Leaves rustled and swayed as the wind blew a soft gust of wind. A man, wearing a camouflage military uniform stared at branches dancing to the sway of the wind. He could feel the hardness of the rock he lied on, yet it didn’t bother him.

-’How long has it been?’- Lazarus thought to himself. As much as he hated to admit, but he did spend a good amount of time moping outside the VR after Rex got disconnected.

Sometimes the loneliness made him think he should see his two A.I childhood friends, but maybe seeing their faces might instead just open-up old wounds so he decided against it.

Lazarus took a deep breath. The scent of damp moss and wet tree trunks filled his lungs and he exhaled the air. It really was different from the air of earth.

Still–... the fact that it was Valeria’s air and not earth’s somehow made him feel a bit angsty.

Seriously… magic just seemed absurd. Chanting difficult words and light shows. Just the thought of doing that made Lazarus’ skin crawl.

Lazarus sighed. Just thinking idly about this damn world was exhausting in its own right so–

“Maybe it really is time to get going…”

-=”That would be the highly advisable course of action, master.”=- A deep robotic voice echoed in Lazarus’ mind.

“FS was it..?” Lazarus said out loud. Of course, he didn’t have to say it out loud since the neural chip was directly connected to his brain. But nevertheless it felt more comforting to talk out loud.

-=”Affirmative”=-

“Still, what does it stand for? Why did dad name you ‘FS’?”

-=”It is an abbreviation for ‘Fucking Shit’”=-

Lazarus’ lips thinned to a line. “Seriously?”

-=”Affirmative”=-

Lazarus smacked his forehead with a palm. “Did he name you after stubbing his toe or something? Seriously…”

-=”I do not believe criticizing an A.I.’s name would be beneficial. On that note, your name sounds like a character from an old dusty third rated novel.”=-

Lazarus’ eyes widened. “Did you just shoot back at me?”

-=”Negative.”=- Remarked the A.I in a sarcastic tone. Lazarus could picture a robot rolling his eyes in his mind and it made a vein pop on his forehead.

“Do you have a humor setting? Tone it down.”

-=”Command rejected.”=-

“What!?”

-=”Authority to override is with Doctor Rex Hargreave.”=-

“T-that lunatic..!”

Wait…

This damn A.I. didn’t exactly have a physical body that he could strangle so there really was no point in getting pissed off. And his father wasn’t here so he could choke him.

“Haa-...” Lazarus sighed.

To calm himself, Lazarus took a deep breath and exhaled all the air. But then his thoughts ventured into walking this fantasy world and it made his stomach churn.

“Haa-... Do I really need to travel this god forsaken world?” Lazarus muttered softly, staring back into the leaves above head that was letting the sunlight seep through the gaps between themselves.

Thinking back on it. He recalled only playing sci-fi online VR games as well as avoiding any fantasy games. He hated it as a child as he felt magic was inferior to science. Maybe it had something to do with his experience making him a bit aversive to magic.

The thought of walking the soil of this fantasy world just made Lazarus scoff internally. But then again-.... If he didn’t go out, then the tower would never be built and he’d never be able to transmit the exact coordinates to his father.

Lazarus took a deep breath, smacked his cheeks and jumped down from the moss covered rock. Although it looked like a rock, it was actually the I-finder ship that became his home. He glanced at the small black grid line and placed a palm on it. Red lines went up and down his palm and it made several beeping noises and blinked a green light.

Then, a creaking sound could be heard as the door slowly opened.

“No choice…Gotta build that tower haa-...”

All he needed to do was get enough materials to build the comms tower. But first he needed money.

And then after everything is done, Rex would arrive with the enterprise battle-cruiser. Come to think of it, he only rode those things in VR. How would riding an actual military battleship really feel like?

When he’d get to earth, this time, he’d really be able to see the skyscrapers. Breath in the not-so natural air of the earth and maybe get a decent job and work in an industry. A surge of excitement filled his chest. Thinking about it like that made it seem worth it to travel this magic world so he could leave as soon as possible.

First he needed to earn some money.

Lazarus frowned and placed a hand on his chin. “Speaking of which… what’s the currency here..?” The creases on his brow grew deeper as he thought, ‘Come to think of it… I can’t remember much from this world…’

Lazarus closed his eyes and tried to recall his past.

