"This looks very similar to the modern houses on the previous Earth. And it doesn't cost that much too…!" Astra thought to herself as she examined the house.
It was a sleek white house with black streaks across it. The black metal door was positioned in the middle of the enclosure with a stone walkway leading to where Astra currently was, which was the sidewalk. On the sides of the walkway were artificial green grass with green trees that would light up faintly at night. There were two smart windows at the bottom floor and the first floor, and there was no garage.
Astra grabbed her two suitcases and began to walk on the walkway.
Just as she was mere feet away from the door, it opened and a barefoot young woman dressed in a casual manner—white shirt and black short pants—appeared in front of her.
She was very attractive. Her face, which had a slight red blush, was soft and her brown eyes were soft as well. This gave her a cute, almost baby-ish look. Her figure was decently built, but she was quite a bit shorter than Astra. Her brown hair was in a ponytail, completing the adorable aura she exuded.
She had a metal 'watch' that was on her left wrist.
"You must be Astra, right?" The woman asked in a soft voice.
"Yes." Astra replied bluntly. "Damn, they did not waste time relaying that information…"
"Great, my name is Kayla. I just got the notification not too long ago. Come on in!" Kayla said with a smile. She slightly hesitated as she gestured to Astra to come in.
Astra's mouth widened very slightly in shock. She wasn't expecting such an open response.
But at the same time, she felt something was slightly off with Kayla.
It was only for a split second, but Kayla's hand movements seemed slightly shaky.
Astra didn't dwell too much on this. She walked through the door, following Kayla. She made sure to put her shoes by the doorway. Upon doing so, she noticed that the wifi password was on the clothes rack, to her delight.
"So, you came from that country, right?" Kayla asked as Astra placed her shoes on the ground next to the door.
"Yeah. Is it the same with you?" Astra knew exactly what country she was talking about.
"Yep. I didn't know that things would be so easy here! I got a house and a job so quickly!" Kayla said while walking into the living room. It was a little small, having a large sofa with a TV and a couple bookshelves. Astra followed her.
"It was so terrible. I was forced into an arranged marriage and had to act dead to run away from that horrible man." Kayla sighed. "It's surprising that despite being of the same religion, this country and that country are so much different. Praise the God of Dreams!" Kayla placed both of her hands on her chest.
"Praise God." Astra, having realized that this was the religion of Morpheus, mimicked her movements. "I am not used to this at all…usually I would talk to the heavens like they're normal people…"
"Anywho, this is the living room. Not much goes on here. You can watch TV, play games and other good stuff." Kayla kept smiling innocently. She then pointed towards the kitchen and the dining room, which were adjacent to the living room.
"This is the kitchen. I'm not a good cook, so I usually try to buy food…"
It was a classic modern kitchen containing a stove, oven, dishwasher, sink and other basic things for cooking and cleaning. Most of the technology was holographic. Astra listened attentively and was very curious to how the technology worked.
The dining room was a little small, and it only contained a table with two chairs. It was opposite the living room.
"Don't worry, I know how to cook." Astra assured Kayla. "Though, I don't know what kind of ingredients this Earth has to cook…" She added inwardly.
"Really, that's great! I'd like to taste your cooking." Kayla said enthusiastically. Astra gave a slight smile in response.
"Anyway, let's go upstairs. That's where the bathrooms and bedrooms are." Kayla continued as Astra began to carry her suitcases.
Upstairs was just across from the door, and each stair was holographic and had a starry design.
Once Astra and Kayla reached upstairs, they found themselves in a corridor. It was a lengthy corridor, and at the end of it was a glass door that led to a balcony.
On the left side, there were two white doors. The closest one to the balcony had the words etched "Kayla Hindsey" on it.
On the right, there were two white doors. They were the bathrooms.
"Your room is right here, Astra. Your key to the room door and to the house door is in your band." Kayla pointed to the door closest to them. "Your bathroom is the door opposite your room. If you need anything else, let me know." Kayla had a contagious smile on her face.
"Thank you, Kayla. Do you know where I'd be able to find any electronic devices?" Astra wasn't sure if they were provided in the house, so she asked in advance.
"Like, phones and laptops and stuff?"
"Yeah."
"I got my phone from the electronics store down 22 Somnara Street. It's about 10 miles from our house, so you might want to pay for a personal train. I think it costs about 50 Veylars? The phone, I mean." She continued.
