Chapter 2: Almost a normal day

Kane leaned in closer to his computer screen, his eyes fixated on the cropped image result from the viral Instagram reel. It was at that specific moment—when a surreal array of objects had materialized- a white board filled with equations stood out. Something about it nagged at the edges of his memory, as if he'd glimpsed it in a dream. With a determined curiosity, he initiated a reverse image search online.

The results loaded on his screen, but Kane's anticipation was met with disappointment. The snap he'd cropped was too low in resolution, and the search engine couldn't find any exact matches. He chuckled at his own overenthusiasm, realizing that he might have been reading too much into the situation.

"Guess I got carried away," he mumbled to himself.

Leaning back in his chair, he scrolled through the search tab and began scrolling through the images displayed. Surprisingly, many low-quality images of white boards filled with equations caught his attention. It was then that he seemed to realize how far-fetched his idea was. All those damn images looked familiar to him, goddammit. He laughed out loud at his own stupidity.

Kane squinted at the equations, recognizing symbols and notations that he'd encountered in his own studies. His background in computer science had brought him face-to-face with complex mathematical concepts at the beginning of his degree. Later he had chosen to pursue cryptography as a specialization under cyber security. To develop an unbreakable algorithm that had been a dream he was chasing since forever now it felt.

After staring at the equations a bit longer to no result, with a shrug he closed the tab and let out a sigh of relief. The dream, the viral reel, the equations—they were all intriguing mysteries, but perhaps there was no grand connection between them. Maybe, in the end, it was just another normal day in his life.

Kane's attention turned to his cluttered desk, where textbooks and notes from his recent college graduation sat in disarray. He glanced at the diploma hanging on the wall, a testament to his achievements in the field of computer science. It had been a challenging journey, and now he was embarking on a new chapter—his first job in the tech industry. Well, he had started working in his last semester already, and was through the six-month training period now. He was now a fully qualified cyber analyst at a well-established asset-management firm.

His thoughts drifted to his friends, the ones he'd known since his school days. Asche, Jay, Zephyr, and Elysia—they were his closest confidants, each with their own unique quirks and talents. Their group chat was a constant source of laughter and support, a digital haven where they shared their dreams, ambitions, and everyday experiences.

Despite being at the same orphanage since birth, they weren't always together since the beginning. In fact, the reason they got together had something to do with it. At some point in the orphanage, they had all gotten adopted, but due to various reasons, they eventually returned.

Once they were back at the orphanage, no one wanted to adopt them again of course. They were seen as the trouble children, ostracized by everyone else. So they got stuck with each. Kane was the oldest among them, but he talked less and spent all his time observing people. It was Asche who was the leader, the most outspoken amongst them. Even Elysia, who was the most rebellious amongst the group, listened to him. Jay was the prankster in the group and Zephyr was the nerd. Well, they all were nerds in some sense. Zephyr just had an edge on them.

Their lives had taken unique twists at the beginning, yet their friendship had formed and remained till now. 

Kane realized that despite the mysteries that occasionally intrigued him and his love for fiction and fantasy, his life was for the most part normal—a series of routines, aspirations, and friendships. And his habit of daydreaming about isekaing or wish to reincarnate in a cultivation world might remain, but never would he want to give up this life. 

Perhaps that also was why he'd gotten so caught up in the dream and the viral reel—it offered a taste of the extraordinary in an otherwise ordinary life.

*SIGHGG*

Getting up, he organized his desk first, before deciding the plan for the rest of his day. No doubt he was going to climb out of silver today. Definitely.

....

The cargo vessel, named the "Maersk Kaitlyn," cut through the deep dark waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It was a colossal ship, carrying goods and cargo across the vast expanse of the ocean. On board, Asche had recently joined as a cadet, eager to embark on his journey in the world of merchant ships.

He stood on the ship's deck, a cool breeze brushing against his face as he pocketed his phone. A smirk tugged at his lips as he chuckled softly, having just closed the chat with his friends Kane, Jay, Zephyr, and Elysia. As he was on night duty today, the slight banter with his friends had been a welcome break in duties. 

Back to the job, Asche moved about the ship, performing rounds as he was tasked. Around the corner, he saw his friend and senior Adrian and nodded at him. 

But then, without warning, the ship shuddered violently. It was an abnormal jolt that sent Asche stumbling. He quickly grabbed hold of a railing to steady himself, his eyes wide with surprise. He exchanged a bewildered look with Adrian nearby.

"What's going on?" Asche asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

His friend, a more experienced sailor, shook his head. "No disturbances are expected on this route, and the weather's been calm. This is strange."

Before they could exchange any more words, the ship shuddered again, this time even more violently. Alarms blared, and a loudspeaker announcement echoed across the deck, commanding all crew members to return to their muster stations immediately. The urgency in the announcement sent a chill down Asche's spine.

Following the protocol drilled into their training, Asche and his fellow crew members moved swiftly and efficiently, maintaining discipline as they headed for their muster stations.

Meanwhile, in the captain's room, Captain Ramirez sat at his desk, his brow furrowed with concern. He typed furiously on the computer keyboard, composing a report to send back to the offshore office. It contained an urgent message about an unexpected large body detected colliding with the Atlantic Voyager beneath the sea's surface.

As the captain completed the report, he couldn't help but wonder what had caused this unsettling disturbance in the normally calm waters of the Atlantic Ocean. 

...

In a dimly lit gym, the heavy thud of gloves against the punching bag echoed through the air. Elysia, her raven-black hair tied back, was in the zone. With a focused intensity, she delivered a flurry of punches and kicks, honing her combat skills with each precise strike.

The bag swung with each powerful blow, a testament to her strength and agility. Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead as she continued her relentless assault. She was alone in the gym, and the solitude allowed her to immerse herself completely in her training. This right here was bliss for her.

Finally, after an intense set, Elysia stepped back, her chest heaving as she reached for a nearby towel to wipe away the sweat from her brow. As she rested for a moment, she couldn't help but glance at her phone resting on a nearby bench.

Her thoughts drifted to the application she had submitted for a master's program in statistics at desired university. She was waiting anxiously for the letter of acceptance, and the anticipation had her feeling nervous. She reached for her phone, to check for any notifications, but then stopped. There was no point in being like this, it will arrive when it has too. Setting her thoughts straight, she picked her bottle instead and took a light sip.

Deciding to go for another round, Elysia placed her bottle back on the bench and got up. But just as she was about to step forward, her eyes widened in disbelief.

Her water bottle, which she had just put down beside her, had disappeared. It was as if it had been plucked from thin air. Bewildered, she took a step back, her heart racing as she scanned the gym.

Before she could make sense of what had just occurred, a rather mysterious voice echoed around her, cutting through the silence.

[**"Mic check one... two... three..."**]

Elisia's senses heightened as she strained as she tried to locate the source, when the voice sounded again. And this time there was no need for her to identify the source.

[**"Well hello, residents of the Universe 2139175."**]

The voice was inside her head, resounding within her.