3.0
O Sariputra, Form does not differ from Emptiness
And Emptiness does not differ from Form.
Form is Emptiness and Emptiness is Form.
The same is true for Feelings,
Perceptions, Volitions and Consciousness.
- The Heart Sutra, Verse 2
+++
2011 Mare Serenitatis, Moon
The Eight Legions stood waiting carefully, protecting
Shamballa from all invaders that would seek to do it harm. He gazed up upon
Jambudvipa, the eddies of water and cloud painting a blue orb of living life in the darkness of space.
Indra-Sakra, the duly elected 10th Supreme Commander of the
Trayastrimsa Federation gazed dispassionately over the unmoving ranks of Devas that stood, fully armoured and armed, waiting for the orders to move out.
The Silver City of Shamballa was a sacred place, the heart of the Bodhisattva Supreme's secret sanctuary. Powerful
Astras were aimed upon the Planet Earth above, ready to rain down mass destruction upon the mortals should they dare rebel.
A mighty horn blew and the sound reverberated across the lunar landscape despite the lack of air upon the Moon's surface. Inda-Sakra stiffened in surprise. He turned to his charioteer who stood ready at the consoles.
"Matali, where is that alarm coming from?"
In the thousand years since Shamballa was established upon the Earth's sole satellite, the horn has never sounded. There was literally nothing on this Earth that had required the intervention of the Eight Legions except some behind the scenes action in the USSR and the quick extermination of a couple of parallel Earths that were too technologically advanced for the Bodhisattva's comfort.
The thin and lanky Matali looked over to Indra with a frown as he examined the origination of the alarm. He pressed several hard light buttons and examined a graph.
"My Lord, it would appear that Tibet itself has been invaded by an autonomous mechanized army. Origin unknown, however, central intelligence indicate that this style of technology is known amongst the repertoire of the
Dragon King of the Northern Sea."
Indra-sakra blinked his large black eyes in surprise and replied somewhat incredulously, "Impossible, that Shard was sealed for this Yuga."
Matali suddenly stood up from the Charioteer's seat.
"My lord! Nuclear warheads headed our way!"
"What!"
In the dark of space, Indra-sakra's clairvoyance saw the sleek missiles breaking from orbit and headed towards the Moon at hypervelocity.
"ETA 10 minutes!"
Indra-sakra focused inwards and drew forth his innate communication power that he shared with all of the Devas and the rest of the Legions.
[All legionnaires, assemble! Tibet and now Shamballa itself is under threat by forces unknown. Prepare to restore order at all costs.]
He turned back to Matali.
"Try to contact the Bodhisattva Supreme. I want to know what's happening."
Matali toggled a few icons. And frowned.
"Nothing. Something is blocking our signal."
"Shit."
Indra turned back and watched as the Eight Legions began to assemble. The Devic Army remained where they were, but now the other beings were coming into the yard and assembling.
First were the rest of the Devic forces. Lines upon lines of celestial soldiers assembling together with their brethrens already standing guard near Indra's Chariot.
One of the Devas slammed his spear into the ground and roared.
"First Legion, Devas, ready!"
The slithering serpent people came next, the minor dragons that formed the the second legion filing into the airspace above the Moon, flying around in circular patterns. They were made from the DNA of ancient dinosaurs, resurrected in the modern age and granted cosmic powers. One of the Elder Dragons roared, "Second Legion, Nagas, ready!"
The Yakshas came next, the elvin like dryads armed in wooden armour and decorated in vines and leaves took up rank in the city's central garden where they tended to the vegetation of the silver city.
"Third Legion, Yakshas, ready!"
The dancing and twirling form of the Gandharva, the gods of music, medicine, children came next, circling the borders of Shamballa, keeping a steady eye out for enemies so they could alert the rest of their forces. Their music filled Inda-sakra with confidence.
"Fourth Legion, Gandharva, ready!"
The Asuras came next and Indra-sakra scowled slightly. They formed the penal legions- loyal servants of the Bodhisattva Supreme who had failed the cause in some way in their former life. They were reborn as Asuras, a lower kind of Deva that was powerful, but not given any commanding positions. Their women were beautiful though, Indra's queen was of Asura stock.
