"Now, now young one. All will be ok."
I woke up to someone gently rubbing my head. I opened my eyes to see the strange woman from before who-
I did my best impersonation of a Dark Souls character in my mad scramble to roll away from the woman, "You! You! You!" I struggled to remember what happened before everything went to black, "Zhulong! You're th- the thing that brought me back-" The words died in my throat.
"Yes, I am the one who brought you back to life," she said with a pleasant tone, hands on her chest as though she were being flattered, "To be honest..." She tapped a finger on her chin, "It's...closer to your soul wearing a new James Hartford body. Much cleaner and quicker, you understand?"
I gritted my teeth at her vagueness and felt a massive headache coming on. The… 'geas' or whatever it was was still in effect, but I felt less Stepford-wives than before. I rubbed my face to try and somehow lessen the pain. It didn't help. I don't think anything can help with world-shattering revelations.
Gods, servants, death, afterlife. All that could eat a dick...
"Alright, alright. I... died, and you're some sort of, what I assume is a god of some kind. I'm not in the original...me, just in a copy," I stopped rubbing my face and opened my eyes, "And you're going...going…holy shit."
My mouth dropped as I looked around me. I was inside the massive tree from before. If anything, the outside did not do this thing justice. It was truly titanic. I mean, I couldn't even see the ceiling. It was pitch black and endless.
A large fireplace nearby tried and failed to illuminate the damn thing. The area we were in was equally enormous. Staring up I could see staircases and doors dotting the interior of the giant tree. Animals were bounding around, looking down...Her home probably held dozens, if not hundreds of rooms, which spoke to how awe-inspiringly huge this thing was. It was like being inside The Great Deku Tree, but scaled up to the size of a skyscraper. A small missile could fly into this thing and I bet we'd only feel a slight jolt.
"Like my home?" she said, again, in an annoyingly pleasant tone. I was starting to get the impression that she didn't get much company.
"Yeah..yeah, it's giant- Back to the goddess in the tree. What do you need me for?! I'm just a bum from Detroit trying to get his degree! Not that I don't appreciate being...well, I don't know, cloned? Revived?! Regardless of what I am, you don't do that without some big reason!" I finished with a triumphant pointing of my index finger.
"Hoho, don't flatter yourself. I already explained that you are to be my brother's servant. As for why you were selected, well, anyone could have been selected with my power. I just picked certain criteria." She snapped her fingers and a clipboard suddenly appeared in front of her, "James Hartford. Age: 28?"
She looked past her clipboard to me with an incredulous look, which stayed on me for a moment. A long moment...she then started squinting at me. I groaned. What is this, a job interview?
"Haha, very funny. I look young, I get it!" Much to my frustration, I've been told countless times I don't look a day over 18. It's been a struggle to get into bars, let alone get some respect. It's hard to be taken seriously as an adult when you look like some kid.
"Remarkable! You look so young! Many a person would kill to have your youthfulness. Continuing! Personality: Quiet, reserved, and independent. Notable ability to attract people, yet consistently pushes people away due to trust issues. Athletic abilities: Average to above average at best, though wasted due to neglect. Intelligence: Highly intelligent, but lacks the confidence to fully utilize it to its maximum potential. High capability in problem-solving, with a knack for unorthodox solutions. Major self-esteem issues, though capable of-"
"Alright, enough. What am I, a trading card? Are you going to read back my whole life story?"
A smirk came across her face, "Oh, but it is such a tragic tale! Of loss, perseverance and overcoming the odds! A true und-"
"Shut up! Just get to the point!" I roared out. She could kill me and torture me all she wants, but I wasn't about to let anyone mock my life.
"Oh, very well," the clipboard disappeared from her hand, "The reason you were chosen to serve my brother are three."
She held out a hand and counted, "First, you are intelligent...enough. Second, your, well, oh so tragic background gives you the will and tenacity to survive. Even now, under my control, in my domain of power, you are trying to decide a way to overcome it. I can see it in your eyes. Truly the story of your pitiful life," she said the last part as casually someone commenting on the weather. Somehow that made it more insulting than if she had insulted me intentionally.
I thought up a hundred insults for the witch. Thank god I managed to get her to stop reading my mind.
"Third and last: you are dead." I waited a moment for her to continue, but as that moment stretched past a minute I realized she wasn't going to continue.
"Wait, seriously? Intelligence, will to survive, and death? You could find countless people with that type of checklist, both good and bad!" My brain couldn't comprehend how...stupid the criteria was.
