“We’re going live in three…two….one…!”

With a slight hand gesture, the director gave the signal to the rest of the staff currently in the studio. The host of the show as well as today’s guest wore their headphones and leaned closer to their microphones.

“Hello ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to your favourite podcast! My name is Jason Voorhees and today we have another guest…. Coming straight from his lab in New York, everyone give it up for our brilliant science guy… Ian Smith!”

After that short and energetic intro coming from the familiar host of the show another man started talking with soft chuckle and a voice clearly deeper and more sophisticated than that of the previous speaker.

“Thanks for that intro Jason, I am really happy to be able to finally appear on your podcast.”

“I believe we are all Ian, including our listeners of course! So what sort of scientific magic will you be talking about today?”

“In case you didn’t know, over the past few months there have been a bunch of new reports and theories circulating around a rather odd topic that we scientists can’t properly give an answer to.”

“Does this have to do with some age-old question like ‘Why do we exist?’ or ‘How the universe came to be?’ “

“I’d say it’s like ‘How many universes came to be?’ “

Kilometers away, at another part of the city, a young man listening to the podcast and wearing a pair of earbuds was opening a door. Behind it there was his everyday routine. A few months ago, he had finished school and was currently working part time at a fast food restaurant trying to save up some money in order to not run out of funds during his college years.

-Better turn this thing off….The boss wouldn’t be too happy with me using my phone while working. Bummer….I really like that podcast.-

After finishing his inner monologue, the young adult donned the orange and white suit all employees were expected to wear during their shift. He walked out of the changing room looking at the rest of the staff who were currently scrubbing the counter and checking if all the fizzy drink dispensers were full. Adjusting his hat on his jet-black hair and pinning his name tag on the left side of his chest he saw a young woman, his supervisor, she walked with a springy step checking everyone out before stopping in front of him.

“Morning Aiden! I hope you’re ready to serve all those hungry customers!”

“You sure are excited, even though it’s still 8 in the morning.”

Not the slightest bit of enthusiasm could be heard in his still slow talking voice and his sleepy dark brown eyes.

“Of course, I am! Supervising everyone is really fun, you should try it out when you get promoted.”

Aiden pushed the counter door open and took a few steps outside staring at the tables before turning his head to stare at his colleague.

“Like they’re going to promote a part timer. Anyway, it’s no good being pessimistic so early in the morning. I’m gonna go grab some coffee and come back to help open the restaurant.”

Having said that he walked to the staff room. It was a medium sized, square room with a few chairs, a black couch, a wooden table with some essential coffee making ingredients, white walls with some orange stripes and two doors: one for the bathroom and an entrance that doubled as the exit.

Aiden grabbed a cup poured some sugar in it, placed a capsule inside the coffee machine and started it up. The hot beverage soon dripped inside the waiting cup and filled the air with its aroma. A few seconds later the employee pulled the mug towards him and stirred the liquid with a teaspoon. It was then that he noticed a very peculiar sighting. Under the table he was currently standing in front of there was a patch of fresh, green and wild looking grass.

-What the fuck? Is this artificial? It was definitely not here yesterday! -

He could not think of any possible way that an all-natural patch of grass just popped up inside his workplace. Aiden let his mug on the table and crouched, crawling under the table and touching the mysterious grass all over, not finding any sign that it was man made or placed there using a carpet.

Suddenly he felt a strong vibration moving up his arms. Panicking a bit, he saw that the patch of grass was getting smaller and smaller, being replaced once again with the beige colored floor tiles decorating the rest of the room.

-I have to get a picture of this! -

With one hand holding on to the grass and the other on shuffling around his pocket the vibrations stopped and the ground under him vanished. For a moment his whole body felt like it was floating in space, he couldn’t feel anything what so ever. After that split second of, what can only be described as, the empty void Aiden felt ground under his feet once again. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the light now shining on his face.

“Where am I? Thi-This is not right!”

His mind was racing as he stood up from the crawling position and looked around, frantically moving his head from side to side to gaze upon the area he had just landed on. The young man was now standing in the middle of a valley. The wild, green, cool grass was now swaying all around him as he felt a breeze hitting his face. The valley had some red and yellow flowers growing here and there as well as some weird plants he had never seen before.