"Fifth Legion, Asuras, ready!"
Joining the Nagas in the sky were the Garudas, the celestial bird of prey that were fierce rivals with the dragon-folk. They made their nest out in the asteroid field and strip-mine the space rocks for precious metals that the Devas forge into mighty weapons and Vimanas.
"Sixth Legion, Garudas, ready!"
The Kimnara, the celestial musicians and dancers, their lithe human form at contrast with their horse head. They joined with their Gandharva counterparts as music filled the air- despite there being no air. One of their mystical powers.
"Seventh Legion, Kimnara, ready!"
The third race of celestial musicians, the Mahoraga joined up shortly thereafter. Their serpentine forms take after the Naga, but they were more humanoid than their draconic cousins.
"Eighth Legion, Mahoraga, ready!"
Indra-Sakra took pride in the rapid assembly of the Nine-Thousand members of the Eight Legions, 1125 members per Legion. He knew that they were all armed with mighty weapons and were equipped with the power to destroy industrialized civilizations, even space faring ones.
Indra-Sakra summoned his mighty Varjya, his iron thunderbolt weapon and aimed it at the incoming warheads.
"These mortals dare raise their hands against their gods! In the name of the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas of the Ten-Direction, we shall show them their folly!"
He fired a shearing beam of light that vapourized the nearest warhead.
"All Legions, move out!"
With a mighty roar, those that could fly lifted off and flew towards the Earth above. The rest began to file into large Carrier-type Vimanas.
Indra turned to Matali.
"Matali, launch when ready."
"Aye ay, my Lord."
The faithful Charioteer examined the complex equations and numbers necessary to project a trajectory to Tibet. The Skyscraper Sized Vimana that was Indra's Chariot began to lift off from the ground, it's anti-gravity drives made the task effortless.
In moments it was halfway to the Planet Earth. Dragons and Garudas flew next to them, traveling by more esoteric means through the ether.
As they neared the planet, Indra began to pick up panicked broadcasts from the Shards of the various Enlightened Ones defending Tibet against the mechanical army of the Dragon King.
And then a mass of luminous eyeballs and tentacles and crystal wings cut through his Chariot with a flaming chakram, shearing the palace in half. Indra screamed as the front half of his vehicle crashed back onto the Lunar surface, but the latter half thankfully continued to fly- the bridge ensconced there and was safe. Alarms began to ring all throughout the ship.
"Matali, status!"
"Hull damage is too severe. We need to evacuate before the fusion chambers combust."
Indra-Sakra looked up at the eldritch horror that that began to pulverize Devas that tried to fight it.
"What is that monster?"
The Eyeballs- all nineteen of them, Indra counted- locked onto him. And it spoke in his mind, through the same channels he used to broadcast orders and tactical information to his forces.
[Indra-sakra. Or should I say, Jacob? Your reign is at an end.]
Indra frowned at the mention of his former identity.
[What are you, monster? I was elected by the Devas to lead them. You shall not find me a weak opponent.]
The being laughed telepathically.
[In my former form, it was I who judged that you deserved rebirth as a Deva- I know you well. I was Yama. Now I am Maalik, the Angel of Hell. Fear me.]
The Moon quake as gods wailed in horror at the impossible being in their midsts.
The war for the Solar System begins as throughout the Sol System, the other non-human beings watched in fascinated horror as a former Dharmapala slaughtered the gods.
+++
2011 Lhasa, Tibet
Annette Mara stepped out of an alley in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. She looked up and spotted the flying draconic machines of Dragon. Several temples were on fire and smoke and plume were rising high into the sky.
"Keep them busy, Dragon. I will assassinate the Bodhisattva."
King Mara's form stood next to Annette and his eyes blazed with promised vengeance.
"Soon Mara, soon."
She began to walk carefully alongside the panicking monks and civilians as they took shelter under the bombardment of the Dragon suits.
