34 Fulfilling Dreams And Trying Not To Die In The Process 1

Hard work beats talent if talent does not work hard.

One of life's many truths. But it only applies if said talent doesn't get off their ass to work. But when they do, your work is left in the dust.

You could spend hours studying various subjects and page upon pages of notes, but what does it matter when the person next to you has to study for only 10% of the time you do and gets a better score? Then they laugh it off as if it doesn't matter, as if it's simply another day at the office, and to them, that's the disparity.

The only means to bridge the gap was to work harder, right?

That would be correct, but you would lose out on so much, and that's what happened to me. In order to succeed, I couldn't see the time passing by. Years of my life were spent working, writing, and jumping between minimum-wage jobs to pay for basic living expenses.

I gave up on my dreams of being a history major to study law, as that was where the money was. The world doesn't care about your feelings; it only cares about the number of dollars you have in your pocket and every day, I wake up to that same thought- until I didn't wake up in the same place that I last fell asleep.

Expecting to see a dreary ceiling that was lined with cracks and holes, I looked up and saw a clear and ever-present sky that never seemed to end.

I sat on the grass until sunset, when thousands of stars showed themselves in the sky- many more than should be possible due to light pollution. I lived in New York, so I never really got to see too many stars, but now I can't take my eyes off them.

Yet with each hour that passed, I could feel the wind on my skin and the grass that I sat on, and when I thought of a bench to sit on, I was raised up slightly as a small wooden bench appeared beneath me, and with a small yelp of surprise I looked to the bench and saw that it was the same one from my college campus.

I shakily touched the wood and felt its quality. For a second, my thoughts raced at a million miles an hour to understand what was happening, yet nothing came. The only theory I could come up with was that I couldn't remember what I was dreaming about; I only had an image of three vials in my mind before nothing.

I would never say that my memory is perfect, but now I feel amazing. It was then I realized that I could see out of my left eye, which shouldn't be possible because even after the eye surgery I had on that eye, I was never able to recover perfect vision truly. Scratch that I didn't even have my glasses anymore. I sat on a bench in my pajamas under a starry night sky.

It was exactly how I imagined I would be the most relaxed. 

Standing up, I looked to the endless plains of green grass, and the weight of what was happening fell upon me.

I wasn't in my world anymore.

I never had to worry about another homework assignment or group project. Everything had simply fallen into the wayside in an unexplained event, never mind paying my taxes. I don't even know if I'm in the same dimension as the IRS! Before I knew it, I was already in tears, crying on the ground as laughter and screams filled the area around me.

My family had long passed away, and I was an only child, so no one would really miss me. The more I thought about it, the clearer it was that this was a definitive isekai situation, which was both depressing and enlightening. I mean, I filled in all the blanks, that being I had no family, no friends, and truly no good life prospects. All that was missing was a certain truck.

For now, though, I put any metaphysical explanations to the wayside. I then looked around and saw nothing for miles. It was as if I was on a giant Skyblock Map, but I didn't see any lava, water, or trees. 

Remembering how the bench appeared, I focused on a large patch of grass and remembered my dream home. And as I ddi so, a large hill formed as a hobbit hole appeared before me that was thankfully human sized. 

As I reached my hand over the knob at the center of the circular door, I opened it, and the smell of fresh dirt and grass filled my nose, but it was swiftly removed by the smell of wood and a nice fireplace.

I was only in this place for a second and already felt at home. 

It was simply perfect. The silence that should have been utterly terrifying became warm and welcoming.

I looked to the living area and sat down on the large couch that encircled the center of the room and sat down, and as I lay back and looked upwards, I saw that the room had a glass ceiling that showed the sky. The stars above shine like an endless box of jewels that never lose their luster.

My eyes had closed before I knew it.

(Third Person POV)

As the young man fell asleep, his form was then picked up by what seemed like nothing, as if the world itself was moving the man on its own. Invisible servants just seemed to pick up the man very gently and take him to his room, and as they laid him down, the covers appeared over his body, the door closed, and the room fell into silence as if nothing had happened.

So, in that bed, the man slept better than he had his entire life, and for the next couple of hours, the stars would soon give way to a beautiful and shining sun. The blinds covering the large window near the bed would remain closed, though, as the world did not wish to force the creator to awaken early.

