I looked at the flashy cards, each one displaying the name of a different race. But frustration set in immediately. Every time I tried to click a card, it flashed red and nothing happened. I clicked again and again, but the cards wouldn't respond. Annoyed, I started looking for another option on the screen.
Frustrated, I looked to the right side of the screen, where more options were stacked. I clicked the first one, and text immediately appeared: "Teleportation." I stared at the word, confused. "What is all this, and what does it even do?" I said to the empty room.
I clicked on the dark, empty space around the planet, but nothing happened. Frustrated, I zoomed in on one of the continents. I saw what looked like a small bush of berries. When I placed my cursor on it, a text box appeared, reading "Berries." Below that, another text box in green said "Teleportable." Hopeful, I clicked on the berry bush.
The moment I clicked, the berries vanished from the screen. "What?" I said, leaning closer. "Uh... where did they go? What happened?" My mind raced, trying to figure out what just happened.
I was still staring at the screen, utterly confused by the vanishing berries, when a blinding white light erupted from above me. It was so bright it was like staring directly into the sun. The sheer shock of it made me lurch back in my chair, losing my balance. The chair and I tumbled to the floor in a heap. A sharp pain shot through me, and a yell escaped my lips. "AAAH! My back! My back!"
The pain in my back was instantly replaced by a different kind of shock. A handful of something wet and soft landed squarely on my face. It was followed by the light, fluttering touch of leaves. I peeled my eyes open and saw a few perfectly round blue berries rolling down my cheek. "What the... is going on?" I said, my voice muffled by the fruit.
A drop of juice from one of the berries trickled down my chin and onto my lips. I tasted it instinctively. The flavor was a burst of pure, unadulterated sweetness something I had never experienced before. I lay there on the floor, a chaotic mix of shock, confusion, and excitement swirling inside me.
I scrambled to my feet, wiping the sweet, sticky juice from my face. I ran a hand through my hair, pulling out a couple of small leaves. I looked back at the screen, and the text now read: "Teleportation Completed."
After cleaning everything up, I started wondering how that had even happened. Was it some kind of new technology that I didn't know about? I began searching for information on my phone but couldn't find a single post about it on social media. Still confused, I sat back down in my chair.
I looked down at my hands. They were still shaking, but I clenched them into fists, forcing my frantic thoughts to settle. The fear hadn't vanished, but a new, stronger feeling had taken its place: a stubborn need to know. I had to explore this.
My fingers were still trembling as I clicked on the human civilization card again. This time, it worked. The screen flashed, and a new page loaded instantly. I stared at it, a single thought echoing in my mind: Why now?
Puzzled, I zoomed back out and clicked the card from a distance. Nothing happened. I tried it again, this time getting closer, focusing on a specific spot. The card responded, opening the page. I finally understood. It only worked up close if you targeted a specific area.
The description flashed onto the screen beneath the card.
"Place this card anywhere to teleport 10 humans to a chosen area."
I chose a plain grassland on one of the continents. The weight of that decision hit me hard.
As on the screen, ten bright, small lights appeared high above the chosen grassland. I watched them descend, shining with an almost blinding intensity. Then, as quickly as they appeared, they vanished.
Where the lights had been, ten confused humans stood, looking around in a state of shock.
As the newly-arrived humans milled about, a new detail captured my attention. I saw a small text box floating in the air above every single one of them. I couldn't make out the words; it was just a tiny, insignificant blur. Compelled by a new wave of curiosity, I leaned closer, zooming in on the screen to get a better look.
When I zoomed in, a sudden, muffled sound reached my ears. The distant murmuring of their voices. It wasn't just a screen anymore; it was real.
As they spoke, text began to form above their heads. One of the men looked around, his voice filled with confusion as the words floated above him. "How did I end up here? I was working on my farm. Where am I?"
Another human responded, the text appearing above his head just as quickly. "I also don't know anything about it. I was just guarding the entry gate of my city."
A wave of surprise and curiosity washed over Leo as he listened. He focused on their words, piecing together a terrifying truth from the jumbled conversations: they had been pulled from entirely random lives and dropped here. A farmer and a city guard, now standing on the same patch of grass.
He counted them quickly, a detail that settled in his mind despite the chaos: four women and six men. The weight of it all hit him then, and a slow, heavy sigh escaped his chest. "What is going on?" he whispered to himself.....