Daily Monday Short: Matt 01

Matt Smith hovered above the planet that had birthed him. He came up here to think, as nothing beat the vacuum of space for silence except the Plane of Water’s deepest depths.

Space was quite a bit safer, so space it was.

This trip had been accompanied by his current Shard Companion, Jennifer. She wasn’t as good as others, but then humanity being what it was, he worked with what he had.

“Did you know that reality isn’t stable?” Matt said, turning to look at his companion.

“Sir?” Jennifer replied, her face composed.

“Reality,” Matt said, waving out at the universe backdropped by a blazing youthful solar furnace. “It isn’t stable.”

His companion chose to remain silent, one of her more endearing traits. He detested the ones that talked with empty minds the most. Matt focused on following his soul's path to the [Outsider] before ringing the equivalent of a dinner bell.

Darkness flowed awake, and endless red eyes surrounded them both. Matt could hear the frantic heartbeat of his companion as she struggled to maintain her calm.

“D̸̨̛̘̬̘̱̔̈̓͐͆̋̽͒̋͋͗̾̆͑͌̑͗̔̎͆̽͋̑̈̀͐̑̿̉͊̽̈̀̆̋̔̓̉̑̐̉͆̂̀̉͘͝į̶̧̛̛͍̼̖̥̲̭̭̮̗̯͇̭̾̃̿̽̈̊̈̆̔́̓͆̓͑̃̉͛̅̊̓͊̃̓̈́̀̑̆̉́̿̎̌̈́̿̅̈̽͋̈́̕̕͘̚̕͠͠ň̷̨̨̡̛̛̛̛̛̘̳̟̲̣͕̞͇͇̦̟͕͍͔̗͎̟̯̊̀̑̓̿̂͋͊̂́̌̀̀̾̉́̿̏̂̆͋̽͒͆̅͆̅̋̃̑͘͘̚͠͠ͅņ̵̨̡̛̺̦̳̜̱͚͔̳͕͙̙̟̝̝͈̗͔̳͉̘͓̯̲͉͉̺̐̂͛͘͝ȩ̴̡̨̛̤̝̫͔̙͖̗͉̪̭̺͙͔̺̮͎̼̝̺͙͇̥̝̉͐̑͐͆̿̀͒̈́̄̏̋̌̉̉̎̏̑͑̆̊͗͗̈́̍̾̒̾̒̂̋͒͗̀͋̍͑̽̒͜͜͝͝r̷̨̨̢̨͇̺̳̺̜̜̠̭͖͎̪͖̼̝̲̟͇͇̲̾̄͊͆̈́̂͒͊̎͛̋̐̽́̈́̀̇͑́͐̏̒̆̊̇͒̔̂̋̇̈́̔́̓̿̎͗̔̈́̔̚͝͝͝͠͝ͅ ̵̢̧̛̗͓͍̗̱͖̳̯̇͛͋͒̀̐̑͐͂̓̂̉̎͋̂̀́̑͊̍̎̎͑̿̉͊̏̿̑̇͌̍́́̉̒̽̅̊̕͝͝ͅį̸̨̢̛͖͉͓̖͖̯̬̟̯̼͚̙̯͍̝͈̭̟͎̝̣̣͔̲̹̟͉̤̞̩̹̳̭̼̀̏̀̒͊̃͂̄̉̏͑̌̀̃̈́̐́̃͌͒̏̿͋̾̍͆͌̔̒̇͘͘̕̚̚͜͜͜͝͝ͅş̷̨̡̛̺̭̤̠͇̯̲̰̟̩̤̬̦̘̥̻̤͉̺̖̺͕̤̀́̐̈͋́́̌̊̆̆̊̉͋̏͗̋̾̀͆͜͜͜͝͝ ̶̧̨̨̡̨̛̲̫̳̜̜̪̲̝̹̭̗̖̫̥̹̮̗͎̹̜͖̯͔̪̙͈̼̺̙͖̾̉̀̏̓̔̿͗͂͐̎̽̈́̏̓̉̔͐͆̄͘͜͝͠ͅś̷̡̡̜̮̭̞̣̜͍͎̬̙̻̜͓̮̳͍̃̾̓̄͌ͅe̸̛̯̰̮̦̱̱͍̫͕͕̯̺̗̭͍͎̥̫͈͍͆͐̈̓̎̅́̋̅̂͌r̵̢̨̡̢̧̻͇͔͎͍̣̘̣̖̯̣̖̜̳̮̟͓̝͎͕͚̳̞̞̜̗̜͑̂́̓̉̆̽͝v̷̛̛̼̤̳̱̔͐̇͆̔͒͛͂̅͒͆̓̄̀́̎̀̏̉̍̇̎͛̏̎̈́͒̓̈̔̍̉̉̈͘͘͘͝͝͠ȩ̸̡̨̢̨̜̬͚͈͍̗̜̮̬̖̪͓͇͔͕̬̗̱̱̺̝͍̱͍̬̗̻͙̜͙̖̞̝̩̮͇̩̋͆̒͗̈́̇̒̄̒́͊́̎̊̒̀̂̅̈́͑̂́͐̎͗͜͠ḑ̷̖̙̱̙͍̆́͆̍̈́̾̊̅̅̅̅̆̑̽̾̒̇̀̐̔͂̀̌͊͘ ̵̢̨̢̢̲̗̻̲͕̻͕̼̽͂̀̇͗̈́͝ͅb̵̧͖͕̟͉̜̼͇̫͓̙̙̰͕͇̼̰͍͑͋́̑͒ͅy̶̢̡̡͉̣̪̲̲̤͚͇̜̎̈́̀̂̚͜ ̵̧̨͇͉̟̦̩̬͍̖̱̱̝̩͇͇̙̮̬͎̮̺̹̗̬͓̻̠͔͇̮̟̫̦͇̙͙͉͊̃̍͒̅́̉̽̾͜͝ẗ̸̨̢̤̜̖̼̜͍͎̘̭̻̣̲͓̬͕̭̝͇͚͕̗͈͈͌̆̔̊͆̒̐́̈́͂̄̅́̌̔́̃͗͆͜͝͝͠͠͝h̷̡̡̡̨̡͔͈͖̥̙̲̤͉̙͚̪̝̭̝̱͇̱̜͈͇̠̥͚̰͍̞̱̪̻͍͚̱̹̭̞̉̇͋̍́̌̃͂̔̓͛̄̄̓͜͝ͅę̸̛̬͈̹̥̜͌̏̅͐̿̽͒̍́͐͒̓̏͋̈́̌̈̍͛̾̓̚͘͘͘͠ ̷̡̨̡̞̣̗̹̯̥̻̹̪̮̤͚̬̙̥̳͕̟͍̥͈̖̥̫̋̋̐͋̃͂͛̐͐͆̊̔͐͆̆̅͊̇͒̑͗̇̽̊̈̾̋̊̂͐͌̃̋̈́̏̈́͊͗̀̊̉̋̊͂̚̕̕͜͜͠͝ͅͅP̴̛̩̲̭͎̝̠̫̩͉͕̥̘̲̩̤̾̋̉̄̽̋̒̓̋̆̎͋͆͆͋̉͌̽̿̃̆͒̓̈́͆́͑̀͘̚̚͘͘̕̚͝͝͝͠͝ą̶̛̛̞̮͎̲͈̳̜̻̝͐̏̂̓͒̾̔̀̎͒̃̇̐̐̀͐̄͒͆̄̇̎͗͛͊̊̋͛̓̿͛͛̾͛͛̓̕̚͜͝͝͝͝͝c̷͕̄͑̅̓͂͛͆͛̓̃̇̐̉̓̈́̆̈́̂̈̏̑́̏́̀̒̚̚̕̕t̵̢̬̰̰̥̞̗̙̟̙̝̠̫̫̣̖͕̪͚̤̹̱̻͖̟̦̫̙̼̭̂̄̑̊̅̂̀̇̐̏̕͜͝͝ͅ ̵̞̓͛̿̋̽̂́̂̒̍͒̅̓̓͆̕͝͝b̵̨̛̦̼̱͈͉̯̳̺̤̞̭̣̖̣̱̠̗̳̩̫͐͐̎͜͜͠ͅͅͅë̷̲̠̭̦̘́̑͆̌͆͒̓̓̀͆͐́̊̃̈̂͋̓̎̂̈͐̚͝͝͠ţ̷̧̛̛̳̻͎̮̣̱̼̻̯̻̼̟̖̭̺͔̲̺̮̯͇̹̥̫̮̬̙̰̪̖̬̫̝̮͔̠͚̭̈́͂̈́̓̽͊͋͑͗͆͑̆̃̿̎̀͗͑̂͊̚̚͜͝͠͝ͅẃ̵̨̖̱̞͖͉̜̩͉̗͙̱̤͙͍̪͇̩̼̗̘̩͔͓̤̻̬̳̯̼̯̘̤̭̭͚̱̹͉̗͇̼̐̈́̂̑̌͊́͗̀̕͝͠͝͝e̴̡̨̛̛̛̼̯̟̗̤̮̜͇̗̞̞̥̦̖̗͎͍̩͙̝̮̺̤̝̘̜̪̬̙͍͔͍̭̾̇̄̿͑̀̓̑̿̊̇̄̋̐͒͒́͐́̇͑̊̀͆̔͘̕̕̕͜͝͠͝͝͠ḝ̸̢̢̨̧̨̛̛̩̼̖̩̫̯͇̰̼̪̟̞̮̣͍͍̪̬͙̙͉̟̜̪̬̟͎̖̘͔͕̼͔̙͈̣̝̫͔͇̺̗̪̎̐̓͆̓͐̉̎̊͆͋̔̈́̾̑́̓͆̒̽͊̇̔̃͗́̐͘̚̚͝ͅn̵̛̫͎̹̻̟̘̣͕̘̍̀̃̐͋̄̂̆̆͛̋̽̎͋̉͌̍̃̀̐̾͛̈́̊͂͊̉̌͋̓̎̔̂̀͐̂̓̽̑͑͘͘̚͘͜͜͝͠͝͝͝ ̸̧̛̬̤̗̲̥̺͔̪̤͈̣͉̺̞͔̝̟̫̝̼̣̗͇̣̱͕̰́̄̃͛͗́̾̒̅̀̌̿͑̈́̎͊͂͐͐̇͑̍́̉́̈̓̽͂̽͊̈́͘̕͜͝͠͝͠ͅͅư̶̧̨̡̱̮͉̺̫̬̺͔͚̣͕̪̪̞͔̺̘͋̅̋̒̑͛̉̐̐̽̀̋͗̀͒̔͂̂͂̾͐̐̾̄̌͐̎͒͆̑̔͛̾̀͛͗̍̑̒̉͒̎̄̚̕̚͜͠͝ͅs̶̨̧̨̳̖̖̰̬̝̲̝̻͆̀̃̐̽̑͐̌̈̒͊́̕̕͘̕͜.̴͖̩̯̣͎̦̦͚̖̀͐̏͛̂͆͆͑͐̀̑̑͗͋͋͒͐̈́̾̆̏͊̆̇̊̀͆̒͐̋̾̄͊̄͂̒̌͂̊̋̕͝͝” Matt said.