And even as the sun rose to its highest point in the sky, the man rested, but before the sun began to set again, the man would slowly open his eyes and rub the gunk out of them before slowly getting off the bed and walking to the bathroom and doing his daily rituals.

Yet as the man walked out of the bathroom with new clothes on, he would look at the clock near his bed and would see how late it was and would tense up slightly, but after taking a look around, his breathing would return to normal as he remembered the fact that he was no longer on his Earth.

The tensing was most likely due to the man believing he had to be ready for work again, yet even this small amount of discomfort made the world feel the same. it could not Rectify such a thing. This was for the creator to deal with. 

Soon enough, though, the man would walk into the kitchen and prepare himself some food, and after making some bacon and eggs that were somehow just there, he looked outside and saw that the world had changed overnight.

The once endless grassy fields had become covered in flowers and rolling hills with what looked like a large mountain range in the distance. But even as the man's eyes widened and he saw the change in the world, he instinctively knew that he was the cause of this change, and similarly to a certain game developer, he knew that if he saw those mountains in the distance, he could climb them.

"This wasn't an illusion." The man would think to himself.

Yet even as he pinched himself and closed his eyes while clicking his heels and reopening them, he would find he was in the same place, and he simply nodded to himself before then perking up as he thought of something.

He would recall his old room combined with his new place, and after a slight shift in the home, he would see a new door had appeared near him. 

After slowly getting up and walking to the door, he would open it and see his old setup with his two desks along with his gaming system, then the computer, and he would smile to himself as he picked up a small picture frame of himself and his Mom.

It was one they took at Disneyworld after he went on his first roller coaster, and even from the picture, you could see that he was ready to throw up. The man slightly hoped that he would no longer have to worry about motion sickness now that he was here, but he would place the frame on the desk, look at his computer, and then turn it on.

After inputting his password, he would see that all of his work was still there. But then another thought would cross his mind as he wondered where he was getting the power and the Wi-Fi from. But for now, he combed through his PC and saw that all of his files were still there, along with all of his pictures.

A myriad of emotions would be seen across the man's face as nearly endless memories flooded back to him, but a frown would form on his face as he saw the lack of pictures after his Mom passed away. He saw that from 2023 onward, his images were empty, aside from pictures used for work-related projects.

The man would pinch his nose in almost shame at how he spent these last five years. Regret and almost guilt could be seen as the man felt that he failed his mother as he wasn't truly able to cut the mustard, as they would say, even after all of his work.

Had he asked for this?

Did he want this?

But what brought the most shame was the fact that he did. He saw his average grades even after all of his hard work, as well as thoughts he did not want to consider about how he had gone into a routine and simply refused to change it out of fear. Endless work hours had consumed his life, but what could he do now?

Closing the PC, he would walk away and out the door and sit atop his home for hours on end. He contemplated his life and everything he had done right and wrong.

Every mistake, success, and failure crossed his mind. A life summed up in a few hours.

Sighing to himself, he would get up and walk into the field of flowers as he tested his control over his world. He would imagine a small fire pit forming in his hand, and soon enough, the campsite from camp half blood would form in seconds, driven by his imagination.

The man would smile to himself and would then dismiss the fire pit and it simply disappeared as if it was never there. A smile will never leave the man's face as he walks around his world and creates new things and things he can remember off the top of his head. At one point, he was walking through the fields of Pelennor and then the halls of Erebor.

He would go on to form rivers and lakes and his pace would quicken as the smile turned to laughter and then to a manic energy that never seemed to end. It was as if the world was Play-Doh and he was the man that could mold it into whatever he wanted.

The activity would stop as he took a breath while standing atop the tower in Piltover from Arcane and looking over at a large city with the sun casting a beautiful glare across the shining tower.

And the man, as he took a breath, would take a seat and watch the sunset again. He reveled in his happiness and endless energy to do new things as he took breath after breath. His blue eyes would look and take in every detail he could find. He would move all about the council room as he looked out onto the sprawling city.

But as he took another breath, he stopped himself and desired that everything returned to normal, and soon enough, he found himself standing in the same field of flowers he had started this whole createathon from. But then, a thought crossed his mind.

If he could create anything, should he not be able to spawn life in his world?