Didn’t he have a former family here? How did they spend money again?

He remembered feeling lost and betrayed. He did remember the fact he was exiled but no other details came to mind. And there was this nagging feeling in his head that he was forgetting someone important.

Lazarus scratched his head and just stared at the opened door and never bothered to step inside. He really couldn’t recall much about money nor about his family. The only thing he could recall was he wasn’t too fond of them.

“Well, it doesn't matter.”

If he forgot it, then maybe it wasn’t that important anyway. For now, he needed to gear up.

Lazarus stepped inside and the door behind him creaked to a close.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a small white room. A man with pitch black hair, wearing military camouflage clothing was staring at the table with an assortment of items. There were also a couple of opened lockers where these items might’ve come from.

“Is this it..? Seriously?” Lazarus muttered and stared at the table. There were two black balls the size of a marble, one of them was cracked open revealing a black interior riddled with small wires and a chipped microchip, in the center was a small cylinder that looked like a fuse that seemed to be cut in half.

Lazarus turned his gaze to the second black ball that was fully intact.

“Model T301 shield module from the previous pilot.” The civilization was already so advanced that shield modules were already in commercial use. But, this one was made during the 3000’s so it was quite outdated. Still, having an outdated shield was better than nothing.

Then Lazarus turned his gaze to a katana lying on the table. It had a razor sharp edge, and a couple of lines that resembled the lines on a microchip that was barely visible to the naked eye. It looked cool but…

After staring at it for a long time, a deep robotic voice resounded in Lazarus’ mind.

-=”It’s a laser edged sword, master. Would you want to display information pertaining to the item?”=-

Lazarus scoffed. “It’s a collectors toy.”

-=”It still functions as intended.’=-

Lazarus took the sword, and willed-it to turn on. Bright blue light engulfed the sharp edge and as Lazarus brought it closer to his face, he could feel the heat. He then slashed the corner of the table with meager force and he could barely feel any resistance at all as it melted through like a hot knife through butter, dropping the cut corner to the ground with a *clink*.

It was sharp alright. The only problem was if he was fighting someone with the G51 nanosuit, this toy sword would barely damage its forcefield. Although it was quite a powerful sword back in the 3000’s, it just became a collectors item during the 4000s as shield modules became even more stronger and only 4000’s plasma guns and laser sword could deal significant damage to it.

“Better than nothing I guess.”

Lazarus turned his gaze on the last item on the table. It was a small semi-transparent pill that had purple liquid occupying a third of the semi-transparent capsule.

“A cloaking module.”

Though it was a cloaking module, it was actually just a container for millions of nanites that would cover his skin and would serve as optic camouflage. The only problem was that because it was never maintained, the nanites ability to detect mental commands from the neural chip was a bit clunky.

Lazarus had already used this before to hunt and it did de-cloak the moment he decided to attack something. It might have something to do with the nanites falsely detecting his intention to attack as a command to shut it off.

“Haaa-...” Lazarus clutched his head. “If only the weapons room wasn’t torn during landing I would’ve had something better to work with…Wait… FS, where did the weapons room land?”

-=”Searching for previous records…Error. Error. No data found.”=-

“What..? Why?”

-=”Ship sensors were damaged during atmospheric entry”=-

“Dammit…I guess I can only work with the things I have.”

Still-...

-’If I remember correctly, this world did have magic. I wonder how I’ll fare with only year 3000s civilian technology?’-

If only he had 5th generation technology, everything would be easier. But unfortunately, it wasn’t the case.

“Anyway, is the steel former already in the D-storage?”

-=”Affirmative.”=-

“Right, So I guess that’s everything.”

-=”It’s not everything, master.”=-

Lazarus’ heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly asked, “There’s more!? Where??”

-=”Unfortunately, the remaining weapons are even older than the ones you currently have.”=-

Lazarus put a palm to his face. “Yeah, why did I even bother to get my hopes up? And why do we only have old relics on the ship?”

