Before he knew it, Luke was already walking home. He had brushed off the congratulations and appreciation of those while leaving the gym. He had learned later as he walked from a phone call with Ben that Killgore's wrist, arm, leg, and shoulder were all broken in various locations. As well as cracking four of his ribs. They at the hospital had asked if he had been hit by a car. Ben had friends at the rival school and was able to find all of this out not that it gave Luke any piece of mind. He had hesitated to tell Luke but, Luke thanked him for the information nonetheless.
The night air was crisp as Luke went down the familiar street leading to his house. The once comforting sound of his sneakers hitting the pavement now felt distant and hollow the more he let his mind wander. He didn’t even notice how the streetlights flickered above him or how the cool breeze tugged at the sleeves of his sweatshirt. His mind was elsewhere, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts he couldn’t understand.
His body had been on autopilot ever since he left the gym. His legs moved without him consciously thinking about it, the path to his house already burned into muscle memory. But his mind was a different story—it wouldn’t stop racing. Ben should not have told him the extent of the damage he had caused Killgore.
First, there was the dream or nightmare, he wasn’t sure which. That dark, suffocating space, the voice that felt like it came from deep inside him. It had been more than just a bad dream—it was something that stayed with him, gnawing at him, pulling at something inside him that he wasn’t ready to acknowledge.
Then there was the mark on his chest. He still couldn’t get over how it had changed right before the wrestling match. The pain had been excruciating like fire spreading from his heart outward, and when it finally stopped, it felt as if his entire body had been reset. But the mark… it was darker now, more distinct, like an imprint burned into his flesh. It felt wrong as if it was never supposed to be there, yet it felt right at the same time, an unsettling feeling that gnawed at his gut. Something almost felt like it was calling to him. Then there was the match with Killgore. The speed, the power, the way he had thrown his opponent so effortlessly—it didn’t make sense. Killgore had been a state champion, undefeated for two years. And yet, Luke had taken him down without even breaking a sweat. It felt… too easy. Unnaturally so.
Luke glanced down at his hands, flexing his fingers, almost expecting them to look different. Stronger. But they looked just like they always had, like nothing had changed. But something had changed. And the more he tried to ignore it, the more it screamed for his attention. The street ended, and Luke found himself standing in front of his house. The lights were on, but something felt off. He’d never been one to be paranoid, but tonight was different. As he reached for the doorknob, a sudden chill ran up his spine. Something deep was resonating with him.
Luke shook the thought away and pushed the door open, trying to convince himself that his mind was just playing tricks on him. But as he stepped inside, the familiar scent of his mom’s cooking and the low hum of the television didn’t comfort him like they usually did.“Mom?” Luke called, but his voice felt small, swallowed up by the quiet of the house response.
He tossed his keys on the kitchen counter and made his way down the hall. His mother’s room was at the end, and the door was slightly ajar. He pushed it open without thinking, expecting to find her on the bed, exhausted from another long shift at the hospital. Instead, the room was empty. A small note sat on her pillow. Luke picked it up, unfolding it slowly as if he already knew what it would say.
Luke,
I’m sorry I missed your match tonight. I will be home shortly. I had something incredibly important to attend to. Get cleaned up and I am sure I will be back when you are finished. I have something I need to tell you.
Luke folded the note back up, his stomach sinking. He wasn’t mad—he never was when it came to his mom. But the strange feeling in his chest, the gnawing unease that had been building for days now, wouldn’t leave him. His mom was always working, always saving lives, but something about this felt different. There were too many things going wrong or feeling different today.
Something about the dream, the mark, and even the way he’d felt during the match—it all tied together. He couldn’t explain it, but it was like there was something bigger at play. Something he wasn’t supposed to understand yet. With a sigh, he turned away from the room, heading for the bathroom to wash off the sweat from the match. The bathroom light flickered as he flicked the switch on, casting shadows across the small space.
He stared at his reflection in the mirror. His face and eyes were tired, and his body felt heavy like he’d just run a marathon. But beneath the exhaustion, there was something else—something deep within his eyes, a flicker of something that he couldn’t quite place. As he turned the faucet on and splashed cold water on his face, his mind wandered again to the mark. The one that now burned like a brand on his skin. He’d tried to ignore it, but it seemed to pulse with life as if it had a mind of its own.“Luke?”The voice came from the hallway. He turned around quickly, his heart jumping into his throat. His mom stood there, looking concerned, though there was a hint of something else in her expression. You don't look the best hun, why don't you get cleaned up and then head downstairs I want to talk with you a bit about your dad and probably why you look in the state you do. I have some of the answers you might be looking for. She didn’t respond, just walked down the stairs. Allowing Luke to mull over what she just said.
Luke stood frozen in place, the echo of his mother's words lingering in the air like a riddle he wasn’t sure he was ready to solve. Answers. The word pulsed in his mind, just like the mark on his skin. Was this the moment he'd been waiting for? The one where everything started to make sense? Or was he about to step deeper into a world that he wasn’t prepared to face? He glanced back at his reflection, wondering if his mom could somehow see through him. Could she tell what he was feeling? Could she tell that the mark was more than just a physical thing—that it was somehow tied to everything that had been happening since that strange, vivid dream?
