The planet spun on its axis as usual, days and nights occurred naturally, the seasons passed through time, and in a forest on the edge of the world, a young man woke from his sleep.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. His pupils contracted immediately, unaccustomed to all the light that had passed through them. He turned to lift himself from the ground with his arms, as his entire body was numb for some reason. He tried to open his eyes again, noticing how the grass seemed slightly different from any type he had seen before.
Little by little, he rose, supporting himself clumsily on his feet while trying to maintain his balance. He looked up, noticing the foliage of the trees that lightly covered the sky, while wondering why the branches had that spiral shape.
He began to walk slowly, following a light that seeped through the small spaces between each trunk. He walked for minutes, then left the forest, immediately covering his face, for the light was now overwhelming. Slowly, he lowered his hand, looking at the vast horizon before him in confusion. That terrain did not exist on his planet, with hills that became cliffs, small valleys that stretched into mountains covering more than half the horizon, and then ending in horizontal planes that turned into immense platforms.
The amount of information he absorbed was so great that his nose bled, something he didn't notice. His brain was too busy creating hypotheses and theories about that place. He looked up, spotting rocky formations floating in the air, creating small or large islands that defied any physical theory. Through them passed large birds with anatomies impossible for Earth's ecosystem. The amount of information flowing in his brain caused blood to flow from his other nostril.
Isaac opened his mouth slightly, then released the first word he spoke in that world.
"What the fuck..." - The wind blew firmly past him, falling over the cliff before him and filling the entire horizon. A horizon that seemed more fantastical than ever.
Isaac's lab coat moved with the wind, creating a slight sound that woke the young man from his trance. Slowly, he ran a hand through his hair, trying to create some physical sensation that would wake him from that dream, but he did not wake up.
"This isn't a dream... What do I do..."—he said breathlessly.
He tried to approach the cliff, but his vertigo prevented him from moving closer to the precipice. He decided to check his body, which seemed to be totally intact, except for his lab coat, which was slightly dirty with soil.
Isaac turned his head back, spotting the edge of the forest from which he had emerged. He thought about going back in to see if there was something that could help him, but before anything else, a gray ball suddenly appeared in the air.
The ball began to stretch like play-doh, taking the form of something resembling a tardigrade, which began to move in circles, circling Isaac until they were face to face.
"Welcome! I am your Adjutor! Pleasure to meet you, Mister Isaac!" said the creature in a cheerful tone while moving around him.
The young man observed that thing attentively, then grabbed it with both hands gently, rubbing his fingers on it to analyze its structure, which felt like Play-Doh.
"You don't seem to have organs or anything of the sort... How do you stay alive? Osmosis? Photosynthesis?" - he asked while handling the Adjutor.
"Stop, sir! That tickles!" - said the almost-tardigrade to the young man, "I am made of magic! To be more precise, celestial magic!"
"First of all, magic doesn't exist. Second, if you can respond and reason, it means you have a brain as well as a nervous system..." - Once more, he examined the creature, then snorted frustratedly. - "Damn it, if I had my kit with me, I could dissect you more easily... But it seems I'll have to make do with my hands." - Suddenly, Isaac began to apply pressure with his fingertips, squeezing the tardigrade's belly hard.
"WAIT A SECOND," said the Adjutor nervously, slipping through Isaac's hands and escaping in the process. - "You can't dissect me! I'm your Adjutor! Not to mention there's nothing interesting inside me!"
Isaac ignored the warnings, lunging to grab the creature again, who was beginning to perceive its owner's nature.
"Don't worry, your sacrifice will be an advancement for science." Isaac stated with a dry, emotionless voice.
"FOR THE LOVE OF THE CREATOR! LISTEN TO ME!"—The Adjutor again transformed into that gray ball from before, escaping one last time from the young man's grasp, who seemed more excited than ever about dissecting that thing—"I am a creature made of magic! I was summoned thanks to the awakening of your EGO! Don't you want to know about your talent? Specialization? Path? I can answer that and more!"
"Tell me then, do you have reproductive organs?"
"You're weird as hell, you know that?" he replied, frustrated.
Again he took the form of the tardigrade, then transformed into a frame that split in two, showing some type of screen that began to be filled with engravings that seemed to be created by some kind of external energy.
"These are your statistics. As you can see, all your physical and magical characteristics are recorded in this projection. Every detail you need to know about yourself is here. Doesn't it seem interesti-" "GO FUCK YOURSELF," exclaimed the Adjutor furiously, because Isaac was looking for a sharp stone on the grass.
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What were you saying?" - said Isaac disinterestedly.
"NOTHING! I'M NOT SHOWING YOU ANYTHING ELSE! LET'S SEE HOW YOU MANAGE WITHOUT ME!"
The Adjutor closed the projection, returning to the Tardigrade form, moving as far away from the young man as possible. For his part, Isaac continued searching for some sharp stone that would help him with his objective; however, his attention was drawn by a sound coming from the forest. It sounded like some kind of fox, but in that place, anything was possible.
Isaac turned his head toward the Adjutor, who continued to be offended by the young man's attitude. - "By any chance, do you know where we are? For example, Australia?"
That caught the creature's attention, who turned to Isaac, confused—"What is that? I've never heard of it, but answering your question, we're in the Farlands! The most remote region from any existing human civilization!"
Isaac could only repeat the last three words the Adjutor said, for if that referred to humans as one civilization among others, did it mean there were more species besides humans?
His thoughts couldn't continue, thanks to another sound coming from the forest that seemed to be approaching them rapidly.
The Tardigrade moved confidently toward Isaac, positioning himself before him mockingly—"I wish you good luck defending yourself without my information; after all, you don't even know how to activate your EGO! MUAHAHA"
"Don't underestimate a scientist's curiosity." said Isaac dryly.
The young man then began walking toward the forest without any fear, only a curiosity that corroded his flesh from within.
"We scientists can be capable of anything to learn and discover more of the world. So I'm warning you now, when I dissect that thing, I'm coming for you afterwards. Understand?"
The adjutor felt a chill run through his body when his owner answered, following him carefully into the forest.
Where the young man's first battle would take place.