The Mind World

After what had felt like an eternity, they finally made it out of the Dark Forest. They stepped into a beautiful area filled with flowing rivers and streams that sparkled under the moonlight. The scene was complemented by a variety of gorgeous sweet-scented flowers and other tiny animal-like creatures roaming through the grassy plains. The most beautiful part was a waterfall that flowed peacefully down a cliffside, making the view even more stunning.

Slowly, the group approached the waterfall before Amanda signaled them to stop.

"Why did we stop? If we're not there yet, please tell me we're at least taking a break," pleaded Sindy.

"Not to worry. We're here!"

Andrew looked around intently, unable to see anything but the waterfall before them.

"I don't see anything..."

Amanda and Leo then moved toward the waterfall before gently placing their hands against it. To everyone's surprise, a blue light radiated upon contact before the waterfall disappeared, revealing a massive skyship floating effortlessly in the night sky.

"Woah! What the heck just happened?!" Exclaimed Andrew in shock.

"Hehehe..." Chuckled Amanda, "It's Illusion Art. The waterfall was just an illusion used to hide the skyship, aka our headquarters!"

"Sigh... So it's just one more of those weird things you call Art Styles, huh? You've been using them this entire time to fight off monsters that have attacked us, and I still don't completely understand how they work," murmured Sindy.

"If you ask me, I think it's a lot weirder you three don't even know what Art Styles are."

"Honestly, I think they're kinda cool," praised Nathan.

"Sorry for not explaining anything to you this entire time. We had to take the precaution," apologized Leo. "But in any case, I'm sure everything will be explained to you once you get inside. We have to make sure that you three aren't secretly spies."

Amanda then happily turned to face everyone with her arms outstretched for a warm welcome.

"All of that aside, welcome to Assassins Agency HQ! Shall we enter thy mothership?"

"Definitely!"

A few minutes later, the three were taken into AA HQ. Nathan and Sindy were transferred to the Medical Bay's Infirmary to be treated for their injuries while Andrew was taken to see the Captain.

Nathan and Sindy were treated by a kind female nurse who had short pink hair. Her eyes were also a glossy pink that complemented her hairstyle. Her unique eye and hair color were something Nathan and Sindy had never seen before. It was quite beautiful but also quite strange.

It was becoming evident that the people they met all had gene traits that they weren't very familiar with. Normally, attaining such colorful eyes and hair would only be possible by dying their hair and wearing contact lenses. However, the people they met so far all had these traits naturally.

To make things even stranger, the nurse had healed their injuries to near perfection with an odd healing ability that they had never seen before. They could only assume it was another so-called Art Style similar to what Amanda and Leo had used.

"Your injuries are almost completely healed, but I'm not healing you with magic," began the kind nurse. "My Recovery Art only heals injuries by speeding up the repair of your cells. However, in some cases, some cells die and need to be replaced. So I'm only able to heal most major injuries by around 50% - 85%. You'll need natural rest to make a full recovery."

"Thanks, we appreciate all the help. Could you tell us your name?" Asked Nathan.

"You can call me Nurse Donna. I'm the head of the medical team. So if you ever get injured again, just let me know, and I'll be happy to help!"

As Nurse Donna left the room, Sindy moved closer to Nathan to speak with him.

"What a crazy day... So much happened, and I can barely process it! We got struck by lightning, found ourselves in a random country, attacked by a giant wolf, and now we're in a flying ship filled with people that can use superpowers!"

"This gives the phrase, "Anything can happen" a whole new meaning."

"At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if a talking panda walked through the door."

They were then interrupted by a sudden knock on the door before two figures let themselves in. The first was Andrew and the second was someone that sent chills down Sindy's spine.

The stranger creepily resembled Nathan in both appearance and age. The only difference was that this mystery twin was slightly taller. Sindy had to rub her eyes to ensure her vision wasn't failing her.

