14 Chapter 14: Sometimes, it all feels like a Dream.

As Kane watched the colossal dragon vanish back into the clouds, his heart raced, and his mind swirled with disbelief. The sight had been surreal, almost otherworldly, and it left an indelible mark on him. That moment when his eyes had crossed with the dragon's, it felt as if the entire world was squeezing him. But then the pressure was gone. A few seconds passed before he immediately reached out to inform the command center of what he had just witnessed, his voice trembling with a mix of awe and fear.

"Command center, this is Kane. I've just encountered a massive dragon in my airspace. Requesting immediate backup and further instructions."

Silence greeted him, as there was no response to his message. He knew for a fact that the message had been registered. Which meant that he was being ignored for some reason. The communication window on his side showed no change. Panic started to creep in for a moment, before he remembered this was all a simulation. He did not have to remain in character throughout. As long as he completed the objectives he was informed of, the scenario could be cleared.

He controlled his jet to follow behind where the dragon had disappeared into the clouds. All the high-tech surveillance measures had failed to take notice of such a large mass in the surrounding space. So either the dragon had some technology far better than his own. Or it probably made use of magic to remain in stealth.

Kane took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. His jet roared ahead, piercing the skies and heading toward the unknown anomaly. While the idea of facing a dragon made him want to hide in a blanket, but the assurance that this was all a dream made him brave enough to fulfill his curiosity. Finding a dragon drifting in the airspace where a massive anomaly was detected, almost aligned with the bits of information that he had received. He did not know what further actions he was required to take, hence why he had decided to simply follow in the direction of the dragon.

As he ascended through the layer of the clouds, his speed increasing gradually. Minutes seemed to feel like hours. The clouds around him felt endless, no sight of a dragon or anything. As he felt that the clouds would never end, abruptly, the jet spiraled out of control. The controls became unresponsive. The lights were going full disco and alarms were blaring. Suddenly the communication channel came alive and the officer from before was shouting something.

But none of it registered in Kane's head. Because of the view in front of him.

A black hole. Or at least that's what it looked like.

He had seen the movie Interstellar, and the view in front of him looked very much right out of that movie. Albeit a very small version, without all the gravity which even light could not escape trope. As if it were a hologram? An illusion, perhaps?

And it all clicked together for him. The dragon, the black hole, time passing excruciatingly slow. It's all a big illusion. 

Suddenly, the world around him started to fracture, as if it were glitching. The jet he was in disappeared and he was in a free fall. But then the chaos all disappeared, and he was sitting in a strange circular hall. Seated amongst a group that was in a heated argument. And in front of him was a podium. With a man holding a bowl of ramen in his hand?

The déjà vu hit like a train as he realized where he was. Where this was. And what was going to happen next?

Quick on his feet, Kane jumped out of his seat to dodge the flying bowl of ramen that came at the audience. He pulled back from the crowd as he watched the crowd who all had the same face as him surge towards the podium to assault the guy who had gone all ramen on them. 

"GUIDE, what the hell is happening? Where am I? This is not the Dream stage."

He shouted to no one in particular amidst the chaos. But for the first time, the omnipresent GUIDE did not answer. The crowd was no almost onto the man, ready to pummel him black and blue when the scene around him stopped. As if someone pressed the pause button. 

"Sorry for all the chaos. I believe the last few days have been incredibly stressful for you. And your current experience should be pushing you over the edge, in fact, no?"

A familiar voice brought him out of his reverie as the circular hall and podium around him crumbled to reveal a stark white room. Kane was seated on a white chair across a white table, dressed in all whites. And opposite to him was a very familiar face. 

"No, I am not the GUIDE if that thought crossed your mind. I am Kane Schwarsild, your alternate version of a reality that is a million years ahead in future compared to yours. I have brought you here to warn you and provide some help. To save our universe and the multi-verse from my reality. If there is even a chance. Now let's get started because I can't keep you here for a long while before the GUIDE notices something amiss and starts to investigate. Do not ask any questions until I am done explaining everything."

"So where do we begin? Hmm, parallel realities would be a good start, I believe."