Did I die?
I think I did.
I opened my eyes to see what life after death looked like.
"What the hell?" I muttered to myself as I looked at the ceiling above me. "Why am I still alive?"
I was confused. This wasn't what heaven was described as. I had a bandage wrapped around my head and in heaven, you don't bleed.
I took off the bandage and threw it on the floor. As soon as the bandage touched the wooden floorboard it vapourised. Maybe this was heaven as I wasn't bleeding, nor did I have any wounds, to begin with.
I got up from the bed, which felt like a cloud, and I started to explore the unfamiliar room that I was in but before I could someone entered the room.
"You're finally here, Levantes." I looked towards the door and found a man standing at the doorway. "It's been some time."
The man had a long white beard and long white hair. The man looked old and had pointed ears. The old man wore a black and white robe that almost touched the floor. The robe seemed almost soft but felt rough.
"Who the hell are you?" I asked the man. The man didn't react instead he continued staring as if he was judging me. "What is this place?"
"The young ones always are curious. Let's talk about this while sitting down somewhere." The man said. We walked out of the room to a garden. The garden did seem heavenly and in the middle of it were two chairs and a table. The table was round with two teacups and a teapot. "This place is a world beyond the one you came from."
"By beyond you mean-"
"Indeed, this world is beyond yours and by that I mean your world to us is mere fiction. Only a few of your kind were able to survive the magical barrier."
"I'm guessing those people are from the time of Yaldabaoth."
"It seems you are knowledgeable. We gave him that power."
"Thought so."
I did think that Yaldabaoth couldn't be the hero everyone thought he was. Usually, the heroes are the real villains but that's probably only in mangas.
"I'm sure you know of the existence of what your kind calls 'The Abyss'."
"So it's like that."
"It's exactly what you think. The Abyss is the magical barrier that separates our worlds. This world is on a whole different level compared to yours. Your world is viewed as fiction, a folktale, a story that we tell our children." The man explained the history of the world I was in and the world I lived in. "Any person could create a character that could easily destroy multiple worlds with a single snap however, at the end of the day that character is fiction. The creator of that character can add all sorts of abilities but the creator created that character in the first place. That character to his creator is fiction. No matter what he does, his character can never be stronger than his creator. No matter how strong you are, Levantes, you are still considered fiction. A fictional character who just stumbled upon this world. An idea that was created."
"So you're saying I'm fake?"
"In a way you are a fictional character who came to life. All we know is that we could also be fiction. An idea of something. A character in a novel."
"That's a lot to take in."
"Realising you're fictional yet also non-fiction isn't easy. I'm sure it's called 'Fourth Wall Awareness' or something. Knowing that there's a chance that we are part of a novel that something created and there are people reading this right now could be used to your advantage."
"If I'm considered fiction to you then that would mean I can't even touch you."
"You can't touch normal beings in this world but you cannot do as little as put your finger on me; Your finger would just go through. You don't yet have enough power. In this world, you're just an average person but to your world, you're if not one of the most powerful beings to ever exist."
The old man certainly had the knowledge I am yet to obtain.
"If this was a manga or a novel then this would be the "Training Arc"." I said.
"That's exactly what this is."
The satisfaction of being right never got old, unlike the man in front of me.
"I can read your thoughts, Levantes. I can read them like a book."
Shit.
"May I ask, how old are you?"
"Old enough to see your world begin but not old enough to see my begin. I'm only a few quadrillion years old and your world began around eighty trillion years ago and for five hundred years, our children have grown up hearing stories about your world. Tales that were passed down from generation to generation."
"What stories?"
"How your world began and more."
"Well how did it begin?"
"I can't tell you that."
This man was many times older than my world's existence. That included nonexistence which is said to have been there before time. It seemed my world did have a beginning. It is a known fact that more time had passed before the Primordials than it did after the Primordials and I was born hundreds of generations after the Primordials. My father was around a thousand times my age and my grandfather, Erebus Volomir, was at least several thousand times my father's age. While that seems like a long time, more time passed before that.
"Meet me tomorrow here at noon."
"Do you guys not have a clock or something?"
"We use mana for everything and time isn't the same everywhere and can be changed at any time so as soon as the star reaches its zenith then come here as soon as possible."
"Do I get a place to sleep or anything?"
"I forgot to mention some details. You are training for war. I won't go too much into detail so you're going to sleep wherever you feel like but remember that no one will protect you and you're only average so people can kill you. At your current state you're below the weakest so drink this to regain your full strength and I removed your limiters because they won't be needed." The man then gave me a drink. The liquid was gold but tasted horrible. I drank it anyways and felt my power surge through my veins. "By the way, my name's Socrates." The man said as he left and disappeared in thin air.
