Chereads / Intertwined Realities / Chapter 3 - Setting the Board

Chapter 3 - Setting the Board

Year: 2043, Month: October, Day: 9

?

⁎⁎⁎

Candles with faint embers. Scattered everywhere in the dark, wherever the eye can see.

﹝Where is this?﹞

Lumin has two candles in his hands, seemingly with weaker embers than the others around him.

﹝How am I not in pain? Why does it feel nice? Is fire not supposed to burn me and stimulate my pain receptors?﹞

Noticing the warmth of the candles is comforting rather than scorching, Lumin tries to understand the phenomena until he feels something is wrong and looks up.

﹝Oh no, this can not be good.﹞

The candles around him start cutting out. From a distance, the few turned to many, darkening the dream's landscape of candles with darkness threatening to consume all.

Lumin instinctively holds the candles in his hands closer to his body, knowing their embers do not hurt him.

Once the darkness snuffed the light from every candle around Lumin, the two candles in his hands began to brighten. Transcending from an ember to a burning star, eclipsing the darkness in the dream's landscape into a brilliant white light.

⁎⁎⁎

Material Realm

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"

﹝Morning already?﹞

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP-"

Grabbing his phone, Lumin snoozes his alarm, collecting himself before starting a new day.

"Huff"

﹝I need another sound for the alarm. I should not wake up to something that gives me a miniature heart attack every morning.﹞

Covering himself under the blanket, Lumin thinks.

﹝Though I suppose it does the job, but what did that dream mean? Why were there so many candles?﹞

Contemplates the dream for only a few moments. Lumin gets up and prepares for the next chapter in his life.

Getting up and sitting on the side of his bed, Lumin determines what needs to be done today.

﹝First I need to sate my hunger. Going out and refreshing my mind would not be a bad ide-﹞

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"

"Ah!"

﹝... And I keep forgetting that snoozing does not turn off the alarm.﹞

⁎⁎⁎

Putting on low white socks with black track pants that match the sweater and the shirt with two white dice as the cover underneath. Giving a simplistic look with modern efficiency. Lumin then relieves himself in the bathroom, then steps out of his room towards the kitchen in the apartment.

While approaching the counter, Lumin sees a note on the fridge. As he steps closer, he sees his mother's handwriting on the note.

﹝Most likely a note she wrote on why she needed to leave early for something related to her job.﹞

Taking the note from the fridge, Lumin reads.

﹝'Left early today to make sure that I get to work on time in this new city.' - Mother

It looks like my guess is correct.﹞

After reading the note, Lumin opens the fridge to find that there is nothing to eat and ingredients lacking to fill the space.

﹝I forgot that we moved in yesterday. I guess I need to go out and grab a bite.﹞

Walking away from the kitchen and back towards his room, he grabs his necessities, then moves towards the apartment entrance.

Lumin puts on running shoes with a black and white design before opening the door and locking it on his way out.

⁎⁎⁎

Stepping out of the building to a morning view of the central area of Vienna, Lumin pulls out his phone in search of a place to eat. After a few minutes pass, he puts away his phone and walks aimlessly.

﹝Ah, forget it. Too many options. Why not see what chance would have in store for me?﹞

Lumin observes the morning sunlight in the sky with flickering lights from the cars, with the city rising alongside the sun with white and gold. The horizon cleared blue colour as if an artist had painted it.

Breathing in the warm and humid air with a faint scent of flowers. Lumin sees people walking around the streets, but they are more like shadows moving across the ground than actual living beings as he gradually approaches a park.

Entering the park, Lumin sees a visage of countless plants of nature. The place is filled with healthy trees with green leaves and pines. Bushes give off summer aromas, and flowers bloom in small sectors.

Walking further into the park, Lumin notices a historical monument is present. Glancing at it before walking towards it with a mind filled with curiosity. Wondering what kind of history could be engraved on that structure.

Lumin stands in front of the structure; it is a degraded metal statue sitting on a rock with one of his legs on top of another while he is reading casually on a metal throne. As if those underneath him were not worthy of his time

The rusty statue has a stone book in its hands, somehow oblivious to time. Lumin can sense the age of the man's figure as if it was made eons ago.

An inscription on the statue's base reads: "Life is temporary, records are timeless."

