ã€ŠSyphonã€‹


 Awaken

    Zain blearily opened his eyes as the ringing in his ears faded.

    Light was scarce wherever he found himself, and he no longer felt the ground beneath his feet. The last thing he could remember was walking home and¡­

    ¡­ I died¡­didn¡¯t I?

    The realization hit him as his senses slowly returned to him.

    He looked around and found himself floating somewhere strange.

    So¡­ am I in hell or something?.... Purgatory?

    He could barely see his surroundings but, from what he could make out, it looked like that he was in a bubble of some sort, floating in a lukewarm substance which was strangely breathable; This bubble appeared to spawn from a coral-looking tree, located deep underwater.

    The only light which allowed him to see these things would emanate from small creatures which possessed a weak bioluminescence, pulsating in tandem with one another. They congregated mainly at the trunk of the tree, straying away only to explore the numerous branches which stemmed from it.

    Zain had to twist himself in order to witness the coral in its entirety; through his observations, he was able to see that he was located on some of the furthest branches of the coral tree and, in comparison, he would appear to be no bigger than an acorn on a normal tree.

    Outside of the tree, there was an all encompassing darkness that one would expect of the bottom of the sea; There was an eerie, low frequency rumbling all around him, filling him with a feeling of foreboding as time loomed on.

    Panic began to grip him as he wondered why or how he was in such a place. How was he to get out of this situation?

    Am I going to die, again? Does my mom know that I died? I didn¡¯t even get to say goodbye¡­

    He didn¡¯t know how deep underwater he was, but someone didn¡¯t need a science degree to know that the pressure from that deep underwater would crush him if he exited his little bubble.

    After internally panicking for some time, he concluded that he was having an extremely vivid nightmare, right before he died; Though he realized, even if this was a dream, his dying would still be graphic and terrifying.

    Zain could only hold his face, curling in on himself as he tried to steady himself.

    Okay¡­ panicking isn¡¯t gonna get me anywhere. What can I do to get out of this?

    He looked at the ¡®stem¡¯ of his bubble and saw where it connected to the coral tree. Shakily, he pressed his finger to it and felt a gentle current of what was likely the substance sustaining him at the moment. Unless he had a surefire way to make it out, it would be best for him to stay attached to the tree.

    Feeling a bit curious, he lightly touched the membrane which surrounded him and he found that it felt rubbery like a water balloon but simultaneously slippery and gelatinous like an egg yolk. Putting a little more pressure on the membrane, he tried to see if he could get it to move somewhat but observed that it was thicker and sturdier than he originally thought. Not even scratching it with his nail would alter it in any manner. The conclusion of this experiment filled Zain with some relief as it would mean that sea creatures would have a hard time making it to him if they did glean his whereabouts.

    Now that he thought about it, his ¡®bubble¡¯ was more of a grape if anything.

    Checking his pockets, he realized that nothing that he usually had on his person was with him now: no phone, no wallet¡­nothing.

    If he was recalling correctly, he wasn¡¯t even wearing the clothes he had on that day, instead, he wore a different outfit that he had in his closet. It was a mystery to him as to why this was the case, the best explanation he could come up with was ¡®dream logic¡¯.

    But this dream seems too detailed¡­if I was lucid dreaming then shouldn¡¯t I be able to change things in my dreams like most people say they can¡­.

    He inspected the tree for a few minutes before he tried to look at the surrounding area. Spinning around, he began to strain his eyes as he stared into the darkness, hoping to catch a glimpse of something, anything that would help him. As he continued to look around, he spotted something in the distance which looked to be making its way to him.

    Is that a fish?

    Zain squinted; from what he could make out, a silver looking fish started to make its way to him. It was not long until it became more visible.

    Upon closer inspection, the ¡®fish¡¯ was actually a small submarine-like drone which slowly bumbled along the seafloor, casting a small dust cloud upward as it meandered closer and closer.

    It did not look like a conventional fish, but small etchings in its metalwork indicated that it was decorated in a way to resemble them somewhat; Humorously, there were googly eyes added to it to cement this association. It came to a sudden stop as it floated a few feet away from his bubble.

    He would have said something, but anything that came out of his mouth only came out as incomprehensible echoes and gurgles. All he could do was stare at it, wondering if it stared back.

    Suddenly, a red light was emitted from a small antenna at its top; it streamed into a small band which started to scan him head to toe.

    Zain squeezed his eyes shut; his retinas had essentially been burned after having little to no light exposure since he awoke. After blinking rapidly to rid himself of the small green spot now occluding his vision, he could see that the small drone was now pinging as if signaling something.

    Is it calling someone to rescue me? THANK YOU LITTLE FISHY BUDDY!

    He silently thanked his little fish friend as it pinged whoever had sent it, though his fervor was short lived as he soon realized that the now stationary drone would take some time to summon anything.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    I wonder how far out I am from wherever this little dude came from¡­.

    <hr>

    Zain was startled awake as the bubble where he resided lurched forward; His eyes shot open as his face slammed into the outer layer of his dwelling, sliding all around it as the slippery surface offered no chance for him to find his footing. After he stopped spinning comically in the bubble, he could finally see what had lodged him out from where he once was.

    It would seem that his little buddy had finally been joined by its friends, as more drones than Zain could count interlocked into a net-like formation to drag his bubble away from the tree. Slight panic overtook his gratitude as he wondered what would happen if he was no longer supplied the substance sustaining him. It was not like he could do anything about it, but the thought made him shudder.

    His little buddy seemed to know what it was doing, but he couldn¡¯t help but show the displeasure on his face for his buddy¡¯s lack of explanation - though, he was not sure that it would even be capable of explaining.

    Zain tried to look for his buddy among the myriad mechanical fishes now dredging him through the waters like some prized snow crab, only to discover that now all of the fishes appeared to transform into some translucent variant of themselves. He could barely make them out as the faint light from the tree slowly faded in the distance; soon the blackness of the depths completely surrounded him.

    With a never ending darkness as far as his eyes could see, Zain could hardly tell when he blinked as there was absolutely no light to indicate the difference.

    Ah shit¡­this is terrifying¡­

    As he was blindly guided through the sea, he nervously watched the surroundings, wondering what dwelled deep within the depths; He tried not to focus on it, but every so often he would hear low octave calls of what were likely massive creatures in the distance. He hoped that they wouldn¡¯t try to swallow him whole as he was essentially defenseless at that very moment.

    It felt like a few hours had passed before he finally saw something different; A glowing red light peaked over the sea floor, outlining the rocky landscape of the depths somewhat.

    As the light drew closer and closer, more creatures made their presence known.

    Along the seafloor, small critters scuttled around as the water was disturbed above them. Zain could make out familiar crustaceans swimming near him, whirling their back legs to gain slow momentum through the water.

    Zooming nearby, was a fantastical looking creature, resembling a strange feathered eel of sorts. The opulent white creature quickly scooped up a handful of crustaceans as it zipped away.

    A tall spider-like creature stepped forward with its long spindly legs, slowly ambulating along the ground, each step long and drawn out. It appeared to be a passive creature as it was unbothered by Zain¡¯s presence.

    Tendrils stemming from the sea floor reached for the disruption of the surrounding waters, grasping for unseen meals that they may lay claim to.

    From a short distance away, he observed large bottom-feeding fish feasting on the dead carcass of a fallen behemoth, picking at what little flesh remained.

    Small blinking lights drew his attention away as he witnessed one make its way near him; A creature, which resembled an anglerfish, flapped its jagged teeth as smaller animals neared it.

    The floor was littered by delicate crystalline structures, with intricate designs that differentiated them from the rocky bed.

    Small chimney-like vents dotted the sea floor, with shimmering plumes of rippling water projecting from their tops. Small ecosystems surrounded these structures, adding some vibrancy to the otherwise desolate landscape.

    There was much more diversity likely to be seen, but this was the extent of which was illuminated before him.

    Zain could feel the temperature in his bubble start to become slightly warmer as they neared the ambient red light. They drew closer and closer, and once it came into view, it became obvious that this was an underwater volcano; a stream of gas bubbles rose from the crater, rising upward, towards the distant surface.

    U-umm? LIttle buddy?

    Was he going to be sacrificed or something? He hoped that this wasn¡¯t the case, but why else was he brought here? He scrambled to the back of his bubble in a futile attempt to delay such a scenario. He still hoped that his little buddy was trying to help him somehow, but if they crested over the peak of the volcano then he would not be able to deny that his buddy wanted him dead.

    They inched forward, thankfully circling around the volcano, soon making their way to a mechanical tube, the likely origin of his little buddy. A steel hatch soon blocked his way as the school of mechanical fishes pushed the bubble towards it, with the mechanical creatures falling back once he was close enough. After a few minutes, Zain could hear the clicking of locks as the door¡¯s mechanism slowly began to unlock itself; It was not long before the door began to creak open, startling all of the wildlife in the immediate vicinity.

    The door swung fully open, creating a current which sucked him towards its opening. Before he was totally sucked away, Zain spun around and waved goodbye to his buddy; it was probably not necessary, but he felt like he should still show some gratitude for his buddy, for helping him.

    The momentum of his bubble began to pick up and soon he was propelled upward, at a rather fast pace. He didn¡¯t know much about deep diving or anything, but he at least knew that ascending too quickly was bad news. While he tumbled around in his bubble like a garment in a washing machine, he could only think of the possibility that he would have serious health issues in the future. He already felt sick, but whether this was from the spinning or from the sudden ascent upward, he could not tell.

    The metal tube was dark for the most part, until he suddenly stopped moving upward and began to move horizontally through a clearer tube. When he finally stopped spinning, he could see where he was heading.

    High above the volcano, beyond the plume of smoke and bubbles, were three massive spheres stacked on top of one another.

    Like spherical terrariums, whole cities were bottled within; An assortment of colors and artificial lights emanated from these cities, portraying something that one would only find in a fantasy.

    Zain looked on in awe. It was then that he realized that if he wasn¡¯t having a dream before death, that maybe, he had been taken to another world. His mouth agape, he observed as he was carried towards the inner sanctum of this underwater city.

    The tube fed directly into the lowest hanging section, and as he passed through the barrier of the bubble, he could see that it was a mile or two thick; what looked to be a mix of water, algae, and other substances was wedged between the layers of the barrier, which then transitioned into underground tunnels.

    He began to slow as he traveled through these tunnels, until he came to a stop within a circular man-made cavern. His bubble began to float towards the top of the cave, with a bright light at its apex.

    Zain closed his eyes for a few moments, only opening them when he felt that he was finally no longer moving. Like some science experiment, his bubble now floated within a cylindrical glass tube which was placed in the middle of a room; in this room, was a middle aged woman sitting at a control panel, staring at him.

    She swayed to and fro on her swivel chair, lazily eating chips. After a light on her control panel flashed, she wiped her hand and pressed a button.

    A grate closed underneath him and the water level in the cylinder began to lower. His bubble lowered with the water, until it touched the grate. It was then that all of the water around him slowly drained away.

    Zain watched as his bubble appeared to slowly melt away once exposed to the air. Soon, after a few minutes, the outer layer weakened enough that it began to break form like a water balloon, bursting all at once, with only a few remains left under him.

    He tried to inhale, but immediately began to cough out all of the fluid that was in his lungs. Tears streamed down his eyes as he felt his chest burning, trying to expel whatever fluid was in them. A hand patted him on his back as he sputtered over the grate, then he felt that hand clasp something over his neck.

    After gaining his bearings, Zain looked down to see a necklace hanging from his neck; it was a simple necklace, with a crude metal cage holding an unrefined crystal in its center. He looked up in confusion, seeing the woman looking at him in slight amusement.

    She smirked, ¡°Welcome to Merverre.¡±

 Establishing

    Zain was finally able to breathe again after clearing his airways; once he stabilized himself, he looked up at the woman, who was looking down at him. She silently motioned for him to follow her to the next room and, without waiting for his answer, began to walk to the doorway. Without much of a fuss, he quickly followed.

    There was an administration desk in this room, with two doors on either side of it. She sat at the desk, reclining slightly as she settled into her seat. He tried to make his way to the seat across from her, but she stopped him.

    ¡°You¡¯re wet, fool. Go change first.¡± She motioned to the changing room.

    Zain raised his brow and scratched his now wet braids. ¡°I don¡¯t have any extra clothes though¡­Or any money to buy extra clothes either...¡±

    The woman shook her head dismissively, ¡°They got a donation bin in the changing rooms, you can pick out an outfit for yourself. Once we are done with your paperwork, you can go back in there to pick out some extra sets.¡±

    Her clarification brought him some relief, and he let out an audible sigh. He started to walk towards the changing room, but the woman grabbed him, pulling him in close as she spoke again.

    ¡°You better hurry though, boy. Those clothes you got on are just constructs, they gonna disappear after a few minutes.¡±

    Horror painted his face; This was his favorite outfit, having it disappear on him was beyond unfair. His dismay was short lived, however, as the woman began to cackle.

    She clapped her hands together as she laughed jovially, ¡°I¡¯m just messin'' with ya! Gets them every time!¡±

    Zain could hear her laugh echo down the hall as he left the room, unamused.

    Upon entering the changing room, he could see several baskets lining the walls, all marked with number ranges. It would seem that they used the same numbering system they did on Earth.

    He stripped down to his underwear, taking off his shoes and socks as well. Rummaging through the bins, he could see that these ranges were indicating their respective sizes. After finding the appropriate size for him, he lined out the options for him to wear. He decided on wearing something similar to what he was wearing at that moment: a pair of shorts, a plain tee, and a hoodie. He set aside a few articles of clothing that he had some interest in, so he could collect them later if he was permitted to.

    The wall opposite to the bins was lined with boxes which presumably held shoes. After checking a few boxes, he could see that all of the shoes were the same. He picked plain, black sneakers in his size along with a pair of socks.

    I guess fashionable shoe donations are harder to come by¡­

    Gathering his wet clothing, he approached the washing machine and lifted the lid to place his clothes inside. For some reason, on the inside of the lid were french looking words; he could not read any french, but mysteriously, a rough english translation for the text seemed to form in his mind. They were basic instructions for operating a washing machine, which he already knew how to do, but the experience of having words automatically translated in his mind was surreal.

