0: The Fool
Tethered - a journey into an alternative reality where nothing is quite as it seems. Where the line between fiction and fact are difficult to differentiate. And destiny becomes a game.
⚠️ Each instalment will be slightly different; however, reader discretion is advised as this is written for an adult audience.
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My head grew tighter the longer the silence dragged; the aftermath of the argument had created a thorny hedge to sprout between us. Branches creeping through the room and over my limbs. It only made me more resolute in my quest.
I refused to allow his fears, his doubts, his science, to sway my faith in this venture. Sometimes staying bound by rules only forces stagnation and loss. And I’d nothing left to lose now.
Nothing.
Resistance is more foolish than risk, and he’ll realise.
He’ll realise.
💠
It had taken several more weeks before I felt ready. Several days for the simulations and data to work through the adjustments I’d made. It took time for me to establish the correct sequence and appropriate protocols which’d ensure this would be successful.
Kaspar didn’t need to know, not yet.
I’d siloed my actions, my files; the appearance of compliance to his lack of courage. When we talked, I smiled and offered him the confirmation he expected. I played the game. His game.
In an alternative world, Kaspar would be the one keeping secrets.
In this, it was me.
And I realised I was perfectly at peace with that - providing it delivered me the breakthrough I believed in. To discover a parallel world, a world where every decision I’d made had created a new reality, a world where I’d have a chance to live… to truly live without the challenges and grief I’d endured… it would be everything.
Was everything.
Kaspar didn’t understand that. He didn’t understand how desolate it was to live the life I’d had to. How lonely it was. All I’d ever wanted was to find out where I belonged, to find out where I’d gone wrong.
Because something had to have gone wrong for me to feel so alone and lost. I don’t think I’d been comfortable anywhere, and with no consistent family I’d not had anyone to reassure me about why I felt like that.
Science was the only thing I trusted; science never lied.
Science never tricked me.
Science never hurt me.
Sure, theories evolve and findings may be disappointing. But, the facts were there to confirm the understanding. I could dissect the outcome and figure out what I could change to improve the results.
I could control the narrative.
‘Ila, I’m going for lunch; you want anything?’ Kaspar hovered behind me, his hand gripping my shoulder.
I ducked from beneath it.
‘Or do you want to come with?’
‘I’m okay, thanks Kaspar.’ I swallowed, the beat of my heart increasing the flutter against my ribs. Now, it could be now.
‘You sure?’ He frowned.
I could feel his gaze burning into mine; trying to dig into every quark and lepton, every tangled state. Slow, I nodded, determined not to permit the swelling heat in my blood to betray me. The communication between my emotion and my body needed to be decoherent.
Kaspar needed to believe what he observed, regardless of just how alive my entire being was in this moment.
Otherwise he’d never leave. ‘I’m fine.’
His eyes narrowed slightly, the notch between his brows deepening as though he was about to object. His lips parting enough to glimpse a sliver of his teeth.
‘Kaspar, I’m fine.’
💠
She was not, he believed. As he looked at Ecila, he wanted to argue. He wanted to remind her of how she did not need to push so hard; this was a project they had no deadlines for. No targets. Nothing aside of the desire to achieve something that had not yet been achieved.
And that meant they had time, time to explore, to test, to think. The pressure was entirely unnecessary. The pressure was carving into her posture, her movements, her eyes.
Kaspar had noticed, even though he did not voice his concerns.
Instead he vowed to keep track and offer support. Asking if she would like to have a break, to eat with him, was merely a way to ensure Ecila did take the time to rest.
He would keep asking, until she finally succumbed.
💠
I was fine; I felt strong. The colours were brighter, the feel of the air conditioning was more present on my skin, the sound of the machines hummed more urgently. There was an intensity to my thoughts, to the warmth thickening my throat and pricking my eyes.
This felt liminal.
My limbs were ready to snap; holding myself still while I waited for him to leave. For the moment the room was a void of anything but me, and my future.
Careful, I counted; pacing the seconds in silence as it gathered the energy into movement. Into hitting the pre-programmed command on my keyboard. Into standing.
Into sweeping my bag onto my shoulder.
Into crossing to the gleaming metal architrave. The flicker of neon gossamer forming within the boundary a beacon which faded into a soft glow; a hint of shimmering sapphire and pale-lavender.
‘Resistance is more foolish than risk,’ I stated; jaw tight and chest quick. ‘Resistance is more foolish than risk.’
Impetuous, I took one last look at the doorway, and stepped forward.
💠
Into a world I’d never seen; the vista a kaleidoscope of blues. The soft transition barely noticeable as the threshold was breached, as my body moved from one state to another.
A slight vibration over my skin, under my teeth.
Glancing back, the portal glistened with delicate undulations.
