Kokoshi Reiji, a 21-year-old student pursuing a degree in history.
Standing in his father's study room, in their ancestral home, Reiji was surrounded by dusty books and the memories he'd made during his childhood.
As he dusted and grabbed books while walking around, he thought: "This place is full of life and adventure, stored within these books. Father would always read me stories from the past. How long has it been?"
His attention was caught by the large framed photo of his father mounted at the center of the room. He reflected, "What's that book he's holding in the photo? The book about Augustus Caesar by Nicolaus - was it? It was his biggest discovery. Maybe he should've stopped there."
Reiji's father, Dr. Kōkōshi Kenji, was a renowned archaeologist who met his fate in Amboise, France, years ago. With his mother's passing during his birth, Reiji was left with only the wealth and knowledge passed down to him by his father.
Amboise…
Reiji softly whispered
As his gaze drifted downward, weighed by the sorrow of the past and his father's passing, his eyes landed on a copy of a portrait painted by Da Vinci.
Last supper, huh? I didn't know he had…
Reiji was suddenly stopped by a thought that played in his mind.
"Amboise…
"Da Vinci…
All of a sudden, the room felt small, and his breathing started to become heavy.
"Father was researching Da Vinci in Amboise…"
He held his chest, feeling the beat of his heart. This beating wasn't due to sadness or sorrow, no - it was something different. It was due to the memory of his father's enthusiasm, his happiness and joy, as he talked about the great person he had loved to study.
"I get it now. It must have been dedication."
Reiji smiled slyly and stood in front of his fathers portrait and said,
Father, forgive my insolence in thinking you should've stopped what you had loved doing.
In your passing, I grieved and felt sorrow, but now, now I understand. Now I feel happy that you left this world with your hands on your greatest inspiration, Leonardo Da Vinci.
Before leaving, Reiji clapped his hands twice and turned around to glance at his father's study, thinking, "I was too young back then to feel proud of what he had accomplished. I only thought he was gone. Maybe visiting this place for the first time again, just before I fly abroad, wasn't just a goodbye but a necessity."
What a moment… Reiji whispered as he prepared to leave.
He reached the door, ready to leave. But then, something came over him.
"Wait… Father sent something important home back then. What was it again?"
He stepped back inside, checked his phone to check time.
"It's 7:42 AM. I still have time before my flight."
In a hurry, he scoured the room to look for the piece, and in a hidden compartment of the center table, he retrieved a beautifully crafted glass-topped box, measuring 40cm x 30cm.
His hands trembled as he lifted the box to reveal the gleaming, intricately detailed, and one of a kind modified Vitruvian Man diagram inside.
Reiji's eyes sparkled with fascination and intrigue. His mind raced with conclusions and theories linked to the piece in front of him.
Then, a small envelope stuck to the bottom of the box fell to the floor. Reiji leaned back a little in surprise, staring at the paper. He thought, "Is that a letter?"
What is this father… he whispered as he picked up the paper.
When he opened, that letter reads:
Reiji, you should pretend you've never received this. I need you to follow every instruction I wrote in this letter…
Reiji paused, his lips apart, as he stared into nothingness, grasping the significance of this discovery.
Hazy and clouded by the amount of information, Reiji could barely read the words written in his father's letter.
Burn this letter after…
Do not hold this diagram for too lo…
The modification, it was not just a simple modification, it is…
I know you'll be able to decode…
But you should not…
Do you understa…
Reiji, you have to understand. This piece, it only proves…
You understand? Hide this piece until I ret…
"I… I feel dizzy…" Reiji muttered.
He leaned his hand on the table trying to stabilize his footing. He looked around as his hands grasped for something to hold onto.
"Why is everything spinning…"
Reiji dropped the letter, the box, and the diagram. Then, the room began to spin, and Reiji felt himself being pulled into a vortex.
His voice cracked as he screamed, "AHHHHHH!"
But the strong wind devoured his words.
"HUFF!" he silently grasped for air.
Reiji dropped to his knees, panting heavily
"HUFF!" His labored breathing slowly calmed down with a series of ragged gasps.
"Grass? Why is there grass here?" He asked in confusion
Then, he shielded his eyes as the fading vortex revealed the warmth of the sun.
"Where...?" he trails off.
A soft breeze rustles the leaves.
"What is going on here?"
Reiji frowned his brow as he looked around the unfamiliar scenery.
Without him knowing, the diagram had been a gateway to the world of Paragonia, where art, science, and magic intertwined.
Could his understanding of the diagram triggered the portal that transported him to this new world? Or was there an intervention involved?
What awaits Reiji in this new world he has ended up in?