3 Prologue 2

Gwyn got to his class a minute before it started. He sat in a seat in the middle of the room and let out a deep breath. He leaned his head back and pulled out his cracked phone. When it didn't come on, he slid it back in his pocket and leaned back.

The professor came into the room and began his lecture. Gwyn didn't bother listening at first but tuned in a little later as the professor quickly got on a tangent about the disappearance theories of a colony in the late 1500s. The rest of the attendees eventually diverted their attention as the class was supposed to cover physics.

The class quickly ended from the professor's perspective. To the students, it had droned on and on. Even Gwyn had tuned the professor out completely when the discussion didn't go beyond what he had read on his own. Many of them quickly began to shuffle out as soon as the time came to leave.

Someone grabbed Gwyn by the shoulder on his way out. He looked back to see one of his friends.

"Hey man, we're planning to have a party just outside town tonight. Want to come?"

Gwyn just shrugged. He enjoyed a party as much as anyone else, but he wasn't sure if he felt like going to one on this particular night.

"Same place as always?" he finally asked.

"You know it!" with that; his friend ran off.

Gwyn was present physically at the rest of his classes for the day, but he stayed lost in thought for the majority of them. When the last class was finally over, he slumped back to his room and fell stomach side on his bed.

He debated what to do: homework, games, manga, or the party. In the end, he just rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling for a minute.

Eventually, he decided he should do something and quickly stood up off his bed. He slowly made his way to the kitchen and opened the fridge.

It was devoid of a good meal, at least of a meal that Gwyn wanted to eat. He reached for his phone; he would have to order for the night.

Unfortunately for him, the phone did not come on. He only now remembered the morning events.

"I guess I'll go get something to eat."

Gwyn left his small place and walked to the parking lot. With a click of a small remote, his car unlocked.

It was not a spectacular vehicle. It was just an old beat-up car that was at least two decades old. His parents had bought it for him before he left for school. It was a going-away gift so that he would be able to get around. Fortunately, he lived close enough to walk to school most days, so he didn't need to drive it all too often. This arrangement worked out for the car, as it likely didn't have too much longer in it as well.

Gwyn pulled out of the lot and onto the street. He contemplated where he could go. If he was already going out, he could go into a drive-thru. However, he recalled the party that had been mentioned earlier. While he had not planned to go to that particular party, he knew free food would be there. He was also hoping the party's atmosphere might be a good change of pace.

Gwyn guided the car from the town's streets to the highway. They always had their parties at the next exit down where someone had a place. Gwyn could have weaved through the city, but he liked to hop on the expressway to make it there. He accelerated onto the freeway ramp as the streetlights were beginning to flicker on for the night.

Gwyn relaxed in his seat and switched the signal he was about to merge. He looked in his side mirror and turned his head for a second to see if anyone was in his blind spot. Then, he looked in his rear-view mirror just for good measure.

He almost lost control of the car as a face appeared from his back seat. It had large green eyes and an alien complexion. The car swerved, and he tugged on the wheel to keep from spinning off the road. He looked back at the seat behind him, but no one was there. Though his heart was pounding, he made a sigh of relief as he turned back to the road.

What greeted him was not the road, however. Gwyn's vehicle plunged into a large volume of purple and blue-tinted energy. He jerked on the wheel to escape, but it was no use. His vehicle began to sink into the mass of energy. In no time flat, it began to rise above his windows. His car was completely engulfed.

Then the energy dissipated. It was gone with a small burst, and only a clean road was left behind. A couple of days later, the papers would run a story on Gwyn Black that had mysteriously disappeared. He had vanished without a trace and would never return to the world he had left.