    How is that happening?

    After seeing the underwater bubble city, Zain had already accepted that he was transported to another world. Even though it was another world, and he was not sure what kind of rules governed it. This mystery, however, only spawned an excitement that quickened his heart.

    A dumb grin played on his lips as he began to think of the possibilities.

    Am I in a magic world! Like one of those isekai?!

    He hadn¡¯t really seen any ¡®magic¡¯ yet, except maybe the tree, but it was still exciting!

    He focused his mind, trying to draw any latent power he had within him. Holding out his hand, he tried to focus this imaginary power to his palm.

    Closing his eyes, he screeched ¡°Fire!¡±

    Nothing happened.

    He tried a few more times, calling out similar commands to awaken some dormant, OP magic from within, only to be met with nothing.

    Damn, I was hoping¡­I guess I¡¯ll just have to settle for futuristic.

    He was still kinda sad about dying, but he could not dwell on it at the moment. For now he needed to navigate his new surroundings and survive.

    He could unpack that later.

    Something did nag at him; the procedure for which this woman obtained his bubble seemed rather mundane for her. She had also commented that she had messed with other people before.

    Are there other people like me? How often does this happen¡­

    Maybe this kind of thing was normal for this world, considering how unfazed this woman was. Zain could at least count on not being treated like some kind of freak if that was the case. He accepted that he would just have to see what was in store for him as he walked back to the woman.

    She was scrolling on her desktop, and merely glanced at him as he approached.

    ¡°You finished? You were able to use the washing machine without issue?¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh. ¡° He nodded in response as he sat down across from her. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    She swiveled around to face him, passing him a stack of papers for him to fill out. Zain began to grimace as she added more and more paperwork for him to fill out. This was going to take him hours to complete¡­

    After she finished handing him work, she reached under her desk and passed him a backpack; A quick peek inside revealed that there were basic things inside such as a toothbrush, a wallet (empty at the moment), and a cheap looking phone.

    Setting the bag aside for now, he stared at the insurmountable pile of paperwork. The woman watched him for a second before she began to speak again, this time sounding more scripted.

    ¡°Welcome to the underwater city of Merverre. My name is Kendra; I will be assisting you with your registration documentation. I¡¯ve handed you different documents that you will be required to fill out in order for you to become registered under the city of Merverre... I don¡¯t give a damn if you choose a different name for yourself, but just know that it will be very difficult for you to change it - Ahem- Answering these questions honestly is for your benefit. Once you have finished your paper work, you will be given an identification card, keys for your dorm room, a meal card, and a bank card with an initial balance of 200 credits.¡±

    She slid some paperwork which she wished for him to fill out first, strangely enough in English.

    Zain decided to ask the obvious as he filled out the sheets, ¡°So you guys mainly speak English or French here? Also, how could I read the French words on the washing machine?¡±

    She pointed to his necklace, and replied as if she had heard this question a million times. ¡°The crystal within that necklace is the reason. I don¡¯t really know the exact science behind it, but it does allow for your words to be translated to others, even if you cannot speak their language. It also lets you read rough translations of any known language. It''s not really refined, though, so if someone else is not wearing a similar stone, you won¡¯t be able to understand them if they speak a different language from you. That should be good enough for now. ¡°

    It sounded so mundane coming from her mouth, but Zain found the idea so interesting. He already had quite the advantage given to him for free.

    The woman began to go on with her scripted explanation for the city, ¡°Due to your transmigration, you will not be well accustomed to this world¡¯s customs, so you will need to take mandatory classes for six months in order to obtain your temporary citizenship. The process for obtaining permanent citizenship and residence will be explained during these classes. Additional classes that will allow you to better acclimate to this world must be signed up for after the completion of your mandatory classes. If you possess any skills from previous employment which you feel may help you with job prospects, please be sure to list them on your documentation. Law allows you to have free housing and meals for the first year, with reduced housing rates for the following 5 years. Minors are exempt from this until they reach the age that they can work. How old are you?¡± She looked at him, waiting for his answer.

    ¡°I¡¯m 16¡­¡± He answered, slightly hoping that he was considered a minor still.

    She smiled, ¡°Congratulations, you are not considered a minor under these conditions.¡±

    Damn, maybe I should have lied¡­

    Zain decided not to dwell on this for too long, he didn¡¯t know if kids had it rough here¡­Though, he chose to overlook the implication of having a kid transported here...

    Continuing with his work, he answered the most important questions which she pressed him for: Name, age, schooling history, work experience, medical history, etc. There were other less pressing things for him to fill out as well, which were rather thorough in their questioning; among them were worksheets which quizzed him on his preferences, personality quirks, and personal history. The use of this information eluded him at the moment, but it likely determined something unknown to him.

    It was quite tedious. All that could be heard within the office was the scribbling of his pencil and the typing of her keyboard. Hours seem to pass as he completed an endless amount of paperwork.

    Kendra entered his information as soon as he finished it and worked on a program on her computer. After a few more items of identifying information were entered, she looked to him and began to advise him again.

    ¡°During your temporary citizenship, you will be considered under probationary period. Crimes committed during this time will result in delay in permanent citizenship, revoking employment opportunities, sentencing on criminal charges, etc. Additional information regarding temporary citizenship may be found in the respectively labeled pamphlet which I handed you.¡±

    Pamphlet? As he hurriedly began to search for this booklet, she continued.

    ¡°Along with this, additional information handouts have been provided to you. Among them are booklets which detail the mandatory classes assigned to you, public transportation, specialized resources for transmigrants, meal ticket usage, mental health advisers¡­.¡±

    She started to list off all of the pamphlets he had been provided, Zain had a hard time keeping up. After sometime of fruitlessly searching for the packets she mentioned, he just decided to look through all of them later.

    When she finally finished her mandatory spiel, she locked eyes with him again.

    ¡°Now I will be taking photos for your identification. Please stand against this wall and face the camera.¡±

    Zain reluctantly did as he was told. He did not know that he would be taking a photo today, and if he did, he would have chosen to not look like a mess right now; his braids were messed up, his bandana was still wet, and he was wearing second hand threads. He cringed at how bad his first photo in this world was going to look, but he would have to settle with changing it later.

    He went to the wall, looked at the camera, and placed his most presentable smile on his lips. She looked at him with slight indifference.

    ¡°No smiling.¡±

    But why?

    It took some strain on his part, but he managed a neutral face. She motioned with her hand for him to turn to the side.

    ¡°I have to get all sides of you, turn left now.¡±

    Why am I being photographed like a criminal?

    He could understand that he was a completely new person with no prior documentation, but this seemed a little excessive. After taking his criminal profile, she motioned for him to sit back down in his seat.

    He watched from his seat as she approached a printer of some kind which began to create a laminated identification card. Zain could tell the equipment was rather old as it whirred and creaked, struggling to complete its one task; after some strain (and some encouraging smacks from Kendra), the machine was finally able to produce his ID card.

    She passed the card to him and he was able to inspect it closer. Deep down, he was hoping that it would have some sort of gimmick which indicated the level of advancement this world was in, but his ID looked no different from the one he had back on Earth.

    All in all, he was somewhat disappointed in his isekai adventure, as it was proving rather lackluster so far¡­

    No! There is still more to see! I¡¯m sure that outside these doors, there is just loads of adventure waiting for me!

    He internally clenched his fist, vowing to himself to make the most of this new life he was granted. Surely, he was taken here for a reason.

    Kendra stretched out, looking at all of the paperwork he completed, then sighed as if bothered by the work she would have to complete. She rose from her seat and began to instruct him.

    ¡°Pack up your stuff. You can go back to the changing room and get 3 more outfits for yourself and another pair of shoes. Don¡¯t forget to get your stuff out of the washing machine and into the dryer, it shouldn¡¯t take too long. Once you¡¯ve gotten all of your stuff, I¡¯m gonna to take you to your dorm where you¡¯ll be staying for the next year. ¡°

    Motioning towards the changing room again, she urged him forward, likely trying to hurry him so she could get her work done for the day. Zain obeyed and walked towards the changing room once again.

    I hope the dorms are not too bad¡­

 Starting

    Zain followed Kendra down a series of hallways, and they slowly made their way out front.

    So far, Zain had not seen anything too outlandish, besides the bubble which contained the city; it was an incredible sight, however, his childish sense of whimsy desired more.

    Soon, Kendra led him to the outside, where he saw the city for the first time.

    The best word that came to mind was underwhelming. It would seem that he was in the part of town that was quite dilapidated and abandoned.

    There was hardly anyone walking around, and those who were had their heads down and looked as if they wished to be left alone.

    Many buildings were boarded up or run down, walls were covered in graffiti, the streets were filled with potholes, and the street lights were not properly maintained.

    He would say that it would not be wise to walk around here at night, but it brought to question: What time was considered night here?

    There was a city issued vehicle parked in the street and Kendra quickly ushered him inside. After pushing his now sizable backpack (which was brimming with all he possessed in the world) into the back seat, he sat shotgun.

    ¡°So how do you guys tell what time of day it is? Is it just always dark like this?¡±

    Once she heard the click of his seat-belt, she pulled away from the curb, nonchalantly answering his question, which she had likely heard before.

    ¡°It¡¯s nighttime now. You may not be able to tell, but there are lights at the top of the city. It¡¯s like a mix of artificial lights and bioluminescence - or something like that. It alternates in 12 hour cycles, so it mimics regular daylight down here.¡±

    Zain pressed his face against the window, hoping to see the sky better.

    At first glance, there was just pitch blackness, but upon closer inspection, small glimmers of twinkling lights were speckled in the false sky. It looked similar to the tiny creatures found on the coral tree, with the bugs following each other in a random line, with no real destination. The aimless creatures created a Van Gogh-like starry night in the dome, slightly animated as they flickered on and off.

    He looked at the passing buildings and cityscape, absorbing the differences between his world and this one: In place of normal flora like trees and flowers, there were coral, sea sponges, and sea anemones found in shallow pools of water; They had likely evolved so they could survive somewhat above water as they resembled the sea plants seen in coral reefs.

    Despite having run down buildings all around, the surrounding area was rather vibrant in color because of the otherworldly plants; splashes of pinks and blues could be found in the cracks of the sidewalk, mossy grass overran the abandoned plots of land, and small reefs thrived within every puddle.

    ¡°So¡­where are we going?¡±

    She turned a corner, heading towards a larger building, which looked like a community college. ¡°There. Where you¡¯ll be stayin¡¯ for the foreseeable future. You¡¯ll be living in the dorms for now and taking those mandatory classes I told you about. I¡¯ve already picked out your roommate. I sent him an email and text that you would be coming and he would be free to greet you once you arrived, but he''s probably sleeping right now so I don''t think he will. You¡¯ll probably just set up you room when you get there.¡±

    Roommate, huh? I guess it¡¯s too much to be given my own room¡­

    ¡°What kind of person is my roommate...If you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±

    She pulled a weird face as she answered, ¡°Not sure, I just put your answers from the personality quiz into the computer and he was chosen as the best match. You guys are close in age, so that also probably contributed. ¡°

    ¡°Can you at least tell me his name?¡±

    ¡°Eeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhh¡­¡­¡­Oh, look we¡¯re here.¡± Kendra pulled in front of the college, avoiding his question.

    Zain heaved a heavy sigh. At least it didn¡¯t really matter if he knew his name beforehand because he was probably asleep anyways. As long as he learned it before tomorrow, he should be fine.

    They exited the car and made their way to the college; Kendra used her facility card to navigate through the buildings. After ten minutes of walking, they finally made it into the lobby of the dorm.

    An RA was sitting there alone, watching some videos on his phone. He looked up as they approached, and began to stretch out as they neared.

    Yawning, with his arm still in the air, he greeted them, ¡°Hey Kendra, you got a newbie?¡±

    She rolled her eyes in response, ¡°Yeah, Cole. I sent you an email about two hours ago, man¡­¡±

    The RA looked over to his monitor, clicking a few times before he found the email, ¡°Oh, yeah. I guess you did. Sorry, nothing usually happens with night duty so I wasn¡¯t checking my email. Just a moment. ¡°

    He began to read the email, skimming over most of the information. Once he finally got the jist of it, he popped his back and rose from his chair.

    Turning to the room behind him, he left briefly before he reappeared with a key, which he then handed to Zain.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking you to your dorm room now, if you have any questions, ask your roommate or the RA in the morning. For now, I recommend setting up your room and then sleeping so you can figure out your classes in the morning. ¡°

    For some reason, Zain felt like this guy was deflecting the responsibility of answering his questions to other people. As long as someone answered his questions, he supposed that it was okay for now¡­

    So much had been hurled towards him at once (pamphlets, documents, forms, cards, information..) he couldn''t think of too many questions he could ask off the top of his head. Even now, he was expected to set up his room, meet his new roommate, and start attending classes basically immediately. He was much more worried about those immediate things than anything else.

    Cole motioned for him to follow, so Zain obliged. After walking a few feet, he noticed that Kendra was not following. This was likely as far as her job required her to accompany him.

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    ¡°Thank you ma¡¯am, for helping me.¡± He dipped his head to show his gratitude.

    Kendra had an expression of slight surprise as he gave thanks. She let out a slight huff of amusement, ¡°It¡¯s nothing sweetheart. It''s my job.¡± She leaned against the wall near her, and started to scratch her cheek, her face reflecting confliction as she continued, ¡°To be honest, you''re holding up much better than most people who pass through here. I didn¡¯t even have to pull out the taser or anything.¡°

    Zain¡¯s eyes widened at that statement.

    Do people really cause that much trouble? ...I guess if they die, they would feel a certain type of way¡­

    He himself had just decided not to dwell on his own death; he was raised to focus on more important things in the moment, emotional things could be discussed later with people he trusted.

    ¡°Is it really that weird for someone to act normally?¡± He asked, feeling a bit self conscious.

