Second World

1

I anticipated the arbiter’s summons this time around, so I told myself it wouldn’t feel weird when I returned to that place.

But the warping of space, the flood of a thousand different memories, the feeling of being spat into a vast emptiness, I don’t think I could get used to any of that.

This time I remembered to breathe. I remembered that I was still human with normal bodily functions despite floating amongst the galaxies and stars. I blinked several times, looked around myself, and found my fellow champions doing the same.

That’s right. We decided to keep that title and referred to each other as such. In the past three weeks, the seven of us kept in touch via email and text messages, offering each other kinship and speculation in our shared experience. And as it turned out, it was difficult not having a name for our little group.

‘How about champions of fate?’ Maya suggested, accompanied by a thinking emoji. ‘It’s what the arbiter decided to call us and if we’re truly saving the universe, then something grand might be appropriate.’

Dancing emoji times five.

So, we agreed to the name, despite how embarrassing the title sounded. I got a chuckle out of Maya’s texting style though.

I glanced at the woman as she hovered in space, keeping a strict poise. She still wore her braids, though this time she had a pair of glasses, a hoodie, joggers, and a pair of sneakers. In fact, all seven of us opted to wear something comfortable and easy to move in. Well, aside from Jennifer who was infinitely more fashionable with her leather jacket, pink shirt, shorts, black stockings and knee-high boots. I knew she worked part time as a model, but still.

We slowly flew towards each other, gradually letting our senses get a feel of the ‘space’ around us. We exchanged pleasantries, awkward at first, but we had been chatting online since we got back home, so it quickly evolved to something more casual. It was hard not to notice that everybody was in a generally good mood. Like we all won the lottery or something.

I felt myself smiling at the thought. The five of us who did win didn’t shy away from getting our prize. Julio was the first to confirm he had the money and from there, none of us could keep away for long. Nobody got charged with fraud so far and I got myself a picture with a giant check, smiling like a complete goofball. The lottery people insisted on it, but I still had the option to be anonymous. So far only my parents knew about my win, and I intended to keep it that way.

So, was I happy about it? Damn right I was happy about it. But the reality of our situation as ‘fate’s champions’ hadn’t changed. Fact remained that one of us died, and if we were to do more of these ‘missions’ then I could very well be next. That’s part of why I made sure to let my parents know about the money and why I transferred most of it to their accounts.

I suppose the next question was… how long were we to work in order to save the universe? Was there a way out? Could there be any substitutes, someone far more trained in battle or negotiations than us random people? Funny that the next reward was the ability to get an answer to any question.

Almost as if it was designed that way. Money to shut us up, followed by answers to our pressing questions. We were already forced to do this, but the rewards did make us more compliant.

“I’m gonna ask that golden-eyed woman the winning numbers to the lottery as my reward,” Jennifer said. “It’s not fair Allen and I didn’t get jack.” She grabbed her pocket and rummaged through it. “But for now we should take some photos… wait, huh?”

I tapped my pocket and found it empty.

“I told you guys I checked my pockets last time,” Julio said. “Nothing again.”

“That’s a shame,” Maya said. “I tried to bring more than just my phone.”

We talked for a while about our situation, exchanging theories about where we were, why we were chosen, what any of it meant. It wasn’t anything new from our usual chat, but all that did was make our next reward a lot more appealing. Of course, we could just ask the arbiter before our mission, but…

I hovered towards Clare.

“Hey.”

“What’s up.”

“Just wondering… you still plan to ask the arbiter how we can get out of this?”

“I am. If she gives us time to talk before we start our missions, I’ll try and ask as much as I can.”

“Knock out what can be asked normally and what ‘truth’ is considered reward worthy.”

“Right. I just need to make sure I don’t waste the reward question and word it properly.”

“Makes sense. But what if she says there’s no way to leave or quit?”

“Then that’s that. I’ll think of another way out.” Clare raised an eyebrow. “What about you? Did you decide on what you want to know?”

