CHAPTER 121: A HUMAN TO THREE FANTASY BEINGS

The air carried a faint ozone tang, like the aftermath of a storm, mixed with the metallic bite of Dark Matter residue.

Karen Wong sat up slowly on the cold lab table, her dark gray sweater, short pants, stockings, scuffed sneakers, and artist hat inexplicably intact—no blood, no wound, just the lingering phantom ache in her chest.

Her braided low twintails swayed as she blinked, trying to process the three figures staring at her with varying degrees of confusion and curiosity.

"Familiar fashion sense, I think I realized what had just happened." The one with black feather wings and a violet halo, crossed her arms, her expression a mix of amusement and wariness. "So... should we lock this unknown up? I mean, we accidentally summoned her or whatever. Regardless of our assumptions, better safe than sorry, right?"

Karen’s eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. The words were clear—perfectly comprehensible English, or something close enough to it.

But these beings? They looked straight out of a fantasy RPG, or even an entire subgenre of fiction somewhere on the internet. Human with wings, draconic horns, halos, eccentric clothes.

For something like these to vividly exist outside of animation, CG, or even AI videos, Karen was already greatly overwhelmed.

And they were out of her world, and vice versa, literally, yet she understood them?

"You... I can understand you," she muttered, more to herself, her voice laced with surprise as she pushed herself upright, hands gripping the table’s edge for stability.

The draconic one—shrugged, her two-toned black and red hair shifting as she leaned against a nearby console, wings folded casually.

Her deadpan tone carried a hint of boredom. "I don’t sense any danger from her. Preventive measures would just be exhausting for nothing. If she’s a threat, I’ll be the first one to get surprised."

The central figure, the one with a glowing halo, leaned in with a gentle smile, her two-toned silver and yellow hair framing a face that radiated an inexplicable warmth.

Her white dress seemed to shimmer softly, and just looking at her eased the knot of panic in Karen’s chest.

"Are you alright? You look like you’ve been through quite the ordeal." The smile became warmer, or that was what it felt like. "If you have anything to utter and question, this is the right time."

Karen took a deep breath, forcing rationality to kick in despite the surreal surroundings.

Her mind raced—cafe, robbery, cosplayer, gunshot, blackout. Now this? She swung her legs over the table’s edge, steadying herself. "Who are you people? Where am I? And why... why am I here?"

Kivas’s smile remained steady, soothing, as she gestured to herself and the others. "I’m Kivas Chariot. This is Samael," she nodded to the draconic woman, "and Oizys." She indicated the black-winged one. "You’re in a world called Fathomi, specifically in my personal research lab within the New Vaingall Consortium territory.

"As for why... well, it’s hypothetical, but likely tied to our experiment."

Oizys stepped forward, offering a hand with a wry grin. "Here, let me help you up before you topple over like a confused marmot."

Karen hesitated for a split second, then took the hand—firm, real, and surprisingly warm, yet strangely sinister in a way.

Also, did she just say the word ’marmot’?

Karen stood, legs a bit wobbly but steadying quickly. "Thanks... Experiment? What kind?"

Kivas clasped her hands, her presence somehow making the explanation feel less overwhelming, like a trusted teacher breaking down a complex problem.

Karen couldn’t pinpoint why, but just being near Kivas felt... calming, almost divine. She’d never experienced anything like it—a soothing aura that quieted her racing thoughts.

"To make the entire fiasco brief, we’re working with a compressed, volatile form of Dark Matter. It’s meant to alter spatial properties, but it might have extended beyond our spacetime continuum." Samael could be seen pulling out a board sign with the word ’Complex Stuff’ and Kivas just continued like it was something normal. "It created an inward temporary singularity—not just expanding, but pulling from another world entirely.

"In a way, you could be an unlucky victim caught in the pull."

Karen rubbed her temples, trying to digest it. Spatial singularities? Dark Matter? It sounded like sci-fi, but here she was, staring at winged beings in a magical lab.