-=”The scientist who had also died upon atmospheric entry, doctor Velazques was an avid collector of old military weaponry.”=-

“I see. So, what weapons are we talking about?”a

-=”Flash grenades, smoke grenades and a standard issue military knife. There is one more 3000’s made weapon, which are the remote detonated mines.”=-

“Those are actually quite useful despite being year 2000's or 2nd generation weapons.” Lazarus said happily. All he needed to do was register them in his D-storage and he’d be good to go.

-’No wait… what else is useful on the ship that I can take with me..?’-

“Hmm…” Lazarus hummed to himself. Then his face lit-up. “Ah! Maybe the medical equipment might come in handy. But then again, they’re just simple surgical tools…The super soldier serum in my body can already heal me without any need for these things. Still, having some might be useful.”

He could probably use them to dissect some interesting creatures he might stumble on.

With that thought in mind, Lazarus stood up. Took the semi-transparent capsule and threw it in his mouth. Then he did the same for the marble sized black spherical ball but unlike the capsule that melted in his mouth, the black object had to be swallowed and Lazarus had to force his throat open.

In the top right of his vision, he could see a shield icon pop-up. Then a blue light slowly began filling up and the text 0% appeared. In a blink of an eye, the display changed from 1% to 100%.

-=”Force field, online”=- Echoed a deep robotic voice in his mind.

Lazarus nodded to himself and took the katana and threw it into the air. As it spun, several crackling electricity formed around the sword and it quickly engulfed it entirely and the sword disappeared in an instant.

With a stretch of his neck, Lazarus pushed the door open and left to get the other things he needed.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lazarus stared at the entrance to the forest.

He lifted his right arm and placed a palm in the air. A blue film of light materialized and he rested his palm on it.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a place for my exile?” Lazarus muttered sarcastically. In all honesty, now that he experienced everything earth had to offer, he could say being exiled was a blessing. This forest-... this place of exile had become his home.

Thinking about it now, he also got eaten by the wolves. But.. he’d get eaten anytime of the day as long as it meant he got to meet his father and learn about science. He vaguely remembered entering this forest feeling lonely, lost and weak. But now?

Lazarus smirked.

The first test of science versus magic.

Lazarus raised his hand and several crackling electricity formed in the air forming a long one-edged blade. Lazarus grabbed the sword and its sharp edge glowled a bright blue light and he struck down with all of his might.

The barrier rippled on contact, then it got stretched like cloth and it ripped into two. Cracks formed around the slashed area and then the shattering sound of glass could be heard as the blue film of light faded into thousands of small blue dots that floated in the air.

Lazarus grinned. If the 3000’s tech was able to do this to the barrier that was meant to keep him in the forest. What would 5000’s tech do in this world? Just the thought of it made his heart pound.

He took a couple of steps, before turning to look back at the forest. A melancholic feeling filled his chest and he turned away and continued walking.

After walking for a good while, Lazarus arrived on a forked road split in the middle, one going left and the other going right. It wasn’t exactly a road you’d see in the city, more like just a clear path that grass didn’t grow probably from frequent passing of people or horses.

Great… more walking.

Lazarus hung his head as he realized, “There are no vehicles here….Haa-..”

Then shouldn’t he just make one?

Lazarus cupped his chin with a hand and thought, -’What about making hover-cars and hover-boards? Wait.. that might be asking for too much. Maybe even a 20th century off-road car or motorcycle would do. I did like the revving sounds those made...’-

His heart started beating rapidly. The thought of making his own vehicles and weaponry made him feel giddy.

“Maybe it isn’t so bad to go out after all.” He told himself.

Still he had to decide which way to go and so Lazarus opened his palm. A dollar appeared in the palm of his hand. If someone else was watching they wouldn’t be able to see the dollar since this was just an image he could see because of the neural chip in his brain.

“Head right, Tails left.”

Lazarus flung the coin and caught it with a hand.

-=”Master, I do not think it is in your best interest to let a coin decide where your destination will be.”=-

“Well, I can’t remember which way I came from and I need to start somewhere right?” Lazarus remarked and opened his palm.

“Well, guess I’m heading left.” He said and began walking off in the direction.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just staring into the vast grasslands as he walked on the paved path was somewhat calming. But it gave off the feeling of being in a rural area so it was a bit unsettling for a city boy like Lazarus.

