Loud clatters of chains against stone echoed around me as I gazed into the abyss. I don't remember much; my only goal is to live. A small buzzing sensation gnawed at my mind the more I pondered, causing my thoughts to stutter. I tried to remember and think of anything, but my mind remained blank. My only certainty was that I was here, and here was now. A loud bang resonated as I stepped, and a long, thin object suddenly approached my face. Shock settled in my heart as the object pierced my skin; long runic markings covered my arms, burning deeply into my skin. the pain felt surreal as it got hotter, burning my will to live. Slowly, the pain subdued, and I felt clarity; I was on the cusp of understanding something; the feeling of being steps away from achieving something plagued the only thoughts in my mind as I sat there motionlessly. Slowly, visions entered my mind of a harsh black castle on a winter landscape. The wind and snow bellowing as a young boy, no more than 5, was staring at his dying parents being dragged away in a casket. Small tears streamed down his face, my face.
"Huh?" A young man shot up from his rest, tears staining his cheeks, questioning the strange dream he had just experienced. The noises and images he had seen slowly faded away as the sunlight streamed into his face. "Jay, if you don't come downstairs in the next 20 minutes, so help me God, you won't be waking up for 20 years!" a loud voice echoed in the hallway, and the young boy rushed in, panicked. "Mom! I swear the alarm didn't work!" he shouted but was met with silence. Quickly, he prepared for a shower and selected his outfit for the day.
Fifteen minutes of complete efficiency passed, and a young man ascended the stairs to confront his upset mother. "I made breakfast, although it's probably cold by now," the mature woman said, discontent evident in her voice. "Mom, I—" the young boy protested, but a figure emerged from the kitchen. "Give the boy a break, Tera." The well-toned man enjoyed a bowl of eggs and Canadian bacon, a family staple. Jay couldn't suppress the growl from his stomach as he caught sight of the breakfast. "Love you, Mom and Dad, enjoy work. I promise I won't be late." The young boy sprinted into the kitchen and began devouring his meal at record speed, surprising both of them.
"It's as if he stores the food somewhere else," the mother mused, bewildered by how her son remained so slim. "Well, let's get going; the firm will probably make me work overtime tonight, so dinner is up to you two." The young boy stuttered at her words, envisioning the dreadful rice meal his dad would prepare. I'm definitely going to Rio's house tonight.
The married couple stepped outside while the young boy remained in the kitchen. Suddenly, a loud banging noise startled him from behind. He quickly turned around, prepared to confront the intruders, but was relieved to find his friend knocking on the window, holding a sign that read, "Open Up." Jay sighed in relief at the sight and promptly opened the window.
"How does your handwriting still look like my left hand wrote it?" Jay jabbed at the young man. "Fuck off! The great Rio Gonzales will never stoop so low in life." The young man straightened his posture and said, "Keep saying stupid stuff like that, and maybe they will let you take the special classes after school." Jay jabbed again, and Rio's expression finally faltered, his face twitching in various ways.
"So what's up? You never come here this early," Jay asked eagerly. Rio's face darkened slightly as a hint of sadness crossed his features; Jay realized too late what had happened.
"Actually, there's this old game I wanted to play, but it's really outdated, and no one I know has a working console that can play it. I was wondering if your dad or someone you know has one," he said hopefully.
"What console?" Jay began to ponder momentarily, a few names popping up here and there. "An x-dash 720." Jay knew four people with one of those, but only one who would ever let them use it.
"I think Sarah has one, but you'll have to wait till after school," Jay said with a sigh, remembering how she'd been avoiding him after her mom caught him sneaking into the backyard a week ago.
"Whatever, as long as someone's got one, I'm not hunting for one myself, and re-rigging it into my pc will get me in trouble. " Rio said with a heavy smirk, munching away at some snacks Jay was eating. "What game is it anyway? I'm also playing it if I have to go through all this just to get it running." Jay said aggressively to Rio, grabbing the snacks he was eating. "It's called Castello."
--
"Alright, we have about 20 minutes left in class before the weekend. I can think of three people off the top of my head who haven't submitted their midterm quota for their book. I hope I won't have to name them before everyone next week when it's due." Jay heard a loud cough beside him as the teacher concluded her scolding lecture.
"Um, Jay, are you free this weekend?" a young girl with tired eyes and long black hair stammered. "Funny you ask. Does that old Xbox still work in your garage?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, probably. Did you need it? Did you want to come over to help me finish my essay for my book?" Sarah replied cheerfully. "Yeah, no problem. My friend got this game called Castello. I was hoping we could gather some friends to try and beat it. I heard there are a lot of bosses, and it's a survival game," Jay said excitedly, sharing what he had read online earlier during lunch.
"The last survival game I played was a silly zombie game, so this one better be good. I'll invite Amelia, and we can have a tournament to see who can have the fewest deaths," Sarah said enthusiastically, matching Jay's excitement. "I'll meet you at your place after school, then. I want to get the game up and running," Jay said as he packed his bag, enduring the next 19 minutes in pure agony.
