Chapter 5
*This is the rough draft version of the novel. The polished novel will be posted at a later date.
This chapter is not finished yet. Proper formatting has not been applied to the ongoing chapters.
Chapter 5: It Begins
Day 2
Atrinity winced and shaded her eyes with her hand as she adjusted to the bright blue sky above her. She could feel the thick, plush grass beneath her back and knew; she had made it through the portal into the game, Kaldea. She began to lean her head forward to sit up when the sky was suddenly blocked by a red-headed boy with blue eyes and a brilliant grin. He startled her despite his friendly appearance.
"Hi there! You're awake!" he exclaimed and offered his hand to help her up. "Are you okay? Do you need any help?"
"I'm fine! I'm fine! I just um, fell asleep, I guess," she supposed as she sat herself up without his help.
"Fell asleep? You just came out of some kind of rift! I've never seen a miracle like that before!" he exclaimed with enthusiasm. "My name's Raol! What's your name?"
"Atrinity," she replied, patting the grass around her as she looked at him before tearing her attention away from Raol to look for her phone.
“Are you looking for this?” Raol asked with one finger pointing at a floating device shaped like an octahedron.
“Um, I don't know what that is,” she admitted timidly.
“Well it looks like someone is trying to make contact now,” he remarked and poked the device.
“Atrinity? Can you hear me?” Glitch's voice came through and she stood up.
“Yes!” she answered alertly.
“I don't have a visual of where you are, but Aitheros is currently in Red as a blue player, so I can now watch him from the hub. I'm going to have my attention split between the two of you, but I'll keep you both on call. Do you see a castle?” Glitch asked and Raol gestured with a thumb to large gates a short distance behind himself.
“Y-yeah, I do,” she replied.
“Go there and form a party to explore the caves southwest of Kaldea castle,” Glitch instructed.
“Okay, I'll try,” she agreed nervously, then cupped her hands around the device and pulled it in towards her before looking at Raol. “I... don't really know how to use this thing,”
“What thing?” Glitch asked and Raol held his tongue.
She tried her best to describe, “It's what I'm talking to you with. It's like a diamond shape, with a bluish glow, and it floats.”
“Oh, so your phone transformed when you got there?” he remarked.
“This is my phone?”
“Yeah. Did anything else on you change?” he asked and she looked down to see her pink and white polka dot pajamas.
“...No,” her head hung as she shut her eyes in embarrassment.
“That's interesting... that means some things are tied to the games, while others like clothes aren't. Aitheros is still in his hoodie, so I thought as much on the clothes, but I'll have to take note of the phones,” Glitch mused.
“I wish it had worked on my clothes. How am I supposed to go on an adventure when I'm not even properly dressed?” she grumbled.
Raol raised his hand up slightly and caught Atrinity's attention. “I might be able to help!”
“Is someone there with you?” Glitch asked and Atrinity tensed up.
“Oh... yeah, a boy I just met. He was here when I woke up,” she explained.
“Hiya!” Raol greeted with a grin to the device.
“...Make sure to mention if others are around going forward,” Glitch replied with a stern tone, and Atrinity's countenance fell.
“I'm sorry, I will next time,” she replied.
Raol rubbed the back of his neck for a moment, looking up at Atrinity.
“Ah, sorry,” she said to Raol. “You were saying?” she asked, her hands still cupped around the device.
“I know someone who can help you out with clothes. And she's in Kaldea kingdom, which it sounds like you have to go to, anyway. Why don't you let me show you the way?” he asked with a smile and a tilt of his head.
“That would be great, thank you,” Atrinity replied.
“You don't have to hold onto that while it's on, by the way,” he said, pointing to the device in her hands. “If you let it go, it will just float behind you,” he explained and she released it. “That, and,” he began in a hushed whisper as he shooed it away towards her back with a couple flicks of his fingers, “you might accidentally disconnect if you keep it in your hands like that.”
“Noted,” she replied.
“Okay, follow me! I'll take you to Kaldea and show you to my friend! And maybe you could tell me about where you came from?” he asked excitedly.
“Oh, sure...” Atrinity replied cautiously, peeking back at her phone as if checking to see if Glitch was okay with it. She hadn't forgotten his caution to not get involved with NPCs. “I run a small café somewhere far away from here,” she explained.
“A café, huh? What kind of treats do you sell?” Raol asked curiously as they walked toward the large entrance to the kingdom ahead.
“Lots of things, but some of the more popular foods are strawberry cakes and vanilla tea!” Atrinity replied and Raol's eyes sparkled.
“I love cake! And tea! If you want, I can make you some tea when we stop by my house! I have to grab something before we can head over to my friend's,” he replied.
As they walked into the kingdom of Kaldea, Atrinity saw a young guard waving at Raol. He didn't bother to ask about her, instead leaning back against the warm stone walls.
“Raol!” a young woman in a green dress with long brown hair called out to him, waving from just outside a bakery farther down the street and to the right. She had a big grin on her face at first, but stopped smiling and paused her wave seeing Atrinity.
“Hey, Shy!” Raol yelled back with a wave. “I'd stop by, but I have to help this lady meet with Emiko! I'll catch you later!”
“All right! You'd better drop by later, then!” she yelled with both her hands by her mouth before dropping them down onto her white apron and stepping back into the bakery.
“Okay, this way, Atrinity! My house is this very first to the left, the door is just in the alley.”
They walked to the entrance of his tiny house, and he sprung ahead to push the wooden door open, with one hand on the knob and the other clenched into a fist as he pressed his shoulder to the wood. He let out a light sigh of relief as he leaned his back against it and gestured Atrinity in with his right hand.
“Thanks,” she said with a slight bow to her head as she walked inside. Her eyes widened just a moment when she stepped in to see books piled everywhere except for the mostly bare bookshelves to the left, used dishes stacked on the counters and in the large sink just ahead, and blankets and clothes draped over chairs, and whatever other furniture she might have otherwise recognized.
“Would you like some tea?” Raol offered as he stepped inside, the heavy door shutting itself by the sheer weight met with gravity.
“Um...” she hesitated as she tried to spot the kettle.
“Oh, I have herbal teas, like peppermint and chamomile!” he cheerfully clarified as he climbed over things to get to the attached kitchen area. He lifted the kettle, which looked to be the only clean dish in the vicinity, then he pulled some pans out of the sink and set them on the floor so he could pour a bucket of water into the kettle without worry of spills.
“Chamomile...” she replied.