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Tolga. My New School is on a Hurricane?

章 1: I: A New Start

Hello, my name is Yeneel and this is the story of how my life changed. I am a 28-year-old male and I just live the single life. By that I mean that I go to work, I go home, I spend time together with my cat and roommates, but at the end of the day I game. Yes, I am a gamer. Right now, though, it has been hard since last year during a pandemic I caught the virus. Normally it would show up like the flu and it could be treated as such. I knew that everyone is different and could get different symptoms. Once I found out I ended up sleeping for a few days. I would wake up, try to eat something, and then sleep. That was the routine.

At first glance I could have just had the flu with major shortness of breath. My mother did not agree. She had a sort of premonition and made me a telehealth appointment. Due to the fact I live in the basement, the doctor could not see me. She stated that from the sound of my voice I needed to go to the ER. I was not going to care at that point. I called 911 right after and when I grabbed my keys, wallet, and phone I went upstairs. My roommate works from home and just outside the living room. I just waved to him and said, "I'm going to the ER." Yes, that is all I did before heading out. He had no idea what was going on and neither did anyone else. The ambulance came up my street and they took me away to the hospital.

I am not going to lie; I do not remember anything after this. I started in the Hospital 10/6, and I can start recalling, and getting back to a lucid state, is on 12/11. I lost two months of my life. The craziness does not stop there though. I am a sword fighter as well. As I said, I am a gamer so this can sometimes come with the territory and if not then I am just a weirdo. When I woke up from my stupor, I could not move my foot. I could not speak, nor could I use any of my motor functions. My mother was there with me and due to the dreams, the oh so lucid dreams, the first thing I said to her was, "where is all my stuff." I wish I still had everything from there, it was a gamers dream. Coming back though I find out that I had a type of pneumonia variant from this virus which created a staph infection in my blood, a bacterial infection in my bronchial tubes, and another bacterial infection that the doctors could not find.

Due to all the toxins from the medication that they had me on to keep me alive I gained neuropathy in my left foot. I learned that before that I had it all on my right side from the top of my arm to the bottom of my right foot. When the doctors took me off one of the paralytics for the second time it switched all over to my left leg. No one quite understands why even now. I had to relearn how to write, how to draw, and gain all my muscle mass back. I went into the hospital at 235 lbs. and when I woke up, I was 180 lbs. It took an extra four months for me to get back, but I still have no memory of what happened. Apparently due to the virus it created holes in my lung, and it collapsed my right lung itself. I do not know how I am still alive, but I am. Maybe I am here for a reason, but right now being back to work helps a lot, still having to use a walker and a cane due to my foot is hard. I am getting better, but who knows what the future holds.

Today was one of those days, nothing mattered too much, I must work part time now due to having a particular health plan. I decided to come home a bit late, just driving around, not wanting to walk much. When I drove up to my duplex home I got out and limped over to the door. A letter hanging on the hinge falls as the door opens. Confused, I just grab it and see my name written out. Shrugging I place it in my pocket. There will be time for that before I start my games. My cat comes up to me, instantly knowing when I am home from the sound of my car. Bending down I pick him up. He is a Lynx-marking ragdoll of a cat. His name is Namu. He purred away before jumping from my arms, hungry now that the day has come to an end. Dinner time.

My roommates were not home at the time, they may have gone shopping, but I did not really notice if any of the cars were missing. I just headed back down the stairs to my cave. That is what my mother always used to call it. My room was the smallest of them all, it could barely fit anything. My bookcase was out in the main room full to the brim, another in my room covering one wall. My desk holds the rest as my bed leads the way. It may be small, but it is mine. Going inside, I sit at my desk and pull out the letter and looked it over. The letter itself looked to be made of an old parchment and with a wax seal on it. This confused me even more so I decided to do what anyone would, I opened it. What? Did you think I was just going to toss it away, hex no, I enjoy this kind of thing even more.

When opening it a smaller note falls into hand. The ink on the main letter was a light blue with fancy script which read:

Dear Yeneel Retnuh Nosrac,

This year, Tolga School for the Gifted will once again have a select few from around the multiverse to come to Tolga. We applaud your involvement in Ludology and your passion for the mind's creative process. Someone with a good mind for languages and history is always wanted.

