Multiversity

Shallow Depth of Field

Flakes of snow fell from the deep blue sky, slowly building on the white sheets plastered along the rough road in front of M. There was maybe about one or two hours before the sun rose, the perfect time to evade authorities that might've been looking for him. Despite the cold temperature and the near flurry that cloaked the path, M was wearing his usual thin denim jacket with his usual black dress pants. The newly knit cloth covering the lower half of his face seemed to be stiff and frozen. His goggles, shielding his eyes from the blizzard that he had walked into, were clouded and the strap seemed like it would snap just from the frost that had built on it. Even though he wasn't dressed properly for the cold, he didn't seem fazed by it. He almost seemed to welcome it. Unlike Z, M enjoyed the cold. If he had his own way, he'd turn their room temperature all the way down, but Z would probably make him sleep outside if he did. Wouldn't be the first time... The rushing fall of snow ceased, and in its place was the magical fantasy nation of Lowee. A nation built in an endless winter, sporting a fairytale theme, Lowee was one of the oldest nations in Gamindustri. Seasoned with centuries of experience and trust built upon the continued protection by their goddess, making this the most ideal nation for people to flock to. M knew the goddess well. In his line of work, Lowee was the place he would spend his free time in between jobs. He had spoken with this dimension's Blanc over tea or coffee many times before, one of his most reliable information brokers. Sadly, she would no longer remember what happened upon the absence of M. Despite all of that, he continued into the nation like it was a second home for him.

(Meanwhile)

"C'mon, Blanc!" The annoyingly whiny voice of Neptune came from behind the large doors of the master bedroom. Following the sound of her voice came the opening of those doors, slamming into the walls as they swung open. A figure rushed out of the room, she was wearing a red and white dress, with a hat of the same colours sitting on her short brown hair. The girl was petite but carried a vicious glare, probably the result of the girl who had come rushing out of the room after her. "Blanc, wait up!" Neptune caught up to the girl who was speed-walking through the large halls of her Basilicom. She was carrying a book in her arms that was almost as thick as a dictionary. "Blanc...are you listening? C'mon, this is the best idea and it will help both of us!" Blanc stops in place, turning to face Neptune. She inhales deeply, before glaring at Neptune with an angry scowl. "Can you shut up for one minute?! You're so annoying! Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?!" Neptune was taken aback by her outburst for a moment, before snapping back to a playful grin. "C'mon, Blanc. That scowl doesn't fit your cute face, you should smile more...!" Blanc grips the cover of the book, if it weren't hardcover, it might've ripped. "You never take anything seriously! Why should I put MY nation's budget into YOUR idiotic project?! I don't want anything to do with it, so leave me alone!" Blanc storms off, Neptune watching her get further away as she ponders. Blanc swings open a door, stepping inside, closing it behind her as she rests against it. "That damn fake... Who does she think she is? I got this far by working on my own, so why would I jeopardize all that for the fantasies of that ditz...?" Blanc gripped her book close to her. "I'll show her. I'll show them all. I can do anything on my own. I'll make this nation the best they've ever seen." Out of the corner of her eye, a spider crawled across the wall. It had to be almost eleven inches in length, and almost looked like a tarantula. It definitely wasn't a normal house spider, almost closer to a dock spider. But that couldn't be right... Blanc turned to the eight legged fuzzball, staring back at her with its plastic looking eyes.

Neptune peeks into the room, being very cautious, like she wasn't sure if she wanted to find Blanc. "Blanc? You in here...?" Her building anxiety grew to confusion, as the room she saw Blanc run into was completely empty. No doors connected to this room, and the windows were closed, with no sign of a break in. There couldn't be a way to escape from this room, yet Blanc had done the impossible. "W-Where is she...?" Neptune threw open another door, and another. Checking the entirety of the Basilicom, despite how massive it was, she was determined to find her. But unfortunately, nothing could be done. The Basilicom was empty, not a single sign of life inside of it. Neptune shook off the anxious feeling, rushing out the front gates of the Basilicom, running into town.

