Transformation complete…Initializing O.S… failed, overridden by ruling pantheon… re attempting… second attempt overruled by ruling pantheon… Initializing contingency plan diaspora…commencing teleport…

Teleport completed.. Welcome to Tenith…

I sat up and looked around as my mind struggled to catch up. My vision blurred as my eyes fluttered open. A stone ceiling sat above me. Light poured in from a window, catching the particles of dust as they floated around me. Strange numbers hovered around my line of sight, including a bar of scarlet red, and under that was a vibrant deep blue bar. What was this? I rubbed my eyes and the previous day's events slowly caught up to me, as did the words that bled into every corner of my mind.

My heart plummeted in my chest, and my mouth went as dry as a desert. I wasn’t on Earth anymore? Seeing the words appear in my vision, my thoughts went wild and my world spun. I felt like I was about to be sick from the shock.

No, no, no, no, what about my life? My apartment? My family? I felt my world crack for a second as the severity of everything sunk into me.

I wanted to curl into a ball, and screw my eyes shut. Fear slammed into my stomach at the thought of losing everything.

Yet nestled deep within me, was a sense of relief. Relief that I wouldn't have to wake up and go back to work, or pay my credit card debt. Hell, I didn't even need to pay taxes! Well, probably not that part, Taxes are as much part of life as death is.

As it sank in, I wasn't on Earth anymore. I looked around and noticed that my body felt relaxed, and I was mentally alert for once—a far cry from having to wake up after working for most of my day. I sat here for a moment and thought over what happened once more and found myself relaxing a bit more. Acceptance came in, but it was a slow process.

I was an idiot and walked through a portal and apparently found the remnant of a dead god. In my wisdom, I touched something called a divine spark and became a domain god. I let out a yawn and looked around the room. It was fairly simple. There was a wooden desk in the far corner that was decaying and had two broken legs. The cot I was lying on was thankfully in better condition than the desk. The air smelt a bit stale with a faint undertone of musk. I pushed myself off the cot, and a nervous chuckle escaped my lips. Oh, what have I gotten myself into this time? Laying next to the cot was my sports bag. I dragged it over and opened it and a set of words filled my vision.

Minor bag of divine holding. Capacity 9/30 Weight capacity 1.3Kg /400 kg

Contents:

2 bottles of water

3 snack bars

1 half-used lighter

1 Phone charger

2 notebooks

3 pen

3 sharpies

2 sticks of deodorant

1 handheld mirror

1 hairbrush

Well, that was convenient. I'm glad that I could keep my sports bag, though it changed into something called a bag of holding. I undid the strings tto check inside and could only see deep swirling darkness that devoured any light that seeped into it. Much to my surprise though it was much lighter than I remember. But how am I supposed to get stuff out? I rifled through my thoughts and stuff I’ve read over the years. Do I just reach my hand into my bag and imagine what I want to grab?

With that in mind, I tentatively reached into my bag envisioning a bottle of water since I needed something to wash away the disgusting taste that had built up in my mouth. When my fingers grazed the cap of the water bottle, shock danced through my heart. This was a bit scary, but at the same time, also very exciting. What more could I stuff into this bag? I wish I threw a toothbrush and some toothpaste in here, but at the same time, I didn’t imagine that this would happen.. At least I had the foresight to pack some deodorant in here.

So, I wasn't on Earth anymore, huh, I thought to myself as I took a hefty swig of the cool water. I needed to find a source of this stuff, along with food, if I wanted to survive. I cracked my fingers and saw some blinking lights in the corner of my vision. How do I select them? I made a quick gesture with my hands and saw that it was pointless. Maybe I have to do it with my mind then? I gazed at the blinking symbols and mentally thought about clicking them, which immediately rewarded me with a few screens that appeared side by side.

Welcome to Tenith! As a new Domain Core you can mark your territory! As you are a transfer, you have the one time ability to choose your class before placing your domain. You also have the ability to select a title. Please note, this class selection will be based on your current skills and title. As a Domain Core, you are offered a higher tier of power than what is normally allowed.