She groped her chest absentmindedly, feeling for the wound that wasn’t there. "Okay... that tracks, sort of."

"Don’t need to think hard about it," Oizys nodded with eyes closed and a smile. "It will only get weirder if we explain it more."

But in a way, it seemed like the three of them were quite entertained and amused by Karen’s sudden arrival.

Karen could be seen still as confused but she thought that it was imperative to tell her side of the story, especially with how supportive and understanding these otherworldly beings were."

"I’m Karen... Karen Wong." Karen frowned from nervousness. "I was in a cafe back downtown—it got robbed by armed robbers. Everyone panicked, then this weird cosplayer—yellow cloak, red scarf, sword on her back—confronted them. She deflected bullets like it was nothing, slashed through them... blood everywhere. One stray shot hit me right here." She pressed her hand to her chest again, wincing at the memory. "Felt like I was dying. My friend was freaking out, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Then... nothing. I woke up here, no wound, and then confronted the three of you on that table."

As she spoke, one of Samael’s Divine Constructs—a humanoid figure of black dust and void essence, its featureless face flickering with pale flames—materialized a chair from a swirling spatial rift.

It offered the seat silently, gesturing for Karen to sit.

Karen eyed it warily but accepted, sinking into the surprisingly comfortable chair with a nod of thanks.

Samael waved a hand dismissively. "Transfers like that aren’t uncommon in Fathomi. Worlds bleed into each other sometimes—distortions, anomalies, you name it. If this is Fathomi’s will, you’re supposed to be imbued with your very own Well of the Soul."

"To put it simply, it is a personal stats screen," Oizys chuckled. "Only you can see the details. Also, don’t share ’em—bad form."

Karen frowned. "Well of the Soul? What’s—"

Before she could finish, a burning violet glyph ignited in the air before her, unfurling into an ornate screen.

Dozens of rotating circles and texts hovered around it, arcane and radiant.

The others glanced at it casually, but to them, the glyphs blurred like water—unreadable, private. Karen stared, wide-eyed. "What is this? Stats? Like a game?"

Samael smirked faintly. "Yep. Fathomi’s permission granted. No problems with your existence here, then."

Karen scanned the screen—attributes like STR, IQ, PIE, VIT, SPD, DEX, LUK; vitals HP and MP; derivative stats, empty skills and classes for now. It felt invasive yet intuitive. "What do these do?"

Kivas chuckled softly. "We can teach you about that later. For now, what’s your name displayed there?"

"Karen Wong," she replied, the screen vanishing with a thought.

Oizys whistled low. "A noble soul, then. Surname blessed by Fathomi itself. Fancy."

Karen blinked. "Does that matter?"

Kivas’s eyes twinkled with humor. "It means you’re nobility here, in a way. But aside from that, I’m curious about your world, Karen Wong." Kivas chuckled. "And if possible, I want you to tell me in detail, the states, the technology, basically everything that you can comprehend and still remember."

"The more comprehensive words you churn out, the more we might consider to accommodate you here," Oizys added, knowing full well of Kivas’ intention.

As they spoke, more Divine Constructs emerged, assembling a dining table before them with effortless grace—pulling chairs from spatial pockets, setting out simple refreshments like glowing fruits and crystalline water.

They arranged seats for Oizys, Samael, and Kivas, creating an impromptu gathering space. Karen felt oddly comfortable despite the alien environment, attributing it to Kivas’s charismatic presence—her divine figure and soothing aura made everything feel... manageable, like a beacon in the chaos.

"Well," Karen started, settling into the conversation as if it were a job interview rather than an interdimensional chat. And just like how Kivas appeared to be greatly explaining her side without much complication, Karen wanted to do the same, "my world—Earth, as in the planet, is in its year 2046, or humanity’s side of history—it is quite advanced, I guess. No magic or wings, but tech everywhere. We have machines that think—AI, artificial intelligence.