Zhulong rolled her eyes and spoke slowly, as though I were a child, "You aren't the first person selected for this and I doubt you will be the last. Trust me when I say I am doing this for a reason. You have potential, that is all that matters."
"This is insane! You're supposed to be a god!? You pick your agents by random! Why don't you get a special forces soldier or Conor McGregor or-or anyone qualified!"
All I could do was shake my head in sheer disbelief at what I was hearing.
Her eyes flashed dangerously, literally, as her eyes flickered a brighter green, "Careful, boy. Or I will remove my geas again and you will be shaking in a puddle once more," At that I backed down. I guess she didn't like to be questioned. She would follow through with her threat if pushed too far. The geas was the only thing keeping me level-headed enough not to blabber like a fool. Or even talk back as I was. It was easy to see she was the type that liked to be in charge and have the upper hand.
Alright, time to use that to my advantage.
I bowed and spoke, "I'm sorry. I should not have spoken to you like that, Lady Zhulong." I was humoring her, but I did my damn best to seem sincere. Well, it wasn't completely an act.
If I pissed her off too much, well, I didn't want to know what more she could do to me. I had a second chance at life (as much as my head was spinning at that idea) and I wasn't going to lose it.
Lady Zhulong gave me a scrutinizing look, the type a teacher gives to a troublesome student who promises to stop misbehaving.
"I do not believe you are sincere, but I will still accept your apology."
I nodded and spoke with business in my voice, "So, I was chosen with those three criteria in mind, correct? If that's the case, what is it that you would want me to accomplish?"
The smuggest smile I ever glimpsed slowly spread across her face.
"Finally understanding your position? You are slower than most to accept your station, but it is always good to see someone realize their place in the grand scheme of things..."
Yeah, yeah. Sure. You can think what you want, lady. I had a few things running through my mind, one was how to escape my shitty predicament. Or, at least bring about a better outcome. I rather not be a slave to some strange god lady or her brother. I had to endure it until an opportunity presented itself.
Let the game begin.
I smiled, "Then please, if you may answer my question. I believe someone of your importance has better things to do than to talk to someone as lowly as me?" I cast the line…
She smiled, sitting up a little more straight from where she was resting. The so-called goddess than decided to levitate about three feet into the air, a luxurious chair suddenly materializing below her. She did the same to me without any forewarning on her part, forcing an embarrassing yelp from me. She giggled.
"You are quite the little manipulator. Somewhat effective, if crude. Make note that such transparent methods will not work in the 'field'. So to speak," I groaned. Time to change tactics.
"Alright, you got me. Look, can you at least see it from my perspective? My whole life has been upended! I'm sitting in a gigantic tree like a Keebler elf! I'm talking to a goddess who keeps messing with me! I just really, really want to be safe..." I said with an exhausted honesty.
She stared at me for a long moment. Mad eyes were replaced by sympathetic ones. She looked at her hands and, for the first moment in my crazy time here, she resembled a regular person. One with all the fears, pressures, and uncertainties anyone would or could have. She looked vulnerable.
But before I could comment on it, it was gone. As well as the mercurial woman I was dealing with since I've arrived. She, no, Lady Zhulong the Healer stared at me with all the authority and intensity a deity of her power and station should and does have. Even with the geas' calming effects pumping through my mind... I felt tiny and nervous.
Is this what it's like to meet true power?
"I am sorry for your treatment, as well as my erratic behavior. I... am not myself. From now on I will treat you properly. As I have stated before, you are not the first person; but I hope you will be the last. You see, existence is far vaster than you or any human from your world understands."
She cast her hands forward and balls of light spread out like comets flying through space. The amorphous glowing orbs swirled and rotated until they finally took shape. In front of me appeared a cosmos that looked so real I was afraid I would destroy them with the slightest touch. As I peered closer, I noticed they didn't look like planets or stars. They resembled soap bubbles, but luminous and pulsating with power.
"What you are seeing is a tiny slice of the All. You may know it as the Multiverse, but Omniverse would be more accurate. You are in but one universe in an ever-growing sea of infinite."
I could only stare in awe as the room around us disappeared as darkness swallowed us, only illuminated by the ever-expanding sea of universes. It was as though I was flying through a dark ocean filled with bioluminescent bacteria. We zoomed past bubbles that grew larger and larger. So massive I couldn't even appropriately describe it; only for them to just as quickly zoom past and shrink into infinitesimal dots and, ultimately, disappear back into the darkness. The scale of what I was seeing was making my mind malfunction.
