"So I'm just going to address the elephant in the room."

"Elephant? What's that?"

Drift sighed. "Never mind. What I'm talking about is the giant hole in the sky."

As if ending up in the middle of nowhere wasn't bad enough, he was now riding in a golf cart with people in Halloween costumes who were arguing over a map, a woman with an interesting fashion sense, while the sky had a giant tear in it.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story, but I'll summarize. We had heroes on the Island, and then a man called came in and killed all of them. When he launched his final attack, a rocket also launched, which basically broke through the sky. The final hero standing flew Omega into the hole, and they both died. As far as we can tell, the rocket was Omega's creation, though no one's too sure about that."

"Well, that sounds like fun. Except not really."

"But wait, it gets better. Ever since then, we've had objects disappear from the Island, like that burger we found you by. It's also brought a lot of trouble with it, like long-bearded warriors who've been wreaking havoc on parts of the Island."

"Those long-bearded warriors. Do they have axes, by chance? Helmets with horns?"

"Yep. That and a big ship."

"So what you've got on your hands is a case of Vikings; bloodthirsty warriors and conquerors."

"Bloodthirsty?"

"Oh yeah. Mean as can be. Assuming the ones you've got here are like the ones that I learned about in my history classes, then you've got quite the problem on your hands."

He kept talking about his past, and it was driving Brite insane. Not because he could remember (though that certainly didn't help), but also because she was curious. Not even an hour ago she had found him laying on a burger, and now he was the most valuable person the Island had ever seen, simply for the knowledge he has.

"So have you fought Vikings before? You seem to know so much about them."

"Me? Not at all. The Vikings were around centuries ago, long before I was born."

"Born?"

"Yeah, born." Drift started to give her a puzzling look. A really confused look. "Was that a question?"

"Yes."

"…." He put his hand up to his chin, really deep in thought. "Y'know, when you were a baby. Young, small, and loud."

"You're talking nonsense. What's a baby?"

That really shook him. "What do you mean 'what's a baby'? You had to have been a child once, right? I'm not even sure anymore." He took a deep breath. "What's the first thing you remember?"

"Laying in the grass, sun shining down on me. Why?"

"And what was your body like? Were you smaller, like a tiny version of yourself, or were you like you are now?"

"I was like I am now. What's your point?"

"I'll get to that. How long have you been here?"

"Two years at least. Our time system was developed about a year ago, so I'm making a guesstimate."

"So you just…appeared here, and you haven't aged." His brow furrowed. "Listen, from what I understand about you and this place, it's that nothing makes sense, at least to me. Where I come from, you start off as a baby, which is basically just a hairless, tiny version of yourself. You can't speak, you know nothing, and you love anything that rattles. Then, as the years go by, you grow. You become a child, who learns to read and talk and play and have fun. Then, a few years later, you become a teenager, who then has responsibilities and is only slightly smaller than you or I. Then there's me, at 21, who's gone through all of which I've just said. So, you have nobody on the Island who would match the description of a baby or child?"

"None." This was a lot of info to take in.

"So in that case there are no mothers or fathers. If you just spawn into existence, then there are no parents. I didn't know that was possible."

"Well, from the way you're describing everything, nothing here seems like it would be possible where you're from."

"Oh, that's not true. We're riding in a golf cart, which is used for off-roading like we're doing now. You've got burgers and food which exists in Cali. The houses look the same, the buildings look similar. There's enough here that looks normal to me, but then it's balanced out by something equally weird, like this whole discussion."

"You're going to have to tell me more. Right now, you're the most special man on the Island."

"Is that good or bad."

"I think it's good. The question is would everyone else see it that way."

"So this is our secret, then? I should just keep quiet about my past?"

"It's probably for the best."

"Then, if you don't mind me asking, why should I trust you? I've only known you for an hour at most."

"I could have pushed you off the cliff earlier. I could have pushed you off the cart, or a lotta other things."

"Fair point. Where are we heading again?"

"It should be the place where we got the cart from. I'll see how far out we are."

Meanwhile, through the entire discussion, Rex and Cuddle had been going on nonstop. First it was an argument about the map, then they took two wrong turns and ended up at Flush Factory, and they were finally on track. What was supposed to be a twenty minute drive had turned into a ride triple that length.

Brite tapped o Cuddle's shoulder as she was yelling at Rex, trying to point out where they were on the map. "Hey, where are we?! It's been way too long!"

"Don't worry! I got Rex all sorted out!" Brite could hear Rex scoff at that remark. "We're actually just coming up on it now! See?" She said as she pointed towards the front. The building in front of them was a nice, two story center with lots of open fields beyond it, peppered with flags.

"Yep, that's definitely a golf course."

