I was just your average guy.
There wasn’t anything particularly bad about me, yet there wasn’t any redeeming quality either. Just your average guy.
The only thing that made me different would probably be my hobbies. I particularly enjoyed watching things melt (Not weird at all) and then playing with the molten product. My blisters and reddened skin stand as testimonies to my odd hobby.
Well, besides my hobby of melting things, I was just your average guy. In fact, I wasn’t antisocial either, I had my own group of friends to rely on, I had a fiancée and was even doing quite well for myself.
Well, that all changed quite swiftly.
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A distant rolling thunder interrupted my thoughts as I peered out the clear glass window. The night was illuminated solely by two tall street lights. The other lights along the road had long since burnt out, leaving the rest of the street looking dark and derelict throughout the night when quite frankly that area was quite tidy during the day.
I’d always wondered why the city hadn’t repaired the lights yet, but as usual, they never responded to any letters regarding the issues that actually mattered. It seems that building those stadiums was more important than keeping their ‘wonderful’ city in a state where it doesn't look all that presentable. Quite saddening.
Anyways, after focusing back on the taxes that I had neglected for the past few months, hoping that nothing would happen if I just didn't do anything. Sadly, the government notice didn’t quite agree with my hopes and desires.
After an entire hour and a half of mundane paperwork, I stood up and begrudgingly walked over to my bed. I wasn’t that fond of paperwork and just this much had mentally exhausted me and brought me to my limits.
I had always respected those people who could hold a desk job where they did this sort of mundane work for a living. Truly admirable.
Closing my eyes which were already starting to flicker closed, I fell into a deep, deep sleep.
- - - - -
‘Am I dreaming?’
After quickly surveying my surroundings, I concluded that this was a dream. A very realistic dream.
With chiseled marble pillars and a nice woven carpet that possessed a certain charm that you couldn’t help but respect the craftsmanship held within.
Around me was a crowd of people with a variety of ages, whether it was children, grown men, or even elderly women; they were all here. I couldn’t help but ponder why I had dreamt up such a weird scenario. Were my dreams ever this detailed? Interesting.
Suddenly, a booming voice came from an area of the room I hadn’t noticed, which was quite odd considering it was the largest part. Quickly many heads swiveled in the direction in which the voice had come from as if snapping out of a dazed state, myself included.
“Welcome! I would like to formally welcome you all to this kingdom, no, this world and would like to thank you in advance for the services that you shall provide to this kingdom!”
Services? As if, why would I work for someone Who had seemingly captured a bunch of people and proposes that we perform them services.
I noticed that a few others shared my opinion, but before they could voice their opinion, the crowned man talked once again.
“Well, now that that’s all said and done, please line up in single file and have your status judged by our department heads. It’s not like you can resist anyways.”
Can’t resist? Don’t joke around.
Suddenly a compelling force attacked me and I found myself easy guided towards the line that had started to form which contained everyone who had just been sprawled on the floor with me earlier.
‘What the hell, what’s going on, why can’t I move my body? What’s going on?’
Slowly, the line walked forward, one by one touching what seemed to be a plate of bronze formed into a tablet shape (e.g. https://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/wsrp/educational_site/ancient_texts/CT_BMEA29753_R_T.jpg ) with glowing symbols on the back which glowed each time someone touched it. Once a decent amount of people had been waved to the side, the line started forming an amorphous blob of people. Slowly it seemed that bodily control came back to the people within the blob but none made a move, fearing that the what had just happened might repeat.
Eventually, it was my turn in line. Just like the people before me, I put my hand on top of the bronze plate. A faint glow that I hadn’t noticed while farther back in the line came from the other side and the man holding the slate looked content, waving me to the side.
Joining the group of people, I noticed a familiar face.
“Alex!”
Making sure to keep silent I beckoned to my co-worker who had joined the company around the same time as I, we quickly became friends and had hung out quite a few times.
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“Hey! Do you know what’s happening right now?”
“No, I can’t say that I do…”
With an idle silence, the both of us just stood amongst the crowd, attempting to be not be noticed by any of the men armored in shining metal plates, scales and even some men adorned in chainmail near the rear gate that seemed to be the exit.
“Do you think we can escape?”
“Not right now, we’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out until an opportunity arises.”
“I see.”
Responding to his comment, I couldn’t help but also start thinking of escape. Although it was a dream, albeit a dream that felt exactly like reality, I was still compelled to ponder on possible ways to get out. Based on previous occurrences such as the ‘services’ and forced line up, I could tell that theses people who seemed to have been pulled straight out of the Middle Ages had no plans of letting me thoroughly enjoy my time within this dream.
Suddenly, the armored men across the large room started signaling to each other with an odd hand signal. After the message seemed to have reached everyone in the room, the men, I’ll call them knights, started walking towards the group, encircling us with one hand always on their sheathed blades.
After encircling us like cattle on a farm, the man from the throne who had yelled from across the room earlier slowly descended from his throne and took long steps towards our group.
After approaching us and stopping about 10m away, the man, that after closer inspection was probably some sort of king or emperor, started talking once again.
“Heroes, no, Slave Heroes, welcome to my kingdom of Ruberia and you should also welcome your new lifestyle. What that entails, you shall find out on your own. In this place, my word is final, anyone who wants to contest that can step up now.”
Suddenly from the crowd a man, no, teenager with short brown hair stepped up.
“I’m not sure what you’re trying to pull off here, but I won’t allow it. Either let us go or I’ll take you down myself.”
After saying so, the teen rolled up his sleeves and put his hand in front of his face. A smirk appeared on the kings face as a small glow started emanating from his entire body. Slowly, like puzzle pieces coming together, small pieces of metal that seemingly came out of nothing started to stick together over the kings robed body forming a metallic suit of armor.
Paling once the armor started forming, the young man started paling even further while edging away from the king. After the full set had assembled, the young man started running away from the king and towards the doors.
Before he could escape the encirclement though, two knights dashed in his way, bumping him to the floor. With a panicked look, the teen tried many other sides of the encirclement but each time he was hit down. With a body riddled in bruises, the young man slumped to the floor panting with his gaping eyes pinned on the slowly approaching king who had been silently walking towards the teens direction the whole time.
After about 5 minutes of this deadlock between the fleeing teen and the armored king, the king slammed his foot on the floor, shooting him towards the teen, a newly materialized sword in hand. With one swift movement, a spherical object hit the floor and an arch of red liquid stained the floor to the side of the now headless boy.
I couldn’t help but cover my eyes along with most of the other when the sword connected. Thinking about what I had just seen, a nauseating feeling attacked my body. Going to one knee Whatever food was in my stomach had now been transferred to the carpeted floor. It wasn’t pretty. Several people around me looked at me in shock but didn’t say anything considering what we had just seen.
“Now, all of you, unless you have any other complaints, I suggest following the knights around you. They will show you the way to your living quarters. Try to get some good sleep in tonight since you’ll need it for what’s up tomorrow.”
After being guided by the knights through the doors, past a few halls until we were finally met with a rather long hallway lined with wooden doors we were individually guided to our respective rooms where one by one we were prodded into the rooms as if we were some sort of animal.
Once inside the room, I took note to how barren it was. It was barely passable as living quarters since it had a hay bundle wrapped in cloth, an empty shelf and a rack with places that looked like they were meant to hold weapons or something.
For some reason, I felt quite tired after coming to this dream world. Slowly walking towards my hay bed I collapsed down onto the bed with none the wiser.
- - - - -
And that is how my life in a parallel world begun.
If you find any grammar or spelling mistakes, please do point them out, thx.