Admin R. McGilvray

The shift hit them like a rogue wave – a rush of light and feeling, stealing their breath and scrambling their thoughts. One second, they stood by the graves in Arcvon, the earthy smell still clinging to their boots, the echoes of mourning floating around them. Then… boom. They were inside. And inside was a dim, crammed room.

The about-face made their heads spin. It was as if the world had been rewritten in a heartbeat. The air smelled like dust and old tech, like an old game console heating up after years in the attic, mixed with a hint of something fake-floral from a long-gone air freshener.

This wasn't the busy town of Arcvon. No grand stone halls or dreamy forest scenes. This was just a room. A basic box with pale blue walls that had faded over time. A big window took up one side, but thick curtains blocked out the sun, keeping the place in permanent twilight. The other walls held shelves crammed with weird stuff: tiny blinking gadgets, smooth plastic boxes, shiny disks, and odd trinkets that looked both fancy and useless.

A strange, comfy-looking chair sat in one corner, lit by a nearby computer screen. The desk was a mess of wires, papers, and glowing lights. More machines buzzed under it, like a low, steady song. A worn rug covered the floor, its patterns now lost under years of dirt.

For Reyus, Mirai, Tundra, and Eyrie, this was like landing on another planet. They had never seen these things, the smooth walls or stuff that was made somewhere. Even the buzz in the air, the feeling of hidden power, freaked them out. They stood frozen, eyes darting around, trying to make sense of where they were.

Um… where are we? Mirai finally whispered. Her voice shook, a mix of awe and worry. She grabbed Reyus’ arm for support, her eyes wide as she took in every weird detail.

Tundra stayed quiet, but her frown showed she was working it out. This tough warrior who had fought monsters now felt lost in a room of plaster and plastic. No amount of training could have made her ready for this.

Eyrie, still hurting from her loss, felt something different. The room’s quiet felt like a soft hug. The small space, the soft colors, the stillness – it felt safe, something the hard world outside wasn’t. For the first time since the funeral, her shoulders relaxed just a bit.

Reyus looked around the room, sharp and cautious. Her mind was buzzing with curiosity, but she knew to be careful. Everything here was weird, not natural. The sharp corners, the buzzing machines, the strange light from cold glass – it was all unsettling.

Admin Lazurai, though, had a different reaction. He gasped, his shoulders falling in a way that wasn't sadness or fear, but recognition. He knew this place. He just knew it. His mouth opened as his eyes scanned the room, and suddenly, memories came rushing back, things he had buried a long time ago.

The computer screen made his eyes ache – just like when he stayed up late playing video games until he crashed. The plastic blocks near the shelf whispered of towers and castles he once built on the floor. The stains on the rug reminded him of crayons, spilled juice, and messy drawings on paper.

And past the things, people’s memories flooded in: his mom’s warm hug, a brother or sister’s playful push, his dad’s loud laugh echoing in the walls that now held him again.

He remembered his name.

His heart raced as he moved to the desk. His hands, shaking, reached for his pocket. He felt the weight of a phone – something from this world, not Arcvon. He turned it on, the smooth glass lighting up his face. The others jumped at the sudden light, thinking it was magic.

“Okay,” he said, more to himself than to the others. “Okay, I’m going to do something that will make things better.” His voice shook with a need to help. “Touch this thing – just for a second. It should let you understand me.”

The friends looked at each other, unsure, but one by one, they did what he said. Each touched the phone. A slight ripple seemed to pass between them – no light, no sound, just a strange feeling.

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

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

Admin let out a breath, relief washing over him. “Don’t worry. It’s not bad. I brought you here to show you my world. And now… you can understand how to interact and communicate within it. It's something referred to as, English.

The word sounded weird, but its meaning settled into their minds as if it had always been there.

Admin stopped, grabbing his head as more memories crashed like a wave. “This… this is my room,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “This is where I grew up.”

He swayed, holding the back of the chair for help, and pointed to the screen. “Please. Read what’s on there. I want to know if what I did actually worked.”

Reyus, calm as always, stepped forward. The glowing screen made her uneasy, but she had to know. She leaned in, carefully reading the text. After a long silence, she whispered, “It’s… talking about you.”

“What?” Admin asked, his heart sinking.

Reyus’s lips trembled as she continued, “It says… ‘Missing Person: Admin R. McGilvray. Last seen—’” She stopped at the date, an impossible set of numbers. “‘Please call if you have any information.’”

Mirai and Tundra hurried to her, peeking over her shoulder. They stared at the strange symbols, but somehow they understood every word. The document glowed like a warning sign.

Eyrie stood near where the portal had faded, her eyes far away. She was half in this room, half in the memory of her parents’ voices, the loss still fresh.

Reyus turned, her face tight. “McGilvray? Admin… is that really you?”

The name hit him like a shock. It echoed through him, familiar but distant, as if heard from a lifetime ago. His eyes locked on the picture on the screen: a younger boy with a kind face, messy hair, and a shy smile. Recognition came over him, painful and beautiful.

He stumbled back, his voice rough. “I… I don’t get it. The Goddess Aeriys gave me the name Admin when I was asked to fight for Arcvon. I thought…” He trailed off, lost in confusion.

Tundra crossed her arms, her voice steady but sharp. “Aeriys? Asked? You’re saying you don’t remember anything before Arcvon?”

Admin pressed his hands to his head. “I had glimpses. Pieces. Like dreams, maybe. A birthday party, a sunny day, people calling me by a name I never said out loud. I always brushed them off. I thought they were fake, or visions from another world.” He looked at the screen again, his eyes wide with disbelief. “But this… this feels real. This feels like the truth I forgot.”

Pain shot through his head, sharp and constant. He fell to one knee, gasping, as memories flooded in faster than he could handle. His mother calling him to dinner. His father teaching him to ride a bike. Arguments at the table, laughter in the living room, tears in the quiet of his room. He saw notebooks full of ideas, computer code written late at night, the taste of ice cream, the warmth of the sun.

A life. A real life. His life.

“Admin,” Reyus said gently, kneeling beside him, her hand steady on his arm. “Are you okay? You’re shaking.”

He swallowed hard, trying to breathe normally. The rush of memories was too much, but under the chaos was a sense of belonging, something he didn’t know he wanted. 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, his voice rough. “Everything. My memories… my life… it’s all coming back.”

The room fell silent, the others exchanging worried looks.

Admin looked up, meeting their eyes. “How about you? Can you read the words? Do you understand what you’re seeing?”

Tundra nodded firmly. “Everything is easy to understand. Whatever magic—or device—you used, it worked. We understand this world’s words.”

Admin’s breath hitched. His eyes widened as he realized something. If the goddess didn't give me the name… then was the name given to me before all of this? His voice broke, caught between surprise and disbelief.

Mirai frowned, confused. “I don’t get it. 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, heavy and unanswerable. The light from the screen painted their faces as silence took over.

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

The truth hung in the room, fragile and uncertain, as the boy from Earth and the hero of Arcvon stood together in one body, one soul, staring into a future as strange as the portal that had brought them here.