“I don’t understand….It sure is pretty…but…What the hell is happening?!”

At this point he was talking to himself, but there was a more important matter at hand. Behind him he heard a few pairs of hooves running away, that caused him to turn around and look towards what seemed to be a rich and thick pine forest a few kilometers away. Behind the tall, pointy tree tops he could see hills, mountains, snowy peaks and the sun that was slowly dropping behind the mountains. Looking around the place he noticed something. It was a village, not too small, not too big and since it was closer to him than anything else, he decided to check it out.

Placing his smartphone back inside his pocket Aiden started walking towards civilization. Unevenly stumbling around on the ground, he stepped on a path made of stone, it was clear that it led inside the small town. Getting closer many different smells got to him from all angles. The smell of fireplaces burning from inside the wooden houses, the stench of manure and animals that were running around the place and a slight aroma of food and alcohol coming from inside an inn, located right after the village’s entrance.

-This is a proper medieval town! -

He was still confused at everything that was going on around him, he believed that the only logical thing to do at this point, is to ask the first person he sees for help. That person just so happened to be a guard, currently patrolling near the open gate leading inside the village. As Aiden was about to go through it the man looked at him from inside his full-face helmet and reached out with his arm gesturing him to stop walking.

“Halt right there! Who are you and what business do you have in the village of Pinewood?”

-Fuck…I truly have no idea where I am. With the clothes I have on there aren’t many things I could be doing around these parts. -

“My name is…Aiden Read. I am a travelling jester from a faraway western village. I came here hoping to entertain the person who’s in charge of this place!”

“A jester? Hmmm, I suppose we could use someone like you, times are quite dark indeed. Your outfit though…. I’ve never seen such a garment before.”

The guard reached out and grabbed Aiden’s shirt, he was rubbing it between his fingers trying to identify the kind of clothing it was made off. He then noticed his name tag hanging from his chest.

“What is this tiny sign? ‘Hello, my name is Aiden Read, and I am happy to serve you.’ You didn’t mention that you were a waiter.”

The man let out a slow suspicious hum and looked at Aiden straight in the face.

-If I panic now, I am fucked. -

“Well yeah…I was one in the previous town I passed by, but I ended up leaving. The working conditions were awful.”

-Are working conditions even a thing here? I hope I still have my head by the end of this. -

“It’s not part of our tradition to turn down visitors. Especially the ones looking for work. But I will keep my eye on you Jester.”

Read just nodded at the guard speaking to him. He couldn’t help but be impressed by his iron helmet, leather gloves, sharp arming sword hanging from his belt, chainmail armour and shield with the symbol of a pine tree hanging from his left arm.

-If this is some kind of joke…they have nailed the aesthetic and costumes. -

He removed the hat from his head and held it in his right hand while walking inside the village. The young man was, truly, clueless of what he was supposed to do. He had no idea of any of these people’s customs or ideals.

-I hope walking around and doing nothing is not considered rude here. -

After a few steps he glared at a wooden sign hanging from relatively large building, compared to the others. ‘Pinewood Inn’ that was carved on the sign with two mugs filled with alcohol, they were apparently in the middle of a toast.

-Better check this place out, there could be someone I can work with in there. -

Trying to give himself hope Aiden walked up a couple of stairs outside the building, pushed open the door and took a few steps inside. He was greeted with a long rectangular room, there were tables pushed against the walls to keep the middle of the room empty, a small stage with no one currently on it, a large fire pit being used as a light source and as a cooking fire for the spit that was hanging above it. The rest of the place was lit with torches and lanterns. The smell was much stronger inside, the meat sizzling on the spit made him realize how much his stomach was rumbling.

-Well, it’s not like I have any money on me, so I guess I just have to endure it. Hmmm…. I guess I should just go to the inn keep and request some info. -

Moving closer to the counter he tried to ignore all the looks he was getting. Being a new guy with some stupid clothes on was a great way to attract attention.

“Excuse me? My name is Aiden Read, and I’d like to ask a few questions.”

The man standing behind the counter seemed to be roughly in his 40s, his hair had only a few grey spots and he was rocking a short full beard. He raised his head and cleared his throat before speaking to Aiden.

