My eyes snapped open to the horror of freefall, my stomach lurching as I plummeted towards the ground at terrifying speed.

"Shit shit shit shit shiiiiiiiit!"

*******

"Hold on, hold on, stop," I interjected, pulling Nilly close with a protective grip, my shock evident.

K'Tal, tapping the cube between us, turned his gaze to me. "Yes?"

"This is already too much for kids, just eight seconds in," I protested weakly.

But Nilly wriggled free from my grasp, her young face scrunched in defiance. "Come on, Papa. You just said 'shit' a little while ago."

I shot her a stern look. "That's an adult word, Nilly. And I didn't yell it out repeatedly!"

"But you also weren't falling from the sky," she retorted with a smirk. K'Tal couldn't hold back a giggle, trying to hide his amusement behind his hand.

"You little..."

"Shit?" Nilly chimed in cheekily. My heart still racing, I couldn't help but let out a shaky laugh at her boldness. K'Tal's laughter grew louder, though he tried to muffle it within his robes, not wanting to encourage her. It wasn't working. Nilly wore a look of triumph.

As we settled down and turned our attention back to K'Tal, I asked, "But what about this cube? It felt like I was the one falling. I don't want Nilly to get scared."

K'Tal's face grew solemn as he picked up the gleaming Hyperion cube and deftly spun it between his fingers. In a smooth motion, he tossed it into the air, and to my amazement, it floated gracefully back down, defying gravity.

"This isn't just any ordinary storage device," K'Tal began in a grave tone. "It is a repository of memories - both joyous and painful."

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Nilly interjected excitedly before K'Tal could respond. "It holds all of his memories so he doesn't have to keep them in his head!"

K'Tal chuckled at Nilly's exuberance before continuing. "Correct, my dear. The older I get, the more I rely on this cube. It becomes harder to recall things from memory alone. But this cube...it holds every moment and detail of my existence. From my origins to the present day, everything is captured within its tachyon thread."

He lifted the cube into the light, revealing its soft glow that seemed to cast an otherworldly aura on his aged features. "It records not just events, but also their impact across time. Every action I take ripples through the fabric of time, and this cube captures it all."

I struggled to grasp the concept, my thoughts swirling and racing as I attempted to comprehend. "But I've seen something like this at the galactic library," I exclaimed in awe. "They hold endless amounts of information, right? They function like any other holo-interface."

K'Tal smiled and shook his head. "You saw Imperion cubes, simpler versions used for compiling and interpreting time imprints of civilizations. The Hyperion cube is far more advanced, capable of tracking every single detail of a being's journey."

My mind spun at the realization. Common? There were only six in existence throughout the known universe! Yet K'Tal's words rang true. In the galactic archive, one could access detailed records of even the most insignificant person from my homeworld, constantly updated in real-time. It was mostly basic information such as "born, married, birthed/sired:, died" for most individuals, but notable figures had news articles and holos attached to their more significant accomplishments. There were also rumors about the Galactic Bureau of Crime utilizing a cube to investigate and track down suspects, as any criminal activity would appear in their file in real-time. The idea that one of these cubes could not only record your immediate experiences but also catalog the effects each action had on the universe was truly mind-boggling.

Nilly tugged at my sleeve, her wide eyes shining with curiosity instead of fear. "It's okay, Papa," she reassured me. "I'm not scared. It's all from a long time ago, right?"

Her bravery gave me some comfort, but I couldn't shake off my concerns about the potential impact of K'Tal's tale on her young mind. I had intended to embark on this journey alone, but that was before her mother... With a heavy heart, I let out a deep sigh.

"Alright, K'Tal," I said tentatively. "But can you give us a warning if something intense is about to happen?"

K'Tal's expression softened with understanding. "I wish I could, my friend. But then this story would never get told." His words hung heavy in the air as we braced ourselves for what was to come.