Ethan’s mind drifted. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed but instead felt content that the pain he had been experiencing was gone. He floated weightless and motionless in an endless void, without much more sense than that of deep relief. Years could have passed, or perhaps only seconds. Eventually, a dim light shone on the horizon, seeming to illuminate more than just the gloom. It spread deep into his soul, igniting something to life. That light became blinding, and as he became aware of his own lungs, the next sensation he remembered feeling was choking.

  Water filled his lungs for only a moment before he burst through the surface, coughing and sputtering for breath. He thrashed. His eyes pinched shut against the sudden intrusion of bright light, then heard a comforting voice nearby, soothing him into placidity. His medium-length brown hair was plastered against his face as he thrashed near the edge of what felt like a pool. Over time, his eyes adjusted, and he opened them to see a frightening sight.

  It wasn’t the massive room he found himself in, with large marble columns that ran skyward, ending in a domed roof with a magnificent fresco. It also wasn’t the massive pool of oddly thick water he found himself struggling to stay afloat in. No, it was the creature near the edge of the pool. The thing had a mantis-like face, complete with antennae and large black orbs for eyes. It tilted its head to one side, chittering and clicking as it drew closer to the pool.

  “Don’t eat me.” Ethan’s mind reeled as he thought of the best way to appear unappetizing. Nothing came, and escaping to the far side of the large pool seemed too daunting.

  “I’m not here to eat you,” the creature said, its mandibles chittering as it spoke.

  The voice was familiar. It took Ethan more than a few moments to realize where he had heard the voice before. It was the same comforting voice as the older developer at his company.

  “Suzanne?” Ethan asked, his brows knitting tightly as the confusion deepened in his mind. It defied all reason that some sweet older lady would suddenly be a menacing person in a giant cathedral swimming pool.

  “I have taken the voice and the name of someone familiar to you.” The creature’s voice was soothing. If not for the errant click of her mandibles, Ethan wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. “Come to the edge of the pool so you may be dried of its cleansing waters. The acclimation is not an easy process, and yours was especially difficult.”

  “I’d like answers first.” Unsure of how he was maintaining his sanity, Ethan fixed his gaze on the creature. His mind wanted him to look away, but he didn’t have many options. That was Suzanne’s voice. Sweet Suzanne who always set aside time to teach a few things or help him with projects well below her pay-grade.

  “Get dried first, and I shall answer some questions.” She gestured with bladed arms to the comfort of dry land. She bowed her head slightly as though to implore him. “Please.”

  Ethan wasn’t sure how much longer he could tread water. There was no wound at his side, and he could tell something had been done to restore him to a near-perfect state. But getting out of the pool and mingling with a giant mantis wasn’t appealing. Also, he was naked, which just added to the awkwardness of the situation. A few more moments in the water were enough to convince him to get out. He placed his hands on the side of the pool and pushed himself up. The bug version of Suzanne helped him out, draping a fluffy towel over his shoulders and skittering off to the side to give him space.

  Next came the fear. It washed over Ethan, driving him to his knees, like a tide threatening to take him out to sea. He clawed at the stone ground, eyes wide with madness as he remembered what he had seen: the city he had spent so much time in being destroyed by those monsters, and everything washed away in an instant. Just as the tide had come in, it had gone out. He turned to see the mantis’s bladed appendage touching his shoulder. If he didn’t know any better, he would say a faint smile played across her alien face.

  “Most call me the Acclimator. Others call me by the name of those whose identity I have assumed. You may call me either the Acclimator or Suzanne. I don’t mind.”

  “What just happened?” Ethan asked, playing the events again in his mind. He knew he was about to lose it. He was on the edge of a mental breakdown and then there was nothing.

  “I put a dam in your mind. For now, the trauma of what happened to your world is gone. I have called for the appropriate headmaster to sort out your unique situation. When you’re ready, I have some clothes for you to put on. Today will be confusing for you, but that will pass.”

  That was putting it lightly. Ethan couldn't remember being more confused in his entire life. The way things had shifted from pure fear in his office building to this undeniable sense of complete comfort was disorienting. A part of him wanted to go back, but perhaps it was something she had done to his mind. That dam she spoke of prevented him from even considering it; he knew that was long gone, and there was simply no going back.

  Instead, he sat with the towel around his shoulders. He let himself drip dry for the most part but eventually found the motivation to stand and finish drying himself off, wrapping the towel around his waist and looking down at his body. Where there should have been a scar, there was nothing—just the chubby belly of a student who spent too much time eating pizza rolls and other junk food to fit his busy schedule.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "I'm ready for those clothes." Ethan was as dry as he was going to get. He thought that since the threat of those haunting memories wasn't coming back now, they wouldn't return in the foreseeable future.

