Chapter 1
"…and thus, another aimless day for me ended. "
I sighed as I was walking back to my home from my part time job. My name is Ritsuka Bushida, your average 19 year old guy . Well, "average" would be rather strange knowing what is going on these days. Three years. Three years ago I had an abnormal dream where an old parrot explained to me that I was chosen to be …a hero. Why? What was heroic about me? I do have a great desire to improve myself , but I am sure that alone isn't enough for someone to be a hero. I would not be ashamed to admit that I am also a kind of coward.
Anyway I dismissed the dreams and went about as usual, deeming it as just a weird dream of mine. However, when the same parrot repeatedly appeared in my dreams to convince me to prepare in advance, I was a bit…freaked out, to say the least. It obviously could not be something coincidental. I had stumbled upon the supernatural world, something only found in science fiction or fantasy light novels . It even explained me a passage to access a different world hidden in my own, but pleaded with me not to let anyone know apart from myself. I naturally knew why it did not want people to know about it.
However, I was asked not to access that passage as it was not my time yet. Today was supposed to be special, as it was finally saying it was the time I got the gist of the matter. I went along the city, noting it's appearance at late night- it was past 10 PM. I could see the mountains – perhaps I could see the stars from those remote regions, the lights that lit up the parts of the city, the traffic…. I entered my apartment after opening the door with the key . IT was time, I changed, had a light dinner and went to bed. I had no mother or father- they died when I was a toddler, and I was under the apathetic care of my aunt. I turned the night lamp off and went to sleep.
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"Ah, there you are. I was worried you would return later, and that won't be healthy for your body. " There, the mystical parrot spoke. It's voice was like an old women, like my grandmother worried for my health. "But then again, this isn't healthy either right?" 'She' sighed. Right now in the world of my dreams , we were sitting on a chair on two opposing sides of a table.
"I have been trying to keep myself at least fit. " I admitted, having started doing free hand exercises a few months back. " She sighed. "Ritsuka, I am afraid, but you must come over to our world now. " "Huh? Why now?" I asked, confused. The time I was supposed to go to their world was still a while away, and today she was supposed to be the day she explained the basics of their world to me. "Because, the king has decided to summon you as soon as possible. And falling to his hands at this point is a fate worse then death. " Apparently, their king was a really corrupt person who would forcefully make me his guard dog or destroy me if he couldn't have me in his control.
The parrot looked down. "I am sorry to take you away from your world like this. " It spoke in a somber tone. "Don't be. I have nothing to live for in this world anyway." Might as well have something to live or fight for, maybe in become famous in that other world. "That is not a healthy way of thinking. " The parrot spoke. "I will be waiting for you, my child. Two interwined destinies that is decided by the stars …we will see it soon.". What did she mean by that? With that, the parrot disappeared and my dream ended.
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I woke up with a startle. It was morning. I called up my aunt, telling her I would be leaving for a job abroad. She sounded actually glad I was leaving. I did not bother taking anything with me and just went on with an old t shirt and a short pant. I took the narrow lane between the two buildings that lead to the jungle. As I slowly went deeper into the jungle to the area she told me of, and stopped near a wall of trees and leaves. Was it a dead end? And then I realized, the wall of creepers, vines and leaves could be moved to reveal a sort of secret entrance to a cave. I entered the cave, feeling a change in the air. As I walked , I slowly came to a pit with a set of rock stairs that lead downwards. Passing through the stairs and reaching the bottom, I could hardly believe my eyes.
It was a large circle, glowing blue and turning darker inside with red outline. An average person could just fit in it. It was a portal. How- how did someone not discover something like this? Judging by how old this place is and the fact it looks like an ancient destroyed castle, some magic must have been put up that affects a person's mind and thoughts . A barrier that makes them decide against coming near here. Yet why didn't it stop me? Was I immune to the effects of the field or barrier somehow?
Taking a breath, I entered the portal, only to enter a stone bride leading to another. As I waked the stone bride, I realized I was not in my world anymore. This place….I could feel how it's space and time function differently from our world. Below the bridge, I saw a bottomless abyss. It goes without saying I should not fall in that place. Above, as I say the sky, it was entirely red with white swirling lights. Was this place kind of a gap between dimensions? Deciding to ponder it later, I quickly entered the other portal.
A flash of light, and I was already at other dark cave like place, but I could feel this wasn't a place that existed in my universe. I had arrived in the world the parrot spoke of.
"Oh, you are finally here."
I was brought out of my observation with a soft voice. I looked at the source and found a girl roughly a bit shorter then my height, which is impressive since I am quite tall. I could not see much or her since her entire body was covered in a large brown hooded cloak , but I could barely make out her face with her eyes with a nice brown iris, likely dark brown hair and the actual smile with no malicious intent that adorned her face.
"Allow me to welcome you to the world of Aquania."