Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As they walked in silence, Eli tried to make sense of everything. He thought back to the lab, the blinding light.

He had felt the strangeness in the air when they turned the machine on. The panic in everyone’s voice.

The pull he felt from the machine.

The intensity of the light.

The heat on his skin.

Eli took a deep breath, shaking his head. He couldn’t allow himself to fall back into the grief and the despair. It was crippling.

Eli looked up, looking at Alira leading him forward. He didn’t know who she was, but he did know that she seemed to be trying to help him. And at this point, he would take whatever help he could get.

“You called me by my name.” He said, not a question but a statement.

“I did.” Alira said. “Let’s get to a place to rest and I will explain why.”

Eli didn’t debate it, he felt like his brain was a mix of scrambled eggs and a blinded fruit juice.

As he followed Alira, Eli started to notice the surrounding environment he found himself in.

The trees almost looked like normal trees, but the weird pulsing of green lines along the roots were very much not normal.

Everything had a different shade, almost as if someone picked the colors from the florescent coloring box.

The ground was worn, and soft. He looked down at his shirt. Torn and blood stained. His jeans weren’t as bad off, no holes, but plenty of blood stains.

His shoes, all black Nike Air Force Ones had blood splattered on and some clearly soaked into the laces.

He felt in his pockets, looking for his phone, but remembered he had put it on his cart. Which either came through the wormhole, or maybe it went to a different universe and some kid just got a new iPhone 15.

He looked up, about to ask Alira how much longer, when he saw a flicker. A faint green glow, hovering on the left edge of his vision. His steps faltered.

His eyes focused on it and it seemed to come into full detail, his stomach twisted.

That damn green bar, it was back. And it was full now.

And next to it, a purple star, that slowly pulsed.

He might be going crazy. I'm definitely going crazy.

He closed his eyes and shook his head trying to get rid of them, he opened them and it was still there, floating in his vision, taunting him. He tried to blink it away. Tried rubbing his eyes. Still there.

As his pulse quickened, he noticed something new blink in the far-right corner of his vision. A small, pulsing purple light.

He squinted, eyes trying to focus on it.

And then something materialized. All of a sudden, a hovering interface, like a translucent panel floating in midair.

Like he’d slipped on a VR headset.

“What the hell?” The shock hit all at once, his breath catching as he took an instinctive step back. Swinging his hands through the floating screen in front of him.

He took another step back trying to get away from the floating screen.

Then another. His boot caught against a root, and he stumbled hard, bracing himself against a nearby tree.

Alira stopped mid-step. She turned back, her expression unreadable. She didn’t ask what was wrong immediately. Instead, she watched. Her gaze flicked—not at him, but at the space around him. Almost as if she were searching for something unseen.

To her the mana flowing around him seemed to be more chaotic than it should be.

Eli barely noticed. His focus was locked on the impossible screen floating before him.

“Is… is this real?” His voice was breathless, disoriented.

His brain scrambled for logic, for anything that made sense. Nothing did. His eyes darted across the glowing interface, taking in the strange symbols and flickering lines of text. His own name sat at the top.

I am legit going crazy.

Beneath it, unfamiliar words and numbers shifted before his eyes.

The panic surged. Am I…is this…Eli was trying to understand…

“What in the ‘Ready Player One’—?” Eli blurted, eyes wide as he waved a hand in front of him, only for it to pass clean through the interface.

“What is this? Why is there… this… thing in front of me?”

He gestured wildly at the empty air. Only, it wasn’t empty. “Does everyone in this magic world get this?”

Alira’s brow furrowed, her expression shifting from mild curiosity to genuine confusion.

“I don’t see anything, Eli. You’ll need to explain it to me.”

Eli frowned, rubbing his forehead. “How does one explain this without sounding like a crazy person…There’s a screen… like… a TV screen. Does this place have TVs?” Eli said gesturing around with his hand.

Alira tilted her head slightly. “I am not sure what a ‘TB’ is, Eli.”

“A TV,” he corrected, exasperated.

“Never mind. It’s like a floating window, with bars and icons or symbols, like a video game…” His voice trailed off as he studied her face, searching for a spark of recognition. Nothing.

Definitely wouldn’t have video games if she didn’t have TVs, idiot.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to make it disappear, instead the images and icons were just floating in black.

I am losing my mind.

Alira’s blank expression remained unchanged.

“You’re saying you see… messages in front of you?” Her voice was calm, but there was tension underneath it now, subtle but present. “And bars? What do they mean?”

