The relentless sun beat down upon Jason, its scorching rays reflecting off the vast expanse of sand dunes and casting long shadows behind the imposing rocks.
He trudged through the unforgiving terrain; each step sent tiny plumes of fine dust into the air, adding to the oppressive atmosphere. He felt the heat radiating from the ground, creating a shimmering mirage in the distance that played tricks on his tired eyes.
The weight of his backpack bore down on his shoulders. The air was dry, and the heat made it difficult to concentrate. He touched his forehead, feeling the beads of sweat forming on his skin. The exhaustion weighed on him, and a sense of disconnection from reality settled in.
His mind wandered between delirium and desperation, and illusions danced on the horizon, teasing him with false promises. The silence of the desert was only broken by the occasional gusts of wind, carrying with them the whispers of distant sand grains. His throat was parched, his lips cracked, and the taste of dryness clung to his mouth.
"I am going to die here," the words escaping as a hoarse whisper, barely audible in the vast emptiness surrounding him.
His mind drifted back to the moment he woke up here. It felt like a cruel dream, a surreal nightmare that he hoped to awaken from at any moment, but he didn't. He tried to remember how he ended up here. Fragments of memories flickered in his mind he remembered the world twisting around him, running away from a strange man, he fell and then... darkness.
As fatigue gnawed at his every step, his movements became sluggish. He stumbled over the uneven ground, his mind a haze of weariness. He had been walking in the direction of a large mountain in the distance.
Seeing that he was at its zenith, he decided to find refuge from the scorching heat. He found it under the base of a large stone. Sinking to the ground in the shadow cast by the massive stone, he leaned against it, closed his eyes, attempting to find solace in the coolness that offered temporary respite.
He sat with his back against the cool surface taking a deep breath feeling the dry air sting his lungs.
Despair turned in to frustration, he clenched his fists and pounded the ground with one grains of sand scattered, and a muted thud echoed in the vast emptiness around him with an abrupt burst of emotion, he screamed into the vast emptiness around him.
The sound of his own voice seemed foreign, as if the desert itself had absorbed the essence of his anguish For a moment, he sat there, his chest heaving as the echoes of his scream dissipated into the hot, still air. The vastness of the desert seemed to mock him, indifferent to his struggles.
Suddenly, something hit his head. He winced, instinctively reaching for the spot where the it hit To his amazement, his fingers brushed against a rock it was floating in the air bewildered he looked around him and saw multiple rocks hovering in the air around him. The desert seemed to playing tricks on him
"I guess i have finally lost it" he said and then cackling like a madman.
He started to move his hands to see of the rocks would move too he continued to manipulate the rocks with his gestures as he thought back to before he came here
"That man in the book store" he murmured he had met him again after the truck almost hit him
Snippets of their conversation flashed in his mind
"Interesting genre, that one. Though I find it too repetitive."
"Damn, that was close."
"I wanted to try out the classic approach, but you seem to be a lucky man, Mr. D'Sousa. Let's hope that luck stays with you; you'll need it where you are going."
"But let's just cut to the chase, shall we? I think this will be a good experience for you, that escape from the monotony that you always wanted."
His mind raced as he connected the dots. The realization hit him like a wave. "Another world," he muttered to himself. "He sent me to another world."
"Maybe I am not seeing things," he thought
He looked at the pebbles not floating around him and tentatively raised his hand to his surprise they levitated from the ground. A mixture of awe and trepidation filled him
His laughter echoed through the vast emptiness of the desert, a wild and unrestrained sound that carried both madness and triumph. His voice, tinged with hysteria.
"Why limit myself to pebbles and small rocks?" he mused, his eyes glinting with newfound determination. He extended his hands towards larger boulders scattered across the desert floor.
He tried to replicate what he did with the pebbles before, and the large boulder slowly started rising up. However, this time he could feel a strain on his body; he started to sweat immensely, and exhaustion clawed at his every fiber.
His arms trembled under the immense effort, and he reluctantly lowered the boulders back to the desert floor, gasping for breath. He sank to the ground, feeling the coolness of the sand against his overheated skin.
"Ok, I... may... have... gone too... far," he gasped out.
He lay there for a few minutes, thinking, "Why didn't the pale bastard send him somewhere nice?"
"I need to find a road or something that will lead me to civilization."
He slowly stood up; the weariness that had weighed him down evaporated, leaving him strangely invigorated. Guided by an instinct he didn't quite understand, he set off in a direction that felt right. He felt the sun's scorching heat on him again, but he didn't let it bother him this time as he strode forward.
The landscape became rockier as his journey continued. It was then he saw it in the distance – a road. Excitement coursed through him; anticipation grew with every step, and the promise of civilization beckoned him forward. In the distance, he spotted a group of figures. The heatwaves distorted the view, but he could make out human shapes.
Eager to attract their attention, Jason cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Hey! Over here!" His voice echoed across the desert. He started flapping his arms around, hoping the erratic movement would make him stand out in the vast landscape.
To his relief, one man separated from the group and spurred his horse into action, riding toward him. However, as the rider got closer, his initial relief turned into unease. The man had a sword drawn at his side.
"I don't think he is a friendly," he said to himself.