He wiped his damp hands on his jeans, the cold water still prickling his skin. The fatigue in his body seemed to have worsened, and his head felt heavy like it was filled with too many thoughts trying to escape all at once. The match, the dream, the mark, and now his mom's cryptic offer to explain it all—it was all too much. But something inside of him, some part that he didn’t fully understand yet, told him that this was the moment. The moment he had no choice but to confront whatever was coming next. Slowly, he turned off the faucet, took a deep breath, and started the shower. He cleaned up, threw on some comfortable clothes, and walked down the stairs finally looking forward to having some modicum of answers to explain how this day had progressed.
He entered the kitchen to find his mom fumbling with her tea bag in the tea she must have made while Luke cleaned up. “Mom, are you okay?” Slowly walking around the table so he could look at her in full. He could see unwashed tears staining her cheeks and knew this must be more serious than he thought. He slowly slid the chair opposite of her out of its spot and sat down. Looking at her like this made him feel more fear than hope. He wanted answers but he did not want those answers to bring such sadness to his mom. She looked up from her cup taking him into her gaze. He saw something there, something more than he had seen before. He almost was afraid she had heard about his match and was disappointed in him. However, she promised answers and knew this wouldn’t be about the match. She took a deep breath and finally spoke, "Son, we don't have much time, soon you to leave this world, but know I love you with every part of my soul.”
Luke looked at her with confusion, “What do you mean to leave this world, what are you even saying?” She took another steady breath and he knew that his need for answers was going to make this a heavy conversation but what she had said didn't even properly register in her head. “Luke, let me explain this by asking you a couple of questions. In the past few months have you had any weird dreams, maybe experienced some feat of strength or endurance that seemed unnatural? Or have you developed some kind of mark on your body that you can't fully explain?” Luke looked at his mother as if she read his mind suddenly aware that he knew she was aware somewhat of what had been happening to him today.
“Yes, today during my match I hurt someone, I didn’t mean to do it, and to make it worse I did it with such ease. I beat the state champion today throwing him around as if he weighed nothing more than a light weight. To make it worse, yes, I developed this strange mark after a weird dream I had last night. Do you know what's going on with me?” He looked at his mom with hopeful eyes.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Rebecca finished her tea in front of her and with a steady voice she said, “Luke you're not from this world. Neither am I. This world was created or rather it was designed as a place where you and I could have a normal life away from Neverworld. This world is a pocket world that we have had the opportunity to live in, protected so that it can’t be disturbed by those that might wish to cause us harm or more importantly take you away.” Before Luke could say anything she continued. “I know this is hard to believe but Neverworld is the world that you and I and even your Father originally come from. We are but outworlders within this pocket world. A world called Earth that has no Essence found within. Essence, in simple terms considered magic as they would tell it in fantasy novels here. Essence makes up the Neverworld which allows those living in it to develop powers and grow in strength. The best way of putting it would be that we come from a world in which power rules all. Those with power are the apex beings and those that fail to progress are used as fodder during war. War is what makes up this world, unless you reach the level of Sage you will always be striving for more, and even then some believe there is something beyond.”
This was so much to take in that Luke stumbled over his words to ask questions. “What is Essence? How does this have anything to do with Dad? What is a Sage, and what do you mean by a world at war? So many other questions were running through his mind, but Luke was only able to get those out before his mom put up her finger to tell him to stop. “Luke I will answer what I can but soon you will have to leave”...before she could finish Luke slammed his fists on the table clear frustration written on his face, “What do you mean Leave?”
Rebecca knew this was hard, Luke didn't grow up in the realm in which those who were born in their world were put through trials even at a young age. Everyone born in Neverworld were recruited at the age of 18; something about the Academies called and marked those old enough to begin training for which Faction the school was based in. Bryan had hoped a pocket world lacking essence would shield the innate power of the Academy from reaching Luke to give him a chance at normalcy. Not having to live in a world that only cared about strength over all else. She looked at her son and knew this would not be easy answering his questions. They had little time, knowing Sean was finishing up the ritual to pull Luke through.
“Listen, son, this is hard for me, and I know you will never be satisfied by the answers I give you and hope Sean will be able to fill in some of the blanks on your journey. Luke was about to interrupt her but she slowly let her aura fill the small kitchen seeing Luke flinch. She needed to give him the basics so that he did not fully resent her after he was pulled through to the other world. She retracted her aura seeing he was calm, “Listen, what I just did was use the essence of what remains I have left to suppress you, allow me to finish before you interrupt again. I can feel the connection between worlds opening and soon you will be pulled through by me and your father's best friend Sean.”
Luke sat there, his hands gripping the edge of the table as he tried to absorb the weight of his mother's words. His mind was a whirlwind of disbelief, anger, and confusion. None of this made sense. He wasn’t supposed to be from another world—he was just a regular teenager, living a normal life, playing school sports, worrying about grades, and getting into college. This wasn’t his reality. But the mark on his skin, the dream, and the strange sensation he’d felt in the match—it was all too much of a coincidence.
