Xavier saw Xavier…
Ikaris saw Xavier…
Xavier saw Ikaris…
Everyone saw everyone else…
There was no more hiding from the memories now that The Eternal had to relive them.
Then, his ego faded and all that was left was a profound sense of self, searching and seeking its core foundation, knitting together fragments of the man, the myth, The Eternal known as Xavier Ikaris Aionios.
.....
Xavier was a theoretical physicist, a man dedicated to unraveling the deepest mysteries of the universe.
It was in high school he found his calling after porn had sent him on a horny spiral that ended when he had been rejected by ten consecutive times by the girls in his classroom.
Xavier figured, that if he was not handsome, then he may as well be smart to make up for such a discrepancy.
Later, he earned his Ph.D. from MIT, his dissertation focusing on the Axiom Dark Matter Theory and Quantum Gravity Theory.
His mind constantly whirred with the complexities of string theory and cosmology, his thoughts often drifting to elegant equations that described the very fabric of reality.
His constant mumblings to himself, punctuated by hurried scribbles on any available surface made him seem almost like a mad scientist on most days, lost in his own brilliant mind.
Luckily, the right woman, Emma, later came and extracted him from the world of his mind, and by the time his daughter was born, Xavier had adapted to a work-life balance envied by similar geniuses.
The secret, he found, to greater scientific discoveries was to have a wife and a child who loved you enough that inspiration would flow into your equations.
Honor after honor later granted him a unique opportunity in the most advanced lab in The USA.
Now, here he stood…
Xavier stood in a state-of-the-art lab, surrounded by towering machines designed for cutting-edge physics research – it was as if a particle accelerator had been enhanced by 200% and miniaturized enough to fit on a basketball court.
And, of course, there were not just particle accelerators in the lab; there were quantum computers and dark matter detectors with such potency, that entry to the lab was more secure than nuclear facilities.
The air buzzed with the hum of advanced technology – ray shifters, harmonic pulsars, nano-shielded walls – a symphony of blinking lights and digital readouts, each displaying crucial data in real-time.
Xavier was not alone in his brilliance; in fact, he was hardly the smartest in the lab, just the most adaptive and creative.
The lab was a hive of activity, with researchers sporting the most brilliant minds on the planet, checking equipment and programming the final parameters.
Among them was his wife, Emma, her laughter a bright contrast to the sterile, spotlessly white environment.
She worked alongside Xavier, her cheerful demeanor a constant source of comfort and motivation.
In a separate section of the lab, their daughter, Lily, sat with other children, performing equation exercises.
Lily was a spitting image of his late sister.
He had lost his sister in a plane explosion that he survived only by the skin of his teeth and the countless bodies that cushioned his fall.
Since then, Xavier had survived numerous experiment explosions that should have killed him, making him all the more daring and cautious.
In a separate section of the lab, Lily sat with other children, performing equation exercises; her curious eyes always eager to learn about the universe her father loved so much.
During the next couple of hours, the testing was complete and it was time to officially launch the machine; everyone gathered around.
"System checks complete?" Xavier called out, his voice a mix of excitement and anxiety.
"All green, Dr. Xavier," one of the technicians replied, double-checking the monitors.
Emma stepped up beside him, her hand brushing his arm. "Ready?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with the same anticipation.
Xavier nodded, taking a deep breath. "Initiate the final sequence," he ordered.
It was now the decisive moment…
Nobody was sure what to expect, but as long as the monitors turned green, the experiment would have been a success.
The massive machine crackled and whirred, highlighting the culmination of years of research and countless sleepless nights; it was designed to test the boundaries of the universe, to peer into the very fabric of reality, and perhaps to glimpse the threads that held it all together.
The device combined elements of quantum gravity with advanced dark matter manipulation, aiming to open a window into other dimensions.
It was a marvel at the peak of what humanity was currently capable of…
Xavier, for a moment, couldn't help but think that they were reaching too far, like a caveman, with enough knowledge, could build a radio in the distant past.
'Perhaps our ideas are too far ahead for the modern times?' He thought.
If only he had had such a thought earlier…
Xavier's heart raced with a mix of anticipation and fear as he initiated the experiment; the machine had achieved the third activation sequence, the screens reflecting a steady stream of exotic particles.
Then, a strange sensation washed over everyone in the room.
In that instant, Xavier knew two things absolutely – he had both succeeded and erred in ways he could not fathom.
Perhaps, even god could not fathom…
The air around Xavier crackled with energy, and the room seemed to blur and distort; before he could react, a blinding light engulfed him, and he felt his body being pulled apart, atom by atom.
Pain unlike anything he had ever known coursed through him as he was torn from his reality and hurled through the multiverse…
When the light faded, Xavier found himself in a place that was dazzlingly bright and eerily silent, all the while not taking away from the beauty of the stars layered above.
He looked around and saw a society that seemed both utopian and otherworldly; the architecture was breathtaking – buildings of shimmering metal and glass reached toward the sky, their surfaces reflecting the light in a mesmerizing dance.
