Shadows in the Trees (Azerik, others PM for Invite)

"...relatively modern society. They have internet, airplanes, firearms and almost everything that my original world had. Had it not been for the fact that there were flying whales in the sky, I would've believed this to be my home..."

Alex continued to scribble in his journal, though his hand was beginning to cramp. Resting the mechanical pencil down on the page, the young man turned to look around to see if anybody else was nearby. The faint sound of a subway train's horn echoed through the cool air of the subway terminal, a soft current of air glided briskly across the interdimensional drifter's skin. Glancing at his watch, he wondered how much he had left.

"Crap, one minute left." Alex quickly grabbed the journal and stood up, going to his bag of belongings. He quickly unzipped a pocket of the bag and stuffed the journal inside, and began to hurriedly search through the other pockets for an item of importance. It only took him a few moments to brush his hand against the cool, sleek skin of the pistol, and Alex pulled the firearm out of the bag.

Pulling back the barrel and letting it click, he could hear the horn of the subway train getting louder as it approached. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, the young man kept his body calm and his mind alert. Pressing himself up against the stone wall, he kept himself hidden from the view of passengers to come. Looking at his watch again, Alex saw he had fifteen seconds till the next jump. The bright lights of the train flashed through the platform, the cart slowing down and screeching loudly as it did so.

Five seconds. Alex could feel uncontrolled urges, his hand muscles flexing in ways that caused him to unwillingly press his fingers against the cool, stone wall. Grimacing, the young man closed his eyes and held his breath, one second to go. Suddenly, he felt as if a powerful rush of wind came at him in all directions, and the world trembled rapidly. Without warning, Alex no longer felt concrete beneath him but rather soft earth.

Opening his eyes, the hobo turned his body around, brandishing his pistol at the new environment around him. Only one word could describe it: trees. Lots and lots of trees. Taking off his dark black sunglasses, Alex adjusted his eyes to the dim light of the new world. Scanning around, his pistol ready, along with a vigilant body and focused mind, he could see nothing but vegetation in all directions. The smell in the air was far different from the subway station, in that it was a mixed smell between all the various types of decaying organic matter.

Crouching to his knee and taking down his bag, Alex searched his belongings to see how much of the consumables there were available.

Two bottles of water, three cans of beans, a couple of batteries, three clips of ammunition, two bags of beef jerky, and two lighters. Not that much for this kind of environment, but it will have to manage.

Zipping back up the bag and slinging it back over it shoulder, Alex set out to explore the forested world. He could not guess the time of day because of the thick canopy above, but he did have faith in the potential for finding a clearing of some sort. Stepping across broken sticks, piles of leaves, decaying animal matter, and all sorts of other natural elements, the traveler wondered what sort of creatures could have evolved in this sort of world.

"Maybe I can find something more exotic to eat in this place." Alex grinned as he brushed aside a large leaf and spoke aloud to himself. "Would definitely beat the beans, that's for sure. Just hope I don't get poisoned."

There was more to this place than just forest and wild animals, but Alex had just not found it. Soon, rather soon, he would confront forces he would not expect in this type of dimension.

Despite my upbringing in what one could call a technologically advanced civilization, the forest is where I felt most at home. The trees were calming on a peaceful day, and made for a great shield to dodge behind during an enemy's attack during a battle.

It had been several centuries since my first life had ended, and the memories of how it had ended was still the stuff of my nightmares, but for the most part, it was far from my thoughts. I had easily adapted to my role as a Soul Reaper, and the constant fighting had replaced the hunting trips I had used to take with the pack, and my power to travel between the endless amount of universes had replaced my explorations of the forest that housed my pack's village. I'd met many people in my travels, and in some cases, many versions of those people. I had yet to mean anyone in this particular world, but I was fine with that. Solitude is something you get used to, since sentient life is rare in most universes.

If my calculations were correct, I was due to return to Soul Society in about 2 days, so I was walking around contemplating where I should go before my time was up. I had just about settled on visiting one of the many variations of Hyrule I had been to, when I heard twigs snapping, and the out of place sounds of a bipedal gait. In simple terms, there was something walking on two legs. I sniffed the air, and picked out 3 main things. Gun powder, beans, and the smell of an unwashed human being.

