Hope does not exist without the unwavering spirit of bravery. That was what you told me so long ago. I wish I''d known what you meant, back then.


    A young man with wavy, medium-length brown hair gazed his phone, currently occupied by a blonde-haired teenage girl, smiling for a camera shot. Next to her was a dark-haired girl with matching blue eyes, both of them posing goofily for a camera shot he''d taken a long time ago. He traced his thumb over the splash screen of his phone, smiling faintly.


    “Shawn, stop gawking at your phone! It’s a weekend, your new tech isn’t going to make waves overnight!” He glanced up to see the same dark-haired girl from the photo leaning across the patio table, a quizzical expression etched on her face.


    “But it might!” Shawn laid down his phone on a sunny, early fall day, sitting at an outdoor cafe in Northampton, and he couldn''t help but smile at the woman dressed in a black jacket and jeans across from him. She was currently peering intensely at him with ocean blue eyes, her long brown hair tied in a ponytail. “Think about it, Claire. It could make history. On-demand sintered metal printing, anywhere in the world? It’s a big deal. Medical tools, parts for critical infrastructure, you name it! All you need is a blueprint, the right materials, and a little creativity. It’s gonna change everything!”


    “Shawn, it’ll be years before the patents clear. Your company is tiny. They took a gamble on you,” she laughed, leaning in. “Hey, I’m glad we caught up. How’ve you been?”


    “I''ve been doing alright. Good, actually.” He took a sip of coffee, and ruffled his unkempt hair. “I’ve just been working a lot.”


    Claire laughed in response. “You need to take more time for yourself, you know that? I know you love your job, but you need a social life!”


    “I have one. I mean, I’m here with you–”


    “You don’t, though! I don’t count! Family--which includes cousins, do not count,” she declared with a finger wag. “When’s the last time you went on a date? Sheesh, I swear you’ve been like this since college!” she tousled his hair with her long reach, and he grumbled irritably.


    “Hey, it wasn’t that long ago! Only…a month?” He sighed when he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I went out with that girl, what''s her name, Mirabelle? You know, the one from the coffee shop, with the cute piercings? We went out twice. But, you know, she’s busy trying to finish up her graduate degree, she wanted to focus on that.”


    “Oh my goodness, you’re so passive! You could have been with her, and had a hell of a time!” Claire teased.


    He frowned and thought about it for a second. “You might have a point. She might just find someone else if I wait...you know what? I''ll go give her a call, and see if she''s free this weekend. Deal?”


    “There ya go! As it were, I’m also supposed to go on a date tomorrow with someone. She seemed decent, with cute hair, confident, and she works in IT.” Claire leaned back, looking content. “Anyway, glad you could make it to lunch. I ran into your mom when I was out in town yesterday, by the way.”


    “You did?” Then again, he wasn’t surprised. Their town wasn’t that large.


    “Yeah, we met outside Osaba''s. We got to talking, she mentioned you, and…” she trailed off, and she anxiously tapped the her drink, sitting untouched. “Shawn, you know, she worries that you haven’t been going to your sessions–”


    “I’m fine, Claire,” he interrupted. The fact that she kept prying, meant she knew he wasn’t fine, and he softened his tone. “I’ve been okay for a while.”


    “Really? Doesn’t sound like it. Look, I know they did you some good, because you mentioned them a few times over the years.”


    “No. Not lately…I was burying myself at work and…" The disapproving look on her face wasn''t what he expected. "Look, Claire, I…” he trailed off before hastily adding, “It’s nothing.”


    But it wasn’t. He still couldn’t get that day out of his head. Claire could sense it, with the way she leaned in, her words soft-spoken and assuring.


    “Shawn. I know it’s hard. I know you blame yourself, and it wasn’t your fault. You dove in without thinking for your safety, and you had a near-death experience. But, I can tell when you’re thinking about it. You get that distanced look on your face. You answer questions in as short a manner as possible. Like now.”


    He let out a soft sigh. “What’s there to think about? My sister is gone, Claire. The ten-year mark is closer than I’d like, and I still can’t get that moment out of my head, under the ice.” Even now, he could remember that soul-crushing cold. He could feel it, closing in.