    Cole and Kendra met eyes with one another, not really wishing to answer. It was Cole who decided to talk next. ¡°It really depends on what they were doing before they ended up here¡­¡±

    ¡°You mean before they died?¡±

    Both of them loosened their shoulders hearing Zain¡¯s response. Kendra nodded, holding her hand over her heart. ¡°A lot of people vividly remember things and have a hard time accepting things. Some are catatonic when they end up here, because of the things they remember and they need a few days before they can fill out paperwork. Don¡¯t worry though, there are others who are as nonchalant as you when they come here.¡°

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s usually the kids that act normally. The really young ones don¡¯t really understand what is happening though¡­¡± Cole added, shaking his head. After a moment of silence between them, he clapped his hands together, to snap them back to attention. ¡°Enough about the sad stuff. Let''s get you to your room so you can set up your stuff and rest.¡±

    He started again towards the back, and Zain again began to walk with him, making sure to wave Kendra goodbye as he left.

    <hr>

    Cole started to lead Zain up the stairs. As they ascended, Cole began to recite his own scripted speech.

    ¡°This building was established about 50 years ago, for those who were displaced through transmigration. Through the Babin education foundation, funding for this particular section was provided. It is through their generosity that transmigrants may transition somewhat seamlessly into their new environment. ¡°

    Zain started to tune him out as he explained the different donors like some sort of mid-role advertisement. The building looked rather old, with older equipment and supplies stored off to the side of certain floors. The brick walls on some floors had some visible leakage near the pipelines leading downward and paint chipping off of the walls on others.

    They climbed and climbed, and after the 4th flight of stairs, Cole finally shut himself up as he huffed up the stairs.

    ¡°How far are we going? Couldn¡¯t we¡­ take the elevator?¡± Zain strained himself to ask as they continued onward.

    Cole grabbed the railing, and paused a moment to answer. ¡°Your¡­dorm is on¡­the tenth¡­floor.¡± Slight annoyance tinged each break in his sentence, he gasped for breath as he continued, ¡°Elevator¡­is..broken¡­might be¡­fixed¡­next month¡­.¡±

    Groaning and heaving all the way up, they finally made it to Zain¡¯s dorm room. It took a few mississippis before they could talk again.

    Cole leaned on the wall with one hand then motioned Zain towards the door with his free hand. After lightly knocking first and waiting a few moments to see if anyone responded, he began to unlock the door as quietly as he could in order to not wake his roommate.

    Before he could open the door himself, however, the door fully swung open.

    On the other end, was a boy around his age, in his pajamas holding party poppers in his hands. He pulled the end of the string and cracked a great big smile as the confetti slowly cascaded around him.

    ¡°Welcome!¡± The boy jovially greeted them, hurriedly motioning with his hands trying to beckon them inside. ¡°You must be tired, feel free to sit. I have some snacks and there¡¯s some water for you to drink.¡±

    An audible slap from behind Zain sounded off. He turned to look, seeing Cole with his hand on his forehead. ¡°I forgot! It¡¯s freaking Brayden!¡± He let out a deep groan as he rubbed his temples. He leaned in closer to Zain as he began to whisper in his ear, ¡°He¡¯s a good kid, but he¡¯s a little much. Asks too many questions. It can get on a lot of people¡¯s nerves¡­¡±

    Brayden turned towards Cole, still smiling. ¡°You want to join us Cole? I¡¯m about to engage in an informative discussion about the intricacies of new life within Merverre. It would be a boon for our discussion if the perspective of a local was provided!¡± Without Cole even confirming his invitation, he began to set up three places at the small coffee table at the center of the living room.

    To this, Cole held up his hand and declined his offer. ¡°Nah. I¡¯m almost at the end of my shift and I got stuff to do, so you fellas will have to have this talk without me. I will take one of those waters though.¡± He scooped up one of the waters without waiting for Brayden¡¯s reply and gave Zain a few hardy pats on the back, his eyes filled with pity as he quickly departed from the room.

    Have I been sacrificed?

    Zain was having mixed feelings about being abandoned so readily. He was not given too long to dwell on this thought as Brayden hastily approached him, hand outstretched.

    ¡°I¡¯m Brayden Nguyen! We¡¯re gonna be roommates from here on out! It¡¯s great to meet you!¡±

    Zain couldn¡¯t help but recoil slightly at this forwardness; Brayden¡¯s face just radiated eagerness and his actions just showed his excitement for the coming discussion.

    Only faltering for a moment, Zain put his hand forward and offered a smile in return.

    This guy is just trying to be nice and he put in all of this effort in order to welcome me. I should at least show some appreciation.

    ¡°My name is Zain McArthur, pleasure to meet you too, dude.¡±

    Brayden beamed a happy smile at his response, relaxing his shoulders for some unknown reason. With both hands, he shook Zain¡¯s hand vigorously, and nodded just as fervently.

    ¡°There¡¯s so much to discuss! I have so many notes and things to tell you! I¡¯m also compiling an anthology of sorts, mainly of the stories of those transported here! Here! Check out my notebook!¡± From under the table, Brayden revealed multiple notebooks which were written completely front to back. ¡°The college is a hub of sorts, for those who were transported here. They offer many services which many can come back to, no matter how integrated they become.¡±

    He started to ramble a little about the intricacies of the college, how often those who migrated there came there, and how even locals used it. Zain would have to admit that it was rather informative and thorough, but Brayden seemed to stay on the tangent for quite some time.

    It was hard to interrupt his passionate spiel, but after an hour of trying to let him naturally conclude his rant, Zain had to put his hand up.

    ¡°As much as I would love to continue this discussion, shouldn¡¯t I set up my room now? I also have to sign up for my classes and set up my phone and all that¡­¡±

    Brayden halted in his tracks, then looked at his phone briefly. Remorse painted his face as he started to apologize to Zain, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve been told that I tend to ramble¡­sorry if I¡¯ve been a bother, I¡¯m trying to work on that¡­¡± The papers that had been strewn about were quickly tidied up as he tried to hide his obsessive scribblings. His eyes looked like those of a puppy who had just been scolded, which only made Zain feel guilty.

    ¡°No, no. I actually think all of the things you talked about are interesting. I can tell that you put in a lot of time into it and that is admirable. It¡¯s a relief to have someone able to answer any question I might have, it really puts me at ease. The thing is..¡± Before Zain could finish his sentence, his stomach growled especially loudly as if on cue. It had been making its warning calls for some time now, but since there was less noise in the room now, its loud vocal rumblings could actually be heard.

    Whether it should be considered impressive timing or poor timing, Zain could not tell.

    He placed his hand over his stomach in slight embarrassment, trying to stifle the noises emanating from it. ¡°I¡¯m really hungry¡­¡±

    A light chuckle escaped from Brayden, and he now possessed a more light-hearted aura to him. ¡°Yeah, let''s get some food in ya. I¡¯ve got some ramen, cereal, or takeout leftovers, which do you prefer?¡±

    ¡°I think I could go for some cereal now. Oh¡­wait¡­what brands do they have here, though¡­¡±

    ¡°I could tell you our Earth equivalents. Ah, but I will actually hold back on the explanations this time. ¡°

    Zain gave a small smile to his offer, ¡°Yeah man, that sounds great.¡±

    They both made some cereal, conversing about their favorite brands in their previous life and the new world equivalents in this life.

 Beginning

    It had not taken too long to set up his room. Other than putting away the things he was provided at the processing center, he only really needed to make his bed that night. Once everything had been put away, and he was finally able to rest; Zain unceremoniously plopped on top of his bed.

    Hopefully, he would finally be able to process what had transpired that day during his slumber.

    Except, his dreams had other plans.

    He did not dream of the futuristic world he was revived in, nor the underwater realm he was now a part of, he instead replayed memories of his life in the past.

    <hr>

    Most of the memories which resurfaced all played in a nonsensical mishmash, with random snippets and reels from his life: From riding his bike, to playing in his neighborhood with his friends in middle school, there was no real rhyme or reason to which memories replayed in his mind.

    That was until a particular memory, that had been buried in the folds of his brain, resurfaced.

    The TV played in the background on the free educational channel, the smell of potpourri filled the air, and air conditioning blared loudly in the window. He was a kid, maybe 4 or 5, and he was under the table, crying. The reason why he was crying, he could no longer remember, but what he did remember was his mother finding him.

    She gently lifted the lacy table cloth, letting the gentle rays of the afternoon sun spill under the table. Crouching down to his eye level, she asked if she could join him in his little hiding spot. He of course nodded okay, and she quickly scooted close to him.

    She tenderly looked at him and wiped his tears away.

    ¡®Hey, sweetheart. What you crying under the table for? Were those kids in the park mean to you again?¡¯

    His cheeks were hot, his eyes were blurry from his tears, and he held his knees close to his chest. No response came from him as he buried his face in his arms.

    His mother sighed, then proceeded to lift his head up so they could meet eyes. A melancholic smile played on her lips as she started to pet his hair.

    ¡®I¡¯m your mother, you don¡¯t have to hide your tears from me. Whether it be sadness, happiness, or anything else, I want you to share all of your feelings with me. I¡¯m here to listen. You trust me don¡¯t you?¡¯

    Still very much emotional, he nodded silently in affirmation.

    His mother let out a light chuckle and gave him a soft hug, continuing to stroke his hair in an effort to calm him down.

    ¡®Zain, I know it may not seem like it right now, but you will find others you can share all of your feelings with. People you trust. Good people. Your mama ain¡¯t always gonna be by your side when you go off to explore the world, so you¡¯ll need to find those people by yourself. It might be scary, and you might be wrong a few times, but as long as you find at least one person, you¡¯ll be alright.¡¯

    She gently held his face with both hands, brushing away the few remaining tears left on his face with her thumb.

    ¡®Promise me, that you¡¯ll try.¡¯

    He recalled frowning and staying silent for a good amount of time, but finally he answered his mother¡¯s request. ¡®Okay mom, I¡¯ll try. I¡¯ll try my best.¡¯

    <hr>

    The window brightened, indicating that the morning had finally arrived. Zain woke up in his bed, which was a hard mattress probably no better than the floor.

    He laid there, staring at the ceiling for an extended period of time, with his eyes warmer than usual after he recalled his dream.

    Once he finally willed himself to sit up, he pumped himself up for the start of the day.

    I need to try my best!

    In his mind, he materialized his worries and fears into something pliable and tangible; he proceeded to roll it into a wad, then throw it into the trash, now ready to start his day.

    Brayden had provided him with an alarm clock as his first ¡®roommate gift¡¯. It was rather helpful as Brayden noted that without a sun, it was hard to get used to the sky simply turning to ¡®daytime¡¯.

    Zain decided to make his way to the living room, where he found Brayden making some pancakes. With a smile on his face, he offered to make some for Zain.

    They sat on the couch, food in hand, and with some more notebooks stacked on the coffee table. There were copious amounts of post its and tabs marking the pages, with handwritten personal notes written in the margins.

    ¡°Sooo¡­ what are these notes about?¡±

    The now spectacled teen took a swig of his orange juice, then lined out the notebooks in question. Once he was satisfied with the order, he began to speak in response.

    ¡°These are the notes I created for someone just starting out. It starts from enrolling in courses at the college to finding employment. ¡°

    Zain grabbed the notebook closest to him and flipped through the pages, the attention and care for each subject was palpable.

    ¡°Who did you make these for¡­?¡±

    Adjusting his glasses and straightening his back, the boy started to nervously explain himself. ¡°Well¡­even in my old life, I wanted to become a teacher. Lucky for me, the college funds the education of future educators, but through my discussions with the other transmigrants, finding footing is actually pretty difficult. If I¡¯m going to be an educator, then I need to be a guide for those still discovering their way through life.¡± He looked at Zain for a moment, then puffed out his chest with faltering machismo, ¡°I need to be reliable if I am to become the teacher I¡¯ve always wanted to become.¡±

    Even though Brayden lacked some self confidence, Zain was thoroughly impressed with the amount of work he put into his notes; he felt quite fortunate to be placed with a roommate like him, who would guide him when needed. In response to Brayden¡¯s declaration, Zain reflexively began to smile and he let out an amused snort of air.

    ¡°I can tell just by looking at these notes that you would be a great teacher. You¡¯re pretty impressive, dude.¡±

    The complement seemed to embarrass Brayden to a degree, but he quickly recovered. ¡°Thanks man, that means a lot. But enough about me! We have to get your classes in order, before the weekend is over, or else you won''t be starting for another week.¡±

    Apparently, only one mandatory class was taught a week due to the fact that transmigrants (or ¡®ethereals¡¯ as they called them here) would come randomly throughout the year, so the lessons were taught in no particular order. There were just a lot of supplementary materials for someone to complete, but otherwise the mandatory classes were rather easy.

    What would take most of the week would be job searching, extra classes, or working. There were few occupations that you could obtain a scholarship for, but most of the time most people had to do apprenticeships and get lower skilled jobs to get by.

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    ¡°What about people who have had experience back home? Can¡¯t they just find the same jobs here?¡±

    Brayden looked slightly dejected as he picked up a particular notebook from the ones splayed about. He flipped through the pages with a slight frown on his face, as if recalling a sad memory. ¡°Some things don¡¯t translate well here. I¡¯ve received first hand accounts of some who had degrees and successful careers in their past life, but they were still unable to find a job here. You basically have to start from scratch, not knowing anyone in a world that is more advanced than your own.¡± He placed the notebook down, lightly brushing the cover as if he was being respectful to the contents within. Heaving a big sigh and returning his gaze to his pancakes, he began to eat once again. ¡°Plus, the concept of magic and all that mystical stuff doesn¡¯t help with the confusion.¡±

    Zain began to process the information he was given. Reality was not as kind as he thought it would be, and being transported to a new world was starting to sound less and less worth it. He was starting to dread the coming days, when Brayden¡¯s last statement finally hit him.

    Wait¡­.Magic!

    Instead of being sad and worrying about the future, he chose to be dazzled by fantasy!

    Being unable to quell the excitement welling within him, he immediately began to ask about what new laws of nature ruled this world.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that this world had magic. Can you explain some of it to me?¡± Zain could feel a deranged smile creep on his lips, so he tried his best to suppress it and play it cool.

