Every morning, Jerico would awaken five minutes before his alarm as if it were clockwork - he'd lay in bed and take note of the peaceful sounds of his wife and daughter's steady breathing. Despite this becoming a routine for him, he eventually realized he had lain there too long; thus, beginning to carry out his daily ritual- taking care of business on the toilet followed by having a cigarette.
He was fully aware that this behavior of his wasn't beneficial for him, yet he chose to ignore it with the thought "it is what it is". When getting ready for work however, something startled him; a feeling as if someone's eyes were on him. Shaking away those paranoid thoughts and trying not to think too much into them, Jerico continued preparing himself and went off to work.
Although the thought of going to work wasn't his favorite, he did take pleasure in driving there. It was different from back home in Hawaii; relocating to Las Vegas had been a huge adjustment for him, missing everything about it deeply. He couldn't deny that the snow-dusted mountain ranges and never-ending desert scenery were simply stunning though - so every morning Jerico connected up his bluetooth device and lost himself into an adventure with one of his beloved LitRPG audiobooks....
As Jerico drove up to the warehouse he was employed at, he couldn't help but exhale a deep sigh of defeat. For three years now, his experience with this job had been nothing short of tormenting - from terrible management to strenuous working conditions; all it felt like he was doing was becoming another cog in an ever-turning machine that seemed to overlook him entirely. It appeared as though his life lacked any real purpose other than providing for his family.
Three years ago, a new strain of the flu hit and caused mass hysteria; people hoarded toilet paper and cases of water in an instant. Jerico felt lost, not knowing his purpose - he sensed someone's eyes on him everywhere he went as if they were right behind him breathing down his neck.
Jerico whipped around, seeking the source of his unease. "Hiyah motherfucker!" Jeon Bremerton stood behind him with his characteristic butt chin. "Jerico, I've been here for three minutes now trying to get your attention," he said warily. "Oh! Sorry Jeon...just having an off day - my apologies." Jerico smiled sheepishly and asked what help he could provide. With a stern look, Jeon eyed Jerico before responding.
It was always the same, cold and disconnected. Jeon began to speak when jerico got that feeling that someone was watching him. This time, though, there was a voice, it whispered to him in a voice that sounded like rain hitting the window on a stormy night. It whispered, “don't you want to be more than this?”.
"Jerico!" Jerico abruptly came to his senses. "I apologize! I'm so out of it today, boss--I'll get these orders shipped pronto. But Jeon shook his head and said there was no need. He sighed heavily and added, "Jerico, you have been slipping for some time now with shipping products to the wrong vendors and issuing returns to the wrong people; now here you are spacing out in the middle of me speaking with you…unfortunately we must let you go. I am sorry."
Jerico's world crumbled around him. In the despair of this realization, he took a long drag from his cigarette and tossed it away in frustration. His mind raced with desperation - how was he to tell his wife? What would she say when he revealed that their only source of income had vanished? Taking a moment to reflect on what went wrong, Jerico felt overwhelmed with guilt; how could someone who couldn't keep a job be deemed worthy as a father? With no other option than facing reality head-on, Jerico embarked on that dreaded drive back home feeling worse than ever before.
As Jerico arrived home within the late hours of night, he noticed something peculiar. Across his street resided an elderly couple who were always so pleasant to him and his family- regularly visiting one another's houses and caring for each other. Intrigued by what was happening at their house, Jerico looked over only to find that their front door had been left open in addition to all the lights being off - prompting a sense of worry within him as well as an intense headache. "That doesn't seem right," he thought, proceeding forth towards their residence with caution...
Jerico snapped out of his trance, and proceeded inside. Instantly, he could feel something was off; the house had a frosty chill to it that made Jerico's skin crawl. He took in a deep breath and shouted "HELLO!", refusing to dawdle like those mindless characters from horror movies. After some moments, he heard what seemed like footsteps echoing through the hallways...
The echoes reverberated through the air, both distant and near. “Yeah fuck this! I'm out!" exclaimed Jerico as he spun around to leave only to discover that a sheer cliff of obsidian or onyx replaced the entrance he had come in through. He was perplexed by what his eyes beheld and slowly came to terms with how similar his situation now was like those portrayed in horror movies – one wrong move could mean certain doom.
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In the place of where their living room once was, an ethereal form rose into view. Jerico could not comprehend what he beheld - a mesmerizing silhouette molded from night and starlight, its presence warping the atmosphere around it like a constellation crafted from ebony.
In one of its eyes, a blazing sun roared with an inferno of heat that permeated throughout the cosmos. In its other eye was something else entirely - could it be a mirror? As he peered into it's left eye, he felt as if this eye had opened up before him and revealed different possibilities – ranging from forgotten pasts to alternate futures; subsequently his mind brimmed with new visions.
The voice echoed once more, louder this time with a hint of desperation. "Wouldn't you like to be something greater? Don't you want a chance at belonging?" A brilliant sphere of light radiated from the creature's chest and hovered before Jerico. He knew that if he just stretched out his arm, all he had to do was grasp it and everything would change...
