Pandora's Box: Anguish, Part 1

In the cave under Astaroth's starting village, Aberon was looking at the young man in front of him with a knowing look.

He could feel it when the target of his 'Illusion Domain: Pandora's Box' spell completed one challenge. He had felt the realm from the spell disappear, so he knew it was cleared.

This spell of his could trap enemies within it, or he could use a lighter version of it that could serve as a mental fortitude test. This was one such test.

If Astaroth could clear all three realms, or emotional barriers, in this test, Aberon would let him go. He would consider the kid stable enough to use his powers endangering no one, for now.

Of course, if he failed even one realm, he would keep training him for another long period before testing him again.

From the reactions on the boy's face and the rate at which his heart had beat earlier, Aberon could tell which test he had gone through.

The realms generated by the spell varied from person to person. They also could change with time, as the three predominant emotions the person was bottling up generated them.

Aberon wondered which were gonna be the next emotions, but he had a good guess, as Astaroth sweat buckets and tears were forming at the corner of his eyes.

"Anguish is a bottomless pit, I wonder what caused him to feel this way. I hope he fares well in this one." Aberon said, keeping a close eye on Astaroth.

***

Inside the spell, Alexander had just woken up on his bed. He rose, looking around him.

His pod was nowhere to be seen, and neither was the VR helmet. It puzzled him for a while and then looked at his phone.

The date on his phone was Monday, August twelfth, two thousand and twenty-one. A little over ten years before the release of New Eden.

Seeing the date made him sad for some reason, but he quickly brushed it off.

"Did I dream all of that?" He thought out loud.

He looked at his phone again and saw what time it was. It was six in the morning, his alarm wouldn't ring for another half hour.

He got up anyway, to get ready for his day. He didn't work yet, so he liked to play 'tower of Babel' all day, trying to become a pro.

He walked out of his room and walked to the bathroom. He washed his face and brushed his teeth before going to sit in the kitchen.

He could smell some breakfast already being cooked. He walked into the kitchen, where his mom was attending to some eggs and bacon.

"Morning, mom." Alexander said, tiredly.

When he said that, he felt a slight pinching sensation in his heart. He grabbed his chest through his shirt.

"Are you alright, dear?" His mom said, noticing the motion.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Probably just a cramp." He answered, smiling.

"Ahh, how I missed your bacon and eggs." He added, almost salivating.

His mother looked at him weirdly.

"You had some yesterday, honey. Are you sure you are alright?" She said, walking to him and touching his forehead.

"I'm fine, mom." Alexander said, brushing her hand aside gently.

"Where is dad, by the way?" He asked, turning his head around to find him.

"Your father is in the garage, fixing up his old motorcycle." His mother responded, pointing to the door that led to the garage.

"I'll go get him for breakfast!" Alexander said, stealing a strip of crispy bacon as he walked by.

"Wait until you are served, you little hooligan!" His mother said with a laugh.

"I can't mom. Your cooking is just too good!" He replied, not turning back and heading to the garage.

He chewed on the bacon strip as he walked into the garage and walked down the three steps.

"Dad. Breakfast is ready." He said, his mouth still full of bacon.

"Ahh. Alex. Come here. I have to show you something." His father replied with a joyous tone.

Alexander went around their blue sedan and found his father leaning next to an old Honda motorcycle. The model was a Honda CB600F, also known as the Hornet in Europe, when it was produced, in nineteen ninety-eight.

It was a bright yellow sports motorcycle, with sharp angles and an aggressive-looking front light.

His father had been tinkering on it for years, but he was not a mechanic, so the work had taken much more time than needed.

Alexander liked the look of the motorcycle. He had been around that bike for years and had even gotten his motorcycle license, in case he could ever drive it.

So when he saw the machine fully reconstructed like this, he got a little giddy.

"Are you done fixing it?" He said excitedly, brushing his fingers against the handlebar.

"Finished her up barely ten minutes ago. I was putting some finishing touches on it." His father said with a wide grin.

It was too early to start up the motorcycle, but he was surely going to bring her out for a joy ride later in the day.

Both father and son stood there, admiring the machine for a few minutes.

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" Alexander's father said.

"She sure is." He responded, daydreaming about taking rides on the motorcycle.

"When can I take her for a spin?" He asked his father, turning to face him.

"Not before I do." His father replied, laughing loudly after.

"Enough drooling. Let's go eat before your mother gets jealous. Bahahaha!" His father added, laughing again.

Alexander's father had always been a 'Bon vivant' as they said in his hometown. Which was why he was a much-appreciated neighbor and a loved husband.

After his father washed up, they headed inside to eat breakfast. After eating Alexander went to his room to play his video game a bit.

An hour later, he received a text message from a friend. They wanted to hang out.

Alexander didn't really want to go, but he needed to uphold his social image, so he replied anyway.

He finished his quest on the game and took a quick shower. He then got dressed and walked out.

His parents were outside, drinking a coffee on the terrace, so he went to tell them he would be back later.

They told him to be safe and to come back for dinner. His father even told him he would take his mother for a ride on the bike instead of him.

Alexander only smiled and told him to have fun and be prudent.

He left the house and walked to the nearby park where they always met up before going into town.