Entering Blue Wonder
*TING*
There's a reply and it said, "Yes, the Weiss faction can help you. You are currently in the forest and you would like to go back to your school. The service requires 1000 Gold. Unfortunately, your wallet is currently empty. We accept credit. We can charge you now and you can pay later."
He replied, "How will I know you can deliver with your promise? And 1000 Gold? How can I earn a Gold?'
It replied, "We understand. To show our goodwill, we will show you how to get out of that place first then charge you later."
Then it sent an image of a device that resembles a compass. Its needle spins for a bit then as it slows down, its marked tip pointed to a certain direction.
While holding his cell phone, he rotated his body to test it. The needle keeps pointing in the same direction. Satisfied that it seems to work just like a regular compass, he decided to slowly follow where it points. He walked for around twenty steps then stopped. He raised his head in the direction to look for any signs. However, nothing seems to change. The trees around him all look the same.
"This place is so puzzling. But anyway, I'll continue moving forward. Maybe I will see the school soon," He is slightly frustrated. But what are twenty steps? Maybe he needs more to reach what he is looking for.
He has been only walking for ten steps when the needed made a sharp turn and pointed to the right.
"Huh?"
He raised his head and looked forward. Nothing changed. Still the same scenery.
"But why the needle changed direction? Am I actually inside an illusion?" He was slightly surprised. He loved to read books in his spare time. There are some mystic novels that describe that it is possible to get caught in an illusion formation where it confuses your senses.
"If my conjecture is correct then it will be safer to follow this needle," he muttered while slightly shaking his head.
So this continued on. He kept walking. Now and then the needle will change direction and he will just follow it.
After he walked about a kilometer the scene suddenly changed which startled him and prompted him to abruptly stop. He looked forward and he can see the school from the distance.
"That far? Did I run that far?" He was stunned but even so, he tried to take the next step when suddenly...
*BAAM!*
He felt like he smashed himself to a solid wall.
"Awwww! What the!" he is holding his nose that is slightly red then slightly step back. He raised his other hand and slowly trying moved it forward to feel what hurt him.
"It felt like a wall. Is this a glass?" He stepped back a bit and looked for a stone. He then flung it on the front. The stone stopped in midair as it generated a sound of hitting a wall before it fell back to the ground.
"The sound it generates when hit by an object doesn't sound like the material is glass. What is this place? Why is there a barrier here?" He is now slightly alarmed. He's in the middle of nowhere and there's a barrier? Isn't that barriers only exist in laboratories or other secured compounds or buildings?
The young boy pondered.
After a while, he looked back at his cell phone. Surprisingly, the needle no longer points in a certain direction and it is now spinning continuously. Then, a new message appeared.
"We have shown you the correct path and now you can see your school. This proves that we are honest about our service. That barrier will allow you to move forward once you've paid the required amount of Gold."
He replied, "Thanks. How can I earn the Gold so that I can pay for your assistance?"
It replied, "Tap the image below and you will know the answer." Then it sent a square image that fills half of the screen. There are bluish lines that crisscross on the image. It moves gently forming something like an illusion but not an illusion.
"Interesting. How can an ordinary image provide an answer? Will it going to open to a website when tapped?" he thought to himself. Eager to know the answer, he tapped it.
A new window pops up and it says, "Would you like to enter the Blue Wonder?" With buttons of yes and no as a choice.
He thought of it as nothing so he just answered Yes.
A new message appeared, "Good luck and enjoy :)"
"Huh? What does that mean? What to enjoy?" His eyebrows furrowed as he can't figure out what's happening. He's still looking at his phone when suddenly the screen emitted a blinding light. It is so blinding that he can't see anything else except whiteness on his vision.
"What's happening?" He is now alarmed and scared. This is not going exactly with the script he had in mind.
Seeing nothing except the endless light, he can't even see his limbs and body. Then he felt that a mighty force enveloped his body then pulled him up towards the sky. Then the speed of the pull became intensely fast, so fast that he felt his head spin.
"Ahhhh!" The pain is quite unbearable. He feels that his body is stretching more and more as he is getting pulled somewhere. He felt that if he looks on his body now, he will look like a strand of spaghetti pasta. Maybe some sauce is all that's needed and a watcher can enjoy a delicious spaghetti for a snack.
This goes on for around ten seconds and when he thought he can no longer bear the pain, he lost consciousness.
...
Up in the sky, the heavy clouds churned sending streaks of lightning as it passes. Thunderous boom quake the plains. The whole sky is covered with thick clouds, no light from the moon and the stars can be seen. Despite this, there's no rain. Violent winds whistle through producing screeching sound every now and then.
The area is barren. Plainland with little to no vegetation. But the sky seems to be raging with anger. This is the famous Lightning Plain of Death. Nobody in their right mind will visit this place as it is labeled as one of the most dangerous places.
In this wide barren plain, there are numerous rocks. Some are small but some are big. But the tallest is around up to twenty feet high only. On one of the big rocks, if you look closely, you can see a small cave.
Inside the cave, there's a man in his twenties. He seems to be severely injured. His skin is burnt. Seems like he was struck by a lightning. It's a miracle that he survived it and was able to crawl back to this cave. But he seems to be on his last breath. It didn't take a while until his breathing becomes unstable then it finally stopped.
Suddenly, bluish light from the sky appeared and it fell to the man. The light went away as fast as it came.
...
He can hear the thunderous boom in the sky and it awakened him. His eyes slowly opened as he saw that he is looking at a ceiling made up of rock. He tried to lift his head but brought it down back as he felt he has little energy. He can feel his body. There's a tingling sensation all over. It feels weird. It seems a bit foreign yet it feels it his own body.
After a short period of time, he lifted his head again. He barely can see anything with the dim light but he is now aware that he is being surrounded by rocks. He tried to get up using both of his elbows and he was able to do it after a bit of struggle. He surveyed his surroundings. There's nothing much except he can now confirm he is inside of a rocky cave. There's a small brownish bag not far from him. There are also small stains of blood on the ground.
"Where am I?"
He tried to delve into his memories. The last thing he remembered is that he feels he is becoming a spaghetti pasta and there's the intense pain. He sighed a relief. That pain is almost unbearable and it's a relief not to feel it anymore.
But as he continues to search his memories. Suddenly, he becomes aware of another set of memories. As he became aware, he feels like chaos invaded his mind. Two memories tried to find their footing. As of this moment, his brain activity rises up to the roof. Billions of neurons firing as the brain try to accommodate two memories of life.
"Ahhhhh!" He felt that his head going to split into two. It is really uncomfortable and he can't help but spit some blood. The brain is truly mysterious, it didn't really take long before it adjusted and he can now feel the memories of another life started to flood his vision.