The Lost Eternity

The sky of this world stretched in impossible colors. Soft lilac clouds melted into streaks of crimson and gold, casting a dreamlike glow over the city. Tall, sleek buildings of shifting glass reflected the colors like liquid prisms, bending light in ways that felt unnatural yet mesmerizing. Streets hummed with a quiet, otherworldly energy—cars without wheels floated inches above the ground, and holographic signs flickered midair, advertising things Elias didn't understand.

And walking through it all, his hand grazing hers just slightly as they walked too close together, was Sienna.

"You're still staring," she teased, her deep green eyes gleaming with amusement as she turned toward him.

"Well, yeah." Elias exhaled, shaking his head. "I just— I don't think I'll ever get used to this. Your world feels like I stepped into some cyberpunk fever dream."

"Trust me, it's not that exciting," she laughed, kicking a small hovering drone out of her way like it was a soccer ball. It beeped in protest before zooming away. "You've seen one futuristic city, you've seen them all."

"Says the girl with sky trains and gravity-defying buildings."

Sienna smirked. "Says the girl who just taught a guy from an ancient civilization how to order coffee yesterday."

"I am sorry" rolled his eyes but grinned, remembering the incident. He had stared at the transparent menu in shock when he saw drinks labeled Neuro-Caf and Holo-Chai. He had hesitated for so long that Sienna had ended up ordering for him, much to the amusement of the barista.

Now, walking side by side through a softly glowing park, Elias found himself genuinely happy.

This world was terrifyingly new, but… it was exciting. And she made it easier to navigate.

They walked past a wide bridge where trees shimmered like they were breathing, their bioluminescent leaves pulsing with soft light. Sienna suddenly grabbed his arm, pulling him to the railing.

"Look down," she said.

Elias leaned forward—and his breath caught.

Beneath the bridge was not water, but an entire floating ecosystem. A massive lake, glowing in shades of blue and violet, hovered beneath them, suspended by some unseen force. Strange, iridescent fish swam through the air like birds, weaving through clusters of floating vines.

"The hell…" Elias whispered.

"Pretty, huh?" Sienna rested her chin on her arms, watching his reaction. "That lake doesn't technically exist in 'our' dimension. It's a stabilized anomaly."

Elias glanced at her, a little disoriented. "So it's… a glitch?"

"More like a crack in reality that we figured out how to maintain," she corrected. "There's a whole project dedicated to studying it—Project Anomaly 02. It's harmless, though. We even hold light festivals here sometimes."

Elias exhaled, still staring. "Your world is ridiculous."

Sienna grinned. "You love it."

He did. But it also made going back to his world so much harder.

Elias' life was no longer his own.

At first, he thought he was dreaming. He'd close his eyes in his world, and when he opened them again—he'd be here. With her. Walking through impossible landscapes, making friends with people he shouldn't even know, learning things about a civilization that shouldn't exist.

Then he'd sleep here.

And wake up back home.

The worst part? He couldn't control it.

One second, he'd be in a lecture hall, cramming for exams, utterly exhausted—then the next, he'd be standing in the middle of a futuristic shopping district, Sienna getting shocked as he would just appear out of nowhere.

His professors were starting to notice. The dark circles under his eyes were getting worse. His grades were slipping. He was getting called on in class.

"Hey, Elias? You good, man?"

Elias snapped out of his daze. His friend Noah, sitting across from him in the college library, gave him a concerned look.

"You look dead," Noah said bluntly. "Like, actually dead."

Elias sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yeah. Just—haven't been sleeping well."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "That bad?"

"You have no idea." He wasn't lying. The sleep deprivation was killing him. He never got any rest anymore. One world was always waiting for him, no matter how much he begged his body to shut down.

As whenever he tried to sleep he was transferred to another world it was like,

*goes to sleep*

BAAM (transferred to Sienna)

*goes to sleep there)

BAAM (back in his world)

"FOR GOD'S SAKE LET ME SLEEP"

But slowly, he started figuring it out.

It happened one night when he was lying in bed, utterly drained, staring at his ceiling with unfocused eyes.

But slowly he gained control over this ability.

He was able to decide if he wanted to teleport while he slept or not.

So, with every ounce of willpower, Elias focused. He imagined Sienna's world, its neon-lit skies, its impossible landscapes.

He chose to wake up there.

And when he opened his eyes—

he was there.

For the first time, he had control.

And that changed everything.

Now that Elias could control when he teleported between worlds, everything felt different.

He could actually plan his time. No more sudden disappearances. No more sleep-deprived confusion. He could choose to stay in his own world when he needed to focus.

And when he wanted to see Sienna again?

It was as simple as falling asleep.

"You seem different today," Sienna said, nudging him with her elbow as they walked through the Academy halls.

Elias gave a half-smirk. "Oh? How so?"

"Less like a zombie, more like an actual person."

"Wow. So nice of you."

She grinned. "Just saying, your eyes don't look like they belong to the undead anymore. You actually seem like you want to be here."

Elias stretched his arms behind his head. "Well, maybe I do."