A young man on a sleek black bike was pedaling quickly down a busy street, swerving in and out of the sidewalk to avoid pedestrians. He suddenly veered into a backyard, dismounted promptly, and stealthily approached the garage. As he drew near, he heard two girls laughing loudly and cautiously revealed himself, wary of Sarah's mischievous dog.
"Is he in there?" Jay whispered to the girls. "Tusk is inside right now, probably avoiding you because you haven't visited in a while," Sarah replied brazenly, which shocked Amelia.
"Sarah, I thought you told him not to appear randomly anymore?" Amelia questioned, startling Sarah. It's his fault for always arriving super late. My mom thought he was my secret lover and hounded me about him for weeks." Upon hearing this, Jay recalled when his mom thought he was dating Rio.
"Achoo!" Rio had just arrived in his typical fashion, looking like he had spent a week in the woods. "Why is everyone staring at me like I smell? Do I smell?" Rio then proceeded to sniff himself unceremoniously in front of everyone. Suddenly, a headache plagued Jay's mind as he noticed the game case in Rio's hand. Jay remained silent as he slowly sat down near the girls, feeling his heart race the closer he got to the game. It was as if the garage was pressing in on him from behind, urging him to open the case. "Are you okay?" Sarah asked, noticing the cold sweat on Jay's forehead. "I think I have a headache from dehydration. Can you get me some water?" Jay replied, his breath heavy.
Sarah quickly left after showing Rio how to use the Xbox. "Wow, old stuff is always cool," Rio remarked as he slowly fiddled with the controller. Jay, eyeing the controller, let his mind tremble with every button press. his mind was in shambles right now, and he had no idea why. Rio slowly pulled up the menu to launch the game. As the game opened, the launch screen appeared, and a bright logo of the manufacturing company flashed on the old TV before suddenly vanishing. A dreadful feeling engulfed Jay's heart as the entire house went dark. He instantly darted to the door of Sarah's house to find her.
Opening the door, he saw Sarah a few feet before him, her face etched with terror. A strange man stood there, clad in heavy navy armor with gold trim. The most peculiar aspect of him was the wings on his back; they matched the color of his armor, flapping ominously in the center of the family room. The man slowly removed the helmet of his armor, revealing his visage—or what remained of it—since half of his face was missing, and a deep scar ran across his eyes. A faint smile lingered on his remaining features as he 'looked' at them. His mouth opened, but no words emerged; his throat was torn, and he could only use his remaining strength to point toward a door. The door he indicated looked out of place. It was a deep brown and had definitely not been there a moment ago. Rio entered the room, his expression one Jay had never seen before. For the first time in his life, he wished Rio would say something. Dumbfounded, the quartet stood motionlessly, waiting for something to happen. The first move came from Jay, who asked, "What are you?" He knew the man wouldn't answer, but that only fueled his curiosity. He felt an inexplicable pull toward the door as if it beckoned him to open it.
"I'm going to open the door," Jay declared boldly, breaking everyone's stupor. "Are you crazy, Jay?! That thing over there is definitely not human, and we have no idea what is happening. We should try to leave," Sarah said vehemently. "I tried already; it's a no-go," Amelia replied, a frown overtaking her face. The door wasn't budging and probably wouldn't for a while. The only escape was the door. "The door is calling to me," Jay said seriously. "I feel it. It wants me to open it and go inside. I'm opening it." Sarah grabbed his hand. "If we're going in, let's do it together." The four readied themselves for the adventure. As Jay moved forward, he felt chills everywhere and eyes all around him. His breath quickened, and his heart raced. As they approached the door, Jay stole glances from the armored man. The man noticed Jay's gaze and smiled at the boy.
The pressure the boy feels is unimaginable for a newly chosen human but he powered through, what an interesting choice, he may be the one the goddess was looking for. The others aren't too bad either, to adapt in this scenario so quickly. I'm glad my final moments will be with these chosen. The armored man slowly put the helmet back on and slowly approached the door to open it for them. The door slowly creaked open in front of the four; a wide abyss fronted them. As soon as the young group got cold feet, a cold wind sucked them inside the space, separating them as they descended into an abyss of chains and stone.
A dark figure smiled somewhere above the clouds as he eyed the new souls entering his territory. Finally, retribution is upon us. The man slowly twisted the glowing orb in his hand as he faded into darkness.
Jay's eyes slowly opened as he felt ground for the first time in what felt like hours. His head felt unnaturally clear as he pondered the world around him. It was grassy, hills spread everywhere, and trees were thinly spread out sprucely. He saw a pack of bunnies and squirrels quarreling over a small gathering of trees.
