Cage was overwhelmed by the feeling that his body was falling but also ascending at the same time. The urge to vomit was strong but weirdly his body refused to regurgitate even bile.
Whites and blues. Purples and pinks. They all swirled and clashed against each other until all that was left was an insidious black smothering his senses.
As he fell/flew, Cage felt weirdly at peace..disconnected from reality. The grief of not knowing what happened to her, the relief of escaping his personal hell, and the wonder that should've coloured his thoughts as he witnessed what could only be described as the weirdest or maybe the most normal acid trip ever…only numbness remained.
Suddenly, Cage felt a sharp tug pull him off course into a small opening swirling in a myriad of colours.
BANG!
"UGghhh…blLAARGgg.."
And with that the urge to vomit left.
As Cage looked around, he realised he had crash-landed on a weirdly solid cloud.
Cage could see that the cloud he had landed on was but a small one compared to the thousands of others that floated about near his little cloud island.
It was weirdly reminiscent of a particular level in Super Oreo bros...
(Aigoo…another headache to add to the list. "Be a Warden" they said…"it'll be stress-free" they said…)
"Huh?! Pardon me…bu-"
(Oh yeah… I don't have much time to explain thanks to you. Regardless, all you need to know is that thanks to your little stunt, you've been labelled as an {Illegal Immigrant}. It is not a good thing. The starter language pack that all immigrants usually receive will be withheld and also bans other {gods}from bestowing one onto you… what I mean to say is you're going to be illiterate in a foreign world.)
(I don't particularly care what you're going to do, so do whatever. I can't reverse or change anything that has occurred cause I can't interfere with something as minor as this… Well I'll give you a little push since I like watching the struggles of an underdog.)
(Oh! Before you ask, the only way to save your familiar at this point would probably be through the [the god ruins]…well that's all I can say and do.)
(Farewell young man…I await the day that glory shines on your ancient race once again..)
All Cage felt was some fluid flow into his eyes and then everything went dark.
The last thing he heard was the mysterious "Warden" mentioning something about an ancient race that he was supposedly a part of…
***
"GREETINGS! To our HEROES from another world, I welcome you all to THE REALMS OF RUINA!"
Miguel cracked his eyes open only to see a young man wearing a luxurious military suit reminiscent of those worn during the Victorian era smiling at him warmly.
Startled by the sudden eye contact with the man's bright blue eyes, Miguel tried to take stock of his situation.
Beside him, his friend Scott and his girlfriend Amy could be seen sprawled across each other, still passed out laying on the cold floor of the well-lit basement/dungeon they were currently in.
Sensing another presence, Miguel looked behind him to find the pretty waitress that had been serving them in their private VIP room.
The last thing he could recall was them celebrating Amy hitting 10 million followers on TitTat with a bottle of a 2005 Château Pétrus that Scott had "borrowed" from his dad.
Suddenly, the giant magic circle that had been inscribed into the floor beneath them that had started to dim as soon as they all were teleported, started to glow again!
The prince, his retainers and Miguel all looked on in shock as a man suddenly appeared beside them.
The man in question was covered in blood and grime. His clothing too was covered in blood that did nothing to hide the numerous wounds and scars that covered the man's body.
Vomit could be seen splattered all over the front of his pants and shirt.
Miguel looked at the man in confusion as he was quick to note that the man, though obviously malnourished and abused, was around his late twenties whereas he and his friends, even the waitress, were all barely adults.
Amy being the oldest, not counting the waitress, was only 19 while Scott and Miguel were 18 and 19 respectively. Amy was a month older than Miguel, something she never forgot to bring up in an argument.
Suddenly, the man's eyes shot open. Bolting upwards, the man locked eyes with Miguel who was right beside him.
"so…-rry."
Before Miguel could even start to process what he meant by that, the man vomited what appeared to be blood all over him and then immediately passed out
'Must've been a hemorrhagic shock…'
Was the last thought that crossed Miguel's mind before he too passed out under the dumbstruck gaze of the prince and his retainers.
This incident became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
***
"MOTHERF*CKER! DID I WANT TO DO THIS?! NO! DID I HAVE A CHOICE?! AGAIN NO! JUST BECAUSE AMANDA HAD A F*CKING FEVER, I WAS FORCED INTO WELCOMING THOSE F*CKING "HEROES"!!"
The greatsword in Aaviak's hand-cut through the neck of the last Training Golem standing, the last from the original twenty.
"*Huff*...*huff*...why am I so unlucky? The last Anomaly appeared 200 years ago! Why couldn't this fool wait for another couple hundred to pass?"
"Never-mind that, how's Mr Anomaly doing right now? Has his condition stabilised?"
Butler Keith, as if he was expecting the question replied almost instantly.
"Madam Zara has personally tended to his wounds as per your instructions. Nothing serious was noted besides excessive blood loss. Madam Zara has reported that he should be waking up within 12 hours or so."
Sparing the butler one last glance glance, Aaviak returned to standing in his battle stance, waiting for the golems to put themselves back together so he could continue to relieve the stress brought about by the day.
***
Meanwhile, Miguel, Scott, Amy and the waitress who reintroduced herself as Ashna(as the others had already forgotten) had all gathered in Scott's room to discuss their predicament.
"So like, what you're telling me is that we somehow…" transmigrated"…?"
"Well, it wasn't somehow. We were summoned using a [Hero Summoning Magic Circle]. They didn't tell me how candidates were chosen but I have a theory that it works purely randomly with only a few basic requirements like a particular age group and a few others…"
"Ugh! I don't like how we didn't get much choice in this. Like, all they need to do is complete their magic ritual thing and then BAM, a bunch of heroes with no regards of their opinion."
Obviously Amy wasn't too happy with her situation, which she was very vocal about. Miguel didn't particularly care as he didn't have any immediate family who would worry for him.
Miguel's parents had died while he was 7 in a car accident leaving a sizeable trust fund to rely on.
Amy was obviously mad about their plight as she was very much attached to her life back on earth.
Friends, fans, money, and even a small pet chihuahua were all left behind.
Unlike Miguel, Amy's parents were still alive and kicking. Though the both of them had separated on bad terms, they still periodically sent money to their daughter.
But neither of them made an effort to be a part of her personal life which led her to finding solace online through basking in the attention of strangers online(fans) and receiving the gratitude of the less fortunate through charity.
Scott on the other hand only had his pops as a parent. Though as a parent, Scott's father was as good as dead…
Finally, Ashna, who was an orphan since day one. She opted to drop out of Highschool and work as a waitress after realising that she would never be smart enough to earn a proper scholarship. The fact that she didn't like school helped.
After a few years of jumping from job to job, she managed to land a job at a high end club a few months back due to her professional skills and good looks.
Ashna was now 19, leaving her 3 months older than Amy.
Scott gently thumped the side of his fist against the armrest of his chair, gathering everyone's attention on him.
Scott was a man of few words, so when he did speak, most would pay close attention as he doesn't like to overwork his tongue…or any part of his body.
Scott's chocolate-brown eyes were unusually serious as he looked at his companions.
"Are you guys also seeing a UI?"