The Return

The moment David severed the connection, the rift collapsed in on itself, the tear in reality shrinking until it was no more. The void around him dissolved, and for a brief moment, he felt like he was floating in nothingness.

And then—darkness.

When David opened his eyes, he was back in his own bed, the familiar hum of his ceiling fan greeting him once more.

For a moment, he lay there, his heart pounding, wondering if it had all been a dream. But deep down, he knew the truth. The rift had been closed, the multiverse saved.

But at what cost?

He sat up, glancing around his room. Everything seemed normal, but there was a strange sense of detachment. He felt… different. Like a piece of him was missing.

David stood up and walked to the window, staring out at the familiar streets of his neighborhood. The world looked the same, but he knew that somewhere, out in the infinite expanse of the multiverse, things had changed.

He had changed.

And though he had returned home, David couldn't shake the feeling that part of him still existed out there—in the endless web of alternate realities. He had severed his connection, but in doing so, he had touched something far beyond human understanding. He had been a part of those worlds, however briefly, and now he carried that weight with him, a silent reminder of the multiverse's complexity.

As the days passed, David began to settle back into his routine. But life no longer felt quite as normal as it once had. Every now and then, he would catch himself staring at the sky, wondering if another version of himself was looking back. There were no more strange flickers, no visions of alternate realities. Everything seemed stable.

One evening, as David was sitting with his family, his mother made an offhand comment.

"You've seemed distant lately," she said. "Are you okay?"

David hesitated. He had told no one about his journey. How could he? No one would believe him.

"I'm fine," he said, forcing a smile. "Just… a lot on my mind."

His father glanced over the rim of his coffee cup. "You know, if you ever need to talk about anything, we're here for you."

David appreciated the sentiment, but there was no way he could explain the truth. Not yet. Not when the experience was still so raw.