Chapter 2 - A New World

Bright rays of sunlight cut through my blurry vision, most of which was obscured by shades of green. My forehead was throbbing, throwing my senses into a loop. I couldn't hear anything for a brief while. Everything was so confusing.

Where was I?

I squeezed my eyes, trying to clear my vision, focusing on the sunlight that appeared to be penetrating my ceiling. It took a good few seconds for it to clear up. But when it did, I realized that I was staring into a canopy. Where the hell did a canopy come from?

The throbbing pain between my eyes cleared up, and seconds later, I began to hear birds chirping and rustling of leaves. That is wrong too. I live in the dead centre of a bustling city. I don't remember the last time I heard birds chirping.

I finally could feel my body. It was a strange feeling. I felt like myself, and at the same time, I felt different. Chills from the cool breeze sent shivers up my spine. I snapped back into what I thought was reality, sitting up straight. Looking around, I found myself surrounded by countless trees in all directions.

Seriously. Where the fuck was I?

Something moved beside me, and when I looked to my left, I saw a woman sleeping on the grass. She was naked too. I recognized this woman. I leaned in and took another look at her face. It was! It was Urvashi. But her body looked very different. Hang on. I proceeded to observe my own body and realized that even mine had changed. Quite drastically, might I add.

"Urvi! Urvi!" I called out to her as I shook her by her shoulder.

She groaned. Thank God. She was alive.

"Wake up!" I said.

"What now? Let me sleep..." Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. She immediately sat upright and began looking around her with wide eyes. "What? Where? Where the fuck are we?" She exclaimed.

"I don't know."

"Why are we in a forest?" She asked.

"I don't know."

"How did we get here?" She asked again.

"I really don't know!"

She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I am as clueless as you are!" I replied.

She grunted as she stood up. I followed, pushing myself off the ground with great difficulty. She walked around a bit, observing the forest before turning back to me. As soon as she did, she stepped back with a slightly shocked expression on her face. The expression melted into a slight grin as her eyes examined my body.

"Well... you are looking..." She almost choked on her own words.

"Speak for yourself," I replied.

She began feeling herself, analyzing with her palms. She looked down at her inflated breasts before looking back at me and asking, "Am I taller?"

"And a lot leaner... and fitter," I replied.

There was a wide smile on her face. "Seriously. What the fuck happened?"

I shook my head and replied, "I have no clue."

"Ahem."

Urvi jumped into the air and spun around. Behind was a girl, I think. She was short, about four feet tall, and looked very young. As she stepped forward, Urvi stepped back, until she stood by my side.

The stranger had a very serious look on her face. She analyzed us both with her large purple eyes before scribbling down something on the pad she was holding. She wore a pale violet tunic and dark purple pants, with a blackish coat on top. Her ashen hair was tied up and tucked under a cone hat which was, as you guessed, purple. The girl is at least consistent.

"I see you managed to pull your mother as well in here. But why are you both naked?" she asked.

Oh no.

I felt my heart swell with embarrassment. Looking at Urvi, I saw her smiling awkwardly with a pink blush lighting up her cheeks. She isn't afraid to think dirty.

"No. No. You got it wrong! She is not my mother," I said.

"Hmm..." the girl looked curiously.

"She is my... she is my..." I stammered.

"I am his friend. Close friend," Urvi answered.

"Hmm..." The girl's face turned serious again. "Very well." She snapped her fingers, and out of the blue, I found my hip and legs wrapped in a white loincloth.

Urvi looked no different, except she also had a band of cloth running around her chest, barely holding her breasts in.

"That is all?" Urvi asked.

"For now." She began scribbling something on the pad again. "My name is Faeren. I am a silver fairy and a devoted servant of Lord Baeton, and I am here to help you take your first steps in this world." She had a childlike voice as well.

"Speaking of which, where are we exactly?" Urvi asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"You are in Terra Silva, land of the sacred groove," she said.

"What is that? I never heard of it and how did we even get here?" Urvi asked again.

She looked at us a bit suspiciously, like we were already supposed to know all of this. "You don't know how you got here? Traveler's amnesia, I guess." She put down her arms and began, "You are in Nova Fantasia. The illustrious world of magic. There are many ways to get here." She looked at the pad and then back at us. "Since you are from Earth, 2022, I suspect you were bought here by a video game portal."

