He ran into the blinding light.

A thick, floating pane of luminescent light stood bisecting the dark. Still with sweat running of him, he attempted to jump up to this floating road, he got his shoulders up, yet the light was smoother than glass, and Redshirt fell back on his arse.

He looked around for a few moments, far to his left stood an almost Disney-like castle that glimmered in the moon light, a great beacon representing wealth, power, and magic. Down to his left lay a darker city of stilted buildings, the few fires battling against the rain, were a dim orange that highlighted the rotting wooden bridges that connected each building.

Scant figures moved across the city, some looked normal, though most looked overly sized and bolbous, still they all seemed to move with a purpose. Whether that be pulling nets out of the myriad of rivers and lakes, relighting the fires, or just moving across the bridges that connected the water bound city.

Redshirt looked at the magical, incredibly attention-grabbing castle then confidently turned away and walked down towards the dim city.

He moved over to walk underneath the floating white road, to stay out of the rain, another faint scream barrelled out, He looked back to the pitch black forest, and promptly moved to the over side of the road, just within the very edge of distant side of the forest, hoping that whatever he ran from will either be blinded by the road and not see him within the shadows of the pale trees, or think he ran on the road in the direction of the castle.

Now he didn’t exactly know what everyone was running from, but what normal person wouldn’t start running as well, when they saw a group of people fleeing in a place like this, It’s just common sense innit, he prepared his excuse if anyone pressured him, as he heard around 3 or 4 people, out of the hundred he sprinted past, finally reach the light road, lift and pull each other up and start running in the direction of the castle.

Redshirt shrugged and began to walk a bit faster, as he saw more and more kids stumble out of the forest, clearly in a panic, arguing, shouting, and crying, they eventually began to run in the direction of the admittedly majestic castle, a few made it up onto the floating road, a few pulled themselves up like gymnasts, but most just clambered over one another and instantly began running towards the castle. Redshirt kept walking in the dark for until he could barely see the distant castle and people, mostly kids still in secondary school he shook his head sadly, and carried on his slightly less leisurely walk towards the dim, lake city.

A few more kids came stumbling out of the forest.

These stragglers seemed to be in the worst state, limping, bleeding, and arguing, the majority followed the crowd, however some were so panicked, they continued to run off into the other side of theforest, while a few began to run towards the city.

“Looks like we got company.” A tanned tall man in blue compression suit walks out from behind a tree. His clothes were skin-tight, so much so that Redshirt could see his muscular body rippling as he walked out of the pitch-black treeline.

“What the fuck g?” Redshirt shouts jumping back.

“Company, you know,” pointing around a mile back to the people that are unknowingly following the two, “their most likely going to be joining our esteemed selves.”

“Yeah obviously. But like how-why-who…” a soft sigh escapes from Redshirt, he simply shrugs and decides to take it as it comes, “what you doing here mate?”

“Ah, a classic philosophical question, see now this question has been plaguing man-kind since time immemorial, well is it really a plague when questions such as these are both enjoyable and in my personal opinion what separates man from beasts, nonetheless let us return to pertinent question. What are any of us doing here, here as in life of course, there are many different ways of looking at such a question, shaped by religion, ideo- “

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Okay, Okay,” Redshirt interrupts holding his hands up, “Walk and talk man, walk and talk.” He speaks as they continue on their journey to the waterlogged city. “My bad for interrupting still.” Redshirt offers after a few moments of silence.

“Do not worry about that good sir, many would say I was making much ado about nothing.” The tall muscular man says self-deprecatingly.

“You were speaking facts man, real interesting stuff.” Redshirt reverts to the classic British tradition during slightly awkward moments, politely lying.

“Honestly?” The man places so much emotion in a single word, unreserved vulnerability, yet also a polite disinterest, and the man did it all without waffling on.

Redshirt can vividly imagine the man as one of his neighbours, no, not those ones, but the ones that are sort of lukewarm yet not in the infuriating way, more in a ‘good morning’, ‘good morning’, conversation done type of way. Though if the conversation did ever drag on, they always had something more interesting to say than something like the weather. His favourite type of people.

“For real man, you gotta tell me more when we breaking bread.” Redshirt says while smiling.

“Breaking bread?” He questions politely.

“You know, just eating good food with a friend.”

Making noises of understanding the tall man nods, “Well you must teach me more of your idioms while we are ‘breaking the bread’ as well.”

“Of course, man, actually I never got your name.” Redshirt asks the man in the blue, skin tight, compression suit.

Looking sheepish he responds, “Well to be honest, I do not particularly remember, the last thing I remember is waking up in that field, then I wandered around for a bit, and then that whole nasty business occurred.” He gestures pointing back to the floating light road.

“Wait you saw what we were all running from.”

“Running from?” He questions, “I thought everyone was just emulating my training regime.”

“Training regime?” Redshirt stops and looks back to the man once again looking around sheepishly.

“I may have been slightly overzealous with my preparations, but it is difficult to reach full speed if I do not truly believe that I am in danger, so I speak to myself about dangers, and maybe a few of the younger children around may have technically overheard, and well here we are now.” He says looking as if he is expecting to be punished.

“Damm, that’s crazy.” Redshirt says shrugging. “Well, you can call me Redshirt.” He says while holding his hand out for a handshake, the tanned calloused hand comes back as fist, so Redshirt turns his open palm into a fist, while the man changes to give Redshirt a handshake, this awkward process continues until they just jumble their hands together.

“I like you man.” Redshirt laughing.

While Redshirt’s friend stands there in a daze, his eyes moving from left to right. “Do you see this as well?”

Looking down at the now much closer dim city, with its wooden buildings suspended by stilts, a great river raging through its centre, and swirling out to encircle the city, as if it was a great moat defending its castle from enemy invaders. “Well yeah, we’ve been looking at this city for like an hour now.”

“No, I mean this floating blue box.” He responds still reading.

“No offence bro but are you colour blind; the road is white, like a goldish white” Redshirt says pointing towards the floating road, that is slowly descending into a dirt path, as they get closer to the city.

“Sorry, I mean this status, I do not know how to explain it, it is almost as-“ His friend speaks as his eyes refocus on Redshirt.

“Why didn’t’ you say that man, I saw the system message.”

“You can see it as well?”

“Yeah, I can, don’t make no sense though, so I’m just ignoring it.” Redshirt says shrugging, thinking of how he is going to get home before Vanessa wakes up.

"Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." The man sagely said.

“Exactly, we could spend all day trying to figure out this system, or we could get out of the rain and get food in our bellies.” Redshirt responds happily.

“Quite right, though you may as well call me the Philosopher, since this system has designated me that name.”

“Ima call you Filo, if that’s all right?” Redshirt asks.

Smiling Filo responds, “Of course it is Reddy… No that is terrible, let me think upon a good nickname for you.”

“Thank you man, for real.” Coming down from the forest edge the pair begin to walk on the muddy dirt path, that leads towards the city. Their feet squelch in the thick mud as they talk, the barest hints of dawn sneak over the horizon, yet the cold rain continues. “But I still want to know why you were hiding behind a tree.”

“Because of me.” A large black and white animal strolled out from behind a tree, walking up on two legs, what is up with giant people hiding behind trees Redshirt initially thought, its sharp teeth glistened in the dark dawn, long claws dangled at its knees, and its hulking frame stood menacingly at chest height.