Chapter 4
Eli turned the glasses over in his hand, thumb brushing the faint crack in the lens. The ache in his chest didn’t fade, but beneath the suffocating grief, something else stirred.
Anger.
Not wild, not blinding—but a sharp, smoldering refusal to let despair claim him again.
“What do I do now?” he whispered, though the words felt more like a question for himself than for her.
Alira stood, her dark eyes gleaming with something resolute. “You keep moving,” she said. “For yourself. And for them.”
Eli swallowed hard, his jaw tightening. He didn’t answer right away, but when he finally rose to his feet, his posture was steadier. He glanced toward the forest beyond the clearing, where the unknown stretched before him like an open wound. His fingers curled around the glasses. Warm against his palm. A tether to what he’d lost. Tucking them into his pocket, he took a long, deep breath.
“Where do I even begin?”
Alira turned, her voice a calm anchor against the chaos still swirling in his mind. “This way. I know a place.”
They walked in silence, Alira leading him into the surrounding forest. Eli barely noticed the landscape at first, but then—
A flicker. A faint green glow, hovering at the edge of his vision. His steps faltered.
He focused on it, and his stomach twisted. The same green bar from before. But now, it was full.
And next to it, a purple star, that glowed. He might be going crazy.
His pulse quickened. Before he could even process it, something blinked at the far-right corner of his vision. A small, pulsing light.
He squinted, instinctively trying to focus on it—A screen materialized. A sudden, hovering interface, like a translucent panel floating in midair.
Like he’d slipped on a VR headset.“What the hell—?” The shock hit all at once, his breath catching as he took an instinctive step back. Then another. His boot caught against a root, and he stumbled hard, bracing himself against a nearby tree.
Alira stopped mid-step. She turned back, her expression unreadable. She didn’t ask what was wrong immediately. Instead, she watched. Her dark gaze flicked—not at him, but at the space around him.
Almost as if she were searching for something unseen.Eli barely noticed. His focus was locked on the impossible screen floating before him.
“Is… is this real?” His voice was breathless, disoriented.
His brain scrambled for logic, for anything that made sense. Nothing did. His eyes darted across the glowing interface, taking in the strange symbols and flickering lines of text. His own name sat at the top. I am legit going crazy.
Beneath it, unfamiliar words and numbers shifted before his eyes.
The panic surged. Am I…is this…Eli was trying to understand…
“What in the ‘Ready Player One’—?” Eli blurted, eyes wide as he waved a hand in front of him, only for it to pass clean through the interface. “What is this? Why is there… this… thing in front of me?”
He gestured wildly at the empty air. Only, it wasn’t empty. “Does everyone in this magic world get this?”Alira’s brow furrowed, her expression shifting from mild curiosity to genuine confusion.“I don’t see anything, Eli. You’ll need to explain it to me.”
Eli frowned, rubbing his forehead. “How does one explain…There’s a screen… like… do you have TVs here?”
Alira tilted her head slightly. “I am not sure what a ‘TB’ is, Eli.”
“A TV,” he corrected, exasperated. “Never mind. It’s like a floating window, with bars and options, like a video game…” His voice trailed off as he studied her face, searching for a spark of recognition. Nothing.
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to make it disappear, instead the images and icons were just floating in black.
I am losing my mind.
Alira’s blank expression remained unchanged.
“You’re saying you see… messages in front of you?” Her voice was calm, but there was tension underneath it now, subtle but present. “And bars? What do they mean?”
“I’m not sure, and don’t say it like that, ‘I see messages’ that makes this sound like I am legit a crazy person.” Eli admitted as they resumed walking. His eyes flicked between the path ahead and the glowing display hovering in his vision.
“Back home, in my world, you’d probably call this a HUD—a heads-up display.”
Alira frowned. “Heads… up? Like a warning?”
He sighed. “No, it’s… never mind. Explaining this is like trying to teach my mom how to use TikTok.” Her brow creased. “What’s a ‘tick tock’?”
Eli groaned. “It’s something you’d see in a video game, or those VR goggles…”
He trailed off, glancing at her.
“Uh, never mind. It’s like health and… magic. Or I guess mana? But…” His voice faltered.
