The apartment was empty. That wasn’t to say it was completely empty- it was really more the absence of its occupant; There was plenty of stuff strewn about the apartment. By the sink plenty of dishes were stacked high, begging to be washed. Clothes lay scattered on the floor spreading outwards from the bed. Light from the city crept in through the window despite the hour, but that was to be expected. Yet still- there was an emptiness here just waiting to be filled, but something joined the emptiness. A hint of a beginning.
As if in response, keys rattled in the lock at the door. Then there was the rattling of the door itself as someone tried to open it. This, in turn, was quickly followed by a bit of swearing and then a hollow thud as the door was forced open and someone stumbled into the room.
—
‘I really need to get that stupid door fixed’ thought Quinn as he rubbed at his shoulder. He fumbled his hand blindly along the wall for a moment before flipping on the light switch and sliding the strap of his bag down his arm towards the floor in a practiced motion. Within moments his shoes were off his feet and he had crossed his tiny studio apartment to his bed which he flopped onto with a content sigh.
After taking a second to let the tension of the day fade away in the soft embrace of his mattress, he turned over towards the night stand by his bed. Reaching carefully as to not knock over any of the various half filled water glasses, he grabbed the book he had been reading and opened it to where he left off.
He made it a commendable several sentences before giving up and haphazardly tossing it back onto the nightstand where, by some miracle, it didn’t knock anything over. To be fair, that book really was a bore.
Quinn was getting sick of it. Exams today had been brutal, and then his shift at work after classes had been even more agonizing. He just wished things didn’t have to be like this all the time. He thought of the books he read, places where magic was real and anything was possible. If only life could be like that. Unfortunately, life couldn’t always be the way he wanted it to be.
He took a quick look at his phone screen and, seeing the time, decided he should get to bed a little early tonight. The extra sleep would do him some good. Extricating himself from the comfort of his mattress, Quinn began to get ready for bed.
After brushing his teeth and making sure the door was locked, he spent a minute searching in the mess of his clothes for a comfortable pair of sweats to sleep in and a long sleeved shirt to keep him warm after his space heater failed to turn on. He made a mental note to get it fixed, alas it went right by the other forgotten mental notes in his brain such as ‘Throw out the pizza box’ and ‘Do the dishes’. Ready to put an end to this stressful day he set an alarm on his phone and crawled back into bed once more.
He closed his eyes and thought back to the magic he had been reading about earlier. He let himself imagine what it would be like if he could be in a world like the many he had seen in books. The things he could do with magic would be incredible.
—
It was an idle thought Quinn was having, one that millions of people had at times. His dreams were by no means unique, or special, or different from anyone else's in any way. Honestly, who can say they haven’t thought the same at some point in their life? In that moment, however, it was enough.
What happened next was an impossibility- Belief on Earth was far too stable for this to happen. It was the culmination of a series of astronomically unlikely occurrences. If he had fallen asleep a hair to the left, or a second later, or thought about something different, that would have been enough. If Locros had been positioned just a bit further away from Earth in the Fabric it couldn’t have happened.
A tiny bit of Aether rebelling against reality was pulled by a dream and hit a strand of the Fabric just right. The strand broke putting tension on the other pieces around it- a tension that was too great for them as they too began to break. In an instant what was became something it wasn’t. A hole appeared in existence that was just large enough for the sleeping Quinn to slip through.
—
It was, by all accounts, a beautiful morning in the city of Hollow. The rising sun painted just the tops of the surrounding mountains in a beautiful red-gold glow. The air was still, quiet, perfect. The bustle of the city had not yet begun. A shame someone had to go and ruin it.
Quinn awakened with a start to a sharp smell of ozone, the sensation of falling, and then a spike of pain as he landed flat on his back in the darkness of a cobbled alleyway. He then opened his eyes just in time to vaguely make out a small pamphlet popping into existence above him with a sound like tearing fabric before fluttering down to land on his chest.
