June 23rd 2023

  “A shocking number of very ser-” the sound of the news on someone's phone was drowned out as Warren turned up his music. Public transport had never been his favorite, public anything really. Too much bustle and noise and nowhere near enough respect for personal space, but this was his first chance to visit his brother ever since leaving to go to culinary school a few years back so here he was on the train to Stellar City.

  His brother had moved there while he was in school so it was his new destination. It was a good enough place for him, he figured with his skill it shouldn't be an issue to find a job somewhere and begin his career, and from there Warren wouldn't really have any worries for a year or two.

  Kicking his duffel bag a little deeper under his seat so it was less visible, it was mostly clothes which he could lose but his set of knives were a different story, Warren took another glance around the traincar at the other passengers, stifling a remark as some walking past bumped his leg. Warren let out a long sigh as he turned the music up louder, it was gonna be a long trip.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Carter was pumped, life wasn't going poorly but things hadn't been the same since Warren went off to college. Work was fine and he had more than enough to support himself and go hunting on weekends but it was just so monotonous

  His brother at the end of the day was the one who really understood him, the only one who everything just clicked with. While it was a shame he didn’t quite have his dashing good looks, or abundant charisma, Warren was his partner in crime, and also the only one who had never judged him.

  He laughed to himself as bottles clinked in his backseat and he pulled onto the highway. Warren's train wouldn't be here for about 8 hours so he had all day to get his apartment set up before needing to pick him up from the train station. ‘It’s gonna be a good day’

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Warren shook awake as he felt a strange shudder pass through his body, confused and slightly drooling he looked around the train car. Seeing nothing amiss he looked back out the window trying in vain to guess how much time had passed from the scenery. The countryside blurred by as the train chugged along but still looked the same, forest, forest, and even more forest.

  Checking his phone as he was plagued by a vague sense of unease Warren took a closer look at the passengers sharing the car. There were a fair number of people in his car alone, maybe 20 or 30 but they all seemed normal. The only things he could really point to as odd was the young blonde girl at the other end of the car. She looked to be about his age, early twenties at best if she was older than his 19 years, and she looked painfully familiar.

  Warren had no idea who she was or where he had seen her but he was certain he knew her somehow. Shaking his head as he looked away and fought the urge to stare, Warren noticed something else, the light in the train car was slowly but surely dimming.

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  He wasn't sure at first but the longer he paid attention the more noticeable it was, until suddenly, the light returned to normal. And before he could register what that meant he heard the train begin to shudder to a stop.

  Looking out the window to try and confirm the cause Warren cursed as he saw what he could only assume the conductor had as well

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Carter scratched the back of his head as he stared at his admittedly not great decorations. His banner was a little lopsided and the cake was a little melted but the balloons matched (he hoped) and it had character and that's what really mattered.

  ‘Liquor check, cake check, games check, now allllll i need is to go pick up the food and the reunion is set’ He swept through the apartment one last time ensuring everything was ready then grabbed his keys and left to pick up the veritable feast he had ordered for the two of them.

  Only to drop them in shock as he stared in unrecognizing confusion at a second sun hanging high in the sky. It burned an angry red drenching the world around him with a red tint like the eye of some furious god. All plans for the coming reunion fled his mind and as screams and the howls of unknown terrors rose from the city around him. A lesser man might have panicked but as he heard a voice whisper in his ear Carter was left with a crooked grin and a single thought

  ‘Best Day Ever’

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Falling back from the window as he stared at a second sun in the sky, Warren's mind went blank for a second.

  ‘That… shouldn’t be there right?’

  Taking a deep breath and attempting to collect himself, Warren slunk back into his seat ignoring the stares from other passengers. Reaching under his seat he grabbed his bag and stood up heading for a gap between cars.

  He had only just taken his first steps when the the trains PA system activated, speakers at the top of the car letting out a tinny voice

  “Attention all passengers, due to unexpected weather the train will be temporarily pausing transportation. Once more is known about the severity and duration of sid storm we will resume locomotion, please remain in your seats and thank you for your patience”

  Warren had to choke down a laugh at the idea he was gonna stick himself in a steel box full of people for whatever the hell was going on. Only for his fears to be validated by a voice speaking mechanically into his mind.

  [Energy Threshold Reached]

  [World Integration Beginning}

  [Error! Planar Usurpation In Progress]

  [Error! World Maturity Requirements For Planar Usurpation Not Met!]

  [Halting Planar Usurpation]

  [Generating Resolutions]

  [Searching Resolutions]

  [Valid Resolution found]

  [Implementing]

  [Applying Tiered Restrictions To Invaders]

  [Finding Candidates]]

  [Candidates found: Contest of Champions decreed]

  [Reassessing Balance]

  [Balance Confirmed]

  [Resuming Planar Usurpation]

  [You Have Been Deemed a worthy candidate]

  [Congratulations! You have been granted {Proof of Candidacy}]

  [You Have Reached Level 1!]

  [You have awakened a Skill]

  [You have earned a Title]

  [Welcome to Halluci, Aspirant Warren]

  While the voice confirmed a few sinking suspicions he had been nurturing, it also assaulted him mentally with a flood of information delivered far too quickly to grasp with a simple human mind causing him to stumble. Shaking his head, Warren walked towards the car door as he felt any trace of lethargy in his body get washed away.

  He swung the door open feeling the summer heat wash over him and glancing around to make sure there was no terrible beast waiting for him hopped to the ground. If he remembered correctly the dining car was the fifth car while his seat was in the seventh, if he walked along the side he drop in the and fill his bag with food

  While at first there was a slight fear he was overreacting, between the two suns, the psychic flood of information, and the way his surroundings were slowly turning a bloody red, Warren didn’t feel like betting on the safety of the train car.

  As he walked toward the front of the train he suddenly felt a wave of force pulse through the air, knocking the train onto its side and throwing Warren nearly twenty meters away as the world turned bright green for a single horrible second.