Prologue: How in the seven wonders did I end up here?

"Hi. My name is Junji. That's my first name, just so you know. "

"Who are you talking to right now?" 

"Myself. Don't mind me, I'm just reciting information in my head. I am 19 years of age and a legal adult, but people say I still act like a brat." 

"Why are you talking to yourself right now?" 

"Yeah honestly, I wonder as well."

All of that happened in my head. I guess I'm going insane lol, though I must admit, the predicament I'm in is quite... intriguing, to say the least. 

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. Let's start over again.

***

"Junji! you better be ready! This will be your first time directing a film!"

"Not really. I'm only assisting you in directing. Nonetheless, I shall try my best."

My mother was calling for me through the speakers on my phone. At the time, I was in my room, looking up more movies, reviews and plotlines that I could use to make the production go more interestingly. It was going to be my first time managing a role in the making of a film, so I needed inspiration and guidelines. My goal was to make the film as interesting as possible, and then debut as a star film director.

Yes. I, Nanami Junji, am a young aspiring talent who would make it big in the entertainment industry one day. Not as an actor, but rather one of the more backdoor roles in movie making. I spent my life absorbing everything regarding plot; I've watched western movies, Chinese drama, Korean TV drama, and Japanese anime. I was doing all this to become a proper script writer and director. It would be a set life; if I manage to pull it off, that is.

As of right now at this very moment, I reside in the capital of Japan, Tokyo. There really isn't too much to do around here though, considering the fact that I live in a small apartment in Ueno, and that I'm still technically a student, currently doing my second year at Waseda University. I guess I'd occasionally go to the art museum nearby to marvel at the various works displayed there. My parents live and work in Osaka, which explains why I'm living alone here in Tokyo

"Junji! You better get going! I can hear you brewing coffee with the coffee machine in the background, you know!"

"Alright! Alright! I'm coming! Do me a favor and shut up for a bit!"

I hung up on the call. A string of smartphone notifications followed.

"Ugh, she's ranting again... The train isn't going for another hour, for pete's sake.

I'm currently packing for a trip to the Kansai region. As I've stated before, my parents work there, and they're testing me for the first time by making me assistant director in their upcoming film.

I technically have everything packed into my duffle bag as I did so the day before, but I guess I'll just double check again to ensure I didn't miss anything, so I finished my coffee and got to work.

"Manuscript, phone, portable power bank, laptop, laptop charger, stationary..."

Ah! I forgot my eyepatch!

Branded with something that resembled a null symbol, my lucky eyepatch is a gift given to me by my late great grandfather, who apparently worked as a sailor somewhere in Singapore. According to the tales my father used to tell me, he was an able seaman who would look out for threats in the rough waters. During one of his expeditions however, he sustained an injury to the eye, causing him to go blind on his left eye. This lead to him obtaining an eyepatch, and it was kept as a family heirloom after he had passed.

Coincidentally, I was born with a case of Stargardt disease— If you didn't know, it's a rare disease that affects the eye, with fatty materials clouding the macula within the retina, which causes a black cloudiness to form around some part of my vision. Because of this, I've had to live my life with my left eye being essentially useless. I guess that meant I got to keep the sick eyepatch though. It was old, but it was antique and good looking, so I didn't mind too much. It's not like I got picked on for it anyway.

"Sheesh, almost forgot to put it on. The doctor did tell me not to strain my left eye too much, since it can go completely blind."

With that reminder and all my belongings packed, I headed out for the station. Locking the front door, I said my goodbyes to my apartment, and left for the train. The streets of Ueno in the afternoon were still relatively peaceful and quiet, and there weren't too many pedestrians. Walking along a peaceful street with the perfect temperature is something I enjoy doing every now and then, making it a pleasant walk. 

Reaching the station, I slowly moved downstairs into the station. In front of me were people in all directions, bustling about the underground walkway. I stopped by the convenience store for some potato chips and other things to eat, and then boarded the train, which had just arrived.

Getting to my seat, I pulled out my computer from my bag and looked at some roblox memes. The trip was going to be long, and I'm not gonna sit here just to wait and be bored to hell.

