"It's been forever and we haven't even found a single clue yet!" I complained to Ren. "Dude, it's been two minutes. My tech isn't that advanced you know." Ren said. "Sorry, sorry, I'm used to faster tech and all." I said, regretting my words. "You knew someone good with tech?" Ren asked me. "My best friend Cyrus was good with science and my new friend, Eight is the tech-est." I explained to Ren. "What did they make?" Ren asked. "Cyrus made this little robot with his girlfriend, a private ship...and other things I can't remember. Eight made some metal arms for himself and some blasters like the ones you have." I responded. "It seems like I was the brains of your friends in this timeline." Ren said just as his detector started to light up. "Hold on, I'm getting something." Ren then pointed the detector upwards towards the ceiling. "It seems like Adam placed this crystal thing on the highest floor of this castle thing. Knowing him, I would guess he placed it in the tallest tower as well." Ren explained. "Well, how do we get there?" I asked. "Just from this diagram, it seems like there isn't a way to get there inside or outside..." Ren said. "So what do we need to do? Blast open the wall?" I asked. "Wait...oh...that's smart." Ren said as I think he found something. "So there are two locks on the outside of the tower and inside the tower. Two people need to open both locks at the same time, once that is over with, the two people have to go through some sort of long hallway meant to feel endless before they can reach the prism." Ren explained. "It seemed like Adam didn't want anyone to reach that thing." I said. "Yeah. I think this is where we need to split up. I'll take the outside, you find the inside." Ren said. "I can work with that." I said. "Here." Ren then passed me a walkie-talkie, a very big gun as well as what looked like a retractable sword. "Those are some of the very best weapons I've ever made. I have a gut feeling you'll need them to reach the top. Use the walkie-talkie to reach me and vise-versa" Ren said as we split up to look for the locks. I made my way to what looked like the entrance to the tall tower when I was greeted by two very buff men. "You're not supposed to be here you know." One of the men said as they blocked my path. "Yet, I am." I said as I blasted the men with the gun. They flew very far but they came down with a mighty crash. "All units, we have a trespasser in the tower! Stop him!" The men shouted into their watches I think. Without a moment of hesitation, I rushed into the tower. I didn't know how high up it was but after a few seconds, a few droids just like the ones in the subway came down with their guns. "Prepare-to-die!" They said as they opened fire on me. I kept trying to shoot them but my gun wasn't affecting them whatsoever. I very quickly had to shift to the sword which started to do some damage but by then, more and more of them started to emerge. I was able to slice more than one of them at a time but by that point, there were just too many. I had to run as fast as I could up the steps while they were firing at me like crazy. Thankfully since they had the aim of a newbie, I was able to reach the very top with a very big, steel, and strict door awaiting me. "Alright...where is this lock?" I said to myself as I looked around the door. There was nothing on or next to the door at all. There was no screen, there was no control panel, there wasn't anything. Without a moment to lose, I turned on the walkie-talkie and contacted Ren. "Ren, are you here, over." I said into the gizmo. There was silence for a very long time but it was a couple of minutes that I counted before Ren picked up. "Austin! I'm here, over." Ren yelled into the gizmo. "Ren! I'm at the door and there isn't a lock! Over!" I shouted into the gizmo in panic. "Don't worry, I'll open the door! Over." Ren said as I tried to speak into the walkie-talkie again but Ren wasn't picking up. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! They must have gotten him!" I exclaimed as within a few moments, I started to bang on the walls in frustration. "How could I let him get captured? It was my fault I got him into this and he had to pay for it!" I said to myself. Just then, I threw the blaster into the wall when something odd happened. So from what I've noticed, this castle was made of metal a few times since I aimed my blaster at the wall and the wall didn't get a single dent into it. However, when I tossed my blaster into the wall, it made a huge dent into the wall, like something was behind it. I then reached over to pick up my blaster and fired at the wall. After a few shots, I could see that this part of the wall was a panel. I reached into the panel and ripped it open to reveal what I was looking for, a lock with a human hand required. I pressed my hand onto the lock and just like that, the steel doors had opened upward to reveal a dark path ahead. "Well...here goes." I said to myself as I walked into the dark, uneasy, and creepy hallway. If I knew anything about Adam, or my Adam at least, he made this hallway as flashbacks of his flying base crossed my mind. Unlike that encounter, I wasn't all alone. I had my friends to support me at that time...but now I was on my own with shackles and chains while being threatened by another Adam. I wish I could have done it differently. Maybe I could have explained this to him better but even then, It probably would have ended the same exact way. At least there was a chance that Adam had the crystal I guess. I might be going home soon. After a good while through this endless hallway, I could hear footsteps approaching. "Ren?" I asked, praying to the heavens that it was Ren, if there was a heaven in this world. "Austin?" I heard the person say as me and Ren noticed each other. "You're alive!" I said as we headed towards each other. "Yeah, I found a control panel that was going to get me to open both doors but one of the droids blasted it and my walkie-talkie before I could activate it. It's good to know that you made it through nevertheless." Ren said in a very relieved voice. "Yeah, but we don't have all day, let's get to that prism!" I said as I and Ren rushed towards the endless hallway. After a long while of some unimportant