It was late afternoon when a peculiar news article was displayed on TV instead of my favourite TV show.

“Live in New York City a massive blue obelisk has appeared out of nowhere.” I thought this was just some fake news or a prank I called my dad over never less. “Dad come see what’s on the news” I said not really that interested but still wanted him to see.

As my Dad came into the room I looked over to him. He was a tall man 6 foot 7 with a long curly beard his name was Curtis but his friends call him Curt, he had brownish-white skin and a tough jawline. “What’s up?” he said “come see,” I replied pointing to the TV. I was distracted by dad so I didn’t see that another man had made his way over to the camera, “-what did you see when it appeared,” the reporter asked the man who was wearing a business uniform and sported glasses. “Well there was this flash of light then this thing appeared straight out of the ground It was freaking scary.” the man said. “There have been many other different eyewitnesses to the event.” The reporter spoke directly to the camera, I looked over to my dad with a goofy look on my face not believing them, my dad though… he had a look that made me believe that he was taking this all too real.

Then something even more incredible occurred. The blue obelisk started glowing bluer and bluer until it was blinding even on TV, It hurt my eyes. It suddenly dimmed to a pale blue but there was still something off, words were on the obelisk seemingly carved in, now and only now was I starting to believe this isn’t such a simple prank or even a prank at all. The words were even worse even from a far distance I could see them perfectly. ‘Humans of Earth you have been allowed access into the world. if you choose to accept go forth into this here obelisk or you could also say ‘disappearance into a new appearance,’ this would send you there directly but you wouldn’t get an additional reward. We have included basic information of the world if you say ‘help,’ but if you choose not to come in 3 days, the Earth will die. Now I wish you well and to see you prosper in the world.’ I didn’t know what to think, but overnight the media exploded with theories and many many people have disappeared seemingly at random, overnight the world went into madness.

I sat in my room trying to focus and think about something other than recent events, but I couldn’t help myself. “Help” I spoke. A burst of text appeared right in front of me.

The world is a wondrous place filled with mythical creatures. There are millions of species and different varieties of each at the moment with humans from other planets also there. The world isn't all fun and games though as if something has even a hint of a reason to kill you they probably will. The world has continents spanning the size of Earth, (these are called dimensions.) Each creature gets an ability at the start of its life, there are trillions of creatures in the World and only 14% ever reach past star limit 5 without equipment. Star limits are points where you can evolve into a higher order of yourself. Abilities are techniques that you can use to simply wash the dishes to blowing up an entire continent (dimension) with a bomb made out of grass (yes this has been done.) There are other features but you need to figure them out yourselves.

I looked at the last part about skills and was shocked at what they could accomplish. Then I found myself even more shocked when I was reading a wall of readable holographic text that just appeared in front of me. I started panicking realizing that Earth will probably be destroyed in 3 days, then I screamed. My parents bolted into my bedroom asking what’s wrong and are you okay? I replied with “ Mum, Dad I- I’m scared” they looked down at me and rubbed my back gently while hugging me. My Dad asked why I was scared. I told him why “you know that news report today with that blue obelisk?” Dad nodded his head, “say ‘help.” Dad complied with my request. His eyes opened wide at what he saw in front of him, it was the exact same except that the skills were different instead of washing the dishes it had making water out of thin air and creating a portal into different worlds. Mum did the same. It was the same as Dad and I. That night we all fell asleep in the same bed.

In the morning, we had gloomy impressions on our faces. “So what should we do?” My parents looked over to me Dad saying something that I knew he was going to say but I didn’t want him to say it, “we need to leave Earth and go to this World Dean,” he said with a venom I’ve never seen him use before. I cast my head down going into my own world of thoughts. I didn’t know what was going to happen but I knew I had to make the most out of the limited time I had left. “Dad, can I see one friend one last time?” A pained tone was shown through my voice. Dad took pity on me but reluctantly he agreed and let me off.

I started walking over to my friend’s house thinking over all the missed opportunities I could have done on Earth. As I neared John’s house the realization this will probably be the last time I ever saw him again sunk in I started growing more panicked. I knocked on the door waiting for a reply as the door handle turned the door opened John’s dad was staring at me. He gave me a smile that could lift anyone’s day, “come in Felix” he said I replied quickly moving into the house. As noise descended down the steps Jake greeted me "hi Felix." I could only reply with “hi Jake but have you seen the news?” “Yeah, it’s pretty crazy do you believe it?” I had a look of confusion on my face as Jake walked down the stairs, “Jake say ‘help” now it was Jake who was confused, he still complied though. His surprised look was just like Dads when he did it. My friend started muttering under his breath. I couldn’t hear him after he told me to leave so he and his family could discuss this. I rushed back home happy to see him at least one final time, my parents were surprised as I came home way earlier than they expected me to. I told them what happened then we agreed we were going to leave Earth…

We linked hands not knowing if we would see each other again but hoping without hope we would see each other again, tears streamed down our side as we just called the rest of the family to wish our goodbyes and our friends. Then we chanted the words like a cult speaking words they have practised a million times. It just came out so naturally to me, “disappearance into a new appearance” then we were gone, never to be seen on Earth again.

