So, before we get into the story, if you followed this story before, you're probably wondering why I'm re-releasing Chapter 4. Also, you might have seen that Chapter 4 is actually a bit shorter as well.
I'm making Chapter 4 into 2/3 additional chapters so I can make them better, along with adding a bit more detail in them(hopefully anyway).
I hope this doesn't stop you from re-reading these.
Right back to the story, hope you enjoy this chapter and the next few, and after that it will be a truly new chapter :D
Word count 2035
**********
Beep
…
Beep
…
Beep
Once more, I wake up groggily.
I hear medical devices. Am I in a hospital?
Looking around, I see an IV in my arm.
I call out to a nurse.
Not long after calling for a nurse, one pops up, leaning through the doorway, until his eyes lock onto mine.
"Ahh, Mr Grimes, you're awake, it's good to see you up and healthy, it's been a couple of days since you were found in that unstable dungeon."
"You will be asked by some people what happened and how you got there soon."
"But first, I think some people would love to see you."
He smiled kindly at me before turning. He called some people down.
A few seconds later, 3 people walk through the doors: my mum, Dad, and younger sister.
They all rush to hug me, almost dog piling on the bed.
Everyone is, or is close to, crying with joy.
As I'm enveloped by my family, something changed.
My surroundings start to blur together.
The colours swirl and mix together; an unrecognisable blend.
The wind picks up, a light breeze, then a heavy one.
I'm flung out of the hospital bed. I can hear the wind blast past my head, stopping me from hearing anything else.
The noise fades just enough for me to hear the roar of what I think are car engines driving past at extreme speed.
Buildings start emerging from all around me, but no sound emerges, as if it hasn't loaded in yet.
All too suddenly, I come to a stop.
I'm on the street, wearing my casual clothing, like any normal day, I'm walking to a friend's meetup we all planned beforehand.
I'm waiting at the crosswalk for the light to go green, before I'm slammed to the ground, hard.
I try turning around, but before I can see who sent me to the floor, my face is covered by a white bag.
I'm picked up like I weigh nothing.
A heavy car, or maybe a van, pulls up quickly, the back doors open, and I'm thrown in.
Why is this happening, why, why, why! I just wanted to meet up with friends. I didn't do anything wrong, just leave me alone!
I start to get off my belly, onto my knees, then support myself with my hand.
It went dark; It felt like a sledgehammer in the shape of a fist was smashed onto my face.
I wake up in some sort of dark cave; there are no lights, and I can feel that I don't have anything on my face anymore.
Swinging my head around frantically. I can't see any sort of light source at all, but the air... It tastes metallic.
Where am I! I don't live anywhere near a place like this!
My breathing increases rapidly.
"Get up!"
I'm dragged to my feet before I can even react.
They are fully cloaked, a piercing, painted blood red eye is staring at me from the cloaked man's chest.
I slam my leg into the man's knee, only for a sharp pain to shoot through my own leg. Is he awakened!
What's an awakened?
Before I can continue thinking about that, the man throws me into a nightmare made real.
The room was covered in unrecognisable markings, bones, skulls, blood, all in different patterns on top of one another, t-th-there's human flesh stapled to each corner!
I shut my eyes, I don't want to see this anymore, "Please, this is just a dream".
Not long after, a mass echo of an unknown language started filling the room.
Opening my eyes briefly, a congregation of fully covered men appeared before me, all chanting the same thing.
Getting up to run somewhere, anywhere from here, I turn around, only for a red swirling portal to appear before my eyes.
Before I could even blink, I was shoved through the portal, and a small caged beast was thrown in the same direction.
I land in a desert... I've been here before, this isn't what happened! What is this!
"Let it finish," a familiar voice demands.
The fox within the cage, its black and icy blue eyes stare at me.
Without warning, it all starts to speed up. I only get glimpses. I free the fox? We wander for a bit, get chased by a mannequin through a cave, and into a forest.
Then Sapphire provides me with some sort of frozen crystal with a red liquid inside. Breaking it, I somehow make a contract with her, and she provides me with an aura style?
Along with the style, she is now my familiar. This was a thank you for freeing her, along with me being her guide for Earth when we get back?
No, that's not what happened, what is this, tell me!
Scott, let me finish.
What are you doing, Sapphire? Why are you adding memories that didn't happen? How are you doing that! What's your goal?!
I'm doing this for your safety. Someone is about to walk in and ask you a bunch of questions.
If they find out you are not from this place, there is a good chance they will take you away and do horrible experiments on you.
I don't want you to go through that, not ... never mind. So sorry I'm providing false memories. I'm making sure you can't tell they're fake, and I won't be doing that again.
What do you mean never mind, and you can't -.
Stop Scott, we don't have time. I'm serious, they're almost through the door.
When we have time, I'll go through stuff and rules and all that, but not now!
...
FINE, but we are talking about this when we get a moment to, got it, Sapphire.
