Part 1: Modern Existence

 

"Congratulation," I said coldly toward a man who sat on fluid-chair. "You passed."

A bunch of opalescence-flowers cluttered around the desk as he just won a politician's chair. He technically was a prime minister, sitting inside the boss niche in his company. Marvelous fragment thickly cycled through a bumpy carpet, stuck on my clothes.

"Your gratitude is my pleasure." The man beamed, bending. "Please don't stand there, lingering some discomfort. Take a seat."

However, my honor-greeting wasn't for his trophy in people game. Without budging toward the seat, my finger nocked on my chest. My heart spoke a sudden hesitation.

"It's something awry with my service?" His fake smile didn't collapse. A kind backstab-trance filled across his black eyes. After all, he had killed someone for circuiting advantage of the first position.

"Still remember the condition?"

"Of course, without said." He tented his fingers. "In exchange for the opportunity, I have to protect that power until someone from the Steiner family found a way to destroy. Correct me if I misspelled anywhere."

Again, {that power} didn't mean his current seat.

No matter how long I waited, it was taking too long to find the next owner of this power. After two persons who failed to meet my criteria, he was the third person who completed all. Because of this power nature, I had to be sure of having the right selection.

Despite the situation, I had scored a second thought about bestowing this to the man. Even he did with perfect qualification, it felt as if he would never ever let it go when the time for demolition come true in the future.

I applied a light pat to the coat right on my chest. All of sudden, effulgence in city scenery through the window behind him distorted. Green plants at corners of the room shifted to grey, spread to fuzzy-curtain and moody-wallpaper like wet paper. His suit of blaze wipes twisted into black-and-white as if made from an old photograph, along with to his confident skin. A color that stood the most was only and the only one at the air in front of me, a pink brilliant luminousness.

The man bent forward over the desk, slowly headed his neck closer. "That...a beautiful design ― artwork." His hands dropped off the chin, mouth gapped. "Whoever did it, was applaudable for better praise.

"World Blueprint." I glanced. "And I'm its designer."

On top of my hand, there was a hovering ball with a ring looped like a Saturn globe. The size was smaller than my hand. I could see his black suit through since World Blueprint made with transparent material. The glowing flamingo-pink which almost magenta bloomed at the middle in the shape of a tiny cube. It rotated in the center without changing location, only angle, forever as if fan or tornado.

This power could be transfer to a new owner the moment I willed it. However, because of my worry, I gave a lie.

"Can we start now?" He said, got off from seat, walking until one meter straight from me. He already thought it was for him.

"It will not happen soon." This was a lie.

"Why not?" His facade grew visibly feverish. "The criteria you had alluded to me, all overtaken, am I?"

The globe flew to his hand, floating a few inches.

"Hm." I nodded concernedly. "Seven days starting now, the ownership carried over, bit by bit. Now, please push into your body."

With a hint of devilish sparked on his cheek, he followed my direction. Right away his eyes glowed in the same color, under his feet developed a circle, blueprint territory. I had one too.

"The ownership completed once World Territory departed from mine."

"You mean this splendor-roundabout?" He glinted toward the floor.

Blueprint territory in World Blueprint was called as {World Territory}. It was a proof or indication that the power could effect who-or-whatever inside the circlet. It wasn't big, reshaped the target based on the object's wide.

Inside the space, there were hundred tiny lines of glowing pink that crawling in an unreadable pattern. Only me, the creator of it, could understand better than myself. They represented various variables that effecting and relating against a thing which we all us called as existence.

Savoring quietness, I observed his reaction. The expression on the face already exposed to the world about his wickedness plan when all ownership transferred.

While he busy confirmed any change to his body, I coughed blood all of sudden. Lately, I had been infected with a weird or untreated disease. Blood that spilled on my hand didn't seem red anymore, darkened day after day. Occasionally, my head hurt so much that I felt body discarded from reality, I had a delusion of my body leave me behind.

<Did it caused by oldness?> Even it didn't appear on the surface, my age was forty-nine. World Blueprint had caused me to look young, twenty-one, due to living in seven realities at the same time for eight years. It was just I didn't go to school or university despite register as one. Why would I?

"Hahaha..." Unable to sustain, he stared outside through the large window, looking down on busyness state of the street.

"I will leave once the ownership is done." I stared at the silver watch. "Until then, please call me if you have any questions regarding its usage."

"Of course, the messiah. I would use the gift, you had given me, for the greater good of mankind." He quickly displayed a faux-grin as gratitude.

