Tommy came to as the bright light broke into his nightmare. He had the craziest dream where he had at first been himself, and then something entirely different. That was...odd, Tommy thought to himself as he recalled it. With a weird, tingly shiver that ran through his whole body, he could still feel the overwhelming sense of power he had felt. I'm going crazy, he thought to himself. It just seemed so...real. He opened his eyes and immediately jumped backwards, startled. Hovering above him was a beautiful woman about his age. Seeing him wake, she gasped and stood upright. Tommy took a moment to take her in as he recovered from his shock. She had enchanting blue eyes, with a hint of green throughout. Her skin was tanned from what appeared to be a good deal of time spent in the sun and she had brown hair that hung just past her shoulders. She had very faint laugh lines, and teeth as bright as snow. He estimated she probably stood up to about his chest, maybe a bit under his chin. “Who the hell are you?” Tommy yelped, grabbing for his bed sheets to cover up for modesty. Looking around, he immediately realized this was most certainly not his studio apartment back in the city. He was in a moderate sized room that was well furnished. The walls looked to be made of one single piece of marble that had been hollowed out. Rugs littered the floor with lavish wardrobes and dressers lining the walls. Silk curtains hung from the windows with a sliver of sun able to peak through the thin gap. Glancing down he saw he was in a rather large bed that was not at all as comfy as his memory foam back at home. “My name is Fleya,” the young woman said slowly, taking him in with caution. “Might I ask for yours?” “Thomas, but I go by Tommy. Where am I?” Tommy replied after a minute while he tried to place her accent. She had just a slight lilt to her voice that he could not quite place. Being a computer engineer, he was well versed in speaking with people from all over the world. He felt certain he wasn't familiar with wherever she came from. “You don’t know?” Fleya asked, a hint of suspicion, or maybe shock, flashing across her face. Seeing he really wasn’t sure, she replied, “You’re in the capital city of Onirora, Fragment of Avedor.” "Excuse me, where?" “You really don’t know?” She paused for a few minutes, and then continued. “This is Erinao, the City of Scholars. Our Fragment, Onirora, has persisted for millennia. We hold the center most portion of Avedor, Land of the Fractured.” “I have no idea what is going on,” Tommy muttered, confirming Fleya’s silent thoughts. Sighing, his shoulders slumped as the tension left his body with the admittance. “Why don’t we start with what you do know, or remember,” Fleya prompted, pulling up a chair to sit a distance from his bed. After a brief silence, he started. “I woke up, went to work, had my same routine as I would any other day,” Tommy drifted off as he thought back to the previous night. “Then I needed some food, so I ran down to the corner store to grab something quick, but the entire place was destroyed. There was blood everywhere, dripping from the ceiling,” he continued, shuddering, “and this horrifying creature.” Tommy worked his way through the details of the rest of the encounter, explaining his weird out of body experience. “I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what to make out of that,” Fleya said after processing everything he told her. “So, I take it this isn’t a normal thing here?” Tommy asked, ignoring her question. Fleya gave him a hard stare, then said, “You ask that like it would be normal anywhere for someone to appear over a battlefield and decimate everything on it.” Tommy opened his mouth to argue her point but he found he didn't really have any counter arguments. If what she said was true, that meant he wasn't dreaming everything. Furthermore, it meant he wasn't on Earth anymore. He was alone, in a strange place, and quite possibly in the most danger he had been in in his entire life. "Do you have any water?" he asked, his mouth suddenly very dry. It felt like his heart was trying to punch a hole through his chest. Fleya, noticing his sudden onslaught of anxiety, made a slight motion with her hand and a glass of water appeared on the table next to Tommy. Glancing from it to her, he slowly reached out for the water and took a sip. Ice cold. Amazing, Tommy noted as he glanced at the glass. He could already see beads of perspiration forming on the side. "How did you do that?" he asked, completely astonished. "You're really this ignorant?" she asked, skepticism thick in her voice and in the look on her face. Seeing his vacant look, she sighed. "Spatial magic," she answered, gesturing to a necklace she was wearing. "Do you at least believe me? I have no idea what's going on here Fleya, I need help." Tommy knew he sounded desperate but at this point he could feel the panic seeping into his chest, locking it up. He was in way over his head here. After an awkward silence, she finally responded. “I am not sure, to tell you the truth; one thing I do know for certain is you cannot tell anyone any of this. Under no circumstances.” The look on her face was enough to tell him she was serious. Feeling an itch at the back of his mind, Tommy pushed himself out of bed. Stretching briefly, he made his was over to his window and looked out. From his vantage point, smooth black marble spread out to form a magnificent palace. Gold streaked throughout the building, inlaid onto the marble itself. The palace had a total of three towers, with a few garden terraces scattered throughout, overlooking the city. The entire construct seemed to have been grown from the purest of minerals, rather than built by hand. The brilliance of the interior contrasting from the shadowy exterior took Tommy’s breath away. The entire castle was