“This isn’t a game, at least I don’t think it is.” Eli looked around, Am in in a game? Eli thought to himself.
Alira considered him carefully. “Tick tock is a game?”
“No, the HUD— heads-up display—TikTok is an app you can watch videos on, look, it doesn’t matter.”
Eli ran a hand through his hair, trying to explain anything without sounding insane. Alira, to her credit, listened intently. She wasn’t dismissing him—she was absorbing every word.
“Does it tell you anything?” she asked. “Or show you something?”
Eli blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the floating screen. It wasn’t just hovering. It felt integrated. Like a strange extension of his thoughts, an overlay in his mind rather than something external. His eyes locked onto the blinking icon in the corner of his vision.
“So, you believe me, that I can see this?” wildly swiping his hands through the display. It pulsed faintly. Responding. Waiting.
Eli’s breath hitched. He hesitated—then squinted slightly, focusing harder on the icon.It flared brighter. Then faded again. Reacting. His pulse quickened.
“It’s mostly just bars,” he said, shrugging despite the unease creeping up his spine. “Health and… a purple star thing. And there’s this blinking icon. It looks like it is filling up as it blinks. Oh god, is it downloading into my brain? Does your mana world download into people’s brains?”
Eli stared at the blinking icon and then back at Alira.
“No, I have never heard of anyone getting a mana world load onto your brain.” Alira said.
Eli barely heard her after she said “No.”
They walked in silence for a moment. Alira studied him.
Finally, she spoke, her voice calm but touched with something almost… amused. “This world shapes itself to those who enter it.”
Eli glanced at her sharply.
“Perhaps it’s giving you something familiar, a way to adapt.” Her eyes flicked, ever so slightly, toward the space where the interface hovered. “It senses you are… different.”
Eli’s stomach tightened. This world wasn’t just weird. It was aware. And it was reacting to him.He exhaled slowly, a weight settling over his chest.
It felt ominous. But also—Strangely empowering.
As they approached the mouth of the cave, Alira slowed, turning to him with quiet intensity.
“Whatever this… ‘screen’ is, it’s a part of you now.” Her voice was soft but certain. “I don’t fully understand it, but I know one thing, Eli.” The glow of the fading sun framed her silhouette, the light catching faint streaks of silver in her braids. “You’re here for a reason.”
Eli’s breath hitched slightly. A reason.
She held his gaze. “Whatever that reason is… the mana is trying to adapt itself to you. It’s making it a little easier for you to adapt to it.” A flicker of warmth settled in Eli’s chest—unwanted, but impossible to ignore. The thought that this world itself was responding to him should have been unsettling. So why did it feel… comforting?
He hesitated, letting her words sink in as they stepped into the cave. The space around them narrowed and darkened, swallowing them in silence. Then— A soft glow flickered to life.Eli glanced up just in time to see a small floating orb of light, hovering just above Alira’s shoulder. It cast a gentle golden glow, illuminating the cave’s walls—which shimmered faintly, iridescent veins running through the stone like trapped stardust.
His eyebrows lifted. “Please tell me that you see the glowing orb over your shoulder?”
Alira smirking, “Yes, I can definitely see that.”
His voice echoed slightly, bouncing off the stone. “Cool, Should I be worried about… floating swords? Magic waterfalls? Or do we jump straight to dragons?”
Alira glanced back at him, her expression patient but unreadable.
“No dragons here—not in this part of Caelum, at least.”
Eli’s smirk froze. His stomach dipped slightly. “Wait.” He narrowed his eyes. “That wasn’t a joke? Dragons are real?”
Alira’s lips curved just slightly, almost amused. “Of course.”
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A pause.
“You’d have to travel farther east.”
The cave walls seemed to press in around him as her words settled in his mind. Dragons are real. Okay. Cool. Sure. Absolutely nothing about today was normal anymore.She gave him a faint smile. “In this world, many things are real that you might find…unbelievable.”Eli let out a low whistle, his pace slowing slightly. “Right. Dragons. Why not? Just add it to the list of things that make no sense.” His tone was dry, but his expression betrayed a flicker of unease. After a pause, he muttered, “If the Marcus and Sam could see this…”
The words felt too heavy, so he let them trail off.The tunnel widened into a vast chamber, the air cooler here, carrying a faint metallic tang. The floating orb above Alira’s shoulder brightened, casting a soft golden glow that danced across the smooth stone walls.