It's one thing to read in comic books about multiverses, but to know there is one? To really and truly experience it?
Overflow Error: brain can not compute.
Zhulong must've noticed my discomfort as we slowed down to a stop. The universes shrinking to the size of bubbles again instead of planet-sized spheres. They looked like clouds of fireflies on a dark summer night.
"My duty as the Healer, as given to me by my father, is to ensure the continued existence of the All. This may sound counter-intuitive, but universes can be alive, inanimate, and all things in between. I must ensure that All stays alive and safe."
"Wait, hold up. That's impossible! It's infinite, all of this is infinite! How could anything even destroy the multiverse, omniverse, whatever?!" I waved an arm at the floating universes.
"There are creatures that roam the All, seeking power. Some are simple animals: of little intelligence, but exceeding strength..." What sounded like the loudest foghorn of all time suddenly smashed into my ears, and probably the biggest thing I will ever have the misfortune of seeing suddenly ate clouds of universes away. Its body was so big, it just stretched on and on. There wasn't an end in sight. We weren't even ants to this thing. But the worst was... I-I couldn't comprehend it.
No, I literally couldn't see or understand how it looked. It reminded me of the Four Eyes illusion, where a person's mind can't reconcile what it's staring at. I could only approximate its form to be that of a giant, demonic space(multiverse?!) whale with spider-like features. Just fucking devouring cloud after cloud of universes.
I didn't lose it at seeing the thing eat so many universes like a humpback eating krill. Not the knowledge that a universe which could hold countless intelligent life was nothing, nothing, in the face of this thing. Nor that my existence amounted to nothing in the grand scheme of things...
No, it was that this was a tiny one, and I heard an even bigger one coming up behind. And it sounded massive compared to the creature I was doing my damn best to comprehend. My stomach dropped when I realized that a mouth so vast words fail to do it justice was slowly closing around, well, everything. Pitch black darkness engulfed everything.
Then a sound that made the first creature's cry seem modest by comparison hit my entire body. All I could do was squeeze my hands to my ears in a vain attempt to block out the noise that rippled through my body. I screamed in pain, the vibrations shaking me down to the atoms.
It felt like I was dissolving away...
A monstrous creature that ate clouds of universes was a mere guppy to the titanic thing that ate everything.
The next thing I remember was convulsing on the floor. How many beings did I see die? Did they even know they died? Was it painless, drawn-out, or somehow worse? I wanted to scream at the madness of it all. What was I supposed to do in a playground where I wasn't even as powerful as the atoms that composed a gnat? Madness crept into my mind. This was insane. This was not real! I don't want it to be real!
A soft hand gently rubbed my head.
"I'm sorry. You wished for the truth. I was just...I have not spoken to a mortal in a long time. I had forgotten that... you were not ready..."
As my body spasmed uncontrollably, I looked up at the goddess. Her eyes held a sea of sadness.
And a glimmer of hope.
"I hope you succeed, James Hartford."
That was the last thing I heard before everything faded to black...again.
I woke up on something soft. I hoped to god it was my bed. Or a hospital bed. Hell, even the couch at my job's break room would be wonderful. Anything to confirm everything I experienced was just a dream.
The lights were off and it was dark, but lights from outside filtered into through the window. My stomach sank as I sat up to find I was in an exquisite, luxurious room. I was resting on a bed that, by how large it was and how soft the sheets felt, was way too expensive for me. The walls were a nice vanilla color and the room was decorated with furniture that made the room feel rich, if bare and unlived in. The kind of room you'd find in an expensive hotel. Or, well, I assume they'd have given how I've never stayed in one.
I felt tired and lethargic. That kind of feeling that signals you're coming down with a cold. Crawling out of bed with all the energy and speed of a snail, I decided I needed a stretch. You know what they say: keep nice and limber to avoid complete and total mental collapse. Hands to the floor, legs straight. Stretch my hamstrings. Good, now my calves. I continued until my muscles were loose.
The door suddenly opened, prompting me to grab a lamp nearby and hold it like a weapon. It was heavy and sturdy enough to do some damage. A hand slowly came through the darkness, between the crack of the door.
The hand suddenly switched on the light, blinding me and causing me to yell. I threw the lamp as hard as I could in the direction of the door.
As the light blindness subsided, I saw a woman in her mid-forties and the biggest man I had ever fucking seen at the door. Tall. So tall. He was taller than the door and made the giant room feel smaller by comparison...
