《Other Worldly - Magi Fanfiction》Prolog - Life Before Death
Advertisement
I was sitting in the darkness, like usual. "Adaline," my mother called my name, opening the door to my room. I pulled out my headphones as I paused Netflix. I was rewatching Magi, again. "I'm going to work, you should come out of your room today. Maybe go see your friends."
"I'll try," I told her with a fake smile. I forgot what it truly felt like to smile. She returned one to me and left, leaving my door open. I stayed in that position until I heard the garage door close. I felt the tears slip down my cheeks. I hadn't left my house in months, my room in weeks besides to go to the bathroom.
I sighed sitting up out of my bed. I scaned my room, exactly how it always was. The blinds were closed, so the only light was coming from the open door. The floor was covered in a disarray rug, dirty socks, and a small pile of dirt clothes. My bookshelf was overflown with manga and comic books. My desk, which was home to a PC computer was coated in dust. My walls were covered in drawings, reaching all the way back to the seventh grade. It still looked like a teenagers room.
Going off that, and the fact I still lived with my parents, you would think I was a teenager, not old enough to legally drink. I was a disappointment, even to myself. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety since the fourth grade. It had always seemed to get better but just came back worse. No matter what I did it didn't feel right. When I graduated from highschool I really broke. It was like I lost the ability to feel anything but sadness and pain.
We've tried everything but nothing helps. It's not like I didn't want to get better, I did. I even forced myself to, which just cause me to fall deeper into the darkness. I wasn't done fighting, I was just taking a break. Within fiction worlds. "I should exercise before I shower," I told myself.
Advertisement
I just left my room, not caring about changing, as I slept in exercise clothing. I was going to head downstairs, to where the tredmil my sister begged my parents to get. I was even more guilty inducing that I was the youngest, both my siblings were successful, when I was a mess. My brother is about to graduate college and already has an amazing job lined up. My sister was finishing getting her bachlors and was figuring out which school to go to to continue her learning. When I dropped out of my technical college.
I stopped at the bottom of the first flight of stairs. The front door caught my attention. 'How about exercising outside today?' I thought. It wasn't a bad idea. All my friends were in college, and no one really pays attention to the joggers. I wandered around the house, getting everything I would need. I grabbed the door knob to the outside world, to freeze up.
"Come on Adaline," I talked to myself in a voice I hadn't heard in weeks. "You want to get better." I wiped the appearing tears out of my eyes and opened the door. I shut the door behind me. As I walked to the sidewalk I put in headphones to listen to music.
I started running. At one point in my life I would have been complaining, and barely able to go anywhere. Now I ran, watching my feet hit the ground. I just follows the sidewalk until my breathing became labored. I just stopped to take a break before I head back.
I was on the bridge. There was a river that split my town from the city. There were many conecting the land. This one connected a residential to residential, so I wasn't that large and only has sidewalk on one side. I would always pass this bridge when I was younger. My parents always told me not to pay on this one, as it was higher than the others. I guessed if you fell off it could kill you.
Advertisement
"You should face your fears," I mummbled to myself and approached the railing of the bridge. I grabbed the rusted and sticky railing. My hands were coated in sweat, nervous sweat. I looked over the edge and I swear the water was lower than usual. I'm not the most reliable source, I haven't been to the river in years. I was about to turned around and got back home.
I was pushed up against the railing, a strong grip on my back. The grip dug into my shirt and tossed me over. That was the last thing I felt, falling. Like when I was young and fell off the bed and felt it in my dreams. That was exactly what it was like. Instead of being greeted by being jolted awake, I was greeted by my body slamming into the water surface, breaking bones, jumpling my intestines, and knocking my breath out of me. I felt the water burn my lungs, I was in too much pain to do anything. I closed my eyes, letting my tears flow with t he river as I felt my life slip away from me. I was always joking when I said it, but I greeted death with open arms.
- • -
"I'm sorry my child," a soothing voice told me. I felt a hand on my head. The voice was faintly familiar, and comforting. It was male, I was sure of that. I tried to pry my eyes open, but I couldn't. "You are needed here. You need time to prepare for what is needed of you. I will make sure you are never alone, unlike in the past. If you ever do remember you are loved, by both me and your mother. Now, I'm sure you will find your way to me in time." The warmth that was around me disappeared, and everything was silent again.
- • -
I could finally pry my eyes open. Above me were stars. I tried to moved, but something was restricted me. I cried out for help, no words left my mouth. Just a howling sound that reminded me of a baby crying. Nothing came. I was alone again. Tears started streaming down my face and I actually cried out this time.
I couldn't hear the rushed footsteps over my own crying. Two people rushed over to me. A man and a woman, both in early twenties from my guess, so my age, except I was a baby. They started speaking in a language I had yet to learn. But once I had, I learned what they said that night they adopted me.