“I am Conrad, the innkeep. Hmmm... I haven’t seen you around before…where are you from?”

“I’m a jester from a faraway land in the west!”

“I want a name. What is the land called?”

“….um….California?”

Conrad let out a chuckle and stroke his short beard.

“If you think I am a fool you should go back to where you came from. Whatever that place is actually called.”

-This guy has never heard of California? Where am I exactly? What kind of place is this? I don’t suppose I……No no no, that’s too crazy to be true. Right? -

“…To be honest…. I have no idea how I got here. I was hoping I could get some information about this place.”

“You could very well be a spy sent to collect information, before disappearing. I can’t tell you anything since I don’t have proof of who you are. Although Lord Lloyd can help with your odd case. His household is located at the other side of the village. It’s a large building, hard to miss.”

“Thanks for telling me, I’ll be sure to check it out. I’ll probably come back some other time…when I actually have money to spend.”

“My pleasure. Off you go now, I have customers to tend to.”

-Please don’t let the Lord be an asshole. -

Waving goodbye Aiden walked out of the inn and looked around to see where he was supposed to go. He started moving, following the innkeep’s instructions. There were children running around and playing with wooden swords and shields. One of them was holding a wooden cane and chanting something.

-What?! Is there magic in this place?! No way…. there can’t be something like that, it’s probably just the imagination of a child…no need to be impressed… or worried. -

As he was passing through various houses and stores Aiden was trying to think of what he was going to do after his meeting with the Lord. His choices were not many. Should he just bail on the whole thing and try his luck elsewhere? Accept his fate and possibly get accused of being a spy?

-I suppose talking to Lloyd is the best option. Learning more about this place is my top priority at the moment. -

The newcomer strode along the main stretch of road. He was still getting weird looks from the townspeople around him. Needless to say, he didn’t want to explore any other parts of the village before learning some vital information about this place, like the crime rate.

Aiden was now closer to the second main gate of the village, around it there was a not so tall pointy, wooden fence.

-That’s weird…. the other gate didn’t have any fencing around it. Well..I suppose there is a possibility I just missed it.-

With a slight shrug Aiden glanced over at a building around the same size as the inn, slightly bigger even. There was a deep-green banner hung right outside the front door. It was placedon a tall pole and was practically still due to the wind being almost nonexistent. There were two rather fabulous, blue Ls drawn on it.

-‘L. L.’ That has to stand for Lord Lloyd.-

And with that thought the young man pushed open the door stepping inside the structure.

The place did not have any particularly strong smell like the inn or the main road. Aiden glanced around the new area quickly. In the middle of the hall there was a long dining table, on its one end there was a throne. Looking up he saw the upper part of the household. The second floor of the building consisted only of a wooden deck supported by some pillars that creeped around the room surrounding the dining table while letting the area above it empty so that the full height of the building could be seen. Two chandeliers were hung from the wooden ceiling and reached down low, they were almost at the same height as the deck, their light was seeping through the empty space in the middle of the second floor and lit the bottom floor with the help of a few torches.

The new comer took a few steps closer to the dining table. Sitting on the chairs surrounding the table there was a selection of individuals. All of them looking straight at him. The one closer to him was a muscular man with rich, dark blonde facial hair and a bald head, he was wearing some leather armor lined with brown fur and resting on the side of his chair there was a familiar great sword: the claymore. A bit further away and on the opposite side there was a gentle and slender figure. A woman with pale skin, jet-black, long, straight hair and grey pupils. She had taken her eyes off a book she was reading and was now staring at Aiden. The young man almost let out a gasp as he noticed her pointy ears peaking from under her hair.

-Is that an elf?!-

He was lost in thought for a second but quickly fell back into the real world when he saw two sharp spears form an X in front of him. Turning his head from side to side he finally noticed two guards standing next to him, they wore the same outfit as the one patrolling near the gate.

Aiden centered his gaze once again and focused on the two people sitting the furthest away. The first one was wearing a normal garment and looked older than the rest, he thought the man could be more than 50 years old. Next to him a younger and stronger looking lad was leaning closer to examine the new guy. He looked like he wasn’t past his 30s and was wearing clothing that clearly showed his higher status. Also…he was the one sitting on the throne.