It was at this point that he took a moment to say a few colorful words as he rubbed the back of his head. “What the hell just happened…” he muttered to himself as he thought back to the night before. “I was at home, and I went to bed just like normal, didn't I?”
Sitting up he focused his attention on the pamphlet, trying to make out the writing in the dim light of the alley.
‘Welcome to Hollow!’ he could see as he strained his eyes.
‘Can’t say I have ever heard of a place called Hollow before’ he thought, ‘Lets see if I can find some light to read the rest of this.’
Looking about, he saw a faint white glow coming from the street connected to the alley he was in, so he stood up and started walking towards it.
As he came out onto the rough cobbled street he could see it was illuminated every twenty or so paces by steady, white points of light that seemed to hover about a foot above the poles they were on top of.
‘Also can’t say I have ever seen lights like that before’ he thought before looking down once again at the pamphlet. On the front, beneath the writing he had seen previously, was a picturesque view of a medieval city nestled in the mountains, looking like something he might see on a travel brochure for Switzerland.
Opening the pamphlet he was greeted by a brief paragraph which read as follows,
‘Greetings Outworlder! If you are reading this pamphlet then you breached the Fabric within the bounds of the City of Hollow. This means you are probably a very powerful, and very incompetent mage— in which case shame on you! If you are not a mage and are instead wondering “What in the world just happened?” we at Hollow University express our deepest condolences and would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to stop by and we will do our best to get you back on your feet and started settling into your new life on Locros!’
Staring at the paper Quinn began to frown, ‘Mages? Is this some kind of prank?’ but looking up and down the street as the sun started to peak over the horizon realization began to dawn on him.
He looked back at the strange lights he had seen before and saw them wink out as the light of the dawn began to touch them, and all along the street he saw buildings right out of the history books.
A sense of excitement began to blossom in his chest. He had spent much of his childhood wishing for magic, and countless hours getting lost in fantasy worlds dictated to him by books. The thought that maybe he would get to experience one for himself left him barely able to contain his joy.
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The warmth in his chest faded and was replaced by a gnawing cold about his heart as he further processed the other truths of his new reality.
‘What will my family think?’ Quinn asked himself. ‘How will they know what happened to me? And what about my friends- I was supposed to hangout with Sam and Madison on Friday!’
Coming to grips with his new situation Quinn decided that finding this ‘Hollow University’ would be a good place to get some answers. Maybe they would be able to help him find his way back. The pamphlet seemed to indicate he was at least inside the city of Hollow so hopefully it wouldn’t be too difficult to find.
He looked up and down the narrow cobbled street before settling on walking in the uphill direction to maybe get to a place with a better view of the rest of the city.
As he walked he also looked at some of the signage on the shops to try and find a place where he might be able to get directions. Seeing a sign emblazoned with a symbol of dragon curled around an egg and ‘Wyrm’s Nest Inn’ written above it in flowing script he decided that might be a good place to start.
—
Inside the Inn was an open taproom with tables clustered about. Behind the bar he saw a gruff looking older man who greeted him with a wide grin and a wave, seeming to forget the rag he held in his hand as he did so.
“Welcome to the Wyrm’s Nest Inn!” he exclaimed, “I’m Derrick at your service, you seem to be up quite early this morning, how may I help you?”
Quinn smiled back and said “Nice to meet you Derrick, I’m Quinn and I arrived in town rather abruptly this morning. I was hoping you would be able to give me directions to Hollow University?’
“Ah, here for admissions week is it? You made it just in time, I believe they planned on wrapping up today. If you just keep heading up the road a bit you’ll see it when you get to the top of the rise, it's just on the other side of the river.” Derrick said before quickly following up with, “You know, it would be a real shame to go test on an empty stomach. My wife has some rolls that you can take with you that should be ready shortly. Only a few coppers!”
Quinn’s stomach decided to take the opportunity to rumble, reminding him that he hadn’t had anything to eat since lunch the day before.