Heat struck my side, my eyes blared awake as I saw I was lying down on barren land where a flame-licked my side. Immediately I jumped back spraying my legs back as I saw I was so close to a flame, only then did I survey and look around at my surroundings, a desert spread out in front of me all I could see was an ever sprawling desert. I looked back down at the flame which wasn’t there anymore, I realized I was calm unnaturally so I should be panicking and screaming for my Mum or Dad but I wasn’t all I could think of was how I was going to survive. The only possible thing I could do was move so I did.

What felt like hours of walking which was probably 15 or so minutes I saw something in the distance all I could see was barely a glimpse but it was moving closer to me hope rushed into me as I propelled my legs forward trying to see what it was, and foolish hope was the only thing that was guiding me then. Then I saw an abomination. It was a human body but it had legs growing out of its head while tails out of its eyes blood was splashed all over it and its insides were inverted. I knew I messed up heavily. Fear spread throughout my body this was too much for a barely 15-year-old to take in the calm leaving me my legs dropped under me as I watched the abomination slowly come over to many and only then I realized there was an army of them in the distance with different mutations everywhere on their bodies. One I saw had veins as legs and others had wings that were all different sizes and shapes. As the one in the lead of the group came up to me he looked down at my fear shaken body he said one word which made my insides explode “inner explosion.”

I woke back up again, flame licked my side I jumped back again screaming as I touched myself all over looking for any damage on my body, I started coming down when I realized I was whole and well completely calm came back and my body then just started searching for ways to survive. This time I went backwards trying to reach as far as I could away from those abominations but I succumbed to the eventual heat and hydration falling to the ground the monsters found me once again this time a flying creature picked me up and ate me this time, tentacles crawled along my body they went into my eyes ears and mouth and killed me from the inside out.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

This time when I came back to the god awful desert the calm couldn’t help. I was going into madness, fear spread throughout my body even though the calm started to suppress the endless wave of fear I was still shivering from the head down. Eventually, I managed to get my head back with the calm assisting me I realized maybe help will help me in different ways now as I’m in the World “help,” I said to none.

You have been put into a tutorial where you need to survive for 12 hours or kill 5 of the creatures, you are in the hide or fight tutorial while others are different some will be in the tutorial you are in now. The monster you will be fighting is random so it could be an ant to a blackbone dragon.

I laughed cruelly at the words displayed in front of me, how could I kill five of those things or hide for 12 hours in A DESERT WITH AN ARMY OF THEM COMING AT ME, it was truly insane. I knew I couldn’t hide as there were too many of them so my best bet was to kill 5 of them but how? I pondered this while pondering why I was calm but brushed it off as magic. The only thing I could do was learn how those things functioned and how they could be killed.

Attempt 1: I sat there waiting for them to come in around 40 minutes they arrived. I got up off the hot sand and rushed at the first one, this one had blades growing out of its hand while having no head but still ‘saw’ me perfectly. I couldn't even land one punch in before it sliced my head clean off.

Attempt 2: I needed to try something different and get into a battle-ready view faster as I was still stuck with fear and grief on the ground. Maybe hiding is the only option I could do, I ran to the left as far as I could before going into a slow jog then just straight walking even running jogging and walking for 40 minutes the army of abominations still reached me this time I was gutted by one powerful fist punch.

Attempt 3: I did nothing except sit down and think about how I wish my parents were here as they would know what to do. I hated to believe it but I knew and could do very little for myself. I was nearly totally dependent on them. I wanted to see them again to hug them and wish this nightmare away. sadness clung to my heart as I thought my parents could be going through the same situation as me. As the monsters drew near a flying monster flew down probably looking at a free meal more dropped down I tried to pounce up and away but they descended on me too quickly. It was unbearable letting pieces of your body slowly be ripped off as meat for another creature than the quick death I had last time.

Attempt 4: I didn’t like pain, it was a cold dark feeling, that felt like it was never going to end. So when I wake up completely fine every time it both horrifies and scares me but I still thank it for relieving me from the pain. This time I had a new plan. If I jumped on one of those monsters, and bite, scratched, and clawed enough would I be able to kill it? Only one way to find out if my plan was going to work by trying it out in action. So I conserved my strength by waiting, a million thoughts in my head circulated saying this will be a terrible idea and lead to death, I knew I was almost certainly going to die but the calm suppresses my fear and only makes me focus on the task. As the monsters finally arrived I looked out at my murderers and knew I needed to take one of these bastards down or if not now I’ll do it eventually. I knew now I had to avoid the flying ones and I couldn’t go for the ones that are as large as cars, I knew I couldn’t beat them. So I had to go for the ones that are my size or smaller and the less deformed and mutated the better. I scanned my eyes around looking for any in the front ranks that were my size or smaller I saw one but a group of flying monsters were circling it from up above, there was another but it was further to the right than I would like to travel the last one I could see was one that was hiding behind a large monster I knew that I wasn’t going to push past it so I had to go for the one being circled by the flying monsters. I pushed my body trying to barrel into it and hopefully stun it then kill it, a trick I learnt for fighting people smaller than you hopefully my friend was right. Before I was even halfway there I melted as fire erupted under my feet burning me to ash. I didn’t even see what happened. The only saving grace from this death was that it was quick.