“I’m not sure, and don’t say it like that, ‘I see messages’ that makes this sound like I’m actually crazy, which is very much up in the air currently.”

“Up in the air?” Alira said, looking up.

“No, that is just a figure of speech.” Eli said absently.

“Back home, in my world, you’d probably call this a HUD—a heads-up display.” Eli said, starring at the interface in front of him.

Alira frowned. “Heads… up? Like a warning?”

He sighed. “No, it’s… never mind. Explaining this is like trying to teach my mom how to use Venmo.” Her brow creased. “What’s a ‘Venmo’?”

Eli groaned. “It’s something you’d see in a video game, or those VR goggles…”

He trailed off shaking his head and glancing up at her.

“Uh, never mind. It’s like health and… magic. Or I guess mana? But…” His voice faltered.

“This isn’t a game, at least I don’t think it is.”

Eli looked around, Am in in a game?

Alira considered him carefully. “Venmo is a game?”

“No, the HUD— heads-up display—Venmo is an app you can pay people on, look, it doesn’t matter.”

Eli ran a hand through his hair, trying to explain anything without sounding insane. Alira, to her credit, listened intently. She wasn’t dismissing him—she was absorbing every word.

“Does it tell you anything?” she asked. “Or show you something?”

God that sounds insane.

Eli blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the floating screen. It wasn’t just hovering. It felt integrated. Like a strange extension of his thoughts, an overlay in his mind rather than something external. His eyes locked onto the blinking icon in the corner of his vision.

“So, you believe me, that I can see this?” Wildly swiping his hands through the display. It pulsed faintly. Responding. Waiting.

Eli’s breath hitched. He hesitated—then squinted slightly, focusing harder on the icon.

It flared brighter. Then faded again. Reacting. His pulse quickened.

“It’s mostly just bars,” he said, shrugging despite the unease creeping up his spine. “Health and… a purple star thing. And there’s this blinking icon. It looks like it is filling up as it blinks. Oh god, is it downloading into my brain? Does your mana world download into people’s brains?”

Eli stared at the blinking icon and then back at Alira.

“No, I have never heard of anyone getting a mana world load onto their brain.” Alira said cautiously.

Eli barely heard her after she said “No.”

“Come, its not much further and we can discuss this there.” Alira said, turning around and heading back down the path.

They walked in silence for a moment. Alira studied him.

Finally, she spoke, her voice calm but touched with something almost… amused. “This world shapes itself to those who enter it.”

Eli glanced at her sharply.

“Perhaps it’s giving you something familiar, a way to adapt.” Her eyes flicked, ever so slightly, toward the space where the interface hovered. “It senses you are… different.”

Eli’s stomach tightened. This world wasn’t just weird. It was aware. And it was reacting to him.

He exhaled slowly, a weight settling over his chest.

It felt ominous. But also—Strangely empowering.

As they approached the mouth of the cave, Alira slowed, turning to him with quiet intensity.

“Whatever this… ‘screen’ thing is, it’s a part of you.” Her voice was soft but certain. “I don’t fully understand it, but I know one thing, Eli.”

The sun light catching faint streaks of silver in her braids. “Mana is adapting to you, and it’s doing so for a reason.”

Eli’s breath hitched slightly.

A reason.

She held his gaze. “Whatever that reason is… the mana is trying to adapt itself to you. It’s making it a little easier for you to adapt to it.”

A flicker of warmth settled in Eli’s chest—unwanted, but impossible to ignore. The thought that this world itself was responding to him should have been unsettling. So why did it feel… comforting?

He hesitated, letting her words sink in as they stepped into the cave. The space around them narrowed and darkened, swallowing them in silence.

Then— A soft glow flickered to life.

Eli glanced up just in time to see a small floating orb of light, hovering just above Alira’s right shoulder. It cast a gentle golden glow, illuminating the cave’s walls, which shimmered faintly, iridescent veins running through the stone like trapped stardust.

His eyebrows lifted. “Please tell me that you see the glowing orb over your shoulder?”

Alira smirking, “Yes, I can definitely see that.”

“And we both see what the cave walls are doing, right?”

Alira chuckled, “Yes, I see that as well.”

“I am not even sure if both of us seeing it makes a difference, I am still not sure you are real.” Eli said running his hand along the smooth cave wall.

The tunnel widened into a vast chamber, the air cooler here, carrying a faint metallic tang. The floating orb above Alira’s shoulder brightened, casting a soft golden glow that danced across the smooth stone walls.

