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🎵 Songs from Seven Worlds of the Time Traveler
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Seven Worlds of the Time Traveler
By Arthur W. Prichard
A Victorian scientist built a machine to observe history. History had other plans for him.
London, 1895. After seven years alone in his workshop, the Time Traveler completes a machine that can move through time — and on its first flight, it fails. Instead of the future he intended, it hurls him deep into the past: stranded in ancient Persia with a damaged vessel, no way home, and no language he can speak. The strangers who find him have no word for machine, no word for science. So they use the only one they have. Miracle.
To get home, he must cross seven of history’s sharpest moments — imperial Rome, a Tibetan monastery, a prehistoric Pacific island, the floating markets of Edo Japan, Renaissance Venice — repairing his machine, and himself, as he goes. But he is not traveling unwatched. Three powers vaster than any empire — a far-future intelligence, a collective of conscious machines, and the ancient guardians of time itself — have noticed the Victorian intruder disturbing the past, and they do not agree on whether he should be allowed to go on… or simply be erased.
He set out to observe humanity from a careful distance. What he finds instead is kindness where he expected savagery, wisdom he cannot measure, a companion who was never meant to be alive — and, across the centuries, a daughter from a future he helped create and a love waiting in the time he left behind. Seven Worlds of the Time Traveler is a sweeping novel about history, consciousness, and the distance between knowing the world and truly living in it — and about the small, stubborn kindnesses that outlast everything.
Only on Bilistage: the multi-voice audiobook — original songs woven scene by scene, and a companion whose voice begins as a machine’s and, chapter by chapter, becomes unmistakably human. The performance is the story told a second way.
Multi-voice audiobook · 33 original songs · DRM-free EPUB
Book 148 · Available now
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A 4-minute excerpt from the climax of the opening scene, just before the cliffhanger. Multi-voice narration.
End of audio preview. The full audiobook runs over 15 hours with original songs woven between scenes.
Free preview
Scene 1 — The Calibration
• • •
The temporal displacement coils hummed with a frequency that made the Time Traveler's teeth ache, a vibration that seemed to originate somewhere beyond the normal spectrum of sound. He adjusted the primary resonance stabilizer with fingers that trembled despite his best efforts at control—not from fear, though that pulsed beneath his clinical focus, but from the sheer weight of desire that had consumed the last seven years of his life. Every calculation, every midnight hour spent refining the chronometric equations, every social engagement declined in favor of solitary work—all of it compressed into this singular moment of calibration.
The laboratory around him represented the physical manifestation of his obsession. Gas lamps hissed from their brass fixtures, casting unsteady light across workbenches cluttered with instruments that would have baffled his colleagues at the Royal Society. The chrono-device itself dominated the center of the space, a capsule of burnished copper and steel approximately twelve feet in length, its surface bristling with dials, switches, and crystalline protrusions that caught the lamplight like frozen lightning. Temporal displacement coils spiraled around the vessel's exterior in precise geometric patterns he'd derived from principles of rotational symmetry and electromagnetic field theory, each coil hand-wound with copper wire of exact gauge and purity.
"The resonance harmonics are drifting again," his assistant Marcus observed from the monitoring station, his voice tight with barely suppressed anxiety. "Point-zero-three-seven percent variance from the theoretical optimal. That's wider than this morning's readings."
The Time Traveler didn't look up from the delicate adjustment he was making to the temporal anchor mechanism, a device of his own invention that theoretically would prevent the vessel from becoming unmoored in the chronological stream. The mechanism consisted of seventeen interlocking gyroscopes, each one maintaining rotational stability in a different dimensional axis. He'd based the design on observations of how planetary bodies maintained their orbital relationships despite gravitational perturbations.
"The variance is within acceptable parameters," he replied, though his pulse quickened slightly. Marcus didn't understand—couldn't understand—that perfection was an asymptote they would forever approach but never reach. The mathematics were clear: temporal displacement required field energies that pushed the boundaries of what Victorian-era power generation could achieve. Every test had shown that minor fluctuations were inevitable, part of the chaotic dynamics inherent in breaching the dimensional barriers between present and past.
"Acceptable?" Marcus set down his notebook with enough force to rattle the instruments on his desk. "We're talking about untested physics. About paradoxes we can't even properly formulate, let alone solve. What happens if the displacement field collapses mid-transit? What if the temporal anchor fails and you become—" He gestured helplessly. "—unstuck? Adrift in some chronological void?"
