Side Story - Adam 1: New World, New Possibilities

AN: Later than I wanted, but its here now!

Adam closed the book he had been reading, the fact that he had apparently met the literal creator of the universe still at the forefront of his mind. He had cursed her in his mind when he had arrived on this world — for taking him from his own. Now, he woke up drenched in sweat almost every night fearing she would punish him.

Brenia had assured him Aperio would not do such a thing, but he was not sure about that yet. Even though it's been weeks. Adam was certain that time meant little to the Creator, and that a few weeks to her were likely akin to his perception of seconds.

He shook his head and stood up from his chair, placing the book — a few basic exercises to learn to control his mana, given to him by Mister Penbrooks — on the table in front of him. Caethya knew that he came from another world, but the others did not and Adam saw no reason to tell them. Why couldn't I get some special ability?

The concept of waking up in a different world was not new to Adam. He had read more than one book that featured the premise, but in all of those, the one that got whisked from their world had received some sort of boon from the Gods. And died…

He was certain he hadn't died. How exactly he had gotten here was fuzzy to him now, but Adam was sure he was simply going home when he suddenly found himself falling to this world. And right at the feet of the All-Mighty…

Adam had never been a particularly religious person, but knowing just how wrong the people of Earth were about the nature of actual divinity helped him feel a little better. That line of thought immediately led him to think about what might happen should the All-Mother choose to go to Earth. And who the God in charge of it is.

Caethya had told him about the Pantheon — that there were more Gods that ran things. She had not told him that there was a separate God for every world, but Adam was pretty sure that there would be at least one, and given the wide gamut of religions on Earth he felt better about having been indecisive. There was only a small problem. Earth had no mana — at least, he had not seen any magic — and everything he read or heard about the different Gods and Goddesses made it quite clear that, without mana, they could not exist on Earth.

With a shake of his head, Adam left his room. He eyed the black and green haired man as he passed him in the hallway. No matter how many times they told him he did not have to fear Natio, it didn't really help Adam. The way the man looked at him when he walked by was enough for him to avoid Natio as best he can. So creepy.

A few more steps brought him into what he had come to call the cantine. That was not its actual name, but he had trouble understanding the language they had used. Anything that was not spoken or written in 'Common' was a mystery to him. Having to explain that he could understand, speak, and read but not write it had been a taxing experience. Luckily Caethya had covered for him there, mentioning a few more people who faced a similar predicament.

Maybe I should tell them? he thought to himself as he took a plate and moved towards the buffet that never seemed to run out.

"Where does all this come from?" he mumbled to himself, taking a few slices of meat from an animal he did not know and a couple spoons full of what looked and tasted like potato salad but was probably something else.

One good thing about being on Verenier, however, was the fact that he could eat as much as he wanted and never seem to gain weight. Well, kinda have to eat this much now. Mister Penbrooks had made it quite clear that he needed to eat more so his body could better adapt to the mana that now flowed through him. That people went without it for over twenty years — something called Etherical Rejection, apparently — was rare but not unheard of.

As luck would have it, however, he had ended up in Penbrooks House of Healing and Lady Il'Jheem knew almost everything about that condition. The woman scared him a little,not just because she was covered in scales, had a tail, and horns growing out of her head, but because she put him through the most hellish training he had experienced to date.

He sat himself down at one of the empty tables, away from the other residents of the house. They might be friendly towards him, but Adam still found the entire idea of a new world inhabited by fantasy races a bit much.

The slight creaking of wood caused him to look up — right into the vertically slit pupils of Lady Il'Jheem. "Hello," she said, offering a small wave and a smile that showed a little too much teeth for Adam's liking. "How are you doing today? Hungry as usual?"

"Yes," Adam replied after swallowing his bite and lowering his fork. "Is there something you need, Lady Il'Jheem?" He mentally winced at his pronunciation of her name. No matter what he tried, Adam never seemed to get it quite right.

"Just calling me Qhinya like everyone else would be a start," the Dragonkin said, a small crystal appearing in her hand. She waved it around a little. "I also brought this for you to play with."

Adam looked at the crystal in her hand for a moment before lightly rubbing the back of his neck. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Try to feel the mana inside it," she replied, holding up a hand to stop him from asking how he would do that. "Everyone perceives mana differently, so there is not much I can do to help you." Qhinya took his hand, placing the crystal on his palm, and closed his fingers around it. "Finish your meal and then try it. The only advice I can give you is to feel, and not think."

Before he could ask a question, the Dragonkin had vanished. I swear she can teleport. Adam dismissed the thought. He did not have to guess, after all he had been teleported here himself and nobody seemed too shocked by the fact — even though the All-Mother did it. More shocked by her mere presence.