"Wow, alright then. You're so helpful." Astra couldn't help but smile.
Inwardly, she was a little shocked. "Houses are pretty cheap if a phone costs 15% as much as a house here…"
"Aw, thank you!" Kayla chuckled slightly afterwards, appreciating the compliment.
"Astra looks like a doll. Looks so different, but so pretty…" Kayla let out a small sigh inwardly.
Astra opened her room door and walked in.
She had a decently large bed with a desk right next to it. Next to the door was a bookshelf and a few drawers which had a large mirror mounted to it.
Near the bed was a large glass smart window, and near the desk was a small closet.
"As expected, there's no electronic devices given to us…it seems that I have to buy some. I guess they can't be too generous and give us phones or laptops."
Astra placed her suitcases near the closet and then laid down on the bed, her stomach facing the ceiling. She let out a big exhale, and relaxed herself on the bed, spreading out her arms and legs.
"I'll put the clothes in my drawer later…right now I feel like everything is just so right…" Astra sighed again. "Now that I have a stable shelter and a job…"
She closed her eyes and tried to focus her thoughts in English, as she still wasn't fully proficient in Dreamurian.
"I need to figure out what caused the entire Earth's population to be transported. Sure, there's no real evidence that everyone or anyone but me was transported, but I doubt that such a cosmic event wouldn't include everyone who was involved. If everyone was included, then I hope that there was a safety mechanism in place. On that note, I should expect the reactions of the government and the public of potentially 8 billion people suddenly being added to this Earth happening soon."
"I also need to find out if that being from before was benevolent, however that is impossible right now."
"I need to figure out the supernatural energy source from the heavens that powered the screams, that powers my hallucinations, that powered my appearance at that time, and that caused Polaris to shift. If possible, I would like to figure out if the river was actually a place in this world…"
"I need to figure out what that void was, and who that woman was, and why I was forced to see that sight until I was 'saved'. I also need to figure out a way to save that woman, if the scene was real and if she is still there."
"I need to figure out the way this world works. Physics seems to work the same, but there are some obvious supernatural differences. Such things are evident in the architecture and infrastructure. I need to figure out who and what lurks out there. This includes the history, geography, politics, science, the religions and its gods, and other strange things on this Earth."
"I need to figure out how to enter certain organizations that can be connected to ways to get more information.
"I don't think I'd be able to figure any of these things out if I don't get stronger. I don't think any useful information would be available on the internet either, given how dystopian everything feels. If knowledge is power, then power is also knowledge."
"By having the means to know more things, I will be able to know even more things. As such, I should be able to figure out how to find Aria, Xavier and my family…well, my mother."
"But first, I need access to the internet. The only way I'd be able to do that is to get a phone." Astra said to herself in Dreamurian.
…
A few minutes later, Astra walks out of the house in order to head round 22 Somnara Street. She carried nothing but her band, wearing the same clothes as before.
Immediately, she sees a sight that she didn't see before. A strange sight on a bright sunny, beautiful day.
She sees people who were once walking on the sidewalk gather around the billboards spread across the suburban area, billboards which contained the news.
The area was strangely silent, the only sounds being heard were the voices of the news woman on the billboards speaking in a calm but assertive voice.
However, the atmosphere didn't reflect the voice of the news woman.
The atmosphere was strangely calm. It was almost too relaxed.
"Unidentified humans were found in countries all over the continents of Velmora and Dravara. It is unknown if there were any in Westoria…"
"They seem to be confused about their surroundings, asking about the place they were currently in, and how different it was for them…"
"At first, there were only isolated incidents, thought to be the work of a mysterious God. However, as more and more cases come out, this seems to be a worldwide event, estimated to have included billions of people, with many even dying…"
The 'audience' gasped as the mention of many of these humans dying. Astra however, looked at the 'audience' and billboards with no discerning emotion.
"Some of these humans were even hostile, and some claimed they were from a different planet also called Earth. Footage in many places show some of these humans spontaneously appearing out of nothing. The cause of this event is unknown…"
"The Morpheus Government has called this a state of emergency. A nationwide investigation is being held to identify these humans and to figure out if they are a threat. The Dreamlanders are being deployed. Hundreds of thousands of unidentified humans have already been detained…"
"It's the organization Loken is a part of…"
"The President says to the citizens of Morpheus to not panic and that this situation will be controlled promptly. Other countries have adopted similar measures."
