“Bugboy… Bugboy…” Jaxon’s voice echoed in my mind. “Bugboy… Bugboy…”

“Stop. Stop calling… me that…” I tried to yell out. To stand up for myself against his taunting but my yelling was more of a whimper in the endless darkness around me. I stood alone in a vast shadow. All around me, I saw blackness like ink dripping over my eyes. No matter how much I blinked or how much I tried to focus I couldn’t see anything. Even when I tried to hold my hands up to my face there was nothing but darkness.

“Bug…boy…” I heard Jaxon’s voice again, but it was somehow different. Instead of a taunting call, it was more curious. Questioning. “Bug…boy…?”

I began to run. I don’t know what came over me but all I knew was that I couldn’t stay in this world of nothing. I had to find an escape. I had to get away from the constant, echoing voice of — Bugboy.

I tried to call out for Locke and Sam. Where were they? One second, I was watching a colorful sky the next I was lost.

“Bug…boy…” Again with the disembodied voice. It was all around me. No matter how fast I ran or how far I felt I had gone the voice was still with me. For a second the voice sounded almost familiar. Somehow for a moment, it sounded like my mother. Mom, where are you? I hope you’re safe.

Something touched my face. In a knee-jerk reaction, I swatted at whatever it was and hit something solid. In a startled fit, I opened my eyes and saw… eyes?

I was staring into the face of what I could only describe as a two-foot-tall mushroom with round eyes, a thin mouth, and stubby legs. Its head was a wide red cap with white spots, classic cartoon mushroom style. I blinked in stunned confusion, and it blinked back at me.

“Bgggboi…” The mushroom spoke and I yelled. The mushroom shrieked and sprinted away in a weird, wobbly run, like a toddler who got caught doing something bad. “Bggggboooiii. Bggggboooiii.” More voices picked up all around me as dozens of other mushroom-like creatures hobbled away from me.

“Wait. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you. I…” I finally got a good look at my surroundings and was filled with a great sense of awe. I was laying in a small grassy alcove encircled by massive trees, gigantic mushrooms, and glittering leaves. I had never seen anything like this before. It was like stepping into a kaleidoscopic dream of swirling greens and sparkling yellows.

Around me and hidden in the shade of the jungle were all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures. I saw dozens of the large, hobbling mushrooms all wide-eyed and staring. I could see a long, fat, and slimy salamander the size of a full grown German Shepard with deep emerald skin, eyeing me from under a wide fern. It was breathing a wet, deep breath and for a second I could have sworn I saw a glimmer of electricity flow under its semi-translucent skin.

From behind the trunk of a nearby tree stepped out a curious staring deer. Or so I thought at first. Its antlers looked like they were made of obsidian and it had small patches of stone plating around its shoulders and hindquarters. Above me, I caught glimpses of large butterflies with color-shifting wings and birds that appeared to be entirely made of leaves. Below the underbrush of some nearby plants stepped out a broad, gray rabbit that had long stripes of yellow down its back.

I suddenly felt very exposed to all these weird animals staring at me. I kept myself very still as I waited to see what would happen. It was never a good idea to move recklessly around wild animals as they were easy to startle. The last thing I needed was to be attacked by a group of strange creatures in a jungle I had never been to before.

“They aren’t going to hurt you.” A shrill voice said.

I jumped up to my feet and turned around expecting to find someone, anyone behind me. Besides a few of the wild animals rushing into the shadows of the trees, there was no one there.

“Hello?” I called out. “Is someone there?”

“I’m not there. I’m here.” The voice said.

“Where? I don’t see you.” I took a few steps in the direction I thought the voice was coming from. It sounded distant but at the same time right behind me.

“Look at your wrist.”

What was that? In all the confusion I never noticed that I had on some kind of wristband. It was metallic, with a wide screen and a green and white frame. I lifted it up so I could better look at it. There was a logo swirling in its center. A blue and red orb that seemed to flow like ribbons of energy.

“Ummm… Hello?” I asked tapping the screen. In a flash of yellow light, the screen buzzed to life and a large holographic screen appeared before me.

Welcome Bonder to your ARC Band System…

ARC Band Initiating…

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Surveying Bond Requirement…

Bond Requirement Complete…

Activating ARC Band System…

The holographic display shifted into a diagram of stats, numbers, and a strange icon like a ball of smoke with the words Null Essence next to it.

