Prologue
“A New Arrival”
The voice stirs you awake, causing your eyes to flicker open. For a moment, you are caught off guard by the spatial lighting. Given the suddenness of the scenery, it momentarily blinds you, forcing you to quickly shield your eyes from the intensity. Something is wrong. You can feel it. Yet, you can’t quite pinpoint the origination. It’s difficult to move. Difficult to breath. But despite this, you force yourself to move. Your hand outstretching towards the light, as if trying to grasp something that is out of reach.
“Don’t. It is unwise to resist. The moment you entered – you gave up that freedom...”
There it is again. You force your eyes open, pushing past the aching glare that hits your retinas. The pain is excruciating, yet, you refuse to relent. Instead you lower your gaze and begin searching ground-level for the source.
“I said to stop-!” A sharp pain pulsates across your cranium, forcing you to stumble backwards. You need answers. But, each time the voice reverberates, it sends a galvanic surge through your body. Leaving you breathless. You momentarily question if its worth pursuing, yet, despite this you persist – asking a singular question in-between labored breathes.
“Where am I?” Within seconds, laughter fills the airwaves; Its far more voluminous this time around, which leaves you momentarily shaken.
“Have you forgotten already?” The question strikes a cord. It seems bizarre. Were you supposed to know? Feeling somewhat amiss, you close your eyes, attempting to jolt your recollection, yet again, your search is met with no avail. “You seriously forgot….” The voice stops laughing.
“What a shame…. Whatever. I guess it doesn’t matter.” A hint of disappointment lingers, or so their tone alludes. “You are in what we call… the void. It's essentially the spatial dimension that separates the various astral planes, which comprise the multiverse. You are quite literally nearing the intersection; Paradox City to be exact!”
It seems unbelievable. But yet. You know it’s true.
“Ah. Familiarity. You recall the city's name at least. Good. Good. Less effort on my part to explain then.” There is a hint of passive aggressiveness in their voice; you do your best to ignore it as they continue on. “You were brought here in accordance to a desire; though – I suppose you’ve forgotten the specifics of what that is. But that’s okay. You’ll eventually uncover your reasoning soon enough.”
A pause. It’s brief. Just long enough to catch background noise. Running water? Sounds like it. But, before you can analyze it further – it’s quickly minimized by the voice.
“Nevertheless~! You are here now – in Paradox City. A place with endless opportunities, all of which, are at your disposal. Housing will be provided; courtesy of the higher-ups. Additionally, I have equipped you with a mobile device. Hope you are tech-savvy else – well – lets just say this city can be a scary place for the dimwitted… I hope your not”
The voice begins to fade, as the light dim. You feel a hand lightly grip a hold of your shoulder, causing you to turn around. To your surprise, the endless landscape of white has transformed into a bustling city filled with skyscrapers and hundreds of people. Regardless of the reasons, you’re now here; mobile in device in hand, in Paradox City.