Our programs offer highly motivated and intellectually curious students like you the opportunity to investigate topics not typically taught in realms such as yours. Students engage in small classes with instructors who are experts in their fields and passionate about teaching. Past students have frequently described their experience on Tolga campus as life-changing.

All you will need will be provided for you, we have many different facilities such as: a library, swimming pool, communal hot-springs, a lavish garden, a common room, and much more.

The sport that our school adheres to closely resembles a game on your plane called "dodge-ball" so please look forward to that.

We have enclosed a brief explanation of how to get to the school and which teacher will be accompanying you.

Term begins on 1 January (Hammer,

Rêbendan, كانون الثاني , январь, Ιανουάριος). We await your reply no later than 31 July (Flamerule, Tîrmeh, يوليو ,июль, Ιούλιος).

Yours sincerely,

Headmaster Amun Trishria

Tolga School for the Gifted

I didn't quite understand at first. This just made no sense. I am practically a professional student at this point. I have been in college for well over ten years without a degree with multiple different colleges at that. This is something that must be an acceptance letter. Nothing seemed to make sense. Shaking my head, I look at the smaller paper inside. On the center of the folded page was a rune or glyph of some kind, a circle with a line in the center and on both sides, there is another mark wrapping around the edges. It read out:

When you are ready to make your decision, please place your index finger on top of the circle and it will let us know that you are ready for the process.

I mean runes and glyphs were something I enjoyed looking into. This was nothing like those, turning it side to side was like a 3D image. Not really one way or the other. I place both the letter and the note on my desk for later. Being only barely into June it wasn't long till the deadline of the letter. Namu jumped up onto my lap and I switched focus to him and played some games as well as setting up some social gatherings for roleplaying. That took the rest of the night.

I forgot about the letter for a while just letting it sit on my desk away from my computer. A week later I was playing a popular MOBA, and a sense of emotion ran through me. I dominated the game with my friend Noslen. He carried for the most part, but I was about to go on to the next game when something caught my eye. Just off to the corner the small sheet of paper was glowing.

A light shade of bluish green color was pulsating from the page. "Hey Noslen, I've got to let you go…" Without much I end the call with him and exit the game. I grab the paper opening it and the glyph is glowing brighter. The thoughts came back about the letter, and I cannot just shake them now with this in front of me. I still had a few weeks before the deadline. Maybe they were reaching out to me. With a little bit of hesitation, I bring my thumb up and place it against the center of the glyph. The searing pain hit first, and I almost doubled over, unable to fall to the ground due to my foot still bent over my bed, the paper sticking to me. The back of the paper slowly dying a red color until the entire page was the color of blood.

The pain slowed down and ceased moments after the color deepened. The paper fell from my thumb revealing the now green colored glyph. It starts to fold itself over and over, getting smaller with each fold until it disappears. "Namu… What the hell…" This was not right, that was more than just the pseudoscience that I researched. It feels older. Shivers are sent down my spine and when I look at my thumb, I can see that it is completely bright pink to red. The skin was healing faster than anything I have ever seen before. 'Why can't my foot heal this fast?' I shake my head knowing that I am putting this mess off. Especially now that I know something is coming. Something will come to tell me the next step.

My roommates would believe this, but no one else would. This is not something that could be explained by modern day science. Maybe in the realm of science fiction, but I don't do well with that genre. "Namu, I don't know what is going to happen now, but I won't go anywhere without you ever again." He purred and headbutted my arm before I ran my hand over him. Nothing happens for hours, instead of cleaning, or gaming the rest of the evening I decided to sleep. The night air filled with just a small buzzing sound. A high pitch almost to a whistle kept me from any dreams.

