Ten found himself staring up at a bright and cheery sky. He was back in the luscious fields of Aurelia with Kal and Zena by his side.

“Ten… Ten? TEN!” Kal shouted to get his attention.

“W-what… What is it?” Ten replied in a surprise.

“You good? You haven’t said anything after I asked.”

“Asked? About what again?”

“Huh?!” Kal stood up a little irritated.

“Are you serious?! We're talking about something really important he-”

Zena began laughing.

“You have a really bad habit of daydreaming lately, Ten.”

“S-Sorry…” Ten looked down apologizing.

After some time, Kal calms down.

“I was asking about the Ironclaw Tribe. I know you plan on meeting with the leader to discuss the possibility of an alliance. But let me go instead… It’s the place I was born after all…”

There was an awkward silence.

“Are you sure?” Ten asked.

“I’m sure.” Kal replied without a second thought.

“If anyone knows anything about Ironclaw, it would be Kal,” Zena added.

After another moment of thought, Ten looked up and nodded.

“Promise me one thing,” said Ten.

Kal stared intensely at him.

“Make sure to come back alive.” 

Ten put his hand out. Kal smiled and grabbed it, pulling him up off the ground as he began walking the other direction.

“Of course. Who do you think I am?”

It was a nostalgic scene from long ago. A memory that highlighted the immense trust between three friends. During a time that seemed so much more peaceful in the grand scheme of things. 

***

Ten woke up in a dark and dank room that smelled of blood and metal. Reminded of the chaos that had occurred earlier. He started to sweat, a suffocating feeling of panic began to creep in. He jolted upright, noticing the dull and tattered mattress he had been laying on. Ten started to scan his surroundings, trying to find any semblance of something familiar. But it was useless. Everything in the room seemed otherworldly. Some sort of futuristic technology he had never seen before.

His eyes stopped at a metal door in one corner of the room. He decided to go inspect it but his body felt so weak he collapsed to the ground the instant he stood up. Instead, he clawed his way towards the door trying to grasp at anything he could put his hands on. He grabbed what seemed to be a table, but his clumsiness caused some foreign object to drop onto the floor shattering into a dozen sharp pieces of glass. 

Managing to catch a quick glimpse of his reflection, his eyes widened with horror. He bursted out in an uncontrollable scream. Refusing to believe that the reflection he had seen belonged to himself. He was wrapped in bloodied bandages, like that of an undead mummy in the ruins of a dungeon he used to frequent.

All of a sudden the dark room was flooded with a bright light. The metal door had opened up and there was a young girl standing in the center.

“Shhh! You’re being too loud!” whispered the young girl.

A larger figure appeared behind her.

“Wolf, tell that person that he is being too loud!” Said the girl.

“It’s all right Naomi. I’ll take care of things from here.”

“Ok! If you say so!” the girl happily skipped away.

Ten was still on the ground shaking uncontrollably when Wolf stepped into the room and turned on the lights.

He attempted to approach Ten but it was no use.

“Stay away!” shrieked Ten as he scrambled desperately into a corner of the room.

After a long silence, Wolf walked over to the bed to sit down, he slowly began to take off his mask. Underneath was hiding the face of a man with a dark complexion. Half of his face had been replaced with iron and bolted metal.

Ten’s eyes widened at the sight.

“Sorry about that, where are my manners?” he chuckled to himself softly.

“W-where am I?! What’s going on? WHAT HAPPENED SINCE T-” Ten blurted out uncontrollably.

“It seems the language transfer protocol was successful.”

“Wha…” Ten realized he was no longer speaking the mother tongue of Elysion he had grown up using. It was the foreign language of this world and for some reason it just naturally flowed out.

He moved his hand towards his throat.

“Don’t worry. You still have your native tongue. I simply downloaded the common language of this land into your brain while you were asleep.”

“You what?! Downloaded? What does that me-”

“Even though you can speak and comprehend the language of this world, it’s not a complete one to one process. There’s some words here that don’t have an exact translation in your language. To ‘download’ something means to acquire it, usually through some sort of technological exchange. Similar to acquiring an ability or a blessing.”

