Ellis woke up to his alarm yet again, this time, today was less gray. The memory of Jack permeated throughout his mind.
"So, that whole thing wasn't a dream… The whole day passed slowly, I didn't wake up. How did that even happen, and who was that guy?" Ellis thought to himself.
He didn't have any classes today, so he was free. He decided to go out and meet up with his friend AJ. They'd been best friends since middle school. AJ was an 18 year old asian girl of Japanese descent. She had straight black hair with blue tips and brown eyes.
"Hey, AJ." Ellis said as he sat down at the table in the public park they met in. "Oh! Hey!" AJ looked at Ellis, she could tell something was wrong. "What's up?"
"I had like… the strangest dream last night. Well, it wasn't a dream… But, it felt like one."
"What're you talking about?" AJ curiously leaned in.
As they talked, a crow landed on a tree next to them, seemingly watching them.
"So, let me get this straight… You fell through a door and ended up in some kind of fantasy world? Sounds like an anime plot to me." AJ said, not really believing her friend.
"It's true! It really happened! And there was this guy there, he made me eat this purple apple."
"A purple apple?" AJ said as Ellis pulled out the apple he bit from last night.
"That's where I took a bite of it." Ellis pointed to the chunk of apple missing.
"Did you dye this?"
"No, why would I waste my time doing that?"
"Fair enough…"
The crow in the tree flew away, grabbing the attention of Ellis and AJ.
"What was that?" AJ asked.
"Probably a bird."
AJ's alarm on her phone went off. She picked up her phone to look at the time.
"Hey, I gotta go, okay?"
"Okay. Bye, AJ."
"See ya!"
As AJ left, the crow flew high into the sky and above the clouds. The bird was then suddenly descending out of the clouds and was now back in his own realm. Reaching the ground, the bird turned into Jacliros. He was in the middle of a city. He was in a kingdom called Rokranz. This was his home, the kingdom he was born in and where he's lived for centuries. Rokranz was like any other kingdom in this world. A mixture of modern, medieval and gothic elements with fantasy sprinkled on top. There were magic mirrors that were used as equivalents to televisions and smartphones. There were also castles among skyscrapers, and cottages. All technological elements operated with magic and looked as if it actually could come from a fantasy-like world.
This world is unlike the world Ellis comes from. Magic is a reality of daily life. Although, some prefer not to use it for a variety of reasons, ranging from religious to cultural. Jacliros snapped and Ellis appeared next to him.
"What the—" Ellis said as he realized where he was. "Oh. Jack… I had a feeling I'd see you again. I didn't think it was so soon."
"Come with me." Jack said as he began to head home, his face remained emotionless.
Suddenly, two men walked up to them. Jacliros seemed to recognize them. "Long time no see, Jack…" said one of the men.
"Foria…" Jacliros said. "What are you doing here?"
Ellis grew confused. "Jack, who are these people?"
Jacliros didn't respond.
"The fire, Jack… The fire that permanently burned my eye… I should've gotten revenge for what you did… but I'm going to give you one more chance to join us again… Come back, Jacliros… Come back, now…" Foria said.
"I told you, I don't want anything to do with you, or your group ever again. Not after what you did to me." Jack responded.
"I had a feeling you'd say that. So, I have something that'll surely make you join us again. If you don't, I'll tell everyone about that night. I'll tell everyone your secret! I'm giving you one last chance…"
Jacliros' face finally changed. Fear grew all over his face.
"No more chances, Foria. Tell the secret!" said the smiling man who was with him. This man was a hunchbacked troll.
"I have to do this, Guma. I have to. So, Jacliros… What do you say?"
Jacliros didn't know what to do. Ellis looked at Jacliros in confusion. Jacliros was trapped.
"I'll give you some time to think about it. Have a nice day…" Foria said and he walked away with Guma.
"Jack, what the hell is going on? What secret is he talking about?"
"Ellis… some things should be left unsaid… But, if the secret does come out, I'm sure it'll be a twisted version. All I ask is that you give me a chance to tell my side. To tell you the truth…"