"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."
~ Martin Luther King Jr. ~
----------------------------------------
A.Sleep Today's the anniversary, huh? Mackeroyl Yeah, pretty sure this'll be another no-luck. 1993sbby come on guys don't talk like tht 1993sbby that*
The group chat pinged as it always does this time of the year, bugging around twenty people who all remembered today for one reason or another. Most of them saw it as a time to gripe and complain about how long it had been, but one of them still tried to keep up the energy.
Guys we cant just give up on him. We didnt wait all this time just to quit now. NoonaSunny Now, any news out of the norm? NoonaSunny
Silence carried before one of the more dormant members of the chat sent a message.
ToDCloudd report in China of shipwreck discovered in ne waters; match class of the one he rode
Everyone in the chat began typing, each one firing off the same question.
So what? A.Sleep I'll bite. What makes this any different? Don't piss off Sunny.
ToDCloudd obvious ToDCloudd Russia is the one who reported it. its so close to the border ToDCloudd that the border agents heard gunfire. isnt that weird?
----------------------------------------
The Chinese soldier drops his gun, staring in awe as the gunship his squad called in moments ago falls from the sky. Command was screaming over the radio but he didn't hear a single word as the perpetrator stole his entire vision.
An old yacht made in some American harbour in the 90's had washed up on shore with hardly any notice or signal, making much of the Chinese high command anxious and prompting an immediate strike team response to try and head it off.
But instead of some adrift sailor or even a covert special operations force, he and his team came across a ship that bore markings all over it akin to ones you may see in fictitious or historical books. Paintings of dragons and runes drawn in various paints across its fiberglass hull, each one growing more and more detailed until you reached the replaced prow bearing the skull of some massive reptilian.
And on the nose of the ship, holding his hand up and simultaneously tracing the path the helicopter falls along, is the sole intruder who arrived here. His eyes dance with an otherworldly blue hue, the tips of his fingers trailing similarly until the distant explosion of the craft finally tells him it's destroyed. Countless bullets the squad and vehicle fired all remained harmlessly floating around him, crumpling and folding over one-by-one within its crushing grip.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
"I remember these," the figure speaks softly, yet carrying his voice on the wind as if he were right in front of the soldier. They can all speak English to interrogate any foreigners they may capture, yet now it let them understand just how cold-mannered it comes across. "Bullets... and missiles? These were a lot scarier back when I was a kid."
He clenches his fist tight, detonating one of the warheads beside him. The explosion snaps harshly toward him before snuffing and devouring its own source a moment later. He turns his gaze toward the squad leader and finally sighs.
"No telling where I ended up, though... especially if there are people already trying to kill me. But that's fine, right? I just needed to deal with you for trying to attack me before I left anyway."
The lone man's figure had been clad in light but now finally it died away to reveal his rather simple garb: a pair of black pants, leather boots, and a white shirt. A light harness and bandolier cover his frame to help hold a simplistic sword across his back, yet the thing he noticed are the invader's larger-than-normal leather gloves. The fantastical size of them make it look almost too big for his hands, yet their fit traces near perfect to his digits and has no issue curving with his motions.
"Ĵ𝕦мƤ."
The glow flickers and he vanishes. The yacht, too. Even some of the sand the vessel beached on vanishes, leaving a gash in the sand even whilst the commandoes quickly regroup and try to piece together what just happened.
----------------------------------------
1993sbby kinda reminds me of that weird boat showing up in the middle of texas tho
The entire group chat paused at the text, questioning emoji one-by-one drip-feeding into the chat.
1993sbby you guys didnt hear about that? some guy went out to check out some loud noise on his property and found someone with a big yacht. even turned part of the desert into an oasis or something. you can find articles about it all over
The friends all began looking, but the first to look and see beyond just the story and clickbait finally broke the news.
OH MY GOD LAURA DID YOU EVEN READ IT? THAT'S DEFINITELY TAKANA! WHAT THE FUCK! NoonaSunny
----------------------------------------
"What exactly is the problem with me being here?"
Takana frowns, watching as the man who called himself the landlord continued ignoring him and kept talking to the police. He sets a hand on his right hip, reaching back and running his hand through his drawn-back hair and over one of his elven charms. Despite being gone for all these years, he could understand everyone here thanks to his magical blessing as a hero... but saving the other world had taken a long time and helped him forget the customs of his time on Earth. He didn't remember his hometown but did remember his friends and family... but finding them in this world isn't as simple as the other world. He knew everything by heart and had to rely on his gut feeling.
Another teleportation without knowing where he is would just put his family's yacht at risk. Losing it after keeping it safe all this time would be a shame... but continuing to fight with his old world's people wasn't ideal either. The Chinese had already given him enough trouble with his arrival but now the populace of the United States was getting directly involved. One of the sheriffs clearly seemed to be talking to someone with true importance if he had to take his hat off... but that just meant more of the same crap Takana hated in the other world: bureaucracy.
He sighs and sits on his ship's prow, looking over his shoulder at the empty doorframe he'd prepared from God Oak.
"Syltia, you're probably going to love it here if it's causing me this much gripe... but at this rate, I'll never have a chance to bring you over."
He turns his gaze back to the crowd just as more cars pull up and more black-suited individuals come out. Some of them carry firearms but the local populace gathered at the scene makes them in no rush to attack. Perhaps some of the warnings from China had made it here already... but the cameras were the more important thing.
"But in the meantime, at least things'll be interesting. Bringing our worlds together will be one difficult task... but I can't choose just one when both are my home, right?"