conversation, we reached a door with someone standing in front of it...and I knew who it was. "Well well well. I have to say, I'm impressed." Adam said with a smile on his face. He was wearing something very similar to when I last saw him in my world. He had a black crown on his head, a black and gray robe, black pants, and was wearing black shoes. This time, however, he didn't have a very powerful wand, he had the most powerful wand that only legends spoke of: The executionist wand. "Move aside Adam! You should know that you can be beaten! Or at least a version of you can!" I said as I drew my sword at the ready with Ren drawing two blasters. "That version of me was WEAK. I was able to take over the entire world while he couldn't even take over a high school." Adam said as he drew his wand at the ready. "However, there is something that I want to see for myself." "Quit it, Adam! I won't ask you again." Ren exclaimed with more anger in his voice than I had ever heard from him before. "Bold words from a weak, thin name tag. I suppose I have to take care of you myself." Adam said with a very creepy and sinister smile. "Do try to make this enjoyable for me, ok? I want this to be fair-" Adam said right when Ren fired from his blasters and hit Adam in the face. "Good move." Adam said as he then fired at the both of us at once. He fired over a hundred lasers at us with such skill and speed. Me and Ren barely had a chance to attack him since he was so swift with his movement. As we kept up the fight, our chance of winning was getting lower and lower with each second. Adam wasn't getting tired while me and Ren couldn't keep this up forever and we both knew it. "There's too many lasers!" I exclaimed to Ren as we kept dodging one after the other. "Hm...you go for the door! I'll take care of Adam!" Ren said as he pushed me away from the battle and closer to the door. "No Ren! You can't!" I shouted as it was too late. Adam somehow didn't notice me at the door while he and Ren continued the fight. I knew that no matter what, I needed to open that door, so without a moment to lose, I found the control panel to the door and I began to diddle with it, or at least I would have if it wasn't so cryptic. Adam had like a 100-digit code on this and I wasn't even the closest thing to hacker. I tried to enter things like "Adam" or "Adamthebest" but nothing was working. I needed Ren for help and I needed him here now. Just then, I heard the sound of an explosion from very close by. I looked over at the hallway to find Ren running towards me. "Ren, you're alive!" I said in pure joy. "Not for long, that extra bomb I had should stall him for a little while. Did you get into the door?" Ren asked. "Nope. It's so cryptic and confusing." I said as I told him about what just happened. "Figures. I think I can get my way through this thing." Ren said as he diddled with the controls. "Almost there! Just need a little bit more time!" Ren said as I stood on the lookout for Adam. Just like Ren said, that bomb didn't stall him for long as in a few minutes, I could see Adam with a very pissed-off face. "YOU MINUSCULES!!" Adam yelled as he rushed over to us. "HURRY UP!!" I panicked to Ren. "Almost there...DONE!" Ren said as the door opened up with Adam right behind. We wasted no time to get into the door and just when we were about to close it for good, Adam reached his hand in the door frame. "YOU WON'T LOCK ME OUT OF HERE THAT EASILY!!" The robot yelled in a very creepy voice as he tried to open the door himself. Me and Ren both looked at each other before I held up three fingers and counted down to one. Ren and I then pushed as hard as we could as the door started to close. "LET ME...THROUGH!!" Adam yelled as we managed to lock the door right before he could enter. Me and Ren both fell to the ground from pure exhaustion. "That...was...our work...out for...the..day." Ren said in between breaths. "Yeah..." I said as I was able to get back up again. "There...it is." I said as I helped Ren up and we then walked to the prism that was in full display of the room, though...it looked...different. Not to interrupt for a lame school session but you know how ice cubes can melt in the sun and even break apart? Well for the prism, it looked like it was smaller, like it melted and broke apart. "Is this the crystal you were talking about?" Ren asked as I looked at it some more. "It looks like a part of it." I said as just then, I thought back to that day. "Let go, let go, destroy it, GO!" That spell was like a tattoo inside of my brain and I couldn't stop thinking about it. "I destroyed the crystal..." I said after a few moments of complete silence. "Cyrus told me no. He told me not to fire the spell..." I said. "So...?" Ren asked. "The crystal's properties were unknown. No one knew what it could do...except for me." I said with a sad voice. "So...destroying it created these pieces of the crystal?" Ren asked. "Not just that...I destroyed the crystal...I created this world..." I said. "I'm not sure I understand." Ren responded with a confused look on his face. "That's what the crystal does, it creates another reality. That's why when someone touches it...they don't return." I said with a sad voice. Was I going to be stuck here forever? I...I had friends and family. I couldn't be stuck here in this world run by one of the worst villains I've ever met. Though, I hadn't got a clue on how to escape this world...or get back home. "I don't understand but if we could get that crystal back to my base, I could study it further. I don't know if that's true but if it is, we can fix it together!" Ren said. "I...I guess that's a good enough plan." I said as I reached to grab the piece of the crystal when something odd happened. I touched the crystal and then I couldn't let go. "What's happening?" Ren asked as the room shook. "I have no idea!" I shouted as I tried to let go of the crystal. I had no idea what was going on but I was getting sucked into the crystal with no way to stop it. "Austin!" Ren said as he tried to pull me out of the crystal. "Help me!" I shouted in a panicked voice as the crystal was too strong. Within a few moments, I was completely sucked through the crystal without Ren as he stayed behind in that cursed world.