The structures seemed to defy gravity, some suspended in mid-air, connected by delicate bridges of pure energy.
Strange people, definitely humans, hovered on thin platforms, their clothing seemingly made of light; they moved with ease and grace that spoke of advanced technology and profound knowledge.
Holographic interfaces floated around them, displaying streams of data and intricate schematics.
As he gazed at this new world, none of the people even sparing him a glance, a deep sense of loss settled in Xavier's chest.
The faces of Emma and Lily floated before his eyes, their smiles now just memories that tugged at his heart.
Even without investigating further, he knew that he had not been the only one affected by the abrupt malfunction of the machine, but he may have been the only one to survive.
It was terrifying to have such a thought…
This was one of the times Xavier hated possessing a mind with enough intelligence to recall the details, calculate the chances, and remain fully conscious of the small moments of deceit he was trying to subconsciously implement.
Xavier felt a profound disconnection, as if he were a puzzle piece that no longer fit into the grand picture of the universe, not in a universe so divorced from his previous state of existence it may as well have been akin to a dog surfing on the accretion disk of a black hole.
In a daze, unbothered by the nearby humans, or perhaps, willingly ignoring them, he wandered through the city, his mind struggling to grasp the enormity of what had happened.
Xavier murmured a silent prayer under his breath, hoping whatever data could be recovered from the obviously destroyed lab would be enough to discourage future generations from repeating the experiment within the same parameters.
The more he strolled, the less the burden on his shoulders seemed to become.
The technology of the city was beyond anything Xavier had ever imagined – hovering transportation, buildings that seemed to grow and shift, and interfaces that responded to mere errant thoughts as he passed by.
But for all its wonders, the world felt cold and distant…
The bustling activity around him only amplified his loneliness, a stark reminder of the family who were currently unknown in many ways – unknown death, unknown dimension, unknown life, and unknown state.
The longing for the scents of home intensified as he walked…
Amid this advanced society, Xavier felt like an anachronism, a relic from a simpler time; his skills and knowledge, while still remarkable, seemed almost primitive compared to the wonders around him.
A couple of times, he could hear the discussions of the passersby; they spoke of dimensions and realities with an ease that made Xavier feel like a novice, a mere student in a class of masters.
As Xavier wandered through the advanced city, he found that mere thoughts would direct him to a transportation hub, and a flash of light later, judging by the stars, he was in another city on the opposite side of the planet.
"Figures," he murmured to himself, numbing his emotions by another degree.
Xavier kept walking, noticing he was getting neither tired nor hungry, which probably had something to do with the vibration feedback looping into his legs with each step.
It energized him somehow…
His mind, once so sharp and focused, now felt clouded by a fog of confusion and sorrow; he longed for the familiar sounds of Lily's laughter, the comforting touch of Emma's hand, the scent of home.
...…
Days turned into weeks…
Weeks into months…
Soon, a month became a year…
Xavier had found his footing in the new world…
Ironically, he had become a researcher once more.
The advanced technology of this society offered him new tools and insights, and he threw himself into research with renewed fervor.
Xavier studied the principles that governed this world, seeking to understand the forces that brought him here and perhaps find a way back to his family.
Of course, all research thus far had shown him it was impossible…
During the nights, when the world was quiet and still, Xavier would sit by a window, staring up at the stars; he wondered if Emma and Lily were looking at the same stars, thinking of him as he thought of them.
He whispered their names into the darkness, hoping that somehow, across the vast expanse of the multiverse, they could hear him.
One evening, as he was lost in thought, a soft voice broke the silence.
It was Lyra, a scientist who had taken an interest in his work; she had a gentle demeanor and a mind that rivaled, if not surpassed, his own.
"You miss them, don't you?" she asked, her eyes filled with understanding.
Lyra, too, had lost a husband and daughter, even in this era where humanity no longer aged and almost all ailments could be cured.
Death, apparently, was a universal constant…
Xavier nodded, unable to find the words to express the depth of his longing. "Every moment," he finally whispered. "I don't know if I'll ever see them again."
Lyra placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "The multiverse is vast and mysterious, but it is also full of possibilities. If you have found your way here, there may yet be a way to find your way back. Though, we can't be sure of what you will find."
Her words offered a glimmer of hope, and Xavier clung to it with all his might; he resumed his research with renewed determination, driven by the hope that one day he might find a way to return to Emma and Lily, wherever they were.
He delved into the mysteries of this advanced society, seeking answers in the equations and theories that filled his days.
As time passed, Xavier began to adapt to his new surroundings.
He forged bonds with the people around him, finding friendship and camaraderie in unexpected places; yet, no matter how well he adjusted, a part of him remained anchored to the life he had lost, the family he so desperately missed.
In his dreams, he still saw Emma and Lily, their faces a constant reminder of what he was fighting for.
Each night, as he drifted to sleep, he whispered a promise to them: "I will find my way back to you." And with each new day, he worked tirelessly to make that promise a reality, fueled by love and the unyielding determination to reunite with his family across the infinite expanse of the multiverse.