﹝The author of the quote is scratched out? It does not even look like there is an author to that quote. The scratches are a placeholder to make it seem like it had an author, and the name would have been lost to time. Though why would the author not credit their name?﹞

After Lumin finishes reading the inscription, he looks up at the statue again. Eyeing the book in his hands

﹝Why can I not perceive the age of the boo-﹞

"Ah!"

Lumin grabs his head with both hands on his forehead, between the eyes and above the eyebrow, and slightly crouches as he steps back. As if something tried to smash his forehead and pry into his mind.

"What the hell?!"

Lumin turns away from the statue as he whispers to himself, unable to understand what happened.

A few passersby stare at him for a moment as he thinks.

﹝That hurt! A lot! Like someone tried to crack open my skull.﹞

When he finishes his thoughts, Lumin goes to a nearby tree to lean on with his back.

﹝That felt way too real. I must be experiencing withdrawal symptoms from food or something. I need to grab a bite soon."

⁎⁎⁎

[...Augmenting]

[Target "Lumin Blavatsky"]

[Paraphrasing Records: Error]

[Alternative Method: In Progress]

[Detected unknown attempted psyche breach]

[Attempted psyche breach: Fail]

[Detected crack in unidentified barrier from attempted psyche breach]

[Possible acceleration in alternative method due to attempted psyche breach]

[Accelerated Alternative Method: In Progress]

[Charging at 70%]

⋈ Alert, Total Status at 74% ⋈

⁎⁎⁎

Once collected, Lumin steps forth and resumes his walk.

As he takes a few steps away, his curiosity is piqued as he catches a glimpse of a small cafe to his left. It's not much—just a simple place with some tables and chairs out front with a lively atmosphere that catches his attention. But it is quite crowded; several people are in chairs, minding their business as they enjoy their meals.

﹝Why not? I have not had breakfast yet. Let this be my first meal in Vienna.﹞

Approaching the counter, he orders a glass of water, a Semmel with cut sausages, and a boiled egg before sitting at an empty table. While waiting for his order, he looks around the café; it's popular amongst the locals because everyone seems very well-dressed. And judging by the conversations between those seated together, most of them seem to know each other.

﹝Lively, but mundane. It is as if you can tell what they will say next. It all seems to be repetitive, a pattern of sorts.﹞

Lumin looks across and sees a table of 3, a father and his daughters as Lumin begins to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Do you want to see a magic trick?"

"'Ya!'"

﹝How expected. Watch him make a small flame in his hand.﹞

Not even a moment later, the man uses his minuscule mana as a small flame is erected above the man's hand, stunning the girls.

"That was awesome Daddy!"

One of the girls squeaks before the father asks his daughters.

"Do you want to see another magic trick?"

"'Ya!'"

﹝He will make a light breeze towards his daughters.﹞

Extinguishing the flame, he generates a small breeze toward his daughters, erupting a chorus of giggles and laughs.

Lumin sighs as he stops eavesdropping on the trio as his water arrives. Thanking the young waitress, he takes a sip of water from his cup and watches the people passing by in the park as he thinks.

﹝Mana. A beautiful disaster. How could something unite and divide people at once?﹞

As mana came to Earth, an international event occurred where light overcame everything at once. It was the first time in history that the world had seen this—the light of mana. This phenomenon led to a massive wave of panic across the globe. A mythical energy sprang to life unsuspectingly as if by its own accord, striking fear into every heart on Earth.

The United Nations convened a meeting to investigate the matter. The main topic discussed was the source of this unprecedented phenomenon, the possibility of which was considered very low. However, it did occur to some that perhaps it might have been a natural phenomenon caused by certain elements coming together in the atmosphere.

On top of all these questions, the phenomenon spread quickly across the globe with no end. It was impossible to stop it from happening, so people had to wait for it to pass. When this happened, however, people's lives were irrevocably changed forever.

Earth started changing because of mana. These changes included different climates, shifting atmospheres, new species of plants and animals, and even entire ecosystems being wiped out. Some places became uninhabitable due to the sudden appearance of monsters due to mutations.

People began to utilize this mysterious energy, though some peculiar individuals had an awakening and were 'gifted' abilities greater than others. However, all people had a sort of connection to mana.

There was one thing everyone could agree on: it was the beginning of something greater.

After the incident, it became known as

﹝The Cataclysm of Light.﹞

And the name stuck.

Thus the "The Age of Mana." had begun.

