Deus In Machina / Deus Per Machina

Submitted into Contest #184 in response to: Write a story about a character who is experiencing glitches in their reality.... view prompt

7 comments

Fiction Christian Mystery

Aesus Rides, a 30-year-old computer engineer of Nigerian-Greek descent, lived a seemingly normal life in the city of Eleusis, Greece. However, one day he woke up to a reality unlike any he had ever known. The world around him was twisted and distorted, breaking the laws of physics and nature in every way. Trees grew from steel, the fruit was filled with tar, and everything was a far cry from the world he knew.

As Aesus struggled to make sense of the world around him, he began to notice that reality was becoming increasingly unstable. The sky was dark and stormy, even though it was a sunny day just moments before. The buildings around him shifted and changed as if they were made of Jello. The streets were buckled and twisted as if a giant had taken hold of them and pulled them in opposite directions.

Everywhere Aesus looked, the laws of physics were breaking down. The trees around him were bent at impossible angles, their branches reaching out to grasp at the sky. The fruit in the trees had taken on strange, twisted forms, and the flowers were wilting and dying even as they bloomed. The air was thick and heavy, and it was difficult to breathe.

Aesus was horrified by the chaos that surrounded him. He tried to run but found that he was unable to escape. The world seemed to be closing in on him, and he felt as though he was trapped in a nightmare. He cried out, but his voice was swallowed by the wind.

As Aesus explored the city, he saw that the chaos had spread beyond his immediate surroundings. The streets were filled with people who were running in terror, their faces contorted with fear. Cars were overturned and buildings were collapsing. The once-beautiful city was now a place of destruction and terror.

Aesus realized that the chaos was not limited to the physical world. He could see the effects of the breakdown in reality on the people around him. Their thoughts and emotions were jumbled as if they were being pulled in multiple directions at once. Some people were laughing uncontrollably, while others were crying or screaming. It was as if the fabric of their minds was also unraveling.

As Aesus looked out over the city, he saw that the madness was spreading beyond the city limits. The mountains were shifting and changing, and the rivers were flowing backward. The stars in the sky were dancing and spinning as if they were trying to escape from their orbits. The world was in a state of complete and utter chaos, and it seemed as if nothing could stop it.

As the reality around him continued to unravel, Aesus began to feel the weight of the world pressing down on him. He could feel the fabric of reality tearing apart. He struggled to focus, to hold onto his own sense of self, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

Finally, Aesus could take it no longer. He let out a scream, and the world around him exploded in a blast of light and energy. When the light faded, Aesus found himself back in his bed, surrounded by the familiar surroundings of his home. But he was left with a deep sense of unease, knowing that the reality he lived in was not as solid as one person might think. And most important of all, not understanding how everything went back to normal for a moment. 

Aesus sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes as he tried to shake off the grogginess of sleep. He had gone to bed exhausted, after a long day of work, but now he was wide awake. He looked around his room, trying to figure out what had woken him up.

And then he saw it. The world was back to normal. The trees were once again rooted firmly in the ground outside of his house, and the fruit in his kitchen was no longer filled with tar. The streets outside were bustling with people, going about their daily lives as if nothing had ever happened.

Aesus couldn't believe what he was seeing. Just a few hours ago, the world had been in chaos, a place of destruction and terror. But now it was back to normal as if nothing had ever happened. He was confused, and a little scared.

He got out of bed, still trying to make sense of what was happening. He remembered feeling a sense of power, of control, as he screamed into the void. He had felt like he could bend reality to his will like he was the master of the world.

And yet, he was just a computer engineer from Eulisis, Greece. He didn't have any special powers or any control over the world. So how could he have made everything go back to normal? He was filled with confusion and questions, unsure of what was real and what wasn't.

Aesus shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He needed to find out what was going on, to understand how he had made everything go back to normal. He was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, to find out the truth about himself and the world around him.

Aesus Rides, the bewildered computer engineer, had set out on a quest for answers. Driven to the local library, he delved into the stacks, searching for knowledge that would explain the unexplainable. He poured over texts on philosophy, physics, and chemistry, seeking any scrap of information that could shed light on the bizarre reality that had befallen him.

But despite his best efforts, the answers eluded him. The books were filled with abstract concepts and theories, but they offered no solace to Aesus's mounting confusion. As the glitches began to reemerge, his frustration grew, and he sought solace in his favorite wine.

As the night wore on, and the reality around him continued to unravel, Aesus found himself surrounded by a mountain of books, their pages cascading to the floor as the glitches manipulated the laws of physics. In his wine-soaked stupor, he was on the brink of collapsing into bed, but something caught his eye - a book on the Eleusinian Mysteries.

With a trembling hand, Aesus took up the book and gazed into his wine glass, lost in thought. And at that moment, as the words of the ancient text danced before him, a spark of realization ignited within his mind, and he knew - with a certainty beyond comprehension - that he was not who he thought he was. The madness of the following revelation made him think he was a madman, but something about felt overly quaint and believable for some reason.