Attempt 5: I WAS SICK. No calm could suppress the rage I felt that billowed out of me, I was filled with so much fear that ignited my rage even more pushing me to go out and kill every last one of them and everyone who put me into this sick ‘tutorial.’ Eventually the calm won over the constant fight and I was able to focus. I wasted 20 mins in my fit of rage, then another 5 after the calm won by thinking of Earth and everything that I miss. I started thinking about how fire just erupted up from the ground and the first time how I exploded even though all it did was say one word. I wanted that power, power to rival or beat those abominations. I needed this magic they used. It was the only way to even stand a chance, so I needed to learn the only way to learn is to watch, and the only way to watch is to die. I’m insane. I died by getting spiked by earth spikes that came out of seemingly nowhere.

Attempt 16: Every attempt I grow madder more distant and relentless in my pursuit to kill those abominations. I’ve now come to terms with the deaths, the pain will always be pain but the strongest pain is thinking about how my parents, friends and family are doing. I even did a little prayer for them to be ok before. My mind is one step away from breaking. I knew I would break eventually but I thought the calm would help it was a foolish thought. I was starting to understand how they used their magics after getting killed another 6 times. I realized it required you to will something out of your body which then would affect the world around you. I only realized that after one attempt where I could see something spinning in the air for a few seconds, then a gush of wind blew me HIGH into the air where I fell and crushed my head on the ground. Now it was how I was supposed to use this power, I had a few theories which I was trying but nothing was working. I got up as I saw they were coming closer. This time I didn’t run at them as all it did was lessen my life and hurt my feet. I only wanted to analyse the army that was marching towards me, I realized around attempt 12 that every time I reset the army of monsters were different. I died a slow death by being eaten by tentacles with jaws extending out of where the arm was supposed to be.

Attempt 76: I’ve been in this hellhole for a long time now and I’ve seen things I never want to see and died countless times. Each death is always the same pain, sometimes quick or others slow and brutal. My mind was shattered a while ago and all I want now is to kill those bastards I live for only that purpose even though I’ve made very little progress on the magical side. My combat is improving even if I can’t use magic. I can now dodge some of their attacks, I will still die but at least fear doesn’t clog my vision anymore. I think constantly about my parents and all those I love, knowing if the ‘help’ was to be believed they would hopefully be in a way easier fight or hide tutorial or anyone one altogether. As the monsters arrived I picked myself up and looked out at the horde of abominations. Every time I saw them I located the smaller ones, as those ones have magical power. It’s a little bit of irony as the big ones are muscle heads, while the smaller ones are magic-using forces of destruction. I didn’t dwell on that topic any longer and charged at the smallest one I could find that was in the front ranks. A flying creature with 4 eyes swooped down I swerved to the left watching as it crashed into the ground slightly stunned as it missed its mark. I knew it was going to be back up soon so I didn’t spare any more time on it, I continued my pursuit to the smallest one watching how the wind swirled around for a few seconds then an extreme force slammed me into the ground crushing me, the last thing I saw was that the swirling stopped so It came from another magic-user.

Attempt 492: I don’t know how many times I’ve reset, but I’ve finally managed it. I used magic. I couldn’t even get myself excited. I was only focusing on my task and nothing more, a burst of air flowed around me. It disappeared as soon as it was made but it was progress. A few attempts back I managed to kill one of those abominations, a feat that was pure luck. As one of the flying monsters swooped at me I put my hand out my fingertip must have cut its neck as it died by bleeding out I got swarmed by the rest angry at the death of one of their brethren. But before that, It felt like my body expanded I gained strength from it but it was useless as I didn’t know what strength I gained, only now I realized I inherited some of its mana, this somehow carried over the reset but barely a fraction then before, as before it felt like I had a never-ending supply of power but now I could barely use it once to create some wind. It was progress no matter how small. As the monsters neared newfound confidence formed in me I could escape this death trap. I tried to use my magic on them but nothing happened as I didn’t have enough of the magic supply that allows me to use it. I died by being jumped on by one the size of a car, it flattened me like a pancake.

Attempt ????: it’s been too long. I've fought so many times with minimal gains but finally, I’ve made magic to create a skill that can attack outwards, even though I’ve probably only killed 12 of them but I had enough to start my comeback. As the monsters came closer I waited for the flying ones to attack. They nearly always attacked first after the countless times I fought them I finally learnt their attack patterns. As the first flying monster swooped me instead of trying to use luck or dodge, I sent my ball of mana at it, an invisible shield shimmered around my confusion cost me, as its beak penetrated my neck, giving me a quick death.

Attempt ????: After a few more tests I can now tell every one of those monsters has a shield that only protects it against magical blast but if I’m in physical contact then I could use my magic directly on them this action broke my kill count to 13 now that I know of a tactic to slay them I know I’m in for a lot more deaths I could only give out a sigh as I knew this was going to hurt. I didn’t manage to kill any this run.