Tim charged yet again, seemingly unperturbed by the futility of his actions. It was clear that this was a being that Tim had no way of touching, let alone harming, but after a year of sparring with Frank that wasn’t exactly a new experience.

The ascetic let out a light sigh and finally extended his right hand forward as Tim’s fist careened towards him yet again. Instead of countering or blocking Tim’s fist though, the ascetic simply snapped his fingers together a single time.

Tim felt two muscular hands grab his fist, using the momentum of his charge and tossing him to the ground, a strong feeling of déjà vu assailing Tim. The dreaded collision with the ground he was waiting for never came, instead, he found himself floating in space again. Angling his head upwards, he saw that the one who had tossed him was not the ascetic, but Frank.

It took him a moment to replay the event in his mind, and he realized that the ascetic had somehow switched locations with Frank, and Frank had acted on reflex to defend himself. Tim didn’t know what he should be more impressed of- that the ascetic could teleport two beings at once, or that Frank still managed to react at a point-blank range.

“Tim, I get why you’re pissed off, and you should know that I ain’t exactly pleased either. But if that guy,” said Frank, and stopped to point at the ascetic, “really wanted to harm us, do you really think anything we do or say would matter to him?”

“Fine,” Tim spat out with an unpleasant scowl on his face, begrudgingly agreeing to a temporary truce. “Now, can you tell us exactly what was going on earlier?” Tim asked with a firm tone, wanting to know if his mind was tampered with or not. “Oh and, was that really teleportation?” he asked, with considerably less edge in his tone.

“Teleportation?” questioned the ascetic, a wolfish grin appearing on his face, indicating that the man wasn’t as harmless as he appeared to be. “I am sorry to disappoint you, but that shameful display was nothing as complex as ‘teleportation’. Merely simple acceleration, or perhaps ‘speed’ would be the correct terminology to use here.”

Both Frank and Tim felt the color drain from their faces, an alien using some odd means to teleport was surprising, but not completely out of their expectations. They were presently in space, after all. But speed… speed indicated that this lifeform was so high on the evolutionary chain that none of their senses could detect its movement, a concept that was hard to come to terms with.

“As for your first question, the one that I was trying to address before you rudely interrupted me, it was both a gift and a test,” said the ascetic, his tone remaining calm and collected as always.

“How is an attempt to wipe my memory… a gift?” asked Tim, straining to keep his voice calm.

“You mistake my Lord’s benevolence for hostility,” replied the ascetic. “The calming soul balm is meant to soothe the soul and temporarily relieve the patient from emotional burdens that may negatively affect decision making. Its effects only last a week, but for those with weaker wills, it will allow them to remain more composed in the face of life and death situations. The first week of the integration is particularly difficult to adapt to, and many lives are prematurely lost due to panic or hesitation.”

Before Tim could badger him with more questions, the ascetic continued.

“As for the test, you two should be aware of its contents. After all, you passed.”

“What does that mean?” asked Frank, with an inquisitive expression on his face.

“That you two have a strong enough will to not need any foreign assistance. Or rather, in your case,” said the ascetic, and pointed towards Timothy, “you vehemently resist the effects of the calming soul balm as if your very soul were being ripped out. For one without any training or foundation, it is an impressive feat.”

“Gee, thanks. Also, erm, sorry about earlier. You’re not quite the mind-controlling alien whacko I thought you were, but then again, you’re not exactly an omen of good luck either. So, about this integration stuff… why exactly do you see the need to disturb our boring, everyday earth life?” Tim muttered awkwardly, not quite sure where to begin with the flurry of questions erupting in his mind.

“The multiverse is divided into two factions, one belonging to my Lord, and the other to, well, let’s call them heretics for now. While the faction belonging to my lord preserves foreign civilizations and offers them induction into the multiverse, the heretics destroy planets down to the very core, extinguishing even the slightest trace of life. These toys,” said the ascetic, and a huge missile that extended over fifteen meters in length materialized above his head, then clenched his right fist, causing the missile to explode in a burst of light that temporarily blinded both Tim and Frank, “cannot protect you.”