The lamp laid easily in his massive hands, fingers tightly wrapped around the base. It was super obvious he was strong: he had more muscle than any bodybuilder ever, period. On the other hand, seeing him nonchalantly palming a lamp (that had to weigh at least five to six pounds[2.26-2.72 kg]) like an NBA player handling a basketball was just as threatening.
Yet, I noticed the bear of a man was gentle enough not to damage the lamp in his giant paws.
The man spoke with a deep, booming voice, "My, my, we usually start introductions with our names. Not lamp throwing."
I could only stare dumbly at the man in front of me, contemplating all the ways he could kill me from his strength alone. His forearms were as big as my head. His arms were bigger than my torso. He was wider than two doors put together. I threw a lamp at a man who could tear me in two as casually as the average person could tear a piece of paper.
But... everything was offset by his calm face: tranquil and indifferent blue eyes stared back at me. He had dark blonde curly hair and a large mustache that hid his mouth. I didn't and couldn't hide his massive jaw and a neck that looked better suited on at the base of an oak tree. I'm repeating myself, but I've never seen someone so big and muscular in my entire life. It terrified me.
The man was wearing loose clothing. That man could only wear loose clothes. A red sleeveless shirt and gray cloth pants with brown boots. A belt buckle with a large 'D' was worn around his waist.
He looked amused at my actions, while the woman looked disdainfully. She had sharp features and reddish-brown hair that made her head look vaguely triangle-shaped. Her eyes were a greenish color. She looked Caucasian, but her hair color wasn't any red or brown that was natural, more maroon. Must be dyed. Her face held wrinkles that indicated, in general, she was probably a stern person. Her eyes and stare were like steel.
Not a person to be messed with. That and her crossed arms and a cocked eyebrow.
The woman was tiny, especially compared to Big McLarge-Huge, but her clothing was all business. She wore a black-green suit that cut an imposing figure on her short stature. Somehow the suit showed off her figure, a figure that the word 'Olympian' failed to do justice.
She tapped her fingers on her arm as she spoke, "I understand you've been under some stress these few hours, but I'd have expected more from someone chosen by our dear Lady."
Something snapped inside of me. The fear of the giant disappeared with her casual dismissal of my situation.
"Oh! I'm sorry! Let me start over then! My name is James fucking Hartford! I have died, was cloned, mindfucked, and generally have been screwed with all fucking-" I grasped at a time frame and fell short, "however long, fucking it's-! God damn it!" I turned around and kicked nightstand next to my bed with all the impotent fury of someone who was literally a god's plaything. I acted and felt like a petulant child, but I think I more than deserved some anger at this point.
I closed my eyes and felt myself shaking. In and out. Breath deeply. I repeated the mantra I made for myself: Control yourself and control the world.
After a few moments, I calmed down and opened my eyes. I turned around to see the man was observing me with hard eyes, but there was concern and pity in those eyes. As well as...something else I didn't like. The woman looked as though this was all beneath her.
"Now that you're done having a temper tantrum, we can begin. Mayer, I think we'll be fine for now. Please wait outside."
The giant named Mayer nodded and left the room, as he did I noted that he had a hitch in his step and his right hand was grotesquely curled.
I grabbed a chair next to a small table that was across the room and sat down. I didn't bother to offer the woman a seat, "Ok. Go."
"No questions? No resistance? The way you acted now and from the way Lady Zhulong spoke, I'd have thought you to cause more trouble."
I answered with a bitter sigh, "Why the fuck bother? Every time I've asked a question I've been fucked with in some way. Or if I wasn't, the answers fucked me up. And I'm smart enough to realize my situation and the futility of putting up a fight: if you don't have some weird, bullshit superpowers; well, the guy outside could snap me in half like a toothpick," I rubbed my face in frustration, "Besides, I didn't cause any trouble with her. She was the one messing with me."
The small frown and nod she returned gave seem to indicate that the goddess probably did this a lot, "Hmm. That's fair. Still, you're taking this differently than I expected. You're...much more accepting of your situation than most would. Your report stated you would be more...distrusting and quiet."
I growled, "Oooh, ho, ho, ho... believe me. I don't trust you guys, and a person can only take so much until he can't stay quiet anymore."
For a minute there was tense silence. It only broke when I sighed like a deflating balloon. I felt tired, so fucking tired and sick, "I'm gonna' be honest: I'm angry, scared, and a thousand other emotions right now. I think coming down with a cold too. But, my life hadn't gone how I wanted it, and I'm not all too surprised my second life is turning out to be as unpredictable and uncontrollable as my first. However...you seem far more normal and reasonable than the 'Healer'."