Cuddle was the one to ask the questions this time. "What's golf?"

"Well, it's simple. You take a small little ball and a club, and you try and hit the ball into a hole in the ground. The goal is to make it into the hole with as few hits as possible. Let me tell you, though, it is the most boring sport to watch on tv. But playing it, that's a different story." He tapped Rex on the shoulder. "Just park next to the building, I'll hop out and get some supplies."

Rex parked by the front door, and Drift hopped out and walked inside.

"Oh, this is exciting! We're gonna be the first to play this? We're pioneers!" Obviously Cuddle was thrilled about it. "You excited Brite? I bet you're glad you came with us! Otherwise you woulda never met that mystery man."

"Listen, I appreciate it. There's still a lot more to go, though."

"Well, I found the balls! Didn't find the clubs, so we'll just have to find a replacement." Drift yelled as he walked out from the front.

"The clubs. What do they look like?" Rex asked.

"Well, they're long, they've got a flat end that you use to hit the ball, and that's about it. There's so many different types of 'em, but they really aren't important here."

"Long and a flat end, you say?" Brite responded. "How about this?", as she pulled out her pickaxe. It was perfect.

"That'll be great." Drift said as he hopped onto the cart. Just take us to the back, there should be a flag marked with the number one."

"Got it, boss."

Drift leaned over to Brite and whispered in her ear. "So you don't know what a baby is, but you know how to count?"

"And read, too."

"I'm not even gong to try and figure that one out."

5 Minutes Later

"You hold it like this; one hand above the other, bottom pinky finger intertwined with your top pointer finger. There ya go."

So this was his new job; golf instructor. Never in a million years did Drift picture himself doing this. His first pupil: Brite.

"So what now?"

"Now I set the ball on the ground here…" He took a golf ball out of his ball-stuffed pockets and placed it on the ground. "…and you have to hit. See that flag over there?"

"Yep."

"Line your feet up so that they're angled towards the flag. Then you take the 'club' and hit the ball. Not super hard though, otherwise you might end up in a sand trap."

"So basically, I just have to do this-" Brite spoke as she brought the pickaxe back only slightly, and then gave it the tiniest tap. The ball only moved a foot.

"Ok, that was a bit too light. Do it harder." He spoke as he moved the ball back.

Brite looked at the flag, then looked down at the ball by her feet, and she brought the pickaxe back and hit the ball. It sank cleanly into the hole. Rex and Cuddle didn't understand the significance of it, but Drift was in shock that she had just hit a hole-in-one on her first go, though he hid it as best he could. Thank goodness he had his mask to hide some of the expressions he was making.

"I made it? I made it! That's good, right?"

"…Oh, yeah, yeah! That's perfect! First hole-in-one on the Island!"

Drift looked at her, more in admiration than anything. Here he was, in this absurd new world, and this woman who he had just met was already one of the nicest people he'd ever met, if not one of the most confusing. To be honest, this whole experience felt like he was high but sober at the same time, and it would probably get to him after a while. But for now, this was good enough.

Over the course of the next few minutes, Rex and Cuddle took their turns. Rex somehow ended up hitting his completely to the side and into a nearby window, and Cuddle swung the club so hard that she missed the ball completely and fell on her back. That happened at least two more times, and it was a miracle her mask didn't break.

They kept on going, hole after hole, while Drift just stood back and watched, and coached when needed. Rex and Cuddle, they need the help. But Brite, she got the hang of it fast. Was it a hole-in-one every time? No. But she ended up winning with a score of 47 on eighteen holes, so it was truly impressive to see. Rex and Cuddle's scores weren't even worth noting, they were too high.

"That was so much fun! I've got a bit of a headache though."

"Gee, I wonder why." Rex responded.

"Listen, the mask is too heavy for moves like that!"

"Then take it off!"

"No!"

The two of them were arguing in the back while Drift and Brite walked up front.

"I hope you enjoyed that."

"Enjoyed that? It was a blast! I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"You're probably the first person to ever say that about golf."

"Is that bad?"

"No! Not at all. By the way, what time is it?" Drift pulled up his sleeve to look at his watch. "Mine isn't adjusted to Island time."

"Oh, it's simple, really. If the sun's straight up in the sky then it's midday, and since its slightly towards the west side of the Island I'd say it's about one o'clock."

"Does that apply all the time? There's no change in time at all throughout the year?"

"Not as far as anyone's ever noticed."

"Interesting. So do you have seasons then, if the sun stays in the same place all the time?"

"What are seasons? You're not talking about for your food, are you?"

"I should've expected that, but no. On Earth, every few months the seasons change. First it's Spring, then Summer, then Fall, and finally Winter, when the cycle starts all over again. I'll explain on the ride to…where are we going again?"