So I had to choose a class! This was exciting. Well, thankfully, I started out in a building. But before I go about trying to start this, let me take a small inventory of what I have. I reached into my bag of holding and pulled out a pen along with my notebook and a snack bar. I only had three bars and two bottles of water. I had to ration until I could find a more permanent source of food.

I pulled the plastic wrapper off of the snack bar and mindlessly ate it while I wrote down everything I saw in my bag of holding. Today's first task is to find food, water, and get a bearing on my surroundings and select my domain area potentially. In situations like this, it was better to stay as organized as possible. I was in a new world, with only the most basic understanding of what my job was. There was really no point in panicking about it now. I just gotta get through it.

I put the plastic wrapper back into my sports bag, quickly unscrewed my water bottle and took a few more sips of it. Just enough to get my mouth and throat wet. I slid the bottle back into my bag and threw it onto my back. I kept my notebook and pen in my hand as I walked over to the door.

It was a simple wooden door that was barely in an acceptable condition. The wood was dry and flaking and the metal had a thin layer of rust coating its surface. I pushed on it tentatively at first, but the door didn't budge. “Damn, how did I even get in here, if the door is like this?” I muttered to myself as I pushed even harder. The metal on the bottom scratched along the stone floor as I did my best to force it open. Just behind it was a small deteriorating hallway. Dead torches lined the crumbling walls in rusted sconces and piles of stone debris littered the ground of the hallway. Light broke through holes in the ceiling, illuminating my path albeit just barely. Doors are lined up on both sides, some of the doors were in decent condition, while others were broken and falling apart. It was time to start small, just take a look around and see what I could find. I still had to place a domain, so this place might be a good starting area, but we shall see. After all this was a new world, and I didn’t want to shoot myself in the foot trying to rush without even knowing where I was.

The first door I stepped through seemed to lead into a library with all of the bookshelves that were there. As I parsed through it, I found some of them were destroyed and had books that lay strewn across the ground while most of them were still intact.

I walked across the room, stepping over some of the destroyed reading material. I approached one of the intact shelves and looked it through. The first book I grabbed was wholly ruined. The ink was smudged and not very legible, and the paper was covered in black mold. Surprised, I threw the book onto the floor in disgust and decided to grab the next one, which was in a bit better shape. I flipped through the book and was disappointed that I couldn't understand the writing. Though the diagrams looked like they could be important. But without the relevant information the book contained they were just as useless. I shrugged as I put the book back on the shelf and decided if I could learn the language here, then maybe the books would be of use. At least the damaged stuff could be used as a fire source for tonight. I gathered a few more of the destroyed books and threw them in a pile outside my current room.

I continued down the hallway to the next door and it was in a much better condition than the other two. I pushed the door open, and it revealed a large chamber. On each corner of the room, arches extended towards the ceiling and met at the center. Underneath the arches was a circular platform built into the floor and broken into segmented rings that grew smaller the further in, they went. The rings were broken into small rectangles; each was engraved with similar writing that I found in the books. It was a lot like a rune system, but I couldn't read it. I went into the room to inspect everything a bit more and saw that in each arc was a small crystal that glowed with a faint blue light. I felt a power in my chest strum for a moment as I closed my eyes. It was a strange sensation, like a small river was trying to push something out of me.

After a few moments, I grew frustrated and opened my eyes. I had no idea what I was doing but something whispered in my mind to use mana. I reached out my hand and focused my intent. I felt a sliver of power pull away from me and the platform pulsed for a moment. The rings shifted, and the runes lit up with a bright blue light, and the circular platforms began to move. I dropped my hand and watched in wonder as some process unfolded. But as quickly as it started, the runes flashed blood red, and everything stopped.

A nervous chuckle escaped from my lips as I ran my hand over the back of my neck. I still had no clue what I was doing. Maybe I started Armageddon for all I know. But that was enough for now and I flipped open my notebook, quickly sketched it down,as well as some stray thoughts, then decided to move onto the next door.