I looked down and thought of the words Pedro told me the night I died. I chuckled at the insanity of it all, it felt like years had passed in only a few hours. He told me I needed to be confident. I needed to take control of my life. Now that I had a second chance, that advice applied now more than ever.
Zhulong herself said I had potential... whatever that meant. Even if her decision to pick me was as random as picking a name out of a hat.
I lifted my head and stared her into eyes. They were as green as grass, the same color as the mark on my hand. She stared back with an analyzing, searching look; as though she came unprepared for this and was calculating the correct response. I let her off easy by speaking first, "So, I guess I introduced myself. Who are you?"
She nodded and began her introduction," My name is Evira. You have been entrusted to me for training. Therefore, it is my responsibility to explain that this world is unlike yours in many, many ways."
I sat up straight, not surprised at the news but still concerned, "Right now we reside in the city of Yorknew City, located in the United States of Saherta. Before you start, yes, I understand this is all strange. The names I just described might sound like gibberish. Don't worry, you'll be given more details tomorrow morning. For now, just sleep. It's ten at night and you need a full night's rest for tomorrow."
Evira turned around and grabbed the door handle, but she lingered for a moment. Before I could ask what was wrong she spoke, "I'm sorry you had to go through this. Just know I will do everything in my power to make sure you succeed. Sleep well."
After that, she left.
I sat in my chair thinking about everything that was happening to me. Everything I knew, everything I didn't know. All the fear, the uncertainty, the frustrations that were inside me.
I was terrified.
For the last eighteen years of my twenty-eight years of living... I had done everything to survive in a world that seemed hellbent to crush me. Now it looked like I was in a world that actually could physically crush me like a pretzel...
If Mayer was a preview of what was to come, I was in big trouble. I had to survive a new world with people like that?! I felt my eyes start to dampen before clenching my jaw to force the tears back in...
I needed to rest. No more pitying or crying. No one could help me but myself. Time to step up.
I woke up feeling better than yesterday. No more cold! Still miserable! Yay!
Bleh.
I rolled over to grab my clothing on the small nightstand next to my bed. I expected the same clothing I died in (don't know how that works since I'm in a new body) and found them to be gone. In their place were a white undershirt, a white button-up, black slacks, a pair of socks and black loafers.
I marveled at how nice and out-of-date the clothing was. What period is this world in? These clothing looked straight out of the '20s. I shrugged before ultimately putting them on. They fit like a glove. A surprise considering most clothes wore baggy on me. There was a body mirror set up in the corner of the room next to the bathroom. I walked over to see how I looked. Not too shabby, all I needed was a waistcoat and dress jacket to be an extra on the Great Gatsby.
As I finished looking at myself, someone knocked on my door. I glanced at the it with trepidation before I sighed and I walked over. I tried to open it, only to find the door locked, "It's locked, so why are you knocking?" I said grumpily through the wood.
I heard a shuffling and a click. I moved away from the door as it quickly opened. In front of me stood two maids and an enormous cart of food. There was a blonde-haired maid with a large red blush on her face while the other brunette maid looked peeved. The blonde had pigtails that looked like drills and the brunette a simple ponytail. Blondie was short and reached up to her brunette coworker, who was about feet-nine [175 cm].
"Oh, hi," I said lamely before walking over to a small table located against the body mirror. I watched as they set the table with the precision of surgeons. Table cloths, napkins, dishes, silverware. They moved so fast I barely realized what was happening.
In seconds the table was set and the food was ready like a feast for a king. My stomach roared at the spread, only for my mind to realize I couldn't finish everything. There was enough food to feed a family here: Pancakes stacked perfectly on each other, eggs, bacon, sausages, a large loaf of delicious looking bread, multiple pitchers with drinks of all kinds. Even if I had the stomachs of a cow I'd have a hard time eating half of it.
"Uh, I don't think I can eat that all. Not that I don't appreciate it," I rubbed my head and laughed weakly. The brunette nodded before speaking, "Lady Evira said to eat as much as you like. She said you should eat until you are satisfied."
I shrugged and took a seat. Before digging in, I was curious, "How long have both of you worked as maids?"
From the look the brunette gave me she seemed to take offense at my line of questioning, "If you must know, I have worked under Evira for two years and Claudette has worked here for a year."
I rubbed my chin as I stared between them, "You don't need to be angry, I'm just curious is all. Both of you are amazing maids. Really,"
She blushed. I shrugged.
"We both received extensive training from Lady Evira. If we did not give our best for her, we would be disrespecting all that she has done for us," The brunette said with a nod.