“Ability… blessing…” Ten repeated.

“That’s right…” Wolf replied.

“What other kinds of dark magic did you imbue me with while I was asleep?!” He retaliated.

“Nothing else. The language transfer protocol is the only procedure that we conduct on new recruits.”

Ten was still doubtful. He still had no idea how this foreign world operated.

“It seems you have the wrong idea. But I can’t blame you. Getting thrown into a bizarre world where nothing makes sense. It’s natural to question everything.”

“What would you know…” Ten murmured to himself in anger.

“I’m sure you have lots of questions and I’m ready to answer anything to the best of my ability. But we have to take it one step at a time.”

After a long moment of silence, Ten had somewhat calmed down and was ready to have a proper conversation. He had finally organized his chaotic thoughts. There were many questions, but the most pressing was why.

“Why… why am I here and not in the lands of Elysion.”

“You’re here because the lands of Elysion are not real.”

Ten’s eyes widened. His voice began to rise unsteadily.

“What do you mean it’s not real?! Are you saying it was all a dream?!”

“It’s similar y-”

Ten continued to ramble on.

“The blood, sweat and tears I poured into uniting the warring nations of the East. The victories and defeats I faced with my closest friends!”

At this point Ten was screaming.

“That day, when Kal, Zena and I made our promise, those feelings we had felt! ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT WAS ALL FAKE! THAT THESE WERE ALL LIES!!”

Ten had become exhausted from all the shouting he was doing. His voice had weakened to a faint whimper.

“If Elysion was all a dream, then this place… this place is a nightmare…”

After a long silence.

“It’s not a nightmare…” Wolf replied, looking down shamefully.

“It’s reality…”

***

Everything began when humanity had finally unlocked a major breakthrough in neuroscience. A field of study that focused on the research of the human brain, as well as the nervous system and certain aspects of consciousness.

A common saying caught on like wildfire: that the average human can only use 10% of their brain. But this saying was a common misconception. It’s not as if 90% of our brains are physically inactive. No. We are always utilizing the entirety of our brain and its processes. However, the phrase emerged when researchers discovered that our brain’s processing power was only working at a measly 10% efficiency.

As research continued, it was revealed that under certain conditions, the efficiency of the brain could be manipulated, and that when it reached specific thresholds, unexplainable phenomena could occur. The term neural potential was invented as a means to measure an individual's ability to master their consciousness and perform miracles that seemed like pure magic. Telepathy, pyrokinesis, levitation, teleportation and the list goes on and on.

Thanks to further advancements, humanity continued to harness neural potential and amplify the powers of the human brain. With the goal of eventually capping out at a 100% neural potential; a theoretical state of being known as Nuro 100. Not much is known about the consequences of attaining such a feat, however countless speculations exist. The birth of a new God, the ability to warp reality at one's own will, the next stage of humanity’s evolution…

There were countless theories, and as a result, humanity entered into a new exciting age where folklore and magical abilities merged with science and technology. Similar to the magic present in Elysion, humans had finally created their own form of magic through neuroscience and advanced engineering rather than blessings bestowed by Goddesses and spirits.

As technology and quality of life exponentially evolved, the average neural potential of mankind began to slowly increase. So much so, that even regular civilians began unlocking their own latent powers. These abilities varied from individual to individual, based on many variables such as genetics, family history, environmental factors, life experiences and a myriad of others. But the unprecedented rise in individuals with special abilities had both its positives and negatives. Some used their powers for good, while others had sinister motives.

In the midst of the chaos, a giant company who was at the forefront of neuroscience emerged called Bio-adaptive Neural Experimentations, also known as BANE for short. With immense influence, money and power, BANE quickly monopolized the neuroscience market with Project Nuro 100. A plan that promised to advance mankind to the next stage of evolution by reaching a neural potential of 100%. Large amounts of support came from both the public and private sectors of society, including massive funding packages from the government.

