Dominos: Zero Point Awakening

Chapter 45: The Void Traveler

I was out cold for a few minutes, maybe longer. The punch had hurled me from the edge of space like a falling comet, and I’d slammed into the ground headfirst, my body a riot of pain. Fractures splintered through my bones, and my skull pulsed with a concussion that warped the world into a dizzy haze.

I’d cranked my power to 4%, cheating the limits of my strength, but it still wasn’t enough—my fragile human frame couldn’t take a hit like that. I still needed to get stronger!

I clawed my way out of the crater I’d carved into the earth, emerging into a blistering desert somewhere in South America. The sun seared the cracked ground, and the air shimmered with heat. My mind was a tangled mess, thick with questions I didn’t want to face. Number One had turned on us—that truth cut deep and clear. But beyond that, everything was a blur of shadows and doubts. Earth was under siege by unknown invaders, and I had no choice but to keep dragging myself back up, no matter how broken I felt.

I scanned the horizon, forcing my scattered thoughts into line, when a streak sliced across the sky. It was Dmitry, Captain Agatha clinging to his back. They hit the ground hard, kicking up a cloud of dust as they raced toward me.

“Cipher!” the captain shouted, her voice taut with panic. “We saw the projectile—what’s happening?”

I swallowed hard, the memory of that blade-wielding giant flashing behind my eyes. If he could knock me out with a single blow, what hope did we have against the others—especially the one with that dark, suffocating energy? The master Number One spoke of?

“Captain,” I rasped, my throat raw, “they’re here.”

“Who? The Vodocks?” Her face drained of color, fear sparking in her gaze.

“I don’t know if it’s the Vodocks,” I said, fists tightening. “There are four of them—three humans and an alien. All Neogens. One of them... he’s different. Stronger than anything I’ve ever sensed.”

Her comm crackled to life, and she glanced at it, her jaw setting firm. “Fort Vanguard’s under attack. We need to move—now!”

But before I could budge, a shadow swelled above us, swallowing the sun. I tilted my head back, and there he was—the alien, floating in the clouds, his piercing stare locked on me.

“What is that?” Dmitry’s voice broke, his eyes wide with dread.

“It’s the alien I told you about,” I said, my heart pounding faster. “Captain, you and Dmitry go ahead. I’ll deal with this.”

“What? No—we fight together! That’s the plan!”

“We can’t waste time here,” I pressed, urgency sharpening my words. “Get to the base and help the others. I’ll catch up once I handle him.”

She wavered, torn between loyalty and the ticking clock. Then Dmitry gripped her arm, and they launched into the sky, leaving me alone with the figure above.

I rocketed upward, the Jet Dome’s hum vibrating through me, until I hovered just feet from him. Then, without warning, my body locked up—or maybe my mind did, exploding into a frantic overdrive no human could fathom. The world stretched into a surreal, 360-degree vista, every detail razor-sharp and alive.

His voice rang inside my skull, deep and clear. “A third-cycle Nerak equivalent!” He drifted around me, his eyes glinting with awe. “The one human my mind couldn’t pierce. I felt your energy the instant we arrived—lurking beneath this world, that raw, terrifying power. If I weren’t seeing it myself, I’d call it impossible.”

“Who are you?” I demanded, keeping my voice steady despite the chaos in my head. “A Vodock here to attack us? You won’t win.”

“Calm yourself, brave soul. I am Phosense, the Void Traveler. I have no wish to fight you.”

“Phosense? I don’t care what you call yourself—your games won’t work. You claim peace, but one of your group attacked me on sight. I won’t let you destroy our planet.”

“There’s no need for violence,” he said, unfazed. “Let’s talk before we rush to extremes. Believe it or not, we didn’t come to wage war on your people. This is the master’s home, after all.”

“Master’s home?” The phrase snagged in my chest—Number One had said it too. “You mean the one with the strange energy?”

“He’s one of the strongest beings I’ve ever seen,” Phosense replied, a hint of reverence in his tone. “His existence makes yours... plausible. Humans are remarkable.”

Suspicion gnawed at me, sharp and cold. This felt like a trap, a current pulling me somewhere I couldn’t map. “2.0, get me out of this mind link,” I thought, desperate for control.

“Number One,” I said aloud, buying time. “Did you send him here?”

“The machine? Yes, the master sent it to open the quantum gate for us.”

My stomach twisted. “And my father—Frederick Silver? Number One said he sent it to help us fight the Vodocks. Where is he?”

Phosense’s eyes widened faintly. “You’re Frederick’s son? What are the odds?”

“Answer me!” I snapped, my patience shredding.

“Before I tell you about your father,” he said, his voice softening, “there’s something I need to show you first.”

That’s when Phosense slipped into my mind space. He reached out, brushing his fingers against my forehead, and calmly assured me he meant no harm. “I need full access to your mind,” he said.

No sooner had he touched me than the world dissolved into a boundless white void. I could still sense my surroundings, but my body was no longer mine.

“It seems you’re still blocking me,” Phosense observed. “To show you this, I need access to your primary visual cortex.”

“Why? What are you trying to do?” I demanded.

“I want to reveal the truth about your world—and explain exactly why we’re here.”

Every gesture was calculated, and I needed to understand his agenda. Reluctantly, I granted him access to my visual areas. Instantly, he transported me—through mind and memory—to a house where a man knelt, noose around his neck.

“This man lives just a few miles from us,” Phosense said softly. “Why do you think he’s ending his life?”

I shrugged. “When the world feels like it’s ending, suicide isn’t uncommon. Trapped by fear and helplessness, he’s playing his final gamble with fate.”

Phosense shook his head. “On the contrary. He was one of the bravest men I’ve ever known. I read his journey. He’s killing himself not because of despair, but because he blames himself for failing to protect his family in a tragedy beyond his control. He lived for them—now that they’re gone, his purpose is gone too.”

I frowned. “What’s your point? Suicide can’t be rationalized.”

“Perhaps,” Phosense replied. “But this man’s last question was simple: ‘Why am I alive?’ My master, the Skepto, has discovered the answer to that question—the missing piece that beings across the universe have pondered for eons. The true purpose of living.”

His conviction was chilling. He intended to reshape my mind. I had to escape—and dismantle his twisted reasoning.

“That’s a philosophical monad problem,” I shot back. “It’s an entity-based question woven from countless causal threads. You can’t solve it by reductionism—trimming away nuances to force a simple answer. Human behavior is far more complex.”

Phosense’s gaze sharpened. “We have found the answer,” he declared. “Once our great conquest begins, I will guide your world onto the correct path.”

“And that path is...?” I asked.

He projected images into my mind: two chains of human impulses—self preservation, greed, power, dominance—then the outliers: loneliness, overwhelming sensuality, love, hatred, blood. “Power and dominance are the root issues,” he explained. “To eliminate all threats and give life meaning, beings need an absolute authority—dominance by someone stronger than their own minds can fathom.”

“So you intend to conquer our planet?”

“Not conquer,” he corrected. “Save it from collapse by forging an empire to rule the universe.”

“And who will sit on the throne? Your master?”

“The strongest,” he said. “For now, that’s my master. But you, too, could rise. All humans possess that potential—and that’s what makes you both a threat and an answer. Join us, and you will see how vast the universe truly is.”

I scoffed. “An empire of domination? Humanity’s drive for more is a protective response to our limited perspective—and why we’ve warred for centuries. If that’s your ‘peaceful resolution,’ I’ll pass. I won’t let another imperialist sow chaos here—or beyond.”

I held my ground, though I feared this was only the beginning of Phosense’s design.