-That must be Lloyd. Everything will be okay…. I, simply, musn’t say anything that could fuck up my chances with this dude.-

“I…I would like to speak with the one in charge...”

Lloyd moved his auburn hair out of the way so he could take a better look at the stranger.

“I need to know your name and the reason behind your request.”

“I am Aiden Read, and I have come here to ask for your help.”

“Requesting help from a lord……It must be terribly urgent, otherwise you are just wasting my time.”

-I guess he can tell I am a no one because of my clothes…or probably the fact that he hears my name for the first time.”

“It truly is important my lord. Shall I tell you what the problem is?”

“Go ahead and I hope you don’t mind my friends listening as well. They are my most trustworthy companions.”

The guards lowered their arms and Aiden took a few steps closer to the table. Lloyd gestured him to take a seat and so he did. He felt that the two guards standing behind him were ready to attack if they saw him doing something that could endanger the lord’s life. Before speaking Aiden cleared his throat.

“So… A few minutes ago, I was transported into this place. I have no idea where I am or what year it is. I asked the innkeep for help but he was too cautious to give me any information so he said that you are the only one that can help me with this issue.”

Lloyd as well as everyone else sitting around the table looked at the newcomer with a very examining look. They were trying to see if he was lying.

“Transported you say…. Do you remember where you came from?”

“I came from…a big city filled with concrete, horseless carts, electricity that lit our homes and huge buildings that pierced the sky. I was working at a restaurant.”

Aiden was not sure how to describe the place he lived. It was the first time he had to do something like this. His mind was racing once again…after speaking with the locals the idea that he was in another universe was growing into him more and more. It was an uneasy feeling but at the same time he couldn’t help but feel excited about the all new experiences he was hoping to have.

The elf, the warrior, the older man and the lord all exchanged some looks before slightly nodding to each other.

“Your claims are very intriguing. Is there anything that can prove your words?”

Lloyd’s question made Aiden think for a few seconds.

-So my clothes aren’t enough….Oh! I know!.-

“Allow me to pull something out of my pocket.”

The lord nodded and Aiden grabbed his smartphone and untangled the earbuds before showing it to everybody.

“This is called a smartphone. It’s a multipurposed device that can help with information gathering, communication, entertainment and much more. Unfortunately, there is a limit to how much time it can stay active before needing to recharge and, from what I’ve seen so far, this place lacks the necessary items to charge it, as well as use it properly.”

The four individuals passed the phone around while exchanging looks. It was really hard for Aiden to make out what they were ‘saying’ to each other.

“Lloyd, I cannot sense any form of magic in this artifact.”

The elf spoke. Her voice was softer than that of most humans and her accent clearly implied that this wasn’t her mother tongue. Someone could describe her way of speech as kind of melodic.

It was then that Aiden noticed the elf’s eyes. Her grey pupils were now surrounded by a weird, visible, silver aura. As she took her eyes off the phone they returned to normal and passed the device to Lloyd’s hand. The lord examined the item carefully and then placed it down in front of him before looking up at Aiden.

“So, it is true. You have come from somewhere outside of our world.”

The newcomer was currently trying to suppress his awe. He just learned that not only he is in another world, but this world has magic and races other than humans.

“I didn’t do it on purpose though. Is there a way to help me get back or at least contact my family?”

The older man spoke first.

“I believe Lin is the only one that can provide what you need.”

He stared at the elf for a moment before she responded with a nod.

“As the top wizard of this town I will assist you…Unfortunately I know not of a way to send you back. The only help I am able to provide is all the information we have on that matter. Please, follow me.”

Aiden nodded, picked up his phone and stood up shortly after the elf. With Lin leading the way they went up the stairs and walked on the wooden deck above the others who started discussing something, Aiden couldn’t make out what the conversation was about, but he had a strong feeling it was about him.

The elf and the newcomer walked past a few doors before stopping in front of one with a sign hanging on it. It read ‘Zaelinia Trenzalore, Elven Witch’.

-So, this is her full name. It definitely sounds non-human. -

“I will get some books that may prove helpful in solving your case. Do you mind waiting in my study room? It’s the door right next to this one, I won’t take long.”

