When the countdown reached 00:00, the screen switched to display a human-like silhouette in front of a white background. It had no hair, ears, or human features besides its rough shape. As it spoke in a somewhat robotic voice, it remained motionless. "I apologize for interrupting your celebrations, humans of planet earth. My duty here is to inform you of the changes your reality will soon experience. Before I begin, however, I advise that you let go of any past delusions behind your understanding of the cosmos, for everything you think you know is nothing but a fallacy. Today marks the day The Entity has touched this insignificant solar system, and with its arrival, everything will change.

If you desire to prosper and thrive, you must find your affinity to the Entity, for it tethers us to all that is. Look within yourself, and find its connection to you. From my understanding, there is a practice known as meditation on this planet you inhabit. I advise you to start there as you search your soul.

The first change you will encounter will be the tears in the fabric of reality. These will appear scattered throughout your planet and lead you into the first dimension, home to endless eldritch creatures and filled with treasures you can merely dream of. Only those who have formed a connection with the Entity may cross, rising to power or succumbing to a gruesome fate. I suggest you make the most of this, as the challenges you face will only grow more fierce over time.

That is all I have to say to you. Good luck, Earthlings." The TV switched off, leaving the three in silence, still staring at the screen as if waiting for something to happen.

Rio spoke first. "What are we supposed to do with that? Am I supposed to hop into some portal and start killing, what was it? Eldritch Creatures? What the fuck does Eldritch even mean? I'm sorry, but I swear that's one of those weird words that doesn't really mean anything.

Alice cleared her throat, turning her eyes away from the screen for the first time. "I believe Eldritch refers to the strange and sinister. What are your thoughts on all this, Aaron?"

No reply came.

Surprised, Rio and Alice turned to look at the back of the room.

Sitting on the ground, Aaron had taken a sitting position, legs crossed and eyes shut in concentration. Both his hands were placed on his knees with his palms facing upwards.

Rio was utterly perplexed. "Seriously? When did he even start doing that?"

Alice shrugged, scratching her dark hair. "I believe the silhouette on TV said something about meditation and a connection to The Entity."

Rio took a deep breath, a common action he took in most situations Aaron was involved in. "Aaron, this isn't some MMORPG quest. You aren't gonna find no Entity bullshit. We should just wait and let the police take care of things."

Rio's words failed to reach Aaron, who had completely zoned out the conversation around him. He'd been skeptical about this Entity thing at first, too, but he'd be crazy not to try and find it when all he had to do was meditate. And to his pleasant surprise, as soon as he closed his eyes, that doubt instantly washed away.

Aaron felt like a shark picking up the scent of blood in the water. It was a mere droplet, but that was enough for him to lock on. He'd been starving for a long time and would devour anything thrown at him.

Upon reaching the drop, he circled around it. Something was protecting it, stopping him from seizing the power and consuming it. Aaron tried to touch it and felt it touch him back. That's when he understood. Aaron couldn't simply devour it. He had to understand and earn its power. Putting all his focus on it, Aaron felt it tugging at him, and he allowed it to happen.

The world around him disappeared, and Aaron was submerged in darkness, an infinite plane of void. Hovering in front of him sat the droplet, staring back at him. It wasn't so much a droplet anymore, but rather a twisting and churning ball of dark energy.

The Entity.

Slowly approaching it, Aaron raised a hand to it and felt its power surging. He tried speaking to it. "I can feel the power you hold, and I'd be lying if I said I wanted it for some noble cause. Truth is, I simply want strength, not for any specific purpose, really. Just simple stuff, you know, like fighting off a massive horde of monsters with my bare fists or kicking a giant boulder into a million pieces. I just wanna do awesome shit."

The ball of energy trilled, and the void surrounding Aaron disappeared, suddenly replaced by a room that reminded him of a reception of sorts. It had minimalist decoration but was quite accommodating. Grey carpeting lined the floors, and wine-red walls complimented the vibrant green of the two small ferns at either side of the entrance. The reception desk was slightly curved and made of black granite, sitting behind it, a featureless silhouette sat motionless.

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Aaron carefully approached the figure. It was identical to the one that had given the TV announcement, though it was directly in front of him, making its features, or lack thereof, much more pronounced. It was as if somebody had cut a humanoid shape hole in the fabric of reality and left it there. Depth, color, and essentially everything there was to material things were utterly devoid of this creature. Truly a fascinating sight. Or rather lack of it? Aaron was starting to get confused and decided not to dwell on it anymore.

Noticing the silhouette had no interest in engaging with him, Aaron took the initiative. "Sup dude."

The silhouette shifted slightly, turning to face him. "Sup."

Aaron was unsure if it was attempting comedy or if this was simply its way of being. Choosing not to dwell on it, he figured he ought to be more direct. "Yhea, I was wondering if you know what's happening here. Am I supposed to be doing something?"