So, with that thought in mind, he focused on a space in front of him, and after not even a second, he looked down and saw a small slime that you would see in a generic RPG. As he reached his hand towards it, he poked it lightly with the Slime moving towards his hand and leaning into a caress.

The man, deciding to see how this goes, starts petting the Slime. The Slime is almost purring and happy from the treatment while the fear that the Slime would attack still remains. He picks it up and places it on his shoulder before saying, "I can really do anything."

The statement was said in almost surprise as the man would then try to change himself but would find no success in that. While disappointed, the man then realized that he hadn't looked at himself in the mirror, so walking back to his house, he summoned a mirror in front of him, and what he was met with was his old blue eyes and blond hair.

His once pudgy body had become more fit, and as he looked at himself, the Slime on his shoulder would sit on the couch and chomp on the food that was summoned for him.

Scoffing to himself, he looked to the Slime eating his food and would simply dismiss it, and it would be removed from existence. The Slime itself had no soul or mind and was only a body made from his imagination, so he did not feel bad.

"A new name for a new face. How about Edwin? Yeah, I like the sound of that. Edwin Titus that is a good name for now." Edwin, now assured of his choice, would look to see if a room had appeared in his home again.

Slowly approaching the room, he opened it and saw a large room with many pillars forming what looked like entrances, but they were all empty as there was only a wall behind each stone gate.

Placing his hand upon one of the stone gates, he noticed a new feeling appear as if this gate could go anywhere he wanted. Following the feeling and remembering an old show he would watch between classes, he imagined appearing in that place, and the gate would then shine with a bright red light, and a portal would form.

But before deciding to jump in recklessly, Edwin would go back to his kitchen and summon a bag of holding that could hold many items. After placing food and water into the bag, he would then form bars of gold and silver and place them in the bag, and after finding a good set of clothing, he would stand in front of the portal and walk into the unknown.

-City Of Imperio Outskirts, Alvarez Empire (Year: 783)-

(Edwin POV)

Walking through the portal, I immediately felt a change in my being, as if the world itself opened itself up to me, but it was a passing feeling and would soon pass. Yet for a moment, I felt invincible. And if I was in the universe I thought I was, I may know what that feeling was from.

But making sure I was alone, I walked out of the portal and towards the distant walled city. I noticed the empty road, which was odd as these roads should have some travelers, but I simply kept walking.

Thankfully, the trip was short as I was only an hour's walk away from the city, and as I approached the main gate, I saw a small line of people outside the gate. So I got to the back of the line and waited for my turn. I then tapped the person in front of me on the shoulder, and as the woman in front of me turned around, I asked, "Good afternoon, ma'am, but why is there a line outside the city?"

The woman smiled and answered, "Well, they have to check for Ishgar spies, so anyone new entering the city must undergo a small interrogation. We can't have spies getting in, can we?"

I nodded my head in agreement and then asked, "Well, since we are going to be waiting a bit, we should exchange names at least. I am Edwin Titus. May I ask for yours?"

The girl in the small dress would say, "Well, my name is Juliet Sun. And if it's not a personal thing, why are you visiting the city?"

Looking at her, I would answer, "I wish to travel and learn magic. You see, I never had any schooling in it. Well, worse comes to worse. I can simply keep traveling, and I also heard that they're getting ready to celebrate a holiday next month."

Juliet would smile in delight and say in a jubilant voice, "You would be correct as next month we're celebrating another Respect for the Ages day. Since Lord August created it, everyone has made a big deal out of it. Even if he doesn't celebrate it himself."

That makes sense, but the fact that I am in Alvarez may be a problem as I only watched a season of the anime, and from what I recall, Alvarez wants something from Ishgar, but I never made it far enough to know what.

My lack of an answer causes her to snap her fingers and bring me back to reality, and in slight embarrassment, I would say, "Sorry, Miss Sun, I get lost in my head sometimes."

"What were you thinking about that you had such a serious look?" As she says this, she bloops me on the nose lightly, which causes me to look away as she giggles at my reaction.

"Well, I'm slightly nervous about this questioning that is going to happen, and I'm trying to think of my next move after I get into the city." I would say after gathering myself slightly.

