Lucas Archer and the Vim Trials

It was late Friday afternoon, and three teenagers were gathered outside the main exit of Lamar High School.

“You’re really blowing off the library today?”

Lucas had to tilt his chin up slightly to meet Mike’s gaze—a minor annoyance he’d never quite gotten used to. Even among high schoolers, Michael Carter—Mike to pretty much everyone who knew him—stood out like a streetlamp, his lanky frame making him look even taller than he actually was. He pushed his thick glasses up the bridge of his nose, light blue eyes narrowing with that familiar, disappointingly parental glare beneath neatly parted blond hair.

Lucas knew that tone all too well.

“Maybe next time, man. Got something I need to take care of.”

“Like what?” Mike asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s a surprise.” Lucas kept his voice casual, giving a light shrug of his shoulders.

At sixteen, Lucas Saran Archer already held a comfortable presence—broad-shouldered and lean from training, the kind of athletic build that made his shirts fit a little tighter across the chest. His dark, unruly hair kept falling into his eyes no matter how many times he brushed it back. Between his Thai mother’s sharp features and his father’s soft brown eyes, his half-Asian heritage gave him an effortless, striking look that often drew second glances in the hallways, whether he wanted them or not.

“Come on, guys. You and Lucy hit the library today, and I’ll tag along next time. Promise.”

Lucas flashed an easy smile and wrapped his arms around both of them, pulling them into a swift group hug.

“Fine,” a voice complained from his right.

Lucy Katherine Bennett pulled back, shoulder-length red hair swishing around her face. Her bright green eyes—always scanning, always searching for the next rabbit hole to jump into—fixed him with a stern look. She was easily the shortest of the trio, though her oversized red backpack, crammed so full of textbooks it looked ready to burst its seams, made up for whatever height she lacked.

“But you’re buying Mike and me cheeseburgers next time,” Lucy added, tapping his chest with an index finger. “That’s the ditching fee.”

“Deal. Biggest ones on the menu.” Lucas laughed, stepping backward toward the sidewalk.

***

After parting ways with his friends, Lucas turned off Westheimer Road and headed down Kirby Drive, the autumn air carrying the faint hum of evening traffic. Ten minutes later, he pushed open the door to Cape Crump Bakery & Cafe, greeted instantly by the warm, intoxicating aroma of freshly baked sourdough and melted sugar.

The cozy, cream-toned shop was quiet. A cluster of soft sofas and coffee tables filled the seating area, and behind the glass display case sat a row of perfectly glazed cakes and artisanal loaves.

“Hey, Lucas!” a deep voice boomed from behind the counter.

Zane Dube filled the space effortlessly. Broad-shouldered and stocky, the twenty-five-year-old South African baker possessed a presence as warm as his bakery. His short curls were trimmed to perfection, contrasting hilariously with the spotless pink apron he wore—boldly patterned with tiny bright red strawberries.

“Hey, Zane. Just picking up the order Mom called in,” Lucas said, leaning against the counter.

“Oh, right on.” Zane hauled a heavy brown paper bag from under the counter, the sweet scent of cocoa wafting through the top. “Baking supplies for a chocolate cake, huh? What made you guys ditch my shop and take matters into your own hands this year?”

“Mom wanted to do something special, so I pitched baking Dad’s cake from scratch,” Lucas said, passing over the cash. “She jumped on it.”

“Well, Steve’s gonna love it. Man’s a heart surgeon with a serious chocolate addiction.” Zane chuckled, sliding a small card into the bag before folding it tight. “Tossed a little secret recipe card in there for Mrs. Archer. If things turn into a total disaster, hit my line.”

“Appreciate it, Zane. You’ll be our first call.”

Holding the heavy bag, Lucas took his usual shortcut through Derry Town Public Park. Upper Kirby’s bumper-to-bumper traffic buzzed in the distance, but inside the park, the golden evening light filtered quietly through the oak trees.

Halfway across the grass, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out—a selfie of Mike and Lucy at a library table, both pulling ridiculous faces at the camera.

A quiet laugh escaped his lips, but before his thumbs could hit the screen—

“Helpppppppppp!” a sharp, high-pitched squeak pierced the air.

Lucas snapped his head up.

Sprinting straight across the lawn was an azure-blue rabbit. It was massive—easily three times the size of any jackrabbit he’d seen—its long ears flattened against its back. But what made his brain stall completely was its body: it was entirely translucent, shimmering like blue glass under the fading sun.

“Helpppppppppp!”

The frantic cry reverberated again—not through the air, but echoing unnaturally around him.

Before Lucas could even step aside, the creature charged straight into his path.

Wham!

There was no physical impact, no clash of weight or bone.

Instead, an electric-blue flash blinded his vision, instantly followed by a violent, searing surge right in the center of his chest.

