Above space.
Above time.
Above the idea that things even needed space or time to exist
There was a throne that was placed in area surrounded by Gray fog
The throne was noot made of gold.
Not made of stone.
Not made of anything that had a name.
It simply was.
And on that throne… Sat something.
A being that didn't have a shape unless it wanted one.
Right now, it looked almost human.
Almost.
Too still.
Too quiet.
Too… aware.
Its eyes if they could be called that were fixed on one tiny, very unimportant scene:
A messy warehouse.
A broken chair.
A laughing six-year-old boy.
Ben Tennyson.
The being tilted its head slightly.
Amused.
Curious.
Interested.
"…You accepted quickly" it murmured, though no sound actually existed there.
Below far, far below Ben tripped over a rope and fell flat on his face.
The being watched.
And then
It smiled.
Not kindly.
Not cruelly.
Just… knowingly.
Around it, things moved.
Not people.
Not objects.
Concepts.
Distance bent without moving.
Time passed without changing.
Reality behaved like it had been told to sit quietly in the corner like a mother telling their child that they are grounded.
And yet
No one noticed.
Not the kidnappers.
Not the voice in Ben's head.
"…Let's see how far you go this time" it said softly.
Then like it had never been there at all, It simply vanished
---
Somewhere in Bellwood…
Max Tennyson was not a man who panicked easily.
He had faced things most people wouldn't believe.
Aliens that can destroy planet with ease, wars that would leave anyone mentally unstable were just standard, Things that shouldn't even exist were standard plumber stuff to him
He had kept his cool through all of it.
Right now, however
He was very close to not keeping his cool.
"He's late," Ben's mom said, pacing back and forth. "Max, he's never this late."
Max checked the time again.
Then again.
Then one more time, like the clock might apologize and fix itself.
"He left school hours ago," Ben's dad added, voice tight. "We called everywhere."
Max nodded slowly, but his mind was already moving ahead.
Too late.
No contact.
No sightings.
Bad.
Very bad.
"Did anyone see him leave?" Max asked.
"A teacher said he walked out like normal," his mom replied. "That's it. After that nothing."
Max exhaled quietly.
That wasn't normal.
Ben wasn't exactly the quietly disappear type.
If anything, he was more of a loudly cause problems type.
"…Max?" his mom asked, voice smaller now. "You think he just… wandered off?"
Max didn't answer immediately.
Because the truth?
Ben wandering off was possible.
Ben getting distracted was very possible.
Ben getting into trouble?
Almost guaranteed.
But this—
This felt different.
Max's eyes hardened just a little.
"…No," he said calmly. "Ben doesn't just vanish for 4 hours straight after school."
The room went quiet.
Even Gwen, who had been unusually silent, looked up.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Max forced a small, reassuring smile.
"It means," he said, grabbing his jacket, "I'm going to go find him."
"Dad we already called the police. They are searching the entire Bellwood for him right now" Ben's dad said quickly.
Max paused at the door.
For a second, something old and serious flickered behind his eyes.
"…Even more reason for me to go try to find him" he said.
Because if this was what he thought it might be…
Then normal police weren't going to help much.
He stepped outside.
The evening air felt heavier than it should.
Max looked up at the sky for a moment.
Nothing unusual and yet a bad feeling settled in his chest.
"…Hang on, kid," he muttered.
Then he got into his vehicle and drove off.
Fast.
Back inside the house, Gwen crossed her arms.
"…He's hiding something, maybe he knows where Ben went?" she said.
"Gwen" her mother started.
"I'm serious," Gwen insisted. "Grandpa Max only does that calm voice when things are not calm."
Silence.
Because she wasn't wrong.
Far away
In a broken warehouse
A six-year-old boy laughed as chaos slowly built around him.
And even farther beyond something that should not exist Was watching Very, very closely to this entire situation