The silhouette leaned forward, focusing on Aaron. "Whether you do or do not is your decision, child. My only purpose is to help you interpret the Entity. That said, since you inquired, I must inform you of your first step toward building your foundation. However, to do so, you must first access the first dimension. Given you have already formed a connection with the Entity, it is simply a matter of finding a tear in the fabric and stepping through." As it finished speaking, it leaned back once more, almost as if deactivating.

Having understood the instruction, Aaron refocused on his surroundings and suddenly found himself dragged back into reality. Upon opening his eyes, he noticed Alice and Rio closely watching the TV, which appeared to display some government announcement regarding the recent events.

As he stood up, Alice quickly turned to address him. "Find anything?"

Before Aaron had a chance to respond, Rio interjected. "Don't encourage him. What exactly would he find by sitting on the ground with his eyes closed? His stupidity?"

Aaron giggled. "Unfortunately not, I still haven't found that. But I did find the Entity's touch within, so I'm gonna go and find one of those reality tears now. Did the TV say anything about where I might find one?"

Rio rolled his eyes, but Alice took his answer seriously. "Nothing regarding locations, but they did say that we should contact the authorities if we find one."

Aaron scratched his chin, trying to figure out a way to find a tear as fast as possible. "Maybe we can call the police and ask if they can point us to the nearest one."

Rio, amused by Aaron's suggestion, quickly shut him down. "Yeah, right. We should also ask them if we can borrow some weapons and gear before heading in."

Aaron's eyes lit up, fixing on Rio. "That's a great idea! You're a genius, Rio. I'll call right away."

Alice giggled, and Rio sighed. "I was being sarcastic, Aaron. You need to calm down and go back to bed. We'll check the news in the morning and see what's happening."

Shrugging his shoulders, Aaron took out his phone. "Well, I might as well try. The worst they can say is no." Before Rio could stop him, Aaron dialed 999, but the call failed to connect. "Huh, that's weird."

Rio sighed in relief before Alice cut in. "Unfortunately, your phone's not going to work. While you two were messing around, they announced that all radio-related communications are malfunctioning. The TV works thanks to the ethernet cable, but most people were completely cut off right after the silhouette's announcement. They said we should spread any information we get to people living near us."

Aaron smiled. "This is perfect!"

Rio was starting to grow increasingly annoyed with Aaron's attitude throughout this situation. "I'm sorry, but please explain to me what part of this is perfect. Is it the part where we can't call the police if someone breaks into our house? So we get to fight them ourselves. Or are you just glad that we're cut off from social media? That way, we get to work on our spirituality and mental health."

Aaron slapped a hand on Rio's should and flashed him a smile. "That's not what I was thinking about at all, but I like your positive mindset. Keep it up, bro."

Finally giving up, Rio sank into the sofa, realizing, like many times before, that explaining sarcasm to Aaron was utterly pointless.

Smiling proudly at his friend, Aaron continued. "Nobody has access to their phones, which means that if somebody wanted to report the location of an entrance to the first dimension, they have to do it in person."

Rio looked like he wanted to make a remark but decided to stay quiet this time.

As he kept explaining, Aaron's smile deepened. "So if I go chill in a police station, someone will eventually come in shouting the location of one of the tears."

Alice started to look a bit worried, her ocean-blue eyes digging into him. "Are you sure, Aaron? Won't it look suspicious if you're just standing in the middle of a police station doing nothing?"

Aaron shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, details, I'll figure out once I'm there." He picked up a bag and headed through the kitchen door next to the living room. "Oh, by the way, you guys wanna come? Adventure time?"

Rio was not very enthused, still doubting the whole situation. "Go to the police station to wait for something that isn't gonna happen and maybe get arrested? Sounds great, but I think I'll pass."

"Alice?" Aaron asked hopefully while packing his bag full of random foods he considered to be combat rations.

She replied meekly. "I tried looking for the Entity within but couldn't find it, so I'm afraid I won't be able to join you. Whatever you find out there, Aaron, be careful."

Aaron grinned at her. "Don't you worry. I'll be back before you know it. Make sure to connect with the Entity by the time I'm back, though. Adventure's more fun with friends."

With that, Aaron slung the backpack over his shoulder and walked out the door while holding an apple with his teeth.

As Aaron closed the door, Rio furrowed his brows and looked at Alice. "Is it me, or did he just go out in his night robe?"

Not allowing Alice the chance to answer, Aaron walked back into the house, shivering in his robe. "Holy shit, guys, it's cold out there. Fuck." He went down to his room and quickly changed before heading out again. Rio and Alice simply watched the pathetic spectacle, awe-struck by Aaron's relaxed nature, given the world had been flipped upside down for them.

Meanwhile, Aaron could scarcely contain the excitement of exploring another dimension, fighting shit, and becoming stronger. So much so, that it was no surprise he could barely get himself dressed before leaving the house.

As he strolled down the wintry streets of London, a smile shone on his face, much like the glimmering sky above, now filled with dancing and flashing colors that moved in a beautiful and unpredictable symphony.