I was woken up by the sound of my alarm, it was set to 6 AM after all.
The night sky was still vast upon my window, I couldn't move, sleep had a hold on me steadfastly.
With grunts and moans, and the heavy price of sleep upon my body, I finally managed to turn off the alarm and lay back down.
For some reason my body felt heavier than normal, it was more than just a feeling, I couldn't move. The weird thing is, I had never had a morning like this.
A flashing screen appeared before me.
Ah, I see the problem now.
I was out of stamina or had very little of it.
"Apollo?!" I murmured through dry morning lips.
[Yes?]
He quickly appeared from behind my bed frame, it was almost comical.
"What's going on here? Why am I out of stamina, I can barely move, let alone stand up!" I mused through the filters of my pillows.
[Hmm.. Let's see]
His cold monotone voice was worse in my current state.
[Ah! How could I forget?!]
"What?!"
[Well you see, usually Stamina regenerates fully during sleep]
[However…]
"However?!"
[Being inside an Astral Orb, for prolonged periods at a time, delimits stamina regrowth]
[You did regain stamina, but only a very small amount.]
"How big is the limiter?" my stomach sank, if there was a limiter then that meant there was no possible way to get it back up to 100%.
[It's around 98%]
"What?!" I shouted. Just barely being able to move my hips from the position I had ended up in.
Apollo suddenly sounded concerned.
[It'll go away eventually, just need you to rest for a couple of days.]
"DAYS?!" I reckoned.
[Yeah - like a week or two]
"There's no way that's happening, I have practice, and need to go to school, THIS IS YOUR FAULT, FIX IT!" I shouted, making my pillow fill up with drool.
[Those things aren't important - You'll leave them all behind when you depart for the new world - Better drop them now while the wound is fresh, right- Peel of the bandaid faster?]
"Apollo - This is not funny! I don't find this funny one bit! You either remove the limiter - Or - Or," I objected as I twirled and pushed my body in different random directions
[Or what?]
He asked, with such a cheeky tone. It made me rage inside.
"Or I don't know - But I swear to god!"
Suddenly - Apollo flashed and a notification came on.
A number one appeared in the center of his magic circle.
"What's that?" I asked.
[It's a notification, you got mail - master]
"Ah - don't call me that, it's weird," I muttered.
"Can you read it?"
He cleared his throat and made a rolling sound like he was opening up a parchment.
[Dear Aiden Summers.]
The note started. Apollo sounded like there were thousands of voices behind his own. It sounded almost demonic like he was speaking in tongues. It sounded alien. Yet it was easy to understand him.
[We are pleased to inform you that you're world -
[Eldoren!]
[Has been approved by The Astral Board of the First Sphere and subsequent conjunctures.]
[Please make sure to log in before 2 lunar cycles or 1/2 astral equinoxes.]
[The use of Avatar has been denied at this current
[We have adhered to the Golden Gate Protocol System A26]
[Thus a resulting timeline projection occurred at 999 BC]
[Mana: Core flow has resulted at 92%]
[We hope you enjoy your time on Eldoren]
[Have a lovely day!]
[P.S. We have adhered to a Full Mana limit remover, do not spend prolonged periods in the Astral Orb - thanks!]
A silence washed over us.
The Full Mana limited came into effect - it was like my body washed with green colors, the screen appeared in front of me once more and the black bar next to the green one disappeared!
My stamina slowly started coming back again.
Suddenly it was like I could breathe and move again.
I took a deep breath and was finally able to sit down on my bed.
[Well - The Board doesn't usually respond this early]
[And I was sure we would not get approved - after our little - mishap.]
"So what does that mean?" I asked.
[Well it means you can go right now if you want to - touch down on Eldoren and start having your adventure]
"So we can go, right now?!" I asked giddy.
[Yeah - right now.]
I positively squealed and jumped from my bed.
"Wait - hold on," I panted, placing a hand on my head. Suddenly worried.
"Okay - so what was that all about the sun and the resulting timeline," I was trying to catch on, remembering what the letter had said.
[That's my bad - I forgot to tell you about setting up the sun so your planet can have circumference and gravity and thus be aligned with the procession of the equinox so that it can create a golden gate and have its spirits floating around it.]
