Stars were born from the cradle of creation. Age would eventually win in the end, and then death followed, but it didn’t stop there. Some developed in the making of neutron stars. Others were altered into white dwarfs. The larger stars were the most likely candidates to graduate into massive black holes. The unionized material gathered from the black holes formed pockets on the other side, developing a quantum fluctuation. As time moved on, so further moved the expansion. They became coherent with each other, fostering universal bubbles. Billions of years later, the bubbles manifested into one universe—a parallel universe.
The accumulation acquainted with the new universe introduced a formulation of planets. Each world was connected with both a positive and negative field, keeping them in check. The planets rotated opposite from each other, generating a field grid. Illuminated, pressurized atmospheric gasses consummated the zero-gravity space void. These gasses were noncompliant in the making of suns, so stars were not in the equation.
Eventually, intelligent life-forms appeared. The first to emerge from the evolutionary chain were the Vitqusoucians. As they evolved, they studied and scrutinized, learning how to punch through into our universe. They would select a choice star at their whim and then accelerate the natural aging process, spawning black holes. The materials captured from the black holes were harnessed for the Vitqusoucians’ selfish needs, not caring about the consequences they embroiled to the other universe. Now the parallel universe was threatened by the introduction of a new form of destruction—a storm that was very capable of tearing the very fabric of their space apart. Orb and the Vitqusoucian battle cruiser were a step ahead of that universal chaos. They arrived unseen and undetected from the enemy occupied Afraglia. Time would soon run out.
Inside the interior of the Sphere, John paced. “Orb, how long before the storm arrives?” he asked.
“Approximately twenty-four hours in Earth time, John Dae.”
“That doesn’t leave us with much time to work with. Are you able to count how many Afraglians are on the planet?”
Orb was momentarily quiet and then responded, “An estimation of less than five thousand Afraglians.”
Overhearing this, Jsyuem fell into a rage. “Those monsters! I shall destroy them all! There were more than 1 billion of my people on that planet.” Jsyuem shape-shifted into the monstrous form John had witnessed before.
“Hold on, Orb. Don’t do anything yet,” John advised before turning to Jsyuem. “Damn it, Jsyuem, get a grip. Remember that temper of yours got you in trouble from the very start.”
Jsyuem grew to an even larger size. “John Dae, they killed all those people—my people.” She moved around heavily, striking out those deadly claws of hers into the open air. She let out a horrific scream that echoed throughout the Sphere’s large chamber. This continued for several minutes. Finally, she slumped down on scaly knees and sobbed. “My people. I feel so helpless.”
John placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. She turned her large reptilian head around and roared at John.
“That won’t do you any good. If you continue like this, I’ll have Orb place you into the metamorphosis chamber again. I still don’t believe your transformation is complete,” John scolded.
Jsyuem quieted down and then shifted back. From behind, a voice rang out. “Jsyuem?”
“Good grief, you couldn’t have picked a worse time than now,” John mentally broadcast to Mable.
Jsyuem turned around, and there stood Bfigen, her betrothed.
“Jsyuem, what is happening? I just saw you change into something, well, I don’t know what.”
She picked herself up and rushed over to Bfigen, caressing him. “I am so ever happy to see you, my love.”
He pulled her back with a look of confusion. “What has happened to you? You’ve changed. You don’t even look Afraglian anymore. You look human. And what was that thing you turned into?”
Mable sincerely said, “Sorry, John. He desperately wanted to see her. I should’ve checked with you first.”
“It’s too late now, Mable. The cat’s out of the bag. I suppose it would’ve been a matter of time.”
Jsyuem stormed over to John and scowled. “Damn it, John Dae. I’m standing right here. I can hear every word you’re saying.”
John, a little embarrassed, said apologetically, “Forgive me, Jsyuem. I forgot about your telepathic ability.”
Bfigen angrily asked, “What do you mean about a cat coming out of a bag? And what the hell is a cat?”
Oh, brother. This is getting complicated, John thought. “I want everybody to calm down—especially you, Bfigen. You were told from the very beginning that Jsyuem would change in the transformation. So, there you have it … she is different. I believe she needs to get back into the metamorphosis chamber and complete her transformation. But as it stands right now, we have no time to argue. You both need to say your good-byes. We’re about to approach Afraglia. Your people need our help, and we need to get prepared. Mable, take Bfigen back to the ship. Think of a plan we can use in the rescue of the remaining Afraglians.”
“Understood, John,” Mable noted. “Bfigen, we need to go.”
“Just give me a moment, please.” Bfigen walked over to Jsyuem. “My darling, we’ll talk later. I’m sure I’ll get a better understanding of all this.”
Jsyuem concentrated. “I’m trying to change back to my old self. I just can’t.”
“It doesn’t matter, and I don’t care what you look like. I’ll always know it’s you and will still love you.”
John, now relieved that everything was under control, reminded Mable, “You need to formulate a plan, so let’s get going.”
Both Afraglians gave out a parting glance.
“Good-bye, Jsyuem.”
“Good-bye, Bfigen.”