I moved out of the office toward the elevator. Barely my finger touched a button to the lowest floor, my heart sensed he manipulated something with World Blueprint. Waiting until the lift ended in the lobby, I walked through the front counter, straight to outside. Both glass-sliders pulled against, I saw a picture of the man everywhere.

"He did it," I pressed my shaking-head, "did he?" For some reason, my condition became worst.

"Live Lraden!" One man who block the taxi, greeted the driver before entered.

"Yeah, Live Lraden!"

The taxi then left, drove across traffic lights with a picture of that man, Lraden the politician. Prime minister. Every car marched out at least had one poster of him. Didn't stop there, a giant sheet rolled out from the building. Workers stood on the crank, measured the layout so it wouldn't wrinkle. Two girls walked past me on also had the same printed Lraden's face in the middle drinking coffee on their shirts. His teeth sparkled white, carrying a cup of coffee.

As <still> owner of World Blueprint, my clothes remained the same.

My heart picked something for the next activation, the pictures of a crazy man burned in pink flame, blueprint sprawled across the layout. Dismissed gradually starting from clothes, the world returned back to normal when the sheet on buildings disappeared to a bowl of morning cereal.

Since it wasn't long, <he's probably testing now.> Patted red fur-scarf around my neck, I strolled beside the road, watching the remaining of my lifespan.

Few snowflakes sprinkled by the sky. Several nearly naked trees spotted near the house. It was late winter. All decorations of Christmas were over. People were getting ready to switch into the prime of flowery air.

I dialed a number on a list with my special cellphone. "Hello?" It connected instantly.

"[Greeting,]" said the other side, a child's voice. "[Who I spoke too?]"

"Waltren," I paused, laughing, "Waltren Eragle."

"[Who? I don't remember anyone with that name.]"

"Still not change are you?"

"[Huh?]"

"Come on, Reylaw. You always do this every single call ― arck!" I coughed blood again without a sign, the whole hand tainted arrogant. My strong body was about to lost standing.

"[Waltren!]" The voice transformed into a man. "[Are you okay?]"

I shoved my hand into the pocket, cleared my throat. "It's fine." The handkerchief had too much blood making it unavailable for time being. Changed mind, I walked to the newspaper stand, ordered a tissue pack. "My healthy condition always like this."

"[Should I come there?]"

"Don't. Either way, my life comes to end... It was more than sufficient for holding till now."

My mother gave birth to me while the war still occurred. With all kinds of weapons produced, poisoned air had weakened my body system to the very bones, I realized it as early as my memory could reach. The doctor said I should already dead but because of training in the military to aid the war, I had five years more to live.

Braced with unexpected-revelation, four years later, I met Reylaw and joined a school club with him, Brainxus Club. Together as a team, we built many inventions whether scientific or magically. One of them was World Blueprint. It helped me to live on until 69 years, eight years in every reality. Even in that case, I could feel my body drained day after day, fighting with a cause that I would never breathe tomorrow.

<Right.> It was more than enough of five years.

"[I see...]" Reylaw's voice lowered, gestating for a heavy thought. "[Don't you wish to visit me at least?]"

"That's why I call you." I stepped into the hotel where I stayed, two standbys welcoming me to inside. "After transfer this blueprint to the right person."

"[Then, I will wait for you. Ring it when you're ready.]"

"Understood." Finished call, I unlocked the room. Torn scarf off, I tiptoed into the chair next to the window, taking a deep breath. Some drops of blood had cut bit my nostrils, I could feel muggy gems cooking beneath the skull, almost like a brain freeze.

This how it felt when the story came to a conclusion. After the transition was over, my life basically ceased. Although, I regretted I didn't found someone who I could fall in love with and get married. Well, who wanted to marry someone a man who had a few months? I spent too much in the military to neglect my own well being and outside world.

Putted glass of green tea ― which my favorite ― I updated my diary. All my previous entries mentioned what exactly my daily in seven realities. Notwithstanding exist here, I had been sitting and living seven different worlds at the same time. The feeling was like jumping one second to the next world, quickly continued next forever.

However, lately, I stopped advancing to other worlds, focusing more on finding someone to pass this World Blueprint. Thus, today entry had only this reality until a couple weeks ago.

Pitch black revolted at outside when I lifted my head. It was frightening how fast time had stolen like that. Probably, I had experienced it over and over, day and night replacement didn't bother me anymore. Things that used to be fun reduced to boredom.