"Nate, I must be tired because, for some reason, I see you standing over there even though you're right next to me."

"Guys, before you both freak out, let's have this entire situation explained!" Quickly stated Andrew.

"I feel like I should be surprised, but I'm not," said Nathan calmly.

"Well, maybe that's because you could sense the familiarity," answered the mystery twin.

Sindy looked on in bewilderment as she watched Nathan interact with his mystery twin. She still couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on here?! And Nate, why aren't you freaking out that a second YOU is standing over there!?"

"Well, it's probably because he kinda already knows who I am," answered the mystery twin. "My name is Alondo Smartmind, the personal mind or conscience of Nathan when he was back in the Real World. I'm also the Captain of Assassins Agency."

"Yeah, it's strange, but the moment I saw him, I sensed this weird connection between us. It's like I've known him all my life even though it's the first time we've met," calmly explained Nathan.

"What do you mean!!? This is all crazy!! A talking panda would be more logical than this!!" Panicked Sindy.

Before answering, Alondo took a seat on a chair at the opposite end of the room. They had a lot to discuss.

"For starters, do you know where you are?" He asked.

"Not exactly..."

"You're in a world different from the one you grew up in. The world you're all from is commonly known as the Real World. It has countries like the US, Japan, England, etc. However, you're now in a different world known as the Mind World."

"The Mind World..?" Pondered Nathan.

"Yes, let me explain. The Mind World is the foundation of the Real World. This world has a variety of life forms including strange monsters, animals, and even human beings that were born and raised here. However, there are other species of humans known as Minds that reside in this world."

"Minds? Like the way we think?"

"Well, something like that. Minds are somewhat responsible for the thoughts and brain processes humans undergo while in the Real World. Every human has their own unique mind. That tiny voice you'd hear in your head telling you what not to do and what to do is us. I think humans from the Real World call us their conscience, intuition, or even guardian angels. Without us, you'd be close to mindless zombies."

"So does that mean you're impacting the way Nathan thinks even at this moment?" Asked Sindy.

"No. As of now, you are all independent of yourselves. The only reason you need Minds like us when in the Real World is to prevent you from suffering from something called Mind Rot. Mind Rot is what normally results in someone going crazy."

"Then if we're independent right now, won't we begin to experience this Mind Rot you speak of?"

"Not exactly. Unlike the Real World, the Mind World has an Art Style that was cast over it by an ancient god. This Art Style allows the people here to think independently without suffering from Mind Rot. In other words, that's not something you need to worry about while you're here."

"Okay, I guess I understand that much. But does that have anything to do with why you and Nate look so much alike?"

Alondo chuckled as if he found Sindy's question funny.

"Well, no. I guess you can say that Nathan's case is special. I was born for the sole purpose of being his mind until he arrived in the Mind World. I can't say why we look alike, but I can assure you that this isn't a common phenomenon."

Just then, a feeling of rage rushed through Sindy's veins. She quickly got up with the look of a tigress in her eyes.

"Wait, you talk as if you knew Nate would come here!"

"Yes, but before you go all KAREN on me, let me explain a little further. The Mind World is in danger and needs help. To make it even more concerning, any threat to the Mind World is an automatic threat to the Real World as well. If all Minds were to die, then that would leave every human in the Real World as brain-dead zombies. I'm sure you can understand what I'm trying to say."

"So you're implying that the Mind World needs some kind of hero?" Asked Nathan with an intuitive guess.

"Bingo! And that hero is no other than you, Nathan."

"Yep, our boy Nate is supposedly a hero in the flesh. I never thought he'd become superman for real," teased Andrew.

Alondo then continued, "Every millennium, a new hero called the Mind Hero is selected and brought here from the Real World on their 16th birthday to save the Mind World from its impending chaos—"

Alondo suddenly paused, almost as if he did not want to reveal any vital information about the Mind Hero.

