Julie is sitting in cell staring at red gemstone; watching it pulse and glow. Thinking upon the cryptic message an unknown shadow gave her.
‘It will change you. Make you more than you are.’
Julie looks at the gem stone her hand slowly reaching to it.
‘You will feed on blood and flesh of other weres and you will rob them of strength.’
Julie pause upon recall that last bit. While she was never a vegan and always did enjoy a good rib eye or t-bone steak; Julie balked at the thought of cannibalism at a chance of revenge. Still she felt compelled to continue to grab the gem.
‘Malice born of hatred will fuel you. You will be a monster.’
‘Hatred’ Julie thought “what has hatred brought me of late? The only were that ever went out of her to help me, show me any kindness is dead. All because of hatred; is there no love or compassion in this world?”
“There is. But you won't find it with that gemstone.”
Julie’s head moves to the sound of the voice. Seeing the strange man in her dreams sitting on the cell bed as she was lying on the ground. She quickly jumps up looking for a way out when the strange man just calmly gets up and taking a handkerchief and using it to pick up the gemstone and placing it in small box with a clasp resembling the head of a dragon. A shrill otherworldly cream could be heard as the cell and building shake violently.
“She was mine,” the voice screeching; “Julie was mine.”
“Ignore it,” the strange man being serious; “trust me Julie. You do not want to make a pact with vengeance and malice. With all that you have dealt with in the last twelve hours, do you really want to experience more?”
“Is this a dream,” Julie looking scared; “is this another vision you want me to see?”
“Julie,” the strange man looking thoughtful; “this is no dream. You are awake.” raising his hand to the air, “and before you ask; no I do not know how the hell I got in this cell with you. My kind is powerful, but even we do not know the full extent of our abilities.”
“Your kind,” Julie looking scared; “are you a were?”
“Yes and no,” the strange man answers; “we are something more. Some old. Something that came before.”
“Great,” Julie still looking nervous; “more cryptic riddles, perhaps Tachibana will be able to make sense of it. These cells are bugged and all sounds are being recorded.”
“All that will be played back is white noise,” The strange man speaking; “this conversation is for us.”
“Then what is it you have to say,” Julie looking exasperated.
The strange man takes a hand to his face and rubs the bridge of his nose. “What I am about to say, may be unbelievable to you; but it is true.” The man sitting back down and sighing; “this is not the only Earth to exist. There is a multiverse and in it millions and billions of earths exist in it.”
“I’m familiar with the many worlds theory,” Julie answering; “it all has to do with Quantum mechanics.”
Then you are familiar with Schrödinger's cat,” the strange man speaking.
“The cat is in a box with a vial of poison,” Julie answering; until you open said box, you have to assume the cat is both alive and dead.”
“Good,” the strange man answering; “then perhaps this bit of knowledge will somehow stop your desire to get back at those you feel have wronged you.”
“I doubt it,” Julie looking at the man; “but what the hell. I could use a joke right about now.”
“This is no joke child,” the man responding; “this is serious.”
“while in this universe,” the strange man speaking; “you and Eric hate each other’s guts. But in another Earth* you and he are soulmates. You made him into a wer-mer and both intend to get married. Eric’s blue-green wer-mer scales just as rare as the white furred were-panther he is here. Yet in another Earth**, you and Eric never got a chance to consummate that budding love.”
“I’ll bite,” Julie speaking up; “what happened or happens this other Earth?”
“Tragedy befell his family as a rogue were-vixen kills his father,” the strange man answering; “Eric’s desire to protect his family and be a police officer later on, he joins the same pack his older brother is in and becomes a werewolf.”
“Let me guess,” Julie rolling her eyes; “his fursona there is just as rare as in this earth and the other earth you mentioned.”
“No, the strange man speaking; “but you suffer an aneurism as a result of that bond you two formed breaking leaving you in a hospital with no memory of Eric in question.”
“Any other earth’s you want to describe,” Julie shaking her head in disbelief.
“There is one in which Eric’s family never moves to Moon Lake; “the strange man speaking; another where you are never born and another where your father never becomes mayor.” The strange man getting up; “I have visited many, but this is the one I tend to watch over the most. I like the rest of my brethren act as guardians over the various worlds.”
“So your gods,” Julie snorting; “I’m talking to a god.”
“No,” the strange man speaking; “I claim no such designation. I’m more of an observer and on occasion a guide. Having to appear to you while awake is…”
“Unusual,” Julie answering.
“Unheard of,” the strange man correcting her; looking at the box containing the red gemstone he snatched up, “but I suspect it’s because you were about to be coerced in doing something wrong and needed to be stopped.”
“You have never talked to someone while they are awake,” Julie looking at the man suspiciously.
“I tend to stay in the realm of the subconscious child,” the man sighing; “rarely have I ever had to be in the physical world. But I’m getting off track. I sense my time with you almost done. So let me finish this chat by answering your first question.”
The man standing up and looking tired, “you asked if there was any love or compassion in the world. There is; you have just been too blinded with rage to see it being offered to you. It’s not too late to ask for forgiveness, to…change. It is there waiting for you, you just have to ask for it.”
Julie watches in abject fear as the strange man becoming ethereal and fading before her eyes. Hearing the banging sounds of transformers re-engaging as the building once again became illuminated with light.
* Moon Lake Earth 1 or Prime story
** Moon Lake of Earth 3 Story