Beep…. Beep… beep… beep.

I glanced to my side. Was that an EKG showing my heart rate? Where the hell was I?

“Oh my god! Eli, you are awake!” Abi jumped onto the side of the bed, clenching my arm.

“A-Abi! It’s so good to see you!” I embraced her. My sister and I fought but it was so good to see her again.

“Are mom and dad here?”

“They should be on their way. A few of their flights have been delayed so they told me to stay here with you in case you woke up and remembered what happened.”

“I truly don’t remember much…” Had that entire experience with Grace, Felicia, and Suri been a dream? It felt so real though.

“They found you in an alley way beside the Deli Mart. When you didn’t come to get me in the morning, we sent search parties out to find you.” Abi glanced at the floor, tears welling in her eyes.

“Abi, I’m so sorry.” I reached across my body to pull Abi into an embrace, but a pain shot across my chest. I pulled back and held onto my chest.

“What’s wrong Eli?!” Abi jumped up from her place on the bed.

“My-my chest is killing me…” I pulled my medical gown down to reveal a large red burn covering the entirety of my chest. My skin felt like a regular sun burn, but my internal organs were on fire. I didn’t understand what was happening.

“How did you get these marks Eli?” Abi’s eyes traced the burn on my chest.

“I-I don’t remember… wait…” Images of the ball of light hitting my chest flashed in front of me. Could these injuries have something to do with that? I wonder if they got away… I had to get back somehow. I still didn’t even know if it was a dream.

“I-I have to get back…”

“Get back? What are you talking about? You are home now.” Abi gave me an awkward glance, she clearly thought I had lost it. I was wondering if she was right.

I began to get up from the bed. My muscles ached and my joints refused to move. It was as if I had been in the bed for years.

“What are you doing Eli?! Get back in bed!” Abi moved to push me back into the bed. I pushed her away.

“I have to go Abi!”

“What are you talking about?! Sit down.” I tried to resist, but my muscles were too weak. Any fight I had left in me was vanquished.

“I have to go to school in a bit. Please just stay here. The doctor will likely want to see you. I’ll be back shortly after class. I’m so glad to have you back.” Abi smiled and turned to leave.

“Abi, I’m sorry I left you. I didn’t mean to.”

“I know.” Abi waved and exited the room.

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What the hell is going on?! Everything felt so real in Parencia.

“Mr. Arrington?” A tall man in a lab coat entered the room.

“Umm… yes. That’s me.” I only guessed that this person must be my doctor. He had black hair and some light five o’clock shadow covering his cheeks and chin. If I had to guess, he looked in his thirties.

“I am glad to see you awake! You gave us quite the scare.” He smiled and made his way to my bedside. He was holding a needle in his left hand.

“What is that?”

“Oh… This? It is to help you get some rest. Your body needs to heal.” He moved to inject the substance into my IV line. The light red substance flowed down the line and entered my body, within a few seconds I began to fall asleep.

…

“His eyes are moving. Felicia get over here!”

A blurry outline of a woman stood above me. It was Grace!

“G-Grace?!” I muttered out.

“Eli! Are you with me?!” Grace grabbed my head with her hands and stared at me. Felicia leaned in to look at me as well.

“I-I can’t believe he actually survived that!” Felicia held my hand and pushed her fingers on my wrist.

“Everything seems normal. His pulse is strong too. I have never seen anything like this before!”

“I’m just glad to see that you are feeling better. We were worried we… lost you.” Grace and Felicia smiled at me softly. I even noticed Suri curiously peeking at the corner of the room. I sat up slowly and looked around.

“Where are we?”

“After you were hit with the transmaculation ball, we thought you were gone. Those attacks destroy anything in their way. We were surprised to only see a red mark across your chest where the attack had hit you. It looked like you had reflected it somehow. We carried you here after you fell to the floor.”

“And where is here?” I looked around at the… tunnel? It appeared we were in some underground location that had been hastily dug. The walls, ceiling, and floor were dirt and much of the furniture appeared to be handmade from scraps that could be scavenged.

“We made it to an outpost my father was having built. It isn’t noted on any documents and will allow us to have a location to fall back to in case it is needed.” Suri approached the bed from the corner she had been hiding in.

“Where is your father?”

“He stayed behind with the rest of his guard. After you reflected the transmaculation ball, more soldiers showed up. My father and the guards protected our retreat from the area. We still aren’t sure what happened after that.” Suri seemed upset. I know how close her father and her were so it must be hard for her to have to leave him like that.

“I’m sorry Suri. I’ve been such a burden since I showed up. All of you have been taking care of me. I need to return the favor eventually.” It was a real pain utilizing my power and then passing out. I didn’t fully understand all of the events that had taken place. Why did I end up back in my world when I passed out?

“Something weird happened…”

“What is it Eli?” Felicia looked at me with concern.

“When I passed out this time, I ended up back in my old world.”

Grace, Felicia, and Suri exchanged glances.

“What do you mean ‘ended up back’ in your own world?”

“I mean I woke up there. It was only for a short while. Shortly after waking up, the doctor gave me some medication to sleep, and I came back here.”

“Felicia, have you heard of anything like this?” Grace looked over at Felicia. Felicia had brought her hand to her face as if attempting to interpret what I just said.

“No. Usually after a summoning, the individual is completely pulled from their old world. Something like this is… odd to say the least. Unfortunately, my father will know more about this than me. I say we stick to our original plan and continue our travel there.” A look of disgust spread across Felicia’s face when she described her father. She definitely didn’t like the man. Why… I still didn’t know.

“Alright. Eli go ahead and get dressed. We’ll meet you outside.”

After everyone had left, I made my way over to a small table. My original clothes were nowhere to be found. I assumed it was because they didn’t survive the rather large transmaculation ball that had impacted them the day before. In their place was a large, long black jacket, a white button up, and black trousers to finish. A white stripe adorned each side of the jacket and trousers and offset the sea of black consumed by the rest of the clothes. They seemed to be very well-made. I’m guessing they selected these for me? I slipped on the clothes in a haste. I knew we didn’t have much time. I made my way to the door to meet the others.