J. Holter
8:03 a.m.
03/27/21
Hours: 92.6
James stared at the digital screen, his eyes focusing on the hours he had worked so far. It felt strange to see all the time he had put into his job, especially since he had little to no memory of working those hours.
“Get to work, James,” a voice called out. James tensed up at the voice of his supervisor, who was standing nearby.
“Got it,” the young man muttered. He turned to head to his current area of work. His promotion from a month back had moved him from the labor heavy work of the warehouse to the pen pushing paperwork and testing office in the back. It was supposed to be a comfy job, something that James himself had strived for. Yet the blond man couldn’t help but feel out of place in these nice clothes and pressed slacks.
James caught a couple of glances from his coworkers as he headed his way. Most of their gazes were fixed on him for much longer than before. Their eyes seemed far from friendly. Still, the blond man pushed ahead and ignored the looks. Yet he could feel the heavy air in the building grow uneasy. James tried to break the awkwardness by greeting a couple of them.
“Hey Malcolm! How’s it going Dan?” He called out. None of them responded, only opting to keep a focus on their work. Even Sam, a friendly face, shoved past James with an uninterested look.
‘Everyone seems distant.’
James paused to allow a response to his thoughts, to which there was none. He blinked. Who did he expect to answer him? He shook away the feeling. It was probably his lack of sleep. James pushed past his worries and headed to his office, which sat in an air-conditioned part of the building, compared to the stuffy air he was used to before.
Upon entering, James felt his stomach sink. There were stacks of forms and unfulfilled sheets. He groaned as he set his jacket aside. This was going to take some time. It was probably going to take all day. James sat down in his chair, his fingers moving to rub the exhaustion out of his eyes. A part of him still wished he was moving crates and heavy lifting cargo rather than this crap. Still, this was the job. He had no other choice.
James sighed as he moved in to fill out the first of the sheets. As he clicked on the end of his pen, a strange icy feeling came along his left hand. It was short, but it left a lasting impression on James. He furrowed his brow and looked down at his fingers. They seemed fine, but James could swear there was a sense of numbness within them. He clenched his left hand into a fist before he focused on his work.
James spent the better part of his workday writing reports and filling out forms that archived any cargo that came in and out of the warehouse. His right hand would cramp up at times, but the young man pushed through it. Still, James couldn’t help but feel the hammer of boredom dawn on him. His eyelids grew heavy as he wrote down the next part of his report, this one detailing the damaged box that came in through the cargo bay. He yawned and stretched once it was over, his spine making popping sounds as he pressed it against the back of his chair.
This was a miserable feeling. James sighed as he looked down at the next stack, this one looking even more menacing than the last. He rubbed his eyes once more.
‘No one will mind if I take a quick nap, right? Hm, might be best to take it in the supply closet or bathroom…’
As James fantasized about the idea of sleep, the door to his office opened. Before James could respond or react, a small stack of papers landed on his desk, with red marker circled all over it.
“This is unacceptable,” a heavy accent called out. James raised an eyebrow at his supervisor, who was visibly upset.
“What?”
“Form number 16709, you marked that there was no damage to cargo. Yet the customer called back saying that the order has scuff marks on its exterior.” While not shouting, his supervisor’s voice was one level short of it.
James sighed, his hand grabbing the marked papers. “I noted the scuffs here in the note sections. Look, I even circled and underlined it,” James’ own voice was close to a mumble. He was trying desperately not to yawn.
“This is damage!” His supervisor insisted. “You have to check it here and let me or Marc know about it!” The older man tapped on the checkboxes.
“My bad. It was a slight mistake. I glossed over it by accident,” James breathed out the same excuse he had used the other times this had happened.
“This is unacceptable behavior. Mistakes like these cost us money, you know…” His supervisor shook his head at James as he went on another one of his rants about money. James could only tune out as the asshole went about pay and position. James knew better than to take the man seriously. After all, this was the same asshole who thought anything over five minutes in the bathroom during work hours was akin to stealing from the company.
