Aeneas stood outside the hospital as he gawked down at his phone looking at the game BulletWatch that was sent to him by Yash the other day along with his new phone delivered to his room.
[Welcome to Bullet Watch Aeneas.]
[Welcome back to reality.]
[Aeneas Draper: age 25]
[No powers and abilities have been shown yet...please proceed to the iConjure base for more information.]
[Good luck with your renewed life on Earth.]
A map shows up on his phone showing him where to go to iConjure Base. A smile appeared on his face, as the excitement coursed through his veins. The map slowly changed to show directions to the destination. He followed the directions carefully.
'What does this base look like?' He thought.
He traversed the street looking up at the signs and buildings until he reached the end of the road. He was standing outside of a large building. A huge sign was hanging above the door that read: ICONJURE UNKNOWN: A.P.
The building was smaller than he imagined; it appeared to be a typical office building. It wasn't anything fancy like his house which looked much bigger than this, and much more extravagant. It seemed deserted at first glance, but as he stepped in he could hear the faint sounds of people talking inside.
He peeked through the door to find a girl staring back at him dressed in a short maid's dress. She seemed startled at first, but she smiled brightly once she saw he was human, and motioned for him to come in. She ushered him inside quickly, closing the door behind him before leading him to the elevator. He pressed the button labeled 7 as instructed by his phone.
"My name is Precia! So, you are Aeneas!" She said happily.
"G-Glad to meet you?" He replied.
Her hair was dark blue in long pigtails, and there were three little braids tied together in two places on the sides of her head. He couldn't believe anyone would wear such a hairstyle unless they wanted to stand out. She giggled excitedly.
The elevator came to a halt as the door opened to reveal a big lobby that had several receptionists sitting at different stations typing away, some looked up and nodded towards Precia as the two passed by.
"Sales are up on Finely!" One shouted.
"Is it the new skins?" Precia asked.
"Precisely why something like that would sell!" She smiled.
Quickly they walked by the office area the room was spacious enough to accommodate 30 chairs placed side by side on a raised platform. The floor was carpeted with white and grey marble tiles. On the far left stood a desk with a computer screen.
"It's our newbie!" Yash shouted.
Aeneas stood there nervously as he saw two other people in the office, both guys sitting at their desks. They were hunched over their computers as they scribbled down notes or whatever they were working on. One looked up, noticing the two coming toward them.
The pink-haired man tipped his glasses down on the bridge of his nose before pushing up the glasses revealing his deep brown eyes
"Hello dear Precia we are sorry about the delay, there is a backlog from our last fights," He smiled kindly. He glanced back at the other man.
"Who is that boy?" He asked.
Easton, this is Aeneas who is our newest partner," She shouted.
"Does the designer know about him yet?" He asked.
"He hasn't met Lathen yet," Precia noted.
Yash placed his arm around Aeneas's neck. His hand rested lightly on Aeneas's shoulder as Aeneas was pushed forward to stand between them.
"This is our youngest, of course, Easton," She gestured.
Easton smiled as he gave Aeneas a handshake as the other man ignored Aeneas completely. He continued typing on his computer as if he hadn't noticed Aeneas's presence at all. Easton smiled at Aeneas.
"How old are you Aeneas?" Easton asked.
"25," Aeneas replied.
Easton looked at him with a raised eyebrow "So young to begin your career, do you have some talent with gaming? You'll do. Well, it seems I won't be getting you to do paperwork anytime soon." He joked.
"I never really gamed before," Aeneas admitted.
The other man finally gawked up at the charcoal-haired kid looking him up and down with curiosity.
"And you must be Aeneas?" He said as he got up from his seat, "Well, welcome to iConjure Unknown Inc. We're glad you are here. This is Easton and I am Oz," Oz smiled.
Aeneas smiled back nervously, feeling unsure whether to be comfortable speaking to him.
"Hi," was his response.
"Where did you get your weird name from anyways?" Yash asked.
"My mother is a scholar…she always prided herself on the name from what she always boasts anyways," He laughed.
"Aeneas is one of the few Trojans who were not killed or enslaved when Troy fell…you were spared in this lifetime too Aeneas," Yash smiled.
"How…," Aeneas asked.
"It doesn't matter how I know Aeneas…what matters is I can guide you," Yash noted.
Footsteps could be heard behind them all, and a tall brunette man approached them. "Hello Easton," He greeted giving him a pat on the back.
"Hey," Easton nodded.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Lathen and I'm your CEO," He grinned proudly holding out his hand to shake. Aeneas shook it hesitantly, unsure if he should take a chance on trusting him just yet. Lathen took a moment to examine Aeneas then he turned to him.
"So, I understand that you were at the recent shooting," Lathen explained.
He took the nearby remote showcasing the reports on the television. The close-up was picking up Aeneas and shifting his body to a metal gurney being pulled into one of the ambulances.
"We're sorry that we didn't get to you in time, but I assure you that you were chosen for an important reason, but that is not known to us and will be revealed to you in time when you can finally rest," Lathen stated.
"Rest?" Aeneas asked.
"Once you have found your reason you will be able to choose if you want to die or not," Lathen explained.
"Generally when we aren't able to reach someone in time that means the event at hand and the people meant to die must die and even then we can not play with the reaper," Yash spelled out.
"Can I ask about this weird video game thing?" Aeneas asked.
Lathen coughed awkwardly as he rubbed his nape nervously.
"We may need to discuss a few things before I tell you about it," He said.
Easton pushed himself away from the seat, getting up to stretch while yawning loudly. The two men stood silently waiting for him to finish before leaving.
"Anyways you need to check the lobby under your name to log in to gather daily tasks and emergencies will automatically appear on your phone when you are needed," He explained.
Aeneas looked down at his phone logging in as told examining the game to find what special features to him.
"Will I really be getting a character in this game?" Aeneas asked.
"In due time, but for now you have to get used to who you are," Lathern announced.
[Aeneas Draper: age 25]
[ LEVEL 0]
[ATK 5 | DEF 3 | SPIRIT 5]
[FN "Baby Browning" .25 ACP Pistol is your summoned starter weapon.]
[Since you are not entered in Bullet Watch yet you will be allowed to keep your current style. You will now be able to obtain EXP as now your life hangs in the balance of limbo in the human world making you neither human nor spirit.]
"So how do I obtain EXP?" Aeneas asked.
[You will be told incoming missions on the Bullet Watch app so keep watch for updates on a regular basis. If you work once your avatar has started to produce funds you will be working from the iConjure Uknown. inc till your departure.]
"I know this is a lot to take in, but while your life is still your own you still have duties now as you were given a second chance," Lathen pointed out.
Aeneas gulped, he knew he had responsibilities. He knew he couldn't go against the rules. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself, but he felt like he would never be able to fully trust anyone again, his whole life seemed like he was constantly being judged from this point on.
He felt someone poke his shoulder before waving it off and noting the spirits floating in the air above his head. He looked up and saw that both of the spirits were once men as they smiled warmly at him and waved slightly at them. Aeneas felt uncomfortable seeing these spirits. There was a sadness within his soul. It filled his heart and threatened to suffocate him in darkness.
[You have now fully entered into the realm of life and death, You will see everything that enters into the veil and things that just exist inside of our earthly shell,]
"How am I supposed to get used to this?" He asked.
"You must accept you have things left to do as they do," Yash laughed.
"I guess…" Aeneas replied.
[I would like to note you do not carry real bullets yet. You will carry spirit bullets that will put your enemies to sleep.]
"Of course…" He sighed.