The All-Mother — Is Odin her husband? — had a way of commanding a room by simply being in it. Being near her filled him with a sense of… awe, for a lack of a better term. That the woman actually glowed a little did not help him think of her as someone normal. But then, she isn't normal…

He finished his meal in silence, the crystal Qhinya had given him never leaving his hand. Once he was done, he put his used plate and cutlery in the small spot for it, next to the buffet, and made for his room.

On his way back, Adam had to once again pass Natio. The green-haired man eyed him for a moment, his eyes briefly lingering on Adam's closed fist before he seemed to seize up and return to scrubbing the floor. Can he see it? Why would a janitor be able to notice a crystal in my hand?

He quickened his pace in response, trying to get to the safety of his room as fast as he could without appearing suspicious. Adam didn't exactly know who would find his behaviour suspicious, but he wanted to avoid any potential awkward conversations.

The door to his room closed behind him and, with a satisfying click, locked itself shut. Adam still checked if it was actually closed — just to be sure — his eyes lingering on the runes that now lined the door frame.

He could not read any of them, but Caethya had told them that they completed a privacy enchantment on the whole room that was able to shield him from anyone that was not a master of scrying magic. Or a Goddess… If the river of lights Adam had seen while coming to this world was anything to go by, not even death would offer you an escape from the Gods, least of all the All-Mother.

With a sigh, Adam dismissed the line of thought and sat down on his bed. He looked at the crystal in his hand, its pulsating surface holding his attention for a moment longer than he had intended. It felt warm in his hand, the heat getting slightly warmer when the crystal was the brightest in its endless cycle. Almost like a heart…

He had neglected to ask what exactly it was, having thought it nothing more than a magical trinket. With an almost silent thud, Adam placed the maybe-not-a-crystal on the table and moved to his shelf. Caethya had given him quite a few books, all pulled from a strange rift in space that gave him a headache whenever he looked at it for too long.

The book he was looking for was easy to find, its blue and gold spine standing out against the various shades of grey, brown, and black the others sported.As he tugged it from the shelf, his eyes landed on the cover. The title proclaimed that it was 'The Essential Guide to Magic and its Materials' in gold lettering that was way too bold. More like an Idiot's Guide to Magic. Gaudy Edition.

According to Caethya, this book was regarded as the most basic thing one could get on the subject. Not bad, but definitely not good.

He flipped it open, his eyes scanning over the table of contents, looking for something that could be relevant to the thing Qhinya had given him. She had said that he shouldn't think, but Adam would rather find out what it was before he tried to do anything with it — let alone feel it, whatever that meant.

The first section he checked was helpfully labelled 'Crystals, Foci, and Other Helpful Tools' — undoubtedly a good place to start. It quickly became obvious that what he had been given was not a crystal or some other focus given to beginners, but what exactly it was still eluded Adam.

A few more pages came and went without giving him the information he had been searching for. He was almost ready to simply put the book away and try something else when a small illustration caught his eye. It was a crystal-looking thing like the one he now had, but instead of blue it was red.

The essence of a monster? That was what was written on the page right next to the small illustration. Apparently they could get quite expensive — you had to kill a strong monster to get it, all the while not breaking the crystal that had formed where their heart should be.

Adam eyed the crystallised essence; how its light slowly ebbed and flowed. How it bea — no, breathed. And yet, despite knowing what it was, despite how disturbingly alive it looked, he found himself picking it up. His hand was immediately warmed by the crystal as its rhythmic pulse pushed something through his flesh. Against his instinct, he closed his eyes and closed his fingers around the essence of the long dead monster. He tried to do what Qhinya had told him; tried to feel.

With every breath he took, the warmth of the crystal crept further up his arm, sending a tingling sensation through his body. A rising heat quickly spread in its wake, banishing the pleasant warmth that had filled him just moments before. He wanted to let go of the crystal, but his hand was clamped shut in pain; unwilling to move.

Adam wanted to scream, but found himself unable to as his body did not obey. All he could do was wait as the wave of heat burned through every cell; every fibre of his being.

Despite the pain, he could feel something else in its wake. A barely tangible feeling that he knew to be part of him but could not put into words. It soothed the pain of the raging fire that flowed through his veins and flesh — offering a cool comfort to the searing pain the crystal had brought.

A knock on the door and a muffled voice calling his name caught at his attention. He wanted to respond but couldn't, his body still not his own. Trapped. The last thing Adam heard before his consciousness left him was the sound of breaking wood and unintelligible shouting, and as his mind slipped away he felt the distant touch of a hand brushing against his face.