    Mid-chew, Brayden looked up slightly surprised. He quickly swallowed and began to speak again. ¡°Oh yeah. You got here at night so I guess that you didn¡¯t see too many people. If you saw certain people, then you would be able to tell immediately but I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Looking back to the stack of notebooks he had prepared ahead of time, Brayden began to think for a bit before settling on a particular one. ¡°I was pretty excited when I learned that this place used magic, but the people from here think of it as a normal part of life. I had to go to the library to research it because most people don¡¯t think that much about it and don¡¯t explain it very well. ¡±

    ¡°What? How do they not know that much about it? They lived their whole lives with it, they should at least know the basics, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I get what you mean but thinking about it, it kinda makes sense¡­I guess. Like, imagine you had to explain electricity to someone who had never lived with it or explain how the internet worked to someone who has never had it. Most people don¡¯t think about it on a daily basis and it is apparently hard to describe to those who have never experienced using it. Someone once told me that it would be like describing what an egg tastes like to someone who has never eaten an egg before. It''s just like, one of those fundamental things, I suppose.¡±

    They both shrugged their shoulders.

    It was weird, but as long as there was information readily available, they could just look into it themselves.

    Brayden pulled out a small whiteboard he could write on and began to explain the things he had learned about the magic there.

    ¡°From what I have researched, there are three categories of magic. It all whittles down to those that enhance the mind, body, and spirit. It is rather hard, because they use different terms to describe what the magic here is, but a lot of people mainly describe it as life energy. I would say, for a beginner, the best place to start would be learning about the fundamentals and the basics. You have no idea how deep this goes.¡± He briefly pointed to several notebooks which seemed to be volumes on this topic, before he continued with his lesson. ¡°The easiest thing to get is the concept of the attributes of someone''s magic.¡±

    On the whiteboard, he wrote out six elements: Water, earth, fire, wind, lightning, and light. There were six contents in this world and each one tended to have a particular attribute most of the local population possessed. As Brayden got further into his explanation, he started to go on some tangents about the cultural significance of the elements, the subcategories of the elements, and the real world applications of each element. Zain had to gently remind him to stay on topic about the basics as all of this information was flying over his head.

    ¡°Excuse me. In short, a lot of locals have a particular element based on where they are from, though, it is not unheard of for them to possess access to two elements. But that does not necessarily apply to us outlanders.¡± He drew a big circle which encompassed all of the elements, and he looked at Zain with a grin on his face. ¡°Ethereals have access to all elements and they tend to have a larger capacity for magic. The scientific reasoning for this is unknown, but many speculate that it may be where we come from.¡±

    ¡°Interesting¡­ So what you¡¯re saying is that we¡¯re all basically the avatar.¡± Zain clenched his fists, thinking about the possibilities of using different elements. ¡°Of course, with great power comes great responsibility.¡±

    Brayden let out an amused laugh, ¡°I hate to burst your bubble, but in domesticated areas, most people don¡¯t really use their powers for that. The most you will see someone use their mana for is maybe their auras or maybe if their job has some application for it.¡±

    ¡°Dang it¡­ At least it''s still cool though. But wait¡­what do you mean aura?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I think it would be better if I showed you. I haven¡¯t quite grasped the concept myself, but we¡¯re gonna be using some public transportation today when we¡¯re getting the stuff for the apartment, you¡¯ll see then.¡±

    That statement was quite mysterious, but Zain decided to look forward to their later excursion.

    ¡°Have you been able to use some of the basics? Like, what is it like to use mana anyway?¡±

    No doubt having prepared for this question beforehand, Brayden reached under the table and pulled out a few items: a piece of paper, a cup of water, some pebbles, and a flashlight. How ever these things would be used, eluded Zain.

    With a more straightened posture, Brayden cleared his throat and began to teach this foreign concept to Zain. ¡°Everyone has an attribute that they are more in tune with. Even us, who are capable of using them all. They usually use special tools to determine such things, but in light of the fact that I do not have access to them, I have come up with some substitutes that may help us determine what yours is.¡± First, he placed the cup of water forward. ¡°Since a good amount of people who come here have water affinity, it would be best to see if that is the case with you. Think about shifting the water within the cup. Imagine taking a spoon and swirling the water into a small whirlpool or something of that nature.¡±

    Brayden took it upon himself to demonstrate, as he grabbed the glass by its rim and closed his eyes. Soon, the water within began to ripple, as if reacting to vibrations all around it. The longer he concentrated, the more the waters became unsettled and finally began to move in a more artificial manner. Like a puddle undulating as it rained outside, except there was no other water source to be found.

    As quickly as he disturbed the water, he immediately stilled it as he willed. He smiled as he completed his demonstration and motioned his hand, beckoning Zain to try as well.

    Zain did as instructed, closing his eyes and envisioning moving the still waters within the cup into a small vortex, focusing on the tips of his fingers, trying to push out whatever magic laid dormant within him. He opened his eyes.

    Nada.

    He tried again.

    Again, nothing happened.

    After some silence, with them both looking awkwardly at the glass of water, Brayden decided to move on.

    ¡°Hmm, I guess water isn¡¯t where you should start. Let''s try electricity.¡±

    Brayden added some salt to the water and explained what needed to be done to see if he held affinity for electricity. Zain dipped his fingers into the water, keeping them submerged and a small distance away from each other. Imagining the sparks of a lightbulb, he tried to connect his fingers with a spark of electricity.

    Nothing.......

    Moving on to the piece of paper, he first tried to move it by imagining it flapping in the wind.

    Nothing happened.

    Then he tried to imagine the edges of the paper turning to embers as if a fire was consuming it.

    Again nothing.

    With the pebbles, not one moved or showed any change. With the flashlight, he could not dim or brighten the light.

    Nothing was reacting.

    Creases formed on Brayden¡¯s forehead as he struggled to think of new things to try, a slight frown accentuated the dimpling on his chin as he pondered for quite some time.

    Finally, he let out a defeated sigh as he plopped on the couch, grabbing one of his notebooks, and looking through his notes. They tried a few more things, but nothing bore any fruit.

    Zain had slight dejection singe his heart as he wanted so badly to play with some magic.

    Maybe it wasn¡¯t meant to be, I guess¡­

    These demeaning thoughts were interrupted by Brayden closing his notebook. He let out a small breath and returned his attention to Zain. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to ask a medium or something at some point. It¡¯ll cost some money, though, so I guess you¡¯ll have to save for that. I wanted to avoid that, but it¡¯s probably the best option because it¡¯ll be hard for you to get the concept for using magic if you don¡¯t start with the one you have the best affinity for.¡± He had a slight pout on his face. It would seem like he truly wished to find a way to determine his affinity without the use of tools, but this failure filled him with slight bitterness.

    Zain let out a small laugh as he consoled his roommate. ¡°I¡¯m glad you tried so hard for me, man. It means a lot. If I learned anything from this information session, it is that you are someone I can count on.¡±

    Brayden looked down for a few seconds, recalling what they needed to do in order to continue on with what was planned for that day.

    ¡°Yeah¡­we should probably sign you up for your classes before I forget.¡±

    Oh yeah, I forgot about that too...

    Zain internally sighed, having reality enter his thoughts once again.

 Exploring

    Zain had opted to take his courses at the same time as Brayden, so they could discuss their lessons afterwards; Luckily, once he set up his phone, signing up for classes was rather easy.

    The smartphone he was initially given had some preset apps which had all of the things he required: A banking app which monitored his credits on his card, a schooling portal which had all of his classes along with his homework assignments, and a resident portal for putting in maintenance requests. There was limited data on his phone, and not too much storage space, but despite these shortcomings, he would have to admit that it was a pretty up-to-date smartphone.

    Looking around his dorm room, most of the appliances looked to be of a regular quality, similar to those he used in his day to day life; Apparently, this stuff was considered on the cheaper side here (according to Brayden), but from earth standards Zain considered it up to date, if not more on the expensive side. What newer appliances looked like was something that did interest him, but he decided to look into it later so he wouldn¡¯t feel jealous. Maybe if he saved his money he could splurge on some cool stuff, but for now he just planned on getting his bearings.

    Once he and Brayden had finished their breakfast, they had decided to go out to get some things Zain would need for his bedroom and along with more groceries.

    Opting to wear his favorite outfit, Zain quickly got ready so he could finally see what the city looked like during the day. He recalled that it was rather cold outside during the night so he opted to wear a long sleeved undershirt along with the leggings he was transported in. Fortunately there was a mirror in the hallway that allowed him to make sure he looked decent enough to leave the dorm. He really had nothing to get ready with besides his clothing, so after he was finished changing, all he had to do was grab his phone, wallet, and keys.

    Due to Brayden¡¯s insistence, his translating necklace was hidden beneath his clothing; As his roommate had pointed out, it was a surefire way to let those around you know that you were new and it could lead to more problems than it was worth.

    Zain sat in the living room, twiddling his thumbs as he waited for Brayden to finish getting ready. Admittedly, he was rather excited to leave the apartment.

    It had been hard to see the city when he had been taken during the night, so he was hoping to witness more fantastical elements he had not been privy to.

    With the added knowledge that there was magic within the world, he was hoping that he could see some people making use of it during the day. Brayden had assured him that there definitely would be real world examples, but Zain had some difficulty imagining what it would be.

    What kind of magic could be used on a daily basis?

    The answer to this question made his imagination run wild as he waited for what seemed like forever.

    Brayden soon exited his room, with the outfit he would be wearing. He wore a blue polo shirt with some beige cargo shirts. A nice looking watch hung around his wrist. It had dark brown leather straps with a red back on the watch itself.

    Apparently, when he had chosen to refine his translation crystal, Brayden had opted to incorporate it into a watch; he said that it had taken a while for him to save up for this accessory, but he was very proud when he finally got it.

    If Zain wanted some extra money, he could visit the job boards that had odd job listings and entry level job applications. Caution was needed when applying to these jobs as some of the listings were sketchy (it was basically craigslist the way Brayden described it), but it could be helpful for extra cash when you had nothing to your name.

    ¡°I like to visit different job sites so I can detail the process for others like me. I usually stay for like a week after I explain what I¡¯m doing and most places are cool with it. If you''re not really sure what kind of job you want right now, then you¡¯re free to join me while I shadow. Was there a career you were working towards before? I can probably give you notes on how to work towards it.¡± Brayden sprayed a cloud of cologne in the air and stepped into it, then added some extra squirts into his neck.

    ¡°Hmmm¡­I was thinking of enlisting in the army once I finished school¡­¡±

    For a split second, worry flashed on Brayden¡¯s face.

    Maybe the army doesn¡¯t have the best reputation here¡­

    ¡°But I wasn¡¯t really married to the idea. It just made sense given my family financial situation and because I wanted to go to college.¡±

    Brayden exhaled in relief and nodded in understanding. ¡°Yeah, that makes sense. You can¡¯t go to college unless you have permanent residence here so that is more of a long term goal. You¡¯ll have scholarships available, but it takes at least 5 years to get permanent residence and citizenship. For now we''ll focus on short term goals.¡±

    ¡°Is there something wrong with the military here? I¡¯m just a little curious¡­¡±

    His roommate seemed a little hesitant to answer, but after a few seconds, he finally shared his opinion. ¡°I have only been here for like 4 months, so I don¡¯t know everything there is to know about it, but most of the stories I have collected from those in the military have not been the best. Especially for ¡®ethereals¡¯, as they are usually sent to the front lines of conflict. The things they have seen are not great¡­and there is little support for them once they leave. I don¡¯t recommend it, sadly.¡±

    Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Plus, I don¡¯t think I would want to fight for a country that I barely know¡­

    Brayden finished lacing his shoes then grabbed a drawstring backpack he had brought out of his room. He placed a handful of notebooks within the bag, placed it on his back, then motioned for them to finally go.

    Excitement began to build up in Zain¡¯s heart, as he was finally going to see the bustling city.

    They stepped out their door and headed towards the stairway; he looked all the way down, then came to a distressing realization.

    ¡°We have to climb up and down these stairs every time we go outside?¡±

    Brayden looked at him and gave him a sad nod. ¡°Good for the legs though¡­ha ha¡­¡± He was laughing but his eyes were dead inside.

    <hr>

    Climbing down the stairs was not as bad as going up them, but Zain did not want to think about his return later - that was future Zain¡¯s problem.

    As they descended the steps, Brayden started to describe the things that were outside.

    ¡°You¡¯ve probably noticed that this world is a little more advanced than ours. Not only that, but there is magic, which adds an extra layer to things. If I had to describe how much more advanced, it would be maybe 50 years ahead of ours. It had the potential to be much further, but there was a calamity that happened about six hundred years ago. Because of this disaster, the progress of the world stagnated and it took quite some time to recover.¡±

    ¡°Calamity? Like a war or something? What happened?¡±

    Brayden paused on one of the floors, looking around the storage area for something to write or draw on. After rummaging around for a bit, he spotted a small white board with some expo markers off to the side. He began to draw what looked like a map of this world; it was crude, but the general idea for what the continents looked like was clear.

    There appeared to be six main bodies of land with a few collections of islands closer to the center of the map. Then once Brayden had finished drawing the continents and islands of note, he took the expo marker and scribbled in the center.

    Zain couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head after his friend had finished, wondering why he found the need to do that.

    Holding the newly drawn map up, Brayden began to explain some stuff in greater depth, pointing to the giant scribble at the center.

    ¡°There was an explosion that caused a great calamity 600-500 years ago. Due to this calamity, half of the world¡¯s population was affected and many perished. This is the center of the explosion, and even to this day, there is no precise topography of the land mass there because no one wants to live there. Aerial attempts have failed to capture what the landmass looks like because it is still covered by a shroud of black clouds.¡±

    Due to this explosion, famine, disease, and death affected the world for about 200 years. Many people were forced to migrate from the epicenter of calamity, which caused a lot of strife and conflict. Animals were able to adjust to the newer conditions and as a result they evolved to monstrous variations of their former selves. The world has since recovered but there are many areas which are inhospitable for human life due to wildlife that now lives there. These were usually the areas which were closer to the epicenter.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°That¡¯s the general gist of things. There is so much more history, but if I went into that, then we¡¯d be here all day.¡° Brayden looked around for an eraser, but being unable to find one, opted to use his hand to erase the board. After setting the board back within the storage area, they began to descend again.

    ¡°So there are some parts of this world that are not inhabited by people?¡± That was hard for Zain to imagine, but then again, he was used to a world without magic.

