Chapter 132: Tiamut (1)
[Perspective: Aryan Spencer]
We were strolling down a meticulously raked gravel path, bordered on both sides by vibrant geometric beds of blooming flora.
I was holding Wanda's hand, our fingers securely interlaced.
I wasn't looking at the baroque statues, and I certainly wasn't looking at the landscaping. My attention was entirely captivated by Wanda.
The soft breeze caught the brim of her matching fedora, lifting it slightly, and she reached up with her free hand to secure it, a smile illuminating her face.
She stopped suddenly, tugging gently on my hand to halt my momentum.
"Aryan, look at this flower," she said.
She pointed her finger toward a sprawling bush overflowing with deep crimson peonies.
The petals were layered, dew from the morning sprinklers still clinging to their edges like tiny diamonds.
"It is so beautiful," she murmured, leaning in slightly to catch the fragrance. "The color is almost like... like velvet."
I kept my eyes fixed firmly on her profile… on the slope of her nose, the curve of her lips, and the way the sunlight caught the golden flecks in her eyes.
"Yes," I agreed. "It is incredibly beautiful. But it is not nearly as beautiful as you."
Wanda's hand stopped over the crimson petals.
A blush crept up her neck, coloring her cheeks in a shade that put the peonies to absolute shame.
She turned her head to look at me, a shy glint sparking in her eyes.
"Is that so?" she asked. She stepped away from the flower bush, closing the small distance between us. "Thank you, Dr. Spencer."
I looked down at her with an expression of disappointment.
"Just 'thank you'?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Nothing else? I offer you a historically romantic compliment in the gardens of a Prussian palace, and all I receive is a polite 'thank you'?"
Wanda tilted her head, her smile widening into a playful smirk.
She reached up, resting her free hand lightly against my blazer.
"What else did you have in mind?" she asked.
I leaned down, closing the gap between us until my lips were hovering just an inch from her ear.
I could feel the warmth radiating off her skin.
"What about a French kiss?" I whispered.
Her shoulders hitched as the ticklish sensation of my breath hit her neck.
She pushed gently against my chest, putting an inch of space between us, though her eyes were shining with laughter.
"Aryan!" she scolded softly, her cheeks burning even brighter.
She glanced around nervously at the scattering of tourists walking down the distant gravel paths. "This is a public place! Anyone could look over and see us."
"Ah, the tragedy of the public place," I sighed. "A constant barrier to true romance. In that case, I suppose we will just have to go find a highly secluded place."
I gave her a suggestive grin, wiggling my eyebrows dramatically.
"Aryan," she warned, though she was biting her lower lip to stop herself from laughing out loud.
"Okay, okay, no more. I yield to the public decency laws of Germany," I laughed, lifting her hand to press a kiss. "Let's go. We have to finish visiting the rest of this courtyard, and then I promise we will find a much more private place for me to collect my reward."
Wanda gave me a look, shaking her head. "You are incorrigible."
We continued our meandering walk through the rest of the palace grounds.
We explored the Orangery, admired the Belvedere, and stopped to watch the swans gliding gracefully across the surface of the carp pond.
We took our time, enjoying the simple luxury of existing in each other's orbit without a single care in the world.
By the time we finally navigated our way back through the grand wrought iron gates and exited the palace grounds, the afternoon was beginning to transition into early evening.
We were walking down the sidewalk bordering the palace estate. I was just opening my mouth to suggest a nearby café.
"So, I was thinking," I started, "that we could… "
A low rumble cut off my words.
Before I could even process the sound, the sidewalk beneath my feet violently lurched.
The pavement buckled, a crack shooting down the center of the concrete just a few yards ahead of us.
The ornate streetlamps lining the boulevard began to sway wildly, the metal groaning in protest.
I yanked wanda toward me, wrapping both of my arms around her waist and pulling her flush against my chest.
I widened my stance, bending my knees to lower our center of gravity as the ground bucked and rolled like the deck of a ship in a hurricane.
People around us began to scream.
Tourists who had just exited the palace were pouring out of the gates in a blind panic, seeking open areas away from the towering brick walls.
Car alarms began to blare in a chaotic symphony up and down the street.
Birds exploded from the trees in frantic flocks, blotting out the sun.
Wanda buried her face in my chest, her hands gripping the fabric of my sweater.