The Time Traveler's jaw tightened, pride flaring hot in his chest. He'd addressed these concerns months ago, had shown Marcus the mathematical proofs, the theoretical frameworks borrowed and adapted from Maxwell's electromagnetic theory and Riemann's geometry. But Marcus remained trapped in conventional thinking, unable to make the intuitive leaps required to grasp the elegance of the solution.
"The anchor operates on principles of quantum entanglement," he explained with forced patience, his hands continuing their precise work on the calibration. "Each gyroscope maintains a connection to its own past state through microscopic wormhole threading. Think of it as a rope stretched through time—so long as the rope remains intact, I can always follow it back to the present moment."
"And if the rope breaks?"
"Then the redundant systems engage. I have seventeen independent anchors, Marcus. The probability of catastrophic failure across all seventeen simultaneously is vanishingly small. Approximately one in ten to the forty-seventh power, by my calculations."
Marcus shook his head, running a hand through his graying hair. "You're speaking of probabilities as if they're certainties. As if mathematics alone can protect you from consequences we haven't even imagined."
A warning light flickered on the main control panel—amber, not red. The Time Traveler moved to examine it, his boots clicking against the wooden floor. The gauge showed pressure building in the displacement field generator, the massive electromagnetic apparatus housed in the chamber beneath the laboratory. The device consumed enough power to dim the gaslights in a three-block radius when operating at full capacity, drawing from a bank of high-capacity batteries he'd designed specifically for this purpose.
The causal chain was clear to him, beautiful in its mechanical precision: electrical current flowing through precisely wound coils generated rotating magnetic fields. Those fields, when phased correctly, created a localized distortion in the fabric of spacetime itself. The distortion, amplified and directed by the crystalline focusing arrays, would envelop the vessel and shift its temporal position along the fourth dimension while maintaining its spatial coordinates—or rather, maintaining its position relative to Earth's moving frame of reference, which itself required enormously complex calculations to account for planetary rotation, orbital motion, and galactic drift.
"The field pressure is building faster than predicted," Marcus noted, his own instruments registering the same data. "We should abort and recalibrate."
"No." The word came out sharper than intended. The Time Traveler forced himself to moderate his tone. "The variance is due to ambient temperature changes. Look—" He pointed to a secondary gauge. "The copper coils have expanded by point-zero-zero-two inches since this morning. The field pressure increase is a direct causal result of reduced resistance in the primary circuit. It's actually a favorable development."
It was also, he didn't add, completely irrelevant to his decision. He was going. Today. Now. Seven years of work of sacrifice, of burning desire to pierce the veil of time itself—it all culminated in this moment. No number of cautionary warnings would deter him. The hunger for knowledge, for firsthand observation of history's great moments, for proof that his theories held truth, consumed every other consideration.
He had chosen 550 BCE Persia for his maiden voyage with deliberate care. The Persian Empire at its height represented a relatively safe destination—a stable civilization with sophisticated infrastructure, far enough from major urban centers that his arrival might go unnoticed or at least unremarked. The historical records suggested the region would be peaceful during that era, the administrative gardens of Pasargadae a place of order and contemplation rather than violence. He'd studied every available text, memorized key Persian phrases phonetically, prepared himself as thoroughly as possible for the cultural shock of displacement.
But beneath the rational planning lay a deeper current: the fierce, almost desperate need to prove himself. To demonstrate that the theoretical physics he'd developed weren't mere mathematical games but genuine insights into reality's structure. His colleagues had dismissed him, politely at first and then with increasing condescension. The Royal Society had rejected his papers on temporal mechanics as "speculative philosophy unsuitable for serious scientific discourse." Even his own family had withdrawn, uncomfortable with his single-minded obsession.
"I'm initiating the pre-displacement sequence," he announced, moving to the main control console. His hands moved across the switches and dials with practiced precision, each adjustment triggering cascading changes in the electromagnetic field configuration.
Marcus stood abruptly. "Wait. Please. Just—give me one moment to verify the safety protocols."
"I've verified them seventeen times."
"Then let me be the eighteenth."
The Time Traveler paused, his hand hovering over the activation lever. Something in Marcus's voice—genuine fear, yes, but also concern that transcended mere professional caution. Marcus had been with him for three years, assisting with calculations and fabrication, never fully understanding the theoretical foundations but dedicated, nonetheless. A good man. Perhaps the only person left who could claim any real connection to him.