I jumped up into a tree, and leaped from one to another until I was in the walking path of the stranger. When he was close enough for him to hear my voice I shouted, "Hey there stranger!"

He looked up to see my sitting on a fairly low tree branch and I continued speaking, "You're the first human I've seen 'round here in the past few months! I don't suppose there's a settlement nearby?"

I knew there wasn't a settlement. I'd explored this area thoroughly, so this guy was most likely from quite a distance away.

Trailblazing through the forest was effortless for the drifter, as wilderness navigation was one of his fortes. The weather was temperate, though a bit humid, and the world around Alex was full of sounds. There were dozens of birds throughout the canopy, all chirping and squawking away, their noises combining into some convoluted natural orchestra. Over time, the forest became less dense in terms of distance between trees, making travel a lot less draining on Alex's body.

"Hey there stranger!" A voice called out as Alex continued to explore the forest. Suddenly, the young man stopped and raised his pistol up on instinct. Upon focusing his eyesight, he saw it was a human, dressed in black, Japanese-like robes. The young man was sitting on a low tree branch, and continued to speak, "You're the first human I've seen 'round here in the past few months! I don't suppose there's a settlement nearby?"

Putting down his gun, Alex kept his analytical mind alert as he spoke to this stranger. He had seen a lot of nasty stuff in other worlds, some of them even going as far as to shapeshift in order to lure prey into a trap.

"No, not that I know of." Alex blankly replied. "I haven't seen much more than trees, rocks, trees, animals, trees, and more trees, so I don't believe I can be of much help to you there."

A few oddities struck in the drifter's mind as he spoke to this person. For one, he was dressed in what appeared to be warm, Japanese robes, which also appeared to have insignia on it. Of course, Alex had encountered universes where the Japanese began their own expansion into the world and become the dominant culture, though by judging the appearance and style of this individual Alex felt a little bit of conflict in these ideas. Pushing the idea to the back of his mind, he considered it was best to learn as much as possible about this reality from this man. After all, they had been here for a few months, and with that experience alone Alex could potentially survive this new environment with ease.

"Of course, there's always the potential for us to search for a settlement together. I don't mind having a travel partner." The young man's face lit up as he suggested they work together.

"I'd enjoy that I think" I said with a smile, "but I know for a fact that there are no settlements within 10 square miles of here. My earlier question was to see if you were from farther away than that."

I looked the man over carefully. He was dressed in the typical style of the North American culture from my own home world, but it looked as if he had not had a bath in months if not years. He was more out of place in this world than I was.

"Name's Azerik," I said jumping nimbly to the ground, "and I can see you're obviously not from around here...perhaps you're not even from this world?"

The look on his face was one of shock, and maybe fear. His grip on the pistol he held tightened, and I laid my hand gently on the hilt of my katana.

The stranger showed his appeal to Alex's suggestion, but then explained that there were no settlements within 10 square miles of their location. In his mind, the transdimensional drifter began to race through potential thoughts and alibis. It was unfortunate that he encountered this stranger, whom may have the upper hand when it comes to information regarding this new world. Not to mention, Alex's clothing might have already given him away to the stranger. He had to think of a solution quickly, or else his identity would go into greater scrutiny.

"Name's Azerik," said the young man as he leaped down from the branch. "and I can see you're obviously not from around here...perhaps you're not even from this world?"

This couldn't get much more worse, could it? Alex's grip on his pistol tightened slightly, and his expression of disbelief and shock was most apparent to this stranger named Azerik. Looking at the stranger's side, Alex could see their hand coming on the hilt of their sheathed sword. The explosiveness of this situation needed to be removed, and fast.

"Different world? No, I'm afraid not my friend. Though I guess you could say I'm a traveler of sorts." Alex began to bluff Azerik. "I am Alex, and I come from a different part of this world, only to become stranded here during a scientific expedition many months ago. My team and I became separated, and I've been searching for them ever since, all the while keeping myself hidden from all sorts of creatures here for fear of my own life. Seeing you've been here for a few months now yourself, perhaps you could help me. It would be most invaluable if someone with your knowledge and experience could assist me in finding some sort of human settlement, let alone my team."