As Jay looked around, the water shimmered in the distance, and he decided it was his first stop in this new world. Focus. His mind was scrambled, but his goals currently were simple: survive and find the others. As he slowly gathered his bearings and approached the water, a small house, or what was left of it, entered his vision. It looked just like Sarah's house but was run down and weathered. The original red roofing was now worn into a dark brown, and holes surrounded the top of the house. He decided that it was probably her house, which gave him way more questions than answers, but he would solve them one at a time. He slowly dipped his hand in the pond to check if it was water. He saw a small squirrel drink from it earlier, but it could be toxic to him, so he tested it on his skin first.
As he looked down, he noticed his appearance. His body was smaller than normal, almost childlike, but comfortable, as if his mind was already prepared for this size. He seemed no more than twelve and had weird hair. It almost seemed alive; it was wavy blonde, and he had bright red eyes that seemed to glow on the water's surface. His appearance had no flaws, which felt weird, but he settled his mind, focusing on survival. Once he got the OK from his skin, he slowly sipped away at the water, feeling his throat quickly absorb it and slowly filling his stomach. Once he was full, he decided to check out the house to see what exactly had happened.
The closer he got to the house, the worse it looked. It was as if he was visiting it from the future. The walls had thick moss on all sides and had these beet-red vines around them. The door was partially missing and had multiple holes where small rodents could access it. The stone on the ground surrounding the house seemed charred, as if a ritual of some sort was performed around the house. He heard a shallow creaking noise from inside and quickly readied himself for a confrontation. He stood face to face with the door, opening it slowly.
A loud creaking noise prefaced around him as the door opened, and the smell of meat assaulted his nose. The house was not too terrible of a state, but what stood out to him was the fresh wood in the fireplace and the meat racks holding a bunch of fresh fish. The smell of the food made his mind wander, thinking of eating some, but he stopped himself. The unknown entity may not take lightly to new visitors. As he was investigating, he heard several steps approaching from behind. Quickly, Jay tucked himself around the corner, listening for voices.
"Amelia, there is someone in that building," Sarah said as she noticed the fluctuations of space inside the house.
"How can you tell? I thought I heard movement, but I wasn't certain." Amelia asked in wonder. "I don't know how to describe it. It's like the space inside was shifted. I could feel the movement." Sarah tried her best to explain what she was feeling.
Fascinating, one of the travelers possesses a strong bond to space. That's probably how this house arrived here. She will do great in this run.
The young girls slowly approached the house, noting the presence inside the home. Sarah slowly opened the door to greet the hidden swatter. "He-HEllo." Sarah squealed out, her voice cracking slightly on pronunciation. Upon hearing this, Jay tried not to laugh as hard as he could and rounded the corner. "Sarah?" The young girl looked at the young boy, and they both instantly sighed in relief. "Have you seen Rio yet? If you two are here, that means he shouldn't be far. He might be the one who was living here waiting for us."
Suddenly, the ground in the house started shaking as a massive older man flew down from the sky. "If you're looking for the other boy, he is currently at the waterfront ahead of us." A loud, authoritative voice boomed around them, forcing them into a stupor. "I didn't mean to scare you, but I could find the moment to announce myself." The loud voice said in a light tone. "I'm sure you all have many questions; I will try my best to answer them, but first. Let's gather your final friend." The voice said, with no room to counter. Jay was not prepared to face this man just yet. "You said he was at the waterfront, correct? I will retrieve him with Sarah and Amelia. Allow us to sort ourselves out first." Jay said with a strained tone that he just had too many questions.
The trio made their way to the water in strong silence. Jay was the first to break the silence. "He didn't seem hostile to us; so far, the only thing I've seen here is peaceful things, which is both a good and a bad thing," Jay said with underlying certainty. The man seemed happy with our visit and also said he would answer our questions. So, what is this nagging feeling in the back of his head?
Ahem... "Uh, so I guess everyone is different looking now? I don't understand what's going on. Do any of you understand why we ended up with different bodies?" Amelia said, still in a daze about everything going on. Amelia had snow-white hair now and pearly gray eyes, perfectly complementing each other.
"When we fell into the abyss, I felt this weird pull on my mind, slowly pulling myself into this body," Sarah said to the disbelief of the other two. Sarah had the same dark hair, but her eyes now shone a light sky blue. "Your eyes feel different; it's like they are pulling me in," Jay said with a straight face, making Sarah embarrassed. "Please stop staring at her; you're even making me uncomfortable," Amelia said while rolling her eyes. Sarah broke out of her embarrassment quickly, eyeing the world around them. "It's weird; I can feel the space around me like I'm part of it. I feel connected to everything around me."
Sarah said while pointing to the young boy drinking water from the pond. The young boy had thick red hair and bright green eyes. The young boy quickly glanced in their direction and jumped. "Rio?" Jay asked, noting the young boy's appearance. He had bright red hair and green eyes, carrying his signature smirk as always. "Wow, everyone looks so cool! By the way, what the fuck happened. The last thing I remember was stepping into the weird black room the guy showed us, and suddenly, I was sleeping in the grass over there." Rio said while getting side-tracked by the weird-looking bunny with six legs. "The old man living in Sarah's old house will answer our questions, so let's ask him."