Montego Bay, Jamaica, sun nearing the horizon beyond the hill, students make their way out the school gates in their khaki uniforms, all boys, mingling with their neighbouring school across the street, an all-girls school, dressed in white. 4:19 pm on the clock, his hands formed into fists, he strikes the air over and over, his breath heavy, but not from the gruelling workout alone, but the thoughts that fill his mind, a lady friend just perfect to him, he can't help but portray his excitement, going off rhythm with rest of his classmates.

"Nahshon!! Pay attention, damn it!" The dojo master shouts, Nahshon startled by his thunderous voice, darting his eyes at the others, back into rhythm. "This is Tae Kwon Doe! Not ballerina! Step it up!!"

"Yessir!!" Nahshon gulps, his peers chuckling as they stop for a quick break.

"Don't think he can help it, Sir," One says. "He's got a date...with a lady"

"OOO!!" Many of his peers go, surrounding Nahshon as they cheer him on, but with slaps like a thousand hornets on the back.

"This boy, father god!" The teacher laughs with the students. "So, does she treat you alright?"

"Uhh yeah, she does...yes, sir," Nahshon scratches the back of his head, his dark circled eyes looking to the floor.

"Bro's even blushing, dawg!" A second comments, as they continue to laugh, the teacher smiling as he shakes his head and looks at the time, 4:30 pm he clocks. 

"What time should you meet her? Better not be in my session time!"

"No sir," Nahshon waves his hand, awkwardly chuckling. "Once my training's finished...so by 5, I told her"

"Hmm..." The teacher exhales, stretching his neck to a crack, once more checking the time, glancing at Nahshon once more. "Alright...training's over for today!"

"Yo, what?!! No sir, I remember when I had a football match in front of the girls that were coming over and you didn't let me off till full training was finished," A third puts Nahshon in a chokehold. "So how come he's getting off so easily?!"

"Enough man!" The teacher hisses. "Nahshon! Go freshen up, make sure to wash the sweat off, and brush over your hair too.

"Ah, yes sir!" Nahshon nods.

"Oi man! Take some of my cologne too!" A fourth comes.

With these instructions and aid from his peers, Nahshon preps himself for the evening, the other boys giving him tips on what to do and what not to do, he now stands before them, and like being their child, they cheer him on like parents who are about to the send off their kid to a foreign place, and so he heads off, confidence in his steps, his look on point, gleam in his eyes, looking at the watch she gifted him, a sentimental item to their connection. He reaches a park on the side of town, children playing in their uniforms, and teenagers and young adults established near each other yet separate, with couples showing off their love, Nahshon's heart skipping a beat as he takes a seat. 5:30, 5:56, he looks at his watch, time goes by, and still no sign of her presence.

The warm light of the setting sun glistering in his eyes, their shift from black to deep brown, the boy sighs, his confidence slowly dwindling, wondering if his peers and teacher had done all they could do for nothing, his eyes glancing around at the couples still going strong, the children packing up in one place, the teenagers and young adults now merging, the event is about to begin, a big screen within the middle of the park, vendors of different items and food taking their places, and a peculiar sight, Nahshon barely being able to view the side of his face, a silver-haired old man sitting on his own, bronze skin, blue shades covering his eyes. An interesting fellow, Nahshon thinks, never before seen this man at this park, a place he frequently visits, this peculiar man playing a game of chess all by himself. And startled, the boy becomes, as if the stranger had eyes in the back of his head, perceiving that Nahshon has him in his sight, his eyes meeting with his, the boy's gaze broken as comes a woman, not his date though, he lets out a silent sigh of disappointment.

"Young man, good evening! What's your name?" She asks.

"N-Ahem! Nahshon!" He hesitantly answers. 

"Okay, nice to meet you. I came up because you've been sitting here for a while, and we would like some help setting up before the event starts. You're young, so that means you're strong too, and we could use that"

"Oh, okay," Nahshon chuckles.

He gets up, and once more his eyes point to the stranger, the old man's eyes back into his game. From carrying boxes, and blowing up balloons, he keeps himself busy, the thought of his missing date in the back of his head, he can't help but be confused. Her kindness, softness, he thinks, wondering if she was just playing with him. His tasks finished, his eyes on the sky, the sun almost finished with sinking to the base of the earth, he checks his phone, going into his messages, he types to her, then he stops, as he thinks, holding his head down, sighing once more.