His hectic shift at work had forced him to skip dinner.
It also didn’t help that he didn’t have a penny to his name at the moment.
“You know that would be great, but unfortunately I am a bit light on funds at the moment and don’t have any coppers to spend.” said Quinn
Derrick gave him a look up and down before frowning at him slightly and saying, “Well you know what, I think for a hungry young man such as yourself I can make an exception. Here. I’ll go get you a roll,” before quickly ducking into the kitchen.
Slightly confused Quinn thought of what could have caused this sudden change in demeanor before realizing what he was wearing. Looking down he realized was still in the ratty looking shirt and well worn sweatpants he had gone to sleep in— not to mention his bare feet. Cheeks flushing slightly, he made his way over to the bar and took a seat while he waited.
A few minutes later Derrick returned with a few rolls wrapped up in a bundle of cloth. “Here you go son, I hope you have a good day.” he said, giving him an earnest smile. Embarrassed yet again, Quinn mumbled a quick thanks before taking the bundle and heading out the door.
Turning uphill in the direction he had been told he set off yet again while digging into one of the steaming rolls that had been gifted to him. He got a few odd looks here and there from people starting to go about their day now that the sun had risen up above the mountain peaks, but Quinn did his best to ignore them.
Before long he crested the top of the rise he had been walking up and let out an involuntary gasp as he took in the view.
A city lay sprawling outwards ahead of him for about a mile before being cut off by a river flowing down from the mountains. Stretching across this river lay a colossal bridge— the stones of which seemed to glow in the light of the morning sun. Waiting on the other side were several large buildings nestled together on a natural shelf of one of the mountains in such a way that they resembled a modern art exhibit crossed with a game of Jenga that was nearing its end. All of this culminated in the branching spire at its center, connected to both itself and the buildings surrounding it by a series of overlapping bridges.
Quinn paused for a minute, allowing himself to bask in the sight, then continued onwards towards his destination while ignoring the cries of various merchants seeking their first customers of the morning.
—
Quinn was nearing the bridge to the university when he heard a commotion coming from up ahead. He saw an armored figure, which he thought is what passed for a police officer in this city, chasing a stout child with a mask covering their face.
“Stop that thief!” he heard the guard cry.
Not wanting to get involved in whatever was going on there he moved to step to the side. Unfortunately for Quinn, it was in his haste to move that he slammed his big toe into one of the uneven cobbles along the street he was walking. At that point a lot of thoughts went through his head, the first of which being a string of expletives about his toe, followed by a wish for a pair of shoes, and then ‘Wow that street sure is approaching fast’, before finally he landed in an awkward sprawl directly in the path of the accused thief.
Now this thief seemed pretty nimble inspite of their… stocky… physique, and under normal circumstances probably would have just jumped over him. Unfortunately for the thief, they had turned their head to look back at the guard shouting after them and their foot collided directly with Quinn’s head, leaving him dazed and the thief on top of him.
Stars swam in Quinn’s vision as he tried to sit up. His attempts to do so were then interrupted by a hand roughly grabbing his hair and a sharp knife getting pressed against his throat. “Nobody move or I am gonna paint the street red!” the ‘child’ shouted in a baritone voice much more fitting of someone much older than Quinn had previously guessed.
At this, the guard that was chasing them stopped and placed a hand on the cudgel at their belt and said, “Now don’t do anything stupid here, if you hurt him it’ll be a lot worse than a prison cell waiting for you and you know it.”
“No one is gonna be hurtin’ if you just do what I say.” the thief replied in a voice that had the slight twang of an accent to it. “Now I want you to back away slowl-”
The thief cut off abruptly and Quinn felt the word sleep echoing through his mind. The knife pressed against Quinn’s throat fell to the ground and a wave of drowsiness passed over him. He also heard a small thud from behind and turning his head saw the thief sleeping behind him.