After about ten minutes of dodging patrolling monks, she managed to enter the central temple complexes. One of these temples hosted the entryway to the Bodhisattva's sanctum.
King Mara pointed up at the sky.
"Look at that Annette. It's dear Jacob."
Annette looked up at a falling star, fire burning alongside the steel hulls of the colossal Vimana as it crashed into the side of the Himalayas distances away.
Annette recognized that spaceship anywhere.
"Indra-Sakra. The King of the Thirty-Three."
King Mara nodded.
"Just so. He was one of my temporary hosts. After his death, the Bodhisattva Supreme somehow saw fit to be have him reincarnated as a Deva, supposedly for the virtue of resisting me- somehow he was elected into the Indra position."
He turned and walked into the temple.
"Come Annette, we have a Saint to kill."
+++
2011 Jovian Moon System
It had been a month since they last heard from Shamballa and Devas were growing concerned.
When the Bodhisattva Supreme first arrived, she cloned the minds of those most useful for her purposes and made them into different races and set them upon the stars.
Only humans could attain enlightenment and only they could receive shards of their own with their own past life lineages. The Eight Specialized Shards for the Legions were part of a separate network, reserved to be shared amongst the Legionaries, these network was more akin to a supercomputer and the Legionaries were given access to the abilities that the computer could utilize. These powers were granted through mantras (some of these mantras were even taught to some humans on Earth, allowing them the power of the gods in certain condition, leading to the rise of numerous magical traditions- but those were all stamped out after the Ending Dharma Age had begun).
As for the rest of the denizens of the solar systems, they were devoid of power aside from what their biology and technology grants them. Weaker than the legions, these other races could watch from their Jovian space-stations and Martian colonies as their empire began to crumble.
The Thirty-Three Colonies of the Devas found themselves rioting as citizens panicked over the conflicting news that were being spread from
Jambudvipa.
They had all watched as the emergency broadcast show Indra-Sakra's chariot beset by a being of myth and legend- an Angel of a heretical religion. There was mighty battle as the Legions fought with valour against the Angel.
And then the transmitters based on Shamballa was destroyed along with the solar wireless network.
Rumours abound and gods were confused. Some of these rumours were that:
Tibet was destroyed.
Tibet was not destroyed.
The Bodhisattva Supreme is dead.
The Bodhisattva Supreme is not dead.
Shamballa has fallen.
Shamballa is besieged.
Shamballa triumphs.
The fastest scout Vimanas would still take days to reach Earth's moon. There was no time to investigate truly, what was happening.
The Kings of the space-stations and space colonies urged their respective citizens to be safe as they coordinated their resources and militias to maintain the peace. However, many of them were also maneuvering themselves politically to take advantage of the situation.
The Thirty-Two Kings of the
Trayastrimsa Federation all vied with each other each election cycle to be voted as the New Indra-Sakra, the ruler of the Thirty-Third Colony of Shamballa, which also doubles as the capital of the Thirty Three Devic States.
As such it was no surprise at all when King Gopti-Thule of Station Fourteen annexed the neighbouring colony of Europa. The two city states have long been economic rivals. Station Fourteen informally blockades incoming trade by taxing any Vimana that wants to land on Europa, which is how they make their money, much to the resentment of Europa. The Europans as a result, have an array of Astras aimed at Station Fourteen at any given moment. Many times have war threatened to break out, but Indra-Sakra kept them inline.
Indra-Sakra wasn't in any position to object to the sudden seizure of Europa by Station Fourteen. Within the first five minutes before any Europan Devas really knew what was happening, King Rama of Europa was dead and the
Astras on Europa were disabled.
Other Kings objected, but there was nothing they could do, they were all too busy dealing with their respective rioting citizens.
On the local intranet of Station Two, a Devi suggested that they invade the Earth, but this idea was immediately shot down as being foolhardy.
And then the Asuras rebelled.
+++
2011 Himalayas, near Lhasa
Indra-Sakra spat out a mouthful of snow as he crawled out of the wreckage of his Chariot.
"Matali!"
