"Surprise!" confetti cannons erupted in a burst of glittering paper, showering the room with a rain of colors.

"Congratulations! You managed to not die for another year Mia! " Frank said, ginning mischievously. "Besides any excuse for a party, right?" his eyes glinted with humor from under his unruly blonde hair.

Mia liked the fairy lights that adorned Hector's living room, casting a warm glow over her small circle of friends. Quality over quantity, right? She looked at Hector with a smile. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man the same age as her with short, dark hair and intense brown eyes.

Hector really outdid himself this time, the party two full days before her actual birthday really surprised her. Mia loved him like a brother, despite his less-than-genius moments. She chuckled when she remembered the time when he had tried to convince her that paying for rights to online images was the next big investment opportunity.,

"Hey Mia," Frank called out from across the room, "You ready for your birthday toast?"

Toasting was kind of their thing. It made her think about the journey they'd had together so far. Her 25th birthday marked not only another year but also almost ten years she spent with the people gathered here. The four of them took to each other early at the beginning of high school and their friendship survived both graduating and the beginning of their adult lives. She glanced at her friends, and realized that no matter where life led them, she could always count on the people gathered here. And that was something worth celebrating.

"Of course!" she responded, raising her glass. Frank grabbed his drink and went over to where their other friends were standing. On the way he stumbled and somehow spilled half of his drink on himself.

"How you always manage to trip on flat surfaces is beyond me," Diana said with her brows raised. Mia felt a pang of envy. Even when she was being unpleasant, the effect Diana had was anything but, she still radiated a sense of beauty and elegance.

"Nevermind that! We have a toast to make." Frank said, evidently hoping to switch the subject.

Hector joined them, drink in hand. The four friends formed a tight circle.

"Here's to another year of endless adventures!" Hector raised the toast, his good looks and easy-going charisma shining in the moment. While he was not always the sharpest, his unwavering loyalty had always been a source of comfort for Mia.

"Cheers!" Frank chimed in, smiling as he clinked his glass against the others'.

The instant the glasses touched, a wave went through the fabric of reality.

"Wha-?" Mia stammered, or rather tried too as her lips didn’t even twitch. She was completely unable to move. Nothing was holding her but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t even look in a different direction. What was going on? Everyone and everything else stopped too. A strand of her own hair hung in the air at the edge of her vision.

Mia’s heart pounded in her ears like a drum. She stared at the touching glasses and started to panic. Then she noticed a reflection in the glass. Something was moving!

She focused her attention on the glasses and saw the movement again, it looked like a yellow shadow. A chill went down her spine, it was right behind her.

First with the corner of her eye, then ever more clearly she saw a hand reaching out from behind her towards the raised glasses. The hand was covered by a flowing yellow fabric, as was the arm. Then she noticed the hand had seven fingers. If she could she would scream and run as far as possible. Adrenaline was flowing through her veins and she fought with everything she had to move.

The only thing that moved was the yellow arm. It headed towards the glasses. No! Oh god it was actually headed for her hand. When they finally touched, Mia saw a short flash and felt excruciating pain. A symbol appeared on the back of her hand. It looked like a wheel with eight spokes that reached a bit outside the circle, each with a different length. The symbol felt familiar in a way she couldn’t really place

Then the arm withdrew just as slowly as it came. Mia heard the floor creak. She saw the owner of the arm and her vision blurred with tears of horror.

She saw an outline of a man covered in yellow robes, but it wasn’t a man. Not really. Instead of a face he had a black void and a number of masks circled around his head, each with a different expression. He had a heavy amulet on his neck with the same symbol that was etched into her hand.

The thing in yellow, with slow deliberate steps, circled their group and touched the hands of the four of them. She saw similar flashes and symbols appear. Mia felt a tear leave her eye and flow down to her chin.

Then it fell down to the floor with a quiet sound.

Mia stared into the abyss. The yellow thing appeared before her instantly, inches from her face. She felt it stare at her even if she saw no eyes. One of the masks moved to where the face should be. It had a giant insane grin.

