Nathan thought his life was like his phone, always in his hands. That reality shattered alongside the sun. Delicate dewdrops coalesced across a hundred moss-covered rocks, the liquid trickling into the shallow lake and seeping into the crevices of his clothes, exploring the strange man that had found itself within its domain. Radiant sunlight fluttered through the cracks of half a dozen branches, each attached to mighty trees that stabbed into the walls of the rocky crevice around him. The memory of Earth’s destruction played again in Nathan’s mind; his eyes unseeing as they flitted over the alien world around him.

He didn’t get up from the gentle waters. There was no sight beautiful enough that it was worth his attention, except one. Seven bundles of fur stood tall along the rocks that bordered the lake, each one panting happily, and a couple touching the cool waters with tepid movements.

“Boys?”

Nathan’s word came out as a whisper, but quickly bloomed into an echoed shout as the cavern reflected it back onto him. Half a dozen barks greeted him, and he raised his hand high, watching water flow through his fingers and blinking as drops splashed against his cheeks. Two splashes crashed against his ears accompanied by the panting and hot breaths of two excited puppies. Jason and Lindon made their way through the water without a care in the world, leaping happily and creating ripples of water as they landed.

In moments they were upon Nathan, Lindon jumping onto his stomach and stretching lazily with his drenched tail wagging in the air. Jason’s brown figure was dashing as streams of water cascaded down his sides like mini waterfalls. He nudged Nathan’s cheek curiously and his large eyes widened as the man’s hands rose and wrapped around him and Lindon.

“You rascals are a handful, but that’s why I’ve got two hands!” Nathan laughed joyously, his voice reverberating with the knowledge that he wasn’t alone.

Nathan immediately regretted his actions as Jason shoved a wet nose into his cheek and the force of the shove pushed his mouth into the lake. He coughed and flailed as water filled his mouth, and Lindon jumped off his stomach and yipped at him. Drenched clothing broke the surface of the water as Nathan rose to his feet, and stretched out, the doubt and tension draining away as he was accosted by the peaceful nature of his surroundings. He was surrounded by nothing but nature and dogs.

“My mum did say I always missed a good chance to shut up,” he gazed at the air in front of him, and before his eyes a series of blue boxes appeared. “What?”

[A potential animal companion has been found.]

[Jason (Beast): Boxweiler. Rank: Iron. Affinity: Air. Bonding quirk: Affinity (Air).]

[A new connection has been found.]

[Lindon (Beast): Shibu Inu. Rank: Iron. Affinity: Fire. Bonding quirk: Affinity (Fire).]

Nathan stared at the words in front of him, and his eyes swept over to the puppies that hadn’t tread into the water. Jin and Andross looked at him curiously, but Rei and Jake had already gone off to explore the surroundings, sniffing the nearby moss curiously and tapping it with hesitant paws. Zorian stepped up to the edge of the lake and took a cautious lick, then another.

[Updating… multiple connections have been found!]

[Rei (Beast): Barbet. Rank: Iron. Affinity: Physical. Bonding Quirk: Stamina I.]

[Jin (Beast): Malamut. Rank: Iron. Affinity: Nature. Bonding Quirk: Affinity (Nature).]

[Andross (Beast): Maltese Shih Tzu. Rank: Iron. Affinity: Earth. Bonding Quirk: Affinity (Earth).]

[Jake (Beast): Yorkshire terrier. Rank: Iron. Affinity: Shadow. Bonding Quirk: Affinity (Shadow).]

[Zorian (Beast): Welsh Corgi. Rank: Iron. Affinity: Time. Bonding Quirk: Affinity (Time).]

[Would you like to initiate a connecting bond with your companion beast? Y/N. Note: Bonding with an animal companion will grant you the use of a quirk. Quirks can be slotted and taken out as needed via the status screen.]

[Multiple quirks detected! Quirks received will have to be slotted. Exceeding the maximum number of slots will not be allowed. Current available quirk slots: 4.]

“Seriously, what is this?”

Nathan blinked in surprise, his eyes glancing over the white text. What he felt as he viewed the words was a desolate confusion that seeped deep into his soul. He’d seen these blue boxes before, in old computer programs. In fact, the computer in his office had a similar setup. It was thirty years old.

Nobody answered his question, but as he turned toward the edge of the shore he paused. The puppies had turned as one to face the middle of the cavern, where empty air lay claim. He followed their gazes, trepidation rising within his chest and sweat forming and mixing into the water that flowed off him. Above him was a single pair of bright golden eyes, surrounded by a ball-like white body. Black suede draped across its form, four tiny limbs protruding from the ball and pawing at the air.

