Unveiling the Unknown: Vikram's Journey into the New World

{ Yr 2202, 12/21 }

{ East Checkpoint | Zone Y }

Vikram was left in awe as he witnessed the towering monoliths, grand buildings, and technological marvels of this new world.

The Wall, a colossal structure that encircled Zone Y with its 20-meter width and 100-meter height, was a giant that surpassed anything he had ever seen in the Empire.

Even with his keen calculations, he knew that replicating such a feat in his former world would be impossible, even with a century of labor.

Even transportation of this new world was a marvel in itself. Despite the considerable distance of 100km from the Outer Area where he awoke, it took them a mere two hours before they were in the protected lands of the Zone Y's Wall.

Recalling the previous encounter when Casper introduced Vikram to an extraordinary contraption known as an "Automobile," which effortlessly carried them across the vast expanse, he felt like a wild gorilla suddenly entering human civilization.

When Vikram first laid his eyes upon the "Automobile" he couldn't help but burst into laughter. It resembled a confused crossbreed between a metal horse and a pair of oversized wheels. The frame, looking like it had been twisted and contorted by a mischievous god, left Vikram wondering if it had been assembled by a team of drunken blacksmiths.

The saddle, perched precariously atop the contraption, appeared more suited for a tiny bird than a human. Vikram imagined himself attempting to sit on it, only to find himself sliding on the edge, desperately trying to maintain his balance while the bike cackled mischievously beneath him.

And the wheels! They were comically enormous as if the creators of this contraption wanted to prove a point about their love for oversized things.

Vikram couldn't help but imagine himself rolling down a hill, his feet spinning in a comical blur, his hands clutching onto the handlebars for dear life.

But now, the exhilarating sensation of wind against his face as they rode left Vikram astounded. Casper informed him that it was considered the slowest mode of transportation, with newer models capable of traversing both land and water.

The mere thought of walking on water seemed unimaginable and sacrilegious, forbidden in his former world in reverence to the Goddess.

**

Upon reaching the security checkpoint, Casper approached the Wall and performed a peculiar gesture, granting him seamless passage through the door. Vikram, following closely behind, attempted to pass through but was halted by a vigilant security guard.

"Scan your ID," the guard commanded.

Caught off guard, Vikram stood there momentarily perplexed, his gaze fixed upon the guard.

In response, the guard forcefully took hold of Vikram's hand and scanned it with a light-emitting device embedded in the wall.

Vikram recoiled his hand and glared back at the guard, ready to rebuke his audacious actions. However, Casper's voice echoed from the other side of the gate, reminding Vikram of their time constraint.

"V, what are you doing? Hurry up with the scan! We're running late!"

Startled back to reality, Vikram realized he was no longer in the Empire and he wasn't the "Rakshasha". He needed to adhere to the customs of this unfamiliar world to avoid arousing suspicion.

He complied with the guard's request, allowing the light emitted from the wall to wash over his watch-clad hand.

Contrary to his expectations, the process was painless, and soon after, an informational display materialized on the wall, featuring Vikram's picture alongside relevant details.

The wall's transformation and the sudden appearance of a lifelike portrait took Vikram by surprise, leaving him in awe of the apparent magic that Casper had referred to as "Machinas."

Passing through the checkpoint, Vikram settled into the backseat of the automobile, oblivious to the fact that the seemingly routine scan at the gates would set in motion profound changes in the future that lay ahead.

*****

As Vikram found himself immersed in this strange new world, a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions swirled within him, shaping an internal monologue that mirrored his turmoil.

What happened to the Empire after I disappeared? Were they still searching for me? Did they mourn my absence, or had they moved on, accepting me as forever lost?

These questions gnawed at Vikram's mind, a constant reminder of the life he had left behind. He couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for leaving his step-sister, the queen, behind, worrying about her well-being and longing to know how she was faring in his absence.

Vikram's heart ached with concern. He had always felt a deep sense of duty towards her, a bond forged through shared experiences and adversities.

The uncertainty of it all weighed heavily on Vikram's shoulders. He felt a sense of disconnection as if he had been cast adrift in a vast ocean, no longer tethered to the shores he once called home.

Vikram felt the Walls of Zone Y move away from his periphery but the walls of this new reality closed in around him. Seated upon this new kind of horse, Vikram emotions of longing and unfamiliarity amplified as he looked at the towering buildings and huge sky scrapers in the distance.

"What kind of a world is this?"

~huh!

"What...!! No!!" Suddenly, shock coursed through Vikram's veins, his mind reeling with a sudden and startling realization as his internal monologue ended.

As he watched young Casper confidently maneuvering the "Automobile," he couldn't ignore the fact that this Casper had remained unchanged at the moment of his supposed death, as if frozen in time since then.

"How did I so easily accept the reality as if that is the normal thing to do? What is going on!?"

Even if this Casper was not the same, his own transformation from "Rakshasha" to his younger self over 20 years ago was more than just shocking.

However, there was more to his astonishment than just that.

He now realized that his past self, the "Rakshasha", would never have placed such unwavering trust even if his sister were to appear in front of him in a strange world like this.

The implications of his seamless adaptation to this unfamiliar world sent shivers down his spine.

It was as if he had always belonged here, leaving him with a sense of unease and uncertainty.

As these thoughts consumed him, his mind again wandered to his past and another truth struck him like a dagger: he had nothing to go back to in the Empire except his sister. The war had ended, the Empire was united, and there was no one to challenge her sister's rule anymore. He had done cleaned up the whole continent of antagonistic voices against their rule.

With this realization, Vikram's shock deepened, intertwining with a bittersweet melancholy. The life he had once known had faded into the past, leaving him stranded in this enigmatic realm with only questions and an uncertain future, and a burning desire to know more.

