USA, Colorado, Denver Airport…
A group of young and energetic teens mumbled and chattered. While their bus teetered up and down, shaking from the bumps.
They were heading to the nearby airport from the packed parking lot. These people were there to meet Alex after two long years.
As the bus loomed closer and closer to the airport the kids kept talking. They were all overfilled with joy, as their excitement kept growing.
Each one of the kids had an extremely close relationship with Alex. As sin ir they were young they had stuck together and considered each other family.
While they had also watched Alex disappear from their lives for a long and grueling two years. Now they were finally getting to see their friend.
As their excitement couldn't be contained, and a grin formed ear to ear on each of the kids faces.
Then the bus pulled into a line of traffic. It was filled with other buses and cars with the same destination.
This line was filled with people just like Alex's family. All waiting to meet their relatives or friends.
The kids then started talking to each other, in boredom. While they knew that it was going to be a bit longer before the bus fully arrived at their destination.
While one particular kid was extremely excited to meet Alex. His name was Will. Will had been Alex's first friend when arriving to the orphanage.
He was also the one who had kept in contact with Alex while he was in England. Being Alex's greatest friend, but also rival.
Since they were kids they participated in the same sports. While Will had always been better than Alex at first Alex would quickly overtake Will's skills.
This was true for ninety percent of anything Will and Alex did together. Yet after Alex left for England Will had grown bored without a rival.
This had led Will to be the most excited for Alex's arrival. While Will had also informed Alex on a peculiar character. It was Erevan.
Will had learned of Erevan, and at first like most he believed him to be a fraud. Yet after more research and time Will was truly intrigued by Erevan.
As Will decided to tell Alex of him, and what had happened. Except this was only a day before Alex's departure so Alex might not have had time to extensively study Erevan.
This also led Will to grow increasingly excited, as he started to grow excited to exchange their thoughts.
Then the bus came to a complete stop, as the bus had finally arrived in front of the main doors of the airport.
As its mechanical door opened people flooded out through the open door. With Alex's family rushing out the door in a hurried manner.
This large group of teens was all supervised by one guardian. It was the main guardian of the orphanage.
Although the man was strict to Alex when he was younger he also acted as Alex mentor, and fatherly figure.
This action was not only displayed to Alex but it was also displayed to the entire orphanage. As the man had become all the orphans father figure in the young kids hearts.
His kindred soul had led him to the orphanage, where he was able to take care of the poor kids.
While his name was Keith, he had served as the head teacher and guardian for the orphanage. While he had also organized sports events for the children.
He was truly the golden light guiding Alex's life. He too was excited to see Alex again, as he respected and cared for Alex just as much as the others.
The group rushed into the doors of the airport, while they rushed up stairs and escalators. They ran past stores and concession stands.
The pair paid no attention as they ran towards the gate Alex was supposed to be arriving at.
Although Keith wanted to stop the rowdy behavior of the kids he decided not to. As he also was in a rush to see Alex.
Now the grip had made it to the exit gates, as they navigated the large and confusing maze of the airport. As they passed through people in their same situation.
As almost everyone waiting in front of the gates were there to see people. Except they were calm and behaved.
This was a complete contrast to the extremely disrespectful and chaotic actions of the young group. As they left a wake of havoc behind them.
They were too excited to see Alex, creating an unstoppable force of kids running through the hallways of the large airport.
Finally they had made it to where Alex's gate was, only taking thirty minutes of confusion, and help from Keith.
Now they calmly sat down in the seats surrounding the gate of the plane exit. The group had arrived early.
As around them were people also waiting for the plane's arrival. Yet none were as excited and enthusiastic as the group of younglings.
Except this sitting had caused extreme boredom through the energetic kids. As some decided to get on the ground and arm wrestle with one another.
These frantics had caused the surrounding people to be shocked. Yet they weren't too surprised or even annoyed.
This was due to their excitement, although they were actually able to constrain their energy.
As they instead just sat and watched the young kids play around. Jealous and reminiscent of their energy.
The minutes went by like molasses. As the kids boredom grew more and more. As the plane's late arrival grew annoying.
Until it finally arrived, with the excitement and impatience at its peak. As people slowly started dripping out of the open gate.
As more and more people walked by Alex's friends the more and more anxious the group grew.
As Alex had still not come out of the gates. This had led to the kids growing annoyed by Alex's arrival.
Except they still waited for Alex, as it was Alex and they could contain their impatience to a degree. Although after a while Alex had still not arrived.
Yet the group had no fear or thoughts of Alex not being on the plane. Except the gate to the plane was being closed by the gate agent.
This brought shock through the group of Alex's friends. As they had not even seen Alex come from out of the plane.