"I swear, memes are great."

I whispered to myself, and chuckled a bit. The other passengers were all asleep, and they had no problems with me smiling to myself. Despite everything, I am still a teenager, so there shouldn't be any problems with me being goofy.

Looking out of the train, it seemed like I was in a tunnel— a long one at that. There wasn't much to look at outside, so I continued my hobbies within the train, and searched up the web novel I was reading. It was about a tale of a fantasy world that existed within our realm; one that cannot be accessed through normal means, and one that exists right outside of our world. This fantasy world is connected, and its stories were told through this web novel. 

For me, a premise like that is always fun to read, since it makes you believe that such a world really does exist. Of course, the story itself however is anything but colloquial. There's stuff that you'd see in an everyday fantasy, and the world itself is like a phantasm; each story is told in a few volumes and they are all linked to the world within, but it always took place through the eyes of the narrator, the writer of the story. His name was Fargo, and he was the main character of all the stories told within the series of this web novel. It's also worth noting that Fargo is the author's alias, which is interesting to say the least.

In the current volume that I was reading, it detailed the story of Fargo the Variant, where he had heroically slain the demon king and ended war between the light and dark. Humans, Beasts, and Celestials were all living in harmony, without the harm of demons. It was a very generic fantasy adventure story. Fargo basically was sent to the far kingdom of Nardlebarg, where he trained to become the next hero. In return, he would be sent back to his world of advanced mechanisms— prisms piercing the skies and metal pods with wheels of flight. 

So he trained day and night, met many authorial figures, and defeated the demon king through the power of friendship and many tribulations. It was ridiculously generic, that I predicted well over a third of the plot. Regardless, it's fun to read and picture the little differences and interactions between Fargo and his friends, such as the powerful atomic mage "Excelsus the Great" and  "Metal Tarkus", who was known for his impregnable defensive play in combat. There was also the fan favorite celestial princess Ella Orifiel "Star", who had a playful and cute attitude throughout the whole story. She was basically the medieval-beta version of a Vtuber, if you ask me.

After reading about Fargo's journey with his friends again, it really got me thinking about all the characters and the ending again.

"Always a great story to read over again, even if it's ridiculously mid for some people. Wonder how Fargo's doing now, after returning to his world." I said to myself, after wrapping up the last chapter of this volume.

The ending detailed Fargo returning to his world after defeating the demon king, and as he was being teleported and transported back to his world, he waved goodbye to his party members, and told them that they would meet again very soon.

"There still isn't a volume where these characters re-appeared though... I heard Fargo's publishing a new series of volumes about it though."

That's right. I remember now. Since the volumes come in series, Fargo publishes them in a very sequential manner. Each series features Fargo, but the characters within them usually don't overlap with other sets of series; Only exception being the king of Nardlebarg and these party members, who appeared in his heroic journey and the currently publishing series.

"Wonder what the characters would be up to now if they were real..."

As I wondered and pondered about the series ending went and how the new sequel titles were doing, I slowly shut my eyes, hoping to get some sleep as there was still well over an hour left before arrival. Yet before I could, it all happened... Last thing I could hear was something loud and reactive, and a large purple flash before my eyes...

***

...

.......

Where am I?

How am I?

...

"WHY AM I?" I yelled, in a panicked, jolted manner.

Okay, seems like I'm still thinking not thinking straight. I had come to my senses, but couldn't remember much.

Calm down. Let's think it through in a pragmatic manner.

So I was dozing off after wrapping up "Fargo: Greatest Hero in Hidden World", and I fainted after hearing and seeing a loud purple explosion. Right.

Next. Calmly assess the situation, and the damage. If an accident occurred, I need to ensure my safety, and where I am.

I checked for wounds on my body. It looks like I'm fine, but I felt weak and tired. The area around me was too dimly lit to see what was going on. Am I still in the tunnel, or was I elsewhere? These walls don't look like concrete... And there are torches on the walls...

Have I stumbled upon something unruly? Right while thinking this,

A strange voice came from the darkness in front of me.

...

"Hello... Variant."

A voice can be heard.