Sitting just inside of it was another living area. Four beds were decaying and covered in mold. At the foot of each bed was a simple foot locker that surprisingly enough looked to be in good condition. A small window had ripped up brown curtains that hung on the metal bar above it by the thinnest of threads. I moved over to the window and took a look outside to check my surroundings. I was on the second floor of a building, and all-around was a large forest. A large sun sat high in the sky, casting rays of brilliant light. At a glance, it looked to be a little after noon, but I wasn’t sure. Maybe time here was a little different from earth.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

I stepped back from the window and glanced around the room once more. I'll go check the footlockers before I move onto the next room, just to make sure there wasn't anything in them. I carefully opened each one and was rewarded by the sight of an empty chest. At least they were in reasonably good shape; I would need an area to store stuff for the time being. Doubly so if I decided to make my base here One by one, I moved them towards my current room, they were big, yet surprisingly light.

Once I was done, I decided to explore the building I was in a little more. Granted that there was still more to explore up here, but I could do that later. Now let's head down to the first floor and see what was down there.I walked out of my room and down the hall.

The deeper I pushed, the more light from outside tore through some of the ceiling's holes, illuminating small patches of the stone floor. I reached a staircase and carefully walked down the stairs; each stone that shifted was enough to give me a mini heart attack and made me pause. What if the floor collapsed?

After some time I finally hit the bottom part of the stairs and looked around the first floor. There wasn’t much down here at first glance. There was a large central lobby, and then three doors that lead elsewhere into the building. I walked over to the nearest door and attempted to open it. The door fought against me as I slowly pushed it open. Behind it sat a decently sized room that had a few tables placed in a row. On the far back wall, I could see the telltale signs of a kitchen. It was a dining hall, which was good for me. Maybe I can find some pots and pans. It would make getting clean water a lot easier, so I pushed past the decaying tables, keenly aware of the stench of rotting wood. I'm going to have a lot of cleaning ahead of me if this was going to be my home for a little while.

Once that thought crossed my mind, I chuckled; here I was in another world, moving towards a goal that I was forced into. But I honestly wasn't bothered too much by it. I was looking for a change, and this was what was given to me. It did feel kind of weird, though, and slightly rushed, but I wanted to see where it goes.

I walked into the kitchen and looked through the various cabinets. A lot of the wooden utensils were far too gone to use. But I found a deep cast iron pot. This looked like it would make huge soup batches, which made it perfect for me to boil water with. I lifted the heavy pot up and lugged it through the room and set it outside before going back to see what else there was. There was no food, That much was expected, but it didn't hurt to check. I left the dining hall and went into the main lobby. Other than the various bits of debris that lay scattered around the room, there was nothing there. It was hauntingly empty in this place. It instilled a sense of foreboding dread in me. Something happened here, and I was curious as to what. But with time, I was sure that I would figure it out.

After thoroughly exploring the kitchen, I recovered a few good-sized pots and a couple of old rusted knives. Not what I would prefer to have, but they would do for now. There was also another room, but it was locked, and I had no way to break into it. I would have to add that to my to do list.

Next I should head outside and see if I can find any source of food or water. Since I also had an idea of this building's interior after exploring it briefly.. I carefully stepped through a set of slightly ajar heavy double doors. The sounds of birds chirping filled the air, followed by the rustling of leaves as the wind rushed through them. The temperature was almost perfect for me. I rolled my sleeves up, revealing my scarred arms. The years I spent in the kitchen have taken their toll on my body. All of my mishaps were forever tattooed on my flesh. I took a moment to stare at the scars as I replayed the moments that caused me to get them. Some were from just barely touching an oven grate or by a baking tray that shifted too far while I was carrying it.