I leaned forward, "I didn't catch your name, miss?"
"Briannaisa." She nodded stiffly and refused to speak any more.
I shrugged and proceeded to eat all the food. Not some. All of it. I don't know why or how, but once I started shoving food into my mouth I felt compelled to eat it. Not, 'Oh wow, I got really it this,' no, more, 'YOU MUST EAT THIS FOOD. OBEY.'
Not even a drop of syrup or a crumb was left after I bulldozed through. My stomach felt as though it were threatening to burst.
I laid in my chair like the dirty glutton I knew I was and stared out into the distance, like a man who survived a battle, "What the fuck just happened?" I said to no one in particular.
The Briannaisa responded anyway. Her voice professional, if strained, "I am glad you liked the food. Lady Evira requests that you prepare yourself for a meeting at nine. Someone will come to escort you shortly."
I looked up at the clock to see it was eight-thirty. I somehow managed to collapse upwards out of my chair and waddled in the direction of the bathroom, "I'm going to take quick a shower then, and get ready." The two maids nodded and got to work clearing the table to leave.
After a quick shower, a bodyguard knocked on the door of my room and entered. He brought me out of my room and into a living room. Bigger fucker. Guy was as tall as me with blonde, slick-back hair. He wore a regular suit like the Secret Service.
When I stepped out of my luxury prison cell called a room, I took me a moment to realize my room was the master bedroom of a condo. The living room was just as nice as my room, except for the two menacing guards stationed there watching TV. Same clothing...
The three of them escorted me out of the condo, down a hall, and onto an elevator. I noticed that there were at least twenty floors in the building, with one of the guards selecting the PH button for penthouses. I was located on the nineteenth, right underneath the penthouse suites.
With a ding, the elevator opened and the three bodyguards escorted me out of the elevator and to the last door on the right. Penthouse H. The door opened to reveal another security guard, who waved us in to see Evira. Before I could enter, the security guard stopped me and stated he had to check for weapons. I rolled my eyes. Not like I could refuse. What am I gonna do throw more lamps?
I nodded my head and he quickly patted me down before letting me through.
I entered to see a lavish living room with a sofa and chairs scattered around. The bodyguard who patted me down pointed to the sofa and told me to sit and wait. I did as told and sat there. And sat there. And continued to sit there.
Do you know that feeling when you're in the waiting room for an important job interview? That pit of anxiety that decides to kick you in the guts?
It dropped kicked me in the stomach.
After a few minutes (but what felt like a few hours) of uselessly trying to calm down, someone knocked on the door to the penthouse. A guard opened the door from inside the room let Evira step through. She was wearing a dark green custom-fit suit, similar to the one she had last night. But with embroidery on it. Next came Mayer, who was wearing the same clothing from the night before. He was so damn big he had to duck and turn through the door. Then came two female guards in suits, one green and one black, that I had never seen before. To my surprise, the last to step through the door were the maids from earlier, Claudette and Briannaisa.
I tried to look calm and collected, but my glistening forehead and sweaty palms betrayed me. Everyone was so serious and quiet. They were wearing intimidating suits and (if the indents underneath their clothing were what I imagined) were packing heat. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear these people were part of a criminal organization. Nope, they were definitely some kind of criminal organization. I'd bet money on that fact.
It felt like I stepped right into a mob film.
Evira stationed herself across from me, taking up the largest sofa chair like a throne. She leaned forward, her fingers wrapped together as she closed her eyes. Mayer positioned himself to her right while the other two female bodyguards took positions on either side of the room. The maids disappeared into what I assumed to be the kitchen. I could feel beads of sweat begin to form above my lip as I tried and failed to stay calm.
As far as I could tell, it was only us six in the penthouse. No other guards. No one said a word. This was some power move shit...
We waited in silence. Everyone else far more comfortable with it than I was. It mercifully ended when the maids brought a tray of tea. Evira and I took a cup, while Mayer and the rest of the guards politely declined. When the maids left Evira's opened her eyes and spoke, "How do you feel? Are you comfortable so far?"
I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. I nodded and answered, "Easily the best place I've ever stayed at, and the food is amazing as well. But…" I hesitated as everyone stared at me. I've never felt comfortable being the center of attention, especially with people capable of killing me.
Evira gestured to continue. I sighed, "I appreciate the accommodations you've given me, but I'd like to get straight to the point. I think we both would like that," I said with a wince. I felt completely out of my depth speaking with her.