There was still time before sunset so I explored my surroundings. I quickly found out that the garden I was in was part of a park that was behind a hospital. There weren't many people in the hospital but it didn't seem that the hospital was abandoned.
I then left the hospital grounds and found myself in a village. The village wasn't large and seemed medieval. Although this world was far older than my own it seemed less advanced. There weren't cars, trains, or skyscrapers just that all these weren't necessary. Magic had replaced all of these.
This world completely transcended all concepts of my world. To think there were people who transcended the concept of the nonexistence of both worlds blew my mind.
I walked around the village and remembered how life was when we also solely relied on mana.
"Excuse me." A person called out. "Do you need help?"
I looked to my left and found a girl. The girl had red-turquoise colour hair and blue diamond eyes. The girl was around the same height as Lilith, my sister. She wore a white knee-length dress and white sandals.
The girl looked at my face then looked at my clothes then looked back at my face for an answer.
I then realised. I was still in the clothes I wore when I was in the hospital. I wore a white robe that almost touched the floor and my trousers and shirt were white. The village people must've thought I escaped the hospital or I was lost. Well, I was lost but my mental state was stable even though I was in a completely different world.
"No." I replied. I was lost and I didn't know where anything was but knowing how people like this girl are she would help me regardless of whether I asked for help or not.
"Let me show you around. I haven't seen you around. I'm Rena, what's your name?"
"I'm Levantes." The girl flinched at my name as if she had heard it before but she acted as if she didn't.
"How old are you?" She asked as we started to walk.
In this world, I am 16 years old. 1 year in this world was 1.032 quintillion years in my world. Who knows how long I would remain in this world.
"I'm 16 years old." I replied.
"REALLY? SAME!"
Rena seemed to be full of joy after hearing we were the same age.
"When did you come here?"
"This morning I think."
"How?"
"I don't remember."
"Oh." Rena said as if she was sympathising with me. I didn't lose my memory but this girl somehow believed me without a single doubt. "I'll help you remember then!"
Why is it that when I go somewhere new there's always a girl ready to help me? What type of plot is this?
"Thanks."
"Do you remember anything?"
"Nothing comes to mind."
Socrates had told me how the magic system and power ranking systems worked in this world. There were eight elements: Air, Water, Earth, Fire, Creation, Destruction, Time, and Space. These were the base elements that made up everything and were the core of all life. People had an affinity with at least one of these elements.
"Do you know your elemental affinity?" Rena asked.
"No."
"Let's check then. The Adventure's Guild is right around this corner."
We turned at the end of the street and entered a path that led to a building. The building was large and made of stone bricks. We entered the building and it looked exactly like the Adventure Guilds in the mangas I read: medieval with people dressed in heavy armor and a reception where a lady with a green and white shirt and a black pencil skirt handed out quests.
The woman had gold hair and blue eyes. She was a bit taller than Rena and seemed to have a calm yet serious aura.
All of this felt like an isekai but instead of an overpowered main character, I'm an average one this time. A real average character. Not one that acts like one but is insanely overpowered or one that thinks he's average but has SSS class skills.
No.
I am average in power. I just came from another world where I was one of the strongest but here it's average.
"Here." Rena said as she led me to the
woman in a blue dress. "Sorcha, I'd like to get this man analysed."
I see. She already thinks of me as a man. The first of my harem.
"What is your name?" The woman asked me.
"Levantes...Adynamos." I replied. Just like Rena, the woman flinched at my name.
It was a good idea that I changed my last name. They definitely know something I don't.
"Levantes you say?" A man said as he approached me.
The man wore heavy silver armour and was around 7-8ft. The man had gold hair and blue eyes. Blue eyes seemed to be common in this world.
Why? Why does this always happen to me? I'm literally an average guy right now.
"Not now, Kryius. This man is about to be analysed to you can fight him later."
The man, Kryius, didn't argue with Rena and left us alone.
Why? Why did you say that Rena? I don't want to fight this guy if I know I'm average. I'm gonna get killed here on my first day. This girl seems to have some hope that I may be an overpowered character.
I'm average.
Even if I was powerful I'm still fiction to them. Am I seriously going to get killed on my first day?
"Just go into that room and I'll be with you shortly." The woman said as she pointed to a door on our left.
I opened the door and entered the room and Rena followed. The room had multiple chairs to sit down on and another door. We sat down on the chairs and waited for the woman.
"Let's wait for Hera here."
Hera then walked into the room.
"Levantes, if you would follow me into this room then we can get you analysed."
I got up from my chair and followed Hera into the room behind the other door.
"You're not coming?" I asked Rena.
"I can't." Rena replied.
I left Rena to wait for me on her own and followed Hera. Hera opened the door and entered the room and I followed her from behind.
"This is where you will get analysed"