Having attempted to make his story as convincing as possible, fully equipped with motions of the hands, facial twitches, and posture, Alex hoped that he would be able to get this Azerik to believe his tale. The only problem was, Alex didn't know what could possibly have tipped off the stranger to the idea of other worlds. Azerik suggesting the idea of being from a different world so soon could not have been a coincidence, and the possibilities suddenly became endless as to how this could be possible.

Perhaps Azerik was psychic, or even possessed magical abilities. Or maybe he was from a civilization that had advanced enough technology to detect his sudden appearance into their world. Though, one of the last things Alex could believe, but one of the first things he wanted to believe was that this Azerik possessed knowledge of alternate realities. Regardless of the truth, Alex could not so suddenly give away the fact that he was an interdimensional traveler.

"There's no need to lie," I said with a laugh, "anyone can tell you've only been here for a few minutes. Despite your hygiene issues, you don't smell of this place yet, so that much is obvious."

Alex was still gripping his pistol, which was what made me so sure that his little display was a lie to protect his identity. I removed my hand from the hilt of my sword, and place both hands behind my head to show that I would not attack him.

"Even if what you just told me is partly true," I said not unkindly, "I'm not unfamiliar with the concept of dimensional travel, and you my friend have that sort of air about you. Where I can travel through dimensions of my own free will, I have often witnessed and been part of phenomenon that cause similar effects to other people."

He seemed to relax a little, but then as fast as it had happened, he was back to being tense.

"I can understand if you feel threatened," I said with a sigh as I sat on the ground with my legs crossed, "its not often I get to meet other people who traverse space and time on a regular basis, so I can understand the feeling of shock. If you insist on a fight, I'll gladly give it to you, but you seem like someone I'd like to get to know, so I'd prefer peace to war in this case."

His explanation was sound, his logic was clear. Despite some strange facets about Azerik, Alex had no choice but to accept the fact that this person knew he was from another dimension. Alex was utterly shocked at the possibility of meeting another interdimensional traveler. Azerik's words even implied that such a phenomenon wasn't entirely rare, and that others could perform it at will. These sort of words brought surprise in the young man that he hadn't felt in months, and Alex was overcome by a wave of serenity and comfort. There was finally someone he could relate to in terms of his predicament, and even felt the urge to think of a way to get back home with Azerik's help.

The stranger sat down on the ground, speaking words of peace and good faith to Alex. Though some suspicion still existed in Alex's mind to Azerik's intentions, he felt it was worth a shot to trust him. Even if this man couldn't travel through dimensions, Alex had no reasons to fear him. Sitting down on the ground across from Azerik, Alex thought of what to converse about. Studying the stranger was fruitless, as Azerik's entire body posture gave off the fact that he honestly believed what he was saying. His words made perfect sense, and Alex was still in shock at the coincidental quality of this entire encounter.

"Right, so let's say we're both from other worlds." Alex set up a shoddy, unsatisfying preface to the conversation. "You are telling me that there are people that can go from world to world at will? I mean, the method I use forces me to go from random reality to reality in a constant cycle. You have no idea what sort of places you can visit if you travel at random, and I have no idea how any of it works either. I was just caught up from my original world a few years back, and now I'm being forced to go here and there without end."

"Well I don't know about others making the jumps at will," I as I leaned back, supporting myself with my hands, "I know I can, I can't say for sure than I know of anyone else who can. I can however tell you as a fact, that there are strange happening which often force people to make a jump, whether it be only once, or a dozen more times. I can't say I've ever met someone who makes jumps in a set cycle like yourself though."

It seemed obvious to me now, that Alex was not voluntarily jumping between dimensions. Judging by his tone of voice when he had asked his question, he was hoping I could help illuminate his own situation. I can honestly say I wanted to help him too, but the nature of the phenomenon made it very hard to study, and all my research thus far had yielded little information. I told him as much.

"The science behind the how is very simple," I said in a suddenly serious tone, "the metaphysics of why are a different case entirely. All that is needed to jump between dimensions, is a flux of energy that is released by dark matter, and unstable material that exists in every reality. I have the power to control the flow of that energy, which is what allows me make the jumps. I can even take people with me since I can protect them using the same energy. For cases like yours, where the jump is involuntary, are caused by some untraceable event that causes the release of the same energy. The reason its untraceable, is because immediately after the event, the dark matter that released the energy is gone, beyond our reach, and hence unable to be studied."

