Rude Awakening

Such an excruciating pain! I can't breathe! My neck! It hurts so much!

The sleeping Toni Mars was gesticulating on a white sofa. His shut eyes kept moving rapidly as he unconsciously grabbed his neck. He was trying to free his throat from an invisible shackle. The pain was getting more severe. His breathing became uneven. Oxygen was becoming scarce as little air entered his lungs. The man was suffocating. His hands tried harder to release the invisible cause of his precarious situation. 

Ari Mars, his father heard the disturbance and ran to the living room. He saw his son struggling, holding his neck. He quickly approached him but stopped in his tracks when his son suddenly opened his eyes. He saw his pupils had turned white. Ari fought back the tears threatening to erupt as he watched Toni's eyelids close.

"This is your destiny, my son. I've raised you the best I can and kept you safe for the past twenty years. I wish I could have told you about the Pact and what you represent. But I promised your mother. She seemed to believe not knowing would be beneficial for you. I can only trust she was right." 

Ari knew it was too late, and his words wouldn't reach his son. However, he felt a weight off his shoulders. It was as if listening to his own words put his mind at ease. 

Toni heard whispers in his mind. He tried opening his eyes but couldn't. It was like his eyelids were glued together. He still felt the agonizing pain. However, its intensity was gradually decreasing. Toni saw a place filled with clouds. He was floating in the air. Below him was endless darkness. It was pitch black, and he couldn't see the end of it. The scenery above resembled a sky during sunset. The brightness above and the darkness below were quite contrasting.

What is happening? Is this a dream? Yes, it has to be. I will wake up soon!

The young man willed his mind to exit what he believed was a dream. The task was insurmountable. He was still in the mystifying space. The pain he had felt was now becoming a distant memory. His instincts were telling him it wasn't a good thing.

Am I dying? Damn… I'm going to die in my sleep! My life… I haven't done anything yet. Dammit! If I had known I would die young, I wouldn't have wasted so many years in school accumulating degrees. What good are they to me now? What's the point of having more degrees than a thermometer to just die before accomplishing anything? I barely lived…

Toni was frustrated. He couldn't come to terms with the idea of his life suddenly ceasing. 

"You want to live?" A voice whispered.

"Who are you?" Toni shouted. 

He searched around him but found no one. 

"I cannot penetrate your Domain. It's quite bizarre…"

"Who are you?"

"Do you want to live?" The voice repeated.

"Yes, I do."

"Very well. You are a Traveler now. Whether you succeed or fail is up to you and your destiny."

"What are you talking about? Succeed in what?" 

Toni's questions remained unanswered. The pain that had disappeared a moment ago hit him back so hard it jolted him awake. He was hanging in the air with a rope around his neck. 

What the hell!

He tried to put his fingers between the rope and his neck to get some air in. He swung his legs trying to get a footing on something. He noticed a chair beneath him which had fallen on the ground. He examined his surroundings. He didn't recognize where he was, but he couldn't care about it now. He would die if he didn't find a way to release himself. 

Toni saw a desk nearby on his left. He lifted his legs bringing them parallel to the ground, rotated his hips, and used his abs to get momentum to swing himself toward the table. He extended his legs, and his toes barely landed on the table. The support gave him enough leverage to breathe better as he slowly moved his feet on the table. With something to stand on, his neck and his life were now saved. 

The man touched the knot behind his neck and realized it was simply tied. Within a few seconds, he untied the rope, freeing himself. He sat on the desk and breathed slowly as he gently massaged his neck.

He pinched his cheek before promptly releasing it due to the pain. He wasn't dreaming. However, he was still confused. He didn't know where he was. He was sure he fell asleep on the sofa in his living room. How did he manage to be hanged here? He couldn't figure it out.

The room was illuminated with a floor lamp. He looked at the desk he sat on. There was a black notebook. To the other side of the table was a bookshelf. On one of the shelves was a sheathed dagger. Toni got up and picked up the weapon. The handle and the sheath were charcoal black. He pulled the handle and released the blade. He saw part of his face reflected on the silver blade. He almost dropped the dagger in surprise.

Who is this?

The face didn't belong to him. Now that he thought about it, the body also felt unfamiliar. The way he was able to lift his legs to free himself before wasn't something his old self could do. He searched the room for a mirror and took a better look at his current face. Short black hair, black eyes, a beard.

Who is this person?

As soon as the question popped up in his mind, a continuous stream of thoughts entered his brain. He remained immobile for several minutes, digesting everything. His body was no longer Toni Mars's. He was now Ansel Beausejour. His mind was racing trying to comprehend his situation. He had no idea how it was possible for him to be inside a new body.

That voice I heard in the mystifying space. It said I've become a Traveler. Is it why I'm here? 

Toni had now fully integrated Ansel's memories into his own. It was as if he had personally lived the man's life. A part of him felt like he truly was Ansel. He remembered things he shouldn't know, events he didn't experience. Ansel Beausejour was an only child. His parents passed away during his childhood. He was raised by his uncle, who also had a son, Jarod. They were his only relatives still alive.

The family lived in Mono, the southern continent. They were citizens of the country of Kemura and resided in the city of Kandi. Ansel was recently let go from his teaching job at the local university. He was an archeology professor. Apparently, his meager salary was a necessary saving for the school that was cutting down on costs. 

They were struggling financially. His uncle was the breadwinner and supported Ansel and Jarod. The latter was still studying. After graduating from the University, Ansel performed his optional civil duty and received basic military training for six months. But he refused to pursue that route and did not enlist afterward. Beausejour was very knowledgeable. He was among the few people in the city who could decipher and understand the Ancient Language. The real name of the tongue was lost in history. But it was commonly accepted as the oldest language in the world.

Toni examined the room again. He was now familiar with the place thanks to Ansel's memories. However, some memories eluded him. 

That Ansel guy definitely tried to kill himself. But why?

His eyes went to the notebook on the desk. He was hoping to find some answers there as Ansel would jot down all kinds of things in it. He opened the notebook and flipped the pages to the latest used. He couldn't understand what was written at first, but Ansel's memories came to his aid. He recognized the man's handwriting. Toni silently read the sentences written in Ancient Language.

There is no hope for us. We're just pawns in this life. No…even lesser than pawns as we don't even have a clue of the secrets surrounding our world.

The sentences confirmed his belief Ansel committed suicide. He could feel the despair coming from the man's message. Toni searched his new memories to make sense, to comprehend Ansel's ultimate writing. He found nothing that could drive such a man to take his own life. He also did not understand his intentions of leaving such a cryptic message to his uncle and cousin. 

Toni walked to the only window in the room. He pulled aside the curtain and let the moonlight penetrate the place. His head was full of questions. 

What had become of my body? Did I die? Why am I in another man's body? And where the hell is this place? Another planet? Or perhaps I was sent to another dimension? Can I go back home?

He had no answers to any of his interrogations, only hope and wishes. The only thing he knew was what the voice had told him. He was a Traveler. He had no idea what it actually meant, but he felt like figuring it out might shed some light on the darkness obscuring his future.