Chapter 2: Another World? Sounds Exciting.

The old man's consciousness was in a sort of suspension for a while. He didn't really know where he was or whether he was really dead. Maybe he was in some sort of death like state like a coma or something.

'What is going on?' He thought to himself.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the old man felt as though he could move again. The very first thing he did was open his eyes or at least he tried to. At first he saw nothing so he just thought maybe this was how he was going to spend all of eternity. Then he finally saw what looked to be some kind of doorway.

'Hmm, well not like I have anything to lose.' The old man willed his "body" to move towards the white doorway. He didn't feel as though he had a body but he was definitely able to move according to his own will.

'This feels... strange.' He felt as though he was a ghost, floating in empty space.

Just as he was about to reach the doorway, everything went black again for a moment. Then he felt the familiar sense of light hitting his face. He could feel his arms and legs again and could even hear himself breathing. When he opened his eyes for the first time he saw that he was actually on his porch again, sitting on his rocking chair. As he looked to his left he saw Amy sitting quietly on the chair, looking up at him. His heart ached for a moment as he collected his thoughts. Then he sighed and looked away.

"You're not Amy, are you?" The old man said calmly with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"No, I am not your granddaughter Martin." The young looking being next to him began to change. She still had Amy's basic facial features but she started to grow taller and look far more dignified. Eventually she became a full grown woman, almost exactly like his daughter, Claire. She wore a long white dress that made her look like an angel. Martin could feel a sense of divinity coming from the girl though not enough to call her a goddess.

"Are you some kind of angel or something?" Martin asked as he was genuinely curious about it.

The beautiful woman looked Martin in the eye and as she did Martin noticed that her eyes and hair were constantly changing to different shades of color. One moment her hair was brown with green eyes, the next it was a fiery red with amber eyes. Martin was mesmerised by her beauty. However, he felt no romantic feelings for her. He only had room for one person in that part of his heart. However, Martin simply couldn't help but admire her.

The being gave Martin a dazzling smile and finally spoke.

"Something like that. I can tell you for sure that I am no goddess, though I do serve a higher being. I am what you would call a guardian of sorts, though not for Earth." She paused for a moment in order to allow Martin to digest it all.

"My name is Aella. I guard over the world known as Drearon. It is quite similar to Earth in many ways, but it's also quite different. There are humans in my world but they are not the only intelligent species nor are they the most powerful. The world is surprisingly similar to some of those Japanese shows your grandson enjoyed watching." Aella smiled again as she thought for a moment.

Before she could say anything else Martin spoke.

"Another world huh? Sounds quite exciting. Though if I may ask, why am I here?" Martin honestly wasn't too keen on going to a new world. He lived his life. All he wanted at the moment was to rest in peace.

Aella looked at Martin with an intrigued face. She was able to look into his thoughts so she knew exactly what he was thinking. Not many people would choose to give up the chance to start a new life. Though she could understand his reasoning she was still a little surprised. As soon as she collected her self she spoke.

"I spoke with the guardian of your world. He has agreed to allow me to borrow a few individuals who I think can make a difference in my world. You see my world is in a sort of turmoil at the moment. There is a lot of infighting amongst it's residents, to the point where I have even begun to worry over the future of my world. I wish for you and a few other individuals to interfere and try to 'resolve' the situation. This is more or less an experiment so I don't have particularly high expectations. If you agree, the guardian of your world has agreed to guard your families back on Earth. They will live prosperous, peaceful lives. What do you say?" Aella looked at Martin with a look on her face that made him want to pinch her cheeks.

Martin didn't know what to say. It was definitely a tempting proposition. The idea that his family was going to be doing well was definitely a comforting thought.

"Ehh. Why not? I got nothing to lose anyways. This world sounds rather interesting. What's the technological situation like there." Martin wanted to mentally prepare himself for whatever may lay ahead.

Aella had a relieved expression on her face. "That's a relief. As for the technological situation, I suppose you could compare to your world's medieval and renaissance periods. Though their is magic in this world. It is capable of doing many things in place of technology, so there will be some aspects of Drearon that may rival your modern day Earth." Aella said thoughtfully.

"Ah, yes, before I send you over, I guess I should explain a bit about your situation. Your name in this world will be Martin Ironwood. Once you wake up you'll be sixteen years old. Your father is a Baron in the countryside of a country called Cilica. You won't remember much about the past sixteen years right away but with a little time the memories should resurface. I will give you several abilities to make your experience a bit easier and more interesting.

You will have an affinity with at least one element. Most people who are capable of using magic have only one but, there are others who have two or more affinitiesthough it is rare. Having multiple abilities isn't necessarily an advantage as you'd have to work much harder to learn to use and understand your attributes. In this world, people awaken abilities around the age of fourteen. The Martin until the time you wake was perceived as talentless so others will probably believe that you were a late bloomer. Your cognitive abilities and mental fortitude will be near perfect. What I mean is that you will have an uncanny ability to learn almost anything relatively quickly and you'll be nearly immune to mental attacks. That does not mean you can slack off on your own training, you won't be able to use magic if you aren't 100% devoted to understanding it." Aella said seriously.

Martin nodded and replied. "Of course.

"Your world Earth, though filled with its own dangers, pales in comparison to Drearon. There are beings of unimaginable strength.You will need to become much stronger to face them. I will warn you to be careful outside of human settlements. Humans are on hostile terms with most of the other races. Many of them will kill you on sight. I wish you luck Martin. I'm counting on you." Aella said with a smile on her face.

Almost immediately afterwards Martin lost consciousness. When he woke up he found himself at the bottom of a pit. The pit was at least seven meters deep and a little more than three meters in diameter. Looking at himself Martin realized he was wearing what seemed to be chain mail over some gambeson armor.

'Well, at least the armor is realistic. Ugh.' Martin grabbed his head as his body was still aching from the fall it had only moments ago. As this was happening someone appeared at the top of the pit.

"Martin! Martin are you alright! Answer me Martin!" A man was shouting at the top of his lungs from the edge of the pit.

"For crying out loud, would please shut up!" Martin shouted almost involuntarily as he was grabbing his head trying to stop the spinning in his vision.

As his head cleared he remembered that the man screaming at him is his eldest brother, Andrew. As Martin looked up, he could faintly makeout his brother's light brown hair shining in the bit of light shining through the canopy.

"That's him alright." A second voice paired with the sound of footsteps following behind Andrew's. "He sounds ok to me. Hey! Someone bring a rope over here!" A second head popped out. Martin remembered him as his second older brother Liam. "Next time I tell you to stay near the guards, just do it you big idiot."

Martin just laughed at the reply as he laid back down. "Another world, huh?"