As Aesus tried to make sense of the madness that surrounded him, he began to have flashes of memories from a past life. He saw himself standing on the top of a mountain, holding the fate of the world in his hands. He saw himself creating the stars and the galaxies and shaping the very fabric of reality. And as the memories flooded back, he suddenly realized that he was not just a computer engineer from Eulisis, Greece, but something much greater.

Overwhelmed by the realization, Aesus stumbled and fell to his knees. As it turns out, Aesus was not just a normal man, but the fundamental pillar of reality itself. His brain controlled everything, making him a mortal avatar of God. But how could he have forgotten this fact about himself? He remembered dying in his past life, an overdose of the strongest alcohol in Greece while reading the tragedies of Aeschylus, but he never realized that he had forgotten his true nature in a past incarnation.

Aesus was torn between confusion and disbelief. He had always thought of himself as a normal person, with normal problems and normal life. He never suspected that he was anything more. Now, he was grappling with the truth, trying to understand how he might have forgotten something so monumental.

As he struggled with his confusion, Aesus realized that his powers were not just a blessing, but also a curse. Every time his mind went haywire, reality would become unstable, and it was up to him to restore it. He was horrified by the thought that he was responsible for the chaos that was spreading across the world. He had to find a way to control his powers, to keep reality from unraveling once again.

Aesus had died and been reborn countless times, living in this world among his creation since the days of Adam and Eve. Each time, he had restored reality to its proper form, but at the cost of his current mortal coil. Now, Aesus was determined to prevent his brain from going haywire once again. He decided to avoid excessive drinking and to take better control of his powers.

As he grew up and honed his abilities, Aesus found himself constantly torn between his desire to protect reality and his fear of losing himself to his powers once again. He battled with his inner fears, struggling to maintain control and prevent another tragedy from befalling the world.

In the end, Aesus realized that he was not just a mere mortal, but a divine being with the power to shape reality itself. He embraced his true nature, becoming one with the fabric of the universe and finally finding peace. The world around him stabilized, and reality was restored to its proper form once again.

Aesus Rides, the mortal avatar of God, lived on, always watching over his creation and protecting it from the chaos of his own mind. And so, the cycle of life and death continued, as Aesus was reborn once more, ready to face the challenges of a new life and to fulfill his divine purpose.

February 06, 2023 03:00

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7 comments

Jane Summers
13:49 Feb 16, 2023

I got an email to critique your story. Opinions are my own and are to be taken with a pinch of salt. Firstly and bizarrely I have just completed the first draft of a novel set in Eleusis. So, I'm a little confused and wonder if there is some reason for you to name Eleusis, Eulisis on occasion? Is it a local spelling? Please enlighten me. We must have similar genre interests because a few things here are similar to a few things in my story. I really enjoyed reading your idea. For a lot of the time, I wondered if he was having a dream or hal...

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Emanuel Diaz
02:47 Feb 17, 2023

Hello Jane. Regarding the naming, I actually read that both pronunciations were ok and used depending on the region. So I just flipped a coin and decided on that one. Thank you for your kind suggestions. Will try and keep them for the future. Regarding writing a novel, I don't know if I ever will. I am an amateurish writer at best and I am just flexing my ideas using the prompts of the contest to try and get creative. Furthermore, my country of origin would make it difficult for me to be successful as a writer. But thank you for the en...

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Jane Summers
07:48 Feb 17, 2023

You obviously have the imagination to be a writer and that's the most important thing. Every great writer starts as an amateur!

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Mia Klausa
09:20 Feb 25, 2023

I can't believe that that's just an one shot and not some cosmic horror novel series

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Emanuel Diaz
23:08 Feb 25, 2023

I am not very confident when it comes to the idea of writing a novel. but at least I can write some weird short stories and give them some sense and cohesion. To a degree at least. Hope you like it.

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Mia Klausa
12:27 Feb 26, 2023

Like it? You know, later when your famous or something and everyone is like:"Emanuel Diaz is such a genius!" And I would be like: "Yeah and here I have a comment of him telling me he didn't had the confidence to publish." And they would be like:"What bro no way. This man's a genius. You edited that." And I would start some conversation and no one would believe me, because you're the first person after H.P Lovecraft who did cosmic horror right. (maybe that was too much...but I stand by that. Your writing style is amazing!)

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Emanuel Diaz
22:33 Feb 26, 2023

Thank you for the compliment. I am happy you enjoy it. I love Lovecraft's horror because it lets you make the mundane into something gargantuanly twisted. Small things and the simplicity of everyday life can become a monster of no equal. If you want to read another Lovecraft-esque story of mine, you can go to my profile and look for "The Starry-Eyed One Maddening Sight" or "It is not my fault!"

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