The skyscrapers city continued cycling without sleep whether sun dead or not. Shops lit up, increased in coverage, expanded the size of the city even wider. All kind people lined at the outside of the night club added with energetic lights. The limousine stopped front, waved main-carpet to the entrance. There weren't many dark places except in the alley or behind buildings.

Preparing for pajamas, I pulled a blanket to my body. However, when I reached for the bedside lamp, World Blueprint was reactivated. It happened many times before, but it was just this time Lraden did something that hard to ignore.

Light morphed into fire inside adorned-jar. Threads dipped into oil, lengthened through the holed lid, fire flashed on top it. It placed on the cupboard, bore a weak imperfect brightness.

I shifted to the side bed, stepping closer toward the window. The city was gone. No. It was there, but the lights didn't visible a lot.

World Blueprint had a vast explanation about its power or usage. One of the abilities was to control existence. Just happened on daylight, Lraden improved his existence, resulted in making his name well-known. And now, he used it to erase Thomas Edison's lamp from ever hatched. Because of it, the city had to sleep at night, reinstated with candles and oil lamps.

"He's really overboard."

Powerful as it might, the cost and consequence were high. So high that it was unpredictable to confirm what lost in the process. After all, I lost my mother as a past memory. Both my parents didn't exist even in their births. Because World Blueprint inside my chest protected my existence, I was somehow still here despite impossible logic. However, no matter how many times I tried to undo and redo, my parents didn't come back. In trade, my lifespan ― existence carried over.

How someone born despite parents didn't exist?

To increase someone's existence, there was something out there that had to be deleted. And it seemed Lraden didn't understand about this warning seriously and clearly. However, he had still a chance of surviving because he didn't act on a taboo which erased a human's existence. Only manipulation from what it seemed.

About ten minutes later, all oil-lamps revived back to bulbs, and then a modern convention, like someone invented the technology in fast brain clock.

"Hopefully, it didn't become like the last person." Launched to seat instead of the bed, I rested for the night. My stamina depleted faster because of today.

Tomorrow morning, I was surprised by the news about Lraden's wrongdoing. Killing, bank robbery, drugs, bribe polices...all kind criminal underground, he was the manipulator behind the scene. It appeared politician elective had been sabotage too. Whether it was true or not, I didn't sure perfectly.

The judge received a full proof about his crime, he was caught for a last showdown in the courtroom. If he failed to deny, jail would be his life for the next thirty years.

I sat as one of the viewers, following the lawyer harassed the accuser. Lraden stood beside without any fear, predicted it would turn alright.

"Will it happen again?" I said when the high-payed lawyer bought by Lraden was unable to save his client.

The judge's existence erased when he about to knock a final decision on the wooden hammer. Usually, this included anything that connected with the judge, disappeared as well such as his hammer and clothes, relationship, position in society, ranking in popularity... Notwithstanding, the world didn't change, everyone saw the judge gone to thin air with a spiral of pink lines.

"I guess, I have to find the next person."

Lraden apparently decreased the size of the World Territory around the judge only. Anything outside remained the same, that was why the world didn't change. It was one way to limit cost and consequence.

Polices who readied to drag Lraden pressed on gun sheaths.

"W-What a-are you doing?" The lawyer stepped back and fell, shivering on the floor. "Where is he? Why you did this?"

"Hehehe..." Lraden's eyes glowed in rose-pink, closing toward the lawyer. "Who knows? Once gone, never come back."

The accuser tried to escape. But before he reached the door, someone snapped a finger. Blueprint lines grew from his feet into legs, up to the hair. Sparkles and radiance conquered the body, evoked an image of flame when consumed paper. No flame. Only it appeared so on his body surface. The edge of the flame had highlighted-outline.

"No one can touch me. I'm the strongest man in the world."

The polices pulled out guns, Lraden clapped. Bullets dashing to his eyes suddenly corroded and swam into the light. The guns perished and rested with the polices. They patted their bodies, tried to rid the lines crawling. They melted away also.

I sneaked out when all people in the courtroom began running violently outside.

"Lalala~" Lraden continued waving his fingers, deleted anyone without remorse. He even danced, knocking his hard-shoes, humming his fingers in the various direction. Flash after flash was detonated.

Idled on the roof, I watched over the city. "What a nightmare scene." My eyes saw a greyed world. It was a vision for seeing invisible things such as numbers that floating in pink neared everyone on the street. This insight called {World Vision}.

All these numbers I saw, described not their existences, but the will of existences. Both referred to different things. The {will} meant anything that moving along with it also counted. In World Blueprint, this number called {World Value}.