Saying that she retreated into her room while Aiden nodded in agreement and went inside her study area. After he closed the door behind him the curious young man took a good look around. The room was well lit and had a few desks as well as book shelves all over the place. One desk was way tidier compared to the others and had some materials and items necessary for writing and drawing, the rest were covered in books, both open and closed, maps, papyruses, scrolls and notes, apparently taken by the elf. He noticed that some of them were written in elvish but since he was too afraid of moving anything, so he just read the notes that were not covered up from a safe distance.

A couple of minutes passed while Aiden was idly reading random notes…..he couldn’t understand much.

Suddenly the door opened, and the elf clumsily walked inside the room holding two thick books and some note filled papers stacked between them.

“I apologize for keeping you waiting, it just took some time to find all my notes…”

Aiden was not surprised. The elf surely did not seem like the most organized person in the world, despite how she acted while sitting near the Lord.

“No need to apologize…. the least I can do is wait.”

-I wonder how much I’ll owe Lloyd after this. -

“So, uh… Not that I don’t appreciate it…But why did you decide to help me? I was afraid you’d be more hostile towards me and question my claims more.”

Lin placed the books on the table and then turned to Aiden tucking her hair behind her elven ear.

“I understand why you may find our reaction overly calm, and why you’d think that this device of yours is insufficient proof. Never the less, I have to reassure you that we are no fools or naïve children.”

She turned her head towards the books she just brought with her and begun turning the pages clearly looking for something specific.

“You may come closer and take a look traveler, I am sure this will answer quite a few of your questions.”

Aiden took a step closer and leaned over the book. On the top of the left page there was a title: ‘Peculiar Stories and Events from Around the World’. He then turned his gaze to the right page and read what he believed to be this chapter’s headline: ‘The Elders from Nowhere’. The entire page was decorated with a drawing of what seemed to be 5 individuals, rather old and wearing what seemed like hoodies and jackets, they also held something in their hands, each one had a phone, much older than the one had.

“This book was written many a year ago. There are only a few copies left, but they aren’t all that valuable as the book is just a collection of short stories, even though there are a couple exceptions. Naturally, there are some events that have taken place in this very world…. This one for example.”

She pointed at the left page and then paused so Aiden could read what was written on it.

As he was reading the page carefully his mind was racing again. He needed to read each sentence multiple times to make sure nothing was overlooked. When Aiden was done reading, he turned to the Elven Witch and opened his mouth to talk.

“So…. this has happened before? You’ve had another traveler like me come to your world?”

Lin pulled the book towards her and gave it a final glance before turning her gaze on Aiden.

“Quite right. Although, this happened more than 2000 years ago. I’m afraid I wasn’t alive back then and have no more knowledge on this subject.”

Aiden took some of her handmade notes on the subject and read them. They weren’t of much use. It was mostly a collection of questions she had on the subject and, apparently, she wanted to one day answer them all.

“2000 years? That’s impossible… The phones portraited in the drawing should only be a couple decades old.”

He started putting two and two together and as Lin was opening her mouth to talk, he interrupted her.

“Unless, time moves differently from world to world.”

“I have already theorized this. But since you are now saying this, I believe my suspicion was indeed correct.”

Aiden didn’t say anything. He was too taken aback by all the new information and could not notice the excitement that the Elf was trying to hide from the moment she walked inside this room.

“You seem exhausted. I believe you are now considered our guest. Please, request one of the guards to guide you to your room while I have a conversation with our Lord about your situation.”

Aiden didn’t need to be asked twice. He did exactly like he was told, and he soon was sitting on his new, but temporary, bed.

He was provided with some casual clothing and after changing, Aiden laid down and tried to put everything in order inside his mind. From what he read, the 5 elders were the ones that introduced the Common Tongue to this world. Of course, he knew that this language was indeed English. Aiden decided there wasn’t much he could do at this point, just like a great wizard once said: ‘All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’ Although….the word place is a bit more fitting compared to time, in this particular situation.

The newcomer soon drifted off to sleep, his hunger was forgotten, and he felt incredibly tired even though it wasn’t really that late.

Chapter 1: Arrival.

END