Tim opened his eyes to the ascetic holding a small ball of what appeared to be a cross between fire and light in his hands, causing him to gasp in shock. In a daze, he unknowingly muttered out the first thing that came to his mind, “The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; energy can only be transferred or changed from one form to the other.”

“How are you doing that,” Frank asked, both alarmed and impressed at the same time.

“The laws you speak of are not technically incorrect. However, the energy you refer to exists in a primitive, directionless form while the energy I control comprises of the very fabric the entire multiverse was melded from,” said the ascetic, as he clasped his hand over the ball of light, only unclenching it a moment later to reveal that not a trace of it was left.

“So then, does that mean you’re here to save us from the heretics?” asked Frank, snapping out from his reverie far faster than Tim. He was a professional through and through, and knowing the objectives of their abductors was of paramount importance.

“Save is a strong term that I, unfortunately, cannot use. We are here to give you a chance and provide you with the infrastructure required to survive in this new environment. The multiverse is a… cruel place if I am strictly being honest, and my Lord does not interfere in the affairs of the beings under His rule unless His commandments are violated,” said the ascetic, with a hint of weariness in his voice.

“What, so instead of the heretics, these multiverse aliens will kill us instead? Why even bother saving us then!?” Tim asked, outraged by this ridiculous proposition.

The ascetic let out a loud sigh and then replied, “The multiverse is not a unified collective like you imagine it to be. In fact, the only reason I call you my Lord’s subjects is because of the protection he offers to every citizen of the multiverse, new or old. The reason for the conflict and cruelty is simple, though perhaps it would be more apt to explain it in terms of your old world.”

Tim perked up at hearing this, he wasn’t a scientist so deliberating about how any of this alien’s actions made sense was pointless, but real-world examples he could do.

“In your previous world, there were two main resources that your kind chased after, or at least the majority of your kind- money and power. A person with great wealth but no political power could easily be displaced if the ruling powers found his actions distasteful, while a person with great political power and a limited amount of money would find that acquiring money wasn’t necessarily that difficult of a task. Money allowed one to buy luxuries, accommodation, food, and all manners of worldly pleasures, while power ensured that no one dared to mess with what belonged to you and yours. Don’t take the example too literally, it is only the analogy that I found most relevant to the present scenario,” the ascetic explained with the patience of a teacher who enjoyed his job and took a theatrical pause before continuing with the explanation.

“Now, in the multiverse, there is only one form of currency that matters- Power. And by power, I mean individual strength. The kind of power that lets you move faster than the speed of light and play with the energy released from an ICBM as if it were a tennis ball. As long as you’re the strongest being on your planet, who would dare deny a request from you? Be it items to further enhance your power or all manners of material goods that catch your fancy, anything you desire is yours as long as you will for it. Once you have a taste of this intoxicating power, there is no stopping your greed for more. What you gain from this conversation is up to you, I am not allowed to reveal any further,” said the ascetic, after which the room, or rather the space devolved into an awkward silence.

"Does that mea-" asked Tim, but was abruptly cut off.

"I'm afraid the time for questions is over. Now, before the other eight arrive, let me present you with the path your actions have unlocked," said the ascetic, and a purple door materialized next to him.

"It ain't even surprising anymore," grumbled Frank, wondering what the fuck planet Earth had gotten itself involved in.

"Eight other people who were in closest proximity to you were summoned under my care, and similar arrangements were made for every citizen of Earth. Before their arrival, you two are presented with a choice- either continue with them to face their induction back on Earth or undertake the trial: The Labyrinth of Endless Wealth. Before entering, you will be permitted an audience with my Lord, to ask him any one question you so desire and the opportunity to select a weapon before plunging into the chaos. The time spent in the trial will translate to a second's worth of time on Earth, and you will be transported back on completion," explained the ascetic.

As Tim heard those words, it felt as if the whole world around him had started spinning. If there was any possibility, any way of getting her back, then the one person in the world who'd definitely know.... was offering him a chance.