There was no answer and Indra became worried. He cast out his broadcasting power and try to pinpoint Matali's location.
Instead, he received the precise location of every Shard-connected in Tibet. And...a familiar ping that should not belong within the network, but he recognized right away.
He hissed.
"
Mara."
Hefting his Varjya, Indra-Sakra began to trek towards Lhasa. His superhuman body and superior circulatory system saw him dashing above the surface of the snow at great speeds as he scaled down the mountain.
Whatever Mara wanted in Tibet cannot be good. He was most likely after the Bodhisattva and Jacob cannot let that happen.
+++
2011, Vatican City
Taylor Mara walked out of an alley in Rome and saw that the streets were lined with people armed with baseball bats and makeshift weapons. The entire city was ready and willing to go to war. Doubtlessly they have already heard of what happened in Brockton Bay and Europe.
Vairocana still stood there, finger outstretched, but he was not attacking.
What is going on?
King Mara shrugged next to her.
"It does not matter. Our objective is to retrieve the
object hidden beneath the vatican. Your mother and my parallel self will keep the Bodhisattva distracted. Maalik is keeping the Eight Legions occupied."
Taylor asked the question she had been wondering since day one.
"Just what is this object that you are seeking?"
"Something that was stolen from me by the Bodhisattva Supreme. It's buried in a pocket dimension linked to the Vatican. I couldn't exactly dig it out without every Dharmapala flocking after me, but they're all headed back to Tibet now that the Capital is under assault."
He grinned.
"All is going according to plan."
Taylor nodded and took another step forward, but then suddenly threw herself back as figure crashed into the pavement in front of her, splintering concrete in all directions much to the shock of the nearby people.
"A heathen! Kill him!"
The mob raised their makeshift weapons and charged the monk, but he swung his arm once and the mob were knocked back.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
A man unloaded his shotgun rounds into the monk, but the bullets crunched up when they came into contact with the man's skin.
Taylor gaped.
"There are no Tulkus that strong! Who is he?"
The monk turned to her and Taylor noticed how young he was for the first time. He bowed.
"I am Grandmaster Chekhov of the Temple of Infinite Time."
He smiled.
"You may call me Dennis, Miss Hebert. My friend sends me to prevent you from making a grave mistake."
Taylor hissed.
"And what mistake would that be?"
"The
Eternity Matrix no longer accepts you, Mara."
King Mara flinched. Taylor looked at him in confusion.
"What? What's the Eternity Matrix?"
Dennis stared grimly at Taylor.
"Mara, I know you can hear me."
King Mara made Taylor speak.
"How did you know that name? How do you know of the Eternity Matrix?"
"You told me."
"How!?"
"Another you. Another time."
Taylor Mara began to twist the sense-perception of Dennis, but the man shrugged off the neurological changes and returned his mindstate back to the way it was before.
"Time is the Lord of all changes. I
am time, you cannot change me."
He punched Taylor in the face and launched her back towards a chapel. The girl smashed through the wall, several pews, through the altar and finally buried her back into a pillar. The chapel groaned and began to collapse around her.
He grabbed Taylor by the throat and lifted her.
"Few of the Enlightened ever developed truly physical powers such as what I am displaying. The energy costs are too high and distracts from our research. Even you Mara, relies heavily on the Shards of your host which are all designed for thinking and abstractions. You cannot beat me in a force of arms."
King Mara in Taylor's body merely nodded.
"What do you want, monk? Explain to me what you meant before!"
"Another you from another multiverse cluster traveled here to warn you against using the Matrix. This is his message. He say: It is not as you remembered- you seek to use it for revenge, but that would only bring the swift destruction of the universe upon us. In a single moment, you would kill more people than the Bodhisattva Supreme has ever accomplished in her lifetime."
King Mara was silent, then he spoke again, quieter this time.
"Where is he? My alternate counterpart?"
"Dead. An alternate Grandmaster Sriganesh was his host from another continuum. He lived at most only a couple of hours- but was wiped along with all data from the other timeline when that universe burned itself out. He managed to leave behind instructions on how to
prevent you from destroying the multiverse."
