“Ok, before we get started, I have to ask…. why the hell am I driving?” Clay questions while behind the wheel of a dark blue SUV, moving straight through Chinatown.

“I mean, I can’t drive with these sunglasses on, you know?” Shane who’s riding shotgun confirms.

“Then take them off.” Clay suggests with a tired and irritated tone.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Who knows.”

“Then how the hell did you get to the 7-11 in the first place?

“Oh, I had the other guys drive me. I just needed to talk to you and Phil private-

“Enough! What the hell is this ‘proposal’, Shane.” Ophelia, who is sitting in the back seat, interrupts.

“Patience Phil. I need to give Clay here the backstory of our dilemma.” Shane explains before asking “Why are you two so on edge? I haven’t seen you in what? 10 years Phil? And Clay, this is our long-awaited IRL meeting, be more excited.”

“Well, I’ve had a hell of a couple of days, sorry.” Clay mumbles.

“Right, I’m about to explain why these days have been so terrible for you.”

“Can you just get on with it already, Jesus Christ!” Ophelia complains after punching the back of the seat in front of her.

“Phil, it’s been 10 years and your patience is as low as ever, maybe even gotten lower since I was gone,” Shane comments.

“Well, can you start on that? Who the hell are you? I just thought you were some Moroccan weeb living in the UK. Did I forget the DM where you mentioned private armies and traveling around the world and buying cars? And why buy an SUV if you’re so rich? Why not a fu-?”

“S-stay on track, damn it! W-we can…. Ask about the car later. …. ok? Ophelia sheepishly interrupts, her fiery demeanor flickering whenever she talked to Clay.

Clay, like many anime fans, had a word to describe people like Ophelia but right now, she was right. He needed to stay focused on learning anything he could regarding Shane, Ophelia, and whatever the hell has been happening to him these last couple of days.

“Well, to answer some of your many questions, I am indeed ‘some Moroccan weeb living in the UK’, and yet I am not. We’ve discussed the Multiple Worlds Theory before, right?” Shane asks Clay.

“I think I’m getting it…. so, these versions of you and Clay are-?”

“Exactly Phil, in different places and positions in life. In this world, I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters, three more siblings than I had back in the home dimension, none of them named Shawn. And none of us were born and raised in the ruins of what was once Las Vegas.” Shane explains.

“Wait, hold the phone, you are saying you‘re from an alternate universe? How-?”

“Clay, are you really going to ask how that’s possible when Phil just popped up out of nowhere on the back of a giant fly?” Shane interrupts Clay with an amused tone.

“……Fair enough.” Clay reluctantly concedes.

“Though how you were able to come here corporally is quite impressive Phil. Pray tell how Shawn did it?” Shane asks with equal excitement and subtle sadness, though the smile remained.

“Don’t ask, all this magic-science mumbo-jumbo just flies straight over my head,” Ophelia replies.

“So, I guess you were alive this whole time, eh? Not going to lie, I thought you died all those years ago, your brain seemed to just shut down after that ex-.”

Before Ophelia could finish her thought, the car comes to a rough and sudden stop, causing her to bounce off the seat she was in front of.

“Hey! I’m still here! Don’t leave me out of this, ok?” Clay irritably states.

“…. You really aren’t the same Clay Alverez.” Ophelia mumbles in equal irritation.

“I know right? He’s so much more…. Interesting,” Shane comments, the smile on his face making it unclear if he was being sincere or sarcastic.

“Ok, so to recap, you two are from alternate worlds. What are you doing here and how in the absolute hell does that have anything to do with me?” Clay frustratedly asks as the light turns green.

“Correct, and as to ‘and how in the absolute hell does that have anything to do with you?’ I’ll need to inform you of the Lords. You’ve met yours I assume.” Shane asks, which causes Ophelia to look toward the window.

“Lord? You mean that void thing in my dreams? How do you know about that?”

“Oh, Ophelia and I are well acquainted with these Lord’s. They are extra-dimensional beings that ravage the realities they come across.” Shane finally explains, the cheeriness of his voice giving way to a serious, somber tone.