Name Ben Hunting Level 1 ARC Rank 1 Title [Unspecified] Bonder Ability [Unbonded] XP Total 0

Bonder Stats Stamina 3 Logic 7 Heart 5

Essemon Designs Slot 1 Null Essence [Bonded] Slot 2 Locked Slot 3 Locked Slot 4 Locked Slot 5 Locked Slot 6 Locked

What was all this? Stats, Designs, and Essemons. What was an Essemon?

“I’m an Essemon. Well, sort of.” The voice spoke up again, this time reverberating all around me. “I will be now that you’re here.”

“Who are you? Show yourself.” I demanded.

“I’d show myself if I could. But I need some help. Press Slot 1.” The voice said.

I didn’t immediately do as the voice told me. I didn’t know what this armband thing was and I for sure was not just going to do what a disembodied voice told me especially one that could hear my thoughts.

“Okay, Ben. This is a dream. Yes, a dream. That’s what this is. I probably got hit in the head at the festival and now I’m asleep. That has to be it.” I said rambling to myself.

“Do you usually talk to yourself? Because that… is weird.” The voice laughed to itself.

“Please stop talking,” I said to no one. “I need a minute.”

“Okay… Buuuuut I really want out of here. So if you could press… that… slot…” I could feel the voice pushing at my mind. Pressuring me to touch the screen on my wrist. In a burst of panic, I grabbed at the band with my right hand and tried to pry it off my wrist. It wouldn’t budge. No matter what I did I couldn’t get the band to even move. It was as if it was fused to my arm.

“What are you doing?” The voice asked with a playful tone.

“I’m trying… to get this thing… off of me,” I said gritting between clenched teeth.

“Why?”

“Because… Well because I don’t want it. I don’t want to be here. I need to wake up.”

“You’re funny,” The voice laughed. “You are awake.”

I stopped trying with the band and let out a frustrated sigh. “Okay. You know what. Why don’t you show yourself? Or better yet get out of my head.”

“I will as soon as you press that slot.” The voice urged me again like a hand pushing on my mind.

“Fine.” I lifted the band up again and the holographic display appeared before me. With a deep breath, I pressed on Slot One.

With a sudden burst of energy, generated from the band on my arm, a shape formed before me. It was like a ball of white smoke, swirling and shifting in the air.

“Wow!” The smoke exclaimed in that familiar high-pitched voice. “Look at me. Well I mean… Look I’m real. I’m alive.” The ball of smoke zoomed up into the air swirled in a circle then started swimming through the air. As I watched this, whatever it was, fly around I could feel its joy, its happiness like a warm energy growing inside of me.

What was happening to me?

“Hey, ummm. Smokey?” I asked.

The wisp of smoke ignored me and continued to zip through the air. Occasionally it would stop and admire some of the animals. None of the strange creatures seemed to mind it however, they allowed it to get close, swirl around them and dash away.

Now I don’t like to think of myself as an impatient person but this was different. I was in a strange place, with bizarre animals, and the only thing that could give me answers was ignoring me. I finally had enough and yelled louder than I had intended.

The ball of smoke quickly arched its way around until it was floating in front of me again.

“Sorry about that but I have been waiting for a long time for my Bonder to arrive. And now you’re here. In the flesh. A little shorter than I was hoping but hey no one is perfect.” The smoke said.

Did it just insult my height? I’m not that short.

“Okay hold on,” I said holding up my hands. “Slow down. What is this place? Where am I? What… are you?”

“I’m your Null Essence,” It said as if that would explain everything. I thought about asking the smoke what that meant but my apparent look of confusion asked for me. “Okay, I see you’re confused. Let me try my best to explain what —”

“Help! Can anyone help me? Please!” A distant voice pleaded from somewhere beyond the tree line. It sounded like a woman’s voice.

The smoke turned, as far as I could tell with it being a ball of smoke and started towards the direction of the scream. “Come on. They need our help!”

Our help? If anything, I’m the one who needs help.

With the shake of my head, I ran to catch up to the Null Essence. As I hit the line of trees I heard another scream followed by a loud hiss sound that sent chills down my spine. This was not happening.