Nathan rubbed his eyes and stared at it in disbelief. It was a rabbit in a tuxedo. An incredibly fat rabbit. He almost didn’t believe it, and pinched himself to prove he wasn’t dreaming. First, he’d seen the blue boxes and now a floating rabbit had appeared. If he didn’t know better, he’d say he’d hit his head.

“Are you a rabbit?” He asked. “Sorry if that’s a rude question, I just have no idea what’s going on.”

A sharp peal of childish laughter crashed against him.

“He has questions galore and has asked for answers yet more. My new friend, the one I seek, tell me, why do you appear so meek? What I am matters not to thee, so listen with glee.” The rabbit asked. Its voice was high, with a hint of jovial glee that lifted Nathan’s spirits with a simple sentence. “King of hunters, but fearful of the dark, in the company of wolves, but can swim with a shark. Smart enough to flee, cunning as can be, found across continents now destroyed, what is it that we’ve employed?”

“I’m so confused.” He didn’t need to think hard to know its words were a riddle. “But the answer is a human.”

Nathan’s chest puffed up with pride as he spoke. He’d spent countless hours solving riddles and doing puzzles during the quiet hours of his workday. Then he deflated as he considered the words the creature had spoken, ‘continents now destroyed’ didn’t inspire confidence in him that his vision of the planet being destroyed was a dream. The creature’s gentle smile only strengthened his unease.

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

“Yes,” the creature hissed, the word stretching out across the cavern. “A human. Humanity, to be exact. Greetings Nathan Park, I am Memory, the celestial emissary, and your guide. I have heard your plea for answers, and I come with knowledge for he who has earned it.”

“What’s happening?” Nathan asked without hesitation. “I don’t mean me talking to you. I mean everything. The Earth, and wherever this is. And what you are too. And what those blue boxes are.”

His words cut across the air and the rabbit spun around as though he’d struck it, but then it recovered, and he saw a large grin spreading across its face. There was a growl from beside him as Jason lowered his head and eyed the rabbit with distrust. Lindon yipped beside him, red fur damp and matted.

The rabbit ignored them both, but it glanced across the cavern where each of the dogs stood. One by one its eyes swept across them, narrowed and joyous. When it finished its scan, it tilted its head and gazed at Nathan, its cute form innocently floating against the backdrop of rocks and foliage.

“Explanations are at hand, and at your demand,” Memory held out a white-tipped paw. “Earth has been destroyed, but many have been spared. This is Gerasha, a royal world of the cosmos, and the home of countless traitors. The System rules over this land and its inhabitants with an iron fist, and you are the being that will liberate Gerasha from its fatal grasp.

“You have been chosen to undergo a grand quest that will upheave this world and overcome destiny and fate,” Memory gestured grandly with its stubby arms. “Your reward will be the restoration of your planet, and its inhabitants. Failure will mean death.”

“So, you’re telling me my planet exploded and the only thing I got out of it was a death mission?” Nathan asked. “But that doesn’t make sense if the dogs came with me. Am I the only human left?”

“Two billion Earthlings remain,” Memory answered immediately, looking a little nonplussed at his response.

“Two billion people left,” Nathan whispered, horror sweeping through him. “There were eight billion of us.”

“Wrong. Two billion beings from Earth are left, but not all are humans,” the being tilted its head toward the puppies, each dog watched the rabbit intently. “Humanity… I suppose if we mean those native to Earth’s ruling species then quite a few of you survived. Maybe eight hundred million.”

“You’re lying.”

The rabbit’s words were too insane for him to comprehend. It shifted, its posture stiffening as it heard him. Its golden eyes bore into his, and he took a step back, the lake water resisting his movements and sharp stones threatening to stab through him within its depths.

His statement wasn’t born of surprise, or denial. Nathan had been watching his surroundings as he spoke, and with each word Memory spoke the growls of the dogs around him deepened. Zorian and Jake had already moved closer, trying to circle the flying beast as best they could to attack. It was similar to when they’d faced his boss, Azzie, but a dozen times more aggressive. They didn’t trust the creature in the air, and so neither would he.

There was nothing more telling than a dog’s intuition.

Memory twitched, a chubby cheek lifting lightly beneath its eye as it took in his words. Then it clapped its hands together, its tuxedo flowing across the air in a delicate dance. With a single whisper it floated down toward Nathan, and he saw the being up close for the first time. Its fur was white and silken, its paws pink and padded, but its eyes were shadowed and sunken, and its golden irises held flecks of black within them.

“You deny my words, but they are the truth,” Memory giggled, a soft sound that bit into Nathan’s flesh. “Human, you are at the precipice of greatness. A mighty quest lies before you, and with me as your guide we will persevere to end the evil of The System, and Gerasha itself. Humanity may yet be saved.”