"It's OK! It's OK!" I yelled, pressing one hand firmly against the back of her head to shield her. "I am here! I've got you. You are being protected by the strongest person on earth."
She nodded frantically, hugging me back.
I kept my body entirely focused on shielding her, holding her steady against the violent shaking.
'This isn't a natural fault line,' I thought, 'my eyes narrowing as I stared at the swaying buildings. Germany is not a highly active seismic zone.'
I extended my senses.
I pushed my consciousness out of the city of Berlin. I felt the tectonic plates grinding beneath Europe. I expanded further, crossing the Atlantic, feeling the fault lines of North America.
I pushed down, through the crust, through the mantle, reaching into the molten core of the planet itself.
I found the source.
And I instantly recognized it.
Deep, deep within the center of the Earth, a cosmic entity was shifting.
Tiamut.
The Celestial.
The sheer mass of the golden god was beginning to stretch, its emergence sequence triggering a global seismic event.
It wasn't fully awake yet… it was merely the initial symptom of its birth cycle, a cosmic yawn that was currently threatening to tear the planet to pieces over the next few weeks.
I wrapped my power around Tiamut.
Command: Deep Sleep.
Parameter: Duration set to one hundred earth years.
Action: Execute.
Deep within the core, Tiamut's limbs ceased their movement. The stirring stopped.
The cosmic entity slipped back into hibernation.
Instantly, the violent bucking of the pavement ceased. The swaying streetlamps shuddered to a halt.
The deafening roar of the grinding earth faded away, leaving only the chaotic blaring of car alarms and the panicked sobbing of the tourists around us.
I kept my arms firmly wrapped around Wanda, rubbing my hand soothingly up and down her back.
"It stopped," I murmured.
Wanda kept her face buried in my chest.
Slowly, she loosened her death grip on my sweater and pulled back just enough to look around.
She scanned the street. The crack in the pavement was there, but the buildings were intact.
Aside from the panicked crowds, there was almost no damage to the surrounding infrastructure.
"That was... that was massive," Wanda whispered. "I have never felt the earth move like that."
PS: I chose to keep Tiamut in deep sleep instead of killing him because if we killed a Celestial, the other Celestials would obviously notice and eventually come to investigate or fight. That would immediately escalate the story into a massive Celestial level conflict, which honestly feels unnecessary right now. So instead of starting a huge cosmic war, it felt more logical to simply keep Tiamut asleep for now and avoid creating bigger problems before the story is ready for that level of scale, hahaha.
Chapter 133: Tiamut (2)
[Perspective: Aryan Spencer]
"That was... that was massive," Wanda whispered. "I have never felt the earth move like that."
"It was a significant tremor," I agreed. "The continental plates must have experienced a localized shift. But the pressure has been released. The plates have settled, so there will be no more earthquakes for now."
Wanda looked up at me.
"You sure?" she asked, her hands still resting on my chest.
"I am positive," I smiled, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her face. "And since we survived a seismic event without a single scratch, I believe we have earned the right to continue our vacation. In fact, there is an amazing place just a few blocks from here."
Wanda blinked. "An amazing place? What is that place?"
"Ah," I grinned, tapping her nose lightly. "It is a secret."
Wanda narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.
"A secret?" she challenged. "From me? Do you not know me, Aryan Spencer?"
"Oh," I laughed, stepping forward to wrap my arm securely around her waist, pulling her flush against my side. "Of course, I know you inside out."
Wanda's face flushed a brilliant shade of crimson. She swatted my chest hard.
"Aryan!" she hissed, looking around the street to make sure the recovering tourists hadn't heard me.
"Okay, OK, no more, no more, hahaha!" I laughed loudly, holding my hands up in surrender as I guided her down the street, stepping carefully over the newly formed crack in the pavement.
We walked for about ten minutes. We navigated down an avenue until we reached a modern looking storefront with a pastel colored awning.
I pushed the glass door open.
Wanda stopped, looking at the blenders whirring behind the counter and the vibrant cups of fruit on display.
She turned to look at me, an unimpressed expression on her face.
"A smoothie shop?" she asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "Do not tell me this is the 'secret place' you were bragging about."
"Of course not," I said, guiding her up to the counter. "I would never insult your intelligence by claiming a franchise smoothie shop is a secret place. This is merely the refueling station before we reach the actual secret place. Now, what flavor do you want?"
