77 A Message For Them (2/2)
That at the edge of universe, there was no escape from those outside who had intruded upon heaven itself.
Reed shook his head and said, ”Why haven't they sent it out, then? What's keeping them from sending their message-in-a-bottle back home?”
The tiny hologram of the coffin dissembled and a tiny piece — a metallic sphere — expanded in front of him in response.
”This is the coffin's Anima drive, the source of power that'll power it through its mission. It's based on an old, Ancient Mulian super-cruiser that was used to traverse the universe during its heydays, but that's beside the point. The problem is that it needs a lot of Anima,” said Ma.
”We can gather the amount of Anima given enough time but once it reaches a certain density, it becomes uncontrollable — highly unstable and dangerous beyond use. Nothing we have, be it machine or man has been able to control and stabilize the Anima drive once it reaches the needed density to work. Even the Lion King couldn't do it; the skill and power required to do it is likely beyond our reach…” said another voice.
Reed turned around and saw Velvund behind him, leisurely reading a book.
I didn't sense…?! How….? I mean, I know who gramps is but still…
He shuddered when he thought about how he'd been unable to even feel his presence in the slightest.
”How… long have you been there, gramps? Have you always been there?”
Velvund scratched his chin and said, ”Around the time Emma started talking about the Great Barrier War, I think? I lost track sometime around there...” and waved the book in his hands with a smile.
”Don't you have another high council meeting to attend, Vel'?”
”I'm an old, frail man these days — I'm sure that I can take a day off or two and get away with it, right? The high council will survive if I miss a meeting.”
He put down his book and said, ”I couldn't miss the boy's first time in the Nexus, but I didn't think that you'd get to him first though, at least not in the way you did… but it's about time, so I'll be taking him back.”
Velvund grabbed one of Reed's shoulders and said, ”Time to head back, son,” and then the world went black for an instant.
Pulsing light and sound blasted back into existence and reality slammed back into Reed's senses like a shockwave. The rebound of returning back felt awful and resulted in a pounding headache and ringing ears that stunned him for a minute.
”Agh, what the hell…? M-My head… Feels like a hangover, but worse...”
”Boy! Are you all right?! I thought I was going to have to sever the connection,” said Lacrima and started healing and inspecting Reed for any abnormalities.
A spatial tear opened and Velvund stepped out. He reached out, supported Reed and said, ”Whoa there, my boy. Give it a minute, okay? Your senses are readjusting, getting used to taking in external stimuli so take it slow for a little bit.”
Reed groaned and said, ”Is it always like this when you leave the Nexus?”
”No, your mind will eventually get used to it and the side-effects will become… less pronounced. Don't worry, everyone feels the same way when the first disconnect. For now though, why don't we move somewhere nicer so you can relax?”
Reed nodded slowly and then the pair vanished into the void. When the came out of it, they walked out into a very familiar place.
It was Ma's house. The same house he'd visited in the Nexus, but this time in reality. It was the same little wooden house, but the scenery was different. It was next to a small lake near an unknown forest.
”H-Hey, gramps isn't this…?”
”This is the real thing, my boy. This is where I and Emma called home after the Unification Era, far away from the misery of civilization…”