It raised its hand and wiped the other tear from her cheek. The touch felt like silk, it was cold and smooth, at that moment her heart skipped more than one beat.

“It is a fearful thing, to fall into the hands of a living god” the words materialized in her mind.

Next thing she knew it was gone, and motion returned to the world with a vengeance. The glasses exploded in their hands and everything started spinning faster and faster. Mia could hear the screams of her friends.

It felt like they were being torn apart, pulled in every direction by an unseen force.

Just as suddenly as it had begun, the chaos ceased. The spinning stopped. A wave of vertigo overcame Mia and she lost her balance.

When she looked around everything was very still and silent, the once-familiar surroundings replaced by an eerie desolation. She found herself on her knees in the midst of a crossroads situated in a crumbling city, its ruined buildings and broken streets stretching out as far as the eye could see. The warm lights were gone, replaced by dark clouds that blocked out the sun and cast ominous shadows across the landscape.

The buildings that clustered around them were blocky and foreboding, their walls void of life or light. The streets were covered in rubble, what looked like a perfect grid stretching in every direction, until the view was blocked by a fallen building or a pile of rubble. Everything was shrouded in an atmosphere of decay and abandonment.

Mia started hyperventilating. Tears flowed freely from her eyes. What the fuck had just happened. Where were they? Was this fucking real? She grasped at the rubble covered ground and it felt real enough. Her hand had no symbol at its back. She could hear the others talking but it didn’t really reach her mind . She curled into a fetal position and kept trying to calm down.

Then she felt something touch her on the arm. She scrambled to her feet violently, ready to flee, before she realized it was just Hector.

“Are you okay?” He asked with a tremor in his voice.

“Did you see that thing in yellow?” She asked, still breathing hard.

“Yeah we all saw it, we were just talking …” He broke off mid sentence and reached to hug her. Mia let him hold her and cried for a while into his jacket.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"What just happened?" she muttered.

Hector looked at her, his eyes as bewildered as she felt. "I don't know, Mia. One minute we were celebrating your birthday and... now this." He gestured toward the desolation that surrounded them.

The empty city was nothing more than a graveyard of fallen structures. Twisted metal beams protruded from the remains of skyscrapers like grotesque, skeletal fingers reaching for an absent sky. Mia immediately noticed some weird things, all the buildings had no windows, and the streets had no discernible markings, street lamps, or sidewalks to guide their way.

Mia stared at the apocalyptic scene, her heart pounding wildly in her ears. It was all just unbelievable.

"Guys, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." Frank quipped weakly, Mia knew he was attempting to inject some humor into the situation, like he always did, but it fell flat. She started to respond, but the terror in his eyes made her stop.

"Maybe it's a prank?" Frank suggested hesitantly, grasping for anything resembling an explanation. "You know, one of those elaborate ones people do on the internet?"

Diana ignored Frank completely as she pulled out her phone "There is no reception here. Check if your phones are any different."

A sinking feeling hit her as each of them checked their phones, one after another discovering they had no reception. When she realized they were out of contact with anyone, she started hyperventilating again. Her own breathing loud enough in her ears to block all other sound.

Hector grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly. "We're going to be fine Mia, close your eyes and deep breaths, shhh… calm down."

Mia followed his advice and slowly it helped. "But how? We got spirited away into a nightmare city and we can't call for help." She felt the tears rolling down her eyes.

"I don't know but I'm going to get us home." Hector responded with a certainty in his voice that reassured her.

Ignoring Mia's panic attack, Diana still tried to somehow get reception.

"Diana, how about you spend a second to support your friend?" Hector chided. Diana met Hector's glare with an indifferent look.

"You do that while I keep trying to fix our situation." She responded coldly. "Turning off our phones to conserve battery is our best bet. We'll check them from time to time, to see if we get reception and use them as flashlights when needed. Let's go, there's nothing to gain by staying here," she declared, taking charge with a firm tone. Mia noticed that it had annoyed Hector, but he swallowed what he wanted to say.

As the group moved cautiously through the ruined city, Mia felt as though they were being watched. Shadows danced in the corners of her vision, vanishing whenever they tried to look directly at them. An unsettling silence hung heavy in the air, broken only by the distant howl of wind through the abandoned buildings.

