Beyond the Ruins

"COME AND FIND ME"

With this sound, Alex woke up from his dream. 

"Ever since I was a kid, I always hear this voice in my dream," Alex said to himself.

Alex, a boy with crimson black hair and red eyes, then saw the clock. "Oh, crap! I am going to be late. Today is Alex's 18th birthday."

In the continent of Atlantic, when children turn 18, they get to choose what they want to become.

Alex got ready to go to the city hall to submit his form to become an Explorer. Here, children submit their forms and wait for the response. Alex managed to be on time. He saw a large line of children.

"Thank God I managed to reach on time. Looks like the process is about to start," Alex thought.

Then a boy suddenly grabbed Alex and threw him outside the line, taking his place. Alex looked at the boy, a muscular figure with black hair and a large sword on his back, laughing at him.

"Why you? Who do you think you are, pushing me out of the line?" Alex shouted at the boy.

"Oh, very bold of you. You don't know me," the boy laughingly replied.

Children in front of the line were looking at the scene. One of them angrily said, "It's Gary; he's at this again."

Another child added, "Speak softly; we don't want to attract Gary's attention. Don't you know he is the son of a rich merchant? If he hears you, you will be in trouble."

Two guards rushed to check the scene. They were the city guards.

"If any of you have any problems, go out of the city. Don't cause commotion inside the city; otherwise, you will face the consequences," one of the guards warned.

Not wanting to cause a scene, Alex stood quietly next to the big guy. After some time, Alex's turn came. He submitted his form at the city hall gate and started going home.

NEXT DAY

A letter from the city hall arrived. Alex excitedly opened the letter and got ready to go to the city hall. The city hall was a large hall divided into various sections. Alex, after asking someone for directions, reached the Explorer hall. There, he saw a few children sitting, and the same boy was also sitting in the waiting area.

Upon seeing Alex, the boy mockingly laughed, saying, "Oh, that coward is also here. Why does a coward like you want to become an Explorer?" Gary said and then laughed.

Ignoring Gary, Alex went to the front of the sitting area, where he saw a receptionist, a beautiful lady in her 30s with glasses. He gave her his invitation, and she asked him to sit in the waiting area; he would be called when it's his turn. Alex closed his eyes and after a few minutes, he heard a voice.

"You've got a lot of balls ignoring me like that."

Opening his eyes, Alex saw Gary standing there, speaking to him. "Oh, sorry, I didn't notice you there," Alex spoke.

When he saw Gary, he thought he had seen him somewhere before. Then he remembered, "Aren't you the gorilla that pushed me out of the line yesterday?" Alex spoke loudly without realizing.

Gary, upon hearing Alex, became ready to charge with his giant sword. Suddenly, the receptionist appeared in front of Gary and stopped his swing, saying, "No violence is allowed in town hall. If you have any problem, settle it inside the ring."

Gary apologized, and Alex saw her thinking, "How did she appear in front of me?"