New Friends?

Upon seeing the bodies on the cell floor, Gwendoline found herself caught in a sudden panic attack. She rushed towards the bars, screaming desperately for help through the long, dark corridor that separated the cell.

"Help! Please, someone!"

One of the three boys in their underwear exclaimed at Gwendoline, annoyed and impolite:

"For fuck's sake, shut up, I'm trying to—"

The curly-haired teenager stopped in the middle of his sentence, realizing that something was wrong: he had been sleeping on a cold floor all this time.

"What the hell?!"

He looked at the innocent Gwendoline, who was just as lost as he was.

"Who the fuck are you?! Are you one of Tony's allies?" the young boy shouted.

In a sudden movement, he straightened up, revealing the defined curves of his mixed-race body. Panic seized him as he desperately searched for answers in the dark cell, leaving him shaken and bewildered by what he was experiencing.

"Where are we?! And why are there people on the floor?"

"Listen... I have no idea, okay?! I..." Gwendoline stopped in the middle of her sentence, searching for an excuse not to reveal that she was actually dead. "I just woke up like you!"

The teenager scrutinized every detail of the gloomy room. He gradually realized that the situation he was in was abnormal and that a solution was needed.

"This is insane..."

After a short moment of reflection to prepare himself to face the situation, he sat down gently on the cell floor, letting out a sigh that expressed his determination.

"Well, alright... What's your name?"

"My name is Gwendoline Bourcier... And you?"

He seemed hesitant about revealing his name, as if it were top secret.

"My name is Yanis Lagrand..."

So, the teenager's name was Yanis Lagrand. He seemed just as young as Gwendoline, probably around 17 years old at most.

As time passed and Gwendoline paced endlessly, nervously biting her nails, Yanis wondered about the young people who were still sleeping on the floor: who were they?

"And do you know them?" Yanis asked.

"No, not at all..."

As she expressed her thoughts, Gwendoline was immediately drawn to the blond-haired boy, her eyes widening in astonishment.

"Wait! Yes! Him, the blond one!" she assured, pointing at the concerned teenager.

"Do you know him?"

"No, but he looks familiar to me."

Gwendoline approached the blond boy with hesitant steps. With great surprise, she discovered the true identity of the stranger, and her mouth opened wide in shock.

"It can't be..."

"What?"

"It's Jacob Kalis..."

"And am I supposed to know him?"

"He's the best video game player in the world..."

"Oh really? Is that even possible?"

She couldn't believe it. A globally known personality right here, in front of her eyes. Not that she wanted an autograph, but rather, how was it possible that he was here, and why?

*

The few minutes that passed in the cell allowed the other teenagers to wake up. The girl in pink pajamas with pink hair was named Alora Devi. She was 16 years old and had one green eye and one blue eye. The blond-haired boy was indeed Jacob Kalis; at only 15 years old, he had become known worldwide for his extraordinary skills in video games. The last one was Rogue Grimez, just a shy 15-year-old boy with black hair and gray eyes.

"We've been waiting for someone to come for fifteen minutes. Why don't we try to find a way out ourselves?" Jacob suggested.

"You can see that there's no way out, right? The bar separating us from the corridor is unbreakable," Yanis replied.

"How do you know? Try hitting it, maybe it will break," Alora suggested.

"No, I won't do that. It could attract our kidnappers."

From the other end of the room, Gwendoline, in the midst of her panic attack, tried to come up with a plausible explanation for what was unfolding before her eyes.

Should I tell them? This isn't a kidnapping... It's much bigger than we imagine.

Suddenly, a noise, then another, reverberated through the mysterious and narrow corridor. All the teenagers held their breath as the footsteps approached the cell. When a few rays of light finally made their way through the prevailing darkness, a silhouette appeared in the corridor. A deep voice, that of an old man, rose towards the troubled teenagers:

"Do not be afraid, the Lost Ones."

His silhouette gradually revealed itself as he approached the cell. It was indeed an old bearded man, dressed like a magician from an ancient time. His long white and gray cape supported the idea that he was indeed a magician. He also wore a worn-out hat that concealed the top of his face. The style of clothing worn by the magician in this new and unknown world hinted to the teenagers that a great adventure awaited them.

"The 'Lost Ones'?" Jacob wondered.

"Yes, your group is called the Lost Ones."

The magician stopped in front of the bars, carefully observing each of the teenagers in turn. Except for Gwendoline, who was hidden by the narrow walls of the cell.

"First and foremost, it is crucial that you listen to me attentively because what I am about to reveal may seem incoherent and filled with lies. But it is indeed the truth of our world."

As he uttered these words, he performed a spell that produced a magical key before their astonished eyes. Then, he opened the barred door with it and entered the cell.