I tore my eyes away from my arms, chastising myself. I needed to focus. Now wasn't the time to get distracted. I looked around the area that sat just outside the door. There was a ruined water fountain that was in the middle of a small clearing. The walls were shattered and torn apart. Weeds grew in the stone gaps while other plants were forcing their way through just behind them. There was a small path that was barely visible. Weeds choked out some of the plants, and vast swaths of grass hid the ground in waves of life. A far cry from the feeling that the building gave off. It looked like nature was on its way to reclaiming this area.

I stepped out into the piercing rays of the sun and looked around. This building was the only one here, and it was quite sizable. Maybe it was an outpost at one point in time. But really that was just conjecture on my end. I looked up towards the sky, and faintly glowing in the far distance were three moons.

As much as I wanted a fresh start, this certainly was not what I expected. . Gravel crunched under my feet as I moved across some stone and out into the wild. Hanging onto my now trusty rusty knife, for dear life. The uncertainty about what could be out there made any measure of security more than good enough for me. The chirping of the birds grew louder as I carefully approached the tree line. The foliage was thick everywhere but on the path that cut through the forest. I guess I better stick with it and see where it went. While walking through the forest, I was surrounded by the almost overwhelming sound of wildlife. Anything I could make out so far, was either very distant or too small to be dangerous.

The canopy occasionally broke apart, and thin rays of light fought through the greedy grasps of the leaves and bathed small patches of ground in a loving illumination. Maybe I could find something that could feed me, even if it was minor. I used my rusted knife to cut away some foliage, carefully stepped over some of the large overgrown roots that covered the forest floor, and approached one of the large bushes that seemed to be soaking in the light. I ran my fingers across the leaves' soft cool surface, shifted the plant around, and saw some berries.

Out of curiosity, I picked one and ran it over my fingers. It was about the size of a blueberry, but the color was something closer to a grape. As much as I wanted to just take one, I didn't have extensive knowledge of survival in the wilderness, so I had to be cautious. With that thought in mind, I shifted the bush around and saw that berries lined it and looked relatively untouched. Maybe I should take that as a warning sign and leave them alone; after all, if it wasn't safe for the wildlife, it wasn't safe for me. To top it all off, since this wasn't Earth anymore, I'm not even sure what's safe for me to eat or not.

I dropped the berry to the ground and quickly traced my steps back to the path I was following. I was sure that I would find something to eat out here eventually. It was moments like this that I wished I had joined an outdoor club. Granted, it wasn’t likely that they could prepare me for a foray into a new world. But still, the knowledge on how to build some traps would have been nice.

Though I was a bit list, for the first time in a few years, I started to feel excited. I pressed on quietly, walking down the trail, carefully looking at the forest around me. I was so intent on listening to the wildlife that when I heard my stomach rumble so loud I nearly pissed myself. I gave it a quick pat in turn. I'll get to you later, I promise. After walking quite a ways, I found some more berries, this time, the bush seemed like it had been picked through already, so I guess these berries were okay. I chose a handful of them and placed them in my bag. I would hate for them to get crushed.

After getting them settled into my bag, I found myself back on the path and followed it once more. It cut through the forest before eventually hitting a small lake. The water glittered softly as the sun reached the middle of the sky. A few large creatures milled about on the far shore that looked like overgrown deer. The largest one that must have stood over three and a half meters tall stood and watched over the small herd of animals. It had an array of massive antlers and a huge muscular body that rippled with power. I had to be careful; if that thing were to attack me, I would stand no chance. But at least I found water. I would have to collect some of it in a little while, bring it back to where I stayed, and boil it out. With my first mission completed,

I took a step back from the giant deer, and turned back towards the outpost. I still had all day, and I needed to get ready for my temporary stay.

My eyes swept across the foliage of the woods, but nothing else caught my eye. At least there was a water source here, and I had enough snacks to last a day. Next on my check list was to secure a weapon so I could hunt.

While I could settle down here and make a domain, I think it's in my best interest to explore first to get an idea of what is going on around me and find a suitable location. If I ended up taking this spot as my domain location anyway, then at least it was my choice and not by laziness..

