the ground, his fear dissolving into a form of baffled shellshock. A moment ago, he was ready to piss himself, now he felt like he was trapped in an elevator trying to pass the time between floors. What in the absolute hell was happening?

Anubis did not speak, just watched Daniel with an intense speculation. It seemed like the creature was waiting on him to say something. Do something. But what should he say?

How old are you?

He had only spoken a handful of sentences to the strange mythical creature in this vast, empty universe, and yet somehow managed to make each question even more profoundly disappointing than the last.

Old?

Daniel squirmed. Again, the words had fallen from his mouth without consideration. It was such an asinine thing to ask and he had no idea what inspired him to do so.

Yes, old. He hesitated, not even sure himself why he was continuing this pursuit. Age. How long have you been around since you were born, or created?

Anubis tilted his head. His expression was odd, almost perplexed. It was innocent, yet the experience reflected in the jackal’s eyes was terrifying.

I was neither born nor created.

Daniel bit his lip. Already bewildered about his surroundings and the ancient god who claimed no divinity, it was bad enough he had only managed to babble virtually incoherent questions at him. On top of that, his emotions were getting torn between frustration at his answers and confusion by them. Daniel stood silent a moment, rocking from foot to foot like an insecure child, then out of desperation of what to say, rephrased.

How much time has passed since you came to be?

Why he continued the point he did not know but he was at a loss at what else to do.

For you, there is no time.

Daniel froze at the deity’s ominous reply, suddenly aware of the heart hammering in his chest. Immediately images of his own death filled his thoughts. The sensation of his finalized mortality made a cold sweat creep across his skin. He had been given a brief moment to speak with the God of the Dead and he had squandered his allotment on foolishness, obtaining nothing.

Desperately, Wait, I’m not ready to be out of time.

Anubis narrowed his eyes.

No. He paused. To be out of time, for you there must be time. Your time does not exist in your sense of it. What is: is, and what was: is as well.

A confused, What? was the only reply Daniel managed to meekly reciprocate.

Anubis almost appeared hurt for a moment at the human’s lack of understanding. To him, the explanation had obviously been succinct and informative enough that it should not have obliged further justification. The jackal studied Daniel for a moment, poorly hiding a look of disappointment, then persisted.

Many species, such as yours, conceive time as a value, as your query requests. It is an understandable development due to its usefulness. However, this specific allocation of time, in and of itself, is solely a numerical prevalence. The reference of time you have expressed concern for is a unit of measurement. Your existence is outside of this time, both conceptually and veritably. All is what is, and is what was.

Daniel opened his mouth again to speak, though this time no words came out and his slack jaw hung open until he remembered he had to manually close it. Initially he felt respite at the opportunity to ask the jackal more questions, but the conversation, albeit short thus far, was arduously overwhelming him. At this point Daniel wasn’t sure if he should, or wanted to continue. Hundreds of questions now burned his mind but he couldn’t cognitively structure a single one of them into any audible format.

The jackal. The deity. Anubis. Just stood there. He wasn’t impatient or even patient really. He simply stood there. Like a computer awaiting the next input. Years could pass without a single command given and he could simply stand there and then respond appropriately when the time came as if no time had passed at all. Which, Daniel supposed, was technically a true statement.

If the value of time – conceived as Anubis had so eloquently postulated it – was capable of moving forward, then it did so with an agonizing lack of grace. Daniel stood on the invisible, impossible floor completely frozen, unable to will his limbs to move or his voice to speak. Absently, he wondered if his brain was even still capable of function, or if his mind had shut down completely and was faulting in some kind of boot sequence. The thumping heart in his chest could no longer be felt. Nothing was moving, not even the air from his lungs.

Has time stopped? Or, have I just stopped counting?

Slowly, the heat in Daniel’s ears increased as his heart began beating again in them. The complete and utter lack of comprehension of the deity’s words began to fill every space inside him with appreciated gravity for the reality he was now unable to plausibly deny. The sweat on his brow increased and he began to fidget as he felt his stress level rising in the jackal’s patient silence. Daniel had read about panic attacks but had never experienced one, but even the knowledge of what was happening to him did nothing to still his shaking hands.

The urge to vomit began to overwhelm him when suddenly his heart inexplicably slowed and a cool sensation washed through his entire existence. Briefly, he had felt as though someone very close to him had spoken a name in his head; not his name, but one very similar to it. The sensation had only lasted a breath but the softness of the word lingered with him and the shaking in his hands stopped completely. His mind was clear and rational again, soothed by some unidentifiable source. Daniel looked at Anubis, still waiting diligently for his prompt. Whatever had just calmed Daniel’s heart had not been the jackal, but the same force whispered to him the significance of the deity’s words and suddenly an earlier reply stuck out to him.

You said there are others like you. What are you?

I am the same as you.