"Guys, I don't like this," Frank whispered, his eyes darting from side to side. "It feels like... we're not alone."

"Keep it together, Frank," Hector replied, his voice low.

Mia couldn't help but agree with Frank's sentiment. Though she kept her fears locked away inside, for now. She was recovering from her recent panic attack, but the sense of being watched was almost too much, and she could feel the subtle tingling in her neck. Even so, she forced herself to concentrate on moving forward.

She thought she could hear skittering a couple of times. Rubble fell and they all froze. It put them on edge but stillness followed and after a moment of hesitation, they continued.

Mia heard Frank say, "At least nobody suggested we should split up like in fucking scooby doo".

The joke wasn't the best, but this time, strangely, it helped her stay grounded. A shred of normalcy in an otherwise terrifying situation.

As they climbed some rubble, Mia lost her balance and Hector caught her. He smiled at her as she straightened.

“Come on you can do this” he said and he raised his fist in a gesture of encouragement. The back of his hand glowed. Hector jumped back and opened his hand. He looked at it but the light was gone. With wide open eyes, Mia slowly curled her fist and raised it.

As if in response to her movement, a series of numbers and words materialized before her, floating in the air. Mia jumped back and fell on her ass.

MIA EVERWOOD

CLASS: RANGER

LVL. 1

STR: 6

DEX: 8

INT: 7

WIL: 8

HP: 60/60

MP: 80/80

SKILLS:

- TRUE SHOT LVL. 1: TIME YOUR ATTACK PERFECTLY TO TARGET A WEAKPOINT.

- TRACKING LVL. 1: LOCATE HIDDEN OR FLEEING TARGETS WITH EASE.

- CAMOUFLAGE LVL. 1: LAY DOWN IN A WAY TO SURPRISE YOUR ENEMIES. THE LONGER YOU WAIT THE HARDER YOU ARE TO NOTICE.

PASSIVES:

FORAGING LVL. 1 - GATHER MORE RESOURCES WHEN FORAGING. (ADDITIONAL BONUS IN FORESTS)

WILDERNESS SURVIVAL LVL. 1 - ABILITY TO THRIVE AND ENDURE IN NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS, UTILIZING KNOWLEDGE OF SHELTER, FOOD, WATER, AND NAVIGATION SKILLS TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN THE WILD. DECREASES ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE.

ANIMAL BOND LVL. 1- HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND EMOTIONS OF ANIMALS YOU ENCOUNTER ON AN INSTINCTUAL LEVEL.

"Is this some kind of joke? Or… a dream?" Frank muttered, his voice unsteady.

"No, this is not a dream, it's too realistic and ... continuous. I remember how I got here and everything that has happened since. No weird jump, well except the first one." Hector said. "Don't freak out, this might be a clue or something."

Mia looked at them with disbelief. "We have glowing whatever the fuck this is and you want me to not freak out?" She asked. "I'd actually would like to spend five fucking minutes freaking out about our whole fucking situation and especially this fucking thing."

Diana Raised her fist next.

DIANA ROGERS

CLASS: ENCHANTRESS

LVL. 1

STR: 5

DEX: 5

INT: 10

WIL: 8

HP: 50/50

MP: 80/80

SKILLS:

- HEALING RUNE LVL. 1: CONJURE A RUNE THAT SPEEDS UP THE BODY'S NATURAL RECOVERY.

- EXPLOSIVE RUNE LVL. 1: CONJURE EXPLOSIVE TRAP THAT ACTIVATES WHEN ENEMIES APPROACH OR WHEN YOU WILL IT.

- SLOWING RUNE LVL. 1: CONJURE AN SLOWING TRAP THAT ACTIVATES WHEN ENEMIES APPROACH OR WHEN YOU WILL IT.

- LIGHT RUNE LVL. 1: CONJURE A RUNE THAT GLOWS A SOFT WHITE LIGHT, DISPEL IT WITH A THOUGHT.