⁎⁎⁎

Coming back from his thoughts, Lumin looks around before noticing the same young waitress from before coming towards his table with his order. "Hi there! I have your food here!"

"Thank you," Lumin says as he accepts the plate of food.

﹝Is she going to make small talk?﹞

Looking at him, she smiles a bit. "You seem pretty deep in thought."

Lumin smiles lightly. "I was just thinking about what happened earlier today." Preparing to eat the food.

﹝Sometimes, I wish I were wrong. Just let me eat peace.﹞

The waitress continues to smile. "Oh? What were you thinking about?"

Smiling softly, Lumin replies. "Simply an earlier event."

﹝This should cause disinterest in me and make her leave.﹞

The girl's eyes widen slightly. "Really? You're not going to tell me anything more than that?"

Lumin chuckles slightly. "No, I'm afraid not."

Turning back to her work, she then asks. "So, would you like something else? "

Lumin shakes his head no. "That will be all for now."

﹝Good, she is leaving.﹞

Wiping the slight smile on his face like a deliberate illusion cast away. Lumin glances over to see if anyone is watching him before he begins eating. Looking around again, he notices that everyone seems busy with their meals. He sighs quietly and takes the first bite.

﹝Damn, I just rolled a Nat 20 with the food!﹞

As Lumin continues to eat the food, his mood improves, and he feels more at ease. It tastes fantastic too. The Semmel has a rich umami taste, savoury enough to fill his stomach but not overpowering. His mouth waters as he chews and swallows.

While Lumin eats, he recalls his previous thoughts on mana and thinks.

﹝Whether I awaken or not, nothing will change. I will be treated as a tool for others to wield. As a weapon of war or a mind to be harnessed.﹞

﹝Though if anything remained constant from before the era of mana and currently, mechanics and the laws of physics generally are the same. So I should be able to make something out of my knowledge.﹞

The first thing that comes into his head is the principles of electromagnetism. He can use electricity even though it has no mana. Since he is talented in mechatronics and its subsidiaries, there's no limit to what he could create.

﹝As long as the theoretical foundation is present, the potential for creation is limitless.﹞

He then remembers his knowledge of physics and realizes that society abandoned things because they're too difficult to do. But when Lumin examined them, they turn out to be relatively straightforward.

﹝Countless corporations are making gadgets or artifacts, but what would happen when the two come together? Why has nobody been able to make something like that? Is there a conflict between the difference in technologies that are too great?﹞

Looking at his phone, Lumin sees that it is past noon and he should return to the apartment. He gets up and leaves the payment on the table before leaving the cafe.

⁎⁎⁎

Entering the apartment, Lumin sees that nothing has changed. The furniture is still in its place, a note on the fridge, and everything is as it was when he left in the morning.

Lumin walks towards his room and places his items on the table beside his laptop.

As he walks away from the table, he feels a faint shocking sensation in the middle of his forehead, where he felt the pain previously.

﹝What is going on with my head? Did I wake up on the wrong side of the bed?﹞

He walks out of his room into the living room and sits on the couch.

﹝Why am I anxious? Nothing wrong should be happening, right?﹞

Getting back up just after moments of sitting on the sofa, he returns to his room and begins to feel his hands shaking.

﹝What the hell is happening?﹞

He feels his chest tighten and his heart beating rapidly. He starts breathing heavily as he takes deep breaths.

His face starts turning red, and sweat forms on his forehead. The only thing keeping him calm at this time is the logical processing in his mind, keeping him from panicking.

Lumin looks around the room for anything that could give him comfort but finds none. He and his mother moved in yesterday and has nothing to ease him.

After several minutes of struggling with himself, he leaves his room and walks towards the bathroom.

As he enters the bathroom, he closes the door behind him and looks at his reflection in the mirror.

The moment he saw his reflection, he understood what he was feeling.

﹝Grave Danger.﹞

Taking a step back, the climax comes like a strike of mythical thunder, flipping the pages of his life toward a new chapter.

KZZT!

A white shock overtakes his vision. His mind erupts like destructive lighting as walls come tumbling down, melting away any resistance to his existence. He screams as he falls.

"AHH!"

⁎⁎⁎

[...Augmenting]

[Target "Lumin Blavatsky"]

[Accelerated Alternative Method: Complete]

[Charged at 100%]

⋈ Alert, Total Status at 100% ⋈

⋈ Initiating ...⋈