Eli’s eyes flicked across the space—then stopped. Symbols. Etched into the stone, pulsing with a subtle, rhythmic light. The patterns were intricate, ancient—but something about them felt… active. Like they were more than just carvings.
“Is this your secret lair?” Eli said, half joking, half freaking out.
“No, Eli, this is a cave. A cave that once had a family that lived here, at least that’s what the carvings seem to be saying.”
Eli was just nodding, “Got it. Cave. Family.”
Alira stepped forward and gestured with a simple motion.
Two chairs materialized before her. Eli stiffened. They weren’t just chairs. They shimmered, woven from a silvery material that wasn’t quite metal, wasn’t quite wood. Light and substance fused into one.
He stopped just inside the room, staring at them like they might bite him.“Okay, so either I’m hallucinating, or you just pulled furniture out of thin air.”
His gaze flicked to her. “Should I be worried that one of those things might turn into a snake?”Alira settled into one chair with effortless grace, gesturing to the other. “They’re just chairs, Eli. Sit. You look like you’re seconds away from tipping over.”
“I feel like this is your secret lair.” Eli hesitated, nudging the chair cautiously with his foot. It didn’t ripple, didn’t dissolve, didn’t shift into some nightmare creature.
He let out a slow breath and lowered himself into it. It held firm. Leaning back slightly, he muttered, “Alright. Not a death trap. Low bar, but I’ll take it.”
His gaze flicked upward, studying the symbols glowing along the walls. They pulsed. Faintly, but in rhythm with something. With what? His own heartbeat? The energy in the air?
A strange tingling sensation prickled along his skin.
“So… what now?” He glanced at Alira. “This the part where you tell me I’m the chosen one? Or that I have to find some mystical sword to save the world?”
Alira’s expression remained calm, unreadable.
She folded her hands in her lap, her gaze steady. “You’re in Caelum.”
Her voice carried a weight now, settling over the chamber like a low hum beneath the silence.
“This land is ancient—one of the oldest known realms. It’s bound together by a force we call mana.”
She let the word linger, watching him. “Think of mana as the lifeblood of Caelum; it flows through everything and connects us all.”Eli arched an eyebrow, his lips twitching. “Mana. Got it. Magic glue that holds the world together. Makes about as much sense as anything else today.”
He drummed his fingers lightly on the chair’s armrest, the steady rhythm grounding him.“So, did this ‘mana’ personally invite me, or was I the lucky winner of some interdimensional sweepstakes?”
Alira’s lips quirked, just slightly, but her voice remained steady. “It’s possible.” She held his gaze, studying him carefully before continuing. “Mana is…complex. It reacts to life, to need, and to the bonds between realms. If you were brought here, there is a reason, though it may not be clear yet.”
Eli let out a low chuckle, but there was no real humor in it. “Great. Love a good cosmic mystery. Really helps me sleep at night.” He leaned back, exhaling sharply.
“Can I at least get a hint card, or is this one of those ‘figure it out as you go’ deals?” Alira tilted her head slightly. “Hints come when you are ready for them.”
“I am ready now.” Eli said with tension and a hint of anger.
OK, Eli, you are in a magic world with a downloading magic HUD in your head. You are fine, you are supposed to be here, like the weird mana lady is saying. Its all for a reason. You just can’t know the reason yet because of super-secret world mana boss.
Alira was just watching Eli, letting him process what he needed to. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Eli took a deep breath.
Eli nodded slowly, his fingers still tapping against the chair, slower now. He was processing.
“Okay. Mana. Chosen one. Destiny”
A beat.
His voice lowered. “But here’s the thing—” His throat tightened, the words sticking. “I don’t feel like a chosen one.”
