Timothy Felix was laying in a field at night a few years after John Macklemor returned to the town from the other side of the doors and died at his sister's side. He was gazing up at the moon and listening to the wind when he heard a voice go off in his head. Though it wasn't his own he knew he wasn't crazy. This was a voice that he knew was coming and was the only reason he was up so late into the night.
"The sixteenth cycle has passed. Your body has developed enough for you to enter the door. Come meet me at the end of it all. Gain power, hone your skills, and present yourself for your wish. You'll harness the power of the elements, the wind, the rain, the sky itself and even beyond. Learn the right skills and follow the right paths and you might even make it back home"
Hearing this voice Tim stood up from the grass and walked to a nearby building that was no more than a shack. He opened the door, closing it behind him and lighting a candle. He took off his shirt to reveal a scrawny frame that came from years of malnutrition. Laying down on a dirty mat he said to himself, "this is the last day I have to live like this. Tomorrow, I go to the door. Tomorrow it all changes." He blew out the candle and swiftly fell asleep.
That night was not a restful one for Tim. His dreams were more vivid than any he's had before. Before his eyes he saw lands he could only imagine existed. A mountain that vibrated and pulsed as if it had a heart beat, field full of wheat that, when looking closer, was made of fire, and a vast ocean with pillars of gleaming metal were some of the things he saw that night, but the one thing that he truly remembered was a still frame image on a fox. What stood out to him most was its tail, well tails. The fox had 9 lush tails and at the end of each of them had a ball floating right at the tip that moved with it, never falling more than an inch behind the furry end. The shining spheres were coloured white red, blue green, yellow, purple, gray, pink, and black. Tim had no idea why he was seeing any of this but had a feeling that that fox would be something he needed to remember.
Tim awoke the next morning to the sun shining in through a hole in his home beaming right into his eye. While the late night caused him to not get a full night's rest that didn't stop Tim from jumping out of bed full of energy. This is the first time he felt hopeful about what a day has in store for him since his mom passed away a year ago. He grabs the last piece of bread in the cabinet and eats it while walking out his front door. Standing outside the hut he turns and looks back at it.
"Seven years this has been my home. Well six years a home and one a house," Tim mused to himself thinking back on the life he had spent here after his father died in service to the king and his family fell into poverty. For many years his mother Carla had looked out for him and kept a job working the fields to make sure they always had food, but as all things that couldn't last forever. At harvest last year a wheel from a wagon broke causing a cart to tip over. Carla was under it and her leg got snapped and pierced the flesh through. The doctor was able to set the bone and close the wound but infection had set in. It was a long and grueling fight full of pain and screams that still haunt Tim's mind but after two weeks the pain had ended. The family that had hired his mother had let Tim do some minor work around the farm for some food money but as he had not yet reached adulthood they couldn't hire him on in a full capacity. Now that he had reached sixteen his life would change. He had officially become an adult in everyone's eyes. He could work and make a living for himself as the vast majority had done before him or he could go to The Door.
The Door wasn't any specific door as it was a term given to a series of holes in the world that took people to a new world. The tears had first appeared a little over a hundred years ago. One day they just cracked open and every person over the age of sixteen heard a voice in their head telling them they were able to enter "The Door" to gain power and have a wish granted. That first week there was a mass migration of people into the gates. Many seeking power, some gold and even the King of Sen marched half his army through a door, leading the forces personally as he felt he had the right to rule all lands that man had touched.
The following weeks brought disaster as no one who went into a door came out again. Tens of thousands of people from all over the world had disappeared, never to be seen again. That is except for one. The story of John Macklemoor was spread far and was quite well known. Researchers had came from all around, even some of the neighboring countries, to examine both him and the door he came out of. The door seemed like any other and was deemed unremarkable. What was deemed remarkable; however, was John's body. Although his body had cleary been cut, no blade was able to cut him open for autopsy. When they tried to cremate him, only his clothes turned to ash. After everyone finished examining him they decided to put in to rest in the ground. Where he was buried a tree had sprouted that no one claimed to have planted. This tree didn't appear until many years after he was buried but the roots grew quickly. The soil around his body was so covered in roots that they had to move the graveyard as they could no longer use it.
Another 50 years has come and gone since John was put into the ground. The tree that sprouted from his resting place had begun to flower. It took two seasons for the buds to bloom and they stayed that way for over a year longer. They stayed blooming and the tree stayed lush and green even through the winter months.
Tim turned away from his house and headed towards the center of town where the door still stands. Along his way he passed by the Macklemoor tree and took a moment to look at it as it represented the world that he was soon to go to. As he was looking at it he noticed the last flower had gone and in its place was a small fruit. Tim thought about the single slice of bread he had for breakfast and his stomach growled. He went up to the tree and saw a way he could climb up to the fruit. When he got to it and looked at it it was a red on one end that faded to a yellow on the other. It was about the size of his palm. When his stomach growled again he had decided to take the fruit. Back on the ground he took a bite out of the fruit. When he did he heard a voice in his head.
"Fruit of the life mango eaten gained primordial life point, attribute light"
Tim was surprised when this voice rang in his head. It was the same voice he heard that night but he had no idea what it meant with what it said. Confused, he threw the rest of the fruit and walked away from the tree. In town the day was going about as usual, the vendors were out selling their wares and mothers herding their children down the road. At the fountain a booth had been made around the door so no one would go in accidentally. While no one knew where the adults went, when children entered the door they were randomly teleported to another door. This was shown to them when a child tripped into a door and popped out in the neighboring village. The next who jumped in after him was never accounted for.
"Finally ready for your trip?" the man guarding the booth said to Tim as he walked up.
"Yeah sixteen today, finally can do something with my life instead of rot in that shack"
"Don't have any gear or anything to take with you?"
"You know as well as I do how poor I am. I couldn't even afford breakfast this morning let alone a weapon."
"Tim, I've seen what you have head to go through in life and I understand you weren't dealt the best hand and none of those around you have been in the position to give you the help you needed. It's not much but here, take this dagger. Maybe it will help you on the other side." The guard then handed Tim a small dagger about 6 inches in length.
"Thank you, I'm sure it will be of assistance."
The guard then stepped aside and let Tim pass into the booth. Inside about 5 feet from where Tim entered was a hole in the air itself. It was as if there was absolutely nothing occupying the space except for a few areas outside where the air seemed distorted. Taking a deep breath Tim charged straight at the gate without a second thought