Eli’s eyes flicked across the space—then stopped. Symbols. Etched into the stone, pulsing with a subtle, rhythmic light. The patterns were intricate, ancient—but something about them felt… active. Like they were more than just carvings.

“Is this your secret lair?” Eli said, half joking, half freaking out.

“No, Eli, this is a cave. A cave that once had a family that lived here, at least that’s what the carvings seem to be saying.”

Eli was just nodding, “Got it. Cave. Family. Glowing symbols.”

Alira stepped forward and gestured with a simple motion.

Two chairs materialized before her. Eli stiffened. They weren’t just chairs. They shimmered, woven from a silvery material that wasn’t quite metal, wasn’t quite wood. Light and substance fused into one.

He stopped just inside the room, staring at chairs like they were about to turn into dragons.

“Okay, so, you just pulled furniture out of thin air.” His gaze flicked to her. “Look, you keep doing things like that,” pointing at the chairs. “It’s definitely not helping the case of me going crazy, or I guess I would already be crazy, because the going part has definitely come.”

Alira settled into one chair with effortless grace, gesturing to the other. “They’re just chairs, Eli. Sit. You look like you’re seconds away from tipping over.”

“I feel like this is your secret lair.” Eli hesitated, nudging the chair cautiously with his foot. It didn’t ripple, didn’t dissolve, didn’t shift into some nightmare creature.

He let out a slow breath and lowered himself into it. It held firm. Leaning back slightly, he muttered, “Alright, I am sitting in a magic chair.”

His gaze flicked upward, studying the symbols glowing along the walls. They pulsed. Faintly, but in rhythm with something. With what? His own heartbeat? The energy in the air?

As he was looking around he couldn’t help see the floating HUD in his vision.

“So… what now?” He glanced at Alira. “This the part where you tell me I’m the chosen one? Or that I have to find some mystical sword to save the world?”

Alira’s expression remained calm, unreadable.

She folded her hands in her lap, her gaze steady. “You’re in Caelum.”

Her voice carried a weight now, settling over the chamber like a low hum beneath the silence.

“This land is ancient—one of the oldest known realms, if not the oldest. It’s bound together by a force we call mana.”

She let the word linger, watching him. “Think of mana as the lifeblood of Caelum; it flows through everything and connects us all.”

“Do you give this speech a lot?” Eli asked, eyebrows raised. “Because that sounded like you were giving a speech to a group of new employees, explaining to them how great this company is, all the while you are miserable.”

“No, this is not a speech I give often, I think I have given this speech three times in my lifetime, and that includes this time.”

“I will make a mental note to give the next person from a different realm a much more enthusiastic speech.”

Eli arched an eyebrow, his lips twitching. “I am sure they will appreciate that. So, Mana. Got it. Magic glue that holds the world together. Makes about as much sense as anything else today.”

He drummed his fingers lightly on the chair’s armrest, the steady rhythm grounding him.

“Look, Alira, I can call you Alira, right? I am five seconds from freaking out. I arrived here through a portal or wormhole, or whatever, and I nearly died, plus the people that I KNOW came with me, somehow vanished.”

Eli sat forward in his chair, looking at Alira.

“I don’t expect you to have all the answers, but unfortunately, you were the one that got to be here when I opened my eyes.”

“So, did this ‘mana’ personally invite us or I guess me, or did I the win some interdimensional sweepstakes?”

Alira’s lips quirked, just slightly, but her voice remained steady. “It’s possible.” She held his gaze, studying him carefully before continuing. “Mana is…complex. It reacts to everything around us and bonds everything between realms. If you were brought here, there is a reason, though it may not be clear yet.”

“May not?” Eli said with a bit more hostility than he intended.

“I MAY NOT have tacos tomorrow night, but it’s definitely CLEAR we don’t know the reason I am currently sitting on a magic chair.”

Eli let out a low chuckle, but there was no real humor in it. “Look, I am sorry, I am not trying to come off as an asshole. But all this is really hard to wrap my head around.”

Alira shifted in her seat, “Eli, you have nothing to apologize for, this is a lot to take in, regardless if you are from here or not. I don’t have all the answers, but I will help you however I can find some answers.”

“I appreciate that, I really do. I just want answers now. And nothing makes sense.” Eli said, putting his head in his hands.

Okay Eli, you are in a magic world with a downloading magic HUD in your head. You are fine, you're supposed to be here, like the weird mana lady is saying. It's all for a reason. You just can’t know the reason yet because of super-secret world mana boss needs you to find the secret to Disney World.