*****

{ After A While }

{ Icarus High School | Zone Y }

As the two boys strolled through the bustling market and emerged into an open space, their eyes widened at the sight of a magnificent, but decaying structure in the distance, known as the "Icarus High School."

The entrance gate boasted enormous suspended arcs with meticulously engraved English letters as if the precision was the work of a well-oiled machine.

"Akashvani tells the truth, Akashvani is the truth," Vikram read the words on the suspended arc, a strange sense of familiarity washing over him.

He wracked his brain, trying to recall where he had encountered such bewildering absurdity before.

While Casper handed over their peculiar "mount" to the "stablemen," Vikram patiently waited by the grand gates for his "friend's" return.

"Hey, you there! Point us in the direction of the principal's office!" barked an authoritative voice, capturing Vikram's attention. He turned to see a group of three boys and one girl around his age bombarding a timid-looking boy with questions.

"Uh... it's... um, just go straight ahead and take a right turn. It's the third room from there," the weak boy stammered, responding to their inquiries.

"Humph!" A girl with impossibly long exposed legs marched forward, paying no mind to the three boys trailing behind her like baby ducklings following their mama duck in a line.

The three boys seethed with anger at being ignored by their "mother" but quickly suppressed their frustration, shoving the meek boy to the ground before scurrying after the girl with insincere smiles plastered on their faces.

"What a peculiar bunch," Vikram mused, finding amusement in the antics of these children. Even if he looked like them, because of his experiences, his mind had grown way past the simple maturity of an adult.

"Let's go," Casper returned after a few minutes, and together they entered the school premises.

"Are you sure they'll take care of your mount, Casper?" Vikram expressed his concern for the magnificent creature that had provided him with the most exhilarating ride of his life.

"What mount? Don't belittle my baby, alright! She may be old, but she's been in our family for ages. She's practically family herself," Casper jested, prompting Vikram to apologize sincerely.

"Oh, I didn't mean to demean..."

"Hahaha... You're in a jolly mood today, huh? Avi... ~slap," Casper playfully slapped Vikram's back, using his first name for the first time.

"Avi...?" Vikram questioned.

"Hey, don't tell me I have to keep calling you V on campus too?"

"No, it's fine. Let's proceed to this Awakening Ceremony. It's important, right?" Vikram refrained from revealing that he had completely ignored the name on his display back at the checkpoint. He was still grasping with his new identity, and because of an overload of information he was finding difficult to keep track of things that were suddenly happening to him.

**

Vikram and Casper traversed wide hallways until they arrived at another open ground, which emanated a distinct aura. Vikram sensed an invisible force bearing down on him as if something powerful lay hidden within.

"What is this sensation? I feel... suppressed," Vikram remarked, voicing his unease.

"Of course, you're being suppressed. The AV stone is being unveiled today. They say it's the largest meteor fragment that ever plummeted near Zone Y," Casper explained with sparkling eyes, to which Vikram simply nodded, not wanting to expose his ignorance.

Internally, Vikram resolved to seek information through his own means later on. He was determined to understand what his supposedly deceased friend meant by a "meteor," why it fell, and from whence it came.

"Let's go, Avi. The ceremony is about to commence, and we've arrived just in time," Casper urged, pacing his footsteps.

**

As Vikram and Casper arrived at the expansive ground with a distant stage and rows of children standing in formation, memories of Vikram's early days as a squire in the Empire's army flooded his mind.

It had been over 30 years since then, but the nostalgia lingered as they joined the back of the "student battalion", awaiting the ceremony.

The voice of the speaker—The Principal, as Casper called him—echoed throughout the grounds, welcoming the children to the 120th Awakening Ceremony of Icarus High School.

As the speaker recounted the tragedy of the "Freefall" and retold the 1000s of years of history of this world. He promised with firm conviction to protect humanity from demons and monsters.

Vikram was surprised from the mention of Monsters and thousands of years of history. Even the Empire barely had few thousand years of recorded history and they were one of the most advanced in the whole continent.

"Let us observe a silence ceremony," the principal's voice resonated from the stage, and an eerie sense of familiarity washed over Vikram.

The words "silence ceremony" struck a chord deep within him, but their origin eluded his grasp. It was a custom he couldn't recall from his time in the Empire.

Freefall? Zone Y? Demons and Monsters? Awakening Ceremony? His eidetic memory, usually unwavering in its ability to recall every detail, offered no clues.

The sensation of recognition gnawed at Vikram's thoughts, stirring a mix of curiosity and unease. It was as if a distant memory danced just out of reach, teasing him with fragments of familiarity.

With each passing moment, the weight of the unknown grew heavier on Vikram's mind. His insatiable desire to unravel the source of these familiar words clashed with the limits of his memory.

What could be so significant about this ceremony? Why did it resonate with him in such a profound way?

The gift of his photographic memory, once a source of pride, now became a double-edged sword. It held the potential to unlock secrets and unveil the truth, yet it also carried the burden of unanswered questions.

As the silence ceremony began, Vikram couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency, a need to dig deeper into his past and uncover the truth behind this uncanny familiarity.

While the rows of students observed a moment of silence, Vikram's gaze swept the area around the stage. Suddenly, his eyes locked with another student who, like him, was not observing the silence.

Recognition sparked between them, as Vikram realized she was the same girl he had seen at the gates earlier. Before he could react, she offered a faint smile and turned away.

Undeterred, Vikram continued his search for the source of uneasiness, his eyes drawn to a covered object placed at the back of the stage. Intuitively, he knew that whatever lay beneath that cloth held the key to his disquietude.