  "Follow me," the Acclimator said, gesturing with her bladed arms toward an alcove in the side of the massive room. “You're not the first strange arrival we've had today. It seems our benefactor saw fit to pluck you and another from the ether. Lucky day.”

  Ethan had absolutely no idea how to respond to that. He followed the mantis to an alcove, finding a low wooden table strewn with clothes. She politely turned her back as he dressed. There was a plain gray robe that he slipped over his head and some boxer-style underpants that he put on and tied at the waist. As for footwear, he was given sandals that weren't altogether too uncomfortable. But after getting dressed, he felt like a peasant boy, ready to ask for some stew at an orphanage.

  "I'm not sure this is my style."

  “You’ll receive appropriate clothes after you’re confirmed at Gale House. I believe Headmaster Vesper intends to give you a choice, in case you don’t wish to join his house.” The Acclimator fussed with Ethan’s robes, pulling them down with odd skill. He expected her bladed appendages to slice through the fabric, but they didn’t. Once she was satisfied, she nodded and gestured for him to follow her again. “We need to test your System. If you would follow me, I can confirm what the initial test said.”

  That generated about 20 questions Ethan had about what exactly was going on. He didn't know if this was the appropriate time, but he didn't think he could wait. "I’m at a school?" he asked. "I don't think I understand. Boston was attacked by something, and then some ghost saved me to bring me back to school?”

  The Mantis laughed at the declaration. "I don't know the details of your story, but it is likely your world is completely destroyed. The headmaster will have more answers about your origin. Yes, you're in a school. Tariat Academy in the world of Tal’venger in sector A582, also known as Rael’gen."

  “I’m not sure you understand how many more questions you generated from that statement,” Ethan said. He had been following along behind her idly, not noticing how they had left the massive room with the pool and ducked into a series of wide passages. Each hall was adorned on the side with more frescos, each adorned with strange writing he didn’t truly understand.

  "Again, try not to allow yourself to be bogged down by so many confusing realities." She stood outside a wooden door and tilted her head to the side. "I'll have to put another dam in your mind otherwise. Anyway, please step inside. I need to take your readings again now that you're conscious."

  Ethan nodded, grabbing the brass handle and turning it. It made a satisfying clicking sound, and the heavy door swung open on large iron hinges. Inside the building, small crystals sat in sconces on the wall, providing a pale blue light that illuminated the interior.

  In the room was a large, ominous black orb. It hovered about two feet from the ground and was about as large as he was tall. Ethan stood there for a few moments, watching the logic-defying orb as it hummed in place. The room was bare of anything else.

  "Place your hands upon the Orb of Assessment, and I shall have your readings," the Acclimator said.

  “The Orb of Assessment.” Ethan grumbled, approaching the floating orb. He reached out, feeling something strange tingling at the ends of his fingers. “The totally normal floating orb of doom.”

  “The Orb of Doom is located in another building,” the Acclimator corrected. “This is the Orb of Assessment.”

  It could have been called the Orb of Fun and Joy for all Ethan cared. This thing was still a gigantic floating orb. It might have been made of metal, but he couldn't really tell. Even as he pressed his fingers against the surface, he felt almost nothing. It was as though he was touching a bit of hard air before him. But after a few moments of contact with the orb, he felt that tingling sensation grow stronger. It raced through him, sneaking up to his hands at first and then crawling to his arms. Although he tried to pull his hand away in reflex, he was stuck there. The sensation reached his chest, and the strangest thing that day happened.

  A disembodied screen appeared, floating before him. He blinked, looking back to the Acclimator with utter confusion.

  “This is normal. You may read the contents if you wish.”

  [Unknown System]

  Subject Ethan Walsh is using an unknown system. This system is in the incubation phase and may take time to unfurl.

  Please wait while the Grand System attempts a solution…

  “Could you explain why there is a floating computer screen in front of my face?” Ethan asked. He searched for a little red X or maybe something to minimize it, but found nothing.

  “This is part of the process. You are interacting with something we call the System. Unfortunately, your specific system is a new one. We have never seen it before, which means it may take time for it to come into its own. For now, follow me. We shall confer with Headmaster Vesper.”

  With literally no other recourse, Ethan shrugged. This time, when he went to pull his hands away from the orb, they came back without an issue. The moment he lost contact with it, the message box closed. He watched as the mantid woman left the room and found himself walking quickly to keep up with her. She strode down the hall with purpose, having a bit of pep in her step this time. When she finally reached the end of that particular hall, she knocked with the back of her bladed limb on the stone door. A voice called for her to come inside, and she pushed with her shoulder. The door swung open, revealing a small room with a wooden desk and a man sitting behind it.

  "Finally." The man stroked a short black beard on his chin. "I assume you're Ethan Walsh."

  “And you must be Headmaster Vesper. Can I finally get some answers?”