2 Gear World

However, nothing broke his fall. Moments after he was shoved into the closet, he found himself falling down the clear blue sky, blazing past the fluffy clouds.

The clear sky stretched across the horizon. Its dazzling color palette was a stark contrast to his gray, mundane life.

With nothing stopping his fall, his body dove into the clear water underneath. Despite looking like another sky, the surface had visible rippling.

His body, which was now underwater, expanded from its cannonball form. He struggled to swim to the surface.

However, as he was about to reach the surface, a thunderous clicking of the finger resonated throughout the space.

Instantly, the liquid surface had turned into hardened glass, and he was transferred above it.

With a baffled look plastered on his face, a resonating but calming voice appeared from the vast horizon. "So, he chose you, huh?"

The voice, an echo of melody, held an essence of wisdom and familiarity. The voice reminded him of the person he holds dear.

Confusion continued to strike him; he wondered who the other party they spoke of was. To why he was 'chosen'.

"Who's there?!" His voice echoed across the vast expanse.

The voice didn't immediately respond to him. He took a breath and got himself up from the floor.

"Calm down, dear," the voice chuckled.

He didn't find it funny. He was flustered, bewildered, and confused. All sorts of emotions were wrapping around him.

"Calm?! I've been kidnapped!" His voice boomed in anger.

"Woah!" the voice didn't expect for him to get mad.

This voice was bewildered. They expected him to only be confused, not to erupt in anger.

"Where is this?! Where am I?!" He looked all around him, but he saw nothing other than the blue sky.

With his emotions running rampant, the voice realized that they needed to do something to soothe him. Which gave them a brilliant yet mischievous idea.

Momentarily, a woman had materialized in front of him. Behind her was a dilapidated wooden chair, on which she sat.

Her presence was the epitome of elegance; she had a familiar look on her face.

She had almond-shaped eyes, dark pupils, rounded brows, and jet-black hair, tied into a ponytail.

She was accompanied by a dapper look. An all-black tuxedo, along with a striking red crimson tie around her neck.

His curiosity had turned into displeasure the moment she adorned that face. "Stop it," he said.

The woman rested her face on her left hand and asked, "What's wrong?"

"You know what's wrong!" His emotions erupted once more.

Reluctantly, she flicked her hand, and her appearance changed. Her almond-shaped eyes had turned upturned, her brow was now slightly raised, and her hair had turned a vibrant pink.

"Hmm, I thought you'd calm down if you saw a familiar face," she said while flinging her finger upward.

Along with changing appearances, she flicked the emotions out of him. His usual calm demeanor was now back on display.

"Why am I chosen?" he asked her with a determined face and fists clenched.

"Let's start from the beginning, shall we?" she said.

She flung her hand around once again; another wooden chair had appeared right behind him. She pointed at the chair as if she were telling him to sit down. He obliged.

"Answer my question," he demanded, his hands clasped above his knee.

"Slow down. First, let's introduce ourselves," she said.

While she waited for him to answer, she conjured a table in between them. With his favorite tea served on top.

He recalled the name that his mother used to call him. A name he once held before his father forcibly changed it. He looked at the tea and let out a big sigh.

"My name's Alexander. Alex for short," he said while still looking at the hot tea.

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" asked Alex.

She looked at him for a moment. However, the woman ignored his question and kept sipping on her tea.

"Never mind," Alex said, giving up the question.

After sipping her tea, she began explaining that she needed help. So, she asked those in her community to send help.

She explained that she and others are 'managers' of realities. Each with a unique difference from one another.

Confused, Alex's inner voice came out. "Realities?"

The woman smiled at him, alluring Alex to listen to her story. She unveiled that each different manager has 'realities' that they manage themselves. And they serve the role of overseers of their realities.

To help explain, she conjured two transparent crystal balls on her hands. On her right hand is a reality where everything is powered by gears.

Meanwhile, her left hand displayed the existence of dinosaurs that humans have tamed and raised.

Alex's pupils expanded at the sight of the two crystal balls. With his interest in paleontology, he wondered if he could truly help the woman with her realities.

The woman further elaborates that she hasn't needed help in the dinosaur world.

Rather, the immediate help she was seeking was in correlation to the gear-powered reality.

The reality had colossal gears that powered islands. But he was still hesitant to help with an unknown reality.

However, she firmly declared that he would know what to do the moment he opened his eyes for the first time. But he was still not convinced.

"Why in the world would I help my kidnapper?" Alex questioned her.

"The prize is that you have a singular wish." She looked at Alex with one finger pointing up.

"Anyhow, this endeavor is an opportunity for you," she emphasized.

Despite his initial reservation, he reconsidered hearing she was able to grant him a wish. With no further antagonizing, he accepted her proposal.

"Alright," Alex conceded, "we'll just see what happens."

When he agreed, the woman's face lit up with joy. She leaped from her wooden chair and exclaimed with delight.

With no hesitation, she flung her hand and snapped her fingers. In a blink, Alex found himself taken to a different location. With a panel of texts that materialized in front of his face.

"Oh, I forgot to tell him about the punishment if he was to fail," she facepalmed. "Oh, well."

The paragraphs in front of him were lengthy. As he began reading it, he figured out that he had been transported to the reality of "Gear World.".

At the top of the panel was the explanation of "Gear World." It's a reality that revolves around the use of gears. Its islands are suspended by intricate uses of machinery.

However, the wall of texts mentions the exploitation of a certain ship crew, seeking adventures in the hope of finding treasures.

Alex was caught up in the story, and he began imagining them. He pictured a massive ship that could hold a stupendous amount of cargo.

On them were resolved crewmates seeking out to better themselves along with their captain and ship.

In the next paragraph, it explains why they were seeking treasures. For decades, captain after captain, the ship crew was nowhere at the top.

Below the paragraph begins the explanation of crews. Certain crews participate in a ranking competition held annually called "Ahoy! Witness the best!"

This competition ranks different crews among the continents to decide who gets to participate in the world ranking.

The crew mentioned in the text is what people call 'Stagnant Waters'. They maintained the status quo without making significant progress or achievements.

This led them to seek out treasures in the hope that it would give them the edge they needed to compete for their continent's best and, eventually, the world.

Then one day, as they were seeking treasures, they would encounter something that would alter their lives.

They approached a remote island off the coast of the continent. It looked uncharted.

That made them hopeful that they would find treasures within. However, a putrid stench prevailed.

They followed the foul-smelling odor to what seemed like a cave entrance. Their curiosity peaked, and they decided to explore the cave.

There, they found barrels of radioactive materials inside. With the finding of these, the crew hurried back to their ship.

The crew, with their captain, set sail for the nearest government outpost. There, marines reside and are tasked with protecting their citizens.

When he continued reading the wall of paragraphs, an ominous message protruded at the bottom of the panel. It was read out in large, bold letters.

"Protect the children."