The group looked around in confusion as they wondered where Alex could've been. Then Will found the courage to ask the gate agent about Alex's whereabouts.
Will was smart like Alex as he considered that Alex had missed his plane or they were at the wrong gate. So Will wanted to confirm if Alex was on that plane.
As he approached the gate agent and lured her attention to him. She put on a smile ready to answer the boy's question.
"Hello, what might I help you with?"
The gate agent said this with a pretty smile plastered across her marble white face.
"Was there a young boy, hmm, about my age on the plane, his name was Alex Tren?"
Will knew that the gate agent's computer in front of her most likely had the information Will was pondering.
The gate agent then looked toward her computer as she began typing. She stared at her computer for a bit and then looked back at Will.
"This passenger was not on this flight, nor was he on any flight that had arrived at this airport."
The lady had a sad look on her face, as she disappointed Will greatly.
Then one more question popped into Will's head.
"Can you see if he had gotten to New York for England."
Another bright smile appeared on the woman's face.
"Absolutely, just give me one second."
The girl then started staring and typing on her computer again. Except this time it took a bit longer for her to pull up the needed information.
Yet as time went by the smile faded from the woman's face. As she then prepared herself for a question of her own.
"Was Alex Tren on a plane that flew over the Atlantic Ocean?"
Will nodded as an excited expression appeared on his young face. Except the woman's face became grave with sorrowful eyes.
"A plane with a passenger by the name of Alex Tren crashed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean."
This one sentence shattered every joyous thought Will had. Crushing his will to support his body as his legs crumpled to the ground.
Will was laying across the ground with tears streaming down his cheeks. As he mumbled word after word.
"No… no… it can't b-be true, no n-no what did he … ever do, why, w-why, god damnit why did this happen to him!?!"
Will was heart broken at the loss of his friend, oblivious to the thought that Alex could still be alive. While his whining attracted his group.
As Keith quickly ran over to Will, yet Will was unable to answer him. Instead the Gate agent once again explained the wretched situation.
Although Keith too was heartbroken he held it back. He had to be the stronger man, he still had to guide the other kids.
So Keith hid away his intense sorrow as he knelt to the ground to pick Will up. As Keith carried him back and explained to the group what had happened.
The group was distraught, in despair, yet they couldn't do anything. They were all powerless to the situation.
Yet Will kept fighting, as he could not accept the outcome. As he kept denying the death of his dear friend.
Deep down in Will's heart he knew, he knew that Alex was most likely gone. Washed away by the wretched tide of death, leaving the miserable grasps of life.
"F**k this wretched damned world, f**k it all, I'm going to find a way to save him god damnit, even if I have to sell my soul to the devil himself I'm going to save him!!!"
Will let out one last scream before fainting, his words echoed through the airport. While nearby people watched their group in pity and empathy.
Keith and everyone else felt extreme pain and agony at the loss of Alex. Yet none could compare to what Will was feeling, as Will was by far the closest with Alex.
Except now Alex had been torn away by him, stolen by fate. No one in their group felt as much agony as Will.
Inside a wrecked plane on an unknown continent
Alex lay across a leather seat inside the plane, pondering what his friends must be thinking. As Alex felt the sorrow they did, as he too missed them.
Except now Alex was stuck on an unknown continent surrounded by wretched abominations with the ability to kill Alex easily.
Remembering his friends Alex summoned his status window from the strange system. As he stared at the letters.
Before long the letters started dancing around his vision, yet this was just Alex hallucinating. Then he suddenly snapped out of his daze.
Alex was trying to remember everything he had talked with his friends about. While in these memories he remembered a specific man that Will had told him about, Erevan…
Alex had done research with the short time he had after receiving Will's text. He was not too skeptical because Will wouldn't have told him about Erevan without believing in him himself.
So Alex had heard some of his words, and was trying to connect those to the system. As Erevan was most likely acquainted with the system.
As he then realized that he would get stages once he had claimed the continent. While this would also mean that Alex wouldn't be able to get a talent, or powers until then.
This was important information, while it also did discourage Alex. As he would have to find the continent a core without magic.
Only then would they be able to traverse the continent with a bit better conditions while they still would need a way to leave the continent.
This put Alex and the group of survivors in a rough situation. Yet Alex still had hope, as they had survived so far with minor setbacks.
Alex continued thinking until he eventually fell asleep. The day had flown by like the wind, and they had already hunted and eaten.
Now the sun has dropped far below the horizon, with the survivors slowly falling into slumber.
…
Alex woke up to find himself in a strange and unknown place. Except he was surrounded by his friends from the orphanage.