Chapter One

Jay had been trekking through the local forest for about an hour. He still wasn’t sure why. His entire life had been spent avoiding outside activities in favor of enjoying sweet, air conditioned bliss. Ever since he had started playing video games years earlier as a child, and much later when he began programming in college, he had always tried to avoid the outside world and it’s bright, sweat inducing ball of fire. Yet, here he was, tramping through the great outdoors, getting hot and sweaty for no other reason than the sudden, inexplicable urge he had to go outside. This was not to say he was out of shape. Jay was fairly athletically built, having swam for several years. He still had much of his previous appearance following college graduation. He had maintained much of his physique in the comfort of one of the local gyms, but that did nothing for the humidity and heat he was unaccustomed to enduring.

Jay was a rather uninspired individual. He knew he had potential to do great things but completely lacked motivation. At six feet tall, he considered himself rather average, despite others telling him he was quite handsome. He never really believed the compliments but accepted them gracefully, always thanking the person for thinking of him. His hazel eyes were sharp and clear, always with an eye for detail, and his short brown hair was well kept. He had the potential to grow facial hair but it bothered him, and made his skin gross, so he stayed clean shaven, or ever so slightly scruffy, depending on how lazy he felt that day.

After graduating from university, he accepted a job across the country and had been working for two years now, leaving him at the ripe old age of twenty-four. He had dated and messed around with girls in the past, but, as with most things, completely lacked the motivation to provide the time and effort needed to sustain any sort of serious relationship. If he had the choice, he probably would have stayed in his apartment all day, every day, and read books or played video games. As such, his relationships outside of work were practically non-existent. He called his mother on occasion to assure her he was still alive, while he would occasionally chat with his younger sister or his two best friends over the internet, but that was the full extent of his communication outside of his constant internal monologue.

That same internal monologue was currently grousing about the midsummer heat and the sweat causing his shirt to stick to his body. He was skirting one of the larger trees, grumbling to himself, when a root caught his foot causing him to stumble a few feet forward. When he looked back up he was standing in the middle of a tall grass field that stretched for miles. Jay frowned. There wasn’t supposed to be a field in the middle of this forest. He had lived in this area long enough and had seen local maps regularly. It was true that the forest was incredibly large but this was simply out of place. He turned around to go back into the trees where he exited, hoping to backtrack and see if he had gotten lost, only to find that there were no trees behind him either. His frown deepened into a full blown scowl as his eyebrows pinched together.

He had read plenty of books and played many a video game where the main characters were displaced from their world into a new one and, while he was not entirely sure that was what happened to him, the signs were definitely pointing that direction. The only other explanation he could attribute to this situation would be some kind of wormhole. They were both equally likely, and in fact, it could be both as far as he knew. He guessed that it could have been aliens, but he definitely wasn’t what was considered a ‘dangerous’ human, so hunting him would be a waste. Plus, they were dropped in crates. If it had been a typical alien experience, he was sure his rectum would tell him if it had been probed. His body was sensitive to changes like that.

A wormhole that transported him to a different world. He had never cared much for religions and divine beings, but if there was one that was fucking with him he was definitely going to be pissed. Jay had never put much stock in gods in the typical sense most people held, but something like that would also explain the sudden urge he had earlier to go outside, completely counter to his day to day practices.

Jay shoved his hands deep in his short’s pockets and sighed while he surveyed the area around him, scowling all the while. He’d be lying if he said he’d never wanted this to happen to him before, but this was a pretty shitty way for it to occur. All he had were the clothes on his back, his wallet and cellphone, which judging by his current situation, were all useless. Nevertheless, he pulled out his phone and checked. No service. Oh well, better safe than sorry. He pulled out the battery and placed both back in his pocket. Continuing with the world swap theory, he had to assume by the complete and utter lack of civilization or any sort of markings, that this world was much less technologically developed as his own. Even out in the complete boonies, most countries of Earth had some kind of infrastructure. Roads, telephone poles, electricity lines, that sort of thing.

Assuming a similar planetary position and rotation, the sun was currently on the downward slope to the West. It was still as hot as Satan’s ass crack, but it was becoming slightly more bearable, which meant he was probably around the same relative global latitude and longitude as he had been on his world and that the seasons were similar. With a general idea of directions, Jay made a decision and began trekking what he believed to be eastward. He needed water first and foremost, as he was already fairly parched after his forest hike. Anything after that was a luxury.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“He’s rather sharp for a mortal.” The god Daphenious was watching the young human man as he waded through knee high grass. “Made a good stab at the crux of his situation and then took it all in stride.” He chuckled, the deep, sonorous noise bouncing around the room. “Provide the right circumstances and suddenly the unmotivated flame burns bright.” His companion, Shira, glanced at him from the corner of her eye, eyebrow cocked in mild amusement. “He’s not going to be pleased if he finds out we’re responsible. His opinions on higher beings seem to be fairly hostile.”

Daphenious just laughed some more. “You’re the one who wanted to bring him here, so you’ll be the one taking responsibility when he finds out. I suppose we could have put him in a better location, but what’s the fun in that? We’ll get to really test his mettle in a desperate situation with the way things are now.” Shira just sighed. He was right but that didn’t change the fact that Jay would be immensely peeved when he found out. She had been watching him for several years and had finally managed to convince her brother to help briefly rend the barrier between worlds to bring him over. She was lucky it was only a few steps between his reality and hers. They may be sister universes, but the power needed to create rifts through space-time was immense. Daph had been kind enough to do most of the heavy lifting by causing the rip, while she had guided Jay into their world.

Shira found the man immensely interesting, and with him walking their world, she could more directly influence his life, delving into the kind of human he really was. Of course, if he ever found out she was responsible for his current misfortune he’d most likely be driven away from her, at least for now. The frustration currently bouncing around within his head was practically being shouted towards the heavens. He would have to be careful. Many of her siblings did not take kindly to mortals blaspheming against them. She would have to take the time to guide others to educate and protect him until he was accustomed to his new world.