New York City September 26th, 2021.

The chances of winning the lottery are 1 in 14 million. But even then, way more than 14 million people play the lottery, which dilutes that margin immensely. When faced with that egregious percentage, most people feel like giving up. Others try to fix the odds by buying multiple tickets. In the end, it’s all down to luck and nothing else. Luck is the name of the game. The people who have won the lottery in the past were all random people, with only a couple in history having direct familial ties to the lottery association members.

Even just getting close, just one number off proves that someone is luckier than most. Almost getting there is more fortunate than not getting there at all - according to Desmend Dylan. He bought a ticket as a ritual, not to win but to test how good his luck was. If he was way off, no numbers matching, not even something similar, then his luck would be bad, and he’d keep his head down. The more numbers he got, the better his luck was. It was like a stat in a game; he could measure it one out of six.

One day, his luck was the highest it ever got. Six out of Six. A winning combination. He won the lottery. And then a portal opened up underneath him and sucked him into another world. Proof that being too lucky was the same as having no luck at all.

Aucrulethen Kingdom Ritual Throne

The summoning ritual was complete. The assembled divine nobles reached out in the special ritual throne room to the aid of the Goddess to deliver them a king, one of unmatched wisdom and strength of character, to lead the land in their trying times. A rain of light descended through the crystal roof and focused down to a point on the floor marked by a magical circle. A shadow grew in the blinding field of light, and when it became solid, the bands dispersed and shattered like a snowfall of glitter across the room.

The chosen one stood in the center of the room in clothes that drastically mismatched the regalia of the Aucrulethen Kingdom. His shirt was like a tunic but tighter to his body and had a dark and dingy color. On his chest was an emblem of a terrifying, bestial cat and the words “Rip & Roar: GNASHER.” Unlike any in the kingdom, his pants were made of a rough but sturdy light-blue fabric that seemed highly endurant to wear and tear.

He clutched a sheet of immobile paper in his hand covetously and twisted around in confusion. He appeared without any prior knowledge and was in a panic, a true stranger to the land - but he was Chosen, whether he knew it or not.

“What happened?” he asked. “Am I dead? Did I fall down a manhole and die?”

One of the divine nobles, a woman in flowing gowns and decorated silks of pastel colors, descended from the broad steps that surrounded the ritual room. The stranger from the light looked her over with curiosity and a bit of excitement.

“Did I win?” he asked, hopefully.

“Do not be alarmed,” the woman spoke, with a lilting and posh accent. “We have called to the Goddess for aid, and our call has been answered by your arrival. You are the chosen ruler our Kingdom needs, now more than ever, to—”

“Hold up a second,” the man demanded. “No, wait - I didn’t enter for a chance to win a kingdom. This is - this jackpot is for 815 million dollars. Okay? I have plans for this money. None of it involves running a kingdom, or whatever this is. Is this a vacation? Did I blackout after I won, and I’ve just been on auto-pilot, being dragged around by lotto officials and their secret cartel-style army to make sure I don’t make them look bad by turning down what they spent all the money on that I didn’t want?”

“Please,” the lady persisted, “you speak of many strange things. It is my duty as the Divine Escort to calm your frayed nerves and introduce you to the life you have been brought here to lead.”

The man looked cautious and slowly raised his hand. “Escort?” he asked. She nodded. He looked more at ease and pleased. “I mean….are you an 815 million dollar escort, though? Not to be insulting. I mean, no offense or anything, but, like, with that kind of money, I feel like I could get a lot of girls like you, you know?” He started laughing nervously at his own aside. The woman smiled softly at him with a beaming look of infinite patience. It was like meeting him was the greatest honor of her life, which made him feel even more awkward.

“Would you honor us with your name, chosen one?” she asked.

“Uh, Desmend,” he replied. “Dylan. First one then the -” He straightened his posture and spoke with markedly more confidence. “Desmend Dylan. That’s my name.”

“We are honored to receive you, Desmend Dylan,” she said. “My name is Tangerine Aucrulethen, the third daughter of the leader of our order.”

“Uh-huh,” Desmend affirmed. He looked around at the fantastical architecture. It was like everything was made of marble and fine stone. He looked up at the crystal ceiling, which shone a kaleidoscope of shimmering diamond lights into the air but was muted of its former power. “And this is….what country?”

“The Kingdom of Aucrulethen,” she said. “Our Goddess has sent you to aid us as a leader in our trying times.”

“A leader?” he muttered quietly. Desmend gripped his chin between his thumb and palm and looked around. There were gallantly dressed noble folks in long gowns with flowing silk everywhere, some old and others very old. He saw a huge house-sized window in the back, opposite of the main entrance, and walked up to it. Tangerine followed a few steps behind him, ready to receive his questions.

Desmend looked outside at the state of the world he entered. It was a landscape devoid of skyscrapers or highways. The tallest buildings were parts of the castle he was in and the stray towers that lined the high walls beyond it. The land was verdant and lively, with bright blue rivers and golden bands of wheat that stretched for miles. There were mountains to the north and rolling hills covered in forests to the south.

He wasn’t in America. He thought it could be Europe. But none of it felt real. So he turned around to face the ever-patient Tangerine.

“You guys get cable out here?” he asked.