"If she wanted to be here, then she'd be here already," He mouths to himself, putting his phone away, thinking it's time he just went home.

"Girlfriend trouble, I assume," a voice calls to him, the stranger, his full face revealed, bright hazel eyes under his glasses, bronze skin, an arab, old but in the way that he has aged like fine wine, Nahshon chuckles as he shakes his head. "Come. Have a seat. entertain me with a game of chess, yes?"

"Okay," Nahshon takes a seat, rolling back his shoulders as he sets the chess table.

"Nahshon, the one who foresees?" The stranger questions, Nahshon startled. "You gave the lady your name, and that is the meaning"

"Ah...thought it meant prince, that's what my family told me"

"Prince of Judah, yes, also another meaning. Your name carries great meaning, my son," The old man smiles, making the first move on the board, his pieces white and Nahshon's black, the boy moving a pawn upward.

A slow game, the old man having the advantage but impressed by Nahshon's critical thinking skills of not making it easy, the boy patient, calculating his every move, the sky washed in orange and red-violet, majority of their pieces gone off the board with the old man almost cornering Nahshon's king, the boy's knight sit beside his, unable to do anything to him.

"You fancy fantasy novels, young man?" The old arab asks.

"Hm??" Nahshon sounds, snapped from his focus. "Oh, I do"

"What's your favourite?"

"I read a lot of them, so I never thought of a favourite...but I'd say 'Edith of Wessex'," Nahshon rubs his chin.

"Hmm, what's it about?"

"Well, in a battle to defend his kingdom, he falls into this underground cave lake and appears somewhere else, an isekai...if you know what that means," Nahshon chuckles, scratching his head.

"Ah, interdimensional travel, interesting"

"Uh, yeah, it's a good story, great character. I don't know, I like those stories, being another world, one filled with magic, elves, and dragons. I'm a bit of a geek...but yeah...it's comforting that it might be out there," Nahshon chuckles.

"No, no, a world filled with magic," The old man smiles, looking to the sky, Nahshon looking down at his knight seated beside the stranger's king. "Fascinating. And what would you do in such a world? Hopefully, you won't be up to good, that is"

"Huh," Nahshon chuckles. "Well, I'd hunt monsters for a living, travel around a lot...make some friends. A new life, I guess" 

"Hmm, and what if I told you that there was such a world, would you be willing to give up this life for that one?" The stranger asks, Nahshon's eyes lifting from the board, the world gone quiet, a strange tingle in his head.

"Hm? Ah well, if I had the choice, knowing how I am, I'd probably just go for it"

"Hmm, and what of your goals here, school, your future?"

"...Well, the thing is, it's not like I was sure of wanted to do here in the first place. I'm not really from a well-off family, so I don't think I'll have the chance to go to university, I just couldn't do that to them, I'd have to sacrifice in some way. And I'll probably have to stick with a dead-end, low-income job, even if I did do well on my exams, because of my lack of links. At least there, I'd be free from all of it. Cowardly, sure, but at least I'd have a chance to make my life own then," Nahshon explains, shocked as to why he would open up to a stranger like this, the old man a bit saddened by his way of thinking as a youth.

"I see. Then it's settled," The old man says, smiling at the boy, as then raised is his hand, fiercely he knocks the table, Nahshon startled getting up from his seat, as around him, the world slowed to a stop, the people, the sun by the horizon, a butterfly in front of his face, and the old man still in motion behind it.

"Nahshon, I find it a pleasure to have met you, young man. Hearing your thoughts, I have decided, it's time you embark on a new adventure, a new life," He says, Nahshon baffled by it all, his heart rate fast, anxiety creeping in, wondering if any of it is real, wondering if this man is some sort of devil who've come to torture him, but behold to him, the world around him gone. "You see, I've been searching far and wide for an individual who will do great things, and be of a great purpose. and I feel that can be you, young man"

It's cold, like an air conditioner on everywhere, in a large hall Nahshon stands in, beautiful architecture he suddenly is surrounded by, Middle Eastern design, he looks on the outside, stunned by the bizarreness of it all, met with a whole universe of stars, obscure planets nearby, and asteroids going about, he exhales sharply as if he was losing his breath, and it clicks, they are in a house in the middle of space, and not losing oxygen.

