You Have to Let It Go

[Katrielle Layton]

The frigid mountain air roared in Mei's ears as she scaled the cliff face. Heaving herself to the nearest rocky spur, her limbs wanting to rest, she leaned back and glanced down at where she had just been. Fog blocked her sight about 20 feet down, but the Overwatch member was aware of the thousands of feet she had climbed in the last few days. Despite what it sounds like, being a climatologist was actually pretty dangerous when you're dealing with these kinds of environments.

Snowball, Mei's field research drone, popped out of its charging station in Mei's cyrochamber and hovered in front of her, releasing a little stream of cold underneath it as it hovered in the air. "You mind looking for wildlife around this area?"  she asked, taking off her glasses and wiping the snow off of it with her parka. The drone chirped in response and floated out of sight, leaving the climatologist alone.

Mei had been going over her rations, concluding that this was the last she could afford to spend up here, when Snowball returned. She reached up to pet her assistant on the head. "Did you find anything?"

The drone blipped and hovered away a few feet, waiting for Mei to follow. Hoisting her backpack back on, she gave chase, taking care not to trip on anything.

When she arrived at the destination, the Overwatch member could see a large mountain goat with a white coat and gnarled horns gnawing on a patch of limp grass near a ledge. This was the first living thing Mei had seen all day, aside from a few birds flying far out of reach. There was no way she would pass an opportunity to examine such a specimen like that! Digging into the pockets of her parka, she pulled out a pad and pen. Slowly, she crept closer towards the animal.

Unfortunately, this part of the mountain wasn't designed with the weight of a human and a goat in mind. The moment her foot landed on the outcropping, a crumbling noise ensued. Terrified and bleating, the beast leaped away and out of sight. Before Mei could follow it, the rest of the ledge gave in and broke off from the mountain.

The ledge fell faster and faster until it faded into the fog, leaving the climatologist to fall to her death by herself. The wind was roaring in her ears again, and cold air whipped against her skin. Adjusting her body into a spread-eagle position, she wavered away from the mountain; at this speed, landing on the mountain would impale her. The snow at the bottom of the mountain would be her best shot at surviving.

Wailing and bleeping, Snowball came into view. Mei reached up, grabbed the drone, and embraced it in a hug. The LED liquid crystal display indicated that the robot was on the verge of panic, its eyes looking in every direction. If it had tear ducts, it probably would've been crying at this point.

"It's okay," she whispered, her voice lost in the turbulence. Shutting her eyes tight, she prepared for the inevitable impact.

Except it never came.

Her eyes opened again, only to be greeted with a void of black. ...Was she dead? Snowball floated by, seemingly just as confused. Eventually, another form appeared-- a white silhouette of a man. Could you call something that was perfectly white a "silhouette," though? Maybe it was a "silhowhite"? Despite lacking a mouth, the figure began to speak.

“My name is Omni. This is not the world you know. This is the Omniverse. You interest me, so I have made you part of it. The Omniverse is a place that reflects the wishes of those who are part of it. But! There are rules. I will explain them only once, so listen carefully.”

So she wasn't dead? Unless the Omniverse was the name of the afterlife, which she doubted.

Omni hands you a glimmering orb in which all the colors of the rainbow coalesce. “This is Omnilium. It’s what ties the Omniverse together. Without it, you are nothing. With it, anything you desire can be yours. But you will need more than this. If you desire it enough, you will find it. You will find that using it comes naturally. Just think of what you desire most.

Mei wasn't quite sure what to make of this-- she could make anything from this "Omnilium"? If that were the case, then she knew the first thing she'd make with it.

“You will not be alone in the Omniverse. There are others. Of course, they, too desire Omnilium. Do not fear death. For as long as you interest me, you will be reborn. “That’s all you need to know right now. You’ll figure out the rest soon enough. I’ll be watching … and waiting.”

And she could be reborn? Did the laws of the universe even apply here? And other people were here too!

Before she could question Omni about this, the black faded into white, leaving the Overwatch member beside one one of those golden statue fountains she saw at Numbani. She had to admit, they had impressive architecture.

Snowball chirped in a panicked tone, to which Mei replied "I'll just use the Omnilium to make us a portal back home!" However, when she actually attempted to do so, she realized that it would take much more Omnilium than she had right now. She turned to the drone with a pale look on her face, and Snowball finally lost it, flying away and wailing like a police car.

"H-hey!" she cried out, running after the droid. "We shouldn't panic!"

Snowball collided with another person, and with a gasp, Mei rushed over and helped them up. "Sorry! I'm Mei. Uh, are you okay?"