The lab’s sharp edges and equipment reflected inside the void, crafted within the landscape; a perfectly represented opposite. No discernible frame, just the bleeding of one world and another; the fading of blue into white, into grey. Into the bright lights I’d left behind.
I exhaled; my soul electric.
My eyes were blurring with emotion, my smile aching as it fought to retain the joy. Sobs beginning to choke my throat as I realised I’d done it. I’d crossed the portal.
I was in another world.
Dropping to my knees, I folded forward and swept my palms over the blades of grass below my touch. Soft. Bending under the gliding brush of my hand and issuing what sounded like a melodic sigh.
I snatched my hand back.
Surely not?
Tentative, I reached out again.
The same whispering, child-like sound chased after my fingers. My head shook as I scrambled to my feet and looked around for a path; I didn’t want to stand on something which sounded so… alive.
‘You won’t hurt it.’
I swallowed. Body tense.
‘It just likes to play.’
The knowledge I should’ve done more research, should’ve taken more precautions, should’ve waited for Kaspar, or at the very least kept a tether to my world, were hot spiders in my blood. My eyes closed; escaping drops of salted water leaking from the lashes as I chewed my lip.
‘You shouldn’t be here.’
Cautious, I turned. Unsure what I’d find, I braced myself to run; my periphery confirming that the portal remained open. Finding a woman, a human-looking woman, I relaxed a little.
Rationally, of course, the scientist in me knew she was speaking in a language I understood, so of course she’d be human. But, if she was human, how was she also here? Had she discovered this first?
And if so, how?
‘Who are you?’ Disappointingly, my question sounded broken and raw, with a distinct quiver. I tried to settle the nervous hammer ricocheting within my chest. Ignore the bead of sweat rolling down my spine.
‘My name is Pershel,’ she answered, graceful, ‘and I care for those who are present in my mother’s Подземный Мир1.’
I frowned, the words seemed familiar somehow, but I couldn’t place them. Her appearance, also, seemed reminiscent of someone I knew; not a person or acquaintance. More a symbol. Her slender limbs were clad half in black, half in white. The darkness of her make-up created a skeletal shell to her face, emphasised by long, straight black hair.
If it wasn’t for her smile, slightly unnerving as it was, I’d’ve run.
‘Podzemnyy mir?’
Pershel waved her hand to indicate our surroundings.
‘And I shouldn’t be here?’ My head tilted; the urge to test the limits and determine if I could explore surged. A teasing thought brought fresh questions to my tongue. ‘Am I early? Late?’
‘You shouldn’t be here now.’
That wasn’t the answer I’d expected. But, somehow, it felt absolutely right. At least she wasn’t telling me to leave, nor asking why I was here at all.
Though she had yet to explain how she was here.
‘But, you never were very patient.’ Pershel’s eyes glinted.
My teeth caught my lower lip as the frown returned. How could she know me? How could she know anything about me? I tried to formulate a response, to argue that I’d taken every precaution and every calculation before I’d even considered running the test.
It’d be a lie, though.
I’d not checked everything.
‘Now you’re here,’ she continued, ‘let us begin.’
‘Begin what?’
She didn’t answer, only took a step forward.
‘Begin what?’ I followed, shrugging the pack higher on my shoulder while checking the portal’s placement. The indigo shades of the forest to one side, the mint-blue of a river beyond the whispering grass I’d leapt from. Dotted amongst the meadow were turquoise flowers, a constellation below the cloudless sky; the colour of cyan with a hazy sapphire sun.
It was only then I truly registered it wasn’t winter.
The heavy boots and layers I wore inappropriate for the climate; my warmth assigned to adrenaline and anxiety until this point. Removing the coat, the cardigan, lowered my temperature. Calmed my pulse.
I’d never felt so at ease.
Which made me uncomfortable. I stopped. ‘Pershel, where are you taking me?’
‘I believe the answer you’d like to hear is, to see a wizard.’ Pershel’s laughter was devilish. Her eyes flitted to the cerulean path below our feet with a wry smile. ‘The bricks aren’t the right colour for that, though. So, perhaps, just trust me, and that I’m taking you where you need to go.’
While you read, should you wish to immerse yourself further into the dark vibe of the story, have a listen to the playlist. It may also give you a glimpse of what’s to come in future chapters - especially if you know the Major Arcana and what they represent. I’m also happy to share which resources I’ve read should you wish to learn more about parallel world theory, quantum mechanics, and wormholes.
This story is crafted by Ariadne Pautina, entirely human-driven, © 2026
Thank you for reading; I appreciate your time and your support. If you feel called to leave an offering, it would be sincerely welcome. But, your company is gratefully received regardless 🖤
Подземный Мир - Russian for ‘underworld’. The significance of that may or may not be relevant. But… spoilers 😉
I'm enjoying this so far, intrigued what happens and what worlds you have created.
I love the details, like how everything is in shades of blue in the Underworld. Quite captivating!