Astra continued to stare apathetically at the billboard, her golden eyes losing a little bit of their luster.
She had expected the worst, but the reality of the matter shook her differently than thoughts ever would.
"It seems like there was no safety mechanism after all. At the very least, I hope the rest of us are okay and as lucky as I was." Astra almost muttered to herself in English, but never switched.
…
Roughly a day ago, in the Sentaic Republic. It was 5 AM.
"Ethereon! I see!" Xavier had just found out the name of that infinite energy source.
As a scientist and physicist back on the previous Earth, his curiosity took the better of him and he immediately clicked on the site.
It was an extremely blank site, only containing a few random pictures and some random words that had nothing to do with the display words on the link.
"Okay, they're trying to cover themselves. That makes sense. But if they did that, then why did the display words have the words Ethereon on it? They didn't know how to change it? No, that's dumb. Perhaps they wanted someone to see this information? But why?"
Xavier felt as if he didn't have much time, so he continued to look down. Soon enough, he saw the words from the display link on the website.
It continued from the words from before and said:
"Ethereon is the name. This name has nothing special in particular that can make changes to your body, unlike certain words using ancient evil languages. However, the name, and the fact that it is forbidden, should tell you how to use it."
"There are no spells required to use Ethereon. However, to activate it in one's body, there must be a ritual done to your God, or more specifically, your dimension."
"But beware. While it is powerful and can give you many abilities, Ethereon can be very dangerous. Do not-"
As soon as Xavier's eyes swept across those words, the website glitched and immediately showed the words "ERROR 404."
"Wow, that did not take long. But still, I got some very interesting information!"
"I know that there are some words in ancient languages that can change the makeup of your body. As for how, I can assume it's because of Ethereon. It seems to be able to power everything supernatural."
"What I don't understand is why it is so forbidden. It's to the point where even Vael doesn't want to tell us. Even if the name had certain things about it that can cause us to use it, that doesn't mean your average person can just figure it out. Maybe it is to prevent people from misusing it and killing themselves? This world seems like it monitors almost everything you do, so there'd be no need."
"Maybe it's within the name itself that makes it forbidden? Sigh…this is too hard for figure out right now. I'm just glad I have the name." Xavier scratched his head and leaned back on the sofa.
"I have the name of it. Great. That name has the secret of 'using' it. But to activate it, a ritual needs to be done to my God or to my dimension. But what the hell, what's even the difference between using it and activating it? Sigh. I wish I could ask Vael about such matters. He seems quite knowledgeable and powerful. He probably was, or still is in an organization that's adept at using Ethereon."
"Also, it's expected that using such a boundless energy source is dangerous. I have to be careful, then. All of us have to be careful. I don't expect Emilia to be too excited, but Aria will use this information to try to gain more influence and become more powerful. I'll be using this to get more powerful also, but for a different reason."
Xavier yawned greatly while stretching. He closed the laptop and quickly went to his bed to go to sleep.
But before he went to sleep, he found a paper and pen in the drawer and wrote everything he learned in English. This took about another hour, and the sun was beginning to rise. He also wasn't afraid of any cameras being in the bedroom, as he was beginning to trust Vael a little more after he verified the information.
"Plus, he doesn't seem like a creepy guy. He even had a system in place responsible for cleaning and clothing us without him being there…it's very convenient that he has something like that though."
He rolled the papers into a ball and placed them under some books in a drawer. Unfortunately there were no locks, so he had to remember to take them out if he happened to go anywhere.
He would then destroy the papers once he fully memorized them.
Xavier turned off his lamp lights and before he went to sleep, he suddenly thought of something.
It was something very important that slipped his mind due to the absurdity of suddenly being transported to a different planet.
"I wonder if the 'Astra' from that time had something to do with Ethereon…"
…
Xavier woke up in the afternoon, feeling quite refreshed. He stretched and went to use the bathroom to shower and relieve himself. The fact that it was such an advanced futuristic bathroom made the experience much better.
After he came out, he saw Aria and Emilia seated on the floor, watching a romantic show on the TV. However, it was projected in a three-dimensional space on the room, making it look like it was happening in the room. The two ladies were so drawn into the show that they didn't even notice Xavier.
"…" Xavier was speechless as he slowly got immersed into the 3D show. It looked so real, and he almost couldn't believe it.