PASSIVES:

- ENCHANTMENT LVL. 1: IMBUE SOME OF YOUR MANA INTO A WEAPON PERMANENTLY TO MAKE IT STRONGER. YOU CAN RETURN THE MANA WITH A 5 MINUTE RITUAL.

- SENSE MAGIC LVL. 1: SENSE THE MAGIC IN ITEMS AND PEOPLE AROUND YOU.

"Look!" Diana exclaimed, her piercing blue eyes wide with shock."It's like in a game I got a class and stats, you guys probably have too."

"Classes?" Frank echoed, scanning the information displayed before him. She squinted, trying to make sense of it all. "I'm a… Rogue?"

"Looks like I got Warrior," Hector announced, a hint of pride in his voice. Frank stared at his stats, his disbelief and amusement visible on his face.

"This is so weird, I have this skill, Combat Prowess.” Hector said, examining his sheet.” I guess it just gives me knowledge, like how to hold a weapon and how to strike." Hector thought for a moment. "And … This feels ... powerful." he said, clenching his fists, excitement clear on his face.

The madman was enjoying this! Mia knew Hector had a fantasy of being the protector of their group, that's why he took all those kickboxing classes but his was way too much.

"This is awesome," Hector continued, his eyes wide with excitement. "Now, let's see what I can do."

He raised his arm, and his muscles bulged, and with a roar, he launched his fist into a nearby wall. The force of the impact sent chunks of debris flying, leaving a web of cracks where Hector's fist had made contact.

"Obviously you'd decide to punch a wall." Frank added in a dry tone.

"Unbelievable," Diana murmured. "These powers could be the key to going home."

"Or surviving here," Frank added grimly, "If we have this, others probably have it too".

"Then we'll fuck them up," Hector declared, fervor burning in his eyes. "We’re goddamn superheroes now, and we will find our way home."

An otherworldly screech tore through the air, sending chills down Mia's spine, she somehow knew that sound. But that was impossible, right?

"Hide!" Hector said, his fists tightly clenched. "It could be something dangerous."

As if in response to his words, several grotesque creatures slithered out from the shadows. They looked like giant centipedes with elongated beast-like heads, their mouths full of long sharp teeth. Multiple arms ending in razor-sharp claws stretched from its body, while white slimy flesh pulsed and glistened from under the segments of armor that seemed too small for it.

"Wha-what are those things?!" Frank gasped, his eyes wide with fear.

"They can't be real," Mia mumbled, her hands trembling as she struggled to regain her composure. This situation was pure terror. Her legs felt like jelly, and she was frozen in place.

The centipede monsters moved with an eerie combination of slithering and crawling. Their large bodies undulated in sinuous waves, propelling them forward in a disgusting motion. The creature's white slimy flesh seemed to flow under the oily sheen, adding to the sense of revulsion.

Mia shouted "RUN!" as she rushed back into the closest alley. The others watched for a second before their minds kicked into gear and they started to move.

Mia sprinted through the rubble strewn streets, her heart pounding. The centipede-like monsters were hot on their heels, she could hear their skittering behind them. Mia thought they could escape. However, as they rounded another corner, her hopes got crushed. She saw the way was blocked with rubble too steep for them to climb. There was nowhere to run.

Soon the creatures skittered closer, their razor-sharp teeth glinting in the dim light, it was becoming clear that there might not actually be any way out of this.

“Get behind me!” Hector shouted as he turned to face the monsters, his voice wavering.

Mia noticed that some of the monsters seemed to struggle with their movements, jerking and twitching as they tried to navigate their surroundings. Their movements unsynchronised, as if there was something horribly wrong with their bodies. She could see that each of them had a different number of limbs and it clearly made moving more difficult.

Then things got way worse.

An upright monster rounded the corner. Its whole insectile body was made from muscle to the point that each strand was clearly visible. Its arms split at the elbows so that it had four clawed hands. Its head had two giant red eyes, and a mouth that looked like it was too small for all the teeth protruding from it.

The gargantuan monster spread its insectile arms wide so that all four clawed hands were ready to tear them apart. Then, it rushed them with a blood curdling roar