"Please, be at ease. Come, follow me," The stranger voices, a cane suddenly appearing in his hand.

"S-Sir, what is this??" Nahshon frantically looks around, as they pass a large pool, and above an opening somehow protected by a barrier from the vacuum of space.

"This is my home," He lightly chuckles. 

"Okay, but how are you doing this exactly??"

"Thousands of books, years of study, and magic. There are many things in the multiverse, young man, some things still a mystery even in all my wisdom"

"I'm sorry, multiverse??" Nahshon questions, coming across a bunch of different rooms, some opened, some locked, paintings of various things, an art piece of a strange creature he's never seen and artefacts he cannot fathom, an object shifting in shape after shape, a cube, then a prism, and many other unknowns.

"Yes. Infinite worlds you could not comprehend, many still similar to your world, yes, but many far more bizarre," He answers, as they then stop in a room, and office, filled with books and articrafts, the boy's feeling as his body hums, a vibration all around him, looking down on a wonder that seems thousands of feet down, at what looks to be a brightly lit star, circled by a machinery, like a Dyson sphere, seemingly collecting its energy to charge the palace, Nahshon figures, the boy's perspective of the man changing, his eyes filled with awe as he looks to the old man.

"Are you...god?" Nahshon asks, the old man chuckling, shaking his head.

"Like you, I am but a humble man," The old man tells him as slowly their eyes meet, the brush of cosmic wind from the star swaying his hair. 

"Why? Why are you doing this?"

"Because, young man, all I want...is for you to live a good life. Tis' is a but a gamble I have decided to take on you," The old man smiles softy, Nahshon's face softened, his words kind in a way, as the old man lifts his hand once more, placing two fingers atop the boy's forehead. "Till we meet again, young man, be as your name tells it; be someone you can be proud of. Become strong, and choose to protect those weaker than you are. Become great"

"Who-" Nahshon starts, but before he can finish, he feels as if his body, mind and soul are pulled through the fabric of space and time, rushing through what seems like the entire universe with a body weightless and flowing, like pure thought the boy feels, zapping past stars and onto solid land he feels on his back, his eyes slowly opened, his ears tickled by the sound of the wind running through trees, giant clouds across a blue paletted sky."Huh??'

He gets up, looking at his hands, everywhere his eyes can see, getting up to the sound of a rushing river where he meets his reflection, still the same person, his hand on his spongy hair, he sighs, smiling to himself, then realizing his attire has changed from uniform, into a white, button-down with suspenders, black pants and fancy formal shoes to fit. Walking around, he wonders why the old man teleported to a forest and not a city, somewhere with at least civilisation, the sound of distant chirping echoing in the air, he's startled, an insect zipping across his face, he fends for himself, waving around his hand he swings with full force, the sound of crumbling halting him, turning to where he heard the noise, splinter of rock broken up on the ground, the boy blinking rapidly as he looks down on his hand, a small cut and bruised, he chuckles to himself.

"Holy shit...there's no way I just did that," He questions, his cheeks flush with excitement, kneeling with his fist clenched and thrust into the ground, his test pressing a tremor into the earth, the calm river gone unsteady. "Jesus Christ!"

He exhales, as he then jumps, his height a massive new record, craters of his feet left in the floor, almost seeing over the trees in front, going into a full dash as he lands, his speed like a sports car of his world, the sound like a bullet as he passes a rabbit eating, his vision broadened and clearer, his attention to detail spot on, his hearing more sensitive, stopping to a full pause as he reaches an open field, hearing the individualness of nature and its inhabitants closeby, his sense of smell like a dog's, a flower at his feet that captures his with its aroma without even getting super close to it.

"Wait..." He looks back into the forest, something radiating off his skin, a pure, animalistic feeling, his sense of touch drastically enhanced as well, as he realises this sensual ability to be familiar, as even before this awakening, he was already using this ability on a smaller scale in his world. "Hmm, okay.."