“Not really…”

It was the stupidest thing but a part of me considered asking how Ilyana felt about me. Or how our future would be together. As lovers. As, well, together together. Of course, I wasn’t going to waste my reward on something I could figure out on my own, but after three weeks of fretting, I still haven’t told her how I felt. Worse than that, she probably—

The arbiter appeared into existence with no warning or signal whatsoever. But unlike her previously lazy disposition, the arbiter seemed a lot more excited to see us this time around.

“My champions!” she said with a tone that was almost warm. Her voice still reverberated in a funny way, but there was definitely more emotion to it. “How I’ve missed all of you.”

We hovered around her cautiously.

The arbiter nodded as she looked at each of us. “You all seem to be doing well. Enjoying that last reward, I hope? Well, the universe needs its savior, so why don’t we begin?”

Before any of us could say anything, three disks appeared above us, spinning with light, until eventually, the mirror to other worlds opened. They each showed some kind of fantastical realm: a city filled with floating lanterns against a backdrop of intense shadow, a snowy mountain with a castle at its peak, and a bustling town glittering with purplish light.

“Just three?” Julio asked. “Will only three of us participate this time?”

We all looked at each other nervously. Do we get to choose who goes?

“All of you will participate,” the arbiter said. “Well, at least six of you will be. The odd one out is unnecessary for this mission, so they can sit back if they wanted to.”

Wait, what?

“That means two people per portal, correct?” Virgilia asked.

“Right you are, my dear!” the arbiter answered. “One of these worlds will be familiar to one of you. The portal in the far right leads to the Free Cities of Joren.”

I gasped.

“That’s where the Great Bridge is!” I said out loud. “That’s my world!”

“It is indeed. For this mission, you’d all have two months or less to finish it. That should be more than enough time to know your assigned worlds.”

“Two months!?” we all shouted in unison.

The arbiter smiled as she spun to a sitting position, legs crossed. “Worry not about your lives on earth. Much like before, only a bit of time will pass when you return.”

“There’s the fine print,” I said. “Two months or less, huh?”

The arbiter cackled. “Fear not, Ryota Rutherford. Two months will be the hard cut off for this mission. But it’s entirely possible for all three to be completed before that time limit. I wonder which of you will be the fastest this time!” She clapped her hands once. “And now for the assignments. Julio and Maya will be sent to the mountains of Curios. Virgilia and Clare to the Free Cities of Joren. Ryota and Jennifer to the Everdark Forest of Shusui.”

“Wait, I don’t get to go to Joren?” I said in surprise.

“Fate determined your affinity higher with Shusui, Ryota Rutherford. Considering you did your previous mission so well, I’m sure this choice will work out fine.”

“I guess that means its Allen who stays behind,” Maya said. “What will he do in the meantime?”

We all looked at the man. He was on the verge of tears, which I initially thought as a sign of relief. I would be if it were me. Instead there was a quiet anger in his eyes.

“Allen Fitzgerald is unnecessary for your second mission,” the arbiter said, mimicking a shrug. “He barely passed the previous one, so this lessens our overall chance at failure.”

“You didn’t have to put it that way,” Jennifer said. “But at least you know you’re going to be safe, right, Allen?”

Allen didn’t say a word, but it was clear from his face that he was conflicted. Both in real life and online, he was a man of few words. But unlike Virgilia who chooses to stay quiet most of the time, Allen just didn’t seem good at talking.

“There are no penalties for staying behind, right?” I asked.

“There are none,” the arbiter confirmed. “But there won’t be any reward unless you participate in a mission either. For obvious reasons.”

That made sense.

We proceeded to grill the arbiter on what each mission would require. Unlike last time where we were thrown into different worlds fairly quickly, we made sure to be thorough this time. Through most of it, the arbiter simply smiled as she provided us with information, lounging comfortably in space as if on an imaginary chair. She was less awkward this time around, sounding almost friendly that I dropped my guard a few times and blushed like an idiot whenever she recrossed her legs or stretched. Her face and physique were incredibly attractive, there was no doubt about that, but last time she just looked so alien that it felt uncanny. Now there was an air of familiarity about her. Weird. This wouldn’t be hypnosis, would it? Could I even tell? Nevertheless, Clare did not seem fazed. She’d occasionally ask questions about leaving this place or retiring from our ‘fate’, but to no avail. I supposed those answers would have to wait after we get our reward.