    Brayden nodded, ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a weird concept, but after seeing some of the creatures here, I can understand. If you had to choose between settling at a nice seaside or a cliffside inhabited by 1000 dragons, then the answer is easy. But I¡¯ve heard there are some organizations which do try to conquer those inhabitable lands and sell them to private investors or the government. Most people tend to stay within the safe zones though, and it is pretty much the same as our cities. Except for the magic - but that¡¯s a given.¡±

    Even though he might have been half joking, Zain couldn¡¯t help but immediately zone in on the one piece of information that piqued his interest. ¡°Dragons?¡± He gave a kiddish smile.

    Brayden looked at Zain and flashed a similar smile, ¡°Yes, Dragons.¡±

    He tried to keep his cool, but his hands reflexively balled themselves and pumped excitedly in the air. Biting his lip did not even prevent the squeal of excitement which escaped from him.

    Brayden snickered as he saw Zain''s poor attempt to suppress his excitement, adding on with a glint in his eye, ¡°It¡¯s not only that. Once you get out, you¡¯ll lose your mind once you see all the mystical stuff they¡¯ve got.¡±

    Subconsciously, Zain picked up his pace, trying to finish going down the flights of stairs as quickly as possible. After they had descended the final flight of stairs, Zain tried to proceed out the door but he was stopped by Brayden who had stopped at the RA desk for some reason.

    He hurried back, wondering why he would need to stop at the desk.

    Cole was not at the desk this time, in his place was a chipper petite woman with strange flowers in her hair. Brayden beckoned him back towards the desk, an amused grin on his face.

    ¡°I know that you''re excited dude, but there is some protocol we have to follow. Sorry, I forgot to tell you before we left.¡± He turned towards the woman with an apologetic smile, ¡°Sorry, Aimee. He''s new¡­¡±

    Aimee giggled, then shook her head. ¡°It''s alright. I remember when you first came. You were about the same.¡± Brayden hung his head in response, slightly embarrassed by his previous naivety. The young woman reached into one of the drawers then pulled out a tablet. She handed the tablet to Zain and leaned over the desk to better position herself to help him. ¡°Every time you leave and return, you have to fill this out. I hope you brought your ID card with you.¡±

    Thankfully he had not forgotten it, he dreaded to think what would have happened if he had. Aimee began to show him how to navigate the program so he could sign out. It seemed rather tedious and Zain couldn''t really see the point.

    ¡°Is this really necessary? Do I have to do this every time?¡± He complained.

    She flashed him a sympathetic half smile and nodded. ¡°Sorry, but it is protocol. You only have to put up with it for a year so try to bear with it.¡±

    When he had finally finished filling in the boxes, he got a prompt on his screen for his ID. The little infographic instructed him to press his ID to the screen so he did so, questionably. Once he did as prompted, his ID glowed with circuitry-like lighting pulsating, indicating that the task had been completed.

    He pursed his lips in slight surprise, then handed the tablet back to Aimee. After checking that the paperwork was in order, she nodded and congratulated him on completing his first sign out.

    She handed the tablet to Brayden, who finished his sign out rather quickly. It would seem that Aimee didn''t even see the need to check over his sign out as she simply put the tablet away. She gave them a smile and waved them goodbye as they finally departed.

    <hr>

    There were several bus stops near the campus, but the quickest route to the store was going by subway, which was about a five minute walk from the dormitory.

    Zain looked around at the people who were commuting to the campus. He had expected there to be more people out and about, but he hardly passed that many people, and the ones that they did pass were bundled up for the colder weather. Brayden had mentioned that it was the weekend, so that could explain why there were so few people outside, but as he looked at those who were passing by, there were not really features that stood out from those he was used to.

    ¡°Is there something in particular I''m supposed to be looking for? Besides the plants, I don''t really see too many things that would be considered fantasy¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the people around here are not familiar with the magical elements like the locals, so don''t expect to see anything until we get to the subway. Trust me.¡±

    Growing more antsy by the minute, Zain had to calm himself by exhaling; his breath fogged the air around him immediately, indicating how chilly it was that morning. He looked at Brayden, who was wearing cargo shorts.

    ¡°Aren''t you cold¡­.¡±

    His friend looked surprised by the question for a second before answering. ¡°No. I came from Canada so this weather is pretty pleasant to be honest.¡± He paused, hesitating before he continued the conversation. ¡°Where were you from? If you don''t mind me asking¡­¡±

    It was Zain''s turn to be surprised by the sudden question. However, it made sense that his roommate would be asking these things now; they had not really talked about themselves since they were both too interested in discussing the inner workings of this new world when he had first arrived. Looking at his companion, who was eagerly awaiting his answer, Zain decided that he could probably open up to him as he seemed trustworthy. ¡°I''m from the US. Georgia, to be specific, which is down south. This is like fall or winter weather for me so I consider this chilly. I also personally don''t do well with the cold¡­¡±

    Zain was glad that there was probably no wind down here as a single gust would go through his casual hoodie. Brayden laughed at this statement.

    ¡°Sucks for you dude, this weather is the norm here. It rarely warms up unless the volcano intensifies. Even then, it''s 70 degrees at most.¡±

    Zain groaned which increased Brayden''s amusement. They both had a good laugh as the subway entrance came into view.

    The subway looked rather impressive in Zain¡¯s opinion: With an entrance resembling that of a cave, there were arches made of metal melded into the stony underground. There remained stalactites on the ceiling which made the ceiling look as if it was completely untouched by human forces; as one¡¯s eyes traveled down, man made structures became more prevalent as it transitioned into a more modern transit system.

    The stairs leading downward were clearly made from polished stones, but a small waterway in between the ascending and descending stairs held a small biome of plants and animals.

    Despite looking like a cave, there was immediate warmth as they entered. Signs of caution, advertisements, and instruction infographics lined the halls leading them to the ticket area; Most were written in french, with the words slightly irritating his eyes as he looked at them because his brain automatically translated them. He had to blink rapidly in order to focus his vision again.

    They soon made it to the turnstile, with Brayden seamlessly passing through. Zain fumbled a bit, trying to retrieve his ID from his wallet, but once he did, he placed it on the screen causing its underlying circuitry to light up again, in turn granting him entry to the inner lobby area.

    A fountain had a stony goddess within its center, but the pool where the water landed had stalagmites within the basin along with colorful marine flora living in the clear water; the water itself seemed to glow slightly, as if small particles illuminated every ripple.

    The support columns were all covered by mossy overgrowths, with the greenery visible in the grout lines of the flooring. On the walls, there seemed to be strange paths of water that led to open pools of water, which for some reason had benches within them. Zain could only assume they were strange art pieces.

    There seemed to be a mix of natural formations along with man made structures which raised the question: Where did these natural formations come from in an artificial city?

    ¡°Where¡¯d all this dirt come from anyway?¡± Zain questioned.

    Brayden blinked, stupefied by the weird phrasing of the question. After taking a second to realize what he meant, he answered to the best of his abilities.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­I think it has to do with the establishment of the city¡­but unfortunately I haven¡¯t made it to that chapter yet.¡± He said, sounding a bit remorseful.

    Sometimes I forget there¡¯s a limit to Brayden¡¯s knowledge.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I don¡¯t expect you to know every little thing. Just let me know when you find out. Sounds interesting.¡±

    Just then, small automated messages announced the arrival of the subway. There were not that many people waiting for the subway with them, likely because of the time of day they decided to leave. It did not seem that busy today, luckily, but Zain remembered something Brayden had said before.

    ¡°So, you said something about understanding aura when we went out¡­but what did you mean by that?¡±

    Brayden smiled, ¡°Technically, you¡¯ve already seen it, you just didn¡¯t know you did.¡±

    Before Zain could ask what he meant by this, the train made its stop right in front of them. The doors opened and a few people made their way out through the opened doors. Both he and Brayden began to move forward, with Brayden nudging him slightly as he spoke again.

    ¡°Just take a closer look at the people on the train, then you¡¯ll see.¡± A mischievous look crept on his face as he winked at his puzzled friend.

    Look at people? Isn¡¯t that rude¡­

    Nonetheless, Zain complied with the strange request.

    Without being too obvious about it, he made discrete glances at the people they passed on the train as they looked for open seats. A lot were disinterested in their surroundings and were either looking out the window or at their phone screens. Many were bundled for the cold day, and were therefore hard to see in their entirety.

    He thought he caught some strange coloring in some people''s hair, but as they walked, he wasn¡¯t able to stare long enough to make out what was quite so strange about it.

    I guess they like dyeing their hair here¡­I guess, but what does that have to do with¡­

    Just then, Brayden stopped in front of him, having found two seats next to each other. Next to them was a mother and child, and on the other side was a young man who looked dressed for work at a service industry job.

    They sat down, and Zain furrowed his brow as he was still not sure what he should be looking at. He glanced over at the kid that was right next to him, looking at the game console she was holding. The graphics were really nice, and it looked similar to the switch or the steam deck.

    He looked at the little girl, who was really good at the first person shooter she was playing; She wore what one would expect for a little girl to be wearing, with the braids in her hair being pulled into two buns. The way they were adorned looked nice but the train made them tousle around in an unnatural way¡­

    Wait¡­IS that her hair?

    As he looked closer, the buns on either side of her hair looked like the heads of jellyfish: the hair which hung out from them looked like tentacles, writhing as if they had a mind of their own. There was a slight shimmer- no- glow to her locks, as if there was natural light emanating from them.

    Zain glanced at her mother, who wore her hair in a similar fashion. It would appear at first glance that she was wearing some sort of bonnet over her bun, but she too possessed a jellyfish-like attachment to her hair. This jellyfish was much bigger and intricate than the kid¡¯s, but they looked very similar.

    What is going on?

    Zain looked at Brayden, who had a knowing look on his face.

    With a childish smirk, he inquired, ¡°Want me to explain?¡±

 Learning

    Zain watched as Brayden took out a notebook from his backpack, one which was labeled ¡®Spirit¡¯.

    ¡°The best explanation I got for how spirit works is: ¡®to think of it like creating constructs out of your life energy¡¯¡­¡± He began.

    Constructs? I feel like I¡¯ve heard that before¡­

    Brayden flipped through his notebook and turned to a particular section marked by a blue post it note. Inside was a crude illustration of a figure surrounded by energy.

    ¡°It is said that your soul takes the shape of what most suits your personality. Back in our own world, it is like having a spirit animal. It¡¯s the same concept here - I think. Your life energy more easily takes the shape of certain things so they can manifest into something tangible if you ¡®will it¡¯.¡±

    So, is that how the girl and her mother have jellyfish in their hair? They constructed it?

    ¡°Woah! So if I wanted to, I could give myself some dragon wings!¡± The temptation to start mastering spirit powers was overwhelming, but all of that came crashing down in an instant when Brayden spoke next.

    ¡°Sorry dude, don¡¯t think so¡­From what I¡¯ve heard, you only get one animal that your soul can easily take the form of, and most of the time, they are not all that useful. Unless we had that animal in our world, you probably won¡¯t be able to.¡± He flipped forward a few pages, which highlighted certain facts. ¡°Oh, yeah. And making constructs takes a lot of energy depending on the person. Most people will only opt to use their abilities for aesthetic reasons.¡±

    He gestured generally at the people on the train: There were a lot with coral looking plants sticking out of their hair or fish-like scales glittering on their cheeks.

    A sigh of disappointment escaped from Zain, ¡°Yeah, I can understand that I guess... I can¡¯t imagine how a coral would be effective in battle.¡±

    ¡°Battle? Who are you planning on fighting? We¡¯re not in a conflict zone or battle manga¡­¡± Brayden trailed off as he began chuckling to himself.

    Slight embarrassment ebbed at Zain, but he also started to laugh. A small scoff sounded next to him, followed by someone saying something about being childish under their breath.

    Zain looked to his side, only seeing the little girl and her mother minding their own business.

    Did I imagine that?

    He turned back to Brayden, who was flipping through his notebook again, likely not having heard anything weird.

    ¡°Well, I guess you could learn some magic for self-defense reasons. There¡¯s no harm in that. There are some real world applications that I¡¯ve heard being used as well - Ah, here.¡± He stopped at a particular part within his notebook, folding it in half as he handed it to Zain.

    Grabbing the notebook, Zain scanned the contents, which detailed using magic for certain everyday tasks such as cleaning, building, and gardening. There were various blurbs which briefly touched on specialized occupations that used specific attributes and abilities, but these were not as detailed as other paragraphs, likely because Brayden had not had enough time to research these things.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any classes within the college which teach you self-defense, so you¡¯d have to either pay for them or teach yourself. I did briefly research some gyms that offered similar things, but admittedly, I haven¡¯t really gotten the chance to look into those¡­¡± Brayden explained.

    One of his tangents quickly followed, as he began to talk about certain services offered within this world, referencing notebooks he didn''t have at the moment.

    Zain tried his best to follow along with the conversation, but there were too many tangents and Brayden was pointing at different pages within the notebook he had brought. It was a couple of minutes before Zain held his hand up after closing the notebook.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s best we stop here¡­¡± He placed his hand over his mouth as he handed the notebook back to Brayden. ¡°I¡¯m a little nauseous¡­.¡±

    Having never been able to read in a moving vehicle, Zain couldn¡¯t understand how others could. Needless to say, out of self preservation, he put the conversation to a stop.

    Brayden flashed some sympathetic eyes, then offered an unopened water bottle from his bag as he pat Zain on the back. Grateful his roommate was so well prepared, he accepted the bottle and drank some water immediately. He took a deep breath, trying to still his stomach.

    ¡°Heh¡­ skill issue.¡±

    Zain definitely heard someone say that under their breath. It sounded like a little kid, so of course he glanced at the little girl who sat next to him. Her headphones were still on; most other people would assume that she was referring to an opposing player she was now facing, however, she was still waiting in the lobby for her next game. There was no change in her demeanor, as she continued playing.

    It was probably easier to ignore this rude child, so that is what Zain did.

    The water bottle was nice and cool, so Zain placed it on the side of his neck whilst he stared at the floor. As he stared aimlessly at the floor he started to notice some strange glitterings strewn about. Focusing on the shining pieces, he was able to see that they were what appeared to be iridescent fish scales. He leaned down, picking a few up to observe them better.

