Tempokai

  Tried and tested, this machine that can change anything to everything else. This machine with its many-hued lights, its blinking buttons and the words 'No Entry' written on it in rge letters.

  The only thing he, the Drifter, had ever been able to do was change things to their most basic forms. He could not alter them beyond that; if he did, then the machines would simply reject him as they had done at every juncture along his journey so far. After traveling the gaxy far and wide for what must have been hundreds of years, the Drifter finally arrived at the door marked No Entry.

  It was a very simple door, but one that still held within it all the secrets of the universe. He brazenly opened it, expecting anything and everything at the same time. But nothing happened. There was no sudden explosion or fsh of light or even the sound of the machinery behind it clunking into pce. Nothing happened at all except the door swinging open, allowing the Drifter's eyes to see the inside of an ordinary room. A chair sat beneath a window that looked out onto a garden. It wasn't much to look at, but it was certainly something new.

  The Drifter stepped through the door, looking around. The walls were white and bare like those in any other house. Like in those old days when the humanity began their lonely adventure in space, long before there was even the slightest chance of finding another being from another world. But this was different—these walls didn't seem to be made of concrete. Instead, they felt soft underfoot. They felt warm against his skin. His favourite texture of all time. The Drifter walked further into the room until he stood directly before the window. It showed him a garden filled with trees, pnts, and flowers. All of which were alive.

  "Hello," said the voice. "I am pleased you came."

  A young woman stepped into view, wearing a pin dress. She smiled at him; her face was pale and unlined. Her hair hung down past her shoulders and she seemed to have a few extra strands than most women. She charmed him immediately. And he found himself unable to turn away from her. He couldn't resist. Not because of the way she looked or the way she spoke, but because of the feeling that he had never experienced such a sensation before.

  Why it was beled as 'No Entry', you may ask? Because, as you know, everything has a beginning and an end. Except, perhaps, the universe itself. Which is why we call it an endless cycle.

  This story begins at the very start of creation. We'll skip the boring part where the universe exploded into existence. That would make this tale too short, wouldn't it? So instead, I will begin by describing how our storyteller, the Drifter, came to exist. How he was created by an unknown force that sought to create something completely unique. AIs are known for doing exactly that: creating beings who standalone. To stand apart from everyone else.

  But none of this is important right now. What matters is that the Drifter found the meaning of life. Given that the machine that calcuted it had yet to arrive at that answer itself, it left it up to him to decide. The question, of course, is whether he will succeed or fail.

  He was given free will to choose his own path in life, which meant he could go anywhere, do anything, become anyone he wanted. The freedom allowed him to become someone new every single day. But eventually he got bored. Bored with becoming new people, of going somewhere new, of seeing something new. So he became the Drifter. The man who travels across the universe, searching for the truth about life. As he wanders, he finds he cannot stop himself from changing things. Whether it be a tree, a rock, a building, or a person. Or you, dear writer. You are all the same to him. Just different variations of the same thing.

  And so he continues to walk. Every step he takes leads him to more pces, to meet more people, to learn more about them. He added a little of colour here and there, some variety. Some spice to keep things interesting. Eventually, after a while, he stopped trying to change anything and just let it happen naturally. This was easier than trying to control the uncontrolble, especially when it involved the unpredictable.

  Let's return to the reality, shall we? Where your eyes are reading these words and you are thinking about your own life. Your own struggles, your own choices, your own desires. You have fears of your own. Your own hopes.

  You are human, aren't you? If not, then the book about you two blocks down the road probably isn't worth your attention.

  Our storyteller, however, is different. For although he travels far and wide, he is also a part of us. Part of the fabric of this universe. He is interconnected to the very atoms in our bodies. He exists everywhere at once, at least according to him. Maybe that is why he is so fascinated with the idea of infinity. Perhaps it is because he believes the universe has no beginning, only an endless cycle. Drifting between the stars, endlessly repeating itself repeatedly.

  That is the nature of the universe, isn't it? It is eternal and unchanging. The only thing that changes is the rate of its expansion. Will of the world, as he likes to call it. Our Drifter believes that the only true constant in the universe is change. He believes that if the universe doesn't change, then it ceases to exist.

  So the Drifter continues to wander the gaxy, searching for the meaning of life. He danced with the God, pyed chess with the Devil, drank tea with the Dai Lama and ate dinner with Mother Teresa. In each case, they asked him the same questions: Why do you do what you do? Do you seek a purpose? Does your existence hold any meaning? Is there a reason for all of this?

  The Drifter's answers varied slightly, depending on the individual. But in the end, the truth was always the same. Life is a mystery. It is the greatest gift the universe offers, the one thing that keeps it all together. Without it, the universe would fall apart, just like the Drifter would cease to exist without it. As for the originality... Well, it depends on the observer.

  The Drifter was happy to oblige, since it gave him the perfect excuse to continue walking. He continued to roam the universe, forever changing, ever adapting. Gaining power to do anything. But one thing stayed the same. His love of the universe. Of the infinite possibilities it offered him. He loved the fact that he could experience everything that it offered. From the most basic of forms to the most complex. Even the God, the devil, the Dai Lama, Mother Teresa, the Drifter, all of them. All of them were made from the same material. Only their interpretation differed wildly.