“James!” His supervisor snapped his fingers. The act woke James up from his temporary daze, his eyes opening some more. The supervisor narrowed his gaze. “Are you sleeping? James Holter, this is unacceptable behavior!” The heavy accent of his voice emphasized on the word unacceptable. It was the one phrase that pissed James off. He wasn’t sure why, but whenever this guy used the word, it would be for the lightest of reasons. Chewing gum, listening to music while working, or even spending one minute over break. This asshole had the stick so far up his ass that he could classify as a muppet.
James could only watch as the supervisor snapped his fingers and rambled on about sleep. He talked about how James shouldn’t have an excuse for being tired, despite the young man being forced to work far into overtime and drive a forty minute commute to work and back. James bit his tongue as the rant went on and on. His hands slowly clenched into fists, his thoughts going crazy. The words of his supervisor slowly turned into nothing but a mumbled mess. It grated on James.
‘Just shut up.’
“You’re lucky enough to move up in this job, yet you continue to make mistakes despite it being a month since you started. This is unacceptable.” James gritted his teeth at the repeated word. The rant had only gone on for ten seconds, but it was starting to feel like an hour for the young man.
“You will need to work overtime again. If this keeps up, we will cut expenses from your paycheck.” At this point, the older man was starting to threaten James’ own livelihood.
‘Hit him.’
James could feel a colder, darker part of his thoughts seep into his mind.
‘Punch him, Break his nose. Shut him the fuck up.’
He could visualize it now. The blood speckling upon his fists as he pummels this man’s face in. HIs exhaustion slowly faded away by the second. James could feel a surge of anger in his veins. It would be so easy. All he had to do was grab the supervisor by the collar and go to town.
‘It won’t be enough. Kill him! Stab his throat open!’ His thoughts screamed.
James could feel his body moving suddenly, his legs springing himself upon his feet. In a moment, he was standing.
His supervisor went quiet, his eyebrows raising into an accusatory stare. “What is it? Are you going to say something?”
James clenched his jaw tightly. His fists shook but didn’t swing. “I need to get forms from Kelly’s office,” he breathed out, his adrenaline still running. Without waiting for a response, James stormed out of the room.
He hurried off from the office, far from it. Before he knew it, he was in the supply room. James’ fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles went white. He took a deep breath.
“Fuck!” He managed out. His anger had nearly taken over. Not only that, but it was entirely out of the blue. James had never felt this type of bloodlust. He had dealt with his supervisor hundreds of times before. He was capable keep his inner feelings buried. Now, however, he wanted to kill him. His instincts were no longer limited to just fighting. No, now they screamed for blood. James looked down at his shaking hands. His palms had bruises where his fingernails dug in.
“James? Are you alright?” A voice called out from behind the door.
James took another breath. “I’m fine, Seamus. I’m fine.”
“Seamus?” The coworker peeped his head in the room. “I’m Alan, remember?” He asked.
James blinked. “Yeah, Alan. Sorry, my head’s been spinning lately. Not enough sleep, y’know?”
“Yeah. Got it.” Alan furrowed his brow but said nothing else.
James sighed. “Hey Alan, can you tell Steve that I’m punching out early? I need to tend to some personal business.” James pointed to the watch on his left wrist. It was currently 5:02 in the afternoon.
While James was initially going to stay a little longer, he knew he wouldn’t be able to deal with his asshole as a supervisor, let alone get any work done. Besides, he needed to get home and make sure to get ready for his anniversary date with Monica.
“Sure, but you owe me one,” Alan muttered.
“You got it.”
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James looked at his phone, which displayed the time as 7:34.
“Where is she?” he muttered. Monica was late again. While it was understandable any other time, this was their anniversary. He expected for her to at least care enough to show up on time. He pulled at his tie, which was uncomfortably choking him out. “Why did I agree to wear this stupid thing?” James cursed under his breath as he tried to loosen it a little.
Monica had chosen this fancy restaurant for their date and she had wanted James to dress up nicely for it. James wasn’t comfortable with the place, but he couldn’t really argue with her. This was their fourth year together, after all. Still, after glancing at the online menu for the restaurant, he wondered if he would still have enough money for rent this month. Before James could ask the server for another glass of water, his date finally showed up.
