The air was thick with the acrid scent of burning embers as flames danced in a chaotic display across the night sky. The distant sounds of clashing swords and battle cries echoed through the air. In the midst of the chaos, a young man named Alex gasped for breath, his body covered in wounds, his vision growing dim.
Just hours ago, Alex was a 22-year-old college student, navigating the challenges of a mundane life. His days were filled with lectures, late-night study sessions, and the occasional college party. Unbeknownst to him, his life was about to take a drastic turn.
One evening, as Alex walked home from the library, he noticed a mysterious old bookshop tucked away in a narrow alley. Drawn by an inexplicable force, he entered the dimly lit establishment. The air inside crackled with ancient energy, and the shelves were lined with dusty tomes containing secrets of worlds long forgotten.
As he proceeded to peruse the shelves, he noticed a figure in the corner, an old man with a long white beard and white robes that seemed to shimmer with an ethereal light. The old man's piercing gaze met Alex's, and a knowing smile played on his lips.
"Ah, young seeker," the old man's voice echoed in the quiet bookshop. "You have a thirst for knowledge that goes beyond the confines of your world. Every book is an adventure, and within its pages lies a destiny waiting to unfold."
Alex shook his head, thinking that he was hallucinating after studying so hard that day and wearing out his mind. Alex continued browsing through the shelves and stacks of old books, hoping to find something he could use to take his mind off the upcoming midterms and relax.
Among the stacks, Alex discovered a weathered book titled "The Chronicles of Ascendance." Intrigued, he began reading, uncovering tales of a parallel realm where warriors cultivated their inner strength and mastered the art of sword skills. Before he realized it, Alex was almost halfway through the book and had to snap himself from it forcefully.
Alex closed the book and took it to the front counter to purchase it. He had approached the counter expecting to see the old man, only to find a fairly young woman doing inventory on a stack of books piled on the counter. "Excuse me, where did that old man go? I wanted to show him this cool book I found."
Alex's words confused the woman, who already looked to be tired out from the task she was currently doing. "What old man? You're the first person to walk in here today and I can't afford to hire employees." Hearing this Alex tried explaining what had occurred earlier to the clerk, but as he spoke about it, he found it making less sense and simply stopped talking about it in fear of looking like a crazy person.
"Ha Ha, sorry about that, I must just be tired from studying all day, just this book please." Alex handed the book to the clerk, trying to laugh the awkward situation away. The clerk took the book and typed away at her keyboard. A look of puzzlement slowly overtook her face and she typed and re-typed something several times.
"Looks like this book isn't in our system, which is impossible because I enter every book that comes in before it hits the shelves." Alex looked worried that he wouldn't be able to finish the book he picked up, and the clerk, seeing this, decided to just make the sale now and worry about inventory later. Alex purchased the book and saw the clerk writing something down as he looked back to wave goodbye.
Later that night, when Alex was home and in his pajamas, he picked up the book once more, looking to read a little before heading to bed. He had only planned to read a few pages, but he was entranced and unable and unwilling to pull away.
As he reached the final chapter, the room trembled, and the book glowed with an otherworldly light. Alex felt a sudden pull as if the very fabric of reality was unraveling around him. The next moment, he found himself on a battlefield, surrounded by warriors locked in a struggle for supremacy.
The old man with the white beard and robes appeared once again, this time at the edge of the battlefield, watching the unfolding events with a serene expression. "You have been chosen, young one, to embark on a journey beyond the confines of your previous life. Embrace the challenges that lie ahead, for your destiny has intertwined with the threads of this world."
Before Alex could comprehend the situation, the clash of swords and the roar of battle drowned out all other sounds. He was thrust into a life-or-death struggle, his instincts guiding him through the chaos. And then, as the moon hung high in the night sky, he succumbed to his injuries, only to awaken in an ethereal realm void of any life or objects.
Now, as he stood before the wise old man, memories of the mysterious book and the battlefield flooded his mind, but the book he read and the pages flooding his mind were different; however, Alex felt that they were the very same pages he had read. Alex's head was now throbbing. He had never experienced a headache of such severity in all his life, it was so bad it caused him to pass out, but before losing consciousness, he heard the faint words of the old man. "You are now the disciple of this supreme immortal. Now go forth and make me proud. Also, don't forget to have fun." The old man finished with a wide grin on his face.