"How did you do that?!" Jacob exclaimed.

"Thanks to a spell... Well... My name is Charnald Tones, and I will be your guide during your journey. Now, I will try to be as clear and precise as possible. However, if you have any questions, feel free to ask."

The old man cleared his throat and began speaking with a knowledgeable air.

"While you were asleep, our best mages extracted your souls to place them into your new bodies."

"Our... souls?!" Rogue exclaimed, sweating a few drops of stress.

"What?!" Alora cried out in turn.

Panic was even more evident on Gwendoline's face when she realized that a mistake had been made in their manipulations. She repeated the same phrase over and over again:

How am I supposed to be here? The others were sleeping, but... I must have been placed here by mistake. I'm dead! But most importantly, if there are only supposed to be four of them, how is it that we all have bodies? One should be missing! Right?

While Gwendoline was lost in her inhibited thoughts, her frightened gaze inadvertently met Charnald's, who, taking a deep breath, shouted at her:

"Who are you?!"

The old man's loud voice prompted everyone to instinctively observe Gwendoline. He cast another spell, extending his hand towards the frightened girl.

[Elemental Magic: Wood Confinement]

Charnald's spell formed green magical symbols that scattered on the wall near Gwendoline, and movable wooden branches wrapped around her, holding her captive.

"What are you doing here?!"

"I... I don't... know..."

The wooden branches tightened around Gwendoline, but it had the opposite effect as she struggled to find air. The scene was filled with tension, and her labored breath could be heard colliding against the dry and firm wood that served as her prison.

"You're suffocating her, sir! Stop!" Alora exclaimed.

"What is your name?!"

"Gwendoline... Bourcier... I... I..."

She tried her best to finish her sentence despite the wood squeezing her more and more.

"What... What is it?!"

"I... I... committed suicide... and my soul... ended up... here..."

At those words, Charnald released Gwendoline from the wooden prison. She coughed continuously, trying to catch her breath. Alora, struck with imminent shock, covered her mouth with her hand and exclaimed loudly:

"You committed suicide?!"

"Yes... But I swear, I don't know why I'm here."

"Well... I don't know what we're going to do with you. I'll have to discuss this with the King."

A heavy silence fell over the room after Gwendoline's sudden revelation. It gradually subsided as Charnald resumed the conversation:

"And you don't seem hostile."

"No one here is hostile, sir. We don't even know why we ended up here," Rogue replied with evident timidity.

"Then I will continue where I left off."

Charnald raised his hand towards the ceiling and prepared to cast another magical spell. This time, blue symbols and runes appeared around him and the cell.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Jacob exclaimed, his eyes shining with wonder, displaying his admiration for Charnald's magical spell. As a regular human, he found it incredibly remarkable.

[Endless Cube]

The room was now covered by an opaque blue cube that reached the cell's walls. The cell itself was barely illuminated by lanterns, instantly glowing with a bluish hue due to this magical cube.

"And what's this?" Alora asked.

"It's an isolation spell, a top-secret conversation," replied Charnald.

"To this extent?"

"Yes, the survival of the multiverse depends on it."

"A multiverse?! So, it really exists?!" Alora exclaimed.

"For you four, maybe five, you are about to embark on a journey to acquire power in order to defeat a superior being who threatens to erase the multiverse in two years."

Amazement spread across Yanis' face, displaying his dissatisfaction with Charnald's words. The teenager, who had previously shown obvious weariness, now had a more expressive face, indicating anger.

"Hold on, old man! What are you talking about?!"

"What?! Far from me the idea of rejecting my isekai," Jacob retorted, "but you've got the wrong person. I'm just a guy who plays video games. What do you want me to do?"

"And we don't even have any powers!" Rogue shouted.

"Not yet, but you will acquire them right after our discussion."

Yanis lunged towards Charnald, his fists clenched.

"Guys! Did you not hear what he just said? We'll be stuck here for two years!"

Yanis advanced relentlessly towards Charnald, until he violently grabbed him by the collar.

"Listen to me, old man. I don't give a damn shit about your powers! In my world, I'm already powerful enough to defeat anyone! And don't think I'm going to stay here for two years while I have people to protect. So you better send me back to my world, got it!?"

"Yanis, time passes more slowly on Trillia than in your world. Your soul will be here while your body peacefully sleeps."

"I see, so if we had stayed on Earth, we would have died upon waking up, or shortly after," Jacob mused aloud.

"But if we die... Do we really die?" Alora worried.

"Yes..."

Alora froze in place upon hearing Charnald's terrifying answer.

"And can I ask why it's us and not you?" Yanis interjected.