The flickering glow of the mana-etched walls reflected in his eyes, but he wasn’t really seeing them anymore. “I feel like…like I shouldn’t even be here.” His voice barely rose above a whisper. “Sam, Kelly…the others—they should be alive. Not me. It wasn’t even my experiment, I wasn’t even supposed to be there. And now they are….” He couldn’t say it, he didn’t want to fall back into the hole of grief again. “Not here.” Eli finished in a whisper.
Alira’s gaze softened, a flicker of something unspoken passing through her eyes. “I’ve carried that weight, too.” Her voice was low, steady—but behind it, a quiet ache lingered.“It never truly leaves.” She exhaled slowly. “But sometimes… sometimes it gives us the strength to carry others.”
Eli watched her carefully. There was something in the way she spoke—not just sympathy, but understanding. Like she wasn’t just saying the words. She had lived them. Alira leaned forward slightly, her expression softening.
“I don’t have all the answers, Eli. But this world… Caelum rarely acts without purpose.”
She let the words settle between them before continuing.
“It may feel chaotic now, but there is a pattern to its ways. If you’re here, it’s because something greater believes you’re meant to be.”
Her fingers traced an unseen shape on the armrest of her chair. “Loss is never easy, and this world can be… unyielding.” A pause. “I’m sorry, Eli. For what you’ve lost.”
Eli’s gaze flicked to her, his expression torn between skepticism and something quieter.Maybe reluctant gratitude. Maybe just exhaustion.
His fingers curled slightly against the armrest. “…Thanks.”
He shifted in his seat, rolling his shoulders like he was shaking something off. “So… if mana connects everything, does that mean it’s in me, too?”
He hesitated. “Is that why I’m seeing… screens? Bars? It’s like I’m living inside a video game.”
Alira tilted her head slightly, intrigued.
“It’s possible. Mana is intuitive—it adapts to the spirit it touches.” She studied him, considering. “What you see may be Caelum’s way of helping you make sense of this world.”
Eli leaned back in his chair, letting that sink in. “Huh.” His fingers drummed lightly against his leg. “So, it’s custom-made for me? That’s… weirdly thoughtful for a world that throws rat-tigers at you first thing.”
Alira allowed herself a small, knowing laugh. “Caelum tests, but it also teaches.”A pause.
“And it rewards those who listen.”Eli considered this, glancing at his hands. His fingers curled instinctively, as though he could feel something just beneath the surface of his skin.
Not like gripping a basketball. Not something solid. It was there. Elusive, but present. A quiet hum at the edge of his awareness, like a sound just out of reach.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “So I’ve got mana in me. Great. But what am I supposed to do with it? I mean, I’m no wizard or whatever. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
Alira’s gaze grew thoughtful, her eyes lingering on his clenched fists.For a moment, she didn’t speak.Then, with quiet certainty, she said, “Control comes with time.” Her voice was calm, but firm. “Mana is not something to force—it’s something to understand, to grow with.”
She leaned forward slightly, her expression focused. “Think of it like a river: push too hard, and you’ll disrupt its flow; surrender to it completely, and it may sweep you away.”
Eli frowned, studying his hands again.
A spark of frustration flickered in his chest. “That’s great and all, but it doesn’t exactly come with an instruction manual.” Alira tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a faint smile.
“No, it doesn’t.” She let the words settle before continuing.
“That’s why understanding it will take time. And patience.” She sat back, considering something before adding, “For many, the academies across Caelum offer a place to begin.”
Eli glanced up at that. “Academies?”Alira nodded. “These schools teach the foundations of mana—how to channel it, how to hone it.”
A pause.
“But they aren’t without their faults.” Her tone shifted slightly. Not dismissive, but… measured.Like she had seen both the good and the bad firsthand.
Eli raised an eyebrow. “Faults? Like what?”
Alira’s smile faded, her expression turning serious, thoughtful. “Some academies have forgotten their purpose.”
A pause.
She glanced at the symbols lining the cave walls, their soft glow reflecting in her eyes. “They focus more on advancing their own influence than guiding their students. For some, the lessons are invaluable. For others… they become trapped in politics and power struggles.”
Her fingers tapped lightly against the chair’s armrest—a small, almost unconscious movement.“Not all knowledge is shared freely.”
