The Guardians of Light

Room No.720

The moment I decided to face my fears that night, every minute felt like an hour. I wanted everything to happen faster. I couldn't wait till night anymore.

I wanted to accelerate the process, so I decided to sleep right then. But I never slept in the evening, so I had my suspicions whether I would reach the other world or not.

I thought about it for a while and finally determined to sleep.

' I'm just asleep away from my greatest fear, ' I thought and closed my eyes.

                                                                              -----*-----

When I open my eyes, I'll know whether I was present on Orpheus or on the Earth itself.

I counted to three and opened my eyes.

' Thank God. I'm here. '

I made it to the Orpheus, but Evelyn wasn't around this time.

I yelled her name about  3-times. After a couple of minutes, she showed up at the entrance along with the executioner guy.

It was roughly 10 meters between me and the entrance.

' Come alone, Evelyn. ' I yelled from where I was standing.

The executioner guy stood behind while Evelyn walked up to me. When she finally came to me, she said, ' I don't have time to play hide and seek with you, Ryan. If you are not interested or if you do not have enough trust in us, please don't bother us again. '

' I'm sorry, Evelyn. I really am. This time I won't disappear, I promise. I simply need clarity on one thing. '

' What is that? '

' Is the guy at the entrance trying to kill me? '

Evelyn scoffed and said, ' No. Why would he kill you? Come on, I'll introduce you to him. '

I walked alongside her with a poker face in an attempt to mask my fear. No matter what, I cannot afford to panic and run this time.

Finally, when we reached him, he took off his scary skull mask, and to my surprise, he looked like a teenager just like me.

Was I afraid of a teenager all this time? I thought to myself.

He raised his hand forward to give a shake my hand. He had a firm grip despite his personality. The outfit made him look well built, but he was skinny after all.

' My name is Dustin. I'm sorry that you had to witness a thing like that. I wish we had met under better circumstances. '

' Yeah, same feeling. Your outfit looks weird, you know. It kind of gives a super villain vibe. '

' Yeah, I have been told, but it is intimidating. You'll come to understand when you have clarity over what we do. Anyway, Welcome to the Orpheus. '

' Thank you. '

Evelyn signalled with her eyes, and I followed her inside.

' This is the Headquarters of the Level-1 Protectors. '

The headquarters was a tremendous structure. I didn't have any clue about what level-1 means, but I didn't want to interrupt her flow.

Some of the other people welcomed me while I was following Evelyn.

Finally, we stopped outside of a cabin.

' The person we are about to meet is Mr. Reynolds. He is the head of Level-1 Protectors HQ. Generally, newcomers would be briefed by an experienced Protector, but since you are exceptional, as I already told you, Mr. Reynolds wanted to brief you directly. So behave. '

I just nodded. I understood that I had to go inside the cabin by myself. I opened the door and went inside.

There was a guy sitting in a chair and reading some papers. He had a white beard, and his attire gave a vibe that he is definitely an authority figure.  As soon as he looked at me, he got up from his chair.

' Oh! Here you are. I had been waiting for you for days, and I finally get to meet you. My name is Robert Reynolds. You can call me R.R. '

' My name is Ryan bloom. I have been said that it's privileged to get briefed by you. '

' You could say so. Please have a seat. '

I sat down and was still in a dilemma that is this a reality or just a figment of my imagination.

' So Mr. Reynolds, please tell me what's going on. It all just seems like a blur to me. '

' I will tell you everything that you need to know which will shed some light on all your questions. This is not a dream, Mr. bloom. This is a whole new reality. It's usual for the new comers to be confused in the beginning, but trust me you'll understand it by yourself with the passing time.

Orpheus is a place just like the Earth. The people who are detached, unsatisfied, and with a heart that have greater desire would end up here. We still do not particularly know how people end up here. I'm sure you would've fantasised about another world to prove your capability. At first, you'll dream about this place. Then the second dream is a test that helps us to identify which category you belong in. Fortunately, you ended up with us. Now we'll train you, support you, and encourage you to reach your true potential. Based on your performance as a Protector, you'll be promoted or demoted to higher and lower levels respectively. What makes you unique is,  Orpheus is one way, but somehow you manage to fly back and forth. '

He took my hand and placed it inside some kind of machine. I didn't even ask him what it was. It made some sounds, and I felt a little tickling on my hands in between. Finally, when I pulled my hand out, there was a tattoo on my hand.

