Breach
Joseph closed his eyes and waited for the pull while his body lounged in the living room with his floppy dog, Shadow at his feet. Into the mind-palace once more he thought. He had discovered this ability as a child, a way to completely transport himself. When he began as a boy it was kind of like floating in the ocean until he saw an island he liked and drifted towards it. Daydreaming his parents called it but it was more than that and because of the intensity of the experience, he needed a launching platform for his travels. His mind-palace changed only slightly depending on the weather but was in basic terms a luxury tree house.
Set high in the treetops as an octagonal structure of wood and glass. The ceiling was also high and clear cut glass mixed with screens to let fresh air in. The temperature was so perfect it was almost unable to discern and the ever present sounds of birds filled the space. A short set of stairs led away from the main octagonal structure and into a semi circle room hugging the large redwood it was built upon. Pressed against the glass wall at the edge was a large door made with shifting colors and materials, behind the door the treetops continued to gently sway.
The door held anything that he needed it to hold. He could transport himself anywhere and anywhen. Even though unlimited freedom was just beyond that door, sometimes he just enjoyed the view and peace within his cozy palace. If he wished to create more, all he needed to do was think of it. Here he was the master of his domain and all that was needed to move the wheels of creation in this place was sustained and focused thought.
Time was also expanded upon. Hours here would equate to only seconds in the real world and it was in this way that Joseph mastered many things and would often wake from a nap with profound skills that he was careful to show. His sense of carefulness was unfounded yet he couldn’t help but worry that this magic he was doing was unnatural, that it was cheating life, that it would be wanted by others or that it could be taken from him. He never asked for this but now it was integral to how he operated and was not sure how others did not have the ability.
Today though, all he wanted to do was finish his book that he was reading. His library was immense and if he needed to, he could travel to any library at any time; but today he picked the book about quantum mechanics he was reading from his shelf, the blue bookmark was still in place. He curled up in his cozy recliner and settled into the last chapter while his physical self was still in the midst of taking his first breath since Joseph entered the mind palace. The chapter was longer and denser than he thought and twilight came upon him slowly. His eyes grew tired and he felt sleepy until he heard a branch cracking outside the palace. There had never been any sort of noise outside other than the bird songs he created when the palace was born.
With curiosity Joseph approached the glass and looked down to see the source of the noise. Black figures, decked in malice, were slowly climbing up towards him. This was not possible, he pondered about what in the book he was reading could have caused this manifestation but that wouldn’t make sense. He didn’t remember his thoughts straying long enough for a creation but nonetheless they were disrupting his last few pages and needed to be cleared from the palace. He focused for a half a minute on his pristine forest with beauty and fullness. A pulse emanated from the palace outwards like a refreshing rain, updating and restarting the programs of the palace. The black figures however had only been momentarily set back and were continuing to climb. Joseph was now beginning to slightly pace as he worried that something might be wrong with him. Maybe he was losing his ability to create. He focused on the warm wooden floor before him and recalled one of his favorite tales and began to focus. Less than thirty seconds later a large boulder appeared with a sword sticking from it’s side as if it was a steak being temped. Joseph smiled at the familiarity of this feeling of creation but the smile soon faded as he looked below to see the figures in black much closer. He could see the dark fabrics swaying and the sweat dripping from their fingers. If need be he could always pull himself out of the palace but what would happen if he tried to come back. Would it be like stepping back into some stagnant pool left unattended, filled with poison and death.
Someway, somehow the palace was under threat. His sense of time was not attuned very well since they came at him while he was still pondering. Three of them dressed in black approached him without words. Curiosity was still at the forefront of Joseph’s thoughts and believed these manifestations to still be a part of himself. A glint of metal was seen briefly flying towards him as he dropped his shoulder just in time to dodge the projectile. A stray piece of it caught him and he looked in horror as the shirt around his shoulder became wet with blood. The figures moved in and raised their blades, curiosity faded as a darkness bloomed in his own eyes. A portal of something new came through him and whispered what to do. He reached towards the boulder and ripped the sword from it’s rest as their blades came down only to meet his story tale steel. Looks were exchanged back and forth between the figures before Joseph sent them back in one motion. There was a hesitancy but they reset and rushed forward again in rage.
A minute later the warm wood floor was bathed in blood as Joseph knelt and panted for breath. The sword was still in hand as he tried to focus on clearing the floor only for it to pulse in palace updates and settling into it’s original form, leaving the unchanged dark figures littered among the ground. Joseph listened for others but hear nothing, just silence, even the birds were no longer singing.