"You lost me there-"
[Which part?]
"All of it…" I smudged.
"So what do I need, should I get some gear together or something?"
[I have a small inventory with the basic needs - some MP and HP potions, a sword, a bow, some common clothes, and some milk]
"Why do I need the milk?"
[I don't know - these things come like this! Don't question it too much, you'll break reality]
"Right- normal thing to do on a Wednesday night, have a glass of wine, travel to the fourth dimension, bring back some souvenirs, maybe a Lovecraftian entity beyond human understanding, and drink some milk, you know normal stuff..."
[You don't have to mock me]
"I'm messing with you bud - I'm just really excited!"
After taking a moment to pace around my room, saying goodbye to all the things I own.
[Remember]
"Everyone will forget about you," I remembered. Not that I had hidden notes or anything.
[Right, and you won't be able to come back - at least not for a while]
[You might feel some discomfort with this teleportation thing]
[Ready?]
"As I'll ever be, let's break reality!" I mused.
Suddenly Apollo's knee jerked and phased through me. In an instant I was in a swarming tunnel of lights, I was floating too.
It felt weird, almost like I had died or something. Apollo was nowhere to be found, but sliding down this ride was not exactly pleasant. I wasn't one for waterparks.
Suddenly the lights went red and I was enveloped with a sense of dread.
[First Sphere Community Report]
[Pattern Break Detected]
[Incoming Virus]
[Imminent]
"What the hell does that mean!"
The feeling came suddenly like I had thousands of bugs on my skin - it was relentless like they were coming out of me through pixel break-in into my vision.
The creepy crawlers wouldn't let me alone. They started munching at my body, and taking it away like it was data. Except the feeling was different. They weren't eating at me, they were building a copy of me, on top of me. Then they got to my face, I tried to swipe them away, but they came coming. Then just like that they started pulling.
[AI Timeline Break Detected]
"Apollo what the hell is going!?" I said to no answer. I was positively spooked.
[All relevant authorities have now been authorized]
"What the hell- I didn't do anything"
The bugs were separating me, all of me into 3 versions of me. The current one and two more.
This was insane!
"Please just let this end, please just let this end."
Just like that Apollo suddenly phased into me once again, and the feeling had stopped.
[We're here!]
He said.
I did suddenly feel different, the warmth of the sun rays hitting my face, the fresh spring-winter air, the mild air that swept through me in an open field, the sweet drops of rain that came through the fog that formed on the hills.
I opened my eyes.
And was instantly met with a stunning fantasy mountain view.
Blue hills upon green valleys of wonder and majestic greenery.
"Woah!" I said in disdain.
"This is Eldoren?" I questioned with wonder and joy.
[This is Eldoren!] said Apollo with an almost proud retort.
"It's beautiful," I noted.
A smile formed on my face.
I was filled with joy as I realized I wasn't back home anymore. I wasn't on earth anymore.
The sky was more blue than blue. The birds were singing and the earth was moving.
Waterfalls and lakes filled my view as I moved around the green field to see.
This wide open space was luscious and warm.
There were enough trees to lay down under the shade, and natural fruits to pick.
There was one difference though, something I wasn't expecting.
I noticed there were white rotating pillars in the valley. They looked different from the ones I had learned about in school. But the windmill design was mostly the same.
They were scattered throughout in succession, it made for a beautiful sight.
It was something else.
The beauty of it all - I swear - It left me speechless.
I stopped in my tracks, a weird symbol was etched in the sky. Almost like a triangle but with two adjacent edges that sprawled outward.
"What's that?" I asked Apollo.
[That is the symbol of magic - its presence in the sky means this planet is blessed with abundant magic and mana]
[Think of it as nothing more than a rainbow after a storm, fog, or thunder! It's a natural phenomenon - don't worry about it though.]
"If you say so -" I said.
"Can everyone see it?"
[Sure can!]
"Of course - it's a giant symbol in the sky!"
[…]
[So what do you want to do now?]
Apollo was eager to get this adventure started.
"This scenery is beautiful, I just can't get enough of it!"
[There's plenty of time to take in the sights]
[I've landed you in the central grasslands of Eldoren, they connect to most main cities and towns]
"Wait - should I not have a house?"