    “That’s what your mom was worried about. You''re burying yourself in work--in distractions. She was saying–”


    “She shouldn’t have said anything,” he replied, barely above a whisper, a hint of anger in his voice. Her expression remained unchanged, and he let out a soft sigh. “Look, I know I don’t talk about this much. It''s not easy for me. I am trying to just…move forward. There’s nothing in the universe that can change the outcome of what happened–”


    Shawn blinked as the air shimmered above the patio table, and there was a crackle of energy. Claire pointed to a small blue sphere, the size of a marble, that had appeared from nowhere, shimmering with light. The sound of a hummingbird''s wings filled the air.


    “Um…what is that?” She was fascinated and craned her body to examine the anomaly.


    His eyes widened. “It’s happening again.”


    Claire ignored the energy-charged sphere whirring ten centimeters above their patio table, and peered at him, bewildered. “What do you mean–”


    She never finished her thought, because the sphere expanded in size instantly; Shawn saw nothing but white, and all feeling left his body.


    Except, for the notion he was hurtling to an unknown location at incredible speed over vast distances being crossed in the blink of an eye.


    The next thing he saw was a stone slab floor with glowing blue runes coming up to greet him as he winked back into existence, and he slammed into the unyielding ground with the weight of his body. He wheezed as his chest took the impact, only slightly mitigated by his outstretched arms, and he curled into a ball, groaning.


    Whoever isekaied us, should have thought about a better landing site.


    Shawn winced and held his ribs, aching from the impact. The blue, spherical portal behind him, rippling like water, was rapidly dimming and shrinking in size. The room was composed of steel girder and slab stone, possibly concrete. Below him, he spotted a smooth cold stone shaped in a perfect circle. He glanced to his side, and gasped–he had not been the only one taken.


    Claire was beside him, groaning as she too, held her ribs from the impact of being dumped on the ground. “What…what just happened?” she asked, eyes shut and her mouth clamped in a suppressed expression of pain. “My whole existence hurts.”


    “Same.” He gritted his teeth and dared to move. His ribs didn’t feel broken, but that pounding ache wasn’t going away anytime soon. Or the feeling like someone had just taken a grinding wheel to his entire body, and made his entire existence one of suffering. He let out an exhale, and propped himself up on the icy cold floor. “Claire we need to move, that blue portal thing is–”


    With a puff of air that frazzled his wavy brown hair, the spherical blue portal winked out of reality and doused the room they had landed inside, in utter darkness.


    “...Collapsing,” she finished, while he rubbed at his ribs gingerly. He grunted before grabbing his phone from his pocket, and activated the flashlight torch. The screen worked, but…


    Zero signal. He glanced toward his cousin. “Claire, are you alright?”


    “I think so. I don’t think anything’s permanently hurt.”


    He shone the flashlight over her, wincing at the bright light. She propped herself up and peered at him. “Did a blue sphere just…swallow us?!” she asked. “I mean, that’s what I saw, but it just does not compute with, well, anything logical.”


    “Claire. A portal just opened, and yoinked us from Northampton. I’m pretty sure that’s what happened,” he responded edgily. That buzzing in his brain was finally a dull white noise, and he rose to his feet but nearly toppled from the effort. His flashlight shone across the smooth slab floor. There was not a single imperfection on the surface. He helped Claire to her feet, and she wobbled for a few seconds, holding her head.


    “Can you move?”


    “Yeah. Give me a second. Did you say that a portal yoinked us?!”


    “Well, unless you and I are having a collective hallucination, then we just teleported somewhere.” He panned the flashlight outwards. They were standing on a stone floor, and he could make out runic symbols etched in, now that he was looking closer. A faint glow emanated from the angular shapes, written in a language he had never seen before. He knelt and traced the strange symbols, a tingle of static connecting his finger, to the rune in the floor.


    But the glow faded, as did the tingling sensation until he could feel nothing but the cold, dry air of the room. He rose and panned the flashlight in a circle, taking in the sights, while Claire peered around, frowning.


    “Huh. Do you know something? This gothic architecture inside a science lab, would feel right at home in a Wolfenstein game. Probably not a good first impression,” she muttered. Instruments, beakers, what he suspected were power cells, and other devices were stored in open cabinets and arranged on metal and wood tables. And, Shawn noted...they were meticulously organized.


    What was stranger--the language was in English. a disassembled rod of organic looking metal was sitting on a bench, with notes to reconnect an etteria core onlyafter safety checks had been performed.


