"What do you mean?" Alina asked curiously.
"I mean, I made this singularity here, with no ties to any Universe." Salem explained. "So the matter inside this singularity doesn't resonate at all with any Universe. That might mean that certain laws of physics are little more than guidelines."
"That's mind-bending." Ruby said.
"I know." Salem agreed. "I wonder what else can exist indefinitely if it has no ties to a specific space-time continuum."
"Lots of things, probably." Alina said after some thought. "We just haven't discovered more than one thing."
"That's true." Salem agreed. "For all we know, anything could exist indefinitely without any ties to any space-time continuum. For all we know anything could last indefinitely while not occupying space."
"...What?" Alina asked.
"A singularity is a one-dimensional object, correct?" Salem asked Alina.
"Yes." She agreed. "So a singularity doesn't occupy space?"
"Correct." Salem nodded. "But this singularity seems to occupy space. Why would that be?"
"I don't know." Alina said.
"Neither do I, and I can't imagine how we'd find out." Salem said, pocketing the singularity. "But how would a singularity even exist in the first place?"
"You make them." Ruby said.
"Yes, but by making one, we violate some laws of physics." Salem paused when he had this thought. "When we create a one-dimensional object, it should lose its ability to interact with the other planes of existence. When it is one-dimensional it doesn't occupy space, meaning it shouldn't be able to influence gravity, which is a product of both space and matter.
"Since it doesn't occupy space, it shouldn't be able to influence time, yet it can. Once it no longer interacts with space, why can it generate the gravity to influence time? And even if it had some space it was occupying, it wouldn't be a singularity anymore.
"Not only that, but space and time are almost one, so you shouldn't be able to separate them, which is why they are often reffered to as space-time. But with singularities, you can disregard time, meaning you can travel through any amout of space seemingly instantaneously. But you also disregard time. Time cannot exist if an object doesn't occupy space, can it? If time cannot exist without space, how can a singularity exist? Matter, by virtue of its existence, cannot exist without space, yet a singularity exists as a fusion of matter without space." Salem paused, gathering his thoughts once more.
"Even if it were explicable for a singularity to be able to interact with every single plane, despite not existing in all of them, Humans theorized that our Universe came from a singularity that exploded, called the Big Bang.
"But how would the singularity explode if it wasn't a complete singularity? Even if it was incomplete, where did it come from? If-" Salem was cut off by Ruby.
"Stop." Ruby said. "My brain can only handle so much mind-bending."
Salem smiled, stroking her hair.
"The laws of physics seem to be rules that are easily disregarded by the Multiverse." Salem said.
Alina seemed very interested in his philosphical rant, but agreed that they needed to understand more basic concepts behind the Universes before they were able to truly understand the implications of Salem's words.
Once they arrived at the scaldingly bright star, Salem made their magical washing machine and inwardly marveled at the wonders and contridictions of the Multiverse.
"I wonder what determines the shape of the dimensional tear." Salem said. "And why is space-time referred to as fabric if it shatters like glass?"
"This makes my brain hurt." Ruby said.
"Mine too." Salem agreed.
"If I understood more about the Multiverse, I'd be able to converse with you about it." Alina said. "Teach me."
"You're always thirsty." Salem laughed. "If this next world is inhabitable by more than killer spirits, I'll teach you."
"Thanks." Alina said, hugging him tight enough that his ribs creaked.
"I want to learn too." Ruby said, feeling slightly left out.
"I'll teach you both." Salem said, stepping through the fractured space and into the blackness behind it.
....
The first thing that greeted them on the other side was a scream.
Salem ignored the lady who was immersed in the crystal-clear water in the pool inset in the ground.
He instead glanced around and saw a gold-plated room covered in beautiful carvings on its walls and ceilings, jade floorings, and a bunch of servants surrounding her, scrubbing her.
Both Alina and Ruby detached themselves and gazed scornfully at the nude woman in the water.
"WHO ARE YOU??" The woman screamed at them. "AND HOW DID YOU GET IN??"
"Dimension travel is not an exact science." Salem said mildly. "How was I supposed to know that you were here?"
"LIES!" She screamed. "SACRILEGE AND LIES!"
Salem smirked and led the girls to the door.
"Bye, lady." Salem said, his tone not changing. "I hope I don't see you again."
"SIEZE THEM!" The woman screamed, realizing there were three of them.
Salem opened the gilded door unhurriedly, slowly revealing the outline of a burly, bear-like, three meter tall man behind it.
The servants froze in their tracks when they saw the man.
"Hello, sir." Salem said coolly. "Care to move yourself out of my way?"
"Who are you to blatantly break into my daughter's bathouse to peek at her?" The man demanded angrily.
"To be fair, I didn't know that I would pop up here when I left the last dimension." Salem said, indifferent to the man's seething rage. "As I told your daughter, I'll tell you. Dimension travel is not exact. I don't ever know where I'm going to pop out."
"Do you want to anger me with your lies because you have a death wish?" The man's anger spiked.
"First, I already have two beautiful wives." Salem said, gesturing to the two elven women behind him. "Why would I spy on your daughter when I have them?"
"Are you saying their beauty surpasses my daughter's?" The man asked icily.
"Absolutely." Salem responded, amused. "Second, this was an accident, as I have repeatedly stated."
The man didn't reply, his face just turned the exact red of an overripe tomato.
"You will pay for this." The man said, reaching out to grab Salem's neck.
Salem deflected his hand with a tendril of shadow.
"Third, I only just got here." Salem dusted imaginary grime from his flight suit. "Why do you have to be so rude?"