The Joren mission was an escort quest. Clare and Virgilia were to find a person bearing the ‘mark of the dragon’ and bring them to one of the noble families in the capital city of Ustel. It was crucial that the person in question never gets their identity revealed to the Joreni. Failure to do so will end in, well, failure. The tricky part was locating this person and earning their trust.

Admittedly, I felt some sort of investment to that world. It was a shame I wasn’t part of their team, but if there was any combination that would find success it would be Clare and Virgilia. Maybe that was the reason their ‘affinity’ was higher.

The Curios mission was a bit more complex. Apparently, the castle at the top of the mountain was considered abandoned by the locals in the area, and an expedition was to be sent there. In reality, however, a group of immortals live in that place, a group that hasn’t had contact with the rest of the world for centuries. The goal was to join the expedition and make sure contact between the locals and the immortals did not spark war with another country. Diplomacy was the name of the game, and Maya and Julio were to convince the immortals to see the locals in a positive light and choose to protect them.

That mission would be too much for me. I was glad I wasn’t part of it, but Maya and Julio both seemed interested to say the least. Maya found the immortals part romantic, apparently, while Julio thought the science of their immortality highly intriguing. Again, it made sense their ‘affinity’ was high.

As for the mission in the Everdark Forest of Shusui, Jennifer and I were tasked to infiltrate the area. We were to ‘steal the treasured gemstone from the natives in the village inside the forest, make sure people were made aware of the theft, destroy said gemstone, and then escape.’

Easy.

Excuse me, what?

“Make sure to destroy the gemstone,” the arbiter said nonchalantly. “That part is particularly important.”

“Oh, is that all?” Jennifer yelled.

“Yes,” the arbiter answered. Nonchalantly.

“Does the forest have buildings and structures?” Clare asked. “Perhaps where the natives live?”

“You’re correct,” the arbiter said. “In fact, the structures are unique and quite the technical marvel. Especially from your perspective.”

Wait a minute. Was that why Clare asked that question? I was only in my second year of university, but perhaps my engineering knowledge would help. Another fate affinity at work? But theft? Escape? That was way out of my wheelhouse. And looking at how Jennifer was freaking out, I don’t think it was in hers either.

“Interesting,” Maya said, a hand on her chin. “I think I understand why each mission can be accomplished before the time limit. I suppose you can say the same about our previous missions, but this time we can approach it in different ways.”

“Do we get a hint on the best strategy to find our success?” Julio asked the arbiter. “We’re all in the same team here, so you could throw us a bone or two.”

The arbiter tilted her head as if considering the question. “Aside from historical context of each world, which you will learn like you did last time, too much interference from outside sources, myself included, could jeopardize the mission. The best I could do is offer you… incentive.”

For some reason, the arbiter looked at me when she said that last part, looking rather… seductive. I shook my head. What was wrong with me?

A few more questions from Clare and Maya later and the arbiter finally opened the portals for us.

I’ve spent three weeks thinking and planning about this second mission and honestly, there wasn’t much I could do but steel myself. I wasn’t even going to the same world.

Which reminded me. I floated over to Clare and Virgilia. “Hey, before you guys go… you don’t have to do this, but if it doesn’t go against your mission or waste any time, can you find out what happened to the Mage Queen?”

Virgilia raised an eyebrow, a surprising show of interest.

“I just… I don’t know what happened, you know? I tried my best to not harm her, but… I had to destroy her flying palanquin in order to stop her from destroying the bridge. She’s not exactly a good person, based on what she was planning to do, but… I don’t know, it just bothers me.”

“I’ll try and find out what I can,” Clare said, smiling slightly. “You’re no killer, Ryota. None of us are. I understand why you’re conflicted.”

“Thanks.” I nodded to both of them, then watched them enter their portal.

Was I really conflicted? Yes. But at the same time, everything that happened in the Great Bridge felt… surreal. Like a dream. I remember it vividly, but it was literally something from another world. Another part of the universe. When I think along those lines, I wonder if we should really be doing this.

