Within the moments after that horrific ordeal neither the Professor or Officer Bates had realized the one key component to this mysterious encounter with death. The fact that the bodies had not only been covered in dust but that they lacked a shadow as if they didn't exist at all. Merely a ghost of what could have been and what will be.

Whatever these creatures had planned it was going to be a grand time for the Professor. He hadn't dealt with anything of this magnitude for quite some time. Realizing only now how much he'd missed the adventure while in his poor state of mind. In fact, he'd often thought of traveling while in that state he just couldn't bring himself to. He had even neglected to water his indoor plants which left most of them wilted or dead within his ship. He'd have to get more, so he put that on his mental list of things to accomplish within the next days. He showed his true mettle through this situation but how long could he hold up this cheery facade?

The idea of an adventure where everything went right was rather dreamy. Though, he had more sense than that. His shenanigans normally ended in at least one casualty. But he wouldn't give up hope on such an adventure. After all, where was the fun in that?

The Professor stared up at the ceiling taking a deep breath. Then looked over to Officer Bates which stood beside him.

"Are you ready, Bates?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

The officer replied with slight hesitation.

"Well, that's all well and good!"

The Professor seemed a bit too happy about the circumstances. His eyes lit up as he shoved the officer into the pitch-black void of the room in front of them. Bates shouting unintelligible things as he fell into the abyss. The other soon following quickly behind as soon as he realized that Bate's hadn't touched the floor. It was a bottomless pit of the nothing. But what was it doing there? And how could it exist in the something…unless this was a much more sinister being than he had originally thought. The echoing scream that rang out from officer Bates was dampened and the silence remained.

Upon reaching the bottom of the room…which he found out really quickly meant it couldn't be the nothing, the Professor, found officer Bates huddled in the corner after he had fallen quite a long ways down. He raised a brow curiously. No one could have survived that fall. And he hadn't, what sat before him was merely a representation of what could have been in a dark room. What truly laid before him disgusted the Professor. Internal organs, bones, blood, and skin riddled across the floor of the pit like a surrealist painting gone horribly wrong. He slouched over, revolted by the scene that was beyond the curtain.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?"

He shouted yet heard nothing. The silence was suffocating. The Professor thought for a moment then snapped his fingers, again, nothing.

"That's it! These beings trap you in such a dense layer of dust you can't hear anything! It must clog up the ear canals! But why? Ahhhhh…the element of surprise."

Little did these beings know that the Professor had heightened senses not of the human variety. His eyes narrowed as he began to concentrate. He used his sense of touch to navigate through the room of dust, his eyes closed his nose stuffed up, his ears clogged. But his sense of touch was all he needed to escape this spacetime anomaly. In his hand was the string and paperclip he had asked for minutes before. He had taken note to leave his coffee by the doorway as to not have both of his hands full…much less stain his new suit. Not that it mattered much now, considering it was now covered in dirt and grime.

The Professor felt something move beside him.

"Please be right about this…"

He had magnetized the paperclip before descending into the room. And without hesitation he threw it in the direction of the feeling hearing a sudden telepathic piercing scream echo through his mind.

"What have you done?!"

"Beat you at your own game."

The Professor replied coldly, he knew full well that whatever this being was it could hear him clearly as he could hear its screams of anguish.

"How?! No one has ever bested our kind!"

"That's where you're wrong. I took notice of the metal shavings and metallic shine to the dust you are made of. You are not only made of dust but the debris of war."

He stated calmly in response. His eyes opened finally after a moment, finding himself in a normal room, with normal human remains on the floor. Except they looked as if they were a century old. He walked over, taking off his coat and covered the dust covered skeleton with it.

"You need this more than I."

Then the Professor turned with a start to glare at the metallic dust floating around the magnetized paperclip which had fallen to the floor due to the re-addition of gravity to the equation. He thought a moment sizing up the enemy before deciding on his next move. Which he had decided would be a sizable interrogation.

"This is a calculated attack. You know me from somewhere. So you'd be better off telling me what you are and where you're from."

"It would take quite a long time to answer that, Professor."

Now, that caught him off guard. This being knew exactly who he was.

"How do you know of my name? What do you know about me!?"

His patience was dwindling. But the being finally answered now calm and back to its normal state. This of course infuriated the Professor which had just witnessed far too many murders for one day. He punched at the air angrily.

"If you would please stop your fit of rage, Professor. I wish to answer."

The Professor froze mid air punch. Cleared his throat recomposing himself.

"Sure, whatever."

"Well, in that case. I am born of the dust of one's consequences. The past that could have been and the future that could be."

There was a brief pause as if the being was waiting for something important to happen.

"You see, Professor. This is not the present day. It is the future that could have been."

Another pause, the Professor's features turning from angered to pure confusion.

"So, this is a possible future…? Or a future had I- Oh…I believe I understand what you have been showing me now. This is connected to that dream, isn't it?"

"Yes, Professor. You are much more than you give yourself credit for. You have bested many foes yet remain humble."

For the first time in a very long time the Professor pondered this very thought. But shook his head. He knew full well this could be a trap but part of him knew it wasn't. He closed his eyes taking a deep breath choking back a sob mid-way through. For the first time in one hundred years, he was allowing the emotions to flow again.

"But I couldn't stop them from…"

"From what?"

"Killing the only person that mattered in my life! That's what!"

The Professor snapped then slapped his hand over his mouth looking horrified of his own lack of control.

"It is alright. It is normal to be emotional for living beings I believe. Your friend will always be here for you, Professor. After all, we Dustborn…"

"Oh Dustborn? What a fantastic name! Mind if I take a mental note of that?"

"Not at all…but do keep in mind our paths will cross again, Professor. As they have crossed before."

This puzzled the Professor. He had never heard of or seen this species before. But before he could ask any more questions, the scene before him vanished. He was sitting in bed; knife still embedded in his hand. Now with a piece of paper attached to the string and paperclip. Written on it were the words, "Thank you Professor."