The next morning, I woke up and my thumb was all healed up as if nothing happened. There wasn't much to talk about now, but even if I had brought it up before there is not much we could do about it. I went through my day like any other, except that the constant whistling sound kept popping back up. I swear that if this is Tinnitus, I would throw a fit. Just one more thing on top of the pile. On my drive home I could hardly concentrate on the road, my vision blurred, and I had to pull over. My office job was just 10 miles away from me downtown and there is always traffic. Blinking my eyes rapidly I tried to pull over. One minute there were cars surrounding me on all sides, and then there was nothing. No one was driving as far as my eyes could see. The ringing built up in volume and pitch. One of my hands grabs my ear, my right eye shuts so I can keep an eye open. The wind outside picking up rapidly. Not the normal gusts either, it felt as though a dust devil had just picked the car up and tossed it to the side. One thing I know is to try and not freak out in any accident. It'll only make matters worse. The concrete walls feel like they are moving in, but when I tried to turn it did nothing. My steering wheel would not turn. The vehicle was tilting towards the wall. The sun being blocked off by dark clouds, I had no choice but to try and brace myself for what was about to come. Flying towards the wall there was a large noise of metal breaking and bending. My body flew side to side. My bags, pens, drawing pads, everything went flying all towards the windshield.

This is going to be it. I tried to think, but the last thoughts that came to my mind were strangely not my own.

'Final.. ly.. Can you.. Me??'

Unable to form the words my thoughts answered, 'w-who are you? I can't… The pain… What?'

'Good! You.. hear.. me.. Get ready… Use force… His body… failed.. new one nee…" The thoughts cut out and another sharp pain shot through my body starting from my head. There were several points that I felt as if I was going to die. At least if the pandemic got me, I would not have felt this pain. The seatbelt tore against my chest, and I coughed up blood. My sight went dark, and I could not feel anything.

The relief was amazing, the sensation that all was going to be right again. I'm dead…. I really messed up.. now.. My thoughts raced as I tried to recall what happened. The accident, the strange thoughts. They almost sounded like a woman's voice. There was nothing other than that. A moment later I felt a heaviness gather around me and enter where my chest is. The darkness lifting, I get up prepared to see my car smashed, flipped, on fire, anything. What I saw, I did not expect, my car was gone, the road was gone. Reaching up to scratch my head I winced. Not because it hurt, but because of how long my hair was. It did not feel like my own lovable and curly hair. It felt straight and just odd and went down to my back. 'Okay this is a little strange.' It was black with seafoam green highlights.

The view was amazing, I stood on a cliffside overlooking a large forest that spread on for miles. Behind me were just plains with very sparse vegetation. A slight cough is heard off to the side, "ahem please do not waste anymore of my time with your sightseeing." Where there was no one, a moment ago stood a man in a long brown robe holding onto a staff with a dark green gem perched atop. He leaned against it and seemed to be his only support while looking bored all the while.

"You are Yeneel, yes?" His voice was hoarse as if he had been yelling for hours on end. "Well let me help you get your bearings. This is a separate dimension than yours, you can think of this as another plane of existence, but by no means is it another world. It is still considered Terra, Gaia, Žemyna, whatever you wish to call her. Just know that even though they share the same name, does not mean you will know anything that may reside on such. Anything is possible with such travel."

I nod slowly trying to take it all in. There has been talk about a multiverse for decades now and here I am with someone telling me that it is all true. "Yes, my name is Yeneel, if it is still considered such where are we really?" Understanding only a little bit of what may be going on due to studying the metaphysical and always in hope for more.

A small chuckle escaped his lips, "ah a young mind full of questions. Questions I do not wish to answer much of. I will hold off, but just know that this is a layer of the planes, one the twenty-seventh layer to be exact." He stood up straight and walked to the edge of the cliff which stood a few hundred feet above the canopy.

The look on my face must have been blank because the man just laughed and shook his head, "what do they teach you there. You will learn all about that when we get to Tolga, I am sure you remember reading that in your letter?"

"Yes, I did, but something bugged me about it. Call it that young mind again. The letter states that it was written by someone named Amun. I mean it can't be the same Amun as in the god Amun could it?"

"Oh, my boy, you have a long way to go. Gods are unforeseen. They are usually just some being with a set of powers that is not comprehended by those with a lower sense in the universe. It happens all the time, so it may just be the same. I do not know how old you may think that the 'god' is but think in a broader sense. You will meet him at the First year's ceremony, I do hope you will make it in time. We do need to hurry if we are to make it." His voice was full of sarcasm with hints of truth. Never mind the fact that he went in a roundabout way of answering my question with an open topic. With his staff he tapped the ground which started to rumble, the edge of the cliff seemed to elongate out and started to have steps jutting from the side, "Come let us make our leave." He starts to walk down the new footholds.