Wanda sighed, stepping up to the counter to scan the extensive menu board.
"I will have the Strawberry and Mango blend," she decided, pointing to the brightly colored picture on the board. "With extra strawberries."
"Excellent choice," I said. I turned to the employee behind the counter. "Wir nehmen bitte einen großen Erdbeer-Mango-Smoothie und einen großen Doppel-Schokoladen-Fudge-Smoothie." (We will take one large Strawberry and Mango blend, and one large Double Dark Chocolate Fudge smoothie, please.)
"That will be twelve euros and fifty cents (Das macht zwölf Euro und fünfzig Cent)," the employee stated, grabbing two cups and turning to the blenders.
I reached into the pocket of my blazer, pulling out a twenty euro note and handing it to the cashier. "Keep the change." (Stimmt so)
We waited for a minute, watching the employee expertly dump frozen fruit and thick chocolate syrup into the respective blenders.
A moment later, he handed the two large cups across the counter, complete with brightly colored straws poking out of the domed lids.
I took both cups, thanking the employee, and handed the strawberry smoothie to Wanda.
I kept the chocolate one for myself.
"Alright," I said, pushing the shop door open. "Let's drink and walk."
We strolled down the sidewalk. We both pressed our lips to our straws, pulling the liquid up.
I groaned in satisfaction as the chocolate hit my tongue.
"Okay, this is phenomenal," I noted, taking another long drag from the straw. I looked over at Wanda. "How is yours?"
Wanda was chewing thoughtfully on a small chunk of blended strawberry. She swallowed, nodding her head.
"It is very good," she said, looking down at her cup. "The mango makes it very sweet. What about yours?"
"I think mine is the best one on the menu," I boasted, holding my chocolate smoothie up like a trophy. "It is rich, it is complex, and it is scientifically proven to improve my mood."
"Really?" Wanda asked. "Chocolate is very heavy for a warm afternoon."
"It is perfection," I insisted.
"Let me try," she requested, stepping closer to me.
I held my cup out toward her.
Wanda leaned forward, her eyes locked on mine as she closed her lips around my straw. She took a sip of the chocolate smoothie.
She pulled back, her lips cold from the ice, her tongue darting out to lick a drop of chocolate from the corner of her mouth.
"Well?" I asked, watching the movement of her tongue. "How is it?"
Wanda smiled, her eyes lighting up in surprise.
"It is better than I expected," she admitted, taking a sip from her own straw. "It is very rich. But... I think mine is still better."
"Is that so?" I challenged. "Let me try too."
"Okay," Wanda smiled, lifting her cup.
She stepped closer, angling her cup and holding her straw up toward my mouth.
I leaned forward. But at the very last second, just as my lips were about to touch the straw, I shifted my trajectory entirely.
I reached out with my free hand, my fingers wrapping gently around the back of her neck.
I tilted my head, and pressed my lips directly against hers.
Wanda let out a muffled squeak of surprise.
Her lips were freezing cold from the smoothie, tasting intensely of fresh strawberries and sweet mango.
I deepened the kiss instantly, my tongue sweeping across her lower lip, tasting the fruity sweetness directly from her mouth.
She froze for a split second, her eyes widening in shock, before she melted into my grip, her hand clutching her smoothie cup tightly as she kissed me back.
I lingered for a moment, savoring the taste of her, before slowly pulling my head back.
I licked my lips thoughtfully, putting on an expression of contemplation.
"Hmm," I said, nodding my head slowly. "You were right. The strawberry and mango blend is very good."
Wanda stood frozen on the sidewalk. Her face was entirely flushed.
She looked at me, her chest heaving slightly, her eyes darting around at the few pedestrians walking past us on the street.
"Aryan!" she hissed. "What are you doing? This is a public place!"
"Oh, damn the public place," I cursed cheerfully, entirely unbothered by the stares of a passing elderly couple.
Seeing her standing there in a daze, her lips still shiny from our kiss, I couldn't help but laugh.
I reached out, grabbing her free hand and interlacing my fingers with hers.
"Let's go," I said, tugging her gently down the street.
Wanda let herself be pulled along, but she shot me a glare that was meant to be intimidating, though it completely failed.
She looked at me like I had just committed a highly illegal act of vandalism.