Juliet would nod her head quite rapidly at this as she would say in response, "Yeah, the Empire always has a ton of options on what you want to do, but if I were you, I would head to the library and brush up on some history wouldn't want a fan of the spriggans to cause any problems because you didn't know some history. And while hitting the books is more my friend's speed, I feel like you and her would get along."

"Is that a compliment, and should I be afraid of your friend?" Juliet would take a thinking posture but would then answer.

"Well, you don't need to be afraid of her. As long as you don't plan to harm the Empire or get on our boss's bad side, she can be a good fire starter. But seriously, do not get on our boss's bad side. The last time someone else did, he was turned into a pretzel and fed to a dog."

I then nodded with somewhat widened eyes and said, "All right, do not meet this apparent Fire Starter of a boss. Thank you for the information, Miss Sun. May I ask another question?"

"Sure, talking is always fun! Expect with a certain desert boy he is a terrible conversationalist."

"I can imagine that he has the personality where he believes he's the center of attention all the time?"

Juliet gasped in faux shock but said, "Do you know him personally? Never mind; you probably don't, and it's a good thing, too."

Well, if her boss can pretzel someone, I would not want to meet her co-workers, so after a small pause, I would ask, "Is there any way I can get gold appraised as I want to pawn it off? Do you know of any place I can?"

Juliet would then point in the direction of the room where the interrogations are happening and would say, "Actually, you can just hand in the gold to the people doing the interviews, and they can get you set up with jewels. But you'll need an account and ID to keep it all straight. And for that, you'll need to head to the bank, which is near the center of the city. I hope that bag of yours can hold more than it looks like it can hold."

"It can. It's a bit of a personal item that I got for myself. But thank you for the information, Miss Sun." She then puffed her chest with pride, and I chuckled.

"Of course, as it is my duty as a citizen of this Empire to help anyone worthy of trust. But it seems that my shift is over. It was nice meeting you, Edwin! I hope your stay here is a nice time." After saying that, she disappeared faster than I could even follow, and I immediately kicked myself mentally for talking to a government official so early.

But before the complications that could arise from the situation appear before me, the person doing the interrogation calls me in, and as they take my bag, I sit down at the table, and they place what looks like a small bell in the center.

"All right, my friend, there's nothing to be worried about here. It's just a lie detector we use, so all you have to do is tell the truth, and you'll be right on your way. Now, your name?"

"Edwin Titus."

The bell makes no noise, and the woman continues, "Age?"

"21"

The bell is silent: "Place of Birth?"

"Town of Hobbiton, from the land of the Shire."

The bell makes no noise, but the woman then asks, "I haven't heard of this place. Where would I find it on a map?"

"To be honest, I've seen some of your maps, and you probably wouldn't be able to find it. It is a pretty small place, lying west of here beyond the Misty Mountains or, from what I have learned, the mountains to the west. So far, I haven't seen my home on a map."

The bell rang silent as the woman narrowed her eyes. "You must be referring to Vistarion and the mountains in between. It must be a hidden village, then."

"We don't trade much with people outside of the village, but I wanted to travel, so I left. My family left me some gold to trade for jewels, which I assume you found in my bag." The bell remains silent again.

"Yes, the search of your bag has already been completed, and all the items have been confirmed. Now for a final question: Do you seek to harm the Empire, great spriggans, or the beloved emperor?"

"No, I do not. I've simply come to travel and maybe learn some magic." The bell rang silent, and the woman's expression changed to a complete one-eighty, and a smile appeared on her face.

"Well then, Mr Titus, I welcome you to Imperio, and I hope you have a wonderful time here. But I must ask if you have given a thought to military service for the Empire, of course."

I shook my head and said, "No, I haven't ever been in a fight before, and I don't think I'd be a very good fighter. But thank you for the compliment if you believe I could be one." The woman smiled at the compliment as she then handed me my bag.

"Since you've been so cooperative, the jewels you desire have been placed in the bag, and since you had a bar of gold, that comes to 6.5 million jewels. Make sure not to spend all of that in one place, good sir, but if you do want an official identification, you are going to have to head to the bank and comply with their additional questions." I nod, and she allows me to stand. After giving her a small tip for her service, I left the room through another door and entered the city.

But I can't escape the feeling that I'm being watched now.

Essences Used: Relaxation, Healer And Skill Mastery

World: Fairy Tail