Chapter 628: Momentary reunion (1/2)
Standing, as far as one could say something like that about a cloud of energy containing my ego, before the inter-planar gate, I hesitated.
It's been so long since the last semblance of my old memories made an appearance in my consciousness. While it always remained as the ultimate goal, to return to Eve's arms, after millennials that I spent living for millions upon millions of times in this universe of mine, this comfortable memory was nothing more than that.
A memory.
Maybe it was caused by my sentience growing beyond any limits normally shackling humans. Maybe I reached the foretold point when I would become so great that the matters important to mortals would no longer obstruct my enlightenment?
Once this thought appeared in my mind, my consciousness suddenly shook. What? Eve being an obstruction?
All at once, a wave of deepest terror flashed through my mind. How could I ever think about something as dark as that? Even if I lost the touch with my ultimate objective, it still was something I had to fight with all my might for!
”Because if you don't return by the time I reach my limit… Rather than doing yourself harm, you could doom the entire reality where Eve, her sister and literally everyone else is. At this point, I would like you to remember that you still have yet to fulfil your promise!”
With Bonger's words ringing in my metaphorical ears, I felt a sudden tug at my soul. Then another. With my mass of energy that made up the true body of my nearly omniscient being nearing the strange anomaly within this universe, I realised something else.
It wasn't some kind of external force tugging at my soul. It was my very own self driving me towards this fulfilment of my dreams. Even if it would be only momentary. As I neared the blackhole-like entity, this drive of mine only accelerated my descend down its centre. And then, as if all those thousands upon thousands of years in the other universe were just a bad dream, I returned.
From the looks of things, directly to the moment when I initially left this place. Watching how everyone's faces were turning agape after relatively recent display of my power, I noticed that something was strange. While it could be my own perception of this glorious moment that slower everything around me down…
No, there was no way for such a thing to happen. The world around me was crawling at a barely noticeable pace. If not for the slight vibration of the air, I wouldn't be able to tell whether I was in the middle of a still picture or an actual world I used to inhabit.
With my mind exploding from the onslaught of thoughts, I attempted to look around, hoping to catch the sight of my prize. But my head once again was subjected to the laws of physic instead of towering above them. It was also then when I noticed a certain peculiarity.
While the time was going incredibly slowly, it was going. And while it was at nearly the same pace, it was accelerating.
Moving my chin by a millimetre to the side took me about a week, but the next one took only a single day. Five millimetres further, the same incrementation only required an hour. Bit by bit, the unbearably slow passage of time was returning to its normal flow.
And then…
And then I finally saw her. Clearly aware that something insane was going on given how connected we were, Eve's eyes continued to bulge as she watched my desperate yet slow movements. But for her, what seemed like an eternity for me, would most likely look like an insanely urgent and brutal way of turning my head around.
”Eeeeeee...”
The first tone escaping from my mouth funnily stretched in the air, as if it was played by some instrument that wrestled itself free from its musician's hands.
”vvvvveeee”
The faster the time started to flow, the greater the acceleration of the change was. I managed to take a step forward. Then another one. Right now, time seemed to be only diluted in ten to one ratio. Crawling my way forward, I ignored everything around me, racing to the end-point, right within Eve's embrace.
The flow of time nearly doubles, making my perception only five times as quick as that of a normal person.
”EVE!”
Screaming from the bottom of my lungs, I managed to make a few more steps, when the time finally returned to its natural flow. Falling right into my wife's arms, I felt as if my entire psyche would crumble apart under the gentle touch of her skin.
”B-bart?”
With her voice trembling, I now knew for sure that she knew that something really bad was going on. But for now, I just couldn't bear with the thought of sullying this glorious moment of reunion with needless worries.