Monica was at the front entrance, her heels clacking against the floor as she made her way to James’ table. She was wearing a black dress, its material like that of glittery silk. The dress design showed off her curves in a classy way, the low cut on her cleavage enough to make the blond man blush.
She had her hair done, her makeup enhancing the features on her expression. James watched as she arrived at the table, the young woman taking her time to sit down.
“Really? This was the best table you could get?”
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“I made the reservations a little too late,” James admitted nervously.
“Classic James, a day late and dollar short,” Monica huffed.
“It’s not a bad table. I mean, we have a view of the aquarium,” James gestured towards the large tank of water to the rear of the restaurant, where tropical fish and other exotic sea creatures floated around.
“Wow, instead of a nice sunset, we get to look at colorful fish,” Monica sighed. “Real romantic.”
James couldn’t help but let out a breath of frustration, which he disguised as a cough. “Waiter!” He raised his hand to flag down one server nearby, who immediately came to help. “We’re ready to order.”
“Alright, what will you two like to order?” The waiter asked the couple. Monica looked down at her menu, her fingers pointing at one of the meals. As she ordered, James looked for a cheaper option on the menu. As he did so, he felt a strange presence. He looked up and searched for where the feeling was coming from. As expected, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong. At least, that’s what he told himself. While brief, James could’ve sworn he saw a familiar woman in strange clothing walk by, her eyes amber like honey.
“What about you sir?” the waiter suddenly asked, catching James off guard.
“Oh, uh, I’ll have the…” He searched the menu, his eyes focusing on the prices. He finally found the cheapest option, which was a fish dish. “This one. The silverhead….” he trailed off.
“Silverhead? Sir, we don’t serve that here.”
James blinked. The dish said salmon, yet he had read it differently. “I… huh.” He muttered dumbly.
“James?” Monica hissed. “Are you paying attention? Order already!”
James looked at Monica, who was doing her best to hurry the young man up. “I… I need to be excused,” he blurted.
“Wait, what?” Before Monica could ask more, James was already up. Without much of another word, he walked off in the direction of the bathroom. He felt how his chest tightened and his mind grew foggier. It was getting harder to think straight, let alone speak. James slammed the restroom door open, his breath heavy and quick. He hurried to the nearby sink and mirror, turning on the water.
The young man splashed the cold water onto his face, hoping to actually wake himself up. When that didn’t work, he took stable breaths, his eyes closing as he tried to focus. What was happening? Why was he thinking of these things? Who was Seamus? What was the deal with that strange woman he saw earlier? The hell was a silverhead? These questions bothered James, as they made his head hurt beyond belief. He grabbed a paper towel with his left hand, using it to dry his face.
As he pressed the towel against his heated skin, images flashed in front of him. In every blink, James saw things he had never seen before. A blackened hand. The face of someone who had suffered a terrible fate. Blue burning flames crackled and popped at eye sockets and a gaping jaw. The cold frost on his hand.
James recoiled and screamed. He blinked. Everything was normal again. His left hand was normal again. His reflection in the mirror was the same as before. Groomed and well kept. That was James. Right?
James looked down at himself. He wasn’t sure what to think anymore. His thoughts ran rampant and his sense of reality was deteriorating. He turned around to the restroom’s exit.
‘What the hell am I?’
The young man wasn’t sure what was real or not.
What feels real to you?
James looked behind him. No one. Yet he swore he heard someone say something. He swallowed his nerve. Was he hallucinating?
‘Then again, what feels real to me?’
James thought back to the images that flashed before him. They felt real. They felt like actual things that had happened. It was to the point where James could faintly recall the pain from them. Still, he wasn’t a hundred percent sure if it really was all real. For all he knew, this was all just a weird nightmare or result of his lack of medication.
‘But, if there’s a chance that it’s all real…’
James could feel his mind grasp at a certain image among the ones that had flashed earlier that day. It was one that he could not get his thoughts out of. There was only one way to make sure. James walked out of the restroom, his breathing now under control and his mind set on his mission.
He headed back to the table, where Monica was impatiently waiting. “James! Are you alright?” His girlfriend stood up from the table. While worried, James could catch the hint of embarrassment and shame coming from her voice.