Daniel scoffed. The jest of this god’s humor was completely lost on the human. Even implying that this creature’s overwhelming intelligence was the same as Daniel’s was somehow insulting.

No, I don’t think so. For one, I don’t know everything.

I do not know everything.

Anger began slowly replacing Daniel’s confusion.

Fine, well, I haven’t been around since the dawn of whatever. I can’t instantly suck people to – wherever this is. I don’t think we’re the same.

How long does the average kangaroo live?

That one threw him.

I – What?

How long does the average kangaroo live? The question was repeated as if it were a recording. Even the jackal’s tone and length in his words were identical to the first time.

They... What? Hell, I don’t know, what does that have to do with anything?

The average kangaroo, his matter-of-fact attitude was really starting to grind Daniel, lives approximately eighteen to twenty years. How long does the average human live?

This was annoying Daniel now. What was this supposed to be, some kind of riddle? He sighed exaggeratedly and thought.

Like, eighty or so years I guess. What’s your point?

A kangaroo approaches a man and says to him, ‘What are you?’ The man replies, ‘I am the same as you.’ To this the kangaroo says, ‘That is not possible, for you live so much longer than me and can cross great distances in little time. There are many more things you can do, such as write and sing and fly. I can do none of these things; therefore I am not the same as you.’ The man says, ‘But we are the same. We are both animals. We are both living and we both exist. I live longer and can sing because of my biology, and I can write and fly because of my technology. You can jump higher than me and run faster than me, but you are not special, and neither am I.’

Daniel blinked.

Great. Envoy of mankind, speaking with the God of the Dead, and all I’ve successfully done is turn myself into a metaphorical talking kangaroo.

What Daniel hated most of all though was the fact that the stupid marsupial analogy actually made sense. With resignation Daniel sighed. There was no point in trying to argue against the deity on the clear and obvious differences between kangaroo and man, and man and god, so the best he could do at this time was accept the information as it was given.

Okay, so you’re just a different species of – um – whatever it is that you are. I suppose I can live with that. So are you some race of jackal people or something?

Anubis pulled the corner of his lip back ever so slightly with a look of mild bemusement, and slowly shook his head.

It would not be erroneous to consider us a type of genus, however, though there are others, they do not share the visual and physical characteristics as myself.

Daniel wasn’t entirely sure if that was a yes or a no, but his read from the jackal’s explanation was there was more than one deity he should be concerned about.

So there are others like you. What do they look like?

Prior to our engagement together here, much distance passed between our meetings, and encounters are very few. I have not had many of these encounters, nor have I known all the others well, but I am familiar with several relevant peers. Presently, one resembles a man, similar to you, but with two more arms.

Four arms? What like, what’s it called, Vishnu?

The other, He hesitated, I suppose I would describe as –

Another pause. A bit of a long pause actually and for the first time since they began speaking Anubis’s eyes darted away for a brief moment before returning. The stark deviation in the deity’s composure actually upset Daniel a little.

As... A tree.

‘A tree?’

The creature of immense power that stood in front of Daniel suddenly looked uncomfortable.

Yes.

The jackal’s robotic composure had returned as if it had never left and Daniel considered inquiring further about the ‘tree’. Ultimately he decided he would rather not know. The oddity of his current situation presented much more concerning questions than strange immortal plant-life.

Why am I here?

For the first time since Daniel had awoken in this strange, empty universe he realized the one question he should have asked from the very beginning. It was the only real question that actually mattered. Also notably, for the first time since Anubis had begun this bazaar conversation, the god ignored his question entirely.

There is another. Anubis said, almost carefully.

Daniel straightened some, perturbed at the fact that his most pressing issue went unanswered. Yet, the cautiousness in the jackal’s voice stopped him from pressing the matter. Daniel was unsure how to reply, so remained quiet.

Anubis continued.

There is a deviation in the mnemonic structure of those who inhabit our ‘race’, as you say. A variation in mnemonic reverberations, over distances, becomes erratic due to the measurable space between alternating neurons. Anubis explained monotonically, This alternating process causes multi-occipital creatures to experience what we have termed as an occipital fracture, A pause, also known as the breakdown between trans-lobed fractionation. Pause. Ultimately, this results in psychoanalytical dividend syndrome.

He bore his gaze at Daniel, as if he should be just as engaged and enthralled by this matter as Anubis was.

Which, as you can understand, is concerning.

As I can understand? I didn’t understand a single word of that.

Daniel felt a drop of sweat roll down his temple. Whatever it was Anubis had just said sounded very important but Daniel hadn’t followed it even in the slightest. It was then that it occurred to him that perhaps the god really hadn’t ignored the question, but the answer to which was so far beyond him the consequence of misunderstanding the jackal may be even more critical than he realized. He stumbled foolishly on his words.