    Each was of a different shape and size; some had more luster and others seemed more transparent.They were quite beautiful so h fiddled with them in his hand, transfixed by them.

    It was as he stared at them, that one of the more transparent ones thinned then shattered, much resembling ice melting in the sun, except there was no trace that anything had been there.

    The mysterious phenomenon fascinated him, and his eye glimmered as he turned towards Brayden, who had been watching him.

    Without hesitating, he devolved into his explanation, ¡°Those constructs can only last so long, so after a certain duration or at a certain distance, they disappear.¡± He pointed at another scale in Zain¡¯s hand which fractured then evaporated into dust in the air.

    Awesome!

    Immediately, Zain collected a few more things from the floor: A few more scales, various shells, and several coral branches. He fixedly stared at them, looking as some disappeared.

    ¡°Too bad I can¡¯t keep them. These look really pretty.¡± They were the type of items that people would collect at the beach as souvenirs, so Zain considered it a shame that they would simply disappear.

    ¡°Gross.¡± The girl next to him again judgmentally added.

    Zain glanced at the girl, whose nose was scrunched up in disgust.

    He frowned. What was this girl¡¯s problem? She was, frankly, ruining Zain¡¯s sense of awe with her little comments. What was more, her mother did not even seem bothered by her daughter¡¯s behavior; she was probably not even paying attention as she continued to scroll on her phone.

    It¡¯s okay, calm down¡­maybe these constructs are the same as hair or nail clippings? Maybe it''s different for the people here because it is an extension of their own body¡­

    Internally, he was able to talk himself down, and only slight annoyance remained.

    Continuing his conversation with Brayden (and dropping the constructs in his hand), Zain returned to the original topic. ¡°Do you know what form your spirit takes? Is it something cool?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, no. I hear that it is hard for ethereals to know theirs, and hard for them to master them.¡±

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    That sucks, what if my spirit animal is ,like, really cool?

    ¡°How would you figure out what your spirit animal is? Through one of those mediums you mentioned?¡±

    Brayden nodded, ¡°I think that is the only way, but the most difficult part would be finding a legit medium. I tested it once, going to three different ¡®mediums¡¯ who advertised their services for low prices. All three gave me three different answers, so I¡¯m pretty sure that they were just swindlers.¡± He had a distant look in his eye, likely lamenting that he had to spend money on his theory. ¡°There are legit ones, apparently- but as for where? I haven¡¯t the slightest clue¡­¡±

    Everything circled back to money in the end, maybe he really should think about getting a job¡­

    Zain looked out the window, thinking about the amount of money he would have to scrounge up to do all of the things he wanted to do. His brows furrowed in thought. Worrying wasn¡¯t his style, but there was so much piling up that even he was unsure of at that moment; he couldn¡¯t help but ruminate for a bit.

    A quizzical look flashed on Brayden¡¯s face, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What are you thinking about?¡± His eyes narrowed as he tried to read Zain¡¯s expression, ¡°I hope you''re not thinking about spending all of your money on one of those mediums¡­¡±

    ¡°N-no¡­I wasn¡¯t thinking about using my money for that¡­yet.¡± He averted his eyes.

    They both began to snicker to themselves.

    ¡°Idiot.¡± The little girl added, under her breath.

    Zain stopped, a severe frown now on his face. He looked over to the girl¡¯s mother, who was still unbothered by her daughter¡¯s comments. Hoping to possibly telepathically communicate with her, he placed two fingers to his temple.

    Control your damn child, Lady!

    ¡°Ah. This is our stop. Let¡¯s go, it''s not that far now.¡± Brayden interrupted his train of thought, and he quickly began to gather his things to leave.

    Zain likewise followed, huffing as he made his exit.

    <hr>

    The store they went to was right in front of the subway entrance at a nearby plaza, so they made it there in no time. It was rather small, some would maybe call it a convenience store, but it had fruits and vegetables so calling it a grocery store was more appropriate. There was only one person on duty, a white haired old man who wore more casual clothing; it would not come to Zain¡¯s surprise if he was the owner of the place because he looked like he was falling asleep.

    He must make good money if he can take naps so freely.

    This area did not look so run down, so it was likely that security was decent enough. The man leaned in a chair near the door, his walking cane leaning on his leg. There was no doubt in Zain¡¯s mind that the plaza¡¯s security would handle any shoplifters that may pass through.

    Now inside the small grocery store, Zain closely inspected all of the things he wanted, and he was stuck staring at the cereal he was eating before.

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t know what he should get, or that he was being indecisive. There was a different problem.

    It¡¯s so fucking expensive!!

    He looked at the prices of the cereals, ranging from 7-10 credits. Bread was 6 credits. How the hell was he supposed to afford most of this crap?!

    Shaken, he turned towards Brayden with sadness in his eyes.

    The teen nodded knowingly, understanding what his friend was thinking. ¡°It¡¯s hard shipping things underwater, so a lot of stuff is expensive. We have a meal plan at the college, so that helps a lot. For now, just focus on getting things like shampoo and other stuff that you use on the weekend.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­but aren¡¯t there cheaper stores¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe but they are really far away.¡± Brayden took a more serious tone as he straightened his back, ¡°I have shopped at multiple stores and this store has the best pricing for its location. Not only that, it offers discounts and coupons on a regular basis for its regular customers.¡±

    His phone was already out as he pulled out a shopping app, showing Zain all of the deals they had for that day.

    ¡°I even made a spreadsheet on the regular items I bought from different stores, and this store had the most consistent pricing and discounts.¡± His eyes were intense, and he looked ready to burst into passionate flames at any moment.

    ¡°You even made a spreadsheet, but why-¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m hella poor.¡± Brayden immediately answered, completely serious as he adjusted his glasses.

    A nervous laugh escaped from Zain. It was all he could do because, admittedly, he was not used to this level of intensity from Brayden.

    Brayden kneeled down, going for one of the brands on the lower shelves. ¡°You¡¯ll have to settle for cheap name brands for now, especially if you want to save up your money.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Even though he was okay with this, he couldn¡¯t help but pout.

    In the end, they only got the bare necessities, no more than 20 items. However, even with that, Zain had used up about a quarter of his funds.

    Brayden bought some things himself, and was already at the self checkout, ahead of Zain. There were fewer items in his basket, but he had more expensive items. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he had more spending money since he had been here for much longer.

    ¡°I guess I should start working as soon as I can.¡± Finding employment did not seem as if it would be fun, but what was he to do?

    Gathering his items after paying, Brayden placed what he could in his backpack. ¡°Hmm, yeah. It would be a good idea if you¡¯re willing. There¡¯s a job board nearby that many people go to. It has a lot of cameras nearby, so not just anyone could make a listing there. It¡¯s the most secure for those with no prior job experience.¡±

    ¡°A job board, huh¡­Maybe I should look for adventurer jobs?¡± Zain joked. He couldn¡¯t help it, the mention of job boards reminded him of animes that had guild job boards.

    ¡°Oh? Sure, you can. But maybe stick with small stuff first, Mr. Hero.¡± Brayden responded sarcastically as he chuckled.

    ¡°Hey! I totally could! You said that there were dragons! I crave adventure! It¡¯s my destiny!¡± Zain committed fully, as he animatedly made his declaration.

    Brayden shook his head, amused. He looked at the items Zain was scanning, then began to consider things for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re getting more stuff than I expected, I¡¯m gonna rent a collapsible cart so we don¡¯t have to carry this stuff. Wait for me.¡± And like that, he quickly left out the store doors.

    Oh, that¡¯s handy. I should ask where those are¡­ Zain thought as he finished paying for his things.

    There were quite a few items, so he was slightly encumbered by the bags at his sides. He began to head towards the door, however, the old man¡¯s cane fell in front of him.

    Zain dutifully placed a few of the bags he held on the ground as he picked up the cane. To his surprise, the man had awoken and he was now looking at Zain.

    ¡°Oh. Sorry sir, you dropped this.¡± He handed the cane back to the old man. The man leaned forward, reaching out his hand. However, instead of grabbing the cane, he grabbed Zain by the wrist.

    ¡°Um-¡±

    ¡°I heard you boys talking earlier¡­about adventurer''s work¡­¡± He interrupted Zain before he could ask him to let go. With his hand not lessening its grip, he looked up at Zain. ¡°I¡¯m here to tell you to forget about that. Do something else with your life.¡±

    It would¡¯ve been easy to simply shrug him away, by saying that they were just joking. Yes, that would¡¯ve been the way to go, but Zain let his curiosity get the better of him.

    ¡°Why should I do that? What is wrong with the work of an adventurer?¡± He didn¡¯t even know that it existed in the first place, but if it did, he had to admit that he wanted to know more about it.

    But the man shut it down right away, simply shaking his head in response. ¡°It is not real. Do not believe that crap. I¡¯ve met boys like you, the dumbasses who think they were taken here for a reason. Lemme just tell you¡­it never ends up good, so just stick with what ya know! Do not pursue that path!¡±

    In the face of this dogged man, Zain chose not to back down, he pressed further. ¡°And what happened that was so bad, huh?¡±

    Silence followed for a few seconds; Zain thought that he may have pissed off the store owner, but the man tightened his grip and began to speak once again.

    ¡°There was a boy. Maybe 9, maybe 10. I don¡¯t remember exactly, but what I do remember was his eyes. How bright and excitable he was. Believing that he was in some comic book or some crap like that. ¡®It¡¯s my destiny!¡¯...he would say crap like that while waving his stupid sword around. I would tell him to be careful. I would tell him that he shouldn¡¯t expect to go on some adventure, and he should just focus on living, but hell if he ever listened ta me!¡­He was too naive, too stupid! The magic amazed him, and he was convinced that he would become a hero. Do you know what happened to that boy?¡± His face was grim, and he fixed Zain with a haunting glare.

    Zain didn¡¯t utter a word, simply shook his head in response, swallowing any words that he had previously. The man tightened his grip, then drew Zain in closer, so they were face to face. His voice lowered to a gruffer tone, as if he was filled with the most pure hate and vitriol.

    ¡°Some bastards took advantage of his naivety, told him that they had ¡®hero¡¯s work¡¯ for him. They made it sound so fun. Told him that it was something that only he could do. That boy had no one ta tell him, warn him, about the danger. Hell, if his foster parents even gave a damn!¡­Well, they took every valuable piece of him, and cut up the rest of what they didn¡¯t fuckin need. Scattered him every which way¡­¡± A slight tremble sounded in the man¡¯s voice, his pupils vibrated ever so slightly. ¡°I should¡¯ve been clearer¡­I should¡¯ve beaten it into him if I had ta¡­ Well, I refuse to make that same mistake again.¡±

    He grabbed Zain by the collar with his free hand, shaking him as he continued, ¡°You are not special! There is no greater purpose for why you are here! You. Just. Are. Live a normal life! If anyone tells ya otherwise, run!¡±

    There was slight desperation on the man¡¯s face, regret staining every syllable. It was a few moments before Zain silently nodded in acknowledgement. Slowly, the man let go, then grabbed the cane that Zain was still clutching.

    Without a minute passing, Brayden came back. ¡°I¡¯ve got the cart, we can go now¡­Oh, hello Mr. Carter. I see you''re awake now.¡±

    Mr. Carter turned towards Brayden with a neutral expression on his face, any trace of maliciousness completely wiped away. ¡°Oh. It''s the future teacher.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, hopefully, but not quite yet.¡± Brayden chortled. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t say hi earlier, but I didn¡¯t want to wake you.¡±

    The previously indignant man shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s alright. You boys probably have a lot of things to do, so I won¡¯t keep you. But take these before you go.¡± He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out some candy.

    ¡°Aw, thanks, but like I said before, I¡¯m not a kid so you really don¡¯t have to¡­¡± Is what Brayden said, but he still took some candy nonetheless.

    The man smiled sweetly, ¡°Ah, but for me, you both are.¡± He glanced at Zain as well, then politely waved them goodbye as he hobbled his way to the back of his store.

    ¡°Mr. Carter is so nice.¡± Brayden grinned as he unraveled some chocolate and placed it in his mouth. His eyes scanned Zain before looking at him quizzically. ¡°What did you guys talk about, you look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost¡­¡±

    Zain snapped out of it. His mouth was slightly open, so he closed it and shook his head.

    ¡°Nothing.¡± He said, as he stared at his wrist.

 Searching

    They made their way to the center of the plaza, with Zain keeping noticeably quiet.

    ¡°Umm¡­you okay buddy? You tired?¡± Brayden asked, his face marked with worry. He took a sucker from his pocket and prodded Zain¡¯s cheek lightly with it. Perhaps he thought that sugar would do the trick?

    The rentable cart that he hauled whirred as it gently floated above the ground, slowly following behind them, carrying all of the groceries they had bought from the store. Usually, Zain would¡¯ve been amazed by the technology, but he had more things on his mind at the moment.

    But...what was the point of worrying? There was still so much to do, so Zain decided that it was best to stop thinking about it.

    Yes, instead of thinking of fucked up shit like dismembered children, he would rather think of things less messed up.

    ¡°No, the old man just told me a ghost story. But it had me thinking¡­does this place have different folktales and creepypastas? What kind of books and media are here? There¡¯s so much I need to watch and do¡­.¡± Zain gasped. It was at once he was struck by the realization.

    In this world, in this new fantastical place, all of the digital media he had loved before were now gone. Damn¡­.he had been distracted by whimsy and wanderlust that he overlooked that there was no way to get those things back.

    My albums! My anime! It''s all gone!!!! Nooooooo!!!

    ¡°Dr.Dre! Kendrick! Eminem! Come back to me! Noooooo!¡± Zain collapsed to his knees, grasping at the sky.

    Where was the back button? How could go on never experiencing his favorite songs again?

    What the hell was he supposed to listen to now? His playlist was carefully curated; hours of listening, years of gathering, all wasted¡­

    All the old content he watched and rewatched¡­What was he supposed to watch when he ate his meals?!

    ¡°Ah¡­so you finally came to the realization¡­It happens to us all¡­¡± Brayden looked up, his eyes watered slightly in lament. ¡°I miss System of a Down¡­¡±

    Heartbreak. How else could Zain describe this? He hung his head, hoping that he didn¡¯t cry or anything.

