(A Clyde Chronicles side‑story featuring Lumen’s brother)
Mae was having the best day.
She frolicked across the yard, tail wagging, ears bouncing, Meep floating behind her like a tiny blue balloon. Clyde watched happily. Matthew wrote STEP FIFTY‑TWO: LET MAE BE HAPPY. Zyde scanned the grass for “dimensional anomalies.” Benjamin tried to relax for once.
Everything was peaceful.
Until it wasn’t.
The Rip in Reality
Mae paused mid‑frolic.
A shimmer appeared in front of her — a soft ripple in the air, like heat waves but glowing silver.
She tilted her head.
The ripple expanded.
Before anyone could react, Mae stepped forward…
…and vanished.
Clyde screamed. Matthew dropped his notebook. Zyde yelled “DIMENSIONAL BREACH!” Meep meeped in panic. Benjamin yelled “WHY MAE?!” Lumen whispered inside Clyde’s mind:
“She is safe… but she is not alone.”
Mae in Another Dimension
Mae landed softly on glowing grass.
The sky was purple. The trees hummed. The air felt like warm feathers.
Mae sniffed the air.
Someone was there.
A tall, glowing figure stepped forward — shaped like Lumen, but brighter, sharper, with streaks of silver and blue swirling through him.
He spoke gently:
“Hello, little guardian.”
Mae wagged her tail.
The figure knelt.
“I am Solis.”
Mae barked once — the “I like you” bark.
Solis smiled.
“My brother, Lumen, has been searching for me.”
Mae barked again.
“But you cannot speak their language. So you cannot tell them.”
Mae whined softly.
Solis placed a glowing hand on her head.
“They will find me. But they must learn to listen to what cannot be spoken.”
Mae leaned against him.
Back Home: Lumen’s Request
Mae reappeared in the yard exactly where she had vanished.
Clyde hugged her. Matthew wrote STEP FIFTY‑THREE: NEVER LET MAE OUT OF SIGHT AGAIN. Zyde scanned her. Meep meeped. Benjamin cried a little.
Lumen whispered urgently:
“Mae has seen something. Someone. My brother… Solis.”
Clyde gasped. Matthew gasped. Zyde fainted. Benjamin yelled “YOU HAVE A BROTHER?!”
Lumen continued:
“You must find him. He is lost between dimensions.”
Clyde nodded. “We’ll find him!”
Matthew wrote STEP FIFTY‑FOUR: DIMENSIONAL SEARCH PARTY.
And the adventure began.
The Search Through Strange Dimensions
Lumen opened portals — each one stranger than the last.
Dimension One: The Upside‑Down Meadow
Grass grows from the sky. Clouds sit on the ground. Clyde gets stuck upside‑down. Matthew yells “STEP FIFTY‑FIVE: FIX GRAVITY!”
Dimension Two: The Bubble World
Everything is bubbles. Clyde bounces uncontrollably. Nightwing floats dramatically. Benjamin screams in a bubble.
Dimension Three: The Silent Forest
No sound exists. Matthew can’t yell steps. Clyde can’t bounce loudly. Meep meeps silently.
Dimension Four: The Dimension of Too Many Chickens
Thousands of chickens. All clucking. All staring. Nightwing faints.
But none of these worlds contain Solis.
Lumen grows worried.
Mae grows determined.
The Dimension Where Thoughts Become Words
Finally, they step into a glowing silver portal.
The world is quiet.
Too quiet.
Clyde whispers, “Where are we?”
A voice answers — but not spoken.
It appears in the air as glowing text:
THIS IS THE DIMENSION OF THOUGHTS.
Matthew thinks “Whoa,” and the word WHOA appears above his head.
Benjamin thinks “I hate this,” and I HATE THIS floats behind him.
Clyde thinks “SNACKS?” and SNACKS? appears in giant glowing letters.
Mae steps forward.
Her thoughts appear too:
I FOUND HIM.
Everyone freezes.
Clyde whispers, “Mae… you can talk here.”
Mae thinks again:
FOLLOW ME.
She leads them through the glowing forest.
And there, sitting beneath a silver tree, is Solis — Lumen’s brother — glowing softly, waiting.
Clyde thinks WE FOUND YOU! Matthew thinks STEP FIFTY‑SIX: REUNION! Nightwing thinks DESTINY! Benjamin thinks FINALLY. Meep thinks meep.
Lumen’s voice echoes from Clyde’s mind:
“Solis…”
Solis smiles.
“Brother.”
Mae thinks:
YOU’RE WELCOME.
The Adventure Continues
Solis stands.
The dimension glows brighter.
He speaks:
“Now that you’ve found me… I can tell you why I was lost. And what is coming next.”
Clyde bounces. Matthew writes. Nightwing poses. Mae wags her tail. Meep meeps. Benjamin groans.
And the next chapter begins.