I stood there for a moment before I and began pinching myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming, everything looked and felt real so this couldn't just be a dream. "I assure you this is no dream so please listen to what I have to say."

I looked around where the landscape or should I say mindscape was still empty and seemingly endless then at the man in front of me. "Okay since you went through all the trouble of invading my mind and violating my personal space I might as well hear what you have to say. Though do you mind doing something about the view?" I waved my hand to gesture at the surroundings or lack of. "This whole endless expanse whole is making me uncomfortable and besides this doesn't seem to fit my headspace." Without making any movement the man altered the surroundings to a beach under a full moon. "This looks nice but no offence this seems more like a romantic location and you just aren't my type." Once more the scene changed this time to an empty burger joint that I used to go to often.

I looked around curiously inspecting the new location. The restaurant was using an 60s style theme which made sense considering that's probably how long it was open for with stools by the counter. It was one of the restaurants right next to where I used to work at that I would drop in on during breaks, sometimes with some of my coworkers. "I thought you would be more comfortable at a location you were more familiar with from your own world but if you want another location please say so."

I nodded in approval while looking around. "No this is fine no need to change it besides this place brings back memories." The man looked at me though I wasn't really sure what emotion he was trying to convey though I had an idea. "Oh you know what I mean, still it does seem like a weird place for cryptic messages." I sat down at one of the booths while the man took a seat across from me. "So this may seem like a weird question but since you could apparently recreate anything from my memories could you maybe conjure up some fast food? Just being in this place has me craving junk food."

"... Well I can and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference from the real thing but you are aware that it wouldn't be real?" The man from across me asked.

"Well yeah but I hadn't had burgers in years and if it tastes real it doesn't really matter to me." I responded to the man. After a few seconds of the man staring at me a tray of burgers, fries and a soda popped up in front me. I rubbed my hands in anticipation before I took a bite out of the burger, it tasted just like I remembered it did. "So would you mind telling me more about yourself before we begin?"

The man looked at me in an odd way. "You seem quite relaxed despite the subject we came here to talk about."

I finished the mouthful of fries I've just eaten before responding. "Well I've been finding myself in crazy situations like this a lot in the last two years so I'm used to these things besides." I took a quick sip of soda. "I'm sure that this is just a huge mix-up."

The man seemed like he was thinking where he should start from. "To start things off I like you I am not a native of this world but a captive who was forced into the role of a temporary ruler. Where I am from my race developed telepathy during our evolution and-"

"Wait hold up, you aren't a Psion are you?"

The man looked at me for a moment. "If you mean like the class then no, as far as I know psions do not even exist in this plane of reality. As I was saying my people are very similar to the human race except having evolved telepathy somewhere down the line during our evolution, eventually reaching a technological state similar to the people of your home world though I would say two or three decades behind. Before I was taken to this world I was like you a normal person living a normal life working a normal job as a history professor. By the way my name is Orm." I looked at Orm skeptically. "So you're saying that you come from a world where your people evolved an X-gene for telepathy? No offence but that's hard to believe."

"Well that's understandable especially for people like you who lived their whole lives in a world that didn't literally follow the rules of a tabletop game only to be transported into one where the average person defies physics without realizing it." Orm said in a robot like tone."

"No offence to you but I have no idea if you were being sarcastic I mean that rant obviously was but with you sounding like an emotionless machine it's really hard to tell."

"No offence is taken many of your predecessors told me the same thing, unfortunately due to my …condition there is nothing I can do about it. But I digress we wasted enough time on introductions may I please begin my story?"

After finishing my last bite the leftover trash on the table disappeared I gestured to Orm. "Please begin."

"You see when a Ruler is taken from his world to rule this kingdom it is by this lands law that they rule for two years and are killed when their reign is over no exceptions. This is done out of fear that the former rulers will come back for revenge leading armies from their world against their kidnappers for taking them from their homes. So under the justification it is to protect the land the landguard have it in their oath to kill all rulers once their two year reign comes to an end."

He paused for a moment looking at as if waiting for my permission to continue. "Please go on I want the whole story." I told him with shakiness in my voice.

"I was or more accurately the original person whose mind and memories I come from was one these rulers, the moment I was brought here I had an uneasy feeling about the whole thing so for the next few months I scanned their minds and found out what they were planning on doing to me when my reign ended. Luckily for me they did not know of my telepathic abilities so I hid it from them and for the next two years I was here I tried to find an opportunity to escape. Unfortunately unable to I mind wiped a homunculus to have my memories and part of my mind, I then had it polymorthed it into a stone with the help of one the natives, I then hid it deep in the castle grounds so I can leave a message to someone like you a ruler of this land."