It was easy to think of World Value as a battery. For something to exist, one point used per second from its own value. However, if it didn't change or become zero even for a nanosecond, then it might simple to call null or dead...probably even more since dead was still exist.

I observed World Value from Lraden who fighting against SWAT. From {15036}, it quickly crashed like a broken stock market every time he manipulated someone's existence. The victims ejected out in blueprint scrolls that brought World Value and it absorbed into Lraden, gained his value. This prevented his own existence from annihilated.

He seemed to forget about the warning and all explanations I gave him in a long week.

I checked my silver watch built by science. "It's time."

Eventually, without using a blueprint vision, I could see blueprint scrolls outside of the blueprint world. All scrolls jetted to the sky. Including from non-living objects and people who killed by him.

I went downstairs, back to the street toward a park. I searched for Lraden. He was sitting on the bench, the smile of his face began to appear like forced. Polices, soldiers, FBI, SWAT...call what it had to, lost trace nowhere. Except for cars, vans, lorries, crashed helicopters, and different types of bullets and weapons scattered around him.

He breathed profoundly from shouting to his most satisfying, his eyes were still glowing in pink, using World Vision to see World Value.

"Have fun?" I said, approaching him.

"Haha... O-Of course. I never felt this strong before. This power. It was better than anything I could imagine. I should thank you for electing me as the next owner."

"You are welcome." <Even though, I didn't give you.> Lraden was just a close suitable owner I could find. "You should be happy now since it's official yours alone."

"Oh well, thank you. I appreciate it."

I faintly peeked around. "In this Broken Worldline."

"Broken? Worldline?" His body leaned away from the bench. "W-What you mean? Why Broken Worldline? I followed your advice. I took care of my World Value. I took care of other people. I... I..."

Buildings, cars, humans, animals, trees, roads ― one by one turned to World Scrolls. Even so, Lraden still didn't realize because his blueprint vision was on. After all, the only color in the blueprint world was pink for certain things. Anything else blended with each other in colorless a bit harder to perceive the difference for the first-time user.

"What you mean? Why? Why?!"

"Among many multiple worlds and dimensions, I called this world as Science Reality. And I'm sure science of your have theory like butterfly effect or cause-and-effect."

This for why World Blueprint needed to be destroyed. However, made from the strongest material, it couldn't be damaged or crushed even slightly. Until Reylaw found a way to do it, I had to find the next owner, continued to protect from misuse.

"Please don't quit." He shook my leg, trembling in unbearable motion. "Say something. I don't want to die here. Get me out! Please... Redo, undo. Fix it. Anything."

I stared at him boringly across my scarf buried half of my head. Without happy, sad, angry, guilty, or disappointed. It was the same as the last person. Failed as him. I sighed unwillingly.

Since what I told him had no benefit, I waited for Broken Worldline to end. In one blink, the world returned to normal. Except, Lraden was nowhere to be seen.

Just for confirmation, I surfed the internet, typed his name. I got the result on the first search entry. He went missing yesterday, at the office I gave him World Blueprint, on the same date and at the accurate time. The news reported as the new prime minister kidnapped by terrorists.

However, I knew the consequence better. Death ought to be crueler than that. After all, giving World Blueprint to him was nothing different than giving a knife to a kid. No matter how much I presented the warning tape, it ended horribly. Damn. Why people always skipped the manual?

In short, when World Value turned zero, he ceased to exist. He was still alive, but not here. He didn't have a body to live. He strayed at the end of existence until he spent all his last lifespan and died in a real life.

"Guess, I will try next reality. So tired," because of muscles I earned from the military intensive workout, my body felt like dumb-bells. I checked my next list of an almost suitable owner who potentially good in World Value management.

Two steps away, my legs lost foundation. Vision blurred. Ringing tacked in my ears. My hands tapped on the ground, looking at the surrounding. I spilled blood through mouth including nose, ears, and eyes. But this time, it was fully dark. There was something white inside.

My fingers pitched the shining piece and knocked over the pavement walk. It was hard and almost like bone ― no. It was a bone. What more, it hell hot. Blood boiled, evaporated to air, vanished.

Felt a bit worry, I fetch my pocket. The handkerchief I forget to send wash didn't have even the slightest trace of blood.

Did my condition become worst if my bone began cracking as well? What with this disease? It wasn't normal.

Better hoped the next person was a suitable owner for World Blueprint. Took a breath, I used it to jump into the next reality. Magic Reality.