Maya and Julio entered into their portal next.

In the end we were at the mercy of the arbiter. Though perhaps I could think of a reward that will help me answer some of the more philosophical questions.

Jennifer and I floated in front of our portal as the arbiter hovered above. We nodded to each other, hovered forward and—

“Wait!”

We stopped and looked back.

Allen was floating there with a serious look in his eyes. “Arbiter, you said I… I could sit back if I wanted to, right?” He flew towards us, shaking slightly. “Well, what if I want to go? What if I also want to save the universe like they do?”

The arbiter cackled a low hum, hovering past us to level with Allen. She watched him closely, her expression between curiosity and surprise. “There is no other portal but this one.”

“Then I’ll… I’ll go with them… then.”

Allen looked at us, teary-eyed but resolute.

“I can help. I promise I won’t be a burden.”

To my surprise, the arbiter looked at us as if she needed our permission.

Jennifer grabbed my arm. “Ours is a pretty difficult task… we can use the extra hand, right?”

That was true. Especially considering we needed to find where the gemstone we were meant to steal was to begin with. Gathering all sorts of information would take time. Allen didn’t even need to participate in the actual theft or escape. Heck, I didn’t even know how we’d do either of those. There were no negatives to this.

“I agree,” I said.

The arbiter hovered back towards the portal. “So be it, my champions. As my acknowledgement of Allen Fitzgerald’s bravery, he too will gain a reward should you all succeed in this mission.”

Gotta dangled that carrot, I supposed. But again, only more positives for us.

Allen sniffed, wiped his eyes then hovered proudly next to Jennifer and me.

“Good luck.”

2

The world warped for a second time that night, and to my surprise and relief, what I came to wasn’t a war-torn environment or even a hostile one. It was the middle of a town with buildings, roads, lanterns, the sound of foot traffic, chatting, the smell of spices and animals. It was too much to take in, so I decided to look up and focus on the sky. It was a cloudless night dominated by stars unfamiliar to me.

“I’m Ryota Rutherford,” I whispered to myself. “I’m… here. I’m right here.”

I remembered doing the same thing when I was first transported to the Free Cities of Joren. Of course, that time I was immediately surrounded by knights too eager to charge into battle. It wasn’t until my commanding officer—who’s name I knew at the time but couldn’t remember now—pulled me to the side to ‘settle my nerves’. Now I get to settle them on my own.

I blinked and looked around me, still in a daze. I was in an empty alley lit by red and yellow lanterns marked by this world’s writing. I felt like I could read what it said, but thinking took effort at the moment. Ahead of me was a street full of people passing by. There was even a cart pulled by a pack horse with... did that horse have bunny ears? That was where the noise was coming from, not to mention the smell. It was probably a market.

The buildings were tall, at least in the vicinity I was in, about three to five stories, angular, like stacked cubes. They all had roof tiles reminiscent of east Asian architecture, but with odd circular contraptions that seemed to glow. I rubbed my eyes. No, those were lanterns too. They were abundant here.

I breathed and looked down at my hands, then what I was wearing. Much like before I had armor on, but this time of obsidian gleam. It was very light and oddly interwoven with cloth and leather underneath. I even had a red scarf. The armor looked sleek, had softer curves and edges, and did not get in the way of my movements. I could probably run in this.

“Yo, check me out!”

I jumped at the voice, then realized Jennifer was directly behind me, while Allen slumped next to the wall in the distance. Right. I wasn’t alone this time.

The blonde woman spun around next to me as if to examine herself. Her clothing was more in line with the local setting. She wore what looked like a sleeveless kimono with a hood on the back. Instead of a long skirt, she wore black tights and knee-high boots with exposed toes. Around her arms were bracers embedded with gemstones that glowed faintly. “The arbiter said I can use the magic of this world, right?” She fiddled with her ponytail, which was now tied in a braid, held together by a metal clasp. She was halfway between a ninja and a mage. Odd as it was, she looked really good in it. As expected of a model, I supposed.

“Ugh…” Allen groaned as he slowly made his way towards us, one hand holding at the wall for support. “Are you guys okay?”