I stood there analyzing everything he said wondering if he was telling the truth or trying to trick me for whatever reason. As if he felt my doubt he altered the window of the restaurant we were closest to. "What are doing now?" I asked Orm worriedly.

"I can see the doubt in your mind and it is quite understanble. So I intend to show you the memory of the rulers and their guards after me and before you." The window morphed into a screen which showed me what appeared to be the point of view of one of the guards. The guards were walking behind an obese woman dressed like a queen who appeared excited as she neared a room at the end of a long hall. Her excitement disappeared however as she reached the room and found it to be completely empty, as she turned to question her guards it happened. The guard closest to her immediately covered her mouth and stabbed her in the same motion, Just then the screen split in two with the second screen showing the point of view of the woman as she the cold expressions of her guards before her view went black.

To my horror that was just the beginning of what must have felt like hours of guards killing their own rulers. It was different for each ruler, sometimes there was no emotion from the landguard as they killed their own ruler. Sometimes there was sorrow on the faces of the guards. Sometimes the guards would make sure the person they killed died before they even realized what was happening, their point of view suddenly going completely black without warning, and sometimes very, very rarely I would see the tears of some of the landguard before they murdered their then ruler. The worst part of it was when memories of the rulers befriending their guards appeared as it made watching this even harder.

I couldn't believe it and I didn't want to I was hoping this was all some cruel and elaborate joke so I asked him questions hoping to expose the whole thing as a lie. "Wait a minute instead of killing the rulers couldn't they just delete our memories of our time here or make sure we actually have a way to come back? I mean I was brought here with magic which doesn't even exist in my world and my people weren't anywhere close to discovering inter-dimensional travel." "It doesn't matter, when the law was made after the eleventh ruler Martin Caster razed a quarter of the land during his crusade of vengeance most of the landguard at the time were worshipping the god of protection Lanius who approved of such things if it was in the name of the land. Though the landguard have changed their gods and views since then the law was in effect for so long it became a part of the kingdom and a holy tradition for the landguard who as you know are quite fanatical when it comes to their oath of protecting the land. Even though the landguard of today would most likely disapprove or even consider such a law they have made an oath that they will follow even if it means their death, they will not hesitate to kill you when the time comes so-"

I cut him off before he could finish. "But I've known these people for years, sure they may have kidnapped me and brought me here against my will but these are good people who I trusted for years. Do you expect me to believe they're just going to kill me in a few weeks because of some outdated and twisted tradition?"

Orm merely shook his head. "It seems you still have doubts though this does not really surprise me. I've seen it many times over the years, others thinking that they are different from the other rulers that it won't happen to them. But let's see if you still feel the same after seeing this." He gestured to the window closest to us changing it into a screen again.

When the image came through I saw a young man in a militia uniform getting mercilessly beaten from the point of view of the person doing the beating. "SOMEONE STOP HIM HE'S GOING TO KILL HIM!" I could hear a woman nearby screaming at the person to stop. The person merely continued ignoring the screams of those around him telling him to stop. "THOMAS!" He finally stopped, looking down at the man that didn't appear to be moving.

I blinked in surprise. "Is this what I think it is?"

Orm answered immediately. "I look through the minds of everyone in the castle looking for anything that could help me in my goals." He paused for a moment. "That and it's the only thing I could really do to pass the time." I turned to him, hearing him say that seriously creeped me out. Before I can remark on his 'hobby' the screen already started on the next scene.

"Reynard did you manage to think of something?" I could see that they were in Grǫfhamr with Reynard standing next to the POPE. "He's coming over here right now and I'm not sure how long I could stall him before he gets suspicious." He took a quick glance down the line I would be coming from then back at Reynard. "I should remind you that he has already discovered one our deceits." He took another glance. "We suspect that he has already taken some mental enhancements without our knowledge somehow, if he gets anymore we may need to take drastic measures down the line."

"Don't worry Thomas I have an idea and with our preparations he shouldn't notice a thing. Though I need you stall him for a while to make everything goes as planned."

I felt a chill down my spine I got the feeling I wasn't going to like what this was leading to. To my surprise the screen just showed my perspective of going through the POPE. The screen kept redoing the scene until I turned to Orm. "I don't get it, why do you keep showing this?"

"So you don't notice anything?" He asked me curiously.

I turned back to the screen trying to see what I missed. "No I don't."

"How about now?" The screen switched to Reynard's perspective this time as I was about to go through the POPE. To my shock that's when I saw it, from Reynard's view I could see him cast Prestidigitation to turn off the mental enhancing POPE's.

"W-why w-would they-" I stammered trying to ask the question I knew I wasn't going to like the answers to.

