book of james

A century before the second world ended and longer still, a man was born. He was blessed with stolen strength, but still seeked more. "The Gift" became a trophy to him, and this hubris led to his forced hibernation.

When he woke, his empire woke with him. But, as he was distrustful, so were his partners. They would leave him and betray him.

He tried to prove he could be a best friend, and he succeeded at that. Yet, still, he found himself alone, and inevitably he returned to corruption. 

He did not fight at the end of the second world. He was not amongst the victors who made the wish.

But, my vision is confusing. Sometimes when I look he is there, standing in front of God and having his wish heard.

The things I see I cannot understand, but I see them nonetheless. And so I record what I see though it conflicts with what other visions have provided. Perhaps a story lost to time, or perhaps a time that has lost its story.

The Book of James

Anton said he was from the future, and it was hard to believe. But, as Anton recalled his tale, he mentioned that Juice Lee had sung an ancient song. Juice, who had taken a vow of silence long ago, had never told anyone that he knew this song, and so he believed that Anton had indeed lived through the events that he described. And, as best friend of Juice Lee, that meant that James C believed, too.

And when God came down to Hoodslam and spoke of granting a wish, there was no doubt. Anton described how he saw Hoodslam with such passion and reverence. It was a home, and a community. These were things that James C had never truly had. He'd only ever known gangs - ones that either he led outright, or that he murdered his way to the top of.

James C was inspired by what Hoodslam could become, but he was also aware of an unspoken truth: if things were really good how they were, then Anton would not have found himself in this time traveling predicament. He would not have to scare everyone with stories of how they would not survive to see the near future that he was from. James knew that Anton simply wishing it back to how he remembered it was fundamentally flawed; it would simply lead to another catastrophe as the one they faced today. Perhaps even the same one.

And so, James C grabbed the "The Gift" as God granted the wish that Anton believed, and he added his own wish and belief. The community, the individuals, the heart - but not the years of fighting and hate, loss and regret.

When James C awoke, he found himself in the early 1900s. His dream was possible, but it had to be earned.

At first it felt life a gift, but soon his memories returned to him. The memories of the person he used to be, before he had dedicated himself to being the best friend he could be. Though his heart was no longer in it, he relived his life of crime. He had to do it the same, up to a point. 

He guiltily betrayed the same friends. He shamefully robbed from those less fortunate that him. He did terrible things. Always tortured that this was no longer who he was. Haunted that this was who he used to be. 

He had to do it how it was without change, so that he could get to where he needed it to be when he would change it all. The key cannon moments had to be the same, and he could not risk taking a different route.

Finally, one day, he stole the secret serum from the government transport. In his last life, it was the key to his longevity for over a century.

And then, he had to recreate when he was frozen in ice.

He thought that this would be the easy part. He was chasing something, and he only had to chase it again. The rest would come on its own. 

He snuck his way onto a plane headed towards Europe, as he had in his past life. His old self had planned to steal a prize, then parachute to safety. The prize was said to grant power, but that this power could corrupt. Rumored to be a rejected gift, given from one God to itself. It was a Golden blade that never dulled.

As his past history told it, the prize would slip from his hands, and the parachute would fail. He would fall into the ocean in the north Atlantic, and be frozen for decades. 

He looked at the water from the open door and wondered "Why was I so greedy?" 

What value did this prize have compared to the community he carried in his heart?

His second life had built to this moment, and all the evil he had relived would soon feel justified. He would jump into the ocean willingly, and when he awoke in this new future he would use the wealth he'd amass through crime and interest to create a new community. The town he saw in his restless dreams.

Before he jumped, he had a moment of realization. The prize that he had chased - over 100 years and another life ago - was no longer there. He searched frantically, but it was as if it had been erased from existence. He spent years getting to this moment, but now the moment had been changed.

What if other things changed? Would the fall kill him? If he did survive would he still be found, or stay frozen forever?

Could the community he saw exist without the "The Gift" and the power it granted? 

It would have to.

James plunged into the water and welcomed the darkness for the second time in his existence, the first time in this life. It felt like drowning. He knew it would. He never forgot.

After what felt like a cold dark eternity, he awoke. The light was blinding, and he was coughing up seawater. It was Miami, 2009.

As his eyes adapted, he saw a familiar sight: two young thugs standing over him. Both had on suits, and spoke with strange accents. One of them had a toothpick, and the other looked like a rabbit man. In another life, he had been the captain of their gang.

But in this life, he thanked them and made his way west, towards a town that didn't exist yet.

He would build it, and they would come.

It was his wish.