Dennis then gritted his teeth and brought Taylor's face up close to his own.
"So here's what we're going to do. We're going to find the Matrix, you're
not going to use it for revenge- and from what I've been told, your stupid plan was more like glorified suicide. And we're going to take the Matrix and put it somewhere far far away from you. Okay?"
"No."
King Mara in Taylor's body flung themselves out of Dennis grasp as he transformed into a black mist and materialized several feet away. She disconnected from the Shard of Sophia and ran away as Dennis cursed and chased after her.
The chase continued for awhile, as frantic pedestrians flung themselves out of the way.
As Taylor jumped down a shaft that lead into an abandoned catacomb below the Vatican, there was a burst of light as Vairocana finally began to attack.
+++
Dennis cursed as the Dharmapala unfroze and begin to strike at Vatican City. The explosion vaporized his surroundings, but Dennis remained unharmed. His kasaya burned away leaving him nude amidst scorched rubble, but not a single hair on his head was burnt.
Shit, I ran out of time!
He pressed a comm bead in his ears.
"Sriganesh, she got away and even after explaining everything,
this King Mara is still a stubborn mule."
There was muffled cursing from the other line.
"I guess it's only after dooming all of creation does Mara began to doubt himself. The fool."
"What should I do? Should I freeze Vairocana again?"
"Negative, focus on getting to her! Vairocana conveniently provides a distraction. I will be out of contact for a few seconds. I need to keep the time loop stable. I need to travel to the past and tell your past self about what he needs to say. When you catch up to her, tell me her location so I can be there waiting for her and we can ambush her together."
"Understood. Stay safe Grandmaster."
Dennis began to run after Taylor, ripping apart the rubble that buried the shaft entrance. He jumped down without hesitation.
+++
Grandmaster Sriganesh glanced down at the rapidly disintegrating body of his alternate self and nodded to himself.
"In the worst case scenario, I become you. But for now, let's see what we can do."
He stepped into the past.
And met Dennis.
"Dennis. Here's what you need to say to Mara."
+++
2011 Lhasa, Tibet
Annette kicked aside the burnt corpse of the Dalai Lama. The battle had been brief but fierce, however it turns out Tibet's political leader wasn't immune to an AK-47 with enhanced ammunition.
Dropping the spent firearm, she unzipped her bag and withdrew a katana and an Uzi. Making sure her weapon was fully loaded, she marched into the Bodhisattva's Inner Sanctum.
A young woman in a kasaya sat upon the small cliff, emitting silver light. King Mara looked at her in confusion, mouths agape. Annette was equally confused.
"You...you're not the Bodhisattva Supreme."
The young woman smiled and giggled.
"Greetings Mara. I've waited years for you."
Mara was not amused and Annette felt his blood boiling with his rage.
"Where is the Bodhisattva!?"
The woman giggled again.
"Silly demon. The Bodhisattva Supreme committed suicide decades ago."
"No...:"
"Yes...congratulations. You did it. You drove her mad with despair and tiredness. Her continual self-lobotomization did some amazing things to her psyche. She hatched this crazy idea to end it all."
The woman gestured to the ceiling of the cave.
"For Dharma's sake, she created an entire solar colony based on Buddhists cosmological accounts of the Small-World-System for
no reason other than because it fit the theme. She was mad and insane. I didn't really get it myself until years after I've taken control of her core Shard Network, which she left me to keep up the masquerade. It's all part of an elaborate final
fuck you- to you specifically of course."
King Mara screamed in rage. Annette's nose began to bleed as she screamed in rage as well, the psychic feedback made her clench her fist in hatred.
"My revenge…all those kalpas...all of that planning…"
The woman floated gently down and stroked Mara's cheek.
"We all have a part to play. Revenge benefits no one Mara. Let go of your hatred. Join me. We can unite the Planet."
Mara plunged his arm through her guts. The woman giggled.
