The night was cold, the sky was dark, and the red moon was looming over Black Lake City as if predicting events yet to come. Beneath that moon, staring at it with a solemn expression and deeply regretting his latest choice, was Dale. About 40 seconds had passed since he courageously exclaimed “I’m in” and, still, nothing happened.

The idea that all of what transpired that day was all just an elaborate joke started taking over his mind. Maybe I’m going insane, he thought. Maybe all of this time being isolated coupled with his family tragedy had twisted his mind into creating a fantasy that’d solve both the crushing need for change and the doubts he had about his parents' passing.

Two minutes into his self-reflection, he started calming down, accepting his earlier conclusion and determined to let go of the thought he’d been chosen by some fantasy character to travel to another world. Dale finally moved, intending to get some water and organize his thoughts. The moment he opened the door, a sudden feeling of dizziness struck Dale, as if the world was spiraling down a long tunnel, everything around him started to disintegrate as he held his mouth and stomach trying not to throw up.

As the scenario changed, Dale heard manic laughter approaching, getting clearer as time passed. When the world finally stabilized, Dale found himself on his knees facing the ground. Before he could gather the strength to lift his head, a little girl’s giggling voice reached his ears.

— Kya kya kya kya, I’m so sorry, said the girl while wiping tears from her eyes. — It’s just that you throwing out my letters pissed me off, so I thought you deserved to be taught a lesson. In my defense, you looked hilarious doubting yourself like that. My advice to you is that you get a grasp of your reality as fast as possible, or you might find yourself in real trouble from now on.

When Dale finally got the chance to look up, his eyes locked with the little girl’s. Suddenly, the feeling that there was something wrong with the world set in. It was just for a moment, not even a second, but Dale was sure that he’d seen something beyond the little girl, in the same space, something indescribable.

Quickly averting his eyes wasn’t enough to shake the feeling of imminent death. His body started shaking, chills went up his back and sweat was dripping from his forehead. When he finally couldn't hold it in anymore, he started throwing up on the ground.

Wearing a mysterious smile on her face, the little girl said:

— Well, throwing up after seeing a lady’s face is extremely rude, not to mention you might upset the other guests.

As she finished speaking, Dale could hear footsteps slowing approaching from behind. Four people stopped around him. A young man wrapped Dale’s arm around his neck and helped him up.

— Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it pretty quickly. But we need you to get a hold of yourself quickly. That thing over there does weird stuff when it gets bored, and it gets bored pretty fast.

— Thanks, said Dale. Looking behind the young man, he could see the other three who approached. Two young women who seemed to be about his age and wearing a school uniform he didn’t recognize, but it looked familiar. The last person was an older man wearing glasses and dressed in formal clothes.

Just as the older man started to speak, the little girl interrupted him:

— You’ll have time for introductions later. Mr. “You’re not good enough for me” over there already ate up too much of our time, and the passage won’t stay open much longer. If you could all approach the altar so we can finish the preparations, we can all go where we’re supposed to, and then you can start brewing that beautiful friendship of yours.

As the dizziness subsided, Dale got an opportunity to look at the room they were in. It looked like a large study, with old bookshelves lining the walls and a few tables with open books gathering dust atop them. In front of him, on the other side of the room, was the little girl, and right behind her was what looked to be an ancient altar you’d see in horror movies, yet, the weirdest characteristic of this room was that there were no doors or windows visible, which raised the question of how they got in themselves.

Already able to stand by himself, Dale realized that looking at the little girl didn’t strike him as much as initially did. He could still sense something was wrong, but all he could see now was her, not the thing he previously felt. As the five people slowly approached the altar, the smile on the girl’s face started getting bigger.

— That’s what I like to see. A tight grasp on reality will make your stay much smoother. Make sure you all remember that. Now, hold your hands in front of you and say out loud “I accept the terms of the contract”.

— Contract? asked the older man. — You’ve never said anything about a contract in the letter.

Raising one eyebrow, the little girl retorted

— It’s a simple binding contract that permits you to roam about our ★ Super Fun World Rehabilitation Program ★, and I believe the contents of the letter were more than convincing enough to get you here, so it shouldn’t be a problem if you just have to abide by a few rules.

Uncharacteristically, the little girl’s eyes became sharp. — Or are you telling me you’re having second thoughts and all of this was a big waste of time?

The air in the room instantly became cold, thick enough to cut it with a knife. All five people hesitated for a moment, before raising their arms in front of them, realizing that the moment they chose to come here, there was no turning back.

The little girl smiled

— That’s what I thought. She put one of her hands behind her back and produced an ornate knife that looked like the ones used in ritualistic ceremonies. Before anyone could react, all of their hands were cut. It all occurred so fast that all they could see was the blood floating in the air, slowly flowing towards the chalice atop the altar.

— With this, all the preparations are complete, said the little girl with that bizarre smile on her face.

— All of you, welcome to Tesyrion.