It felt as if a glowing ember had been planted directly beneath his sternum. A dense wave of heat expanded from his core, rushing through his ribs like hot water flooding dry soil. His heart gave a hard, hollow thud—recalibrating its rhythm to a strange, heavy frequency. The heat didn't burn; it bloomed, pulsing behind his ribs like a second heartbeat locking itself into place.

Lucas stumbled back, gasping for air as cold sweat broke out across his neck.

“Lucas! Lucas, dear!”

A hand touched his shoulder, snapping him out of the haze.

Standing in front of him was Mrs. Abby, an elderly neighbor he'd known all his life, holding the leash of her jittery Chihuahua.

“Are you all right?” she asked, her brow furrowed with concern. “You just completely froze up. Look, you dropped your things.”

She bent down, picking up his phone and the paper bag. Lucas took them with trembling hands, his mind frantically trying to process the phantom heat still humming in his chest.

“Uh... yeah. Sorry,” Lucas stammered, scanning the empty grass. “Something just ran into me...”

“Ran into you? Jennifer didn't even get close.” Mrs. Abby looked down at her dog, who was sniffing the air nervously. “She just started barking out of nowhere.”

“A rabbit,” Lucas insisted, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. “A giant rabbit! It was blue—glowing blue! It ran straight into my chest!”

Mrs. Abby blinked, offering a gentle, pitying smile. “A translucent blue rabbit? Oh, sweetie. You’re quite the storyteller, aren't you?”

“I swear I saw it! And it spoke—”

“She’s not gonna believe you, genius.”

A voice echoed directly inside his skull, vibrating right behind his eyes.

Lucas flinched violently, clutching his head. “There! It did it again! I can hear it in my head!”

Mrs. Abby’s smile vanished, replaced by immediate worry. She reached out, pressing her cool palm against his forehead. “Are you running a fever, Lucas? Do I need to call Sirin?”

“No! I’m fine!” Lucas took a quick step back, feeling the sudden, terrifying weight of looking completely insane. “I... I just need to head home. Thanks, Mrs. Abby.”

He turned and bolted down the dirt path.

Am I having a stroke? Heatstroke? Early schizophrenia? His mind spiraled into pure panic.

“You’re fine, buddy. Total bill of health.”

Lucas froze mid-stride, his pulse hammering in his ears.

“Don’t stop walking! Keep moving! The old lady is still watching us!”

Lucas risked a glance over his shoulder. Mrs. Abby was still standing near the oak tree, holding her dog, watching him with deep concern.

“Head over to that bench by the trees,” the voice instructed inside his mind, absurdly calm. “Fewer eyes over there. Then we talk. And don’t speak out loud, man. People already think you’re nuts.”

Swallowing hard, Lucas forced his legs to move toward the secluded wooden bench under the tree canopy.

He collapsed onto the bench, burying his face in his hands as his knees shook.

I've lost it, he thought desperately, tugging at his hair. Where are the hidden cameras? Is this a prank? He whipped his head around, frantically searching the bushes, the trees, looking for a lens or a production crew.

“Hey, man, no need to freak out,” the voice chirped inside his skull. “We’re Vim Partners now! I’m not gonna hurt you.”

“Vim Partners?” Lucas whispered under his breath, pressing his palms against his eyes. “Awesome. My brain is generating full-on fantasy lore. I need a hospital.”

“Wait! Let me manifest real quick so you can see me! What did my teacher say we were supposed to do again?” The voice suddenly sounded flustered. “Uh... focus... picture stepping outside the box!”

“No, no, stay wherever you are! Don’t manifest anything!” Lucas gasped, scrambling back against the wooden slats.

“Quiet! I’m trying to concentrate! Out, out, OUT!”

A soft flare of azure light burned through his closed eyelids.

Lucas snapped his eyes open and recoiled, nearly flipping the bench over as he tumbled onto the grass.

Sitting on the manicured lawn right in front of him was the giant blue rabbit.

Up close, it was unmistakably solid. Its powdery blue fur was vibrant and impossibly soft, catching the dimming sunlight with a subtle shimmer. Its long ears twitched, and its fluffy tail rested against the grass.

“Hi! You’re Lucas, right? I’m Rabboach—your Vim Partner!” Rabboach gave a cheerful little paw wave.

“Get away from me!” Lucas choked out, scrambling backward until his spine hit the trunk of a large oak. His heart battered against his ribs. “You’re a hallucination. A psychotic break. I'm leaving.”

“Hey! Wait!” Rabboach hopped after him with startling speed, leaping forward and clinging tightly to Lucas’s pant leg like an oversized, fluffy burr.