I looked back at her, tapping my own lower lip with my index finger.
"What?" I teased. "Do you want to try mine? I can offer you a taste of the chocolate."
"No!" Wanda gasped. "This is a public place, Aryan Spencer!"
"Fine, fine," I conceded, laughing as we continued our walk.
We spent the next ten minutes finishing our smoothies as we navigated the winding streets of Berlin.
When our cups were empty, rattling with nothing but crushed ice, I took her cup from her hand.
I tossed both empty containers into a trashcan situated on the edge of the sidewalk.
"We have arrived," I announced.
Chapter 134: Tiamut (3)
[Perspective: Aryan Spencer]
"We have arrived," I announced.
Wanda looked up at the bizarre structure towering over the street.
It was a house. But it was entirely wrong.
The pitched roof was resting flat on the concrete sidewalk. The foundation was pointing straight up at the sky. A bicycle was bolted upside down to the porch.
A sign hung near the entrance: "Upside Down."
"A house that has fallen from the sky?" Wanda asked.
"It is an interactive art installation," I explained, pulling her toward the ticket booth located near the inverted chimney. "Everything inside is completely flipped. It is highly disorienting and incredibly fun."
We walked up to the small glass booth.
Sitting on a stool inside, furiously typing on his smartphone, was a young clerk wearing a blue polo shirt.
I glanced at the nametag pinned to his chest. It read: Bruce Wayne.
The grin split my face before I could stop it.
I tapped on the glass window.
Bruce looked up from his phone, looking slightly bored. "Guten Tag. Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen?" (Guten Tag. How can I help you?)
"Hallo (Hi there)," I said, leaning casually against the counter. "Kennen Sie zufällig einen Butler namens Alfred?" (By any chance, do you know a butler named Alfred?)
Bruce blinked. He stared at me for a few seconds, his brain completely short circuiting as he tried to process the question. "Was? Nein. Ich... ich kenne keinen Alfred. Warum?" (What? No. I... I do not know an Alfred. Why?)
"Oh, das ist bedauerlich. (Oh, that's regretful)," I sighed dramatically, shaking my head. "Ich hatte gehofft, Sie könnten mir eine Führung durch die Batcave geben." (I was hoping you could give me a tour of the Batcave.)
Bruce looked down at his nametag, realizing the joke. He groaned, rolling his eyes.
"Sehr witzig, mein Herr (Very funny, sir)," Bruce deadpanned, clearly having heard the joke a thousand times before. He gestured to a sign on the counter. "Möchten Sie einen professionellen Fotografen engagieren, der Sie bei der Installation begleitet, oder möchten Sie selbst Fotos machen?" (Do you want to hire a professional photographer to accompany you through the installation, or do you want to take photos by yourself?)
"Ich möchte einen Profi engagieren (I want to hire a professional)," I said.
"Möchten Sie ein gedrucktes Album oder eine digitale Kopie per E-Mail erhalten? (Do you want a physical printout album, or do you want a soft copy sent to your email?)" Bruce asked, pulling a sleek DSLR camera out from under the counter.
"Ich möchte die digitalen Kopien an meine E-Mail-Adresse www.patreon.com/[email protected] geschickt bekommen (I want the soft copies sent to my email at www.patreon. com/[email protected])," I replied.
"Das macht vierzig Euro für den Eintritt und das Fotopaket (That will be forty euros for the admission and the photography package)," Bruce stated.
I pulled two twenty euro notes from my pocket and handed them over in cash.
Bruce tucked the money into the register, secured the camera strap around his neck, and stepped out of the booth.
"Hier entlang, mein Herr. Meine Dame (This way, sir. Ma'am)," he said, gesturing toward the entrance built into the inverted roof.
I held my hand out to Wanda. "Let's go, Lemon Queen."
Wanda took my hand, looking warily at the slanted door. We followed our photographer inside.
The moment we stepped over the threshold, my brain did a somersault.
The floor beneath our feet was actually the ceiling of the house, complete with crown molding and light fixtures that we had to carefully step around.
Above our heads, bolted securely to the "floor," was a fully furnished living room. A heavy oak coffee table, a plush sofa, and a television set hung suspended above us.
Wanda gripped my arm tightly, her eyes wide as she stared up at a heavy armchair hovering directly over her head.