"They drive cars without humans, diagnose diseases before symptoms show, even run governments in some places. Cities are smart: buildings adjust temperatures automatically, drones deliver food in minutes.

"But it’s not all perfect. Climate change hit hard—rising seas flooded coasts, so we built floating cities and massive solar farms to power everything with clean energy. Renewables like wind and fusion reactors are big now; fossil fuels are relics but still used in a way since oil rig owners didn’t want to go bankrupt and went on a massive lobbying spree."

She paused, groping for ways to explain to these fantasy beings. "In our world, there is easy access to transports, like high-speed trains zip across continents at 600 miles per hour, and personal flyers—small aircraft for commuting—are common in big cities.

"Medicine wise, Bionics already replace limbs, organs printed from stem cells. We have wearable tech that monitors health 24/7, predicting heart attacks or mental breakdowns. Society’s rather impressive too, in a way—global networks connect everyone instantly via implants or glasses that overlay digital info on the real world, but not many are yet utilizing them for everyday life."

"Work in the industry is quite hybrid, robots handle factories, people focus on creative stuff. But wars... still happen, over resources like rare earth metals for batteries. Pandemics are managed with nanobots that vaccinate on the fly.

"As for entertainment? VR—or virtual reality—is huge, internet sensation and all sort of stupid political wars that is happening, conduced by mentally ill people with no jobs or have too much free time, those are quite fun to witness from the sidelines..."

Samael tilted her head toward Kivas, her draconic wings rustling. "Sounds like your former world. Tech-heavy, no overt magic. Though, more on the advanced side."

Kivas nodded, her halo flickering thoughtfully. "Obvious, since it’s called Earth. But unlikely the same one—my universe... in a way it might have died long ago." Kivas’ then set her gaze on Karen once more. "Do you want to go back to your former world? Or at the least, do you possess the feeling of tugging you back to a palace that you know and familiar with?"

Karen absorbed that, the weight of it sinking in, but Kivas’s presence kept her grounded. "Do I... want to go back?" She hesitated, fingers drumming on the table. "I hadn’t thought about it. My life’s there—job, siblings and friends I don’t mind having. But I’m not super attached. And this Fathomi place... I don’t know anything about it."

Oizys grinned teasingly, leaning back in her chair with casual indifference. "Oh, it’s an absolutely harsh and unpredictable dump. Survival of the fittest, every day a gamble~"

Karen blinked, a bit taken aback by the bluntness. "That... doesn’t sound great."

Kivas shot Oizys a mild glare before turning back to Karen with her soothing smile. "It’s not like your Earth, Karen, not in a good way. Supernatural forces, miracles, magic—they exist here, but not in the tidy fantasy fiction way you might imagine. Some familiar aspects, sure—swords, spells, creatures—but twisted.

"Distortions happen unpredictably, massive events that scramble landscapes, relocate entire continents overnight. Geography’s a nightmare because of that, as normal maps become obsolete in weeks."

Oizys chimed in, her tone still light but edged with truth. "Evil factions lurk everywhere—causing mayhem, instability, massacres. Wars between civilizations are common, and most inhabitants of this world are just hostile by default~"

Samael added flatly, crossing her arms. "And Fathomi encourages it. Main way to grow stronger? Like those stats you saw just now? Become someone’s cause of death, then face their lingering essence—a Nightmare in the dream layer. Beat it, inherit portion stats, and then tackle with its enigmatic intricacies and numerous ways to create a strong foundation to survive."

Karen felt the words hit like a wave, overwhelming her. Nightmares? Distortions warping the world? It was like being handed a synopsis of a brutal new life—her life now, apparently, assuming that she couldn’t go back.

No cozy cafe chats, no easy access internet full of memes and doomscrolling in social media, just survival in a chaotic realm.

She gripped the table, mind reeling, as the three watched her curiously.