OoC: I've allowed BrokenWing to join as Allan, though he'll be coming in later.

IC: Azerik's explanation on his method of interdimensional travel was fascinating, yet it did not shed much light on the reason why Alex shifted involuntarily in a cycle. Whatever was causing the shifts, it was untraceable even to someone who had quite a great deal of knowledge and experience with the multiverse.

"Hm, then that means the multiverse might just be too big a place for me to find the answer to my questions so soon." Bringing himself to his feet, Alex brushed off the soil on his pants and placed the gun at his waistline. He glanced at the time on his watch, his fingers sliding to the winder and twisting it back to its fullest. "I was actually hoping you might be able to transport me back to my home dimension, but I'm not sure that would even be worth the effort. Even if you did bring me home, in 2 days, 1 hour, 34 minutes, and 27 seconds as of now, I'll just shift again to another random reality."

Raising his arms up and stretching, Alex groaned, feeling slightly tired from the time he spent in the previous dimension running and fighting. Had he not robbed that couple in the park a few hours after he entered that reality, he most likely wouldn't have had an incentive to avoid law enforcement. Sometimes, money from certain dimensions wasn't worth it, especially when their law enforcement is technologically advanced. It was a shame he couldn't take electronics with him from world to world, or else he'd have something to entertain himself with till the next jump. Regardless, Alex thought it was best to find some sort of population or shelter sooner or later.

"Anyway, if this world has any sort of human population on it, it's most likely they would also have settlements. That is, if they're not all stuck on another continent, or if they're still incredibly primitive. Personally, I'm hoping neither is true, and we can find a place to stay by the time night falls." Alex explained to Azerik as he peered deep into the forest in multiple directions. "I don't have a tent, and it seems you don't either, and I think it'd be much safer if we were with any existing locals. Tell me, have you really not found any human settlements for all the months you've been here?"

"None," I said somewhat sadly over the end of our conversation about his jumping, "I prefer it that way though. I haven't spent much time in a forest lately, and its where I feel most at home. I've been staying in a cave not far from here, and you're welcome to stay there as well."

I studied Alex. He constantly had a forlorn, slightly depressed expression on his face. I was determined to fix that.

"I'll tell you what," I said with a smile, "I'm a scientist by trade and nature. I haven't had a particular interest in trying to trace the origins of trans-dimensional phenomenon until now, but I'll be sure to redouble my efforts. If we ever meet again after your 2 days is up, I'll give you all the help I can."

He seemed less depressed after that, but I couldn't be sure. I enjoyed my travels, but I could imagine how it must feel to be forced into strange worlds without any say in the matter. And the philosopher in me knew that even should the phenomenon end, and Alex find himself at home, he wouldn't be able to readjust to his old life properly, and if he did manage to forget it all, he would only be living a lie. All in all, he was in a rather miserable predicament. He probably distanced himself from people as well...

"So tell me more about your reality jumps," I said keen to learn more about them, mainly because I felt I could help him if I knew more about it, "any side-effects that you've noticed?"

"Thank you for that, I'd definitely appreciate some shelter till my next jump. It's pretty irritating dealing with native wildlife when going to new dimensions." Upon hearing Azerik's next proposal, Alex smiled a bit. "It'd be invaluable for you to help me figure the reason behinds my shifts, though I hope you don't go about looking for me throughout the multiverse after I'm gone. I travel randomly, and by that I've gone from techno-utopias to lands where dinosaurs were never wiped out."

Chuckling to himself, Alex thought a bit about how far he had come through the multiverse over the past three years, and his mood began to sour slightly. Sure, there had been hundreds of universes he had shifted to and countless faces and forces he encountered, but the transdimensional drifter always felt distant. He had to push himself away from the worlds he visited, lest he become too attached and just feel the pain of never seeing people in another reality. He had to find a way to stop the shifts, or possibly use them to get home. Suddenly, Azerik's question brought Alex back to reality.