"But what does that have to do with Nate? Whatever this world is going through, I'm positive he's not the cause! I'm not agreeing with anything that will put him in danger!" Argued Sindy.

Alondo's face hardened after hearing Sindy's statement. She had made him visibly upset.

"Look, princess, before you start assuming, allow me to educate you a little more. The humans of the Real World are to be blamed for our predicament. Whenever someone from the Real World has a high output of negative emotion, it leaks into the Mind World and creates demonic monsters called Demon Beasts. So let me ask you something, Sindy. Have you ever been angry before?"

"...Yes..?"

"Well, reality check. That anger turned into a Demon Beast here in the Mind World and probably killed someone if not much worse, like an entire family..!"

Sindy, Nathan, and Andrew froze in horror. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. Alondo had to be making it up.

"You can't be serious... Our negative emotions create monsters..?" Muttered Nathan in shock.

"Listen, I'm not trying to scare any of you. I'm just being honest whether or not you choose to believe it. Every human being from the Real World indirectly has blood on their hands. Sure, it wasn't intentional, but that doesn't mean it never happened. Take the monster that attacked you earlier, for example. That was an example of a Demon Beast. I'm sure you realized just how dangerous it was."

The room was drowned in silence. It was something none of them could have ever anticipated. Sindy felt especially guilty. She had quickly made Alondo the target of her frustration without even understanding his situation in the slightest.

"Demon Beasts are a major issue here in the Mind World. They kill hundreds of people daily and make the lives of many a living hell. That's why we need heroes to exterminate these monstrosities before they drive the world to extinction."

"I understand..." Said Nathan dimly. "But if the world just needs me, the Mind Hero, then why were Sindy and Andrew teleported alongside me?"

"It's simple. When you were to be teleported, both your friends were probably holding onto you. Due to this, they were taken with you. In other words, this was an accident, or the gods intended it to happen for some unknown reason..." Explained Alondo.

Nathan pondered— his hand braced against his chin as he thought, "Is there at least a way for us to return home?"

"It's hard to say. But there's an old legend that says the Mind Hero can choose to return to the Real World if he survives until his 18th birthday. I'm not sure if it's true, but to be honest, I have no control over how and when you got here nor when you'll even be able to leave. This is all simply the will of the gods."

Silence spread throughout the room like wildfire. Nathan felt as if he was to be blamed for putting his friends in danger. Because of him, Sindy and Andrew would be stuck with him for at least another two years. He felt so guilty that he couldn't even bring himself to look them in the eyes.

However, to Nathan's surprise, Andrew walked over to him before resting his hand on his shoulder with a grin.

"Don't worry, Nate! We don't blame you for this. Remember, we're best friends! Even if we knew this would happen, we'd still choose to stick by your side!"

"Exactly. We walked out into that storm for you simply because we care. It's like Andrew said. Even if we could go back in time, we wouldn't change anything if it meant we could stay by your side," agreed Sindy with a sweet smile.

Tears were almost brought to Nathan's eyes. He was reminded of the awesome friends he had. No matter what, they'd always stick by his side.

"Thanks, you two... That means a lot."

Alondo then clapped his hands to regain their attention. He didn't wish to ruin their moment, but he was short on time.

"Sorry to ruin the moment, but I'd like to welcome you to The Mind World and Assassins Agency! Since you're all here, I'd like to give you three an offer. I want you all to work for me as assassins at AA."

The three froze in shock.

"You want us to work for you as assassins..?" Questioned Nathan softly.

"Yes. Of course, I don't expect you all to decide immediately. I know you all had a tough day, so I'll wait until tomorrow morning to hear your answers. As for now, I have other important matters that I need to attend to so I'll be taking my leave. You can all rest here in the infirmary for tonight. Good night, you three."

Alondo then gave one final wave before leaving the three friends to get some rest. They all had a lot to think about. They were in an unknown world that was filled with unknown factors. Whatever was ahead, they knew it would not be easy.