He thrust his arms back, a deep breath, a cold draft on his skin, thrusting his hands forward, nothing of significance happening. He tries again and again, different poses and thoughts, still nothing happens, he scratches his head, a bit disappointed, but a bit unsurprised.

"Of course, it wouldn't be that easy," He sighs, a bit sad he can't use magic as yet, but thinks they may not even be magic in this world, hoping that's not the case as the stranger specified there would be.

On guard, he becomes, a sound of a machine coming his way, an old truck he sees, that stops by him in the middle of the road. He eases, as winding down their window to greet him, an elderly couple who waves to him. He waves, the couple looking at one another, one then speaks, his language not understood by the boy, but familiar.

"Uh...sorry, I'm not sure what language you're speaking," Nahshon exclaims, signing hand motion, calling himself stupid as of course they would not know his language either.

"S-Sorry uh, my Britanian is not good as...young ones?" The old man speaks, his wife giggling at his broken English, the old man embarrassed, his accent very sing-songy and light.

"Huh? Britanian??" Nahshon questions, the boy startled that he spoke the same language. 

"Please. You cannot. Much dangerous wildlife here and you must not stay, foreigner. You'll be safe in uh...nearby village," The old man continues. 

"A village...yes sir, I would love that," Nahshon smiles, the elderly couple warmed by his rather kind-looking face and respectful demeanour, the boy taking a seat by the opposite window, the old lady in the middle smiling at him.

"Here son, you're probably hungry being out here on your own," The old lady says, handing him a bun, he hesitates firstly, wondering if this is a ploy to have him kidnapped, but bites into it regardless, something like a million flavours bursting onto his taste buds, the bitten bun revealing a bunch of vegetables and mince meat within it. "Is it good, young man?"

"Yes, ma'am, this is amazing!" He exclaims, being fed more as they drive along, their radio playing a mix of songs, in their language and English, their language sounding more and more familiar.

After a half-hour drive, they reached a small village, the boy let off in the city centre, the boy once again filled with pure bliss, as all around he sees things only fiction of his world. Elves, orcs, demihuman, and of course humans like he is. 

"Young man, here," The old woman calls to him, giving him a box of those buns, wrapped in a white cloth, with the heat of it like waves on his palms.

"Oh, thank you," Nahshon smiles, his tummy rumbling as his body yearns for more.

"Our store is right up there, Johan Gate Road," The old man tells him. "Come along whenever you're hungry, we will wrap something up for you"

"Yeah. Thanks for everything. I appreciate this," Nahshon smiles, radiating kindness as they drive along, the couple coloured impressed with his mannerisms.

He exhales once, the first on his mind is what is in his wallet he feels for, placing his food on a nearby table. 30,000, he counts, reading the lettered amount as well, looking at the architecture. Scandinavian, he figures being in a northern European country, looking up at the mountains touching the sky, surrounding the village and its water body, a massive river between the town, the boy walking the narrow streets, a mix of gravel and stone, coming across different shops, surprised, as he comes across a sleeping dragon, its front legs connected to its wings, scaly body and long snort like an alligator, a wyvern with a saddle atop its back, looking up to see a sign of a sword and magical staff, looking around at the patio, of groups of people clad in different types of armour and weapons; swordsmen, lancers, sorcerers and many more. He quickly steps inside, and within it more packed, adventurers of all kinds, networking, feasting, drinking, getting quests and planning, Nahshon then looking over to a board filled with papers. Fortunately, many of them are translated into English beneath he reads; quests of slaying monsters, gathering and protecting. He thinks, knowing he'll need some equipment, a sword and armour, looking up to some words written in bold on the board, warning that you must consider stocking up on potions and proper armour as they will not be responsible for if anything happens to you.

"Yeesh," He chuckles, the guild making sure to cover themselves, going over to an indoor shop he sees.

His mouth droops at the price of the items, a curse word of his Creole heritage coming to mind, one potion a staggering 8000 krones, and a sword of 14,000 krones, he checks his wallet once more, he can't believe his eyes. A place to stay, transportation and food after finishing the buns, he calculates, knowing he won't be able to afford even a basic sword such as this, never expecting potions to be so expensive, the fantasy games he played in his world betraying his idea of that.  