"Hmm, side-effects?" The young man pondered to himself for a while. "Well, my injuries get healed, and I've even gotten brought back from the dead. Even with my vague knowledge of traveling through dimensions, I don't think that's really normal. Not to mention, I can't take anything electronic with me...they tend to get fried and drained during the shift. That part makes sense, sort of."

Sliding his fingers across the ground, Alex slid his hand across the ground, bringing it against a flat rock. His fingers pressed lightly into the rock, and he tried to the involuntary qualities behind the action. Of course, he was sure Azerik might notice, and even bring the characteristic to light. Even if he did, Alex wouldn't have an explanation for it outside of an involuntary habit formed over the years. Was it because of the shifting, or because of psychological stress? Who knew? Who cared? It was still quite irritating.

"Back from the dead..." I said quietly. This posed a problem for me. Not only did it cause the spiritual balance of the worlds to be out of line, but I can't imagine having to live forever. I was near enough immortal in my own situation, but I could at least be killed. Having to be killed, the living again with the memory of being killed is something I was familiar with, but I'd resolved to never experience it again, but Alex might repeat the experience countless times.

"I can sort of feel for you on the dying part," I said with a wry smile, "you see, I'm a Soul Reaper. A departed Soul who has gained power to help lost souls find their way to the afterlife...and one of few who remembers his life before he died. When one passes on, their memories of their life disappear after a time, and when they die a second time, their soul is reused and becomes another living being. I can also vividly remember the day I died. It's something I try not to dwell on it, but it haunts my dreams occasionally...but where I have died once and have the power to avoid it a second time, you have died many times, with many more times perhaps in the future....when you 'died' did you ever get the feeling of being detached from the world? Like you had left your body?"

Soul Reaper...so he was a psychopomp? Alex had encountered fantastical beings of varied types throughout the multiverse, though Soul Reapers with Japanese flavor were new to him. The young man sat and listened to Azerik's explanation behind the mechanics of souls and the afterlife in his world, all the while contemplating the possibility of ever traveling to that reality personally. It was not surprising that the Soul Reaper would remember his own death so vividly, or even have it haunt his dreams. Alex did not suffer from this problem, despite having died at least a dozen times in the past.

"When you 'died' did you ever get the feeling of being detached from the world? Like you had left your body?" the Soul Reaper asked the drifter.

"When I died, I just lose consciousness. I feel nothing, hear nothing, and see nothing. I can't tell you how long this lasts, because I just can't sense time anymore while you could say I'm dead. All that I do feel is my senses coming back to me, and waking up to another world." Alex explained to Azerik. "Outside of that, I haven't felt anything even remotely similar to an out of body experience, and I surely haven't seen a tunnel of light before."

"That means your soul remains attached to your body..." I said absentmindedly, "...either that, or that you actually have already died, and your soul is projecting itself for some reason..."

Now that I thought about it, Alex's predicament, was reminiscent of what happened to souls who wandered into the Dangai, the world between Soul Society and the worlds of the living, except he was lost in multiple worlds, instead of the customary one world.

"Haha, I don't really have a good grip on the ideas about the afterlife, Azerik." Alex stated in response. "I've never left my body before, and I don't even know if I come from a reality that even has souls. All I know is, what I think is my body and mind is being sent from one universe to another, over and over again. I don't know how, or why, but at least I do know when, and the side-effects that come with it."

Looking up to the sky, Alex saw the sunlight was dimmer than before he met Azerik. Bringing himself to his feet, the drifter peered through the extensive layers of trees and vegetation that encircled his vicinity. Perhaps it was best to travel to the shelter sooner rather than later, and continue the conversation along the way.

"If you don't mind, I think it'd be best if started to make our way to that cave of yours." Alex suggested to the Soul Reaper. "Perhaps you can tell me about yourself as we get there?"

"You're right," I said standing up to start walking, "but I'll tell you one more thing before we go: The one thing that has never changed among the many realities I've been, and the one thing I doubt will ever change, is the existence of the Soul. I see them everywhere I go, and I'm sure you would to if you cared to pay attention. You might see an animal, or a person, that looks completely and utterly alone, and if you look closer like few people do, you'll notice a chain on their chests'. That Chain of Fate, is what binds a soul to the body before it dies, then that chain is cut, and hangs from the chest of the person's soul as long as they remain in the world of the living."