attached to the side of a small mountain, towering over beautiful fields that stretches for miles. Never had he seen so much delicacy and care go into a structure. This palace was someone’s grand masterpiece; Tommy almost felt intrusive. Massive arches cascaded down to the ground from the palace’s front entry, allowing access to all who seek its shelter. Nestled underneath the grand building was a moderate sized city. Just as he noticed with the castle, the city had someone who took great care during its construction. Each street was lined out symmetric with the next, establishing a grid like layout. In the center, a massive market center opened, housing hundreds of booths, stalls, and brick and mortar shops. The buildings seemed to stack higher the closer they came to the palace, the tallest buildings brushing underneath of the great beast. Taking it all in, he could not help but feel the reality of his situation settle into him. He might never see his family or friends again. The itch at the back of his mind grew stronger, urging him to make sense of the madness. Glancing up to gauge the time of day, he thought he caught a glimpse of a pure white temple, placed even further up the mountain than the castle. “How in the world was this place built? It’s beautiful,” he said aloud, fishing for more information on his new residence. “A few Prime class Adroit were fortunate enough to have construction related affinities,” Fleya explained, watching him take in the city and world stretched out below him. “Each was slightly different in how they manifested their gifts, which is why the buildings are slightly eye-catching.” “Slightly? Well, if this is just a start, I can’t imagine what else this world has in store,” Tommy muttered, stepping away from the window and behind the changing divider. Noticing the lack of wardrobe options, Tommy peaked his head around the divider. “What am I supposed to do with this?” he asked, holding up what appeared to be the ass end of an elephant. “Try it on for starters, and then we can figure out where to go from here.” “Can’t I just have my old clothes back?” Tommy huffed. “Considering there wasn’t much left to them, no,” Fleya said, going red in the face and walking towards the door. “Plus, this will make you blend in. Finish getting ready and meet me in the hall. Let me know if anything doesn’t fit and we can have it sorted.” Tommy was about to argue but heard the definitive click of the door closing, ending his argument abruptly. After fumbling more than once, he shimmied into the slim fitting clothes, praying he had it correct. Stepping back and looking at himself in the mirror, he wasn't sure what to think. Standing at six foot two inches, he was of a lankier build. Having spent most of his life indoors on computers, he never felt the need to work out. Now, looking at the outfit that had been provided to him, he wondered if perhaps that had been a mistake. He was wearing padded, slate-gray leather slacks. Fitting over this was a long-sleeved shirt which attached to the belt of the pants. When he finished buckling his belt, the entire outfit flashed white, and Tommy gasped in surprise as it molded to his body. Over the top of this went a padded, slate-gray overshirt. Paired with the shirt and armor were black riding boots and a black, hooded cloak that he promptly clasped around his neck. Tommy had to admit, he felt strong in these clothes. The uniform, for that is what it was, was emblazed with a large “A” over the heart. He also took note of the many empty slots for what appeared to be knives or other utilities, scattered throughout the outfit. He thought he looked good but then again, he had thought this entire situation a dream. Running a hand through his hair and massaging his temples, Tommy took in a deep breath and exhaled. He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to get through whatever trial waited in front of him, but he was sure getting through it to get home wouldn't be easy. The idle thoughts of being alone kept sweeping in as well, causing his stress and anxiety to shoot through the roof. It's all good, just remember what you were taught. Only one way out now, and that's forward, Thomas thought to himself, trying to keep in mind all the lessons his grandfather had instilled in him throughout the years. I hope you gave me enough idioms, pops. Steeling his nerve, he decided then and there to do whatever it took to figure out what had happened to him. Had any others from his world been brought here? And most importantly, was there a way back? Taking one last, deep breath, he exited his room and met up with Fleya. Fleya stood in the hall, leaning against the wall. While she wasn’t sure what to make of everything that had happened yet, she wanted to know more. However, this wasn’t really her area of expertise. Maybe Terrowin will know more, Fleya thought to herself, thinking of her oldest friend. Noticing the door open, she pushed off the wall and took in the figure standing before her. Tommy strode out in his new uniform, looking much healthier than she had seen him all morning. Gone from his face was the shock, replaced with what appeared to be a strong, but steady, determination. The uniform fit him rather well, there were definitely areas that could be filled out. A few months at the Academy would sort that out. His shock of black hair appeared to be somewhat tamed, with only a few tufts sticking out here and there. All in all, he looked the part of a powerful Adroit. Giving him a brief nod, the two set off down the corridor. Tommy took note that the interior wasn’t always made up of pure marble. When they came to their first intersection, he could see what looked like smoldering obsidian and granite, mixed to form other sections of the hallway. Where the obsidian and marble would meet, it gave the eerie