What started as an innocent promise soon became distorted as BANE used its power to rewrite regulations regarding unethical research practices. They claimed that the only way to move forward was through simulation protocols: false worlds created through programs and algorithms to give its subjects an illusion of reality. This would allow for real-time feedback and enhanced precision in capturing the nuances of the human brain.

At first there was some pushback from many groups, but it was only a matter of time. The majority would slowly be poisoned by the glorious promise of Nuro 100. Political corruption, media propaganda, blackmail and the ostracization of anyone who opposed BANE. They used all kinds of underhanded tactics to rewrite the narrative.

In the years that followed, BANE had solidified a name for itself. With its hands stretching from pharmaceutical drug development, all the way to technological cyber-enhancements. Erecting laboratories and facilities in many nations as they inevitably expanded their global influence.

Looking for a place to establish its official headquarters, they decided on the country of Axel. At the time, it was a destabilized region with power vacuums left and right. The cost of labor here was much cheaper and regulations were pretty much nonexistent. But most importantly, it was the only region left on Earth that was still a wildcard. While the rest of the world modernized and evolved, Axel and its surrounding countries were nothing more than a wasteland of tribal warfare and bloodshed. We had opposing value systems, clashing cultures and contrasting traditions. Even religion was still a major belief system, which stood in the face of the secular superpowers.

BANE weaponized our differences, claiming they had come to “save us” from our barbaric ways, but in reality, we would all become sacrificial pawns in order to move humanity towards Nuro 100. The nation of Axel had become their lab rats and there was very little that we could do. After all, our country had already been fractured by the endless fighting and war prior.

Over the course of several decades, BANE had become the new “God” of Axel. Pushing society to new heights while conducting horrible and unethical experiments under the table. If that wasn’t enough, they established a puppet-government filled with greedy and corrupt politicians who were willing to sell out their own people. Media propaganda was shoved down the throats of the population along with shady drugs and chemicals that promised increases in neural potential. An entire nation had been neutered by the hands of a singular corporation.

But it wasn’t long until some individuals began to wake up and realize what was really going on. The Axis of Associations, known as the AA for short, was a ragtag group of militia-like factions who opposed BANE’s influence and unethical practices. Their main goal? To reunite Axel and reclaim their homeland from its oppressor.

“That’s where we come in. The fourth branch of Humanistics which operates under the AA. Through guerilla tactics, we often raid BANE facilities in hopes of breaking test subjects free from their mental imprisonment. Gathering potential allies who will help us in our relentless battle against BANE’s tyranny.” 

Wolf took a deep breath as he finished his long winded explanation.

Ten was silently looking down, trying to compartmentalize the messy strings of information Wolf had spilled on him. His entire life had all been a lie. A dream. He was no longer Lord Tenebris Aurelius Valemont of the Aurelian Kingdom. Here, he was a nobody. A powerless commoner who had been saved by some bandit-like resistance group calling themselves the AA; fighting a powerful and immense God known as BANE.

Ten shook his head. All he wanted to do was return back to the peaceful days of Elysion.

“Is there any way to go back to my old world?” Ten slowly asked.

Another long pause.

“Unfortunately not. Anyone who has escaped from a BANE facility is usually executed when recaptured.”

“Executed?!”

“The shock from being pulled out of a simulation usually imbeds itself deep within the subconscious. Even though BANE has technology that can brainwash and alter the brain, when it comes to extreme memories, it’s nearly impossible to completely override. To them, you’re just dispensable tools waiting to be thrown out.”

“You can’t be serious…” Ten said in a defeated tone.

It wasn’t the answer Ten wanted to hear. What would his friends do in such a perilous situation? Then he remembered.

“What happened to Kal?! He was the one next to me in that dark metal room!” Ten blurted out suddenly.

The last thing Ten had recalled was the floor and ceiling of a facility being torn to shreds as he was exposed to the deafening night sky of a strange universe.

Wolf shuffled his body uneasily.

“Well…”

“WHERE IS HE?! WHERE’S KAL?!”

“I’m sorry… I couldn’t save him.”

Ten’s eyes widened with horror.