The dim blue light from the console illuminated the dimly lit observation room, casting long shadows on the walls filled with screens and star charts. Jonas Wilder, his face intent and his gaze fixed on the darkest part of the room, kept his hands crossed at chest level. Samantha, his assistant, watched him from the other side of the table, her brow furrowed, her eyes a mixture of skepticism and curiosity.

—” So, do you really believe there is something beyond the dimensions we know?” — Samantha asked, trying to grasp the complexity of what Jonas was trying to explain to her.

—”I don’t believe it, Sam,” he replied, slowly, with the same intensity as always. “It’s that we’re going to try to prove it. The Superconsciousness ... imagine it as a space outside of time, a place where all possible realities exist simultaneously, intertwined, waiting to be explored. Every decision we make, every path we turn aside ... they’re all still alive, but in a different dimension. It has to do with string theory and the multiverse. The Superconsciousness is the common point where all realities intersect. Something like the ‘Akashic records’ ... do you understand?”

Samantha pursed her lips thoughtfully and drummed her fingers on the edge of the table.

—”And how do you know it’s not just another theory, Jonas? Something we may never be able to verify, a mirage we’ve created to give meaning to our decisions and mistakes. Like believing in paradise ... or in some god.” Jonas let out a slight laugh, short but warm, and glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

—”Sometimes, Samantha, the most radical theories just need a spark. A small step into the unknown that transforms a possibility into reality.”

—”And what would that spark be?”— She asked, between incredulous and captivated.

Jonas looked down at a device on the observation table, a compact device filled with holographic displays and complex circuitry. It was the result of years of work and advanced technology, a combination of quantum resonance, brain stimulation and electroencephalography that he had perfected himself.

—”This equipment is capable of expanding consciousness beyond the conventional threshold of perception. There are certain sound frequencies that stimulate the desynchronization of the cerebral hemispheres. The consequence is that this causes the massive transfer of information between the hemispheres and takes the individual’s consciousness to a level of deep stimulation. It allows the mind to transcend the notion of linear time and enter into what I call ‘quantum astral travel’. If it works, we will be one step closer to Superconsciousness.” Samantha leaned forward, eyeing the device cautiously.

—”So ... would you enter this ... Superconsciousness? As a kind of tourist of realities?”

Jonas smiled, but there was no trace of doubt in his eyes.

—”Not as a tourist. I’ll go as an explorer of my own existence. Since the 1980s, many researchers like myself have dedicated our lives to understanding how the choices we make shape our reality. Now, charlatans call it ‘manifesting,’ as if wishing for things to happen were enough. We’re ready to discover how choices we don’t make also influence people. With this experiment, we’ll be able to see what every version of Jonas Wilder would have been like in every corner of this multiple universe.”

Samantha sighed and stared at him, a mixture of admiration and doubt.

—”What if something goes wrong...?” She began to say, but Jonas gently interrupted her.

—”If something goes wrong, I’ll be in a place where time doesn’t exist. Every moment and every version of me will be there. Samantha, I’ve done everything I could do in this world. Now it’s my turn to explore those alternate realities.”— He tried to sound confident to avoid his assistant’s objections —”This will be something like hypnosis. If something goes wrong, just let me sleep ... and when I wake up ... everything will be back to normal. There shouldn’t be any obvious dangers in meditation...”-

A deep silence settled between them as they adjusted the equipment. The lights glowed softly, as if waiting for the experiment to begin.

Jonas settled into a special chair, adjusting the sensors and actuators around his head, each calibrated to synchronize his brain waves with the quantum resonance system. With a final sigh, he winked at Samantha, who responded to his thumbs-up with an affirmative nod. Sam activated a series of levers in the system, and Jonas closed his eyes. He began to recite in his mind the sequence of mantras he had practiced for months, training his consciousness to go beyond the conventional limits of astral travel. He wasn’t planning on hovering around staring at the ceiling; Jonas Wilder would go much further.

As he deepened his meditation, he felt reality dissolving. First, a faint humming filled his ears, as if every molecule of his being was tuning to a new frequency. Then everything became dark and silent. He felt as if he were submerging in the waters of a deep, soothing lake, but without the sensation of drowning or lack of oxygen. Jonas knew the equipment was working. He could feel the distant vibration of the electronic circuits. After a few minutes, his mind began to expand, freed from the prison of time and space.

Jonas’s first impression was that he was in a room. He couldn’t see anything at all because it was pitch black. Slowly, he could sense a presence that became evident in that vast darkness. From afar, a luminous figure emerged in front of him, ethereal and warm, radiating a serenity that was strangely familiar to him. Somehow, he knew that her name was Sophia. And for some reason, he could sense that she was welcoming him as her spiritual guide. A reassuring thought emerged in his mind: Sophia was just as he had imagined her. Her appearance changed slightly every time he blinked; it was as if she was constantly transforming, taking a form according to each of the alternate realities.

—”Jonas,” Sophia said in a voice that echoed softly in his consciousness. “Finally, you have reached the threshold.”

—”Sophia...” — He replied, surprised by how easy it was for him to send his thoughts into that immaterial space —”Is this real? Have I crossed over?”

The woman smiled, an imperceptible gesture, but it conveyed warmth.

—”As real as anything you’ve ever experienced. You stand on the borders of realities you never lived, of paths you never took. Every decision you missed or every opportunity you left behind exists here. Come, I’ll show you what could have been.”

Sophia extended her hand, and Jonas, feeling a mixture of anxiety and curiosity, took it. The space around them filled with flashes of light, as if they were surrounded by shooting stars. Each of those lights was a glimpse of a different life, an alternate version of their existence, a different universe than the one he had experienced. Diving into the first flash brought them to a familiar yet strange scene: Jonas saw himself, younger, smiling and with an expression of tranquility that he barely recognized. In front of him was Celina, the great love of his life, whom he had let go due to a confusing mix of pride and circumstances. Now the reasons seemed petty and minor, as if they had never mattered much. In this alternate existence, he had made a different choice and was married to her. They both laughed as they shared a quiet night at home.