"That's how she presumed you would act. I am sure she would find your impotent rage to be delicious. So what now Mara? What are going to do? The entire system the Bodhisattva had built up is going to collapse as soon as I am dead. Shards will connect randomly. The Solar-Colonies of the Devas will be starved of resources and may even invade the Earth to get what they want. The Dharmapalas will go out of control."
She leaned in and whispered in Annette's ear.
"And the best part is...it doesn't matter. Because what matters to you Mara….is that you were denied your vengeance."
Ciara smiled as Mara grabbed her neck and began to strangle her.
She continued smiling as she finally died.
"What have you done!?"
Annette looked up and stared at the armoured form of the golden king, Indra-Sakra. He stood there looking like a particularly tall Roswell-Grey. His large black eyes were open in shock.
Mara's rage subsided and he- in Annette's body- sank to his knees despair.
"I have no purpose."
Indra ran over to the fallen form of the Bodhisattva Supreme.
"You murdered the Bodhisattva."
Mara looked up at one of his temporary hosts, someone he had possessed to kill someone else and then he set himself on fire and evacuated. Jacob, somehow, miraculously survived.
"It's all for nothing, Jacob. She's not the Bodhisattva Supreme. Just a convincing body double."
Jacob gritted his teeth.
"Where's the Bodhisattva then?"
"Dead. She committed suicide decades ago."
King Mara giggled.
"It's all for fucking nothing."
That only made Indra more angry. He grabbed Annette by the shoulders and screamed at her.
"Fuck you Mara. You and your goddamned revenge. You and your body-jacking of innocent people. All of those deaths and lives ruined- mine included- and for what!? Don't you dare try to feel sorry for yourself! The entire economic-political structure of the solar system is going to be fucked!"
King Mara giggled.
+++
2011 Vatican City
Taylor kicked open the ark containing the Matrix. Space was opened like a Lotus before her, unveiling the hidden treasure that Mara's greater self once carried as part of her duty.
She stared upon infinity.
Mara's eyes were glued to the sphere of light.
"Yes...that is it. The Eternity Matrix."
"What is it?"
"When I was alive, before I became this shadow of a being you called Mara, I was of the race of the Bodhisattva. A race of worms that sought the solution to entropy. But I found something else instead. I found
religion. I found a being greater than myself and was tasked by that being with being it's carrier. The Matrix is part of the cosmic process, it is a piece of creation of itself, a law of physics trapped within a delicate system of space-time. When the big bang occurred, the God within the Matrix was separated from the other forces and guided away from the beginning of time. In this way, the Universe as we know it
expands and things do not collapse back into the void."
Taylor's mouth was hanging open.
"What."
"Hard to believe is it not? However, the Universe
wants to return to the void. It is the eternal chase- the
darkness spreads from the Big Bang, seeking to reclaim a missing piece of itself. Once it does- the cosmos will annihilate itself. The Bodhisattva Supreme and her dead counterpart do not know the true depth of their folly. In murdering me, they may have also doomed the cosmos."
"So what are you going to do? Escape from Earth and continue the journey?"
Mara shook his head.
"I am already dead. But that is still
my matrix. I will use it to avenge myself."
Mara- using Taylor's hands- gripped the shining object and held it up to his face. And then he squeezed.
"When I break it, my
God will come and annihilate the Bodhisattva."
Taylor frowned.
"Wait, what Dennis said-"
"Tricks and lies. My God will not destroy the universe."
Mara forced Taylor to undo the locks of space and time.
"Wait, Mara, stop-"
"I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!"
Taylor cried in agony as Mara forcibly possessed her body entirely and began to tear apart the Matrix.
"Mara, stop!" a man shouted. Dennis stepped out of the shadows.
King Mara laughed.
"You goddamned parasites will all burn. How I was once a member of your pathetic race I'll never know. But my God is Eternal Limitless Energy and it will punish you all!"
"Mara. Enough," Master Sriganesh stepped out of a portal, "That is not the way. You will come to regret this. The other you already did. How many muti-verse clusters must you inadvertently annihilate with Shakti's energy before you realize this?"
Mara raised the Matrix high up and then stopped, a look of shock upon his- Taylor's- face.
