Hart
The hum was bad news, a feeling that something was very wrong as Hart's fingers touched the really smooth obsidian ball. Grandpa Silas's basement, normally a safe space full of old stuff, now felt like a trap. Behind the weird picture of the three-headed lute-playing squirrel, the ball glowed with a cold, silver light that seemed to be making fun of him.
Usually, he was curious about everything, but right now, it felt risky, like he was getting dragged towards something he didn't know. He should have left it alone. He knew that. But he couldn't resist.
The change wasn't a step; it was a rough jolt. One second, he was in the dusty basement; the next, he was in a silent, freezing place that went right through him. Right away, he felt bad about what he did. He wanted his old life and body back ASAP. He opened his eyes and saw this weird glowing cryo-chamber. Blue fluid covered him, like he was trapped in a glass box. Wires and glowing symbols were all around him, but he didn't want to know what they meant.
He started to panic.
This wasn't some cool thing; it was a total nightmare he couldn't wake up from. He was thrashing around, struggling like crazy against the thick liquid, but his arms and legs wouldn't work. His hands weren't his. They were long and delicate like a woman's. His skin glowed a slight purple sheen, which just reminded him that he was stuck in someone else's body. He wanted his old hands back – the ones that knew how to fix stuff and hold his mom's hand.
He tried hard and got his new arms and legs to move. It felt wrong, like he wasn't in control, like he was moving a puppet. He had to get out. He had to go home.
"Let me out," he bangs on the glass pane of the cylinder.
The cylinder hissed as it opened, which was the only sound in the room. The blue liquid drained away, and he was cold in the weird-smelling air. He pushed himself up. His head was spinning. He looked down at his long arms and legs and his chest that wasn't his. He felt gross and hopeless.
Just standing was hard. He fell a bit, and his new muscles hurt because they weren't used to moving like that. He just wanted to lie down and pretend it wasn't real. But he couldn't. He had to find a way out. The room had the same chambers all over, each with a quiet alien inside. He didn't care about them or the place. He just wanted to go home, to the smell of his bed and his dog snoring.
He saw a black disc near where he had been. He picked it up. It felt smooth and cool on his skin. When his thumb touched the shapes on it, a voice popped into his head.
It said, "Luminary Seed Designation: Kai'len-7. Starting integration. Bio-signature okay." Luminary Seed? What? He didn't want to be a seed. He wanted to be Hart, back in his old life. He held the disc tight, hoping it was a clue to get him back. He had to find a way back to his real life. He went to the glowing panel at the end of the room, feeling heavy inside. He didn't want to check things out or try to get it, he just wanted to go home.
The hallway ahead was plain and quiet, and the weak floral smell didn't help his worry at all. He trudged forward, just wanting to find a way out, a sign, anything to get him back home. The big, round room with its swirling space clouds didn't impress him; it was just another weird place in this bad dream.
A glowing person stood in the middle and turned to him. Its bright presence did not feel good.
"Welcome, Kai'len-7," it said, its sing-song voice bugging him. "Your waking up means a new time is starting."
"My name is Hart," he said, his voice sounding strange. "And I want to go home." The nice smile on the person's face didn't calm him down. It felt cold and distant. "You are in the Celestial Spire, in Zatheria. You are a Luminary Seed, picked for the Great Convergence. A guardian called upon."
"I don't care about any confluence," Hart said sharply.
Hart's reply was sharper than he meant it to be. "I was in my grandpa's basement. I want to go back to my grandpa's basement."
"The barriers between worlds are getting weak, Kai'len-7," the figure went on, its voice steady. "You have what it takes to get through these crazy times."
"I don't want to get through anything," Hart said, his voice getting louder with irritation. "I want to go home. How can I go home?"
The figure's light seemed to fade a little, but it still looked calm, which was really annoying.
"The ways you got here are tricky, child. Getting back isn't always easy."
"Then tell me what is easy," Hart begged, feeling hopeless. "Tell me how to fix this. I don't want to be a Luminary Seed. I just want my old life back."
"Zatheria can teach you, help you to survive here…" the figure started.
"I don't need teaching or helping," Hart cut in. "I want a portal. I want a button. I want anything that will send me back to my body, my world." He kicks at a table, pain lances into his foot. "Ouch," he grabs hold of his foot.
The figure held out a hand.
"Come. You have much to learn…"
Hart backed away, pulling back. He didn't want to touch this alien thing. He didn't want to learn anything from them.
All he wanted was to escape. "No," he said, his voice shaking. "Just tell me how I can go back."
The figure, who had seemed calm, now looked different. Something hard to read flashed in its old eyes. "You can't always see the way if you don't want to see the trip," the voice whispered in his head. It wasn't expecting anything now, just maybe a little sad? "The Bloom doesn't want you."
Hart turned away from the glowing figure, feeling down. They didn't get it. They couldn't get it. He was stuck, and he just wanted to go back home. He looked back at the cold cell, feeling hopeless. He was stuck in this alien body, in this alien world, and all he wanted was his old life. He didn't want to be Kai'len-7. He wanted to be Hart and he was going to do what it takes to be Hart again. What was coming up felt more like trying to get away than a fun trip, one he didn't know how to make happen. This new life felt heavy and hard. He was no longer just Hart. He was trapped in someone else's life, and he just wanted to be free.