Alira was just watching Eli, letting him process what he needed to. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Eli sat up, taking a deep breath.

“Okay. Mana. Chosen one. Magic chairs. Downloading Mana HUD.”

A deep breath.

His voice lowered. “But here’s the thing—” His throat tightened, the words sticking. “I don’t feel like a chosen one.”

The flickering glow of the mana-etched walls reflected in his deep brown eyes, but he wasn’t really seeing them anymore.

“I feel like…like I shouldn’t even be here.” His voice barely rose above a whisper. “Sam, Kelly…the others—they should be alive. Not me. It wasn’t even my experiment, I wasn’t even supposed to be there. And now they are….”

He couldn’t say it, he didn’t want to fall back into the hole of grief again. “Not here.” Eli finished in a whisper.

Alira’s gaze softened, a flicker of something unspoken passing through her eyes. “I’ve carried that weight, too.” Her voice was low, steady—but behind it, a quiet ache lingered.

“It never truly leaves.” She exhaled slowly. “But sometimes… sometimes it gives us the strength to carry others.”

Eli watched her carefully. There was something in the way she spoke—not just sympathy, but understanding. Like she wasn’t just saying the words. She had lived them. Alira leaned forward slightly, her expression softening.

“I don’t have all the answers, Eli. But this world… Caelum rarely acts without purpose.”

She let the words settle between them before continuing.

“It may feel chaotic now, but there is a pattern to its ways. If you’re here, it’s because something greater believes you’re meant to be.”

Her fingers traced an unseen shape on the armrest of her chair. “Loss is never easy, and this world can be… unyielding.” She let a moment pass. “I’m sorry, Eli. For what you’ve lost.”

Eli’s gaze flicked to her, his expression torn between skepticism and something quieter.

Maybe reluctant gratitude. Maybe just exhaustion.

His fingers curled slightly against the armrest. “…Thanks.”

He shifted in his seat, rolling his shoulders like he was shaking something off. “So… if mana connects everything, does that mean it’s in me, too?”

He hesitated. “Is that why I’m seeing… screens? Bars? It’s like I’m living inside a video game.”

Alira tilted her head slightly, intrigued.

“It’s possible. Mana is intuitive—it adapts to the soul it touches.” She studied him, considering. “What you see may be Caelum’s way of helping you make sense of this world.”

Eli leaned back in his chair, letting that sink in. “Huh.” His fingers drummed lightly against his leg. “So, it’s custom-made for me? That’s… weirdly thoughtful for a world that throws rat-tigers at you first thing.”

Alira allowed herself a small, knowing laugh. “Caelum tests, but it also teaches. And it rewards those who listen.”

Eli considered this, glancing at his hands. His fingers curled instinctively, as though he could feel something just beneath the surface of his skin.

Not like gripping a basketball. Not something solid. It was there. Elusive, but present. A quiet hum at the edge of his awareness, like a sound just out of reach.

“Okay,” he said slowly. “So I’ve got mana in me. Great. But what am I supposed to do with it? I mean, I’m no wizard or whatever. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

Alira’s gaze grew thoughtful, her eyes lingering on his clenched fists.

For a moment, she didn’t speak.

Then, with quiet certainty, she said, “Control comes with time.” Her voice was calm, but firm. “Mana is not something to force—it’s something to understand, to grow with.”

She leaned forward slightly, her expression focused. “Think of it like a river: push too hard, and you’ll disrupt its flow; surrender to it completely, and it may sweep you away.”

Eli frowned, studying his hands again.

A spark of frustration flickered in his chest. “That’s great and all, but it doesn’t exactly come with an instruction manual.” Alira tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a faint smile.

“No, it doesn’t.” She let the words settle before continuing.

“That’s why understanding it will take time. And patience.” She sat back, considering something before adding, “For many, the academies across Caelum offer a place to begin.”

Eli glanced up at that. “Academies?”

Alira nodded. “These schools teach the foundations of affinities and mana, how to channel it, how to hone it. But they aren’t without their faults.” Her tone shifted slightly. Not dismissive, but… measured.

Like she had seen both the good and the bad firsthand.

Eli raised an eyebrow. “Faults? Like what?”

Alira’s smile faded, her expression turning serious, thoughtful. “Some academies have forgotten their purpose.”

She glanced at the symbols lining the cave walls, their soft glow reflecting in her eyes. “They focus more on advancing their own influence than guiding their students. For some, the lessons are invaluable. For others… they become trapped in politics and power struggles.”