A last tentative sweep of my eyes, showed that there was nothing else of note around me. So, I broke away from the shrubs and walked back to the main road. All the while, my mind was wandering. I was excited! But also nervous and anxious.

I wanted to try out my new skills, but I didn't want to do it out here. Not when I had nowhere to duck to. That isn't even considering the natives of this world. I wasn't ready to meet them yet, especially since I couldn't defend myself at the moment.

That also led to a whole other slew of questions. What about customs and language? That was a big one, I mean, what if a handshake here was considered rude? What if slavery here was legal? You never really know and a lot of fantasy books that I've read had stuff like that, so what if I was in danger?

The thoughts swirled as I walked back towards the outpost, and my eyes drifted up to the sky. The sun was setting on the horizon, casting brilliant rays of red, and orange through the large white fluffy clouds that lined the sky. Hundreds of birds were flying in what I think would be considered the south. But I wasn't sure if the sunset was in the same direction here as it was on Earth.

Even the air here tasted not only cleaner, but just fresh. I could smell so many flowers, as well as taste how crisp it was. The difference was night and day how the air here was compared to Earth. This is what nature was supposed to be. Not the concrete jungles that I grew up in.

My eyes drifted from the sights of the birds, and towards the three large moons that hung ominously above me. The first one looked large. So much larger than the moon I was used to. In fact , you could see craters that had been carved into its surface. It was gray, much like the moon I remember from Earth.

The second was much smaller and its surface was blue, like ice, and had strings of red that crossed its surface like angry veins. I didn't know what was going on up there, but it was a breathtaking sight to say the least.

Finally the third moon looked like it was situated somewhere between the first and second In distance away, yet It was separated from the rest. It was a radiant ball of silver, with shimmering mist that rose from its surface like the mists on a lake. Magic was the only word that came to mind as I took in the breathtaking sights.

This was a world of magic and gods. I was amongst them as a fledgling God. The thought alone made my heart race. It was exciting. This was a chance to carve a mark into reality. A chance to live my life in a way that I couldn't have on Earth.

I didn't have to worry about taxes anymore. I didn't have to worry about bad credit, or an inflating economy. At least that was the hope. The only thing that I was going to miss Is my family.

While I didn't have a great relationship with them, they were still family at the end of the day. The thought sent a small spark of pain into my heart. I hope they will be okay. I'll do my best to get back to them. One day anyways.

Before I knew it I was back at the outpost. In front of it sat a broken fountain, and just the debris of a building slowly returning to nature. It wasn't much, but it was home for now.

I wanted to explore it more, but the sun was setting quickly and I was still in the middle of a forest. Dealing with wolves or bears was not something that I wanted to deal with. Nope, no thank you.

Picking up my pace, I reached the front door of the outpost, and scrambled inside. I spun around, and pressed the heavy rotting wooden doors with all my strength. The metal hinges squealed in protest as a groan left my lips.

It took all the strength I had to swing the door shut. But it eventually closed with a resounding click. My chest was left heaving and my heart pounded in my chest like I just ran a mile nonstop. Ugh, I was so out of shape if closing a door was this hard.

I stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes, trying to calm my pounding heart, and quell the rising pain in my legs. While I did work for up to 16 hours a day, I still didn't go to the gym. At least here, I would be forced to get into shape.

Nonetheless, at least I'm somewhat safe for the night. There wasn't any other way in here that I saw, and I would be staying on the second floor for now. So I would still be out of harm's way for a bit.

A quiet sigh escaped from my lips and I sank against the door frame and gazed up at the dark ceiling. My first day here is done. I still don't have a clue what to do next though. I had to make a domain. But at the same time I didn’t want to make my domain here in this place. There was an entire world to explore, and settling here I think would be very bad for me in the long run.

This was a fantasy world was it not? Did that mean that I could settle in, and join something like an adventurer's guild? That would be pretty cool, it would give me a chance to train, explore, and build up some resources. Maybe I could even do it on the side? The possibilities were endless, but I couldn't get too far ahead of myself. After all, I still needed to sort through my new life here.