The early morning sun shone over the fresh snow that lay along the edges of the streets that paved a path through the marketplace. M had finally shaken off the frost that had gathered on his person, now taking a leisurely stroll through the marketplace before the start of his workday. A booth sitting just off to the side caught M's attention. A woman in a cloak sat there, a sign sitting in front read, 'Babe for Hire: Will clean, cook, do laundry, and other things.' 'Other things' was highlighted in pink, with cursive writing. M decides to ignore the booth, moving forward through the marketplace. There weren't many people out this early in the morning, but it was around that time when the office workers would start waking, so M was looking to finish his business quickly. A bit of snow landed on M's goggles, followed by the second snowfall of the day. M reached into his coat to pull out his camera, aiming to take a picture of the scenery. A dim flash comes from the camera as the picture is taken, M lowering it and looking to the sky. "Can you see it...? You always liked the snow." Someone ran past M, while he was putting his camera away. If it wasn't for the fact he had his camera out, she probably would've thought it was some traveler who just came through a snowstorm. The girl skidded to a halt, quickly turning around and grabbing M's arm. "Please! You have to help!" M slowly turned his head to the left, glaring at the girl who had grabbed him. Neptune's eyes were starting to fill with tears, she was desperate for something. "My friend...you have to save her!" M shook Neptune's hand off of his sleeve, starting to walk away. "I don't have time to mess with your issues. You're a goddess, you can handle it yourself..." As M got further away, Neptune clenched her fists, trembling. "I get it... I get that you hate me. I know that you'd rather have nothing to do with me... I'm only a nuisance to you. I know that! B-But..." A few tears hit the paved road, before being covered by the snowfall. "You're the only person I can turn to... You're the only one I know who could handle this. You can save her!" Neptune's voice went silent, as she stifled her tears. Something had really scared her...but. M glanced back at Neptune, his cold glare burning through the frost that had started gathering on his goggles again. "You have everything you need to get by. Stop turning to others for your own problems, and figure it out yourself." M starts to walk off, Neptune staring wide-eyed at M. She gripped her fist, glaring back up. "Fine! I'll save her by myself!" Neptune turns around, sprinting off into the distance. M glanced back, sighing. "Wasn't that easy...? You need more confidence." Something on the ground caught M's attention, a small slip of paper being covered by the snowfall that started to pick up. M thought about turning away, continuing on to the Basilicom. The problems of that goddess meant nothing to him, he had no reason to help, no reason to care...but then. Why? Why was he so reluctant to let that girl close. He thought the same things to himself, before walking up to that slip of paper.

(Location Update: ???)

A cold wave hit Blanc hard, waking her from her slumber. The sound of water hitting the ground sounded from behind her, as she tried to gain her bearings. The area around her was some sort of warehouse, but the lack of lights interfered with determining exactly how large the room was. She tried to move, but found that she couldn't. In fact, she couldn't feel anything at all. Her arms, her legs, her body, even the wet sensation in her hair felt numb. She tried to speak, but was too weak to do so. Despite the numb feeling, she could feel something strange on her back. That feeling moved upwards, across her shoulder, and onto her chest. It moved upwards, before becoming close enough to see. A large spider, one that was around eighteen inches in length, with plastic-like eyes that glared deep into Blanc's. That spider crawled back down, walking across a long thread of web that was holding Blanc above the ground, in fact, the entire room had these threads strung up throughout it. Like a maze of threads, allowing this spider full mobility. Blanc finally managed to push out a sound, a hoarse cry that sounded like one being strangled, breathing their last breath. Shocked by the sound of her voice, Blanc bit her tongue, recoiling in pain as she stared at the spider that was crawling all around her. The spider disappeared into the darkness, to Blanc's dismay. She tried to find where it went, the webs tying her in place starting to bind tighter as she struggled to locate the spider. The nineteen inch spider lowered down in front of her face, glaring directly into her eyes, as it shot out a web.

End of Chapter