He decided to retreat. Spotting a cluster of large rocks nearby, he bolted towards them, seeking cover. The man was following him; his heart raced as he darted behind the rocks, his breaths coming in quick, shallow gasps.
He crouched down, hidden from view. The rider dismounted and began searching the area; Jason peeked to see where the man was.
"Wait, I have the fucking Force; why am I hiding?" he thought. As the man slowly approached where he was hiding, he stepped out from behind the rocks, his hands raised, attempting to look as non-threatening as possible.
"Skorī daor, jorrāelagon," he said in a language Jason didn't understand.
"What did you say?" he replied back.
"Dārilaros, ñuhaan," he said as he stepped forward.
Jason raised his arms against him, trying to summon his power, but nothing happened. He tried again, making different gestures with his hand, but nothing seemed to manifest.
"Oh," he said in a small voice.
The man seemed to be amused by this. "Skorī avy ivīlībagon, ñuhaan," he said, cackling.
The man continued to mock him, sensing his distraction. "Well, plan B then." He grabbed a nearby rock, a solid one from the ground, and threw it with all his might.
Even he was surprised at how fast he threw the rock. It sailed through the air, catching the man by surprise. The rock struck him on the shoulder, momentarily throwing off his balance, and his sword fell from his grip, clattering to the ground. Seeing the sword, Jason sprinted towards it. The man, recovering quickly, also lunged for the weapon, and a struggle ensued.
The two grappled for control, each determined to claim the sword as their own. Jason fought with determination, fueled by the desperation to survive.
The man, however, proved to be a formidable adversary, and Jason found himself on the brink of defeat. In a last-ditch effort, Jason resorted to striking the man's head, desperately trying to free himself from his grip.
As his hand made contact with the man's forehead, an electrifying jolt surged through him. It was as if a door had been thrown wide open; he found himself assaulted by a barrage of images.
He witnessed scenes from the man's past, like fragments of a dream playing out before him. A village nestled in a lush landscape, the sound of clanging swords in a training yard, the warmth of a hearth shared with comrades, the honing of his skills through years of training, his first battle. It was as if Jason had absorbed the very essence of the man's skill he had acquired in his entire life.
"What did you do, boy? What did you do to me?" he screamed out loud, but this time Jason could understand him.
"What the fuck," Jason said as he slowly stood up.
He quickly went for the sword again and picked it up. He pointed the sword at him, his hands shaking as he did.
"Can you even use that, boy?" the man said as he lunged at Jason.
To Jason's surprise, his hands moved on their own, as if he had done it a thousand times before. He thrust the sword forward, its blade finding its mark in the man's chest. The man's eyes widened in shock, and a gurgled gasp escaped his lips as he crumpled to the ground.
For a moment, Jason stood frozen, the weight of what he had just done settling on his shoulders. The reality of taking another person's life hit him like a wave. His hands trembled as the sword fell to the ground.
"I... I didn't mean to..." he stammered, his voice barely audible against the vast backdrop of the desert. The gravity of the situation sank in, and a sickening feeling twisted in his gut. He stared at the lifeless form before him.
The distant sound of hoof beats reached Jason's ears, snapping him out of his shocked stupor. His hand trembling as he tried to steady himself. The realization that more danger was approaching fueled a surge of adrenaline. It was then he noticed rocks floating around him again.
"Oh, now it's working," he said to himself as he raised his hands towards the approaching riders.
Garth watched in surprise as the man killed the bandit
"Zykagon onon, ynomaan ao zykorverdrivar. Skorverdon ao ñuhaan" the leader yelled out as he lead he lead the other bandits to the man
"Well, looks like he won't be joining us, but at least he killed one of them," Garth heard someone say behind him.
What happened next would change the way he saw the world forever. He had read about magic in ancient tomes within the Citadel, but those were regarded as mere legends stories from a bygone era.
He was taught that magic had been gone from the world, but he and his fellow maesters were proven wrong when he saw the man raising his hands against the men riding towards him.
He felt the ground shaking below him as the bandits were flung up from their horses into the sky. Panic spread through the remaining bandits near him.
Seizing the opportunity, the remaining caravan guards subdued the panicked bandits near them. Garth looked at the man again; the bandits were suspended in mid-air, their limbs flailing helplessly. The air echoed with their desperate screams, and the oppressive weight of the invisible force seemed to crush the life out of them.
The once-silent desert now echoed with the sounds of their anguish; he could hear their pleas. The ground beneath him trembled once more as screams of the suspended riders intensified, and then suddenly they stopped and dropped to the ground like marionettes whose strings had been severed.
The desert had once again reclaimed its silence. The man dropped to the ground along with them.
"We have to go quickly before that monster kills us too," the caravan master said as we were freed from our bindings.
"Without him, we wouldn't have been saved. We must help him," he said looking to the others for support but he received none as they looked terrified of what had transpired.
"Are you mad? You want to help that monster? Did you not see what he did?" one of the guards exclaimed.
"Maester, we are leaving with or without you. I am not staying anywhere near that thing."
Garth looked at the man on the ground in the distance. He was afraid as well, but the chance to learn of the unknown magic that the man possessed was too enticing to ignore.
"Fine, you can go without me," he said as he took his possessions and walked to where the man laid.