"Oh god," He whispers, as he can't do magic at the start and now he can't do adventuring properly, but he shakes his head, away with the negative stuff, picking a smaller one off the board and over to the receptionist he goes. "Hi, good morning, what's the process of doing this quest?"

"Quest? How old fashioned of you," The receptionist giggles, Nahshon slightly embarrassed, the lady picking up on his accent. " I assume you're a foreigner? So I'll need your ID so we can set you in the system. And it will be a 2,000 Krones fee to sign up"

"Oh ok," Nahshon takes his wallet out, and behold to him, his ID but not of his world, but this one, a country by the name of 'Xaya' written as his birth country, Nahshon figuring it must be this world's equivalent of Jamaica. 

"Thank you," She takes it, going onto her computer, giving back his ID after some minutes. "Okay, now make your way to that desk over there, she will help you log in with the rest of your information and you'll be good to go"

"Ah, thank you," He makes his way over.

The side of her face he notices first, how soft and feminine he observes, her long frizzy hair black like a night sky without stars, her skin fair, her small hands working the table, the boy clearing his throat, nervous at the first sight of her.

"E-excuse me..." He sounds, the lady still minding her business, the boy once more clearing his throat. "Pardon me!"

"Huh?" She turns, his eyes firstly meeting with hers like Doberman eyes, brownish green, thick eyebrows unplucked, and pink lips without even having lipstick on. "Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, may I help you?"

"Y-Yeah, um...the other receptionist said I should come over here to finish my sign-up," He points, looking down at her name tag, 'Caterina Ballerini', an Italian or Spanish, he guesses hearing her accent, handing over his ID, she quickly finishes up, his official adventuring permit, smiling at it as he slides into his wallet. 

"Thank you for joining us, and happy adventuring," She smiles, Nahshon only nodding, his lips feeling like they've been glued together.

And so he steps out, feeling as something is burrowed into his skin, ticklish, a tattoo forming on his left hand which marks that he's been put under a contract. Looking at his first job in this world, an anticlimatic one, to pick flowers the colour of blue, called 'Gargelias'. And so, his journey begins, all his quests for the past few days, being small and smaller ones, the rewards from 5,000 to 10,000 per one, gathering enough for food and housing, renting something like an Airbnb of this world, with a nice view of the sky, finally being able to at least buy a proper phone, returning to the guild once again.

"Good morning," Nahshon smiles, waving to Caterina, as he has done every time he sees her.

"Oh, good morning," She smiles back.

"Hey, do you have any books on magic?" He questions, being here for a few days now and still no magic.

"Yes, we do, but may I ask for what specific purpose?"

"Yeah, um...like learning how to release it...?" He says, her eyes widening. 

"Ah, trouble emitting your mana," She corrects him.

"Hmm?"

"Mana. Take it as a volcano being you, the body. When within you, it's mana, like magma, and when on the outside, it becomes lava, meaning magic," She explains, Nahshon realising this is the most she's talked.

"Ah. Makes sense," He nods.

"So you will need..." She sounds, going by the small in-house library, Nahshon following her, her finger swiping across the section of books, tapping at one he takes out. "This"

"Oh," He takes it, 'The structure of mana, and its fundamentals."Thanks"

"And if you have any questions..." She quiets, Nahshon looking intently at her. "You can just stop by, and I'll help you out"

"Yeah...I will," He nods, at her post, paying the rent fee for the book, dropping it into his new satchel, and going on to his next quest.

He completes his quest, dirt on his face, his clothes soiled with dirt and leaves in his hair, people giving him funny looks as he passes by, embarrassed as he wished they would stop staring, regretting a bit of taking that mission, as in the mountains, as he was collection some berries, a group of really large reindeer ganged up on him. Not having a sword or magic, his confidence was void, therefore opting for escape, where he slid down a slop as he was being chased, messed up his clothes and face by not doing it properly. So he searches the narrow streets for a fountain, too embarrassed to go back to the guild where Caterina will see him like this, his shoulders hunched over in shame, walking past an alley where he regresses, his curiosity peaked, three men, an elf, a human drunk off his ears, and a demihuman with dog ear on his head who surrounds a woman, her hair red like an apple, her hand on her face as she cries, Nahshon perplexed, the men dressed like bandits seemingly hurting her, as they talk of hunting someone. He looks down, hesitant, wondering if he should go look for a soldier or another, more experienced adventurer, seeing as the drunken one then ready to put his hand on her, he understands he has no choice, gathering everything he's learned with his teacher back in his world, a full dash, the men startled as the drunken one is kicked in the chest, flying into a heap of garbage, Nahshon then sweeping the demihuman's leg, then palm striking into the distance, both men couldn't react quickly, the civilians startled by the commotion, as both men are down for the count, Nahshon grappling with the elf, around and around they go, blonde hair rowed back, blue eyes irritated with what's happening, Nahshon recognising that he should be stronger than him, but this one knowing how to position himself, an experienced fighter, he understands.