"They did it because they didn't want you catching on to what they were planning on doing to you." He simply stated. "They viewed you gaining mental enhancements such a threat that they would rather risk losing a war they already had a low chance of winning then give YOU one of their greatest assets such a huge advantage."

I was devastated at the revelation though not that surprised with the languards actions considering how fanatical they are when it comes to their oath and duty. They were dedicated to the point that they would go so far as to kill themselves if their ruler ordered them to. Thomas himself has outright stated he would kill me for the good of the land if he had to.

He looked at me and probably saw the look of depression and betrayal on my face since he tried to make me feel better. "If it makes you feel any better they feel pretty terrible about having to kill you." He failed badly, it didn't help that he seemingly had no emotion in his voice.

I sat there for several minutes before taking a deep breath. "Okay so what do you expect me to do in this situation?" I paused as a realization dawned on me. "Wait a minute you knew that these guys a bunch of high level highly trained paladins who number in the thousands and were already basically superhuman would eventually kill me but you didn't tell me after I made them all literally dozens of times deadlier and more powerful." I said this with a 'are you serious face' which I'm sure didn't go unnoticed.

"For your information my telepathic range is as far as the castle and you came up with then implemented that idea when you were in another land." He stated in a matter of fact tone before continuing. "Besides I needed to make sure you met my standards and made sure you could actually help me before I took a risk in revealing myself to you." He then cocked his head to the side. "What did you honestly think the original Orm who created me would just want to help a complete stranger without asking for anything in return?"

I looked at the telepath wondering what he could possibly want I mean the original Orm is already dead what could he possibly..."Let me guess you want me to bring the original Orm back to life." I simply stated which brought a smile to his face.

"Yes but the thing is a normal resurrection just won't work since like you we are not from this world, they make sure of that whenever they summon a new ruler." Of course it makes sense, if they're gonna kill a ruler just because they think they will seek revenge, they are gonna go the extra mile and make sure they can't be brought back to life. "Before you even think of refusing I believe I should let know now that first off the original Orm is the only person outside the arch mages who knows the ritual to take you home and second if you refuse or are caught I made it so you will forget this ever happened." Orm stated in finality.

Obviously I have don't have a choice but to help Orm if I want to make it of here alive and make it back home, something that he is perfectly aware of. "Hold on if you are telepath who could already mess with people's heads couldn't you just use your powers to force me to do what you wanted?" I asked him.

"The original had the ability learn to yes but in my world learning those skills was highly illegal and would lead to the execution of anyone caught learning it, so I never took the risk. One of the reasons I picked you is because I could erase your short term memory without any visible changes in behavior that may result with that much tempering of your mind. The second is because you seem smart enough and knowledgeable enough to actually pull this off but you are on your own after this until the original Orm is alive again." I opened my mouth to speak. "And no a wish spell is not enough to get you home or resurrect me, the arch mages went to extreme care to make it so we couldn't use any of this worlds magic to go home only the ritual will work and since we don't have souls normal resurrections don't work. I should warn you now that the landguard have been more careful since they suspect you took mental enhancements behind their back at some point. They will be more careful now that your reign is coming to an end and will scan your mind when you go to sleep like they have been doing these last two years, so I will erase your memories right after you go to sleep tomorrow so you have one day to come up with a plan or several." Damn it, I knew it wouldn't be that easy but just one day to come up with a plan is not enough time especially against physically and mentally enhanced super soldiers with multiple class levels, I am seriously regretting coming up with that damned FLEA. "Okay seeing as I have no choice I'll do my best to get the original Orm raised, so do you have any idea why people like us can't be resurrected or at least seemingly."

Orm closed his eyes as he seemed to go through his creator's memories. "It appears that is because we lack what you and the people of this world call souls. You see the people of this world have two forms their physical form that connects them to this world and their spirit form or soul which is the core of who they are. When they die their soul enters an afterlife leaving their body behind. But we are different we have only one form our physical bodies which house our core being meaning there are no souls to bring back from the afterlife hence we are not technically alive by this worlds definition." Orm stated while I listened intently. So not only do I have to escape the landguard but I also need to bring the original Orm back to life with a method I have to come up with in just one day. I spend the next two hours going over everything Orm said and the resources that were available to me trying to come with anything that has even the smallest chance of succeeding. I focused on something Orm said about us not having souls and technically not being alive. Just like an idea that seemed it might work came to me. "Hey Orm I have a plan but I need help pulling it off. Are you sure there isn't anything you can do to help me out?"

Orm pondered his answer for a moment. "There is one thing I could do that may give more options, but you may not like it."

"Its fine, it's not like I have much options at the moment anyway." So me and Orm spent all our remaining time going over every single detail and possibility in the plan making sure we didn't miss anything realizing this was our only shot.