Yes. I remember now. It was that strange game on my console.

"That stupid game! Now I remember! What was that thing? It sucked us into the TV. How is that even possible?" Urvi exclaimed.

"Fantasia is a magic world created by the gods. A realm between worlds where people are invited to exercise their will and live the life of their dreams. A select few, chosen by fate arrive in this world," she explained.

"Why? What is the purpose?" I asked.

"That is something for them to decide. The path you forge will shape your destiny and lead you to the land of glory."

Her words echoed loudly in my mind, filling my chest with warmth and excitement.

"So, where exactly is this land of glory?" Urvi asked as she wrapped her arms around her breasts.

Oh, for god's sake. She was just speaking in metap...

"It is far, very far up north. You must forge a path through several lands before you reach it," she replied.

"Wait. It is an actual place?" I asked. I looked back at Urvi with a puzzled look on my face. She shrugged casually.

"That is the whole point of this trial," Faeren said.

"Wait. Trial?" I asked.

"Yes... I am sorry. But did you or did you not read the terms of engagement before coming here?" she asked.

Terms? Of engagement?? I turned to look at Urvi, but she was already looking at me with a terrified expression on her face.

I turned back to face Faeren and asked, "Say. How can we get back to our world?"

"Hmm... you can't. You accepted to come here and not return," she answered.

"What?" Urvi and I exclaimed in unison.

"This must be a joke! I must go back!" Urvi said. I could hear the tremble in her voice.

"Why? As far as I have heard Earth is a terrible place," she said.

Urvi shut her eyes and bowed her head, trying to hold herself back from exploding. "I just have to..." She said, her voice trailed off.

I observed her more closely. Drops of tears formed on her eyelashes as she swallowed hard.

"Sorry. No one can leave once they arrive here," she replied.

"What happens when you reach the land of glory?" I asked, turning to her.

"It is known by all as the land of the gods, but beyond that, only those who have been there can answer your question."

"Where are they now?" I asked.

"Most roam the land for free. You will run into one of them as you venture out," she explained.

Urvi shook her head and straightened up. "Forget about it. That life is gone now. Time to start fresh." She had a broken smile on her face. Her cheeks had turned pink, and thin streams of tears still rolled down over them. She wiped them away, sniffling hard.

Urvi... "Right then. Shall we continue?" I asked.

"Say," Urvi interrupted. "You look pretty young. Why does your lord hire someone so young?"

"Oh wait!" I said. "I got this. You see. She looks young. But in reality, she is hundreds of years old." I wore a cheeky smile on my face to show that I was up to date with the absurdity we are in right now.

"I am seven hundred and eighty-three years old, to be precise," Faeren answered.

"Seven hundred? What the fuck?" Urvi said, still wearing a broken smile.

"Indeed. Shall we get to the main topic at hand?" Faeren asked.

"Go ahead," Urvi said.

Faeren once again pulled up her pad. She looked at us and asked, "Names?"

"Urvashi."

"Karna."

"You want to go with your original names?" Faeren asked.

Urvi and I looked at each other's face. "I will keep it," I said. "It is the only name I know."

Urvi remained quiet. She seemed to be lost in deep thought, though her face now had returned to normal. "Yes. I will also keep it as Urvashi." she finally said. "If I am going to become a badass bitch, I want everyone to know me by my real name."

I smiled involuntarily.

"Very well," Faeren said as she began scribbling on her pad.

Something in the corner of my right eye caught my attention. I looked down to see that markings appeared on my right forearm. "What is this?" I exclaimed.

I took a closer look at it. A giant number one appeared to be tattooed on my arm, followed by a black band encircling my forearm. They were all printed in black.

"I have that too!" Urvi said, staring into her arm.

"That is your level. Right now, both are at level one. As you explore and interact with the world, you will gain experience. There is a band you cannot see right now. It will tell you how much experience you gained for each task. One full circle around the arm counts as one level, after which the band resets. The band is your life. Each player starts with four lives, once you leave the training grounds. Lose all four lives and you are dead," Faeren explained.

She made it sound a lot worse than it actually was. Four lives count for a lot more than you think. But then again, I am sure we are expected to do tasks far more dangerous than I would even try in real life.