There was a moment of pregnant silence before every sun in the universe, and every piece of matter ceased to exist with only a single exception.

Only the faint crunching sound as if a great beast had devoured a bone could be heard from a great distance. Eventually, even that noise ended.

I still don’t know where the sound comes from. Matt Smith thought in annoyance. He’d been trying to figure that out for more time than most places in Cosmology had existed. It’s probably something spiritual. Perhaps that is why it always sounds like crunching bone noises.

The only thing left in the now-dead universe was Black Hole gates and his home planet. Before the sanity of those trapped on Earth vanished, Matt moved his right-hand palm up to the planet’s surface and said, “Light.” Endless darkness took a toll on the mind, as he well knew.

A soft light glowed on the planet as he altered the mana at the furthest reaches of the atmosphere to mimic sunlight. It was a temporary measure until preparations were complete to leave this universe which was nothing more than a silent tomb.

Eventually, the mana flowing from the Anomaly would reach critical mass. At that point, the first Elemental Emperor would be born.

Mat shrugged. He would have taken the planet to safety before such a calamity was visited.

“Sir, what happened?” Jennifer said, staring into the now boundless darkness of a dead universe’s corpse.

“Dinner,” Matt said with an enigmatic smile. “Let’s get back to Earth now.”

Jennifer managed to shudder still and nodded almost robotically.

“Are the preparations for departure on schedule?” Matt said.

“Yes, we’ve ensured everyone understands the transition will occur within the month,” Jennifer said. She quickly switched from terrified to energetic the closer they got to the planet.

“Excellent. Was there anything on the agenda besides that?” Matt asked. The boring trivia of the rule wasn’t his cup of tea which was why he had created Shard Companions in ages past. They dealt with the trivial minutia freeing him from the shackles of politics.

“There was the minor matter of meeting the nation’s powerhouses. Some have been making movements that could be regarded as rebellion.” Jennifer said as they passed through the atmosphere. The Plane of Air was already starting to connect to Earth, and the others wouldn’t be far behind.

I need to move the planet before it becomes anchored. Matt thought as his eyes narrowed. “Schedule a meeting with them. I will pull a list of rebels from the minds of those foolish enough to attend and work my way down from there.”

Jennifer clasped her right hand over her heart and bowed as their feet touched the ground. “Understood, sir.”