"Very well," he conceded. "But quickly."
Marcus hurried to the secondary console, his fingers flying across the readouts. The laboratory filled with the clicking of mechanical calculators, the scratch of pencil on paper as Marcus verified the displacement field parameters against the theoretical values. The Time Traveler found himself studying the vessel while he waited, noting how the lamplight played across its curved surface, how the temporal coils seemed to shimmer with potential energy even in their dormant state.
The device represented everything he'd learned about cause and effect, about the relationship between energy and geometry, about how mathematical elegance translated into physical reality. Each component had been designed and redesigned, tested and refined. The gyroscopes-maintained stability through conservation of angular momentum. The crystalline arrays focused and directed the displacement field through principles of optical refraction applied to spacetime itself. The power systems delivered precise current according to the changing field requirements, regulated by a complex web of feedback mechanisms.
"The calculations check out," Marcus admitted reluctantly. "But the tolerances are so tight. A single error, a fractional miscalculation—"
"Would result in a failed displacement, nothing more. The vessel would simply remain in the present. The field would collapse, the energy would dissipate harmlessly, and I would recalibrate and try again." The Time Traveler moved back to the main console, his desire building to an almost physical pressure in his chest. "I appreciate your caution, Marcus. Truly. But I must do this. I must know."
He began the activation sequence before Marcus could mount another objection. The first switch engaged the primary power coupling, sending current surging from the battery banks into the displacement field generator. The laboratory lights dimmed noticeably as the massive draw began. A deep vibration built in the floor, felt more than heard, as the electromagnetic coils spun up to operational speeds.
"Field generation at fifteen percent," he called out, monitoring the gauges with fierce concentration. "Gyroscopic systems engaging. Temporal anchor establishing baseline quantum states."
Numbers scrolled across the instrumentation panel—current draw, field strength, harmonic frequencies, anchor stability indices. Each value represented a thread in the complex web of causality he'd woven, each one dependent on and influencing the others. His mind tracked them all simultaneously, pattern-matching against his theoretical predictions, noting the minor deviations and mentally adjusting for them.
"Thirty percent. Displacement manifold beginning to form. Marcus, I need you to monitor the anchor telemetry. If any single gyroscope shows instability above point-one percent, call it out immediately."
Marcus moved to his station without argument, his professional training overriding his fear. The Time Traveler felt a flash of gratitude—whatever happened in the next few minutes, he wouldn't face it alone. The isolation that had defined his life for so long would persist just a moment longer with another human being present to witness his triumph or failure.
"Forty-five percent. Chronal resonance locked. Temporal coordinates confirmed for 550 BCE, spatial coordinates for latitude thirty degrees north, longitude fifty-three degrees east."
The vessel began to glow, a soft blue-white radiance that had nothing to do with reflected lamplight. The temporal displacement field was becoming visible as it interacted with the normal electromagnetic spectrum, bending light around its curved surface. The effect was mesmerizing, beautiful in a way that transcended mere aesthetics and touched something fundamental about reality's structure.
"Sixty percent. Field pressure at nominal levels. All safety interlocks showing green."
Except—there. A flicker on one of the secondary displays, too brief to fully register. The Time Traveler's eyes snapped to the gauge, but it had already returned to normal readings. Probably nothing. A fluctuation in the lamplight, perhaps, or a momentary voltage spike in the monitoring equipment.
"Did you see that?" Marcus asked, his voice tense. "The third anchor gyroscope just showed a—"
"I saw it. Point-zero-eight percent deviation, well within acceptable parameters. It's already corrected."
"But it shouldn't have deviated at all. The theory predicts—"
"The theory predicts behavior under ideal conditions. We're working in reality, Marcus, where friction exists and thermal fluctuations matter and quantum uncertainty isn't just a mathematical abstraction." The Time Traveler heard the edge in his own voice, pride and irritation mixing with the mounting fear that perhaps something genuinely was wrong. "Seventy percent. Continuing to full field deployment."
The amber warning light blazed red.
Both men froze, staring at the gauge panel where multiple indicators had suddenly flared into critical status. The field pressure had spiked, jumping fifteen percent in less than two seconds. The displacement manifold was distorting asymmetrically, creating uneven stress across the vessel's temporal envelope.
"Abort!" Marcus shouted. "Shut it down!"