“So how do they do that? And hold up, ‘'Lords?’ there are more than one?” Clay asks nervously, the hairs on his back standing up, having a bad feeling he knows the answer to his first question.

“Yes, there are five in fact, each aligning with an aspect of nature. Earth, Ocean, Sky, Infinity, and Void. Slowly but surely, they corrupt the very nature around them, turning the planets and animals into hideous, ravenous monsters. I feel like you know how they do it, don’t you?” Shane slyly insinuates.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“Do I really have to say it?” Clay sheepishly questions.

“Yes. After all, this proposal will not work if you are unwilling to face this harsh reality. I know you can do it. You may be sheltered but you are not weak.” Shane encourages Clay.

A long moment of silence fills the car until Clay comes to a four-way stop and finally responds after breathing the deepest breath he’d ever breathe in his life “….. They chose people to spread their influence. Giving them powers, right?”

“Right you are, And I assume you know one of these people chosen by the Lords.” Shane prods Clay.

“I don’t know one…. I am one.” Clay ashamedly admits as he forces himself to look toward the road ahead.

“Right on, now we can get down to-.”

“But why? Why would this Lord thing choose me of all people, I’m just some broke loser in their late 20’s.” Clay complains.

“Honestly…. I’m not sure.” Shane simply replies.

“Enough of that bull! -“

“Honestly, I don’t know. There is about as much that we do not know about the Lords as we do.

“I’m sorry to say but, he’s right.” Ophelia chimes in.

“We’ve been fighting these things for almost 20 years and yet we only know so much. The fact that we know anything at all is dumb luck.” Ophelia continues, her fists clumped together in a strenuous ball.

“So, I’m screwed then?” Clay asks in a panic, the weight of his circumstances slowly but heavily sinking in.

“Not quite. Don’t be so pessimistic. I know you better than to just wallow and give up.” Shane encourages Clay.

“And what do you think I normally do?” Clay hesitantly asks, both somehow very interested and very worried about how his online friend will respond.

“You wallow, think about what to do next, and come back.” Shane frankly answers, the wide smile still on his face.

“Really!?” Ophelia responds, shocked by what she hears.

“…. Damn it, you got me.” Clay frustratedly mumbles.

“Yet I don’t know anything about you…..”

“What are you talking about? Of course, you know everything about me. Everything important that is.” Shane slyly reminds Clay.

“But anyway, don’t worry, I’ve taken the liberty to do the ‘think about what to do next' part. Though I truly can’t tell you how much time I took-”

“So, you’re finally going to get to the point?” Ophelia interrupts Shane.

“Yes Phil, I am. You interrupting me only delays it.” Shane snaps back in a calm, cold tone of voice.

“Finally. Get on with it then.” Ophelia responds as she continues to stare at the window.

“Anyway, as I alluded to earlier, despite the limited information we have on the Lords, we know that you are not the only Chosen. Just as there are five Lords, there are five Chosen, each with powers and domain over the particular element of their patron Lord.” Shane explains.

“Ok, so what? Are you suggesting I find these people and fight them like a shitty shonen battle anime?” Clay mockingly suggests, which causes him to let out a nervous laugh.

“That’s exactly what I’m suggesting!” Shane proudly proclaims.

“WHAT!??!” Both Clay and Ophelia shouted, Ophelia quickly turning her gaze away from the window.

“You can’t be serious?! Aren’t the Chosen basically unkillable?” Ophelia exasperatedly asks, while unintentionally and lightly explaining something that had been bugging Clay since this whole Lord business began for him. Namely, how he survived falling down a tall flight of stone stairs.

“By conventional means, yes. However, what if we had the power of a Chosen on our side? Perhaps we might have a chance of stopping the Lords here and now.” Shane ponders.

“Wait?! You don’t even know if this plan will work?!” Ophelia aggressively asks.