"Wow," she breathed, stumbling slightly as her brain tried to reconcile the visual input with her inner ear. "My head is starting to get dizzy."
"Yes," I laughed, steadying her by the waist. "It takes a minute for the brain to stop panicking. Do you like it?"
"Yes," she said, a smile breaking across her face as she looked around the bizarre room. "I like it."
We spent the next twenty minutes exploring the inverted house.
We walked into the bedroom, where a massive king sized bed, complete with pillows and a duvet, hung above us.
We walked into the kitchen, staring up at a refrigerator and a dining table set with glued down plates and cups.
Meanwhile, our trusty photographer, Bruce Wayne, was moving silently around us.
He snapped candid photos of us exploring. He captured Wanda reaching up to pretend to touch a dangling lamp.
He captured me catching her as she lost her balance in the inverted hallway, laughing as she fell into my chest.
After we had wandered through every room, I looked over at Bruce.
"Ist die Fotoqualität gut? (Is the photo quality good?)" I asked, walking over to him.
"Das ist sehr gut, Sir. (It is very good, sir)," Bruce nodded, holding up the heavy camera. "Sie können es hier überprüfen." (You can check it here.)
"Let's see," I said, leaning in to look at the small digital screen on the back of the DSLR.
Wanda hurried over, wrapping her arms around my bicep and peering over my shoulder to look at the tiny screen.
Bruce clicked through the gallery.
The photos were fantastic.
The lighting in the house was bright, and he had captured the genuine disorientation and joy on our faces perfectly.
The background of the upside down furniture made the images look surreal and incredibly fun.
"Look at that one," Wanda pointed at the screen, bursting into giggles. It was a photo of me pretending to hold up the heavy sofa with one hand, my face contorted in fake agony.
"I am holding up a thousand pounds of upholstery, Wanda," I defended, smiling at the photo. "It requires drama."
Bruce clicked the next photo. It was a candid shot of me catching Wanda as she stumbled.
My arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, and she was looking up at me with a laugh, her eyes shining.
It was a beautiful moment.
"I love that one," Wanda whispered.
"It's my favorite too," I agreed.
I looked up at Bruce. "Schick mir alle Fotos, die du hast, per E-Mail." (Send all the photos you've got to my email.)
"Sofort, Sir (Right away, sir)," Bruce said. He took the camera and headed toward the exit to return to his booth and process the files.
We were left alone in the inverted master bedroom.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my own smartphone.
"Okay," I said, opening the camera app. "Now, let's take some photos together."
"Yes," Wanda agreed eagerly, stepping closer to me.
I held the phone up high, capturing our faces with the upside down bed hanging directly behind us.
We smiled, we made silly faces, we captured the chaotic energy of the room.
I noticed a full length mirror bolted to the wall.
Because the room was inverted, the mirror was resting flush against what was supposed to be the ceiling line.
"Oh, look," I said, grabbing Wanda's hand and pulling her toward the glass. "Let's check the mirror. I think taking photos in an upside down mirror is highly fashionable."
"Really?" Wanda asked.
"Yes," I pulled her to stand in front of the glass. "It's very avant garde. The internet will love it."
I stood behind her, wrapping one arm tightly around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulder. I held the phone up with my free hand, pointing it at the mirror.
Because the mirror was upside down, our reflection looked utterly bizarre, as if we were standing on the ceiling looking down at the camera.
"Okay, pose number one," I commanded. "The classic prom pose."
Wanda laughed, resting her hands over my forearm which was locked around her waist. She smiled sweetly at the reflection.
Click.
"Pose number two," I said, shifting my stance. "The dangerous secret agents."
I dropped my chin, glaring fiercely into the mirror. Wanda immediately caught on, narrowing her eyes and adopting a cold stare.
Click.
"Pose number three," I murmured.
I turned my head, burying my face into her neck. I pressed a kiss against the skin just below her jawline.
Wanda gasped softly, her eyes fluttering shut in the reflection, her head tilting back to give me better access.
Her hands gripped my forearm tightly.
Click.
I pulled back just enough to look at her reflection in the glass. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips parted.
"Pose number four," I whispered.
I turned her around in my arms so she was facing me.
I leaned down, capturing her lips in a kiss right there in front of the inverted mirror.
My thumb blindly tapped the shutter button on the phone screen.
Click.
Click.
Click.