    They continued walking through the plaza, in lower spirits as they remembered all the things they could no longer watch or listen to.

    ¡°D-Do they have good music here?¡± Zain finally asked, reaching the acceptance stage of his grief.

    ¡°Yeah¡­but you may find that your music tastes are outdated by this world''s standards.¡± Brayden explained.

    Of course this world had its own musical artists. There were also social media influencers and ¡®Musers¡¯ (the equivalents of youtubers apparently). Brayden himself was not really one to use social media, so he could not really tell Zain who was popular here, but there were some people who were from their world who were able to make it as Musers.

    ¡°Also, you¡¯ll be happy to know that there are some fan projects that recreate things we had in our world.¡± Brayden gave a light hearted smile and a tiny thumbs up for reassurance.

    ¡°Are they as good as the original though?¡±

    ¡°........They are usually crowd funded but there are very passionate people behind them.¡± Brayden continued to smile as he avoided answering directly.

    Yeah, yeah¡­I get it. Nothing could be as good as the original¡­

    Zain internally sighed. He could settle for fan covers for the moment, just until he found some artists from this world that he liked¡­

    Braden cleared his throat, elbowing Zain as he looked at their destination.

    There was a moat of water, with only a bridge connecting to the area ahead. While most moats only served an aesthetic purpose and were consequently shallow, this moat looked rather deep; peering in, Zain could see fluorescent lighting deep down, and dark shadows lurking in the murkiness beneath. If he was observing correctly, then the moat extended about three floors downward.

    ¡°Wha-¡± Before he could ask why, they had crossed the bridge and were at their intended destination.

    There was a giant pavilion, with a unique structure that was extremely hard to ignore. Zain was speechless. Its roof was wavy, looking like some sort of underwater creature with its delicate wispiness, somewhat resembling a cross between a jellyfish and coral; Zain was not sure which one it was supposed to be. The pillars within the pavilion looked more like coral, especially with their texture, however they looked to be more artificial as they looked too symmetrical to be anything natural.

    There were separate pools of water in the pavilion, with some coral and sea anemones encircling them and with a staircase inside leading downward. Arches and hand railings nearby looked to be made from carved marble and the floor surrounding it looked rather old. Another strange art piece perhaps? Or maybe a flooded area which no longer was accessible? Zain didn¡¯t quite understand the vision so he decided not to dwell on it.

    Within the center of the pavilion was a big screen displaying different advertisements from different companies. Smaller, interactable screens were scattered about, some had people queuing behind them.

    As Zain and Brayden walked, they could see some small kiosks and stalls, which were selling small knit knacks and handmade goods. There were a few booths closer to the center with spokespeople looking for recruits.

    They continued walking, heading towards a particular terminal which had a shorter line. It was labeled ¡®beginners¡¯, which Zain thought was a little too on the nose, but if it got the point across then who was he to criticize?

    It took a bit of time for them to make it to the front, but when they finally did Brayden got his ID out and switched into instructor mode. He tapped it against the screen, making the circuitry light up. Within no time, a profile popped up listing job information for Brayden on one half of the screen. On the other half, was some job recommendation that he could file through.

    ¡°You already have most of your information in a preset profile tied to your ID. Even though there are jobs that you can apply for with a resume, they will hesitate to hire you once they hear that you are an ¡®ethereal¡¯. Starting out, it¡¯s almost impossible to get a job in the conventional way so you will need to use your ID to register for any job. You have to be careful though because this information is very hard to change¡­¡±

    Huh, so that¡¯s where that information went¡­

    Zain didn¡¯t have any job experience so he had put that on his papers when he had first entered. Perhaps he should have lied, but he had no idea that it would be used in such a way.

    ¡°There are odd jobs that you can do, like food deliveries or cleaning jobs. Employers need an ID to publish these jobs, so that means that these jobs are safer for us to accept as well. ¡° Brayden explained.

    Under his name, it listed current jobs he was employed by. There were two short term job contracts and one passive job.

    ¡°What is a passive job?¡± Was it like one of those passive income things people like to talk about? Were those even real?

    ¡°Oh that?¡± Brayden clicked on the job listing in question and it showed a missing cat poster. ¡°It¡¯s not a real job, it¡¯s more of a ¡®hey -sure- I¡¯ll look for your cat¡¯ kind of thing. See? You can see that there are other people who accepted this job.¡±

    Underneath the listing, there was a note that said that there were 34 other people looking actively for the cat. There was a sector number that the poster said the cat was lost in, so Zain assumed that this was something like a postal code.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°I only really accepted the job because the other two jobs I¡¯m working at are close by. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll find the cat to be honest¡­ but if I do, well that¡¯s 700 credits for me!¡±

    ¡°700 credits?!¡± Zain gawked, flabbergasted that anyone would be willing to pay that much for a cat.

    Brayden flashed a greedy smile, ¡°Yeah, I know. One of the only reasons I took it. I might set aside a day to look for it, but¡­That won¡¯t be for a while.¡±

    ¡°OOOH, can I accept the job as well?! That¡¯s like free money!¡± Zain was already imagining what he could do with all those credits.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to find it either, but okay. You should sign up for the other job listings I have too. They readily accept those who can be vouched for. That¡¯s how I was able to get them.¡±

    The other two jobs in question were fairly easy jobs: one was cleaning the living area for biologists every few days and the other was doing grunt work for a construction site. In order to apply for them, Zain pulled up his profile on the terminal and manually entered the job listings into the search bar. There was a referral function, which Brayden had to place his ID over in order to verify that he had indeed referred Zain.

    ¡°It¡¯s gonna take a few days for them to get back to you, but I think you¡¯ll be accepted.¡± Brayden put his ID away, then made sure Zain was logged out of the terminal. ¡°Do you want to look around? They have some cool stuff here.¡±

    ¡°Hell yeah! Let¡¯s go!¡± Zain threw a triumphant fist in the air and without wasting a moment, walked towards one of the stalls in the pavilion.

    The first stall he stopped at sold small fishes and fish bowls; Many were the type Zain had seen in Walmart or any pet shop (fluorescent, basic fish), but there were a few that looked more special. One looked transparent, with only a few of its organs being slightly visible and the rippling of the water being the only indication that it was there. Another looked like a betta fish, elegant fins flowing behind it as it swam around and forming crystalline ice structures as it moved.

    ¡°I think those glowy fish are an invasive species¡­or so I¡¯ve been told.¡± Brayden commented once he caught up, not really looking impressed by the cool looking fish.

    Zain looked at the prices¡­and agreed that the fish were probably overrated.

    He moved on to a few other stalls closer to the center, just passing them by waiting for something to interest him. Well, he did see some interesting things being sold but prices for these things made him lose interest real quick.

    Man¡­why am I so poor?

    Things were just so expensive, it wasn¡¯t even worth looking at any of the fun stalls, he would just get depressed because he couldn¡¯t afford anything.

    Not being able to afford most of the things there, Zain just walked towards the giant screen in the center of the pavilion. It just functioned as a billboard of sorts as it cycled through different advertisements. Beneath the screen was a bulletin, where there were some papers haphazardly plastered on.

    Zain got up close and realized that these were unofficial advertisements and job offers. Ranging from advertising about moss clearing services to requesting babysitters for low wages, it was a wonder if this kind of advertisement worked.

    ¡°Sketchy¡­¡± One particular flyer looked old and tarnished. It requested the extermination of a giant crocodile that could be found in the sewers, but the compensation was only 50 credits. Zain couldn¡¯t imagine trying to kill a regular crocodile for 50 bucks, let alone a giant one. ¡°No way anyone is gonna take that one¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re just begging to be kidnapped or robbed if you take that job¡­¡± Brayden pulled a face, looking like he couldn¡¯t really believe that someone had thought this flyer would work. ¡°Only really desperate people put things on this board, and only super desperate people accept jobs from this bulletin¡­¡±

    So basically¡­don¡¯t take any jobs from here unless absolutely necessary¡­

    Zain wasn¡¯t in a bad place now, but who knew what could happen in the future? Hopefully he would never need to¡­

    His attention was taken away by a woman walking up to the bulletin. She was a disheveled woman, quite short with matted blond hair. Her face was gaunt and her eyes were lifeless as she used the tape from another flyer to help put up her own.

    She placed a crude missing person flyer, one that looked to be drawn by hand. It was quite detailed in its description and illustration. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if this woman had been an illustrator.

    The boy she drew looked to be 4 or 5, with blond hair and a cheeky smile. Even though the woman herself was unkempt and haggard, the paper was well taken care of. Within the folds of her long overcoat, more papers were tucked away neatly.

    She abruptly looked around, then met her eyes with Zain.

    Uh-oh

    Within the span of a second, she trotted up to him, her eyes wide with urgency. ¡°Have you seen my son? He has blond hair, blue eyes, he¡¯s about this tall. His name is Tyler Bennett. He loves chocolate, puppies, and legos.¡± She questioned in a weak, dispirited tone.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry ma¡¯am, I hav-¡±

    She grabbed Zain¡¯s sleeve, preventing him from fleeing. ¡°Please! I came here, but I haven¡¯t seen him! We both died at the same time b-but h-he¡¯s not here! I can¡¯t find him! I can¡¯t find him!¡± Her voice trembled as she conveyed her desperation.

    She clutched Zain with both hands now, slightly sinking as she looked down. ¡°I don¡¯t have enough credits to hire people to look for him. But what if he¡¯s here and he¡¯s lost?¡± She dropped to her knees as she began to sob. ¡°Or maybe I¡¯m in hell? Maybe he¡¯s not here because this is hell? Am I being punished for not running away from that man? But where was I supposed to go? I was scared¡­.¡± She trailed off as she talked to herself, her voice ragged as she began to panic.

    Zain looked around: people were just ignoring the scene, or actively avoiding it. Brayden looked slightly perturbed, as he was also looking around for someone who could help them. After spotting some personnel, he began to move towards them, but Zain grabbed him and shook his head.

    This woman did not seem to be doing well mentally and based on the way she spoke, she was an ¡®ethereal¡¯. Treating her like she was a burden would only cause her more anguish, and Zain didn¡¯t really trust that security would treat her with care.

    He dropped down to look her in the eye and lightly patted her on the back. ¡°Can you tell me more about your son so I know when I see him?¡±

    She stopped, turning her tear stained face up to Zain reluctantly. Her hands clasped slowly together, as she steadied her breath. ¡°H-he loves to eat pancakes in the morning, especially blueberry pancakes. He loved to draw because he loved the way I used to draw. He has a habit of sucking his thumb when he is thinking and he never complains about anything bad that happens to him¡­¡± She gave a melancholic smile as she reminisced about her son.

    ¡°He sounds amazing. I hope I can help you find him. Do you have another picture that I can have so I can remember him?¡± Zain gently broached.

    She looked slightly surprised at his question, hesitantly reaching into her coat and giving Zain one of the posters she had stashed away. Upon closer inspection, her illustration was drawn on the back of a different advertisement, likely because she did not have much material at her disposal. Zain grabbed the poster with care, then analyzed it.

    ¡°This illustration is very detailed. It¡¯s so good that I should pay you for this masterpiece.¡± He said... but he actually didn¡¯t know how he could do that. He turned to Brayden, hoping that he had the answer.

    Brayden rummaged through his pockets until he pulled out a white coin. He dropped down to their level, then handed the coin to Zain. ¡°Pull out your banking app then go to the transfer tab¡­¡±

    Zain did as instructed then saw a button that said ¡®transfer to physical currency¡¯. He tapped the button, which prompted him to place his ID card on his phone and the coin under his phone. As he did as prompted, holding the coin a few inches beneath his phone. His ID pulsated as it confirmed his intention for transfer, then his phone vibrated with its screen glowing as it began to process the request. A small drop of digital flame fell from his phone, dropping onto the coin causing it to light up, displaying the number 10 on it as it activated.

    For now, he decided to quell his excited squeal in order to give the coin to the woman. ¡°Here you go. Thank you for the poster.¡±

    The woman looked at the coin, not quite sure if she should accept it.

    Before she could say anything, three men showed up behind her. One of them wore a uniform, while the other two were wearing more casual clothes and hung further back. The uniformed man looked as if he was part of hospital staff, as he wore clothes that looked like scrubs.

    ¡°Mrs. Bennett, you need to come back¡­¡± The uniformed man gently spoke.

    Mrs. Bennet shook her head, looking down as she spoke back to him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to. They treat me like I¡¯m crazy there. I¡¯d rather stay here¡­this kid believes me.¡±

    The uniformed man looked up with a glare, staring daggers at Zain.

    Uh¡­oops, did I make things worse¡­

    He felt bad, but it wasn¡¯t his fault that she felt that way. But¡­he couldn¡¯t stay here all day with her and she probably did need the help these people were giving her¡­

    Zain strained his mind, trying to think of a way to convince her to go along quietly.

    It was Brayden who spoke next, ¡°I think you should go with them, Mrs. Bennett. Otherwise, if we do find your son, where are we going to find you? This guy doesn¡¯t look like he thinks that you¡¯re crazy, I think he wants what¡¯s best for you. Look, he even asked his friends to help him find you.¡±

    She glanced back at the trio, then looked at the ground again in silence. No one moved for a good minute as she thought to herself.

    ¡°Okay¡­I¡¯ll go. But you boys promise that you¡¯ll help me look?¡± She relented in a hushed tone, her eyes beseeching the two boys.

    ¡°Of course ma¡¯am, I¡¯ll make sure to look whenever I go to different places.¡± Zain confirmed.

    Finally, the woman let go, then walked to the uniformed man and his friends. The uniformed man looked back with an inscrutable expression on his face, but mouthed a thank you as they walked away.

    ¡°Well¡­That was something¡­¡± Brayden finally said as they stood in place. ¡°But you handled it well, I¡¯m surprised.¡±

    ¡°What can I say? I felt bad for her. Sometimes, some people want someone to look at them and listen¡­¡± It was something his mother had taught him¡­ but she also taught him to be careful when talking to mentally unstable people. This woman did not seem like a threat, though, so if she needed someone to hear her, then Zain was happy to listen.