I thought maybe the tattoo is for the identification or such sorts.

' That's all for now. You'll be escorted by another Protector now. '

I got up and left the room. Evelyn was waiting outside. I noticed some tattoos on her hands too, but they were different.

' Come on, Ryan. I'll give you a tour of all the places that you'll be attending. And this is your time table. '

I didn't bother to look at it. I just held it in my hand and followed her.

' This is called " The Combat Room."  You will be trained here, and based on your performance, you'd be given a field job or a desk job. A little suggestion, get good grades, the desk job is so boring. '

' I'd rather die than do a desk job in a fantasy world that provides me an opportunity to do something big. '

' That's the spirit. '

Then she took me to the other place.

' This is " The Knowledge Room," where you'll be assisted by an A.I to get any information that you wish to know. '

' Hmm. What's next? '

' Now this is an interesting one. It's called "The Innovative Ones." People who are assigned for this will be tested for their out-of-the-box thinking. The ones who pass their requirements would proceed further, and those guys plan all our strategies and defences. They are considered the smartest ones around here. '

I started to have a weird feeling in my stomach. It's like my stomach is yelling and craving for food. It took me by surprise. I was never hungry in a dream before. My belief that it's not a dream was solidifying slowly.

' Hey, Evelyn. Can we eat something? I am really hungry. '

' Alright then. Without any further ado, let's go to Gyro. '

' What is a Gyro? '

' It's a heaven for those who love food. It's where you eat. '

When we came to Gyro, I was in awe. It was so big, and it almost has every dish ever known to the man. The menu is less like a menu and more like a book. I turned pages over pages to see what to order.

' It'll take years for you to pick a dish. Why don't you have a pizza? '

' Yeah. The pizza sounds great. '

Evelyn went to the counter to bring the pizzas while I looked at how big the dining hall was. There were thousands of people there but no queue at the counter. They all worked so effectively. It was impressive.

Evelyn finally came with the pizza, and the cheesy burst made my mouth watery. I savoured every bite, and while I was eating, I remembered the food made by my mother which in turn made me remember that I had to sort out the things here so I could be with Mia.

I triumphed over my fear, but the life here doesn't seem to end.

' Evelyn. Is there any way that I could prevent me from coming here? '

' I'm afraid there isn't any, Ryan. The soon you start adjusting to the environment here, the easier it would be for you. Orpheus is your home now. '

I couldn't get anything useful from her. The only thing I know for certain is that my sleep is acting as a doorway to the two worlds.

For others, the doors would become shut once after they enter it, but for me, the door always seems to be unlocked. 

After eating, Evelyn showed me the place where I would be staying.

' For now, you don't belong to any level. There will be a standard procedure tomorrow for you, along with the other newcomers. After a few basic tests, you will be promoted to Level-1, as an L1 Protector intern. When the board sees you as a capable Protector, then you'll start having missions and will officially become a Level-1 Protector. '

' What about this Level system? Tell me more. '

' That's a lot of information for today, Ryan. Now go, get some sleep. It's going to be a big day for you tomorrow. '

' When will I see you again? '

' I guess we won't be seeing each other anymore. '

' Oh. Okay. Thanks for your help till now. '

' All the best, Ryan. See you. '

She left after giving me a key.  The key had a number 720 on it. There were thousands of small cabinets with numbering on them. Now I have to find a room with 720 on it.

There were many people like me who were searching for their rooms. Some looked happy, and some looked sad, whereas I,  on the other hand, didn't have a clue about what to feel.  

Every row had 100 rooms. I walked 7-columns and found the row where my room was. I walked past 19 rooms, most of which were locked. Finally, I found my cabinet.

Room No. 720.

I unlocked the door. The cabinet looked decent. It has a small room with an attached restroom. There was also a closet that had some uniforms and a blank form in it.

I laid on the bed, which was surprisingly smooth with the time table still in my hand.

I decided to take a look at the time table. To my surprise, it was empty. Maybe the recruiters will fill it after the results from the basic tests, I thought.

Since Evelyn said that it is going to be a big day for me tomorrow, I decided to stay awake.