Gateway to a New Life

The change happened in a split second – a dizzying mix of light and feeling that stole their breath and left no room to think. One moment, they were standing by the graves in Arcvon, the earthy smell clinging to their boots and the echoes of mourning filling the air. Then, suddenly, they were inside. A dim, somewhat messy room.

This fast change shocked them. It felt like the rules of space had been rewritten in an instant. The air smelled like dust and old electronics warming up after being forgotten for years, mixed with a faint floral scent – maybe from an old candle or air freshener that had been there for too long.

This wasn't a busy street in Arcvon, nor was it the halls of a stone castle, nor a forest. It was just a room, a small rectangle with pale blue walls that had faded over time. A big window was on one side, but thick curtains blocked out the daylight, making the room always dim. The other walls had shelves that bent under the weight of strange stuff: small, blinking machines, smooth plastic boxes, shiny disks, and little trinkets that seemed both fancy and pointless.

In one corner was a weird chair – padded and oddly shaped – lit by the soft glow of a screen on a nearby desk. The desk was a mess of cables, papers, and glowing lights. Underneath it, more machines hummed quietly. A worn rug covered the floor, its bright patterns faded by years of use and dust.

For Reyus, Mirai, Tundra, and Eyrie, this was as strange as a city made of gold. They had never seen things like this – smooth walls or made objects. Even the buzzing in the air, the hum of energy, made them uneasy. They stood still, looking around at all the strange things, unable to understand where they were.

“Where are we?” Mirai whispered. Her voice shook with a mix of fear and wonder. She held onto Reyus’ arm, trying to stay grounded, her eyes taking in everything with both fear and curiosity.

Tundra stayed quiet, her worried face showing what she felt. This strong warrior had faced monsters and wizards, but now she was lost in front of walls and shelves. Nothing had prepared her for this.

Eyrie, still sad from grief, felt something different. The room’s quietness felt like a gentle blanket around her. The closed space, soft colors, and stillness felt safe in a way that the big, cruel world outside didn't. For the first time since the funeral, her shoulders relaxed a little.

Reyus looked around the room, sharp and careful. While she was curious, she also felt a sense of danger. Everything here was strange and unnatural. The sharp corners, humming machines, and the soft glow from the screen were unsettling.

Admin Lazurai, on the other hand, acted differently. He gasped, his shoulders dropped – not with sadness or fear, but with recognition. He knew this place. He knew it. He looked around the room, and suddenly, memories flooded back to him.

The screen’s glow brought back the memory of late nights spent playing games until he was too tired to stay awake. The plastic blocks near the shelf whispered of towers and castles he once built on the floor. The faint stains on the rug reminded him of crayons, juice spills, and quick drawings on paper.

Beyond the objects, he remembered people: his mother’s warm embrace, a sibling’s playful push, his father’s loud laugh echoing through the walls.

He remembered his name.

His heart raced as he walked to the desk. His hands shook as he reached into his pocket. He felt the familiar weight of a phone – something from this world, not Arcvon. He turned it on, the screen lighting up his face. The others jumped back at the sudden glow, thinking it was magic.

“Okay,” he said, more to himself than to them. “Okay, everyone, I’m going to do something that will assist. Hold this thing, just for a moment. It should help you understand me.”

The girls looked at each other, unsure, but they did it. Each put their hand on the phone for a second. A faint shimmer seemed to pass between them – no light, no sound, but a feeling.

Admin looked up, hopeful. “Can you understand me now?”

“Yeah!” Mirai said, surprised. “What did you just do!?”

Admin sighed, relieved. “Don’t worry. It won’t hurt you. I brought you here so I could show you my world. And now… you can understand its language. It’s called English.”

The word sounded strange, but the meaning felt natural.

Admin paused, holding his head as more memories flooded back. “This… this is my room,” he whispered. “This is where I grew up.”

He stumbled, grabbing the chair for support, and pointed to the screen. “Please. Read what it says. I need to know if the translation worked.”

Reyus stepped forward, steady as always. The screen made her uneasy, but she was curious. She looked at the text carefully and then whispered, “It’s… talking about you.”

“What?” Admin asked, worried.

Reyus hesitated. “It says… ‘Missing Person: Admin R. McGilvray. Last seen—’” She stopped at the date, a confusing set of numbers. “‘Please contact if you have any information.’”

Mirai and Tundra came closer, looking over her shoulder. They looked at the strange symbols but understood every word. The document felt like a warning.

Eyrie stood near the fading portal, lost in thought. She was half in this room, half in the memory of her parents’ voices, still feeling the pain of loss.

Reyus turned back, concerned. “McGilvray? Admin… is that really you?”

The name hit him hard. It felt familiar but distant, like it was spoken across a long time. He looked at the picture on the screen: a younger boy with soft features, messy hair, and a shy smile. He recognized himself, feeling both pain and joy.

He stumbled back, his voice hoarse. “I… I don’t understand. The Goddess Aeriys gave me the name Admin when I came to Arcvon. I believed…” He stopped, confused.

Tundra crossed her arms, her voice firm. “Aeriys? Summoned? Are you saying you don’t remember anything before Arcvon?”

Admin held his head. “I had flashes. Fragments. Dreams, maybe. A birthday party, a sunny day, voices calling me by a name I never said. I always ignored them. Thought they were illusions from another world.” He looked at the screen again, not believing what he saw. “But this… this feels real. This feels like the truth I forgot.”

He felt a sharp pain in his head as memories rushed in. His mother’s voice calling him to dinner. His father teaching him to ride a bike. Arguments, laughter, tears. He saw notebooks filled with ideas, computer code, ice cream melting on his tongue, sunlight on his skin.

A life. A whole life. His life.

“Admin,” Reyus said gently, kneeling beside him. “Are you alright? You’re shaking.”

He swallowed, taking deep breaths. The memories were too much, but underneath it all, he felt a sense of belonging he hadn’t known he needed. He was no longer just Admin, the hero of Arcvon. He was Admin R. McGilvray. A boy from Earth. A son. Someone who had been lost and was now found.

“It’s all coming back,” he whispered. “Everything. My memories… my life…”

The room was silent as the others looked at each other, worried and amazed.

Admin looked up. “How about you? Can you read the words? Understand what you’re seeing?”

Tundra nodded. “Everything is clear. Whatever you did, it worked. We understand this world’s words.”

Admin gasped, realizing something. “If the goddess didn’t give me the name… then that means my name was Admin all along?” His voice broke, caught between surprise and disbelief.

Mirai frowned, confused. “I am also confused If that’s true, what does it mean? Who were you before Arcvon? And… what happens to us now?”

The question hung in the air. The screen’s glow lit their faces as they waited for an answer.

Admin stood up slowly, holding onto the desk. His voice was quiet. “I’m still trying to understand. The name I’ve had all this time… it wasn’t a gift. It wasn’t a title. It was me. It was always me.”

The truth stayed in the room, fragile and new, as the boy from Earth and the hero of Arcvon stood together, looking at a future as mysterious as the portal that had brought them there.