    “Claire? Let’s figure out where we are, first." He directed her attention to the room, and the device in the middle of the chamber, the portal origin point. A set of three claw like spires rose from the floor, made of the same material as the stone. They, too, possessed faint runic markings that glowed ever so slightly, and he pivoted the light slowly. It had the appearance of a bird''s talons.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    She spoke up a few seconds later, an air of curiosity in her tone. “This is a little weird, right? You’d think someone being transmigrated across the cosmos would be big news, and people would be waiting.” She grabbed her phone from her pocket and hit her light, sweeping the beam across the room. “This looks like someone’s laboratory. But…” she trailed off, and examined a glass vial filled with a bright red fluid. When he leaned in, it had a pencil-drawn label: ''Healing'', when she motioned to him. “I don’t recognize these chemicals, these devices look like no tools I’ve ever seen, and…more importantly, whyis no one here?” She set the vial back where she found it.


    “Maybe they didn’t expect someone to come through?” he proposed before glancing around, trying to ascertain more, and peering upwards. The ceiling tapered to a peak above them, with curved beams that gave way to deeply faceted architecture. He noted a catwalk set arranged above, where various tubing and wiring were arrayed, going to the numerous workstations. But, no computers, at a glance. He glanced at the triple spires, noting the wires leading up to the stone slab that rose from the floor.


    Shawn finally spotted one doorway, a set of metal-clad doors with a simple latch. “Claire, I see an exit up that slight ramp. I don’t like the idea of sticking around in a dark lab. We should go try to find someone.”


    “Shawn, we were just kidnapped into thin air!” She clamped his shoulder, looking at him worriedly. “Your response is disturbingly muted.”


    “I saw that portal once before.” Her face twisted into puzzlement at his stark conclusion.


    “Say that again? You just so happened to see a magical portal, when?”


    He thought of his response, very carefully. “Claire, I think Isaw it once before. It was…when I was under the water. I couldn’t reach Maggie. I think I was shutting down from the cold. I saw her…and then, before things went fuzzy…I saw a circle of blue.”


    She finished his thought. “You saw a portal? This one?!”


    It was incredible that she didn’t call him a liar. She didn’t go into a tirade about near-death encounters. She certainly didn’t sound like one of the therapists who went on to explain post-traumatic stress and how it could blur memories–or cause other ones to remain forever etched in his mind. Three seconds went by before he shook his head.


    “I don’t know. But I do know one thing with absolute certainty: They never found her…remains.” He shuddered at having to use that word. “That was…it almost broke Mom.”


    “I–”


    She never finished thought before the door on the far side slammed open. He saw a figure silhouetted against the bright light shining in–someone exceedingly broad and tall. He couldn’t make out any other details, because he saw the figure expand–then there was nothing, but the light from the open door. It didn’t last long, as the door hinge snapped it closed, bathing the room in darkness, except for their flashlights.


    “I didn’t see it. Where’d they go?” Claire whispered.


    “Stay put.” He heard the rustling of something in the room. Light clicking sounds. Then another sound, soft, like a breeze. He listened intently, keeping his flashlight low to the ground.


    The sound wasn’t at ground level. It was above them.


    “Claire, don’t move,” he said cautiously. She froze, just as she was about to grab an arcane looking wrench from a bench. He shook his head ever so gently, and he nudged his gaze upwards.


    “Shawn, you’re scaring me–”


    He shook his head and pointed upwards with one finger. Her eyes widened, and he kept the flashlight low to the ground. He mulled his response–did he dare to make the first move? Whoever had come into the room moved fast, and was agile or strong enough to climb up and above them. He heard the continued click of something nearby–like the sound of cat claws on a hardwood floor. Maybe the catwalks he’d seen earlier?


    He had no weapons. Neither did she. He took a calculated risk. “We’re not armed. We don’t know why we’re here.” He directed his voice in the calmest way he could.


    Claire followed the subtle tilt of his head and peered upward. He could hear the rustle of something. Like the wingbeats of a flock of startled birds at the park.


    “Where did you come from?” A female voice called out softly, above them–like someone had taken birdsong, and given it a human voice. He heard more sharp clicks as if they were shifting positions. He could hear a crackle of energy, and the room lit up dimly. He took that as his cue to tilt his head upwards, slowly.