"There's a racetrack I the new desert area. Rex really wanted to try out the cart's capabilities."

"I'd honestly be afraid to ride in that if that's the situation."

"No one here would blame you if you sat that one out."

"True, but then again, where's the fun in that?"

"Good point. By the way, where'd that come from?" Brite asked as she pointed at Drift's chest, as he was now wearing a black jacket with pink stripes.

"Oh, this? I found it inside the golf clubhouse back there. Figured it was finders-keepers."

"It looks good on you. I don't know how you were surviving without sleeves."

20 Minutes Later

"Are you sure about this?"

"Not at all. You?"

"Nope."

"Glad we're in this together."

"About that…remember how I told you no one would blame you if you got off?"

"Yeah…"

"Then don't blame me!"

"Huh? What do you-Hey!"

VRUUMMM*

"Good luck!"

"THAT'S NOT FAIIIiiiirrr!"

Drift's voice trailed off into the distance as Rex hit the pedal and sped off on the racetrack, taking Drift and Cuddle along for the ride. It was really quite the show, as Rex made the turns so fast that each time he was on the verge of tipping over, but never did. That did mean, however, that Cuddle, who was sitting in the back, had flung out of the car and was now holding onto one of the bars on the back for dear life. The ride lasted about five minutes, but Drift would say otherwise. The first thing he did was run to the nearest garbage bin, almost forget to take his mask off, and he let it all out. Cuddle had been thrown off about three minutes into the joyride and landed headfirst into a pile of tires, one of which somehow ended up perfectly around her bear mask.

"That was awesome!" Rex shouted, pumping his fists in the air. "Who's up for round two?!"

The Viking Village

Atop the lofty mountains, there laid a longship, sails raised high. Once, it had sailed the ocean's seas as it travelled through the waters of Norway, bringing with it bloodshed and honor. Now, it lay dormant, with no water to sail and no crew to transport, for the drengr's now had made the ship the centerpiece of a new settlement as the ship hung half over the edge of a waterfall. From this mountains peak, there was the perfect view of the great Rift, which remained unmoving and unchanging since the dawn of their arrival. Surely, it was prophesying of the coming of Ragnarök, the end of all things. And without surprise, it was indeed.

The footsteps could be heard throughout the square, as many a warrior turned their head to acknowledge the head of the clan, the man whose name struck fear into all those who heard it. When the prophets said Ragnarök was coming, Ragnarök did with a mighty crew behind him. The tales told that he had the strength of forty men, with an axe that could cleave the realm in two. Others told of how he strangled Jormungand himself, putting an end to the reign of terror that even Thor himself could not do. Perhaps another tale was of how he travelled to Valhalla and stole away a Valkyrie after he had drank an ocean's worth of mead. His blue beard and his glowing blue eyes did lend some evidence to all the tale's told of him. But as Ragnarök was sailing on the very longship that was now before him, he and a handful of his crew had been whisked away to what they first thought was Hel itself. Instead, it had shown to be just like what England was told to be: a land ripe for conquering. Ten nights ago, Ragnarök had gathered his crew to build the new home of his clan, where all would see and tremble in fear. Now, he walked with Magnus, his right-hand warrior, who could very well have been the reincarnation of Baldr the Brave, for Magnus had no flaws but held a hatred for mistletoe for no apparent reason.

"Tell me, Magnus. When you look to the stars, what do you see?"

"I see no stars, my lord; only the gaping abyss that hangs there in their place."

"And what do you see when you look at it?"

"I see the end, lord. I see the thunder god clashing with Frost Giants in Jotunheim. I hear the rumbles of his strikes echoing through the hills."

"As do I. Ragnarök with soon be upon us, even for me. The twilight of the gods must be near, for even now I do see the thunder around the maw, and it is an unusual shade."

"Purple, if my eyes have their clarity."

"My prophets have foretold of such a day, and that day is coming, closer and clo" Ragnarök was interrupted by a distant rumbling coming from the sky, and yet not a cloud in sight. This was not the faint rumbling that Magnus spoke of; no, this was of something far worse. With a suddenness that would put Sleipnir to shame, a burst of purple lightning struck down from the abyss and made contact on the other side of the Island, where Surtur dwells.

"Heed my words, Magnus. Doom is at hand, and we will face it with honor. Valhalla is our destination, but only if we are worthy enough to claim it, and so we shall be. Make sure our drengr are ready to go to war by the next sunset, and then we will drench the rivers in blood. Odin's hall will have a feast ready before Ragnarök even thinks about claiming us."

"Of course, mighty chieftain," Magnus spoke as he then turned away and started barking orders to the nearest Vikings.