I've sat in for meetings when I worked at an I.T. company. Some of those meetings included the CTO and CEO of the company. I voice my opinions, I said my piece. But this situation was drastically different. This was a meeting about me and that made the weight of the whole thing profoundly worse.
To my surprise, Evira smiled and nodded, "I agree. We don't have much time for small talk and I'm a person that likes to get straight to business," she paused for a second to take a sip of her tea, then she continued, "Cutting right to the chase, we need someone for a mission, a quest of sorts. Lady Zhulong has entrusted me to prepare you for this quest, but I will be blunt: this will be a test, not preparation."
I could feel the sweat run down my head as I spoke, "What do you mean a test? I'm not doubting you or anything, but I thought the goddess picked me to do whatever it was she wanted?"
Evira nodded her head in agreement, "Yes, she did. The issue is that you may not be good enough for the hurdles that lie ahead. Her criteria for candidates are, frankly, ridiculous. I have numerous people I can call on to complete this mission. Someone like Mayer could do the job. Instead, she picks you. And I don't think you're the right person for the job."
I agreed with every word she said. Zhulong's standards were stupid and I definitely wasn't the right person for the job...
Yet, being told to your face that you're not good enough... My hands balled themselves into fists. Before I could say something that would bite me in the ass, Evira spoke, "But, it isn't my job to doubt my boss. It's my job to follow her orders. However, it is at my discretion how I interpret her orders. So I will prepare you for this test, but it will be up to you to pass it. If you do pass, I will do everything in my power to help you succeed in your mission. I don't go back on my word."
My body relaxed at that, "A-alright. Fair enough. I'll agree with you that I'm not ready for anything, whatsoever. But if you're going to prepare me, that's...somewhat comforting? Three things: what is this test, what if I fail it, and what is this mission?"
Evira gestured to one of the female guards as she began to speak, "I'll answer your questions in reverse. I won't talk about the mission until after you complete your test. No point in giving you information you won't need. If you fail..." She closed her eyes and sighed before continuing, "Knowing Lady Zhulong, she just might make me kill you. Know that I will vouch for your survival, but she's..." She didn't need to continue, we both knew how the goddess behaved.
If she didn't have me killed straight away, well, my fate would be far worse than I'd like to imagine.
"As for your test...there is too much information for me to go over. It would take months for you to get you up to speed, but we are short on time," She growled that last part out, "That's why I need you to trust me for what we're about to do."
It suddenly became harder to breathe.
A blonde guard came over, as obedient and as purposeful a soldier. A feeling of dread came over me.
"Uh, what are you going to do?! Nothing good ever started with 'I need you to trust me'! No, no, no! Is it too much to not suddenly hit me with bullshit?!" I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins like a bolt of lighting. It must have been obvious as Evira gestured to calm down.
"Relax. She isn't going to hurt you, she's going to implant memories into your mind. It will help to integrate you into your new life, this world, and to guard against the truth of where you come from and our operations. It will also bring you up to speed faster than anything else we could do. I give you my word, you will not be hurt." Her voice and face conveyed a conviction that helped to ease my mind.
As I fought off the ever villainous threat of hyperventilation, I turned to the blonde bodyguard. Her eyes were a deep shade of amber and her hair was done up in a single pony-tail. The bodyguard smiled, "Hello, we have not been properly introduced. My name is Zelle. I can alter people's memories, as well as give people new ones. It will be disorienting, but I promise it will be painless."
I frowned as a thought came to my head, "Wait, like the 'app'?', I said dumbly. She giggled and smiled brightly "Yes, just like the app." Wait, how does she know about the app?
Before I could respond her hands were on either side of my head. Memories flooded into me like a dam breaking. Currencies, countries, people, organizations, animals, monsters. The deluge of information drowned whatever thoughts I had.
Then came a life I never lived, people I never met, relationships I never made. I could feel my old life being pushed deep down into the recesses of my mind. People I knew, the place I lived, the things I experienced. All of it was being repressed and sealed off. Potentially to never be remembered again. As my mind began to coalesce and take shape into something...new, I 'saw' something in the flash of light and sound that was my memories.
The best way I could describe what I witnessed was a glass shard floating through an expanse of colors and melodies. On it was a memory that played like faded video on glass, a memory of me and my father watching a Twilight Zone marathon when I was a kid. One of my happiest memories.
And it was being sucked into the abyss along with all the other memories of my 'old' life.
I 'swam' through a stream of synesthesia that was my memories. Every stroke of my non-existent arms triggered some sensation or emotion.