Eli closed his eyes. “So, I have to enroll in one of these schools, and hope I don’t fall into the wrong crowd?”
She studied him for a moment before continuing. “The right academy could help you—if you’re willing to navigate its challenges. But be cautious, Eli. Some of the most important lessons can’t be taught in a classroom.”
She leaned forward slightly. “They must be learned through experience.”
Eli leaned back, exhaling as he ran a hand through his hair. “Great. So, I’ve got a mysterious magical force to figure out and a whole world of possibly shady schools to deal with. What’s next, rival wizards?”
Alira chuckled softly, though her gaze softened with understanding. “Mana reflects the person who wields it, Eli. It will demand as much from you as you demand from it.”
Her voice was quiet but certain. “I can guide you—help you find your footing—but much of this journey will still be yours to walk.”
Eli stared at the flickering symbols on the wall. Her words hung between them, settling over him like the cool weight of the stone around them.
His fingers tapped absently against his leg. “So you are willing to help me, find whatever it is I need to do here?”
Alira nodded her head, “Yes, I am here to help you, if you want it.”
“And no short cuts to the ultimate power, some super sword or ring I can wear.” Eli said.
“Not the kind worth taking,” Alira replied, her tone carrying a gentle finality. “But I believe the answers you’re looking for will come. If you’re willing to walk the path it has laid out for you.”
Eli was quiet for a moment, his fingers lacing together as he stared at them.When he spoke again, his voice was quieter.
“So, what happens if I don’t want to walk it?” He swallowed hard. “What if I just… want to go home?”Alira’s expression turned serious, though not unkind. “I don’t know if that’s possible, Eli.”
The words landed like a weight in his chest.
“Realms are connected through mana, but if your world lacks it… returning may be difficult. Perhaps even impossible.”
Eli exhaled sharply, his confidence faltering. “Impossible. Great.” His fingers curled into fists before he flexed them open again, restlessly rubbing his palms together. “So, what? I just live here now? Start a farm? Build a hut in the woods?”
Eli could feel his anger and desperation rising again.
Alira watched him carefully, her tone gentle but firm. “If you’re here, it’s because this world believes you have a place in it.”
She let the silence stretch for a moment before adding, “I know that’s not the answer you want. But the answers you seek may only come if you’re willing to see them.”
Eli’s jaw tightened. He looked up at her, eyes narrowing slightly. “You talk like this world has a personality. Like it’s alive.”
Alira’s gaze didn’t waver. “It is.”A pause.
“And it’s watching you, Eli. Just as I am.”
Something stirred in the air.
Eli wasn’t sure if it was real or just in his head, but for half a second, the cave felt… still.
Too still.
Like the very air was holding its breath.
He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “…Fine.” He leaned back, letting his head rest against the cool stone. “And thank you.” He cracked a forced smirk. “But if dragons show up, I’m out.”
Alira’s lips twitched. “That’s a fair boundary.”
Eli let out a shaky breath, his gaze drifting across the cave, as if the walls themselves might offer answers. “…So, we’re… where? In Caelum, you said?”
Alira nodded. “Yes, we’re in Caelum.”
She gestured around them, as if the world itself was listening. “Specifically, this region is called Arindral.”
Outside, the wind shifted, carrying a distant, low howl through the trees. Something out there was awake.
“It’s a land of dense forests, wild mountains, and creatures unlike anything you’ve seen.”Her voice was steady, but there was something almost reverent in the way she spoke. “We’re on the edge of the forest, near the heart of Arindral.”
Eli inhaled deeply, the cool cave air filling his lungs. It smelled of stone, damp earth… and something else. Something ancient.
Eli leaned back, his grip tightening on the arms of the chair. A strange weight settled over him.
“Arindral… Caelum… Mana…”
The words felt heavy in his mouth, like saying them made them more real. He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. “…I guess I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
“Not really.”
Alira’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “But don’t worry. I think you’ll find that, in time, this world might be just as fascinating as it is frustrating.”
She studied him for a long moment. “Who knows? You might even enjoy it.”
“Caelum, and many realms beyond it, are connected through mana. It’s what links us all.”
A flicker of blue light pulsed faintly across the symbols—brief, almost imperceptible.