Lucas stopped dead, staring down in horror. He could feel the distinct physical weight of the creature pressing against his shin. “Get off me!”

“No!” Rabboach clung on stubbornly. “Just listen to me for five minutes! I swear I'm not trying to hurt you!”

Lucas stared at the physical, heavy, talking blue rabbit stuck to his leg. The absurdity of the situation pressed down on him until he let out a ragged, exhausted sigh.

“Five minutes,” Lucas rasped, his voice shaking. “Then I’m going home and checking into a clinic.”

Rabboach immediately let go, landing lightly on the grass and fluffing his tail. “Deal!”

Lucas pointed a trembling finger at him. “And no more weird telepathic surprises.”

“Got it.” Rabboach grinned, his tail twitching. “Told ya. You’re good, dude. Chill.”

“Chill?!” Lucas hissed in a harsh whisper, throwing frantic glances around the empty park. “A giant blue rabbit is talking to me! You were translucent, then you lived inside my head, and now you’re sitting on the grass!”

“Whoa, bring it down a notch!” Rabboach raised both paws. “I’m a Vim! I was sent here from the Vim World—a parallel dimension hidden from humans.”

Lucas pressed his hand against his forehead, the cool air doing little to soothe his pounding headache. “The... Vim World?”

“Yeah! We’re kind of similar to animals from your world, but with high intelligence and extraordinary abilities!”

Rabboach puffed out his chest, then instantly deflated. “Well, most of us. Look... I wasn’t exactly top of the class, alright? I kind of napped through the lectures...”

Lucas blinked, staring at the rabbit. “You slept through it?”

“Only the boring parts!” Rabboach defended himself. “All I know is I was sent into the Human World for a competition. I’m supposed to pair up with a human, form a Vim Bond, and fight other Vims!”

“Hold on,” Lucas interrupted, raising his hands. “Fighting? A tournament? I didn't sign up for anything! When did I consent to this?”

“When I tackled you earlier!” Rabboach chirped.

“My teacher said we’d spot our destined partners because they’d emit a unique aura. When I saw you, you were glowing this crazy bright blue! Plus, that dog was chasing me, so I panicked.”

Lucas looked down at his sternum, where the lingering heat still hummed beneath his skin. “So... we’re bound together because you panicked and ran into me?”

“Mostly because you were glowing,” Rabboach admitted, tapping his front paws together nervously. “Making physical contact triggered the bond. Maybe it’s fate?”

Lucas stared at him in heavy silence, the surreal reality settling like lead in his stomach. “...Is that seriously all you know about this?”

Rabboach let out an embarrassed laugh. “Hey, I told you—academics really aren’t my thing.”

Before Lucas could respond, his phone buzzed in his hand. Mom.

The screen lit up with her name, acting like a tether pulling him back to reality. Lucas pressed the phone to his ear, his voice instantly shifting as he switched seamlessly into Thai—the familiar language feeling like a safe harbor against the madness of the evening.

“อยู่ไหนแล้วลูก?” (Where are you, sweetheart?) his mother’s warm voice came through the speaker.

“กำลังกลับครับแม่ อีกไม่เกินห้านาทีถึงครับ” (I’m on my way back, Mom. I'll be home in less than five minutes,) Lucas replied, his tone softening instantly.

Rabboach tilted his head, watching the shift in Lucas's demeanor with curious eyes.

Lucas hung up and took a deep breath. “I have to go home now.”

“Okay, let’s go!” Rabboach perked up.

“Wait. My mom doesn’t allow pets—especially not giant blue ones.”

“Don’t worry! In your world, humans can't see us. Most animals can clearly perceive us, but humans can't.”

Rabboach hopped forward cheerfully. “Your family won't even know I'm there.”

Lucas rubbed the back of his neck, hoping desperately that the rabbit was right.

***

“แม่ว่ามันก็ไม่ได้แย่ขนาดนั้นนะ” (I don’t think it looks that bad,) Sirin Archer said with a soft chuckle.

At forty, Sirin retained a youthful grace, her long black hair pulled back neatly, her warm tan skin framing defined cheekbones that Lucas had inherited. Standing in the kitchen, she looked at the chocolate cake resting on the counter.

It was visibly tilted to the left, decorated with slightly uneven frosting and fresh strawberries scattered across the top. A number 42 candle stood crookedly in the center above the written words: Best Dad Ever!

“ถ้าโทรหาพี่เซนตอนนี้จะทันไหมเนี่ย?” (Should we call Zane?) Lucas joked, eyeing the lopsided masterpiece.

“แค่พ่อรู้ว่าเราทำเอง เขาก็แทบจะกระโดดแล้วลูก” (Just knowing we made it ourselves will make your dad jump for joy,) Sirin smiled, untying her white apron.

The front doorbell chimed.