“Phil, we need to go down every avenue we can. We can’t let our spotty knowledge stop us from taking action against the Lords.” Shane declares.

“What happens if these…. Lord’s aren’t stopped? Could it really be that-?”

“How could you talk as if this has nothing to do with you?! The Clay Alverez I knew would never try and back out-!”

“Phil, this is not ‘the Clay Alverez you know’.” Shane coldly reminds Ophelia, who punches the nearest window in frustration.

“Anyway, you really do not want to know what happens when the Lords overtake a dimension. Just… trust-.”

“Fine, then what about 'this' Clay?” Ophelia asks, pointing at the driver’s seat.

“What about him?”

“Want me to start with the hard question or the insane one?”

“…. I’ll start with the insane question. Go ahead.” Shane answers.

“Isn’t Void the weakest of the Lords? Why pick this guy over any of the other Chosen?” Ophelia asks as Clay continues to listen while driving, passing by the Target store he would occasionally visit.

“Well…. Multiple reasons really. Shall I tell you the personal one or the practical?” Shane fires back, echoing Ophelia’s last question.

“….. Practical.” Ophelia mumbles in an irritated voice, almost resembling a growl.

“Well, of all the Chosen, his was the first frequency that came up on my app.” Shane declares as he takes a smartphone out of his pocket and holds it behind his back to where Ophelia can see it.

“Why the hell is a photo bar-?”

“Oh, but this is not a photo bar. This is a smartphone. Too bad Shawn or I can’t collect on the patent royalties that come from this, but I’ll take the convenience this instance of inter-dimensional parallel thinking affords us.” Shane explains to Ophelia. An explanation that flies completely over Clay’s head, but he decides not to ask for clarification. It’s been a long day, once again.

“Ok, so what does it do?” Ophelia asks in irritation.

“Many things. For our purpose though, I’ve created an app that can pinpoint any interdimensional frequencies. That’s how I also found you too. Pretty nice, huh?” Shane boasts which elicits a groan from Ophelia and a small laugh from Clay.

“At least the ego was not an act.” Clay comments, relief tinged in his words.

“What’s this about an ego?” Shane asks, staring directly at Clay’s head.

“Nothing. Never mind, forget I said anything.” Clay retracts in a panic.

“Oh, it’s quite alright. An undeserved ego is one thing, but mine is far from underserved.” Shane proudly proclaims.

“Ok, so the gist of it is you want me to help you deal with these interdimensional Lord things, right?” Clay awkwardly asks.

“We both left out a large amount of details but yes. That is the basics of it all.”

“And why the hell do you think I’m up to this? I can’t even find a job and yet you think I can stop some interdimensional invasion?! One I’m apparently a part of anyway?!” Clay asks in disbelief and hopeless frustration.

After a deep breath, Shane responds “I guess I should tell you my personal rea-.”

Before Shane could finish what he was saying, the car comes to a screeching halt and his phone begins ringing in his hand, which he answers immediately as he looks at what is in front of the car.

“Sir, we have a problem.” The voice on the phone states.

“Yes, yes. It appears we do. I didn’t think this was going to happen so soon….” Shane quietly responds to the voice on the other side, a small panic underscoring his voice.

“What the fuck is that!?!?” Clay yells as he sees a hulking, furred creature sitting in the middle of the road. Its claws embedded into the pavement, its long, thick, wide tail pounding into the ground like a drum, crushing the road around it. The details that caught Clay’s attention the most are the creature’s obsidian black eyes, both empty and yet filled with overwhelming malevolence, and the emerald green saliva that poured out of its mouth.

“What the hell-?” Ophelia starts to complain, pushing herself toward Clay’s seat.

After seeing the creature in the front of the car, the only thing Ophelia can say is a low “Oh shit!” before the creature let out a loud, piercing screech, revealing what Clay had already feared. The creature was a rat.

Before Clay can pass out from the shock, loud, familiar buzzing slowly begins to echo throughout the area the car is in, and he receives a sharp slap on the back of the head.

“STEP ON IT!” Ophelia orders.