"Human ingenuity is quite unparalleled…!" Xavier felt a strange sense of pride.
After some time, Xavier tried to break the ice.
"I have something to show you guys." Xavier raised his voice slightly. He headed toward the drawer where the paper was held.
"Xavier!" Aria said as both her and Emilia looked back at him. "You idiot, you missed breakfast! What were you doing all night to be sleeping so long?"
Xavier then brought out the paper and unrolled it. "This is what I was doing."
"What's that?" The ladies asked simultaneously as Aria paused the TV with a thought due to advanced technology.
"It's some important information I found on the internet. I wrote it down so you guys wouldn't have the trouble of looking through it yourselves…" Xavier hesitated a little as he tried to lie. "I didn't know why you, Aria, didn't also try to figure this out." Aria was singled out because Xavier knew Aria's curiosity.
She sighed. "This movie is just too good, I need something to help me get my mind off of it before I try to come up with strategies."
Xavier didn't respond and instead came up closer. As such, both Aria and Emilia came up from the ground to see the contents of the note that Xavier was holding.
"It's in English…" Aria thought to herself.
The two ladies proceeded to read the contents and absorb as much information as possible.
Emilia finished faster than Aria. Not because she read faster, but because she was less interested. Though, Emilia knew she had to read it to gain the knowledge of the world and to get accustomed to it in order to find her loved ones.
"How interesting! Humanity is a galactic civilization! I always wanted to see how another planet would look like…er, except this one. The rest is just the lore of this planet, which I'm not too interested in. Wait, I don't mind joining that new religion." Aria thought to herself in English.
She then took a deep breath.
"In other words, this world is quite similar to our world on a fundamental level. The only real difference is the existence of gods, demigods and this mysterious and infinite Ethereon, which powers this world and its supernatural oddities…Wait, no. Housing and transportation are cheap and basically everywhere. That's definitely a fundamental change."
"This makes things more complicated. Plus, given the fact that this 'Ethereon' is hidden from the public, then most things related to it are hidden as well. Which sucks, because I believe this is what we need to go back. I wonder if we are able to use this thing, but we'd have to be careful. Maybe there's items related to it?"
Aria's eyes suddenly widened.
"…Could it be that the white Astra from before was powered by this substance? If we were transported because of Ethereon, it could be possible that the supernatural Astra was because she was using Ethereon…it makes sense! But she seemed like she didn't understand it either. Is it because Ethereon was leaking into our previous Earth?" Aria put her hand to her chin. She didn't want to believe what she thought!
She looked at Emilia, as if she expected her to say something.
After Emilia saw that Aria was looking at her, she spoke up.
"I'm not really too interested in this…place…so I probably wouldn't be of much use knowing this information right now. I'm more of a go-with-the-flow kind of girl." Emilia nodded. "Of course, this info would be especially useful once we get more powerful, like Aria wants us to be."
She wanted to ask: 'Why not ask Vael?' but she quickly discarded that thought.
"So you're not interested in this place at all?" Aria asked.
"Not until I see my family back. And not until my life returns to normal." Emilia said with a soft and low voice.
"…" Aria and Xavier weren't sure what to say. They wanted to tell her that they would find a way, but even they weren't so sure about that.
As such, everything was quiet, with the only sound being the faint humming of the air conditioning.
"Wait, maybe I do have something I'm interested in." Emilia broke the silence, to the surprise of Xavier and Aria. "Politics! I'm interested in politics and conspiracy theories…I have a lot of those." Emilia had finally told the truth, and she let off a nervous smile.
"Let's see what's on the news. I feel like this world is perfect for that sort of stuff."
With a thought, Emilia moved from the TV show she was watching and turned on the news. As such, the three dimensional mode for the TV was turned off.
As soon as they looked at the TV, Aria, Xavier and Emilia looked as if they had seen a ghost.
Shock, horror and confusion was shown on their faces.
For Emilia, it was almost one of fear and frustration.
"…We will get to the bottom of this matter, and find all of these unidentified humans that have seemingly invaded our Earth. While some may have died in their transport, we will find them. We have already found many of them. We will protect our citizens." It was the President of the Sentaic Republic speaking.
It was a similar message to what Astra heard.
"I never thought that some of us would've been so unlucky…" Aria thought to herself, trying to contain her emotions.
Knock. Knock.
Before Aria, Xavier and Emilia could have even spoken, a faint knocking sound was heard on the door.