His mother sighed, the lines of stress deepening around her eyes as she reached for her teacup again, her fingers trembling slightly. "I know it's hard to accept, Luke. Believe me, I wish things could be different." She paused, setting the cup down carefully just needed something in her hands to calm her scattered nerves. "But the Neverworld... It's not like Earth. It’s a place of constant struggle. The very fabric of that world is built around power and survival. The strong dominate and the weak are either crushed underfoot or used as tools in the endless wars between factions. We were given this chance, this world, as a refuge. A way for you to grow up outside of that brutality, to be normal for a time."
Luke’s thoughts raced, but he couldn’t find the words to respond. His mother’s eyes, filled with sorrow, locked onto him. She could see the storm brewing in his chest, and she knew how much more difficult this would all be for him to understand once the veil was pulled back. "You don’t know what it’s like," she said softly, "to live in a world where survival depends on strength alone. To know that every moment could be your last. It’s not something I wanted for you. I thought... I thought if I could just keep you here, keep you safe, I could protect you from all of that."
Luke felt a sharp pang of guilt at the hurt in her voice. Protect me? It didn’t feel like protection. It felt like a lie. Like the world he thought he knew was an illusion, and the truth was something far darker. “But if this Neverworld is so bad, why did we have to talk about it now, why am I being pulled to that world as you say? Why not just leave it behind?” He spat the question out before he could stop himself, frustration flooding his voice.
Rebecca closed her eyes for a moment, her expression turning even more weary. “Because it seems you can never truly leave that world as we once thought. Maybe if your Father was as strong as a Sage he would be able to bend the fabric of the world to suit his needs protecting you further. This world was meant to be a sanctuary, Luke, but it's not permanent. And it can’t hold you forever. You’re different—You have been chosen by the Academy of Knox to train. When the connection between worlds opens fully, you’ll have no choice but to go because if Knox sends their elites to find you and you are not willing to subject yourself you are considered useless to the world.” She leaned forward, her voice lowering.
“The world is made up of many factions each with generals, kings, and sages who all innately need to grow stronger. The world was born from Chaos and is linked to other worlds. The only way to survive is by growing stronger. This world is one of War. I say this as at the academy you will train to be a part of the army for whatever faction needs you to battle within another world. Battlefields are created when the Void forces open a pocket world where factions fight to find things that will exapnd their own power and faction. They fight to bring glory to their God. Some believe that these gods are trapped and they are looking within these various worlds to find the means to become untethered and walk among us again. This world has no true scale as you can find pocket dimensions everywhere. There is no hope of leaving a faction unless you become a Sage, something about their power allows them to distance themselves from the pull of the Gods and their armies. You will learn all this and more at the Academy, you will be tested and if found useless you may be discarded before you even see War. If I were you and you do not have latent talent, prepare for this the best you can. If you can survive in the wild, you may be able to make a life for yourself.”
Luke recoiled, his chest tightening as if the walls around him were closing in. He was supposed to be part of some war. There are multiple battlefields in the Void. If you aren’t talented enough you are discarded. The more he heard the more he was confused. He wasn’t ready for any of this. He couldn’t even handle the idea of the mark on his skin, let alone whatever powers he was supposed to have. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Rebecca’s eyes flashed with an intensity that made him pause. "I'm not asking you to understand all of this right now, Luke. But you need to know that your father and I did everything we could to shield you from this. To give you a chance to live a normal life, free of the wars, the factions, the endless power struggles. I was naïve though in those thoughts, and now bringing you to this world has only hindered you." She paused again as if searching for the right words. "But it’s time, Luke. The connection is opening, and soon you’ll be pulled through to Neverworld, where everything you’ve ever known will change."
Luke's heart was racing. Everything he thought he understood was slipping away like sand through his fingers. "Pulled back? What do you mean 'pulled back'?" His voice was barely a whisper, full of dread. "What do you want me to do? Fight in some war? Become a weapon?"
His mother reached across the table and took his hand, her grip firm yet tender. "I don't want that for you," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "But it's not about what we want. It's about what the World wants, Luke. The ritual Sean is performing... it's pulling you back to where you truly belong. And there’s no escaping it. The sooner you accept that, the easier it will be when the time comes. I wanted to at least be able to tell you what I could before you left because I can not go with you. My power what was left of it was keeping this pocket world from falling apart. Your dad burned up his power to create it and that is no small feat. He was a General, far from a Sage but powerful in his own right. Our friend Sean was a trusted Lieutenant in the armies of Knox but is now a Commander and he is the one you must learn from. Those who go to the Academy have lived in this world and prepared for it since they were born. You will be at a disadvantage for the first trial. You will have to work harder than everyone else since you come from this world and not one of any power. Don’t let that deter you but use it as a reason to pursue strength.
Luke squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the tidal wave of emotion crashing over him. This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real. But deep down, he knew there was no denying it. Whatever was happening, it was too big for him to run from. And the mark on his skin, burning with an increased intensity with each passing second, seemed to mock his attempts at denial. He couldn’t escape this. Not anymore.