    A glowing spear approximately a meter long, appearing as if it was made of pure light, was aimed at him. The weapon’s soft glow illuminated someone above them–a humanoid figure, draped in robes, standing on the catwalk, their body tensed like an Olympic athlete preparing a spear throw. He couldn’t see their lower body, obscured by paneling above them. The person wore snow-white robes that went from head to foot, but were well-tailored, with a small sunburst embroidered in gold thread on the chest. A cowl obscured their face, but he could make out platinum white hair drifting out, and a gleam of golden eyes peering down. They held the spear of energy poised and aimed at his chest, with deadly intent.


    Not human hands--they almost looked like bird talons. Okay, I’m about three seconds away from being killed by someone with an energy weapon, who speaks English. What’s the first thing I say?


    He rapidly ran through the bits of information he could glean. This lab was advanced and well maintained by somebody organized. Someone with considerable intelligence, given the complexity and cleanliness of the lab. Someone, who likely, could be reasoned with.


    “We came through a portal. We ended up here. Your portal, presumably?” He firmed up his voice while he kept his hands in the air, and gestured softly to the metal and stone device. Her gaze never left him, but he saw a shift of eyes, widening in surprise.


    “Yes, my design. But also, impossible.” He heard the slightest hesitation in her voice.


    “Why?”


    “Because I tried it a week ago…and I failed.” The bright spear tip wavered in the air, ever so gently.


    “You’re capable of portal technology? It doesn’t exist, where we come from.” Claire interjected, trying her best to look composed. “We haven’t even figured out howto create a bridge between points.”


    “That’s not all.” Shawn still made no motion, except to gaze directly at the observer. “You speak our language. This laboratory shows great care and organization. You either have advanced tech, or magic that fills in the gaps of what is possible in physics. I’d say, you’re someone of a creative mind, someone I need to talk to about these portals. And, what they mean to me,” Shawn concluded, after putting it all together in a pitch to notbe summarily stabbed by a stranger from another world.


    The spear tip nudged downward, the woman''s voice carrying a lower, more somber note. “You’ll be left disappointed. This was my last attempt to send out a portal. I failed.”


    “You didn’t fail. I saw another portal before this.” He saw a shift of golden eyes, arching in surprise.


    He had her undivided attention. “Explain.” The weapon didn’t waver, but she also hadn’t made him into a shish kabob…yet.


    “Ten years ago, I saw one of your portals, a shimmering blue sphere or annular disc.” He took a deep breath. Did he dare to tip his hand now? He needed to buy her trust. But, he was also worried that, if what he saw thenwas real…then, did she also take his sister? And if she did…why? She tilted her head, curious.


    He was going to fish for information.


    “The portal took someone, and then it snapped shut.” He hoped Claire wouldn’t give it away, but he saw the subtlest tip of her chin out of the corner of his eye when she figured out what he was doing. “Why are your portals taking people off of my planet?”


    “That…was not my portal. Someone else summoned a noteworthy individual to their cause.”


    The light spear dimmed, then disincorporated into floating motes of light. They held together a second before they disappeared into the dark ambiance of the room. Shawn let out the quietest breath of his life–even if this was the truth, it was a dread all of its own. It confirmed two disturbing things:


    The first: what he remembered was not an aberration or a false memory constructed as a method of coping. He’d seen it. He hadn’t imagined it.


    The second: His sister, Maggie, could be here, in this world. He had the first strand of hope he didn’t realize he’d needed for a long time, and it took all his effort to not let out a cry of absolute joy.


    He took another calculated move. “So, you’re not the only one who can create those portals.” The figure dipped their head lightly, their body posture relaxed now.


    “No. There are other powerful individuals with this technical ability–and the immense magical energy resources, to pull it off." The figure on the catwalk opened a clawed hand, and a softer, more benevolent ball of light appeared in her hand, Illuminating the room. The glowing globule floated as if carried by an air current, and drifted to the center of the room. Upon contacting a metal framed chandelier the device blazed with light and life, giving the room a golden glow like old incandescent bulbs, and showed the arcane lab in greater detail.


    But he didn’t have long to contemplate it. The woman mantled over the catwalk, and down onto the laboratory floor. His eyes widened at the spectacle that followed.


    Massive white wings emerged from the woman’s back, through a clever opening in the backing of her white robes. The wings appeared like a raptor species, lengthy and muscular, with teal highlights at the feather tips on either side. Her descent was cushioned dramatically by her wings. He had no parallel on Earth to match that grace, and otherworldly appearance.