Sienna rolled her eyes, but there was a light pink dusting her cheeks.

By now, Elias had met all of Sienna's friends. Noa, Kai, Lucian, Mira—they had all gradually become his own friends too. They had classes together now. Lunch together.

And today was no different.

The moment Elias stepped into the classroom, the instructor paused mid-sentence, looking at him with sharp, calculating eyes.

"Ah. You must be the 'student from abroad.'"

Elias blinked. He had been briefed on what to say about himself in case anyone asked—Sienna had told him to just say he was from a distant district.

The instructor gave him a long look, then finally nodded. "Elias Moreau. Welcome to the Academy. Find a seat."

Elias exhaled in relief and took a step forward—

Then he caught Sienna's wink from across the room.

He nearly tripped.

This girl was gonna kill him.

Elias did get control over his power but as a proud nightowl, he still slept only when he felt the extreme need to. Well… his work and studies messed up his routine too so his eyes turned dead anyways.

If Elias thought walking around the city felt surreal, sitting in a classroom felt straight-up wrong.

Not in a bad way. Not in a threatening way. Just in a "none of this should be happening" way.

He was supposed to be in his normal world, worrying about his exams. Instead, he was here, in a classroom full of students with cybernetic enhancements, holographic interfaces, and tech so advanced it made his head spin.

The teacher, a tall man with silver-rimmed glasses and a smooth, robotic prosthetic arm, clapped his hands together as he addressed the class. "Alright, everyone. We have a new student."

Elias could already hear the whispers.

"Wait, really?"

"Thought we already finished registrations this cycle."

"Yo, look at his eyes. He looks dead inside."

"Why does he dress like he's from the 2020s?"

"Wait, is he hot or just constantly tired?"

Sienna, sitting next to him, was barely holding in her laughter.

Elias sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Great. Here we go.

The teacher smiled. "Elias Moreau, correct?"

"Yeah," Elias said casually, leaning back in his chair. "That's me."

A girl with deep violet hair and sharp, fox-like eyes raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you transfer from? I don't recognize your city code."

Elias smirked. "A place that doesn't exist on your maps."

That answer only made the whispers grow louder.

Sienna, clearly enjoying the chaos, leaned on her desk, chin resting on her hand. "He's mysterious, isn't he?" she teased.

The teacher shook his head, though he was clearly amused. "Alright, alright. Let's not overwhelm our new student. Elias, take a seat. And Sienna—try not to be a bad influence."

Sienna feigned offense. "Me? Never."

Elias just chuckled.

After an exhausting morning of adjusting to the new environment, Elias finally found himself in the cafeteria with Sienna and the rest of the group she had introduced him to.

The place was massive—multiple floors, sleek metallic designs with holographic menus, robotic servers moving between tables, and large glass windows that overlooked the city skyline. It was like something straight out of a sci-fi film.

Elias sat next to Sienna, stretching his arms behind his head. "Alright. I'll admit it. Your world's cafeteria beats mine."

"Damn right it does," Zane grinned, taking a bite of his food. "The food here is top-tier."

Sienna smirked, nudging Elias. "What's on the menu in your world? Microwaved ramen and existential dread?"

"Pretty much," Elias deadpanned.

Elias leaned back in his chair, surrounded by Sienna and the rest of their group, the buzz of conversation and laughter filling the cafeteria. The scent of fresh food mixed with the synthetic, slightly metallic undertones of the New World Order's technology, a reminder that even the most casual spaces here were designed with precision.

Sienna nudged him with her elbow. "You're spacing out again, sleeper boy."

Elias smirked, resting his chin on his palm. "Just taking it all in. You know, appreciating the little things before the universe tries to throw me into another existential crisis."

Aria, sitting across from them, chuckled. "Aren't you always in an existential crisis?"

The group laughed.

"Hey do ya'll know that the Initiative's made a system through which normal people could visit the moon and chill out there without any hindrance" said Kai.

"Imagine going there with the love of your life, it would feel so cute," said Aria.

"LIKE YOU ARE GETTING ANY LMAO" replied Zane.

There, Elias was just a guy, chilling with new friends.

But then—

"Okay, true, but—"

Before she could finish his sentence, something shifted in the air.

A low, droning hum rippled through the cafeteria, like the sound of reality stretching beyond its limits. The walls flickered, for just a moment, as if the entire space had glitched. A few students noticed—heads turned, confused murmurs broke out—but nothing seemed outright wrong.

Yet.

Elias sat up straight. His fingers curled against the table. "Did you feel that?"

Sienna's expression shifted from playful to alert. "Yeah. What the hell was that?"

Something shifted.

A small flicker. A glitch in the air.

Elias' eyes snapped toward the far end of the cafeteria, where a strange distortion rippled through the space. A warping effect, like reality itself was twisting.

Nobody noticed at first.

Until the lights flickered.

Until the entire cafeteria hummed with static.

Until, from the shifting void—

Something stepped through.

A creature. A thing.

Something that did not belong here.

The moment Elias locked eyes with it, everything changed.