“I…” He trailed a little. James was hesitating.
‘Is it really a good idea?’ he wondered to himself. This was possibly going to go south, regardless if he was right.
“James?” Monica spoke up once more. She took a step towards him. “Have you been taking your meds? Do you need to go home?”
James furrowed his brow. “What happened last August?” he asked suddenly.
“What?” Monica looked dumbfounded, as if she didn’t hear what James had said.
“Last August. Nick said we almost broke up. Why?”
“James, you’re confused. Calm down.”
“Just answer me,” James pushed.
Monica turned a bright red. “We got into a dumb fight about you wanting to leave the city! Don’t you remember? You wanted to go off somewhere, and I said no! We fought and separated for like a week!” Monica hissed under her breath.
James shook his head. “No! That’s not what happened. What happened is that I caught you cheating on me. The guy you fucked! Mike! I beat him up that day!”
“What?! What day?!”
“The day I got fired! The day I crashed! The day I got summoned to—” James stopped himself.
Monica looked even more worried. “James, you’re confusing me. Summoned to where?”
“Valenfrost,” James muttered. The gears in his mind clicked and stopped. Without warning, it had all come back in a rush. Dahlia. Seamus. Deimos. Faust. Memories of his real life rushed in and replaced his fake Earth ones. It was so sudden that it caused him to stumble in place.
“I was summoned to Valenfrost…” He looked around his surroundings. Earthling tables and architecture looked so foreign and strange. It was disorienting to him. “Why am I back here? Why am I on Earth?”
“James, you’re scaring me. Calm down and—”
“Shut up! This isn’t real!” James shouted. “This is some sort of illusion!” His outburst seemed to catch the worrisome glances of the men and women around the place, their eyes staring at James.
Even a waiter decided to intervene. “Sir, calm down. You are disrupting everyone’s meal.”
“The hell with this! It’s all fake!” James shouted. He gestured to the restaurant, waving his arms as if to shoo away the illusion. “It’s all in my head… That’s what it is…” He breathed out, his chest growing tight with anxiety.
“James! Calm down!” Monica’s voice called to the blond man, but he didn’t care. Without another word, he ran out of the restaurant, leaving behind his date and a building full of confused people.
James headed to his car, set on his new mission. He needed to go back, to get out of this place once and for all. He had his friends counting on him, dammit. Once he entered his car, he took his deep breaths. James needed a clear head. He needed to think. As he sat there all alone, surrounded by silence, an inkling of an idea formed in his head.
‘That’s it. I just need to go there. Where it began.’
James took another deep breath, his hand moving to grab his keys. He started up his honda civic, which sputtered to life. With no hesitation or regard to safety, he pressed hard on the pedal, speeding off from the restaurant.
James was headed to where it had all changed for him. The beginning of it all. To the lake where he was summoned from.
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It took some time, but before long, James had arrived at Black Water Lake. He parked his car at the side of the dirt road that led to it, the black waters visible from his car. He left all of his things behind in the vehicle before finally approaching the lake. James undid his tie as he walked, his free hand slipping his jacket off. Soon enough, he would reach the open shore, which was more akin to a marsh than a beach. His dress shoes sank in the mud, his socks getting soaked in cold water. Finally, he stopped. James stood at the lake’s shore, staring out into the distant waters.
The blond man gritted his teeth. “Take me back!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. No response. James cursed and grabbed a rock. He tossed it into the black waters. Nothing. “Send me back to Valenfrost! I’m not going to stay here any longer! Take me back!” He threw more rocks at the lake, hoping to actually get a response. Yet nothing happened.
James stood there for an hour, throwing rocks and insults at the lake before his voice went hoarse. By then, he was on his knees, mud staining his formerly nice clothes.
“Take…me…back…” He wheezed out. Nothing.
“Quite the persistent one, are you?” a female voice suddenly called out.
James turned around, only to see no one. His expression darkened. “You put me here, didn’t you?! Take me out of it!”
At first, there was silence. Then, the voice came back, this time laughing her ass off.
“I am not the one who placed you in this spell! If anything, I am here to break you out.”
