1 Domain

"Houston, we have a problem."

Darius said after he saw himself in space, butt naked. He was slowly spinning, and thanks to it, he could see many stars in all directions. He couldn't see a single planet from that distance, at least not in detail.

"This sure is a weird dream… I thought that I would feel a bit anxious in situations like this, but I feel fine… even though I panic when I can't move during my dreams," Darius said. "Wait… my voice is echoing here. So, this isn't space… then again, why am I trying to find logic in a dream?"

The last thing that Darius recalled doing was watching a movie on his cell phone. He was also in his bed, so maybe he fell asleep… still, he watched a movie about a boxer, so he couldn't understand how come he was dreaming about space.

All of a sudden, Darius stopped moving, and then he saw some giant shadows appearing around him. They were quite colossal… it was hard to tell if they were shadows of humanoid things since they were hundreds of meters tall.

"You have answered our call, Darius of the human species," Several mixed voices echoed in the area, making Darius frown.

"I don't remember receiving any call; my cell phone didn't ring a single time today," Darius said. "I am at the Olympic level when it comes to loneliness, after all."

"We searched for you for a long time, someone who can hold our power and protect our world."

"You searched and then found me at my home?" Darius asked. "Home invaders of such size wouldn't fit in there."

"You are not dreaming, Darius of the human species."

"Sure, sure. I like escapism as much as the next guy, but I am not delusional," Darius shrugged. "Also, There are many Darius of the human race. It would make more sense to call me Darius, son of Clark. Just like the Vikings did in the past. Darius Clarkson's… it is pretty strong, don't you think."

The part of his brain that was producing that dream stopped working since Darius was messing with the setting. Besides, one could only do so much by arguing against oneself.

"This conversation isn't going anywhere… We wanted to give you some answers, but it can't be helped. We will send you to our planet as quickly as possible to make you understand the situation. You are a suitable vessel for our power; you can have it and use it for as long as you protect our world. Ask anything in order for us to obtain your cooperation."

Darius thought that asking for some bitches would be fine, but he didn't want to fall so low even in a dream… so he decided to play along. He recalled a game that he played recently, and he thought that it would be fun to play it in that dream as well.

"I want the power to create worlds," Darius replied.

"The power to create worlds, you shall have it."

Darius was enveloped by a massive sphere of light that blinded him for several seconds. Still, then he eventually found himself standing at the entrance of a grove. The natural beauty of the area was absolutely breathtaking. The trees stood tall and proud, each one uniquely shaped and colored. The leaves rustled in the gentle breeze, creating a soothing melody that filled the air.

The sunlight filtered through the branches, casting a warm and inviting glow on everything around me. It was as if he had stumbled upon a hidden oasis, a sanctuary in the midst of the wilderness. Darius was struck by the tranquility of the grove, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of peace and calm wash over him as he took in the beauty of the natural world around him.

After frowning for a while, Darius waited for something to happen, but nothing did. The dream was starting to look crazy, even more so when he saw some massive curtain of smoke rising to the cloud in the distance.

"... I am wearing clothes again; while I don't look much presentable in my relaxing clothes, this will do; I also have my sneakers with me," Darius thought while checking his white and blue set of sweatpants and hoodie. "I still think that this is a dream, but better be safe than sorry."

Darius recalled that he usually has dreams when something is going on in his life. When he feels cornered, stuck, and alone… he usually has dreams that match that. However, his line was completely fine right now… so the thought that he wasn't dreaming was starting to get stronger in his head.

It got even more, stronger when Darius began to feel the smell of the smoke… he approached its origin while he wasn't in a hurry, but that didn't prevent him from seeing a medieval walled city half in flames while being attacked by yellow-furred monsters that looked like orcs.

The sight before Darius was devastating. The city, once surrounded by towering walls, was now engulfed half in flames. The heat was intense, and the smoke made it difficult to breathe. Darius couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness and despair as he watched the destruction unfold before him. The walls that had once protected the city were now nothing more than charred remnants. It was a sobering reminder of the fragility of human civilization and the power of monsters to destroy even the most fortified structures.

"Kids, don't do drugs," Darius said while forcing a smile. "It is too expensive…"

The scene in front of him was too real to be considered a dream. The smell of smoke, the screams in the distance… the growing scent of blood… Darius thought of running away from there. It seemed that he was in a fantasy world, and he knew better than to get any closer to that crazy situation. While he looked like a dude who was too lazy to wear anything but comfortable clothes would only result in his death.

Darius stepped backward while thinking of running away from there and then actually ran away from it. The scenario changed again, but Darius had to blink several times before he could understand and think about what had happened. He appeared in the middle of a small island that was badly ten meters long and wide. It had a single coconut tree there, but Darius didn't see any signs of a sea… beyond the sand of the island; he saw nothing. Only a sea of whiteness… like a painting that had barely been started.

"All right guys, I am convinced… you guys are the gods of this world, and I am supposed to give you a hand for some reason in protecting it," Darius said while looking around. "I will pretend that this situation isn't weird or suspicious. There is nothing weird about gods asking mortals for help. Yep, absolutely nothing weird about it. Well then, give me the details of the job and the terms of employment. I am just twenty, and I pay rent. However, since I am still in college, I will accept a payment suitable for my level of education and competence."

Darius waited for an answer, but he got nothing… that was bad. If those guys are gods, some of them tend to be pretty petty, and they might want to make him learn a lesson for not believing in them before.

"Well, I should wait until they are ready to talk," Darius said, and then he sat down in front of the coconut tree. "They will eventually get fired from the silent treatment."

At least, that was what Darius thought… Several hours passed, but nothing happened. Although there wasn't a sun or a sky above, Darius began to feel thirsty and hungry. He was also bored out of his mind, but at least boredom gave him time to think about several things. That definitely wasn't a dream; he had never had a dream that long or one he felt hungry and thirsty.

"... I want water; come on, guys," Darius said after a long sigh. "I apologize already… your company won't last long if you treat your employees like this on their first day at work."

Darius blinked several times since, all of a sudden, a pond began to appear in front of him. Crystal clear water that looked pretty good to be consumed. Moreover, the sand wasn't turning the water into mud… Since he was a bit tired and thirsty, Darius didn't notice that. Still, he felt a bit lightheaded once the pond, which probably had twenty liters of water, stopped growing.

Darius slowly drank some of the water and confirmed that he wouldn't have any problems drinking that… it made him recall the taste of mineral water that he had when he was a kid… delicious.

"... Wait, when I talked with them… I asked for the power to create worlds… could it be that this is my world?" Darius thought once his mind cleared up a little.

Maybe those gods were trying to mess with him by making him think that he had such crazy power… still, Darius decided to do some tests. When he thought about it, half of the pond vanished in the blink of an eye. Also, when he thought about it, another coconut tree began to grow from the ground. Still, it stopped once it barely began to emerge from the ground since Darius felt lightheaded and dizzy… it looked like he really had that power, but it didn't come for free.