We had been walking for two hours, and I was growing increasingly frustrated. "Can you at least tell me where we're going?" I finally asked.
"Stark, you'll find out when we get there," Emery replied. "But we need to keep moving to put some distance between us and Malgog's men."
I grumbled but continued walking in silence. Eventually, we came to a sudden halt in front of a colossal tree with blue leaves, bathed in a golden light.
"Uh, Emery, what is this?" I asked, bewildered. "I've never seen a tree with blue leaves, and what's with the golden light?"
"Hey, useless version of me," she said, somewhat exasperated, "what you're looking at is called the World's Tree."
"The World's Tree?" I echoed, trying to absorb the information.
"Yes," Emery confirmed. "It's the gateway that connects our two worlds. Look, I'm going to be honest with you. If you stay here, I can't protect you, and I can't train you. Without training, you'll likely die within a day or two. We can't afford that. It's going to take both of us to beat Malgog, and I can't let you die before then. So we're going to my world, where I have people who can help train and protect you. Just remember, a lot of these people will look like people you know, but they're my people—my family and my friends. This is my house, my life. DON'T DO ANYTHING TO SCREW WITH MY LIFE!"
With that, I stepped forward into the blinding golden light. As my eyes adjusted, everything looked the same—the sky was still blue, the sun was still hot—but then I noticed the difference: there were two suns in the sky, one right next to the other.
"Hey, Stark, see that second sun?" Emery pointed out. "That used to be Malgog. Everything else is pretty much the same. Our worlds exist simultaneously, side by side, on opposite planes of existence."
"Emery, how do I fit into all this? How did you find me?" I asked, struggling to process the surreal situation.
Emery turned to me, her gaze softening. "It's a feeling I had. I followed it to the World's Tree. When I got here, I could still feel it, so I kept following it until I found your apartment building. I was about to kidnap you and bring you with me when I saw that monster crash into your wall. That's when I knew I couldn't wait and had to get you out of there ASAP. So that's what I did."
"Wait, what do you mean you were about to kidnap me? Don't tell me I have to explain what kidnapping is," I said, a mix of concern and curiosity in my voice.
"No, I know what kidnapping is. I just didn't think you'd believe me if I started with all this Malgog nonsense," Emery said. "And besides, that big guy crashing through the wall was all I needed to get you moving. Don't tell me you threw him through my wall or something."
"Uh, no, I'd never do that... unless I absolutely had to," Emery admitted.
"What?" I said, incredulous. "Hey, you've got to admit, that wasn't a terrible idea. Maybe we aren't that different."
Emery handed me a set of light armor. It was silver with gold accents, featuring a black scorpion on the chest, complete with gauntlets and shin guards. "You'll stand out too much without this, and we can't take the chance that the remnants of Malgog's army won't come looking for you. We have to make our presence known so we're not immediately attacked."
"Why would they attack us? I thought these were your people," I asked, adjusting the armor.
"They are my people, but this isn't your world—it's mine. It's seen too many hardships, too much blood, and too many battles. These days, people kill first and ask questions never. That's how the few of us who survived have managed to stay alive."
Just then, a bright light shone on us from above. "Who goes there!" a voice called from high up.
"Balgee, it's me, Emery. I brought our new friend!" Emery shouted back.
"Prove it," the voice demanded.
"You wet the bed until you were ten," Emery said, and then, as if sensing my confusion, added, "Stop! Come in, you monster child."
"That's what I thought," Emery said, glancing up at the lookout tower. The gates of a small town opened, and we stepped inside.
"This is just the beginning, Stark. From here on out, it's training 24/7. We have to get you ready for what comes next."
"Huh? What comes next?" I asked.
"I'm what comes next," a hulking man with heavy armor and a bald, dark head said with a snide smirk. "I'm going to turn you into a guy who's really hard to kill."
"Marius," Emery said, introducing him with a resigned tone. "Meet Stark. Stark, this is Marius."