Ragnarök took a few more steps and then looked up at the sky. What was it that could possibly contain such power? Was this a gateway to Asgard itself? These would be questions for another time. For now, if he was to prove himself worthy of journeying to Valhalla's gates, he would take this land for himself and start a new empire, one full of red rivers and the finest mead in the nine realms.

Paradise Palms

*KRACKA-BOOM! *

The lightning strikes were getting more frequent. Even though Drift was staying in the nicest resort the desert had to offer, it still didn't stop the fact that the thunderclaps were penetrating all the walls making it impossible to rest. After Rex had his fill of the racetrack, the crew decided to rent a few rooms at the Paradise hotel. Thankfully Drift didn't have to share a room with Rex, because he could faintly hear his snoring through the walls, so Drift was currently sharing a room (but not a bed) with Brite. And just like Drift, she couldn't fall asleep either.

"Was lightning like this common before I got here?"

Brite sat up from her lying position on her bed and looked to see Drift staring outside the window.

"Can't say we did. The strikes only started happening over the past few hours."

"Do you ever have bad weather here? I mean, does it ever rain or snow or sleet, or anything like that?"

"Not at all. The only storm we've ever known is the one that surrounded us before we got to the Island."

"You've never told me about that before."

"We have only known each other for a day."

"Good point."

She chuckled. "I'll tell you anyway. What seems to be the common experience for everyone is that before we arrived on the Island, we were put into essentially a big fighting ring, with the 'ring' being the Island. It was a fight to the death, and if you were the last one standing you suddenly ended up here. The biggest problem was this purple-ish, super intense storm that slowly closed in on everyone, and if you got caught in it you felt like nothing I've ever felt before. It was…horrific."

"You don't have to keep going if you don't want. I get it if it's too painful."

"No, no. I need this. It's something that I've never been able to share this with that never had to go through it." Drift could see Brite slightly tear up. "The thing that haunts you the most after you leave is that you're fighting people, and killing them, over and over and over. If you die, you get reset, and you don't remember anything from any battles before. You can't speak, you can't communicate, you just become a mindless killing machine. And you're killing people who now live on the Island, and every time you see them the memories all come flooding back of each and every time."

"….How long did you do that for?"

"I don't know. I did it for long enough. I was one of the first people on the Island, so I was facing off against so many people that escaped after me. That means that I know a lot of the faces around here because I had to kill a lot of them."

The room stayed silent for a moment. Drift had never imagined that Brite, this cheerful young woman, could've ever gone through such trauma. Back on Earth he would've thought she was just a schizophrenic, but not here. He turned away from the window and went over to sit next to Brite, who was ready to break down.

"…Listen, Brite, I never knew. I wish I had something to say, but I don't know how to ease the pain. What I do know is that you are one of the strongest people I know for having gone through that, and you should know that."

sniff* "You mean that?"

"I mean that."

They both sat there for a moment, as Drift slowly reached his arm around and hugged her other shoulder. For just a moment, Brite felt better and comforted, but also another feeling that she couldn't quite place. What was it?

The moment was interrupted by a low rumbling coming from outside, and so the two of them both got up and went over to the window, just to see that it was now glowing a brighter purple than it had ever before.

"What do you make of that?"

"Beats me. There's no weather like this back home."

The rumbling kept growing louder and louder, until all of a sudden there came a fantastic burst of lightning, which struck a nearby cliff and a small explosion of purple flame to go with it. The resulting thunder made the trees sway and sounded like it could deafen anyone standing outside.

"What the hell?!"

"WHAT? I CANT HEAR YOU?!"

The ringing in his ears was painfully loud, but as he looked out the window again he saw a more important sight.

"Look!"

"What?!"

"I said look!" Drift yelled as he placed his hand on the top of Brite's head and turned it, and she also saw the incredible sight.

The rift was closing.

It started to shrink, side by side as the cracks in the night sky slowly disappeared, and then the big hole in the center suddenly closed up, leaving a starry sky in its wake.

"There's no way…it finally happened!" Suddenly her ears didn't seem to bother her anymore as she grabbed Drift and gave him a big spontaneous hug. She almost lifted him off the ground before she realized what she was doing and set him back down.

"….Sorry."

"Hey, after what you just vented to me, it's all good. Plus, that looks like it means things can go back to normal here."

"There is no 'normal' here, but maybe it'll be calmer."

Drift took one final glance out the window, and on the cliff where the lightning struck there was a faint purple glow.

"Listen, tomorrow we've gotta check out the impact area. Could be exciting, could be nothing at all, but still worth a look."

"I'll add that to the list."

"But there one thing to remember."

"And what's that?"

"I'm driving."

"Fine by me. Can you hit the lights?" Brite asked as she got under her blankets.

"You got it."

"Good night."

"G'night to you too."