Chapter One

"I should really quit after this week.." The dark skies over head and the rain falling on my windscreen did little to dissuade me from keeping to my usual time and path.

I was already near to the Dead Zone, a place both hated and loved within Edulon City. But for us bus drivers, that place was hell. The noise from the drunk university students always made it difficult for us to focus on the road. The rascals would come on board and scream so loud you would swear your eardrums had just burst and repaired themselves over a few seconds.

I sigh, again, and press on the pedal. The next intersection lacked a traffic light so I would need to use my own intuition like always but then again, at paths like that all drivers usually settle into a habit of sorts. I doubted I would have much trouble. I usually don't since am driving a bus.

Everyone stays away from the bus on a rainy day like this one. Everyone but the trucks and the crazy fools that think they can run faster than the flash.

I pull up closer to the intersection and prepare to take a quick turn to the left finally entering the Royal Road. Atleast, that was the idea and what should have happened but life and fate can be a serious bother sometimes.

Bright light flares and for a few moments I see nothing, feel nothing and hear nothing but suddenly i start feeling everything and hearing everything at the same time.

Screams echo from behind me.

The tires screech as I push against the brakes like my life depends on it, probably because it does since there's a wall larger than life just a short distance from us.

Am not dying, not today. I push harder on the breaks while looking for a moment to jump out of the bus. There's no way am dying. Not when I still have so much of my life left for me to live.

The bus struggles to stop but just when am ready to leap out of the door to the streets on the side the bus finally stops. I blink, take a deep breath then exhale softly.

"Well.. that was difficult.." I chuckle.

Although I may be a bit nervous at the current turn of events I couldn't lie and say I wasn't interested. Where were we? I don't remember a wall like this existing within royal road. The wall in question looked like something you would see a medieval town. The bricks were a dull grey color that made them look like they had carved out of stone.

Well.. this is not easy.. I only wanted one of you afterall..

I whip my head to the right and stare, eyes widened as a tall giant clad in white robes hovers a distance away from the bus closer to the door. His hair is as white as now, his eyes nothing but pure black with no pupils but two rings, pure white in color. The rest of his body is covered by the robes so I don't see much of it but the two horns on his head, although gold, would easily make him a demon where am from.

And those are always evil. Always and evil is not good.

I shift, basically looking for another way out of here but one quick look behind me makes it clear there's a few stupid people in the bus today.

A young boy, a child in my eyes, walks out of the entrance and outside the bus. Although his back is straight and his expression stern I could easily tell the little thwart was shaking. Atleast he has more mental strength than me. Got to respect that.

"Who are you?" The boy starts, his voice quivering slightly. I pause breath hitched as the words echo breaking the silence.

Hoh? You fear me yet I can smell excitement from you.. how interesting.. but that is a question I don't care to answer young one. Am here as but a messenger and a bridge for your souls afterall.

Now that sounds ominous. I gulp down the lump fear threatening to strangle me.

"Are you an angel?"

This kid just won't stop will he..

That, I am not. But I will be your killer if you ask another question boy.

I can see the boy nod and step back as if giving the white clothed giant his space.

Now then. Let me make this clear, I didn't expect this many of you but that's fine as well. Aeon could use the assistance.

Aeon? Who is Aeon? And what does Aeon want from us? Wait. What did he mean when he said he didn't expect this many of us? Was our bus not the target but someone else? I don't like this.. I really shouldn't have dropped out of med school, in fact, I wouldn't have if I knew this was going to happen.

I sigh, and position myself closer to my chair. In this angle I could easily leap towards my door and ran away if this white giant decides we are too stupid and stunned to be useful to him and whoever this Aeon was.

Now then, let me welcome you to my realm - Aeon.

The white clothed, white haired giant bowed allowing me to glimpse as the orb of pure white light right behind him. That confused me for a moment but before I could observe it properly the man rises to his full height once more.

You have been summoned to this world without your consent hence a few gifts shall be granted as compensation. But before that let me tell you role in all this.

He sighed, shifted slightly then gestured with his hand.

At first I was confused since nothing happened but that didn't last long, it started slow but the road beneath us began disintegrating turning into tiny microspic cubes that drifted to the atmosphere before sinking into what looked like absolute darkness.

The Sun above us disappeared replaced by a boundless sea of black dotted with stars that winked in and out of existence. I swerved, turning my head towards the giant that hovered above us. He gestured to all those looking towards him and we followed his finger towards a large celestial body floating in the vast darkness. The void around it nothing but a canvas made to amplify its beauty.

That is Aeon. As beautiful as my home is, it is not why I pulled you here.

He gestured to the planet's edge where three gargantuan ships floated silently in the darkness.

They call themselves Cultivators. He began. His gaze narrowed and thoughtful. They wish to invade this place. My home, your home as well since I cannot reverse the summoning.

