Advers trod along the road quite slowly. The white light of the street lamps on his left his guide to the otherwise dark road covered by the overgrown trees mirrored on his right; not allowing the moonlight to pierce through his path.

It was night by the time Advers sauntered back home. And somehow, he could feel the solitary of this particular evening. Like a deep-seated feeling brought from afar, the wind blew towards him. The cold touch it brought to his face made him spew out warm air over his hands. His uncovered arms shivered slightly from the cool air, and the sheets of paper accompanied his movements with a flutter.

After walking a bit, he stepped out of the illumination of the street lamps. Then he took a right turn towards the green platform of grass and bushes, with a copse of trees blanketing his entirety.

Now, he was truly under the shadow of the trees. The moonlight glancing on him from time to time as the tree swayed. In front of him, the sprinkled moonlight on the ground also swayed intermittently, bringing forth a gentle touch to his eyes.

Once again, the cold wind blew. But this time, except for a slight shiver on his arms, he closed his eyes as he inhaled. An undefined scent of grass, trees, along with the chilly air, poked his senses to a calm and content feeling that plunged him deeper into his thoughts.

Back when Advers was in the city, the city lights were the reflection of the night sky itself. Forming a ceiling separating his eyes from the periodic twinkling of the speckle of the cold night sky. The multitude of buildings erected almost all over the place, high as they could be, served as the foundation to replace the night lights far above to a much more systematic and dispassionate sight. And the lamps lined all over the place its associate to further outshine the stars, and sometimes, even the moon itself.

Moreover, the incessant sound of the vehicles and clanking boots of the thousands of people on the streets, parks, and way walk dampened the peaceful night he was fond of. The redeeming silence, the bellows of the wind, the dimly emitted light of the moon, and the stars above were all but a passing memory to him there. The city was the prison that held him to realize this pondering. Opening his eyes, he breathed in deep once again. Tonight, like these past few nights had been, the night sky has bestowed him a simple moment to live the ponders he had bottled in the city.

One more step and his left foot would be bathed in the moonlight, the trees no longer clothing him with the darkness as he reached the unpaved road leading to the back of the building he was living. As he took that step, his other foot took another one. Slowly, the moonlight crept to his body as he walked out of the shadows, his black pants and black shirt shone deeply against the moonlight and contrast to his pale figure.

Halting his steps with his whole body now wrapped by the gentle touch of the night’s beacon, he then looked towards the moon to mirror the radiance of it in his deep black eyes. It was sleek as it shone, a dim light serving as a guide for the creatures of the night, a beacon to someone like him.

He slightly smiled, with realness as he seldom did.

The moon was round as it could be. The beat of the grains in the clear night sky fascinating. The bellows of the wind soothing. The rustle of the trees comforting. And him standing between the harmony of this inexplicable imperfection the sole audience of it. It was different. Tonight was truly nothing that he had experienced and he can't explain why.

Haaa. Let it be much more magical oh moon. A thought slipped through Advers trance.

Then, as if by chance, his blurred dreams came to him. Eliciting his heart to skip a beat and his eyes twinkling to a shiver. He felt something within him as that thought came. As if a hope that is lit within him encouraged him to believe that these dreams speak more than of how confusing it was to him. Though he was defeated by the absence of even a sliver of an answer, he nevertheless stopped to project a scene-- or scenes of what could this mystery be.

Hopefully something truly magical. The last thought came to his mind as he resumed walking. His heart still thumping with the unknown.

---

In the middle of the night, the moon shone bright, so bright than what it could have ever diffused upon the lands of the night. The wind streamed across the plains, disengaging their momentum with the flutter of the trees, howling as loud as they could every time it met against crevices. Then the cold night dug deeper through the walls; the temperature dropped lower seeking warmth.

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The breath of relief Advers made from his comfortable slumber started to wane. Slowly replaced by a frown crawling to his forehead and a shivered breath of true cold air. He would have seen it, even for a brief moment, that a visible white mist shot out from his cracking lips. But no, he didn't have the time. As a voice pleaded and rammed his mind to wake. Garnering his attention away from the strangeness happening on him.

***

 Dear Humans,

How have you been?

Were you all fine?

Safe? 

Happy? 

Tired?

Joyful?

Or any other things?

Because I hope that you all are, for something worse has come...

It is not of my intention to inflict fear upon your hearts, nor do I have such a goal to your minds. But sadly, everyone has to know it.

Today, the world is nearing to an end. The prophecies of what you believe coming to life. Something of which none has been able to stop, and much less, know of its true existence.

Preparation has been set.

Plans prepared.

Stamps affixed.

You've been addressed and Guided. You only have your own existence to keep.

Farewell thee. And goodluck.

P.S.(I) The second letter will be gifted to you in a moment.

P.S.(II) The Dreamscape Reality letter now deposited in your mindboxes.

P.S.(III) Letters to come.

Yours Truly,

The Guide

 ***

In Advers befuddled mind, a new audioletter pressed him to listen to it.

***

Dear Advers,

For your efforts in clearing the first gate, this letter gifted to you is written with utmost care and love. And like many others, I had gifted them the same amount of love and concern just as I did to you, but of course, everyone else’s contained different prose of my words to them. How lovely of me right?

You have been gifted the Class Letter from the First Gate!

P.S.(I) Survive the first onslaught.

P.S.(II) Letters to come.

Yours Truly,

The Guide

***

But that didn't stop there. For after waking him with its grating voice, another audioletter penetrated his mind to listen. And having heard it for the third time, the voice was now a bit clear to him to understand what was going on.

***

Dear Advers,

All First Gate Clearers now deployed to mission points.

First mission: Survive the fall.

P.S. Letters to come if survives.

Yours Truly,

The Guide

***

Its brief declaration doused his jumbled and aching mind to a sobered realization over the real gravity of his situation. And only then did Advers found himself swimming against the air. The table, the chair, the broken lamp, his almost empty bag, and the bed he was on uniformly whistled as it dove. If there is one thing that could explicitly define just how high he is, it could only be the glimmer of the sharp crown of the mountain parallel behind him.

"Hell, no." Was all he could utter.