With great difficulty he raised his gaze upwards, vision swimming with a combination of drowsiness and the likely concussion from the kick to the head. Looking down on him to meet his gaze, he saw a woman who would’ve looked right at home on the cover of Vogue if not for her pointed ears.
As his strength faded and the arms he was using to keep himself in a seated position began to give out, he managed to blurt, “Oh look an elf.” before collapsing onto the pavement once more. Feeling the warmth of the sun pressing down on his weary form, Quinn couldn’t help but think that it was a lovely morning before drifting off to sleep.
—
The apartment was not empty. That wasn’t to say it was full- it was really only the presence of one person next to the mind bending rift in reality that made it not empty; Honestly, maybe it was quite full.
He was a tall, regal seeming fellow. His suit was finely tailored, obviously the work of a master at their craft. He had the air about him you might expect of someone on the Forbes 30 under 30 list, although he hadn’t been 30 in millennia. It was an indescribable authority that made you know he meant business. A smug smirk began to appear on his face, quickly changing to a frown. For a second, he glanced around the room as if expecting to see someone else. Then, he began to grow visibly annoyed. Finally, he threw his hands up in exasperation and looked again to the hole in the world.
He was decidedly out of place in this ramshackle apartment, but so was the literal tear in the Fabric of reality he was looking at which made the whole thing a bit of a moot point.
”How could this happen?” He asked, quite stupefied, to the empty room before shouting, “For the love of the Fabric would you stop that!”
”Fine, spoilsport.” Responded the other man who- Other man? The room had been empty. But he was standing right there. But the room was empty. But he was there. But-
“Oh now look at what you did.” Sighed the newcomer who should not be there. He turned around, seemed to look through, and spoke. “I was always here”
And so the man who had been there the whole time, turned back to the regal man before responding, “Well I don’t know, isn’t that your job?”
”You are insufferable Selva.” Was the curt response he was granted. “Why is it that every time something goes wrong I have to run into you.”
”Aw, I missed you too Glyst!” Said Selva. “You really need to work on your greetings though, that almost hurt!”
The regal man— Glyst— sighed once more before regarding the tear one last time. “Well I suppose it really doesn’t matter how it happened, only that it did. I feel bad for the poor soul that was sleeping there though. At least he probably went quickly.”
”Oh I am sure he is doing fine. Locros isn’t that bad a place to end up you know!.”
Glyst paused in shock before glancing at Selva. “Locros? How could he be- How do you know he ended up on Locros?”
Selva’s eyes seemed to twinkle as a grin spread across his face. “Why, it's my job to know Glyst! And I for one take my job very seriously.”
Blood rushed to Glyst’s face and he shook slightly, seeming about ready to explode with rage at Selva before he exhaled, refusing to rise to the bait. “Well, I am sure he will have a splendid time there. Much better Locros than on a Class IV like this of all places. I suppose all that is left now is for me to fix this.” And with a gesture of his hand reality went back to its nice, normal, intact self in the apartment.
“Now if you will excuse me, I am getting reports of a Class I on the verge of disassociating that I have to go fix and- as much as I would love nothing more than to stay and talk to you of all people- I believe that takes priority; It is my job after all.” Glyst smiled smugly and, without waiting for a response, gave Selva a quick nod, took a single step, and was gone.
”Oh no Glyst, of course I understand!” Said Selva to himself. “It was great catching up after not seeing you in who knows how long!”
Selva drooped a little as he regarded the apartment around him, completely alone. “I do wish I got to see everyone more. It really has been a while. It truly is lonely at the top.” He felt the tugging then, of the Accords, telling him that it was time he was gone as the Fabric had been mended. “Guess that’s my cue. That’s okay though, Glyst was right, Class IVs are pretty boring. I mean, who would want to live somewhere without magic?”
Selva took one last look around the room before he straightened and focused his attention on something beyond. “Well, I hope you enjoyed the show!” Then, with a flourish of his arms and an elegant bow, Selva was gone.
At last, once more, the apartment was empty.