The man wore a grey armor with round pauldrons, a bulky chest plate and spiked greaves. He also had a brown cape and metallic headband, while his dark curls were tied neatly in a bun.

Then a memory dawned on me. We were mercenaries. Members of a guild that took on odd jobs here and there. Allen was born from a disgraced noble family he left behind, Jennifer was a graduate of some magic academy, and I was… a street urchin who clawed my way up from the underworld.

Of course, none of these were real. They were identities crafted not directly for us, but for the people in this world to recognize us. It was part of the arbiter’s magic—hypnosis, if I were to guess—to convince this world that we belonged here. That meant I didn’t actually know why I was a street urchin or how exactly did I make a name for myself, because none of those actually happened.

I flexed my hand and felt a surge of power inside me. It wasn’t wind magic like my time in Joren, but it was an innate ability I can use to strengthen myself.

Our fake backstories would also help explain why we had these abilities. It was something the locals had access to, but in our case, it was something we simply acquired to help with our mission.

I only had two hours on my first outing to really consider it, but the others had told me how detailed their fake memories were of the worlds they were sent to. They said the memories gradually unveiled itself in times that was convenient. Like an insight. We all assumed that was so our brains didn’t explode from having too much information uploaded into them.

And of course, the arbiter avoided explaining exactly how it worked when Clare questioned her about it. My guess? It involved complex magic-science that was too long to go over.

“I think the name of this town is Yorutei,” Jennifer said, arms crossed as if thinking. “It’s the closest town to the Everdark forest. What about you, Allen? Did you get information in your head too? You kinda joined last minute.”

Allen nodded, still looking sick. “It’s the same as the first mission. I just… know things. The country we’re in is called Shusui and it borders a large shadow on the map. These memories are vague and never enough, but I think… it also lets me read what’s written on those lanterns.”

I looked up. The lantern on the street said ‘fortune’. The writing was similar to Chinese characters but with lots of round brush strokes and an empty center. The lanterns at the top of the houses said ‘wind protection’ and ‘rain flow’.

“I think some of those lanterns have a gemstone like this inside them,” Jennifer said, raising her arm. Upon closer inspection the stones on her bracers have symbols too, but they were harder to read. Something life… something fire. “They’re imbued by this world’s magic and able to act like devices.”

“Like machines,” I said. I suddenly had a faint memory of seeing them used to irrigate crops and heat stoves and furnaces. “It’s very interesting.”

We stood in that alley for a few more minutes, resting and getting out any useful information we have about this world.

We ‘remembered’ that the Everdark was home to dangerous beasts, and the people that lived there do so by choice. They were said to be descendants of the ancient city of Yunha that once existed in the forest before a curse turned it… well, dark. Quite literally. Apparently, the sun doesn’t shine past the trees’ canopies, so lanterns like the ones here in Yorutei were used to navigate the place.

The people of Yunha occasionally traded with the people of Yorutei, but mainly during the Song of Heaven festival, which happens a month from now. It was a week-long event, and while people could freely come and go to the Everdark Forest whenever they wanted to, only during this time period did the Yunha extend their lantern barriers to fend the beasts away, making for a safe passage between the two peoples.

“That’s not fair,” Jennifer grumbled. “Two-month time limit my ass! We basically only have the week of the festival to do our heist!”

“That’s the arbiter for you,” I said. “Always a catch. Still though, we have a month to plan our mission and a week to execute it. After that is three more weeks, but with unsafe travel. Those are far better odds than the two hours I got last time.”

Jennifer and Allen didn’t look convinced, so I clapped them each in the shoulders.

“Besides, there’s three of us here. We can do this.”

The only other thing we ‘remembered’ was how grand the guild was in this world. Apparently, it spanned the entire continent, this town being its northern edge, and flow of information was abundant. They’d also help us with accommodations and give us jobs if we needed them. Luckily for us, we had a good amount of money in our pockets.

“I guess we should start there,” Jennifer said. “I’m also kind of starving.”

“Me too,” Allen echoed.

I grinned. “To the guild it is, then.”