I blinked. Did he just tell us he summoned us into a planet targeted by old monsters capable of traversing space? And as if that wasn't enough, did he just drop a bomb like that? He can't help us return home? I chuckled. A nervous, crazed chuckle that lessened the fear building within me.

"What do you mean you cannot reverse it?" Another voice echoed to my ears. This one louder than the mumbling I heard from the rest. I turned my head towards it. A female holding on to her baby that lay on her chest. Her daughter was staring at everything with a curious expression while the mother stared at the giant with nothing but pure anger and hate.

It's impossible to take your souls back to the world I have whisked you from. Doing so would affect the integrity of the barrier I placed around my home.

A cold bastard. His voice hadn't changed in tempo nor pitch. It still sounded similar to the first time we met. The man sounded like he was speaking naught but fact.

She paused, her body quivering from the anger she was holding within her. Beside her another man lifted his hand. His brown eyes were narrowed as he looked at the white giant deep in thought.

"How long do we have to prepare for the invasion?"

Hoh?  This man sounded like he was already planning for his future. I respect that.

Hmm.. I'd say a little over seven years but that could change depending on how much pressure they put on the barrier.

"You expect us to fight Cultivators capable of crafting ships that can traverse space in a little over seven years?!" An all too familiar echoed from the crowd. The young thwart that had spoken earlier failing to keep himself from speaking.

You should really turn your voice down little thwart. I shook my head at that thought and turned to the giant. The world around us gained hairline fractures and shattered like broken glass returning us to the location we had been in earlier.

I sighed feeling the comfort of the rigid chair that had been both my friend and enemy for a long time now.

Indeed. I don't expect you all of you to survive their first wave but I do expect some of you to use the potential within your souls to help my people.

That's a bit cold but then again, I respect that. So far this giant hasn't bothered to sweet talk us or give us promises of boundless power. From the words spoken it was clear he wanted our potential the most. Potential I guessed came from our souls then? Since I was very sure my old life had none of that potential. Heck , I wasn't even a fighter before this and I doubted I was that hyped about fighting. But a new life? That I was hyped about. Hence the grin.

Our conversation has went on for far longer than I wanted it to. I suggest you stay here and go through your abilities for a while before leaving this place because the world of Aeon is far from safe and in fact, extremely dangerous as of right now.

With those thoughts the giant burst into motes of azure colored lights. I blinked confusion and distress grasping at me. What the hell does he mean the world is far from safe?! So it's not just the Cultivators that are going to be a problem? There's more?

I sigh, shake my head and turn towards the people now sitting out side the bus on the pavement. It was then I also notice something else.

This so-called street only ended as far as the pavement. The surroundings were nothing but a bright expanse of white that extended as far as I could see with the pavement being the only somewhat normal thing in this place. I blinked and sighed once more.

This was ridiculous and judging by the few shaking heads and sighs I wasn't the only one who thought so.

"Eh?" A female voice echoed to my ears causing me to turn towards it. There, in the distance just beside the windshield was a young woman clad in office wear. Ignoring the dress that struggled to hold her behind in place, I turned to look at what was making her gasp exactly and I couldn't help but blink twice then thrice and once more just to make sure i wasn't seeing things because this woman's hand was on fire.

And not just that but she wasn't writhing in pain nor crying from the flames that are supposed to actually burn her skin. She instead, stared at those flames in fascination. 

"This isn't real.." I mutter softly confused by the science that was refusing to make any sense.

"How did you do that?" The thwart began again, his voice more louder this time. The excitement was easy to grasp from the way the boy spoke.

"I, well.. I saw a small orb of orange blinking on my vision. Then I focused on it. Try it." The young  boy nodded and I tried to search for a glowing orange orb but I didn't see anything like that. Instead I found a small cube the size of my pinkie flickering between reality and illusion.

Focusing on it forced a sharp piercing pain to pulse through my head. I groaned grabbing my head and taking deep ragged breaths. For a few seconds the pain continued unabated before finally halting completely as if they hadn't been there at all.

I blinked and found myself staring at a screen. One the size of my hand and just enough to fit on my palm.

[Arcane Log]
Name: Eric Sternford
Lifespan: 29/34
Cultivation: N/A
Attributes

• Mind: 1.4
• Body: 2.1
• Essence: 0.1

Skills:

• Predating Barrier I
• Jade Body I

Techniques : --/--

"Well.. I'll be damned.." I don't know if that was normal but I guess it is right? But what are these talents and my lifespan.. I felt my chest clench at seeing how near I was to death. Judging by those number wouldn't I be dead before the Cultivators even if invaded this place?

A shiver shot through my spine making it tingle. I didn't want to die that I was very sure of. Heck, no sane person would want to die after knowing their date of death. Anyone, even more would try to increase that deadline.

I gulped. Fear starting to spread through my body.