A sense of profound happiness at my first ice cream.
My skin burning after stupidly trying to grab fire.
Immense sorrow at losing my father. Unfathomable rage at my mother leaving me.
Unending will to keep going even when all hope was lost.
As I closed in on the memory, a voice pierced through the bombardment of sensations, "No! James, don't go after that memory!" I felt a force try to 'pull' me away from the glass shard, but I thrashed and swam even harder. With one final stroke, I reached my target, awkwardly bear hugging it as I began tumbling deeper into the abyss. A sinking feeling hit me (both literally and figuratively) as I descended deeper into my mind. Instinctively I understood that I wouldn't be able to swim back to safety.
I heard a disembodied voice sigh before something pulled me from the darkness, my vision bleached into white.
I was in a living room. I stared up at a blonde woman I never met before. Who am I? James? James Hartford.
After a few moments of blinking my brain started to function as normal. Unfortunately, this was joined by a massive headache that made me slump onto the couch. I sucked in a deep breath and looked around.
Have you ever had that frustrating feeling of being unable to recall something until you see it? Like, knowing the answers to a test question when you see it, but not being able to remember it on command? That's what it felt as I stared at people I didn't even know a few minutes ago. I suddenly knew everything, but it was so overwhelming none it made sense. Information popped into my head like damn obscure trivia answers without context.
I stared at the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing in the world, "What. The. Fuck." was all I could say.
"What is a Hunter?!" snapped Evira like a drill sergeant.
"A Hunter is anyone who has passed the Hunter Exam. A Hunter is always hunting for something. It is what defines them." I replied like a robot.
"And what is the Hunter Exam?!"
"The Hunter Exams are a series of examinations administered by the Hunter Association. The exam change year to year, but the one constant is their difficulty. Only the best of the best have even a chance of passing, with death a common occurrence."
My eyes widened with every word, a cold chill crept down my spine.
Mayer's deep voice grunted, "Seems as though you made him into an automaton, Zelle."
"It takes some time for the memories to become explicit instead of implicit. But, it should take no more than a day for the side effects to subside," the blonde memory manipulator said, not without some sympathy.
Evira stood up, shaking her head, "Well that's no good. You will be leaving in a few hours. To the Gordeau-Certes mountain range to train for the Hunter Exam."
I ripped my attention off the ceiling and at Evira, "What? Only crazy hermits and wild beasts live there. Besides, the climate is insane; the desert side is blazing hot and the mountainous side is as cold as it gets. It-" I stopped myself before I recited an entire Wikipedia article at them.
Evira chuckled, "Usually people who undergo this treatment can't recall this much information. You're a living encyclopedia. Who is Isaac Netero?!"
"Isaac Netero is the 12th and current Chairman of the Hunter Association. He is the founder of the- Hey! Enough of that! I'm not Siri, ok?!"
"I couldn't help it, this is fun," the boss of the Tao Long Mafia chuckled. Wait, Mafia? I was right?!
I sat up straight, "H-hold up. You're the boss of a Mafia family?!" I said with all the eloquence of a babbling child.
A wicked smile came over her face, "Guilty as charged. The mark you have on your hand is the same mark we use for our organization. So, while you're out in public, I recommend wearing a pair of gloves. Unless you want to deal with some unwanted attention,"
I groaned as slumped back down in frustration. I had never wished I was more wrong about being right.
"So I'm working for a criminal organization? Great. I worked all my -er, previous life to stay out of trouble. Now I'm working for a whole bunch of it."
I buried my head into my hands, partly to rub the pain building up in my skull, but mostly from the sheer absurdity of it all.
Mayer spoke up, annoyance in his voice, "That is the least of your worries. For now, focus on the task at hand."
He looked at Evira. Something unspoken passed between them before Evira nodded and Mayer began his exit from the room. He paused before leaving, not even bothering to look at me, "As you currently stand, you have no chance of passing the Hunter Exam. I would remember that if I were you."
As he left, a pit of anxiety gripped my chest. But, as his words rattled in my head, a feeling of excitement and unease began to share residence with that fear.
It fought back against the fear.
Author Notes:
Hey all, hope you're all doing well! Thank you again for reading!
This chapter is a little larger than before, but most chapters will be around five thousand words. I find anything more than that becomes a chore for both the reader and the writer to get through. We won't be meeting Gon and the rest of the cast until sometime down the line, but I hope to flesh out James and his Mafia benefactors to the point where you, dear reader, will find them to be just as compelling!
Until next time dear readers!