Her fingers tapped lightly against the chair’s armrest—a small, almost unconscious movement.

“Not all knowledge is shared freely.”

Eli closed his eyes. “So, I have to enroll in one of these schools, and hope I don’t fall into the wrong crowd?”

She studied him for a moment before continuing. “The right academy could help you—if you’re willing to navigate its challenges. But be cautious, Eli. Some of the most important lessons can’t be taught in a classroom.”

She leaned forward slightly. “They must be learned through experience.”

Eli leaned back, exhaling as he ran a hand through his hair. “You are supposed to be making me feel better about this. Corrupt schools and political agendas on top of being dropped into a world that may or may not want me for a reason, doesn’t feel like help.”

Alira chuckled softly, though her gaze softened with understanding. “Good point, let’s steer clear of schools and political agendas for now.”

Alira looked at Eli for a few passing seconds. “Mana reflects the person who wields it. It will demand as much from you as you demand from it.”

Her voice was quiet but certain. “I can guide you—help you find your footing—but much of this journey will still be yours to walk.”

Eli stared at the flickering symbols on the wall. Her words hung between them, settling over him like the cool weight of the stone around them.

His fingers tapped absently against his leg. “So you are willing to help me, find whatever it is I need to do here?”

Alira nodded her head, “Yes, I am here to help you, Eli, if you want it.”

“And no shortcuts to being the most powerful wizard, or magic ring that can turn me into a superhero?” Eli said.

“Not the kind worth taking,” Alira replied, her tone carrying a gentle finality. “But I believe the answers you’re looking for will come. If you’re willing to walk the path it has laid out for you.”

Eli was quiet for a moment, his fingers lacing together as he stared at them. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter.

“So, what happens if I don’t want to walk it?” He swallowed hard. “What if I just… want to go home?”

Alira’s expression turned serious, though not unkind. “I don’t know if that’s possible, Eli.”

The words landed like a weight in his chest.

“Realms are connected through mana, but if your world lacks it… returning may be difficult. Perhaps even impossible.”

Eli exhaled sharply, his confidence faltering.

His fingers curled into fists before he flexed them open again, restlessly rubbing his palms together. “So, what? I just live here now? Start a farm, build a hut in the woods?”

Eli could feel his anger and desperation rising again.

Alira watched him carefully, her tone gentle but firm. “If you’re here, it’s because this world believes you have a place in it.”

She let the silence stretch for a moment before adding, “I know that’s not the answer you want. But the answers you seek may only come if you’re willing to see them.”

Eli’s jaw tightened. He looked up at her, eyes narrowing slightly. “You talk like this world has a personality. Like it’s alive.”

Alira’s gaze didn’t waver. “It is, and it’s watching you, Eli. Just as I am.”

“That’s not creepy at all.” Eli muttered to himself.

He exhaled, “…Fine.” He leaned back, letting his head rest against the cool stone. “And thank you.” He cracked a forced smirk. “But if dragons show up, I’m out.”

Alira’s lips twitched. “That’s a fair boundary..”

Eli let out a shaky breath, his gaze drifting across the cave, as if the walls themselves might offer answers. “…So, we’re… where? In Caelum, you said?”

Alira nodded. “Yes, we’re in Caelum.”

She gestured around them, as if the world itself was listening. “Specifically, this region is called Arindral.”

Alira stood up and grabbed her satchel. She reached inside and pulled out a stone circle.

Outside, the wind shifted, carrying a distant, low howl through the trees. Something out there was awake.

“It’s a land of dense forests, wild mountains, and creatures unlike anything you’ve seen.”

Her voice was steady, but there was something almost reverent in the way she spoke. “We’re on the edge of the forest, near the heart of Arindral.”

Eli inhaled deeply, the cool cave air filling his lungs. It smelled of stone, damp earth… and something else. Something ancient.

Eli leaned back, his grip tightening on the arms of the chair. A strange weight settled over him.

“Arindral… Caelum… Mana…”

The words felt heavy in his mouth, like saying them made them more real. He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.

Alira sat the stone circle in the middle of the cave and glanced up at Eli. “I am going to start a fire, just a heads up that I am going to use mana to start it.”

“Ah, I appreciate that heads up, magic fire at this moment might have been my undoing.” Eli said.

Alira’s lips curved into a knowing smile. “I think you’ll find that, in time, this world might be just as fascinating as it is frustrating.”

She studied him for a long moment. “Who knows? You might even enjoy it.”

A flicker of purple light pulsed faintly across the symbols—brief, almost imperceptible.