feeling like the floor abruptly gave out. “Over the years, there have been many Adroit that have worked on this castle. It has become somewhat of a marvel for the people that visit the city. Because each Adroit works slightly differently, each part of the castle is unique.” Fleya explained, seeing the look of wonder on Tommy’s face. “I’ve never seen anything like this place,” he admitted, trying to take in all the different styles he was seeing. It felt like he was visiting multiple cultures, all developed within minutes of each other. While one style appeared to be similar to Roman architecture, another looked like it had jumped out from the middle of the amazon. While it wasn’t quite messy in the way it was built, it wasn’t always orderly either. Some rooms almost seemed to bleed into the next, intruding on the prior builder’s work. Deciding it was time to fish for more information, he asked, “You’re sure you haven’t seen or heard of any newcomers like me? Born in other worlds?” “You’re the first I’ve ever heard of, besides in myth.” “Myth?” “Yes, but it is more a childhood bedtime story,” she slowly explained. “I think my friend will know more, but we have a few stops to make first, before we can see him.” “So where to first?” He asked, pocketing her comment and deciding he'd find a way to do some research on childhood myths. At this point, being in a different world, seeing magic, and being told he was capable of performing magic was enough to convince him. Childhood myth or not, anything is possible. “We need to enroll you into the Academy so you can train. With the amount of power you displayed the other day, you need to know how to control it. Otherwise, you’re just a spark away from a wildfire. Plus, you won’t last a minute in this world with how you currently are, and the Academy is the best place to whip you into shape.” “The Academy? What does that mean?” He asked, wanting to know more. “The Academy was developed to help Adroit and mages reach their full potential. They have masters there that can teach you how to control your affinity so you’re not a threat to others, or yourself. They will educate you, put you through training, and prepare you to fight in the Army to the best of your ability.” “The army?!” Tommy yelled, stopping in his tracks. “Yes, the Academy is free to anyone who can meet the requirements. The price is fighting back for the fragment.” She replied with total seriousness. “No one said anything about the army, you can’t expect me to just sign my life away for some training. I’ll just stick with you instead or figure them out on my own.” He exclaimed, having no intentions to serve in any army. “Life here can be hard,” Fleya stated, meeting his eyes. “I’ve already told you, this is an eat or be eaten world. Don’t expect any handouts. Everything you get here is earned through merit. To get merit, you need to work hard for it,” she went on to explain. Tommy noticed a steely resolve pass through her eyes. It looked like there was a lot more behind those words, but he didn’t want to push for more details. Instead, he continued to listen as they walked ever onwards. His legs were starting to burn as they trudged in an upwards direction. As they walked, he would get the occasional glimpse or two of the city as they passed the scattered windows. They were definitely travelling higher up the mountain. “You’re going to need to realize a few new life lessons, sooner rather than later. I am not sure what life you lived, or what you did before, but it’s surely to be entirely different to what you have now. The fragments do not have unity and we are always in a constant state of war.” Fleya explained, her voice taking on a passion he hadn’t heard from her yet. “Each fragment has lingering amounts of natural world aura. Ours, because it’s situated close to the shattering, has a lot more aura than what is available in places further out. We have more Adroit and are able to train them more efficiently as well because of this,” she went on to explain. “OK, so these fragments,” Tommy cut in, hoping to get a little more clarity. “What exactly are they?” “It’s hard to explain, I promise you will get your answers. For now, let’s get to the Academy, then we can speak to Terrowin,” she gestured, coming to a stop. In front of them was a long, dark hallway stretching upwards. “Is the Academy really the only option? Why can’t I just stay with you while we figure out how to get me back home?” Tommy spluttered, trying to slow down her momentum. “Listen, you might have some ability, based on what I saw the other day on the battlefield. But until you can control that, you’re useless in this world. You’d be strung up by the enemy faster than I can blink, and I can control time! You can’t expect me to babysit you while I take care of my own responsibilities, can you?” Fleya stated, in a rather calm and detached way. Tommy was reminded again that this was a world of no remorse, as her words whipped across his mind, breaking away all lingering arguments. She had a point; he had no idea what to expect here in this new world. And, if she was right and it was a man eat man world, then he would need to get stronger if he expected to survive. “OK, so the Academy. What do I do?” he stated, firming his resolve for the tenth time that morning. Fleya watched him as he sorted through his emotions, unsure what to think. He was clearly lacking confidence and did not look like he would weigh two hundred pounds soaking wet. While the outfit did suite him well, it was still rather lacking in areas, giving him a sort of deflated look. But all of that could be corrected, it was his nerve that mattered. And there she saw it, a flicker of resolve, followed by a strong determination shown in his eyes. Giving a slight nod, she strode into the tunnel. “For a start, you can pick up the pace.”