“Strange…” Lazarus frowned as he stared at one of the trees by the path. It wasn’t like the trees in his home forest at all. It twisted and twirled in a strange manner for no apparent reason, and its leaves had a lush pink color.

He looked around and noticed that a lot of the trees were starting to look quite strange. Lazarus shrugged and continued on.

Dusk arrived as Lazarus continued on, he saw a few strange blue transparent spherical lights floating in mid air, some were 2 inches in diameter while the largest were 5 inches across. He stared at one of them and began analyzing it.

A small scanner appeared in his vision and went over one of the floating spherical lights. Then a screen popped-up with a graph, showing some details regarding energy readings.

“Hmm.. probably condensed mana.” Lazarus noted.

As night came the scenery turned to a sight to behold. Now thousands of blue lights hovered the air as if they were fireflies, it illuminated his path making it bright enough for him to see without night vision. Lazarus continued on then checked the bottom right on his screen to see that the time was now 8:03 pm.

Lazarus didn’t easily get tired because of his daily training for years and the superhuman serum. But then he frowned upon noticing the place he was headed to down hill.

“Gahh! Another forest but I’ve already gone too far to go back now.... ” Lazarus scratched his head in irritation.

It was filled with those trees that twisted like a vine and it was luminous. Most of the leaves of the trees let out a faint pink glow. Though it was a bit dimm, Lazarus could still see the figures of the trees.

Maybe it was time to set-up camp? First, he had to find a good location to rest.

So Lazarus continued his trek deeper into the enchanted forest, the trees in these forests gave off a mystical feeling.

Lazarus kept on glancing around, it was strange that he couldn’t hear any insects or animals. A forest this big surely would have a lot of insects. While he was glancing around, a flower caught his attention.

The flowers had a white outline and were completely transparent while giving off a faint glow. Lazarus ran towards the flower and stared at it hoping his neural microchip could give him information, but the only info it displayed was the energy readings from the flower.

“Interesting…This flower is really interesting… Heheh I guess I’ll take it with me and study it when I get back to the ship.'' Lazarus grinned as he proceeded to pluck the flower from the ground, it gave off a strange sensation, something that made him feel good and he pocketed the flower.

It shouldn’t take long for his D-storage to register the flower before he can store it in his dimensional space. Usually the mass of the object equated to how long it took to register it. But since this flower was relatively light, it should only take a couple of minutes.

Lazarus continued walking. He furrowed his brows. “Is that music?”

As he was about to investigate the faint sound he was hearing, he suddenly heard a faint, but high pitched screech with his enhanced hearing.

Lazarus’ eyes widened as he hurriedly tilted his head and an object whizzed past him and struck the tree in-front of him.

An arrow.

Lazarus kicked the ground and rolled to a nearby bush.

-=”Activating night vision”=- Echoed a deep robotic voice in response to his mental command.

When he blinked, his vision became dyed in green and he could see everything clearly as if it was day, just mostly green.

-=”Cloaked engaged”=-

Several crackling electricity engulfed Lazarus' body and then his body disappeared.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Why did you take the Azalea flower you filthy human scum !? Do you know what you have done!?” Echoed a feminie voice from atop the trees. Then a figure dropped down.

She had pointy long ears, her wavy long hair was as blue as the ocean, that reached up to her well endowed chest. Her sky blue eyes seemed gentle yet her fierce glare made for a rich contrast to her unblemished face.

She wore a fitting green dress that had golden laced outlines at the hems that traced her hour-glass like figure. She had a leather belt that criss-crossed near her thigh that held a couple of leather pockets.

“Come out! I know you’re there, you thief! If you don’t then I’ll just force you out! ” Ordered the beautiful elf with a frown while continuing to aim her bow at the bush. When a figure lunged at her from behind. She let out a yelp in surprise but she promptly shut her mouth when she felt a cold sharp tip prickling her neck.

Lazarus had already decloacked the moment he jumped her. “Don’t move and don’t talk unless I tell you to, if you erect your mana barrier I will stab your neck before it finishes.”

The elf could only freeze-up from the threat. She had wanted to move but the man had his left arm in a chokehold around her neck, and his other hand gripping the knife beside her neck.

She had made a very grave mistake.