[We could build one - or buy one]
"How much money do I have?"
[As much as you had on earth!]
[So you should just focus on having fun!]
Suddenly my skin ran cold - a gun cocked behind me.
"Hands up!" someone shouted in a stern voice.
"And don't you dare move a muscle buddy!" the deep trebled voice mentioned.
Apollo suddenly took shelter underneath my sweats.
How embarrassing - my first meeting and I was still in my earth outfit.
[Don't worry there's no way he saw me!]
"Turn around!" the other person said.
"Slowly!" he shouted.
I did as the other man told me, turning slowly - ever so slowly.
Then finally I laid eyes on him. He had a mask on him.
A knight for sure - dressed in full armor, with red undergarments I could see through the cracks. His armor looked royal - he had a fluffy Maine around his neck. The man was much bigger than me, around two heads taller.
He had muddy leather boots, they looked well-made.
"I have never seen you around the open grasslands, are you a trader, or perhaps an adventurer, either way, you're to come with me, if you're not in any guild, I will properly arrest you!" said the man.
He had a sort of deep treble with some sort of accent, I couldn't quite put my finger on. It sounded like a mix of Irish and British. It sounded sexy.
"Look man - I don't want any trouble, is there any way we can come to some sort of agreement, I think there's been a miscalculation," I tried to convince him. It was not working.
"There has been none!" he reasoned.
"No one can cross the outlands without a proper license, and you bear none!"
"Apollo - what's this about a license?" I tried telepathy for the first time. I still whispered for some reason.
[Sorry - I didn't know!] said Apollo.
[If you make him show you his, I can fabricate one.]
"So about this license - I do have one - just sort of forgot it, is there any way you can show me yours?" I asked sweating nervously.
"Huh!? How could you even lose it, adventurers wear their mark on the forearm, and you have none!" said the man pointing the gun at both my arms.
"See!" he finally said pulling down his sleeve and showing me his mark on his forearm. A sacred geometry symbol.
"It's unique to everyone, but bears their rank!" the man explained.
[Got it!]
Apollo was able to see just now the symbol and used his powers to generate one for me.
It appeared on my right arm with a flash of light, I tried to hide it so that the man in front of me wouldn't notice.
It finished.
"See, I have one too, it's right here," I reassured the man.
"Huh! That wasn't there - a moment ago," he looked perplexed. He exhaled not sure if he was letting the anxiety go or was just relieved.
"And so high level too! My apologies." He stated and finally relaxed, he finally put his gun down.
It made me sigh of relief.
Just then he removed his helmet.
It was like there was a moment of intense silence between us, as I met those brown hazel eyes with mine. I knew exactly who he was.
"Eddy! Is that you?!" It looked exactly like him, down to the eyebrows and everything. The structure of his face was the same. Eddy - or the version of him in front of me. Was much different from the one I knew. Yet the same. In every single detail. He had the same curly messy hair. The same face, the same eyes, even the weird way his splotchy beard grew on his face.
Like an overgrown 5 o'clock shadow.
Yet - he looked much older, this version of him was so much more handsome.
Except this guy was blonde!
Like really blonde.
He had the same sort of messy hair that reached just below his neck. His luscious goldilocks flushed with the wind, and the small drops of sweat floated into the air with the swish of his movement. Down to the way his lips were like jagged knives.
He looked almost like a lion. His golden hair resembled a mane. Wait did he dye his hair? I could see blotches of small golden brown in the front of his roots.
"Eddy?!" The man retorted. Almost offended.
I had said it almost like a knee-jerk reaction.
The man in front of me raised an eyebrow and looked at me like I was demented.
"I know of no Eddy - My name is Arslan - Arslan Kai Frias Marinus, head knight of the Lions of the Red Sea," he lisped with so much bravery and confidence - it took me aback for a second.
His voice had a sweet deep treble to it.
And there was an accent like a weird combination of British and Irish.
I couldn't put my finger on it.
I was shocked - He looked like Eddy - He talked like Eddy - Yet clearly this version wasn't Eddy.
This might get some getting used to.
"Ars-land?" I asked puzzled.
"That's right - don't wear it down," he muttered.
Eddy was now Arslan. Or were they one and the same?
I guess - I was always into blondes anyway.