As Jerico pondered in confusion, a dull and murky sphere of light abruptly materialized from his chest. It was no comparison to the majestic luminosity that shone so vibrantly from the entity's own ball. Before he could process what was unfolding, both globes collided with each other and tore him apart at an atomic level before quickly reconstructing him in a burst of pain that felt like it would never end until finally fading into unconsciousness.
Jerico awoke with a startled gasp, feeling like he had been hit by a ton of bricks. He glanced around his bedroom and realized that nothing was out of place; it must have all been in his head. But something nagged at him - did any of that really happen? Turning to the right side of bed, Jerico noticed his wife sleeping peacefully next to their daughter Ellina while an old movie played on TV: Office Space--a dry comedy they both got a kick out of.
For Jerico, his family was the reason he kept going. With that thought in mind, he determined to be remarkable and headed for the kitchen; making breakfast and coffee with love. After completing what needed doing for the morning, Jerico decided to take a stroll in the park behind his home - one of beauty, boasting long pathways lined by majestic towering pines trees.
Just as the morning sun's rays broke through the leafy canopy, Jerico was captivated by this breathtaking backdrop. Despite its beauty, he still felt disconnected from his surroundings - like an outsider in a foreign world. He took solace on a bench that had become familiar to him and reminisced about an enigmatic dream from the night before: "Was it really just my imagination?" Speaking aloud into the quietude of nature, he tried to piece together what might have happened for him to not remember going off to sleep at all.
As if in a mist, Jerico felt like he was unable to remember something important. Suddenly, the distinct sound of someone addressing him pierced through his thoughts: "Hello Jerico!" He spun around and beheld an awe-inspiring woman who stood at least seven feet tall. Her skin was darker than night while her hair glistened with moonlight's silver hue. Radiant tattoos snaked down both sides of her arms and curved over the crest of her nose.
Jerico couldn't shake the sensation that this was just another dream, yet upon inspection of his surroundings he noticed not even a soul stirred. The stillness in the air made it feel like some kind of flash mob had taken place; Even the birds should have been soaring freely were eerily motionless mid-flight.
Glancing once more at the enigmatic figure before him, he noticed her eyeing him - or perhaps beyond. Could that be a hint of sorrow in those eyes? Upon further inspection, his attention was immediately drawn to her mismatched gaze: one as fiery and inviting as the summer sun, while its counterpart appeared icy and aloof like a winter full moon.
Jerico nervously studied the woman for a few moments before finally finding the courage to break the silence. "Who...or what are you?" he croaked in a timid tone that reminded him of an endangered puppy. After another prolonged pause, she stepped away from Jerico and towards the glowing pathway lined with pine trees bathed in morning sunlight. As her gaze remained fixed on this majestic view, she spoke softly: “Beautiful isn't it?”
Jerico stood still, mesmerized by her voice reminiscent of a winter snowfall; icy yet delicate and captivating. As he attempted to formulate words for response but only managed an awkward "umm yeah…haha what are you?", Jerico nervously added "my bad" after realizing the rudeness of his inquiry. The woman's lips curved into a smile as she responded with "I am a god, my dear drifter".
The mention of the word "drifter" left Jerico feeling exposed and vulnerable, as if his deepest secrets were now visible for all to see. In disbelief he exclaimed, "Drifter?! What does that mean? What the HELL IS GOING ON HERE!" His temper flared as a sudden wave of heat engulfed the area around him.
The mysterious woman's words were like heat waves, scorching the pavement. "You know nothing of hell, boy!" she snarled in a harsh tone. “I WAS THERE WHEN IT WAS CREATED! AND I WILL BE THERE AT THE END!". Her eyes ignited and seemed to cast an invisible yet powerful force on Jerico; he was unable to move or breathe as he felt frozen by her presence - just like everything else around him.
In the blink of an eye, it was over. Jerico gasped for air as he gazed at the woman in disbelief, wondering to himself "What on earth just happened here?". She smiled sheepishly and apologized. “My apologies drifter. I haven't interacted with a mortal in quite some time; I am afraid I may have gotten a little carried away." Shaking off his confusion, Jerico replied in horror: "All good!"
Throwing his hands up in front of him, not wanting to incur the wrath of this bizarre...goddess? any further than he already had. With a deep exhale, the strange goddess stepped onto the glistening sidewalk that stretched beneath lush trees. Glancing back at Jerico, she asked,"Would you like to take a stroll with me drifter?". There it was again - "drifter". Umm, sure thing," replied Jerico cautiously after witnessing her immense power moments ago. “I must confess my dear drifter”, said the Goddess as they strolled together ,”it is rather tricky for me being here on your planet where I cannot access energy sources."
Jerico, still in shock from the events unfolding before him, hesitantly asked for her name. She solemnly replied with a significant warning: “Names hold great power — here and everywhere. To speak my true essence would break your mind and draw unwelcome attention to this mana wasteland you call Earth.” With an intense yet mysterious gaze that seemed ancient beyond Jerico's wildest imagination, the Goddess spoke again: "Prima Lux is what it would sound like in your language."