Omen blinked several times, still not believing what he had just witnessed moments ago.
One second, he had been inside that dark room where the strange blue screen floated in front of him, the next moment the floor beneath his feet vanished, and a strange wave of dizziness pulled him forward, like he was being sucked through a tunnel.
When his senses returned, Omen found himself standing still, though "standing" felt like a strange word to him even now.
The air was oddly cool here and smelled faintly of metal.
He slowly opened his eyes again, half-expecting to be back in the darkness. But instead…
Everything around him was white.
Not just the walls, everything. The floor, the ceiling, even the air felt tinted with a soft glow.
It wasn't blinding like what he had felt before, instead, the boy felt like he was finally getting used to this concept of 'light'.
It wasn't dull but it was wasn't bright enough to make Omen squint again.
His body felt weightless, like he was floating in a dream, yet his bare feet were touching the smooth, white floor.
The only thing that broke this endless white view was a large, black pedestal standing in the middle of the room.
It looked ancient and heavy, carved with strange symbols that pulsed faintly underneath the structure.
Omen swallowed hard. "Where…am I now?" he muttered, his voice echoing strangely in the empty chamber.
Then, without any warning, the air rippled in front of him, like a curtain being torn apart as a figure appeared out of thin air, surprising the shit out of him.
The man was massive.
He stood at least a few feet taller than Omen's own six-foot frame, belly firm like a mountain boulder.
His arms were thick as tree trunks, muscles bulging even beneath the rich fabric of his robe.
The man's purple hair looked long and untamed.
Around his neck, golden jewelleries glittered, while multiple rings embedded on his huge fingers.
Omen's breath almost stopped, the shine of all these ornaments almost blinded him.
The man's presence was so heavy that it almost pushed the air out of his lungs, and the most shocking part wasn't even that.
It was the golden horns sitting atop the man's head.
"Hmph," the stranger grunted, his voice deep and rough like distant thunder. "So this is the otherworlder, Hun? You look…rather funny."
The 17-year-old boy flinched. "O–Otherworlder?"
The giant scratched his purple beard. "Yes. You. The one summoned by the Eclipse System." He sounded half-annoyed, half-bored.
"I only came here because I owed a favor to that blasted woman. Don't think too highly of yourself."
Without another word, the man raised one of his huge hands and in his palm floated a translucent orb, shining faintly like liquid crystal.
Omen could see colors swirling inside it, shifting like trapped light.
The sight was mesmerizing.
The giant walked towards the black pedestal, each step making a dull thud that echoed around the room.
Then, with a grunt, he placed the orb above the pedestal.
To Omen's surprise, the orb didn't rest on the surface, no, it hovered just above it, spinning slowly as faint ripples of energy spread out.
The giant crossed his arms, turning to face Omen. "Well then. You don't look very impressive, boy. Tall, maybe, but…" He frowned. "You're thin as a stick. Are you sure you're not starving?"
Omen's lips parted, but he said nothing. He felt small in front of the man, not just in size, but in presence as well.
"I—uh—"
The giant raised a brow. "Hmm. What's your name?"
"Omen," he replied softly. "Just Omen."
"Huh. Strange name…fitting, though. Well anyways, you can call me Ivtaar." The giant's mouth curled into a grin which revealed a row of sharp teeth, only scaring Omen further.
The boy wondered if this man before him was even a human or not.
"Anyway, since you've been dropped into this world like a confused child, I'll explain the basics before you faint."
He gestured lazily, and the glowing orb above the pedestal continued to float.
"This world is called Sephora," he said, his tone now slightly formal.
"It is divided into three vast realms, what we call the three skies.
The first is the Mortal Sky, where the entirety of the races reside, well, mostly.
Humans, elves, dwarves, beastfolk, demons and so on."
Omen nodded carefully, his attention fixed on the orb that reflected faint fragments of images, mountains, castles, and forests, etc.
"The second," Ivtaar continued, "is the Heavenly Plain. A place for beings who've surpassed mortal limits. Saints, emperors, and monsters who rule the lower sky territories. Power decides everything there."
He paused, his dark eyes narrowing slightly. "And then there's the last, the Celestial Realm. Only a handful have ever set foot there.
Gods, ancient beings and what not are said to reside there but that's a very debatable knowledge since no one who has entered the third realm has ever come back again.
Omen listened in silence. Even though the words were heavy, he tried his best to remember each one.
He was grateful to the man more than he could express. Because when he had first entered the game, he had been so excited that he had forgotten to tell Rebekah to fully explain him the manual.
His own dumb mistake, and now, fate had somehow given him a second chance.
"I see…" he whispered. "Thank you very much. I'll remember that."
The giant shrugged. "Better. Most don't get to ask questions before being dropped straight into the chaos."
Omen smiled faintly, though nervousness was written all over his face.
The giant then looked at the orb again. "Well, time to see what kind of otherworlder you are." Ivtaar said as he placed a massive palm against the glowing surface, the orb flickered, pulsing faster now, and Omen felt a strange warmth wash over his body as the huge man removed his palm and asked Omen to put his hand on it instead.
Suddenly, a blue light shot upward, surrounding Omen from head to toe.
The boy froze, feeling like invisible hands were scanning him. The sensation wasn't painful, but it was overwhelming.
Omen blinked as a faint chime echoed in his ears. Then, before either of them could move, a blue, semi-transparent screen appeared in front of them both.
It hovered quietly, glowing with simple words:
[Status]
Name: Omen
Race: Demi-Human / Ghoul
Rank: ???
Gifts / Strengths: Mutation
Curse / Weakness: Overflow
***