"Tch! Taking a good look at your face, I wouldn't think you're that type!" The elf says, Nahshon launching them both down some stairs, wanting to create distance between them and the girl, both flung through a wooden door and inside a room, an art space, tools and unfinished work in there. "Motherfucker...how did they even track us so quickly...?"

A somewhat cramp-spaced, they both analyze, as they begin circling, counting the advantages they may have as well as their disadvantages, Nahshon for one, having to fight without proper magic, but counting on his sharp fighting skills, as he was known to be the most technical fight in his class, both counting on the fact that whoever takes the center of the room, will have the greatest chance of winning, both of them setting their fighting stance, the elf making the first move, a flick of a paintbrush towards Nahshon's eye, the newbie adventurer quickly dodging, startled by the elf's great accuracy with something so slim, Nahshon quickly looking back at the elf already at him with being first with control of the centre, the boy dodging with a twirl, their fists and kicks clashing, their speeds equal, the elf vaulting under and over tables, running and hopping across the walls, throwing around stuff with great accuracy, some without even looking, some of his attacks hurting the boy as he mixes in coming in close with fists and kicks, Nahshon blocking a spinning kick from above, its weight heavy for such a light looking enemy, the boy quickly dragging him by the leg, striking a blow to the stomach, his next combo dodged efficiently with movements like a fox, agile with quick reflexes.

The elf almost caught with a knee to the face, blocking it with both hands, pushed back with replying with roll into a kick like two arrows into Nahshon's chest, the elf recognizing that the boy has been quickly learning and adapting to him, wanting to finish this quickly, Nahshon not making it easy, as he gets back up, his chest sting as if he was hit with a hammer, fiercness in his eyes, as beneath his feet appears craters, his power strengthened, a fiercer fighter, faster and more explosive, the elf only dodging by a hair, blocking the last of the set, its power heavy, his arm definitely bruised by that one, Nahshon then with a spin and a rotation of his hands, he palms the elf off his feet, the opponent quickly jumping back up, both looking down, Nahshon now having the centre, a smirk on his face, Ezek hissing, throwing a sculpted head, Nahshon easily backhanding it out his sight, simultaneously kicking one of the table, the elf's balance thrown off mid leap, a shock look on his face as launched in his chest, Nahshon's knee, sending him to the floor. The pain in his body pulsating, Nahshon breathes heavily, one hand across his chest, he stands over the unconscious elf, looking around at the damage they've done, knowing whoever owns this place will surely be upset, hearing the click of a weapon, Nahshon turns, a pistol in the palm of the elf's hand, the sounds like cannons in the hollow room, Nahshon shot with a weapon, three bullets all in his body, he's baffled, falling on his back, being sure he did not have a firearm before, the confusion settling in.

"F-Fuck...!" Nahshon hears another, the demihuman joining the elf in looking over him, the drunkard following suit. "Ezek...?"

"Tch!" The elf sounds, Nahshon's vision dimming, his ears sounding like they are being filled with water, the noise like being under the ocean, barely hearing them. "Stop panicking, I didn't get his vital areas"

"Okay!" The drunkard says, scratching his beard, Nahshon smells alcohol on him through his bloodied nose. "Then what? Are we gonna leave him here?? We've gotta go, man. The civs definitely heard the gunfire. We can't stay here"

"No, we probably shouldn't leave him. He probably knows something we could use," The demihuman tells them, the drunkard nodding.

"Alright, well, that's that," Ezek goes, Nahshon feels their hands lifting him, his body heavy like he's drowning, and his vision gone to black.