The voice sounded soothing, sultry, almost. Before James could ask the voice a question, the scenery around suddenly changed. There was now an unknown source of light that bathed the world in red. James looked at the lake, seeing that it had all dramatically changed. The trees were now burnt and falling apart, their trunks sinking into the mud. Buildings littered the lake, their edges visible from afar. Both Azuran and Earth structures sank and rose from the waters, the visage disorienting. The moon above was a blood red, its light tinting everything in sight.
“I quite like this world. It really is interesting.”
“Who are you?” James managed out.
“I am the one who will lead you to legendary status,” the voice whispered. “I have been watching you for a long time, James Holter.”
There was now a runic slab in the middle of the lake, reminiscent of the one that James had seen back on Earth. Yet now it was made of black obsidian, red runes burnt on it. Blackened hands grabbed at its bottom, almost like they were trying to pull it down. The moon above shone upon the slab, the runes on it pulsing like a heart. It looked hellish.
“What the hell are you saying?” James asked. He looked around the lake, trying to get up. He would not be able to. Black, undead hands grasped at his body, pulling him down. James could see that the zombies they belonged to bore glowing blue eyes that mimicked his own. His eyes widened at the sight of one zombie. It was Gryff, the knight he had killed last Frost. The dead man stared at him with burning sockets, his hands grabbing at James’ left arm.
James couldn’t help but feel nauseous. He tried to fight the undead off, to get away from them. Yet they held him down like a vise, dragging him further into the mud.
“Do not fight it. I am simply breaking you out of this illusionary dream.” The voice came back. This time, James could clearly tell where it was coming from. Delicate and pale hands appeared around the runic slab, gently caressing the runes. James shivered, feeling how his own chest tightened in response. Was he connected to that thing?
“You are so interesting. So different from the others,” the voice murmured. The hands grasped at the runes, the color of which turned from demonic red to a heavenly purple. James doubled over, gasping as his heart experienced what he could assume was ecstasy.
The voice giggled. “This is only a glimpse of my true power. Cherish it.” With that said and done, the slab before him sank further into the black waters, before it disappeared.
James gritted his teeth, forcing himself to straighten up.
The voice came back once more. “Above you.”
With little of a choice, the young man looked up and saw her. It was a woman, her body floating above James. She was wrapped in golden chains, her hands and arms held with taut bandages. A blindfold was wrapped around her eyes, covering her upper face. Yet James could tell she was stunningly beautiful. Her skin was like a fair alabaster, smooth just from the look of it. Her visible features were flawless and smooth, lips lush and begging for contact. Despite it all, however, James felt revulsion looking at her.
“You’re that voice. I remember hearing you before Faust’s memory kicked in… What do you want from me?” James demanded.
“I want to know you, James. To know your fate.”
Her whispers were like sweet promises, the words like pillows for James’ ears. He shook the feeling away almost immediately.
“Fate?” he asked.
“The Tree of Fate shudders at your existence! You are truly something special,” she exclaimed. “Come and find my people. My worshippers. They reside east of your island, near the Abyssal Sea,” the woman whispered.
“Who are you really?” James muttered, watching as she came closer to the blond man.
“I am beyond your understanding… A deity with powers beyond imagination.” She grinned as her hands reached James’ cheek. He couldn’t budge as the zombies below him were clenching him tightly, their grip strong enough to paralyze James.
“I am Iendis. Sister of Thien and Daughter of Myr,” she revealed, her soft hands caressing the blond man’s cheek. “If you seek me out, I will guide you to become something greater than a Lumen Knight. Greater than a herald,” Iendis whispered to James. The undead that held James shouted out in praise.
“Hail the Draugr! Hail the Draugr!”
“Long live the Draugr of Valenfrost,” Iendis whispered to James, before she brought her lips to his. James struggled, but couldn’t do anything as she kissed him. He could feel how cool and smooth her lips were before they soon heated up. Before he knew it, the kiss had turned blazing hot. His body shuddered but soon relaxed at the kiss, his body sinking faster into the ground.
Paralyzed, James Holter was dragged into the cold marsh, his world going dark.