I... Okay... So your lobe... Syndrome... What?

Anubis locked his eyes with the human.

You claim me to be a god, but if we are gods to you, then those affected by this fracture, the jackal crossed his arms stoically, are your demons.

Daniel, whom had not been asleep before, yet now suddenly found himself awake, abruptly fell into a deep slumber that was not sleeping as the entire black world around him went dark.

STRING 2: THE BLUE MAN

Daniel was no longer standing. The singular reliability that had supported him in the strange empty world of the jackal deity Anubis betrayed him. Now, not even the bizarre tangibility of the non-existent ground supported the human’s weight. The infinite black no longer surrounded him and Daniel instead found himself falling endlessly through a deep, everlasting crimson. It was unclear if the floor had opened beneath him or how long Daniel had been suspended in this freefall. There appeared to be no existence for him before or after this moment of perpetual tumbling.

The stiffness in his legs was gone. In fact, he was unsure if it had ever existed. The only certainty was the deep red that surrounded him now. Consumed him. Daniel looked at his hand but was unsure if he could see it or not. Whether this horrible red was only the backs of his eyelids – or if it truly enveloped his reality – he did not know. He couldn’t even tell if his eyes were opened or closed. Perhaps this is how things had always been; him falling through this void of red.

Your situation.

There was a voice in Daniel’s head. No, that wasn’t right. It was outside his head; however, it was not something he heard. The voice was deep and rich, with a strong accent of some kind. Daniel recognized the accent, but even though he held familiarity to it there was no connection to any memory he could recall.

What did it say? My situation?

The words hadn’t even formed a complete sentence. It was simply a passing thought by someone else in this bottomless cavern of red. The pronouncement lacked any significance. What could it be saying about Daniel’s situation? Was his state dire? Or, perhaps even it was improving?

Indeed.

Again the voice spoke, this time with a much more predominant clarity, almost replying to the hapless creature lost in freefall. Daniel should have felt encouragement at the reply. It was possible the source of the voice had read his thoughts and affirmed his situation was improving.

There were seven. Now there are four.

No. The voice was not even speaking to Daniel. He could hear only one side of this conversation. But still, there was something – someone – there. He reached out again into the red, flailing his limbs as he continued to fall. It had been such a long fall. Daniel didn’t know how long, but it was long enough that he surely wouldn’t survive when he finally landed.

We know not if they start that way or if it is a developing condition.

The red was seeping into his skin now. He could feel it infecting him as it permeated through his cells and became him. Absorbed him. Daniel wasn’t even sure if the red was dissolving into him, or if he was dissolving into it. Either way he could feel himself fading, his fall lightening as his mass became one with the red that surrounded him.

Very well. It is time you see.

Daniel was standing in the center of a room. There was a faint sensation lingering somewhere in his subconscious about an endless crimson freefall, but the impression was fading with the memory of a dream. He blinked several times, attempting to shake off his disorientation, and surveyed his surroundings. The room was large and appeared to be perfectly square; the floor, walls, and ceiling were all solid marble with no apparent windows or doors to be seen anywhere.

At least he wasn’t falling.

Without augury, there the man was. This being was equitably as Anubis had described. He was just as Daniel had seen in pictures. Seen online. Four arms. Beautiful, sky-blue skin. The man was exactly as he imagined him to be. Stereotypically so, in fact.

This must be Vishnu. Or wait, was it Ganesha? No, Ganesha had an elephant head. Or did Vishnu have the elephant head?

I am called Vishnu.

Well, that answers that.

It was undoubtedly the same voice from before. Even through the dreamlike state of his memory, he could not forget that voice. Daniel inspected the room again. It was just the two of them, with no obvious way in or out.

Who were you talking to?

I was talking to you. Just as you were talking to me.

I already don’t like the way this is going.

No, this is the first we’ve said to each other, we weren’t talking before.

This is true.

Daniel definitely didn’t like the way this was going. Not only was his second encounter talking in circles, but he couldn’t help but notice a very Christmas Carol pattern developing. If he were to be the Ebenezer of this tale however, he supposed his only option was to endure the torments of these obfuscators until he reached the metaphorical morning. His best bet was pushing forward, and since he seemed to be stuck here for the moment, he might as well try to make some kind of sense out of all this strangeness.

What’s going on? Why am I here?

You have spoken to the one who resembles your jackal.

Daniel wasn’t sure if that was a question or a statement, but answered anyway.

Anubis. Yes, we have ‘spoken’, though to be honest I didn’t really –

You must be wary of what he has told you, for he speaks the truth.

Daniel hesitated, began to speak, then hesitated again.