    ¡°We''ve been out for a while and I don¡¯t want our groceries to spoil, so it¡¯s probably best that we head back now.¡± Brayden patted Zain on the back then made his way to the exit.

    Zain tucked the poster away carefully in his pocket, then quickly followed.

 Schooling

    Their day started early that Monday morning; Of course, Brayden¡¯s one mandatory class was during the first day of the week, first thing in the morning.

    Zain popped his neck, stretched his back, and patted his hip. Without wasting a second, he pulled out his phone and immediately opened his note app in order to write: ¡®Buy mattress topper¡¯.

    The shitty mattress he had been given would not make mornings any easier to wake up to, and Zain simply accepted that he would not be able to get a good night''s rest for some time. It might have been wise to ask Brayden if he had something to help, but it felt kind of weird relying on him for every single thing so Zain chose to keep this problem to himself for now.

    They were waiting in the classroom now; it reminded Zain a little bit like the classrooms in his highschool, which was not underfunded in his time, but considering that this world was more futuristic¡­it made Zain question how far behind this classroom was.

    Waiting along with him was Brayden, who sat directly next to him. The spectacled boy was keeping busy as he was reviewing a few of his notebooks that he had brought with him. There was also a textbook he seemed to be looking through, but it was one Zain had not received yet.

    Letting his eyes wander around the room, Zain looked at his other classmates. There were three other people in the classroom waiting for the teacher to arrive: One was a balding old man, who was tapping his finger impatiently on his desk with a severe scowl on his face. He sat with one leg crossed on the other, bouncing his foot on the floor as anger seemed to radiate from him. The next person was someone who was already asleep even though the lecture hadn¡¯t even started yet. To be honest, Zain could not really tell if they were a man or a woman because they slept with their head down and a hoodie over their head. They were using their textbook to shield themselves from the front of the room as it sat upright like a small partition being used for their privacy, however, what they were doing beyond the folds was obvious. The last was a frail looking woman with frizzy hair. She sat all the way in the back, and when Zain was turning around to look at her, their eyes accidentally met. She nervously looked away, as if she was fearful of him.

    What a group¡­.

    Judging people he had never met was not his style, but, other than Brayden, none of the other students looked approachable.

    All that Zain had brought was a single notebook and a pencil. That single notebook had cost him 10 credits, which made him understand why Brayden had stressed the importance of budgeting to him. Hopefully he could scrape by with just that but, surely, college students needed more supplies to attend classes¡­

    The teacher finally arrived, about ten minutes late. He was a young looking man in his late 20s, by Zain¡¯s estimation, who wore an untucked shirt and had slight bags under his eyes. His expression was hard to read, as it remained deadpan as he addressed the class.

    ¡°I apologize for my tardiness, ¨¦tudiant¡¤e¡¤s¡­¡± He slowly looked at the classroom as he opened the briefcase he brought with him. Soon, he met eyes with Zain, then narrowed his eyes slightly as he seemed to be processing something in his mind.

    From his briefcase, he took out a small laptop and wordlessly tapped away at the keyboard. It was after a few minutes of him silently reading his emails, that he finally continued. ¡°Ah¡­We have a new friend joining us. Class this is Zain. Zain, how long have you been in Merverre? Is there anything you want to say to the class?¡±

    Eyes were on him now, not something Zain really wanted but it¡¯s not like he had a say in it. He stood up for some reason, probably out of habit, and began to talk vaguely about himself. ¡°I¡¯m Zain McArthur¡­I came here 2 days ago¡­Um¡­I¡¯m 16 and¡­I guess it¡¯s nice to meet y¡¯all¡­¡±

    Zain ended up sounding like an elementary schooler giving a show-and-tell presentation, except there was really nothing of substance to tell them. Not really knowing what else to say, he just awkwardly sat back down in his seat. He glanced at Brayden, who was giving a reassuring thumbs up, but by the way he was biting his lips to prevent himself from laughing, told Zain all he needed to know.

    Thankfully, only Brayden and the teacher were the only ones paying any attention as no one even spared him a glance after he introduced himself.

    The teacher rubbed his chin, ¡°You came here only two days ago? And now you are here?¡± It seemed as if he wanted to say more, but he quickly moved on. ¡°I see¡­ Well, since you are here now, you will be keeping up with the lessons. My name is Mr. Boudreaux. By the end of class, you will need to check out a book with your ID, so remember to remind me. For now, you will share with Brayden.¡±

    With that prompting, Brayden courteously pushed their desks together and placed his book in between the both of them.

    Mr. Boudreaux turned around, then tapped the whiteboard a few times. A few screen prompts came up as it became a big interactable screen. With his laptop in hand, he folded it in half, making it take on the appearance of a tablet. Bringing it to the side of the whiteboard, they both lit up as they synced together.

    Tapping a few more things on his screen, he began to write on the laptop which was automatically projected on the whiteboard.

    ¡®Monday, Marsday, Merciday, Juperday, Venuday, Saturday, Sunday¡¯

    Are those the days of the week?

    Only three days out of the week were recognizable. As for why the other days were different¡­he hadn¡¯t the slightest clue.

    Mr. Boudreaux continued on to another column, listing more things that Zain didn¡¯t recognize.

    ¡®Vend¨¦miaire, Brumaire, Frimaire, Niv?se, Pluvi?se, Vent?se, Germinal, Flor¨¦al, Prairial, Messidor, Thermidor, Fructidor¡¯

    ¡°Okay, now open the textbook to page 58.¡± Zain didn¡¯t have time to guess what these new French words were. His translation stone was of no help as it just said things like ¡®flower¡¯ or ¡®windy¡¯. It was difficult to write them down with it on, so he decided to take it off until class ended, making sure to put it in his backpack so he wouldn¡¯t lose it.

    The page that he indicated had a chart with the things he had written down. It was next to calendars from other nations, with a dedicated column to compare the different dates. There was a bar-like bookmark that Brayden had placed in the middle of the textbook, which lit up slightly as the teacher tapped a few things on his screen. The text that he was going to reference highlighted itself and a few footnotes appeared at the bottom of the page. The bookmark seemed to transform the book into an interactable hologram. Brayden got out a stylus and hovered over the footnotes which gave little infographics and blurbs which explained certain terms in greater depth. Zain¡¯s eyes shined at the new technology and he was excited, for once, at the prospect of receiving a textbook.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°Today we are going to learn the days of the week along with the history behind the calendar system¡­¡±

    A loud snort sounded from the front of the room. It came from the older man who occupied the seat closest to the door; his textbook remained unopened and his chin jutted out slightly in irritation. ¡°Now you¡¯re teaching us the days of the week like we¡¯re some goddamn children. This place is a joke. What is the point of learning this crap at my age?¡±

    The man huffed, then turned his face away from the board, unwilling to learn the material for that day. Mr. Bourdreaux looked at the curmudgeon, his facial expression not changing in the slightest. ¡°These topics are selected to help you on your citizenship exams vieux- ahem - Mr. Coulis. I am aware that you may know some of these topics given that you have lived here for some time. However, others have not lived here as long as you and they have to review this material.¡±

    His eyes gave a quick glance at Zain who, obviously, did not know these things yet.

    The old man hit the desk he was sitting at, causing the pencil that was atop it to fall to the floor. ¡°What is wrong with the calendar system I use?! Don¡¯t tell me to erase the things that I know! I¡¯ve done things my way, the real way, for 60 plus years! Why should I learn this shit?! It''s fucking stupid making us learn this crap and you''re a fucking idiot for trying to make us!¡± The man yelled, gesticulating in anger after each sentence in order somehow to emphasize his point.

    The woman who sat in the back let out a tiny yelp as she shrunk into her seat, covering her ears as the man shouted. The hooded classmate shifted a bit at the commotion, but lazily got some headphones from their pocket, then placed it in their ears in order to ignore the dispute.

    Mr. Bourdreaux did not flinch or cower, he just stared at the man with tired eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to do that. You can continue to use the way you have always used. This is just something that a test might ask you, that is the only reason I am teaching you these things. Whether or not you assimilate, is completely up to you¡­¡± He placed his tablet down on his desk, not breaking eye contact from the man, but also not changing the tone of voice he spoke in. ¡°If you continue to disrupt class, I will have to call security again. Both you and I do not want that. Having you go to the psych department would not be desirable for either one of us.¡±

    The old man narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. After a few tense moments, he grabbed his notebook and pen then stomped outside, slamming the door as he left.

    A tense silence remained in the room, with everyone quietly staring at the door.

    ¡°Mr. Coulis is going to cool off in the hallway. For now, we will continue with the lesson.¡± Mr. Bourdreaux continued on, unbothered.

    It was almost admirable how unshaken the teacher was, but it wouldn''t be surprising if this happened on a regular basis.

    ¡°He likes to write in the hallway to cool off.¡± Brayden whispered, ¡°He usually rejoins us after an hour. He¡¯s got anger issues, if it wasn¡¯t obvious.¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah, got it¡­¡± Now Zain definitely wasn¡¯t going to talk to Mr. Coulis.

    <hr>

    Class continued on for one and half hours before they took an intermission.

    Mr. Coulis had joined them at some point and he was now eating some jerky he had bought from the school convenience store. He had calmed down substantially, and now he was writing something in his notebook, donning some reading glasses to help him read better. Even though he was no longer angry, Zain had no desire to talk to him, fearing he might piss him off somehow.

    I wonder what he''s writing though, because I doubt its about the lessons...

    That was the extent of that thought however, because Zain wouldn''t dare approach the old man anytime in the near future.

    Zain and Brayden were in the small convenience store located in the nearby common area, trying to buy a snack that they could eat before class resumed. Of course, since the snacks were stupidly expensive, Zain decided to starve.

    At least Brayden had taken pity on him and he bought a candy they could share. They sat at a small table, looking over their notes for the first portion of class.

    ¡°Why name the months after the weather? We¡¯re underwater¡­¡± Zain commented as he popped one of the candies that he held in his hand. It seemed pretty stupid to Zain, but he didn''t want to openly criticize, like Mr. Coulis had done.

    Brayden popped one of the chocolates he had bought into his mouth, then chewed on the candy shell for a few seconds before he answered. ¡°I think it has something to do with the founding of the city. I mean it used to be above water.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So was that the calendar system for the continent above water? I guess that makes sense¡­¡±

    Brayden shook his head, still eating his candy. ¡°The system was not that popular apparently, remember? That''s what Mr. Bourdreaux said at least. It is mainly used here because of the creator of the city.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zain didn¡¯t remember the teacher mentioning anything about the founder...

    ¡°Aimee loaned me this famous romance book about the creator of the city. I think it has been embellished, but it talks about how he fell in love with a Jengu. The story goes :''because she could not live above, he decided that he would follow her below''. He built a city so she could experience what it was like above, and he promised that one day their children would return to the surface.¡±

    ¡°Oh. I wonder if that¡¯s true.¡± Zain low-key wanted to read whatever book he was talking about, because it sounded interesting.

    ¡°If there is any truth to it, then the book says something about how he used the months to remember what the seasons were because he missed the sky and the flowers.¡± His eyebrows drew together as he recalled the details. ¡°At least I think it did¡­It used that flowery language and I am not the best at reading that stuff¡­¡±

    Oh¡­maybe I shouldn¡¯t read that¡­

    Zain liked a little romance, but not the Shakespeare kind (more like the drama kind that you see in movies). Even though this folktale sounded interesting, he didn¡¯t think he would enjoy reading what was probably a book that was assigned at the schools here.

    It¡¯s okay, if this world was anything like ours, then there is definitely a movie adaptation. I¡¯ll just watch that¡­

    Just then, Zain¡¯s phone pinged and a small blue star briefly spun above it, disappearing after a second.

    ¡°Oh, you can disable holographic notification lights.¡± Brayden said, crumpling up his candy wrapper.

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll do that.¡± It looked cool, like hell he was going to remove it! If anything he might personalize it more! He was in dire need of personalizing his new phone, anyway.

    Zain opened up his phone, and swiped at the drop down menu. It was a notification from one of the job listings he had applied for the day before.

    ¡°I got accepted for the Biologist housekeeper position. Wow¡­no interview or nothing¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, see? I told you. They usually do a trial run for housekeepers, so there really isn¡¯t a need for you to interview. As long as you don¡¯t steal anything and you¡¯re decent at tidying up, then you¡¯re good.¡±

    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m more surprised that they would need housekeepers that bad to hire me so quickly¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, it¡¯s an entry level position that doesn¡¯t pay that well. Plus, it takes a while to get there because it is so far from the college. A lot of people cycle through so they usually hire often, especially because the facility is so large because biologists from all over come here to study.¡± Apparently, there was a large research station in this section of the city because of how deep it was underwater. Researchers could study marine life and oceanic activity in relative comfort so it was a national facility.

    ¡°What days should I request? Later this week?¡± Zain questioned as he clicked the link the job listing had sent.

    ¡°We can probably sync up work schedules for now. If you decide to take supplementary lessons, then you¡¯ll have to adjust. I have one supplementary class during Wednesday - I mean - Merciday. I do cleaning during the first half of the week, then construction during the latter half. Trust me, you want to do construction later in the week¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmmm....it says the soonest that I can come in is tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°That should be fine. I¡¯ll be there so I can show you around. I am going to work there today, so I won¡¯t be back until 11.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s cool. I¡¯ll just make dinner for us then. What do you want to eat? Fish or more fish?¡±

    ¡°Ha ha. Very funny. Maybe we¡¯ll be able to afford chicken or beef with us both working. Take a look at my schedule, just in case they ask what hours you can work.¡±

    Zain looked over the calendar on Brayden¡¯s phone.

    Ah¡­Maybe I shouldn¡¯t follow his example.

    Brayden was working from morning to night most days, his schedule was completely packed except for the weekend.

    ¡°I would work weekends but the biology facility is closed then and the city permit does not allow for construction on the weekends¡­¡± Brayden replied, as he lamented not being able to work all the time. ¡°Maybe I should get a third job¡­¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t do that. You¡¯ll die from exhaustion, buddy¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m joking. I go to the library and research on the weekend.¡± He waved Zain¡¯s worries away, but this really didn¡¯t make him feel better. Zain made a mental note to make sure that Brayden fed himself properly¡­