"But," she continued, "You can gain more lives. There is no limit to how many you can stockpile. But lives are also hard to come by. There are other attributes you will gain as you venture out. They, too, will appear as markings on your body." She held out her arm, both palms facing the sky. Suddenly, an object magically manifested on each hand. "Here. Take these."

Urvi and I approached her, each taking one of them from either hand. It didn't take long for me to realize that it was a book. I observed it more closely. It was six inches tall and four inches wide and bound in dark green leather. The etching on it looked purely aesthetic, except for the ouroboros symbol. Suddenly, I remembered the TV screen in my room. I immediately shook off the thoughts, trying to focus on the now. There was no use looking back now. I noticed that my name, "Karna," was etched on the book as well.

"This is your guide. Think of it like the menu in your games. It keeps track of everything you need to know in this world. It will stay with you forever. You will never be able to lose it. Others cannot see it unless you lend it to them with your own will." Faeren said.

I opened the book to see that a lot of pages were already filled in. "Looks like some important stuff has already been filled in. We will need to take a good look at them," I looked back to see Urvi reading it very intensely.

"One last thing," Faeren said. "Your starting weapon." She pulled out a roll-up from inside her cloak before unrolling it. Laying it down on the ground, we saw that it contained six weapons. A claymore, a wooden staff, a massive axe, an equally massive hammer, and finally a pair of knuckle brawlers. All of them had a dull metal shine to them, and the handles of each seemed to be covered in worn-out leather. The excitement of seeing new weapons was certainly diminished by the lack of some glamour.

"They look... rusty," Urvi said. I agree.

"These are your starting weapons. It will also stay with you forever, and you cannot part ways with it. You can only exchange it for another weapon. I highly suggest you find yourself a new weapon as soon as you begin." Faeren explained.

"In that case," I said as I picked up the claymore.

"No fair! I wanted that!" Urvi exclaimed.

I looked back at her surprised. Turning to Faeren, I asked, "Don't you have like a wand or something?"

"To cast magic? You don't need one."

"Then how do we cast magic?" I asked.

"Spells can be cast by chanting them. But you will need to build a special aura for that. Right now, it is zero. There are various ways to build up a reserve of aura, you can start by gathering amber shards," Faeren explained.

"Don't worry dear. By the time you are ready, you will be able to create apocalypses!" I said. Urvi just huffed under her nose. Clearly, she wanted the sword.

"Please don't cause apocalypses," Faeren said. Urvi snorted as she bent down to pick up a weapon.

"It was just a joke. We are the good guys," I said to calm her down, though she didn't exactly look rattled.

"That is good to know," Faeren commented.

"I guess I will go for the axe then," Urvi said as she wrapped her fingers around its handle.

"Why don't you go for the staff?" I asked.

She lifted the axe with all her might. The muscles on her arms bulged under the stress, but she didn't look to be stressing much.

"Damn! You are strong!" I commented.

She had a sharp grin on her face. "You got that right, mofo."

Faeren quickly rolled back the weaponry and put it into the void that I was sure was hiding in the cloak. "Right then. Last few instructions. So, listen carefully. You are currently on the training grounds. They stretch close to ten kilometers in radius from this point. Low-level beasts and creatures roam these woods and will come after you with everything they have. They will kill you, but if you lose all your lives and die, you will simply resurrect here. As long as you stay within the training grounds, you are immortal. Use it to train yourself before leaving the woods. My suggestion? Get to at least level ten. There are also chests scattered all around the grounds. Find them, they contain valuable loot. You will be able to find all the basic things you need. Once you are ready, head up north. You will reach a stone gate; you will know when you see it. It is where you can leave this ground. Be certain when you want to leave. Because when you do, there is no coming back. The training grounds disappear and become inaccessible. You will be mortal and all the benefits that come from it. Understood?"

That was a lot of information at once. "Can I have it in writing? Just so I don't forget." I said.

"You will find it all in your journal," Faeren said as turned around to leave.

I quickly pulled out my journal and began to flip through the pages.

"Wait," Urvi called out to her. "Will we meet again?"

Faeren smiled for the first time since we got here. "You can find me in Lord Baeton's estate. Terra Montes. You can find him with ease once you reach there."

Urvi smiled and said, "Then we will meet again."

"Good luck on your path," she said and vanished into a bright light.

"Seven hundred years. What will you do for seven hundred years?" Urvi asked.

"Honestly? I do not know," I replied.