"No...it can't be."
King Mara giggled and sank to his knees.
"It can't be. She can't be dead already."
With a scream of rage he tore the Matrix apart.
Sriganesh looked sad as he tore open a portal into another continuum entirely, the equation that he was taught from his other self annihilating Tibet in an instant. An impossible equation, one requiring infinite energy. Energy that was now provided in abundance, leaking from the cracked Matrix.
And then he was hurling into another space and another time.
In that final moment before all matter in Tibet was transmuted into energy to form Sriganesh's portal, King Mara looked at Dennis and smiled.
And then God came.
+++
2011 Brockton Bay
It was crowded at the docks. Hundreds of thousands flooded the docks. The Dharmic faithful were far away, clustered in the other half of the city that was under their control.
"I crown you Pope."
Jophiel declared solemnly and placed a burning crown of white fire upon the head of Daniel Hebert.
"I name you the shepherd of the end. I name you anointed. I name thee the gatekeeper of the next world."
She paused and looked to the horizon, out of the bay towards the Atlantic.
"It is a good day to die."
The congregation of the faithful prayed as the horizon was filled with white light. The wave of eternal energy swept across the globe towards them.
+++
2011, Sol System
The Devas in space paused as they saw the spectacle unfold before their superior visions.
+++
No Time
In another time and another place, Taylor did not realize what was happening until it was too late.
In this time and this place, she seized control from Mara and plunge her hand into the gaping hole in creation from whence the energy was leaking through. Mara screamed in pain as the energy instantaneously understood everything there was to know about him and the shard he was connected to.
She saw the universe before the big bang. All of them. Inflationary bubbles after bubbles, the roiling tumbling sea of chaos and probability where entire multiversal clusters blossom into existences like sakura in the spring.
She saw. She understood. And the entity within, the pure energy which was
intelligent- because how could it not be? How could that which allows for complex data to develop itself not be sentient?
But sentient was not the world. It was simply omniscient. It just knows. It just knows everything because everything was a part of itself. And in that moment, Taylor was able to plead her case.
The energy, separate as it was from the whole understood that it was not yet time to destroy, but the amounts of energy leaking through cannot be stopped.
So it channeled itself into Taylor and extended outwards into a singularity. And from the other end, an inflationary bubble blossomed into existence, branching off of this one.
This was the sprouting of a true alternate universe, one beyond the simple splicing that occurs when the Bodhisattva Supreme splintered space-time. This roiling mass of energy exploded into a
Big Bang.
Taylor screamed as she was annihilated.
And then she
is.
______________
A/N: Epilogue coming up next. Obviously, I want to move onto greener pastures, so I am trying to conclude this project. There are multiple ways the story could have ended, but since this is an exploration of religion and I am religious, I decided to end with a bang and with Spinoza's God, which I believe, is what God really is. God and Reality are not separate. The multiverse
must exist and so it does, because eternal inflation demands that we exist, but at the same, all matter and all energy came from the one indivisible substance (if we can call such a concept a substance) that is wholly other and yet not. We are data compiled in a certain way, but never forget that before we were this way, we were
other.
Now for some theology: Trayastrimsa, the Heaven of the Thirty-Three in Buddhism is the 2nd Heaven of Desire. It contains Thirty-Three distinct kingdoms within the same plane, each ruled over by a King. Their high King is Indra-Sakra which is a position that changes hands as different devas take up the office. Indra-Sakra also commands the loyalty of the Four Great Kings who rules the plane below the 33. The Four Great Kings in turn commands the loyalty of various races of non-human origins. From all races are drawn membership in the Eight Legions, which functions as a religious army that defends the Dharma of the Buddha and his followers from threats. Jambudvipa is the Southern Continent or Ordinary Terrestrial World of ordinary humans which is situated south of Mount Sumeru, the Yggdrasil of the local small-world system. The general consensus is that it refers to Planet Earth. There are three other continents with humans on it, but they're not like normal humans, but neither are they devas (even though humans are arguably a type of deva).
Poor Danny.
