Welcome to Avendor

Alexander drifted in darkness, unaware of anything but the throbbing ache permeating his body. As consciousness slowly returned, the pain sharpened into stabbing pulses in his head and back. He squeezed his eyes tighter, trying to retreat back into soothing oblivion.

Finally, the darkness relinquished its grip. Alexander blearily opened his eyes, wincing against dazzling sunlight. He found himself staring up at an endless expanse of vivid azure sky, dotted with cottony clouds that drifted by like lazy ships on a calm sea.

He lay in a meadow of tall grass and wildflowers, their sweet, earthy scent filling the gentle breeze that caressed his skin. The soft grass cushioned his throbbing head as he grasped for fleeting memories, trying to make sense of where he was and how he'd arrived here. The fragrance of blooming flowers mingled with the distant sound of a babbling brook, creating an idyllic yet surreal atmosphere.

His mind latched onto fragmented images - the sleek metal and glowing displays of his lab, the eager faces of his team, the power building within the experimental fusion reactor...then a vortex of darkness swallowing everything.

Alexander slowly rolled onto his side, blades of grass brushing his fingertips. His head pounded, pulsing pain radiating down his neck. Gritting his teeth, he carefully pushed himself up to take in his surroundings.

Lush emerald foliage surrounded him, the dense forest forming a natural barrier that enclosed the clearing where he found himself. Trees, tall and majestic, stood like sentinels at the forest's edge, their leaves rustling in the wind. At a distance, they looked deceptively normal, but something about their form seemed to beckon closer inspection. The vibrant meadow in which he lay was a stark contrast to the dark and mysterious woods, a splash of color and life amidst the towering green.

To his right perched the broken edifice of a great stone castle, banners fraying as they fluttered from cracked parapets. Moss carpeted the vacant stronghold, nature reclaiming the abandoned site. The castle's walls whispered stories of battles and glory, now silenced by time.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"How did I end up in Scotland?" Alexander muttered, staggering unsteadily to his feet. The movement ignited flames of pain that lanced through his back and head, forcing him to double over with a groan. His pulse pounded in his ears, matched only by the hammering questions in his mind.

He stumbled forward, drawn by curiosity and a sense of adventure. The landscape seemed to beckon him, promising answers to the riddles that plagued his mind.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice the glowing interface screen materialize before him until it filled his vision. "What the hell?" Alexander jumped back, heart hammering as he stared at the strange holographic window hanging in midair.

Cautiously, he reached out a hand, only for his fingers to pass straight through the luminous display as if it were made of air. The words "Welcome to Avendor" shone from an intricate frame that reminded Alexander of a video game UI.

"Ok, I must have hit my head," he mused, rubbing his temples. "None of this can be real." But the grass, trees, and ruins looked utterly convincing in every detail. He couldn't be hallucinating...could he?

As Alexander pondered this impossibility, the hanging screen winked out abruptly. "Whoa, did it just respond to my thoughts?" He focused again on summoning the display, and sure enough, it reappeared before him.

"Welcome to Avendor," the screen proclaimed once more. Alexander shook his head in bewilderment. "Avendor? What the FUCK is Avendor?!"

He thought about scrolling for more info, and the display shifted to a status screen with stats for strength, health, abilities, and more—much like an RPG character sheet. "Why do I have video game attributes?" he wondered incredulously. None of this made any sense.

The status screen remained:

Name: Alexander Reyes

Race: Human (Summoned)

Title: None

Age: 27

Level: 1, 0%

Health: 100 Mana: 70 Stamina: 70

Strength: 9

Dexterity: 8

Endurance: 8

Intelligence:15

Wisdom: 11

Charisma: 9

Elemental Affinity: All

Abilities:

-Linguistic Synchrony

-Elemental Harmony

-Arcane Interface

Quests: 0

Skills: 0