In the dream, she wanders through the towering pines for hours on end. She breathes in the scent of nature, the air free of pollution, and revels in the feeling of being free. There is no danger, no anxiety, and no failure. Only the bliss of simple existence. She visits a shallow pool and dips her leg in.
Looking down, she notes her reflection. A furry visage of a familiar animal returns her gaze as she stares deep into the eyes of the golden fox she always plays the part of in this particular fantasy. For just a moment they stare at each other in contemplation.
But the dream always ends. She sighs deeply, hearing the insistent blare of her alarm calling out to her through the veil. Begrudgingly, she cracks an eye open and glances across the room at the clock that sits on the opposite wall. The glare of the digital clock blurs her sight for a moment, but soon she can make out its face.
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4:55 AM
April 28th
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The girl groans as she tosses the sheets back over her head in a vain attempt to escape reality. If she didn’t work up the energy to turn the alarm off soon, her roommates were sure to lecture her later. For a brief moment, she weighed the prospect of a lecture versus the comfort of staying in bed before letting out another deep sigh.
She rolled around quickly in her bed, wrapping the sheets around her in an attempt to secure her warmth, before dropping out of the bed entirely. Giving the alarm clock a glare that could thwart a bull’s charge, she slowly began inching her way across the room like a worm, with the pace to match. Soon, she was below the target. She steadily rose to her full height, making sure not to unravel her cocoon while doing so.
Once she was properly leveled, a single hand darted out of the cover of warmth, slamming the off button before quickly retreating back into cover. The threat to her quiet life ended, she stood in quiet contemplation of what her next step should be. She threw a quick glance out of her window, focusing on the city outside.
The city of Flagstaff wasn’t quite up and running yet, but in a few more minutes the sun would peek over the surrounding mountains, marking the beginning to the most marvelous day on the calendar; Friday. If she hadn’t forgotten to turn off her alarm, she would’ve never been awake at this hour, much less standing. Friday was the only weekday she had off from class, and the sacred oasis known as a three day weekend was not to be disturbed; by not family, friends, nor God.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
CRACK
With a sudden flash of light, a resounding clap of thunder blasted through the girl’s room. The sound knocked her feet out from under her as she was served the equivalent of a flashbang without warning. The girl cried in pain as she clattered to the ground, her mind going into overdrive parsing the language of an unknown world; a world and civilization that dwarfed her own like a pea to the sun. Unknown to her, a foreign entity reached down from the sky and snaked through the clouds. The glowing orb of rainbowing energy no bigger than a tennis ball flew into the girl’s chest and settled itself deep within her soul.
As the world faded to black around her, the girl weakly gazed out the window and widened her eyes in shock. She could’ve sworn that the northern lights were dancing in the sky above her apartment, as various shooting stars blazed from the heavens above.
I suppose God doesn’t honor my oasis after all.
And as the young woman slumped against the wall of her sanctuary, the world ended.
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System integration complete.
All User information initialized.
All characteristics initialized.
Alert! System User Himiko Hirune possesses one characteristic that meets Scion threshold!
Contacting Administrator 17…
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Himiko’s consciousness suddenly snapped into focus like a lightning bolt in the darkest night. Taking an instinctive step back, her foot stepped into deep water and almost threw her off balance as she attempted to get her bearings.
All around her was a foot deep ocean of crystal clear water that continued infinitely in every direction. The sky was a void of white, and the ground beneath the ocean was a smooth, blank white floor that mirrored the sky.
She held her head as she tried to remember what happened to her. A crash, a light, and a splitting headache were all she gained from the venture, all the finer details seemed to have slipped away somewhere in the confusion.
Is this the afterlife? She couldn’t help such a thought.
“Not quite.”
Himiko splashed in the water as she spun in place, a disembodied voice echoing in the void she found herself trapped in. She swung her head every which way, but if anyone was here with her in this space, they did not reveal themselves.
“Right this way, miss.”
Himiko swiveled in place once more, revealing a woman in business attire sitting in a cubicle that had definitely not been there a moment ago. She blinked as the woman smiled and waved to her, her thoughts freezing up.
“If you’ll step just this way, we can begin your orientation.”