"Oh my, who would abandon a baby," the woman gasped. She reached down and picked me up. At that point I stopped crying, as I was trying to figure out what they were saying.
"Maranda," the man gasped, "Don't touch that thing. We have to get going." He grabbed one of her arms and started dragging her.
"I can't leave it for the soldiers to find," the woman, Maranda disagree, looking down at me with a smile, "We'll just take care of it until it can take care of itself."
"Fine," the man agreed. He didn't want to fight with his wife. "But if you wanted a child you could have just told me." They stopped running to kiss. I stuck out my tounge and made disgusted noise. They pulled apart and the woman giggled.
"Not a romantic I see,"she laughed and the couple started running again.
Advertisement
A World Worth Protecting
By the year 3029 CE, Earth’s technology has developed rapidly, borders no longer exist, and Earth has been unified, marking the beginning of the era of the Federation. At that time, a huge sword flew from the heavens, piercing the sun and causing a huge sensation on Earth. Perhaps because the scabbard of the sword was already in tatters, countless shards have broken off from it following the collision with the sun and spread across the universe. Many of these shards have landed on various places across Earth. With the arrival of the bronze sword and its shards, a new unlimited energy source has suddenly appeared on Earth. This energy source has since been named Spirit Qi. Spirit Qi is like air, thick in some places and thin in others. As the Federation and other factions gather more shards, they discover more information on cultivation, pill refinement, Spirit Stone refinement, and other techniques. The words on the shards have an ancient feel to them, making it a trend for people to use ancient language. The appearance of Spirit Qi rapidly makes the original energy sources obsolete and has completely changed people’s lives. Not only has the Spirit Internet been formed, Spirit Qi has also changed the course of Human Civilization, causing the world to enter a civilization of cultivation. This would later come to be known as the Spirit Inception Era.
8 259First
Meet John Ryder, the human adventure. Not the strongest but in no means is he weak, John is one of the original players of First, a one of a kind VRMMORPG in a world where no others exist. Playing in the shadows, part of a guild that never speaks or is spoken about, John watches the world of First become what it will be. The question is, will he join it or continue his role as a simple observer.Meet William Thacker, John Ryder's other self. Virtual Reality student of a prestigious institution, he studies the world of First from outside a computer. As is the case of many universities, high levels of hormones and a number of females students could spell trouble. Coupled with the fact he is John Ryder and what John Ryder is capable of, he may find himself in hot water soon enough.
8 90Laksil
Laksil is about a protagonist who’s is liked by a few gods so much so that right before his death, he’s taken to a white room on the whim of one of these gods. He’s grant dominion over a whole universe. He trades for power worthy of a god and in the end is tossed into a world that he arranged but doesn’t have any memories of doing so, because it was part of the deal to acquire power. Watch the protagonist stumble his way through all of creation, will he be worshiped will he be evil or good, who knows.
8 62The Fat Prince: The Red Moon Sacrifice
At last, the dreaded night of the Red Moon is dawning for Prince Cyrus and his misfit band of adventurers. If they don’t reach the stronghold of the Everblood vampires by nightfall, the fiends will dine on Trinity Toccatta, the princess Cyrus swore to protect, and remain their youthful, demonic selves for another 666 years. What stands in the way for Cyrus is an icy tundra, a village of insane cultists and army of demons sent from the Dark Realm itself. Will he and his friends be able to brave these treacherous dangers and make it to the Forbidden Fortress in time? And even if they do, will they be able to defeat four of the most powerful Everbloods in all of the Dark Realm? Find out in this exciting last installment of The Fat Prince.
8 194When We Get To It
Rick’s niece, Elsie, was born with more magic than anyone is comfortable with. Count Seymour says he can help, but his research is driven by more selfish motives. Her parents just want her to come home. Rick returns home for the first time in years and finds the house emptier than he expected. When his brother disappears, Rick is entrusted with his young niece's safety. He knows nothing about magic, but history says the elves would be the ones to ask about Elsie's powers. Too bad no one has seen an elf in centuries. [Participant in the June 2022 Royal Road Community Magazine Contest. Good luck, everyone!]
8 209Thy Maker
A dark fantasy epic//science-fiction mystery. "We are, all of us, nothing but ore and lightning. Forged servants of the devil, born of his immeasurable cunning." Brother Alric is a knight of the Order of Saint Thestus, an army of pious men devoted to persecuting the enemies of God and preaching His word. When a group of heretic sorcerers poise themselves against the Church, Alric will learn that the magic he fights against is not what it seems and will come face to face with a slumbering relic that will bring into question the validity of his faith. Updated weekly.
8 109