The Time Traveler's hand moved toward the emergency cutoff, but stopped. His mind raced through the causal chains, tracing the fault backward from symptom to source. The pressure spike—caused by asymmetric field distribution. The asymmetry—caused by uneven heating in the southern coil array. The heating—caused by a fractional increase in current draw from batteries operating at the edge of their capacity.
It was correctable. The system was designed with enough flexibility to compensate. He just needed to redistribute the load, shift power away from the southern array to the northern backup system.
"I can fix it," he said, his hands already moving across the controls. "Engaging auxiliary power coupling. Redistributing field generation to compensate for southern array thermal variance."
"There's no time! The field is already—"
The Time Traveler threw the auxiliary switch. Instantly, the current flow rebalanced, drawing from the redundant northern batteries. The southern coils began to cool. The field pressure started to drop back toward nominal levels.
But he'd acted on impulse, driven by desperate desire rather than careful calculation. And impulses, he realized too late, carried consequences.
The sudden redistribution of power had created a harmonic shock wave through the displacement field. The wave propagated through the electromagnetic matrix, causing a cascade of minor instabilities that the automated compensation systems struggled to correct. The gyroscopes spun faster, fighting to maintain stability. The temporal anchors strained against suddenly multiplied loads.
"Eighty percent field deployment," he reported, his voice steady despite the chaos of warning lights now flashing across every panel. "Displacement manifold reforming with corrected symmetry. All critical systems responding to compensation protocols."
Marcus had gone silent, staring at the instruments with the fixed expression of someone watching an avalanche and knowing they stood directly in its path.
The Time Traveler felt it then—the moment when theory met reality and revealed which was master. His calculations had been elegant, his design sophisticated, his confidence absolute. But the universe operated according to principles deeper and stranger than mathematics could fully capture. He'd touched something fundamental with his temporal displacement field, bent spacetime in ways that resonated with forces he only partially understood.
And now those forces were pushing back.
"Ninety percent. Final field deployment in thirty seconds. Marcus, get to the far wall and brace yourself. The displacement may create local gravitational distortions."
"What about you?"
"I'll be inside the vessel. Protected by the field itself." He hoped. The theory suggested the interior would remain stable, a pocket of normal spacetime carried along in the larger distortion. But he'd never tested it at full deployment, never verified that human biology could survive the transition from present to past.
He was about to find out.
The Time Traveler moved toward the vessel's entry hatch, each step requiring conscious effort as ambient electromagnetic fields began to affect his inner ear balance. The blue-white glow had intensified to almost painful brightness. He could feel his hair standing on end, static electricity building across his skin.
The hatch opened with a hydraulic hiss. He climbed inside, the interior cramped but functional, dominated by the pilot's seat and the bewildering array of controls and monitors he'd need to manage the temporal transition. Through the viewing port, he could see Marcus pressed against the far wall, his face pale but determined.
"One hundred percent field deployment in ten seconds."
The Time Traveler's hands moved across the final sequence of switches. His heart hammered against his ribs. Pride and fear and hope and desire all compressed into a single burning point of consciousness. This was it. The culmination. The proof.
"Seven seconds. Displacement manifold at full stability. Temporal lock achieved."
The laboratory began to blur, edges softening as the field bent light around the vessel. Marcus's form wavered, becoming translucent.
"Three seconds. Anchor systems engaged. All gyroscopes at operational—"
One of the gyroscopes failed.
Not gradually, not with warning—it simply stopped, its quantum connection to its past state severing with catastrophic suddenness. The temporal anchor it maintained vanished, and the vessel lurched sideways in spacetime, the displacement field suddenly asymmetric again but far worse than before, the mathematics of the situation collapsing into chaos.
Sixteen anchors remained. Still enough. Had to be enough.
"Engaging displacement!" he shouted, though he didn't know if Marcus could still hear him across the growing temporal boundary. His hand slammed down on the final activation control.
Reality screamed.
The laboratory vanished. Marcus vanished. The present vanished.
The Time Traveler plunged into the howling void between moments, the chrono-device shuddering violently around him as it breached the dimensional barrier between now and then, his consciousness fragmenting across impossible geometries as the universe's fundamental structure revealed itself in all its terrible beauty—
And somewhere in the chaos, he felt the second gyroscope begin to fail.
End of free preview. Six more worlds await, with original songs and microdrama scenes woven into the story.
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