But, if he speaks the truth why should –

Movement behind Vishnu caused Daniel to stop. It was the pattern on the marble. All at once, it seemed to shift, slither, except every mark and swirl slid a different direction at a different speed. It was right after that moment that Daniel realized the blue four-armed man in front of him had not moved at all since he arrived. Anubis wasn’t exactly highly active during their conversation, but the jackal at least looked as if he were alive. Vishnu on the other hand was perfectly still, like he was made of stone. Only his mouth moved when he spoke, the rest of his face remained utterly motionless. Nothing could stand that still and Daniel wondered if he was in fact some kind of talking statue.

I – Um –

The movement stopped.

The others have told of the Syndrome.

Again, a question presented as a statement. The way Vishnu spoke without emotion in his eyes perturbed Daniel more than it should have.

The Syndrome? Oh, that confusing mess Anubis was babbling. Psycho-divide something-or-another.

Anubis said something about a lobe, psychosis, or something. Wait, ‘others’? Plural?

Vishnu went silent, and if possible, even more still. For a moment nothing moved and Daniel began to wonder if the strange blue statue-man had somehow shut down. Maybe he was as confused about Anubis’s exhortation as Daniel was.

Far too many seconds passed.

Is everything –

The Syndrome is an inevitable anomaly – Daniel jumped when he spoke again, – resulting from the division of sub-neuron communication. There are a handful of us in which the Syndrome has affected. It is unpredictable, untreatable and unavoidable in those predestined to contract it.

Oh good, more jargon – wait, what was that last part?

Predestined? Like as in fate?

No. Vishnu said flatly, with no additional follow up or explanation.

The room was once again silent and Daniel began to feel very stressed. The deafening stillness left only the sound of Daniel’s heart beating in his ears. He had been oddly calm up until this point since the strange jackal-man had – what? Whisked him away?

With a disturbing epiphany he suddenly realized that he wasn’t even sure what he was doing prior to his first godly encounter. His memory seemed to be intact but the events directly preceding his initial abduction weren’t just hazy, they simply didn’t exist. It felt as though he had begun life right then and there in that blank abyss, and was holding a history book of whom he once was. He had that at least, his life. He knew that. He could remember his name fine, and seemed to be able to recall other details without problem.

I’ll start with that. He thought.

His name was Daniel. He was born on August 14th in Washington, DC to his parents Melissa and Jeffery. He had two sisters and was born in Cleveland, Ohio on January 17th. He knew his parents’ names were Susan and Johnathan and he had one sister and one brother.

He paused, went back over it in his mind again, and then froze.

Shit.

The stress he had felt a moment ago suddenly didn’t compare to the worry he felt now. He started to sweat, his heart pounding hard in his temples, its panicked rhythm the only sound in this damned silent room. He had only been here moments and already this place seemed to be crushing him. Daniel looked around frantically, now feeling overwhelmed and claustrophobic. The room had no doors. No windows. No hatches, no vents, no air, no way out. No way in. How the hell did he even get here? How did he get anywhere? Why is he here and what was happening to him?

Daniel glared at the thing in front of him. How long had it been since it spoke? It felt like hours even though he knew it had only been minutes. Every moment he was trapped in this seemingly shrinking box was a moment too long.

Will you say something! He was fully panicked now.

The infuriating blue statue didn’t even flinch when Daniel shouted in the oddly echoless room. Then, randomly as if no time had passed, Vishnu continued.

The causality of the Syndrome among those of us troubled by it has caused a direct ripple to the flow of movement through the interceding spheres within the Arbiter. The disruption of these spheres has created –

I don’t care!

– an unpredictable paradox which is unsynchronizing the reverberations between their linking strings. Vishnu kept talking, not even pausing to acknowledge Daniel’s interruption. It is within these strings that link the spheres to the Arbiter that the primary disruption occurs. The Arbiter is responsible for the balance within the internal masses, whom, though evolved with individual processes, are dependent on the –

Daniel took off one of his shoes and threw it at the deity. It bounced off his chest and thumped to the floor in front of him and despite creating noise didn’t receive any gratification.

First he wouldn’t talk, now he won’t shut up.

It was like being lectured in advanced calculus by a well-articulated robot.

– Arbiter for their functionality. The Syndrome supersedes the Arbiter and causes this paradox. It is within the effect of the Syndrome that you must occupancy yourself.

The awkwardness of that last statement actually halted Daniel’s outburst.

Occupancy myself?

That not only didn’t make sense, but it didn’t even sound grammatically correct. Coming from the blue algebra robot it actually threw him enough for his mind to get back on track.

Wait, I have to do what now?

It is within the effect of the Syndrome that you must occupancy yourself. Vishnu repeated the sentence in the exact same tone and rhythm as it was spoken the first time, like it was a recording.

Hasn’t that happened before?

Good to know if any of these guys have to repeat themselves he’d get a carbon copy playback. Not that it helped any.

"Look, I don’t understand what any of this crap means. Just tell me why I’m