Listening to his companion's explanation, Alex could feel nothing more than curiosity to learn more about their origins, their world, and the role Soul Reapers play in the multiverse.

"Interesting." Alex replied as he began to make his way through the foliage, eager to learn more. "You said earlier that it is somewhat rare for someone to travel between dimensions at will. How rare is it for Soul Reapers to possess such an ability? I'd assume that, having the role of ferrying souls of the deceased to the afterlife, most of you would be able to travel from world to world. Which brings me to question, what is the afterlife like? Is it a place, or is it a state of being?"

Realizing he had bombarded his traveling partner with inquiries, Alex caught his tongue. "I apologize for the multitude of questions, Azerik. I am just very curious to know about whatever I can. After all, I'd like to make these two days as useful as possible, seeing I'll probably just be shifted to another world afterward. You understand, right?"

"It's not a problem," I said smiling as we walked, "to answer your first question, the majority of Soul Reapers only travel between one world of living people, and the Soul Society. In fact I am the only one who has more variety in his travels. Normal Soul Reapers have to use a gate, called the Senkeimon to pass between the worlds as well, where I simply...'walk' between them. To answer your second question, The afterlife, I suppose is a state of being, but it exists in two places. Hell where the truly great sinners go, and Soul Society, which can be equated with Heaven, although not a utopia as most religions would have you believe. Soul Society is much like a cross of Feudal Japanese culture, and modern day-by which I mean the late 2oth early 21st century-culture. It has much the same problems, war, poverty, corrupt government. There is also the world of the Hollows, Hueco Mundo, but very few non-Hollows have the power to open a portal there."

Reminiscing of the various worlds he had been to in the past, Alex pondered whether he had encountered a world with a similar cosmology. Off the top of his head, he could not remember a place where such forces existed, so perhaps it was very rare for worlds as such to exist or his travels were confined to certain parts of the multiverse. Perhaps spending more time shifting from reality to reality would bring him in contact with Azerik's world, or at least a relatively closer parallel. It was fascinating to Alex that the afterlife was both a state of being and a location, but it was strange in the fact that he had never been in such a state or location similar to what could be called "the afterlife".

Wondering some more, he thought to himself of the possibility that maybe his state of existence was the afterlife. Who really knew the answer? As he walked through the forest deeper, the drifter felt compelled to understand a greater deal about Azerik's qualities as a Soul Reaper. In theory, he must be some sort of spiritual being, but in practice he appeared to be entirely physical. He had to step over fallen branches and leaves just like any other being, but this brought into question the reality surrounding spirits.

"I've never seen a spirit as you described it, Azerik, and earlier I thought to myself that maybe they aren't physical beings at all. However, you are here physically and tangibly. How is that so? Are Soul Reapers physical while spirits are not? Or can you manifest physically through some power you possess?"

"Almost but not quite," I said jumping over a fallen branch and swinging from a still suspended one, "we have technology that allows us to create temporary bodies to use in the realms where the still living reside. We call these bodies Gigai's. They usually restrict our power greatly, but I've modified this one so that it allows my Zanpaktou-that is to say my sword-manifests itself so I can slay Hollows, and interact with the living at the same time."

As my feet hit the ground, a twig snapped under them, and I continued walking. Since I had brought it up, I may as well tell him about Zanpaktou.

"My sword," I started, "or rather my Zanpaktou, is the source of most of my powers. Each Soul Reaper carries a sword, which is the 'physical' manifestation of his Zanpaktou, an inner spirit that is both part of, and separate from his own Soul. At first our Zanpaktou's spirit is unknown to us, and silent, but through training, and through understanding, we learn to speak with them. Eventually, we may learn the name of our Zanpaktou's spirit, and unleash its power. Each Zanpaktou has two names, for the two stages of power: Shikai, which means first release, and Bankai, which means final release. Often the name of the Zanpaktou reflects its powers, but it is not always so. My own Zanpaktou's name is Sumasshuyochi, and we share a rare companionable relationship, instead of the normal warrior and partner relationship. Of course we are still partners."

"Indeed we are," came Sumasshuyochi's low pitched tone inside our heads, ""it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance Alex."