{Pick 1 of the three styles presented to you}
{power combat } {speed combat} {counter combat}
{speed combat selected, you will be given a 1-star aura speed combat style, along with training manuals to assist in becoming strong enough to use said style.}
{Please select the weapon you will be using along with the style}
{Swords, spears, fists, legs, axes, exotic, guns, others }
{Fists have been selected}
{Fast fist has been granted}
{Remember you are not limited to just your hands, and you can buy additional styles in the shop at a later date. }
A sudden gruff voice emerges, "I apologise for ruining the family reunion. Still, we must understand how your son got into and survived that unstable gate as an unawakened."
"Along with any detail about the dungeon, if he knows any, I'll do my best to make this brief so you can get back to your family."
A man in a black suit stands in the doorway. He has dirty blond hair, a scar across his left eye, blue eyes, and a bulky build.
"Just to clarify, I am from the Beru, also known as... P.g.g.a, can you explain what happened to you, Mr... Grimes?"
So, are the memories meant to protect me from these people?
Yes, I'll fully explain at a later date, focus for now.
"Ye, mmm, I guess I'll start from the beginning. I was heading to work, right when I got into the city and off the bus."
"People in white clothing attacked me, covering their faces and bodies, it- it had a symbol on the chest, they - they were an eye surrounded by flames."
The man stares, releases pressure only on me; I can't focus.
You woke up somewhere, remember? Sapphire whispers.
"I - I woke up in an unknown place, tied up. It was dark, so I couldn't really describe much."
"Is that all you can remember about the place?" The beru man speaks.
His voice added another type of invisible pressure.
"Um- um, it had a metallic taste in the air, but that's it."
"Continue."
"A robed man came into the room and dragged me down a dimly lit corridor..."
You kicked them.
"I attempted to fight back, but they were awakened, so I couldn't do a lot."
As I collect the rest of these fake memories, I see my mum trying to hide behind Dad. She's trying to hide her anger from me.
Strange, she wasn't like that before? Was it from the mass teleporting? Or was I away longer than I thought?
"Mr Grimes?"
" Ah, my bad."
Explaining what happened while adding some additional things like:
"Unmm, there was some kind of mannequin monster chasing us until we hit a forest, a small way out from the old city."
"Oh, the city was in a winter state, but nothing else was."
"Sapphire gave me a contract."
"She did? What type, how, what did it entail, what did you get out of it? Did you read it properly?"
The pressure he exerted flared again.
Sweat drops from my face. This pressure is making it hard to think.
I - I didn't have time, I was knocked out not long after.
The sudden wave of fake memories is making me go pale.
"Do you know where this so-called Sapphire, the white fox, is now?"
Say I'm nearby.
"I - I think they're somewhere here? I can feel her presence nearby."
"Can you describe where you are feeling its presence?"
Say I'm at your chest.
Pointing at my own chest, "Somewhere here, I think."
"Interesting, it seems that Sapphire was a magic or spirit beast. If what you say is true, then you now have a useful asset that will assist you for your entire life."
He leans in; it feels like he is staring right through me.
I can hear my heart pounding in my ears.
Can he tell I'm lying?!
No, if he could, it would be really bad.
"Well, that's if you can get along with one another."
"Spirit and magical beasts are beneficial as you've experienced yourself, but if you bond with one and you don't mix well, it has been known for the beast to attack the person it's bound to."
"And if it succeeds, it gains a massive boost in power and sometimes evolves or can go into a frenzy, going for anything in sight."
Sapphire, why does he sound confident that it will happen?!
It won't, I promise. I know that doesn't mean much right now, but it's the truth, go with it though.
"What do you mean, Sapphire will kill me?!"
"What! How do we stop that from happening?!"
My sister looks between me and the beru person, can she see the tension between us? How?
cough, "Well, that's only if they don't like each other, and from what Mr Grimes said, they already agree on some level, so you should be fine with the right training."
"To make sure you get that, we will provide you with beast master training when you get to the academy."
"Academy?" A confused look spread across my face.
"The academy, you can get him in?!" Both my parents shout.
"Well, if your son can actually prove he has a spirit beast, and isn't lying about anything, then yes, I could pull some strings and get him in the Academy, under some conditions that is."
"And to answer your confusion, Mr Grimes, if you didn't know, any time someone becomes awakened, they can be sent to the academy."
"This is to understand the powers they will develop and see if they want to go down the path of an awakened hunter, also known as a hero. "
"Or if they don't want to become a hero/hunter, they can learn how to assist people or places with their newly gained abilities somewhere else and go back to a semi-normal life."
"That sounds amazing!" Both my mum and dad squeeze me, almost too tightly.
"Yo, bro, you're going to be a hero too?!"
"Thank you for your time, Mr Grimes. I hope your recovery goes well. I need to go and report what you said to my higher-ups."
Then the man leaves.
Mmm, now, let's see if you're telling the truth, Mr Grimes.
I take the device out of my pocket, and it's flashing between green and red.
I'd better keep a watch on you, Mr Grimes.