“You expect me to take a quest when I don’t even know what’s going on? You told me my world is dead, but that’s all. Why do you need me? Did you go to everyone else too? You said I’m in a place called Gerasha, but what does that mean?” Nathan crossed his arm, his face nudging closer to Memory as his posture straightened. “I don’t want platitudes, I want answers. Real ones.”

“No, no, no! Enough, no more, the questions are a bore! Like a storm we must rage, and break Gerasha from its cage,” Memory hopped in the air, its paws flickering animatedly and its eyes growing wider. “Fight and show your might. Flee, and see what the consequences will be.”

[Celestial mission detected: Conquer Gerasha, destroy the native System, and prepare for the celestial’s descent. Difficulty: Legendary. Reward: The Earth will be restored, and you will be returned to your native world.]

A familiar blue box appeared in front of him. Nathan cracked it apart with his hand, the message disappearing at his sudden movement. Memory froze, its fur eerily still and its movements silent as it stared at him, its gentle gaze transforming into shining animosity. Its tone was soft, and its voice cute, but Nathan had never been the kind of person to be sucked in by appearances. He’d learnt early on in life that only the dogs he cared for didn’t have a hidden motive. Everyone else wanted something from him, and he only had to push a bit to get them to reveal their intentions.

“You’ll take The System’s offer, I see,” Memory’s voice crackled and shifted, an undertone added to it that hinted at malice.

“No,” Nathan said. “I don’t intend to take any mission given to me. Not until I know more about them.”

“This isn’t a kind world Nathan Park. Sides will have to be chosen. You have no choice. None of you do.”

“Why?”

Memory tilted its head, its eyes shimmering bright, “there it is, the same answer every mortal searches for eventually. A deeper meaning for what's happening to them. You're all the protagonists of your own little worlds and so every disruption must have reason. But not this time. Let me tell you this as clearly as I can.

“You mean nothing to us.”

“What do you mean by that?” Nathan’s fingers clenched into fists. The creature's true colors flowed into the air clearly.

“We crushed your world so that we could offer to rebuild it. No more, no less. We brought you here to serve our purposes and those that died along the way were collateral damage. Your life continues because we allow it. The lives of your fellow humans, and the lives of those that live on this world and fight against us are ours to command. Join us willingly, and we will grant you gifts beyond your imagination. Leave us and you will face the consequences.”

“This is all a game to you, isn’t it?” Nathan asked.

“Yes, I couldn’t have described it better.”

Nathan took a step back as the creature in front of him changed. Memory twisted as it spoke, its white fur disappearing and a different form appearing under the glitz and glamor of its tuxedo. Each strand of white was replaced by hundreds of eyes, big and small. Most watched him intently, though some gazed at the dogs surrounding them. The puppies whimpered as Memory’s form unveiled, but the rabbit only had eyes for Nathan.

“Hmm? Why do you smile, it’s been tugging at your face for a while.”

“I’ll smile as long as I have teeth,” Nathan shook his head. “But even if you’re telling the truth I’m not accepting anything from you. Not yet. So, we can either talk, or you can leave.”

“Very well.”

Memory reached out with a paw and a dozen eyes spread out across its skin while watching Nathan. A jolt of shock spread through him, and he fell to his knees, the world freezing as Memory moved. Then the rabbit touched his chest, and he screamed in pain.

A thousand needles churned within his heart and back, spreading out across his muscles and shattering his bones. The water around him hissed and steamed as his body heated, but he couldn't feel it against his skin. He could only feel every pinprick of agony that had been granted to him. When the wave reached his skull his eyes closed, and there was a moment of sharp clarity where he was certain he was going to die again. Then the feeling stopped, and it was replaced with tranquil peace.

When he opened his eyes, Memory was once again a soft white rabbit. The being watched him from its place in the sky, and motioned toward his chest. Nathan looked down and gasped. Etched right in the middle of his core and grafted onto his skin was a new limb that hadn’t been present a moment before.

It was an eye.

[Access to the Celestial Stream (Earth) has been granted to Nathan Park. Celestials will now be able to view your stream through the connection granted to you. Warning: Any attempts to remove the connection will result in death.]

[Congratulations! You have your first viewer!]

[Viewers: 1 viewer present.]

[Celestial Stream Weekly Rank updated: You are ranked #2,034,543,271 in the Celestial Stream (Earth). Seven days remaining until rank refresh. Prizes will be granted at the end of each week to all Celestial Streamers, varying by rank.]

Memory let out a single barking laugh and waved jovially at the shocked man, disappearing into thin air, and leaving behind the echoes of its final words.

“Goodbye Nathan Park, I hope you keep us entertained.”