“มาแล้ว พ่อกลับมาแล้ว” (There he is. Dad’s home.) Sirin turned off the kitchen light.

“ลูกรออยู่กับเค้กนะ เดี๋ยวแม่ไปปิดไฟในห้องรับแขก แล้วค่อยออกไปพร้อมกัน” (Wait here with the cake. When I turn off the living room lights, we go out together.)

“ครับ” (Okay.)

As his mother walked out, Lucas set the lighter down. Beside him, Rabboach was curiously sniffing the air around the counter.

“Is this black lump stuff the main food in your world?” the rabbit asked softly.

“It’s dessert,” Lucas whispered back, shaking his head.

In the living room, the TV clicked off, leaving the house in warm darkness save for the glow of the 42 candles Lucas had just lit. He stepped out of the kitchen carrying the tray, his mother joining him as they began to sing.

“Happy Birthday to you...”

Rabboach lightly bounced in place near the sofa, matching the rhythm of the song.

Steve Jones Archer stood near the entryway, his tall, slender frame illuminated by the flickering candlelight. His hazelnut-brown hair was silvering at the temples, and his round-framed glasses caught the light as his soft brown eyes—so like Lucas’s own—glimmered with sudden emotion. A heart surgeon who spent his life in sterile, high-pressure operating rooms, he looked entirely undone by a lopsided chocolate cake.

“Blow them out, Dad!” Lucas smiled.

Steve made a quiet wish, blew out the candles, and immediately pulled both Lucas and Sirin into a tight, warm hug.

“I love you two more than anything in the world,” Steve muttered, his voice thick.

Lucas held his father tight, feeling the exhaustion of the day melt away in the safety of his home. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Rabboach standing nearby, paws pressed against his chest, eyes glistening with dramatic tears before the rabbit ran over and wrapped his tiny arms around Lucas’s leg.

***

For the first time all day, Lucas couldn't help but smile.

By 10 p.m., the house was quiet. Lucas lay sprawled across his bed, watching Rabboach sit at his desk by the window.

The rabbit was currently devouring a plate of pad Thai with terrifying speed.

“This stuff is freaking delicious!” Rabboach declared around a mouthful of noodles. “What’s it called again?”

“Pad Thai,” Lucas laughed softly from the bed. “You were really starving, huh?”

“Of course! I haven't eaten anything in a month!”

“A month? How are you even alive?”

“Before we form a Vim Bond, we don't feel hunger in our translucent form,” Rabboach explained, shoveling another forkful into his mouth. “So I never thought about food until I manifested!”

Lucas leaned back against his pillows, the absurdity settling into a quiet calm. But as he watched the rabbit eat, the lingering heat in his chest reminded him of the danger they were tiptoeing around.

“Rabboach... you said we have to fight other Vims. Does that mean... to the death?”

Rabboach stopped chewing. He swallowed, his playful tone fading as he looked over at Lucas. “Not exactly. Vims can't die in the Human World.”

“Then what happens if we lose?”

Rabboach scratched behind his ear, his long ears drooping as he dug through his vague memories. “If we're defeated or seriously injured...” His voice trailed off. “There’s an important phrase the opponent has to say...”

“What phrase?” Lucas sat up, his pulse quickening.

“If we lose... our Vim Core will appear from your chest,” Rabboach pointed a fork toward Lucas’s sternum. “Then the opponent just has to touch it and say: ‘Your Trial ends here.’”

Lucas’s hand instinctively rose to his chest, feeling the quiet rhythm of his heart beneath his ribs. “And then?”

“Then I’m instantly forced back into the Vim World,” Rabboach said softly.

“...And what if I die?”

Rabboach’s expression turned unusually serious. “Then I return to the Vim World immediately, too.”

Silence settled over the bedroom. The weight of the bond felt tangible now—not just magic, but a shared survival tie anchored directly to his chest.

“So this really is dangerous,” Lucas murmured.

***

A few miles away, the clock on the wall of Cape Crump Bakery & Cafe struck 10:15 p.m.

Zane Dube stood completely frozen in the darkened shop. The broom and dustpan lay forgotten on the floor tiles beside him.

The front door was locked, the CLOSED sign turned outward toward Kirby Drive. But near the display case, bathed in the soft glow of the streetlights outside, sat a creature.

It was a translucent pink mole, roughly the size of a giant bulldog, its chubby body trembling visibly. Perched on its snout was a pair of oversized, thick-rimmed glasses that looked entirely ridiculous, yet oddly fitting.

The mole looked up, its tiny paws shaking as it met Zane’s stunned gaze.

“I...” the creature squeaked, its voice trembling nervously.

“I think... you’re my Vim Partner.”

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Finished Chapter 1? Tell me what you think! 🐇💙