    It wasn’t justthe wings. She had poised delicately with clawed feet–like a bird or a raptor, with widely spread toes. They were tensioned against the floor, ending in yellowed, scalelike flesh. Intricate footwraps wove around the toes and traced up her feathered leg, disappearing into the robes. It was much the same on her feathered arms, human-like, but with short, bird-like talons on each of the three fingers, and an opposable thumb. She slowly slipped her hood back.


    A tuft of feathers adorned where her hair would be–a whole crest of snowy white feathers that formed an accented crown with a few green highlights, almost like certain bird species. Her eyes were that of a raptor, glowing golden, and her lips formed a short, but versatile beak. Her limbs were lean and powerful–the thin feathers on the limb did not hide the accomplished athletics beneath them, and she shook the feathers as they poofed outward. “Well now, I do believe introductions are in order!”


    He had zero preparation for this scenario. “I uh…kinda prepared myself for something surreal, and my mental preparations still fell woefully short.” His anxiety was only being kept in check by his fascination with this discovery, and he offered an open hand. “Shawn Pentecost, of Earth. Greetings.”


    The woman peered at him with curiosity, feathers ruffling on her cheeks, before her beak creased slightly in a smile. “Well, not the worst introduction I’ve ever heard. Telga, the Radiant of Balance.” She shook his hand firmly after a second of hesitation, the banded scales of her hand feeling warm, and firm, and she expertly avoided nicking him with her claws. Her curious gaze shifted to Claire. “You? You look like family members. Apologies if you’re not extraordinary–I don’t think I’ve had a case where I picked up two at once.”


    “I’m his cousin, Claire Ryker.” She was more hesitant about extending a hand but did so after a gentle nudge from him. “I’m a chemist, martial artist, and occasional head check for this madman, with his engineering prowess and crazy ideas.”


    “Hey, I’m not crazy. Just my ideas,” he shrugged, even as Telga smiled.


    “Well, I like her introduction better,” Telga said with a quick clack of her beak–that almost sounded like a chuckle. “I wish the circumstances of your arrival could have been more opportune.”


    Shawn took that as his cue that all was not well, wherever they were. “I’m guessing there’s a reason for the lack of celebration? Where are we, anyway?”


    Telga gestured to the laboratory. “Welcome to Remaria, the Hallowed World. And it’s a world that is on the brink unless I can do something about it, soon.”


    Shawn spent three seconds processing this–a brand new world? “What do you mean, it''s on the brink?”


    “It’s a long story.” She curled her clawed fingers tightly and winced–a very human-like reaction. “I tried something I vowed I would never do again, thirty years ago: to summon a champion for my cause.”


    Maggie was taken ten years ago. Assuming she’s not lying–and I don’t know why she would, considering I could have been a human shish kabob–then someone else grabbed her. But was it for this same reason? A champion for their cause? He pondered it for a second while he nodded thoughtfully. Okay Shawn, tread lightly. Find more answers, first. I also need to make sure Claire does not spill this info, either.


    Claire stopped herself from shouting and looked contemplative before speaking softly. “So, do you guys just grab a bunch of randos from the universe regularly?”


    “Hardly,” Telga scoffed. “The magic always brings people with immense potential. And a drive to be a transformative element.”


    They glanced at each other, with Claire letting out a whistle. “Yeah, okay, I can see how that last part is true.”


    Telga motioned toward the door. “Come with me. I think there’s a lot to talk about. I may also have some questions–goodness, things must have changed substantially since I last brought someone! They wouldn’t stop talking about this form of entertainment called…war of the stars? Or something like that.”


    “Definitely. Just don’t point any more sharp, energy-based implements my way. I’m more sociable when I’m not facing immense danger.” Shawn didn’t waste a heartbeat and motioned Claire to follow the avian toward the door, where she gestured for him to open it.


    Whatever came next, he held a hope reignited by chance, that had nearly died out over the past ten years. He had an opportunity to find Maggie…and get her home.


    He heard a slight clicking outside the door–was someone else there, on taloned feet? He unlatched it, swung the door inward, and gasped.


    Another female avian with bright blue teal feathers, dressed in a dark uniform and fabric vest recoiled when she saw him. But the shock was replaced by action as she drew a revolver-style weapon from a holster on her thigh, and snapped it upwards to aim at his chest.