I was only feeling the ground. I didn’t want to feel anything else, so I stayed there, motionless, with my eyes closed. I didn’t want to think about what almost happened to me, so I tried to shut my mind down, and maybe try to sleep it off.

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I was doing a pretty good job, until I finally felt the ground beneath me.

It was rough and uneven, very different from the pavement of big cities. I managed to open my eyes, and saw earth. I wasn’t close to any garden a moment ago, so finding myself on the earth got me confused. Confused enough to get me out of my torpor.

I was in the middle of a cave. The earth was reddish, but the walls of the cave were browner. The roof, more than 10 meters above me, was filled with small gems, which reflected light and illuminated the cave. I couldn’t see from where the light was coming, but it must have a strong source for illuminating this whole place.

I was surprised for a moment, before remembering the odd circle that sucked me in. Years of reading made me realize what that thing must have been. Some kind of portal.

This realization was not the best for the moment. I thought about my dad, about my friends and about school. If what I have read could be used for this situation, then I would probably be unable to go back.

I sat back down and hugged my legs close to my chest. Thinking about losing everything, tears began to fill my eyes. I tried to not cry, but only seemed to make things worse. The air got stuck on my chest, and each sobbing only made it hurt. I was only half breathing, an amount that wouldn’t help me recover.

‘What a pathetic thing I was’, was the only thing I thought, while trying not to cry on the lonely cave.

I remembered what almost happened to me before the portal and how powerless I felt. I remembered the fight with my dad and how angry I got. I remembered the face of that guy who I liked when he was kicked out of my house and how embarrassed I was.

All these feelings coming to me only made the sobbing worse. It made me want to hide, to runaway, to disappear.

I was surprised to notice that I actually wanted a lone cave like this.

I cried for some time, until I actually recalled my situation. And the loneliness now was oppressive. The already emotionally shaken me did not cope well with this feeling, and I went back to my painful, dry sob.

But this time, something changed.

There was a warm presence on the cave. A soothing sound seemed to resonate throughout the crystals, trying to calm me down.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped away from it. Not because I was scared, but because how comforting it actually felt.

There stood a man. He had a brownish skin, just like the walls of the cave. It was also strangely filled with crystals. His hair looked like the ground, a reddish tone to it, long enough to be tied in a small ponytail. His eyes were strikingly beautiful, one shining in an inhumane clear color, just like a diamond and the other with a silver light, just like the moon.

The man, who looked like a humanized golem, gave a sigh, before coming at me and hugging me.

It was strange, but instead of trying to escape, I remained there. For a girl who had just passed it wouldn’t be strange to try to escape, it would be expected even. But he had such a calming presence that I only remained there, leaning on his chest.

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It finally seemed I was able to breathe, and with it, the tears began to fall.

I don’t know how long I cried on his arms, but when I finally came to myself, I was sat on the ground and hugging him, while he hummed some melody that made him vibe, almost as if he was purring. He wasn’t even hugging me anymore, and his arms were resting on his sides, supporting both of our weights.

“I see that you finally calmed down, child.” His had a strong voice, which made the entire cave tremble with each word.

“S-sorry… I… I…” I was embarrassed, for crying in front of a stranger and still holding him like that.

Noticing the way I was hugging him, I tried to pull away. Instead of letting me go, he put a hand on my back and pulled me closer again. Before I could protest, he began to purr, and that vibration soothed my mind.

He released me, and helped me to go back on my feet.

“Welcome to my domain, child from Other Earth. I have a favor to ask of you.”

What he told me next was akin to fiction.

Another reality, threatened by monsters. An agreement made with the God from my earth. And finally, his proposal.

For me to become a hero.

I was flabbergasted by all that. Of course, anyone would want to be hero, and receiving immortality at the same time made it irrecusably.

“Wow… Me? A hero? A real hero?” He smiled and nodded. “Wow… it’s unbelievable… But… who are you?” Curiosity mixed with my shyness, but the question was still asked.

He seemed to grow an even bigger smile. “My name is Cailou. I reign over the Stone, Gems and all the other precious stones. The musicians thank me for being the first to create melody, while all the races know me as the First Haven.”

“Are you a god?”

He thought a little before answering me. “I’m close to it, but not exactly as you imagine a god to be. I am not worshipped, but I still am more powerful than most beings. Powerful enough to be denied contact with anyone from the world. But enough talking about me. It’s time for you to choose.”

A mirror grew from the floor. It was facing me, so I could see my reflex. I was surprised my eyes weren’t swollen from all the crying. I wasn’t even dirty from lying on the ground!

“With our blessing, you will be able to choose from the races of our world. By focusing on any part of your body, you will be able to change it. Now, excuse me while you recreate yourself.” He sat down, facing away from me, and began to hum another song.

The list of races was enormous. From the ones I saw in every other fiction from some that I never even heard about. I spent a long time browsing the list, but at the end, I was unable to choose any.

“Uhm… Cailou? Could you help me choose a race?” Asking the opinion of a god seemed to be the smart choice, after all.

He though a little before and asked me without facing me: “Tell me about your last day on your earth.”

I told him everything. After spending a long time crying on him, I was far from being embarrassed again.

He listened in silence during the whole time.

“What made everything go wrong?” He asked when I finished telling everything.

I almost answered it was my father, but something made me stop. I thought about it, and figured out it wasn’t his fault.

I thought a little more, before finding the answer.

“My anger. My anger made me take the decision of going out, and it also made me avoid company of others during my way back home. It was my anger fault.” I could feel, from deep within me that this was the correct reason.

He slightly turned his head, until I could see his diamond eye staring at me.

“And what you want to do about it?”

I exhaled, but I didn’t take long to answer him.

“I want to control it. My anger can give me strength, so I wouldn’t get rid of it, but I can’t have it taking control over me.”

He gestured, as if he was shooing. “Then this must be the better choice.”

Vampire.

I looked at myself as a vampire. She looked almost the same, but her eyes shone in yellow color. Looking deep at it, I saw these were the eyes of someone who fought with her anger, taking control over it, and making it her strength.

I choose it. It was a god suggestion, after all.

I made some changes on her, but it was quick things. Finishing my recreation, I turned to say I had finish. I flinched when I saw him already behind me.

“You have finished.” It wasn’t a question, but I still nodded.

He put his hand on top of my head, before pulling me to another hug. “In this world, if you ever die, you shall be revived on the nearest temple. Mana and nutrition are interchangeable. When you eat, it will be converted into Mana. If you ever feel hunger, your mana will satisfy you. Don’t spend all your mana while hungry or you will die. This is the last blessing from the gods.”

He tightened his hug. “Good luck on this new world.”

His whole body shone, and I passed out on that light.