"Well, in our world, powers are based on the domain that a person masters best. Yanis, yours is martial arts."

When Yanis heard this revelation about his supposedly secret abilities, he almost immediately released Charnald, not expecting it to be revealed.

"So, you do martial arts?" Alora asked, intrigued by his domain.

"Yeah, let's just say that... yeah," he replied, scratching his head awkwardly.

"Jacob: video games. Rogue: hacking. And Alora: dreams," continued Charnald.

As they assimilated the disclosure of each other's specialties, Jacob turned his attention to Rogue, who had refrained from participating in the discussion due to apparent shyness.

"So, your domain is hacking?!"

"Yes... That's right, haha..."

"Have you ever managed to hack NASA?!"

"Yeah, several times actually."

"You're really cool, man. When we have our powers, we could make a great team!"

Despite Charnald's prompt response and Jacob's childlike excitement about the powers he would soon acquire, Yanis was still not fully satisfied. There was still something he couldn't understand:

"That doesn't answer my question, old man. Why us?"

"Because your powers have tremendous potential, more than ours at least. In two years, I'm sure you will have acquired enough power to defeat Damahan, the superior being."

"Well... I just have one request then. That nobody dies here."

"We can't promise you that, but we will do our best. Be sure of it."

"I'm not sure if it's a good idea... The fact that we might die doesn't sit well with me staying here," Jacob pondered, gazing at the ground with a slight smile.

Rogue stepped forward, following Jacob's words.

"Jacob is right. Who do you think you are to decide life or death for teenagers like us? We didn't ask for this in the first place!"

In a demonstration of courage and resilience, Charnald approached the Lost Ones, kneeling before them in an act of faith and despair. With a calm and sincere voice, he said,

"Young people... Please, listen to me. Let me speak my last words, after which you will freely decide your final decision. We are aware of your fears and doubts... Know that for months and months, we have strived to find other solutions to defeat Damahan in two years. The three countries of our world have united their minds and intellects during endless nights... I repeat: we have done everything we could to avoid this... Absolutely everything... You are our last hope, young Lost Ones. I beg you, in my authority as a mage, I implore you strongly: help us..."

As uncertainty hung among the Lost Ones, the choice to be made was unequivocal: accept or refuse the plea of an individual whose despair was indescribable. What they decided now would shape the future of this world and their own.

"In any case, we have no choice. If we don't help you, we'll die without even trying. So, if we're going to die, I'd rather do it with glory and tenacity! Don't you agree?" Jacob turned to the others, displaying an optimistic smile after proudly stating his position.

"Yes, you're right, I agree!" Alora declared.

"Same here," said Rogue.

"Yeah... You're right, we have no other choice but to accept," sighed Yanis, a slight smirk on his face.

Charnald, a man whose ambitious plan seemed to be progressing smoothly, knew, however, that the young teenagers were afraid for their lives. He understood that there was no more viable solution to save trillions of innocent souls than to rely on teenagers from another world with superhuman abilities. Yet, despite tensions dissipating, one problem remained: Gwendoline's unexpected presence, inadvertently intruding into their world. Charnald turned his gaze toward her, enumerating the different possibilities that lay before her.

"Gwendoline, now that you're here, you can't turn back. You're obligated to stay here... First, I will have to discuss it with the King, but what do you want to do now? Live here as a civilian, help the four Lost Ones, or finish what you started?"

Everyone in the cell listened intently, awaiting Gwendoline's words that could be decisive for the imminent future. Everyone seemed to get along well, except for her, who had remained in the background during Charnald's explanation.

"I..." hesitating, she pondered her crucial decision.

I'm dead, and yet, I'm here. I lived my worst life on Earth, and now, I'm offered a new one on a silver platter...

As she contemplated her final decision, images of her sad life flashed before her eyes, from her childhood to the harassment and her suicide. She could still see the moments of joy she had spent with Cassandra, her adoptive sister, and her other siblings.

My biological parents abandoned me, my adoptive parents committed suicide, and my adoptive siblings left home... On Earth, I lost everything... My social life, my reputation, and my life...

The last image that crossed Gwendoline's troubled mind before proclaiming her position was that of Lidia, her school bully who had ruined her life. After reflecting on her past life, she made her decision regarding the entire group and declared with conviction:

"I will join the Lost Ones!"

These words of hope brought a smile to Alora's face as she responded with unmatched kindness:

"Gwendoline, I'm so glad you accepted!"

"Rymis III, our King, will surely launch an investigation to find out the true reason for your presence, but he will likely accept you as part of the Lost Ones!"

"There's just one dilemma... I don't have a specialized domain," Gwendoline voiced her concern.

"Well, we'll see about that because we're going to resurface and unlock your powers!"