"Aaaaaaah! Ahhhhhhh!"
His scream echoed across the planes. Then came a loud thud, followed by a groan raw, broken, and full of pain.
Adam had fallen from a dimension saturated with magic. His body shimmered with unnatural energy, each muscle and bone reacting to the transition. He dropped from a height that felt eternal, at a speed so fast it was as if his body were being torn apart mid-air. In an instant, he appeared ripped from nothingness with a sudden hush that swallowed all sound, and then slammed hard into the earth.
The ground beneath him was no ordinary terrain. It was an expanse of glowing greenery, a vibrant realm of emerald jungles, floating islands, and skies painted with streaks of aurora. His boots sank into luminous moss.
A fox, sleek and shimmering with fiery fur, stood nearby. with a sly grin. This was Ember the fox
Still reeling from the fall, Adam began to laugh—hysterically, painfully.
"Yes! I'm alive! I'm actually alive!" he shouted, half-crazed, tears and laughter mixing.
"That serves you right," Adam muttered
Adam looked himself over, still chuckling, until the weight of the moment returned. He stumbled to his feet only to fall again. His heart pounded like war drums. Panic gripped him. He scanned his surroundings.
Eyes. Everywhere.
Staring. Judging. Disgusted.
He shrank under their gaze, trying to retreat into himself. He stood, only to fall once more. He ran, then tripped. He finally found his footing, only to lose his confidence. The stares so sharp, so cold stripped him bare.
Laughter erupted all around as he clumsily rose again.
Then, suddenly, glowing letters appeared in the air etched in an ancient language on a floating crystal screen.
"Adam Sonbone" Candidate #520
A murmur ran through the crowd. In the kingdom of Levion, "Sonbone" meant something else.
Adam was a bastard. In Levion, such children were branded "Bones" their lineage marked by shame.
Before he could process it, a deep voice rang out across the jungle, echoing through every tree and stone.
"Welcome, selected candidates ,future Guardians of the Realm. Royals, slaves, lords, servants... down here, those names hold no meaning. Here, you fight for survival."
The voice paused, letting the silence settle like dust.
"In these woods, your knowledge of the world above, your skills, your talents, your very gifts these will determine whether you live or die."
They were in Valoria.
Deep in the lost woods of the old island wiped from the maps of Levion a place ancient and cursed. A realm that held the darkness at bay. A barrier between the world of mankind and the monsters of the Darkside.
Valoria: the prison of legends.
The voice continued.
"Rest while you can. The journey ahead is long. Make friends you'll wish you had someone watching your back. From this moment forward, you are no longer boys, or girls, or countryfolk. You are Guardians of the Realm."
A wave of cheers burst from the jungle, scattering birds into the violet skies. The very jungle seemed to cry out in protest, disturbed and awakened by the invasion.
Adam stood silently lost, confused, and unaware of the changes beginning to ripple through his body.
Then he saw her.
The girl who had stolen his necklace.
She walked past him like nothing had happened, flanked by four other boys. One of them had a voice that made Adam's skin crawl.