Chapter 1
Greetings! My name is Astra Wilder, a 25-year-old who has always felt disconnected from the world. Don't worry, I'm not contemplating suicide, simply expressing my yearning for another dimension. There have been numerous claims of a laboratory in Tennessee creating portals to other worlds, hidden somewhere in the depths of the Great Smoky Mountains. I seek to discover this mystery for myself, for I have been plagued by insomnia in my pursuit of this damn place. Will I ever be able to uncover the truth? I must continue to search, for my heart is set on proving the existence of these other realities.
Suddenly, I heard a ding as I was scrolling through research on my laptop. A text message:
Hey! I think I may have found that laboratories exact location! I will drop you a pin!
-Ethan
I jumped up quickly, knocking my laptop over in the process while staring at my phone screen. 'This is happening! Holy shit.' Not caring about my laptop, I clicked on the pin and it provided me with the location. I squealed with glee, tears streaming down my face. The tears could be very well be caused by tears of joy or insomnia.
Ding, another text message:
Pack up! We are heading to that laboratory!
-Lily
Lily and Ethan have been my long-time childhood friends. I can't live with them, but I also can't live without them. I hurriedly let go of my phone and started to pack some of what I believed to be essentials. I packed my favorite manga, with extra clothes, water, and some protein bars. We were a mere 5 miles from the Great Smokey Mountains. Now, the tricky part was trying to break in and be as stealthy as possible. Good thing Ethan has a particular set of skills and has studied the ins and outs of this place. I threw on some shorts, my black high-top Converse, a black tank top, and a red flannel over it. I knew Converse probably wasn't the best option for trekking up those mountains, but I didn't care. I looked in the mirror, checking myself. Not that I needed to. I was going to be sweating my ass off in the next 10 minutes. I jumped at the sudden text notification sound. Ding, a text message:
Outside.
-Ethan
I swiftly pulled my long hair up into a bun, snatched my phone, threw my backpack over my shoulder, and scurried out the door, locking it close behind me. I can see Ethan in the driver's seat of the black sedan with Lily riding shotgun. I yanked the back door open, and tossed my backpack and myself in the backseat. Ethan leaned back and grinned, "You ready for a new adventure?". I nodded gleefully while Lily stifled a giggle. Little did I know, this will be a new adventure indeed.
The hike up the hidden trail that Ethan had seemingly found doing the research was hard to endure, to say the least. 'It will all be worth it soon', I kept telling myself. Ethan, being the break-in wizard that he was, slipped us in with ease. Lily took the lead, looked around sharp corners, and ushered us with her hand when it was clear. When we finally reached the room, which read 'Top research, Keep out', we drew out a small breath. The sealed door only needed the break-in of Ethan to complete the illusion of action-fiction-crime variety. Once inside, we were astonished by what we had seen. The portal to the other dimension we have been perceiving for months had finally paid off. It looked like any portal you would see in a movie. It reminded me of that portal in Big Hero 6. We walked around looking at all the vials, other machinery, and some scribbled notes written down in some notebook;on a charcoal-colored chalkboard. As Ethan and Lily hung back to read the notes, I continued to get a closer inspection of the portal. "Hey! Look at this!" Lily shouted towards me, holding a notebook in hand. I turned my head to listen but stood still where I was, bewildered by the sight. "It is said: 'Look to what you most desire in your life, then ride that feeling to creation'. Huh, weird?". Lily finished flipping through more pages.
I have begun to shiver as I felt a breeze. 'It's not blowing in my direction, but like it's pulling me in?', I wondered. "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU THREE DOING IN HERE?!" a security guard called out. I heard Ethan and Lily drop the notebook to make a run for it. I was on my way to catch up when my bag strap caught onto something. I tripped on the pull of the strap and went face-first. As Lily was about to pursue Ethan out, she saw me laying on the ground. A whirling sound filled the air of the room. We didn't realize it then, but that back strap was the one to trigger the portal.
"Awe, shit! ETHAN!!" Lily yelled to him. He stopped running in his tracks and viewed back. "Holy hell." was all he let out. I lifted myself quickly up to my feet, and pulled my back strap off the trigger. I did not go far as a force was pulling me back. "Um, guys?" I glanced back at the portal worryingly. I can hear my friends yelling for me to run, and the security guard yelling into a walk-talkie for some backup. I felt myself get whipped back. My screams were the only thing left to be heard as I was flung back.
With my backpack grasped tightly in one hand, I hurtled through a dazzling celestial void, my body reeling amidst the relentless onslaught of stellar light. The hypnotic spectacle was awe-inspiring and captivating, yet I remained focused on staying alive, closing my eyes and refusing to dwell on the dire predicament.
Why did this happen to me? I have the worst luck ever. I am going to be stuck in this starry, dark place and never see Ethan, Lily, or even my family again. Even if my family is a piece of shit. I thought about what Izuku would do in this situation.
I felt a jarring thud as my body collided with the hard, foreign surface, my limbs aching as I landed in a heap. Wearily, I blinked open my eyes to find myself on a lengthy, narrow strip with a polished, tiled surface stretching before me. "Where... am I?" I muttered to myself, the absurdity of my situation leaving me bewildered.
I hope that I can find some help. Maybe someone can explain to me where I am.
I slowly lifted myself off the ground, groaning as I felt the impact in every muscle of my body. My backpack was intact, and I slung it over my shoulders before gazing around the unfamiliar world I had been thrown into.
The city was bustling with life, and I wandered curiously towards it, drawn in by the sense of familiarity that exuded from the concrete walls and asphalt roads. As I approached, however, I was met with a bizarre scene that stunned me into silence.
In the middle of a bustling crowd, two individuals were locked in combat. One had wooden limbs that seemed to wrap around the other, who appeared to be made of rocks. My eyes widened, and my heart raced as I recognized the faces of the fighters. It was Kamui Woods and a villain, all right.
"What's going on here? Where are we?" I muttered, turning to a woman beside me in the crowd for answers. The kind-looking middle-aged lady grinned at my question. "We're in Musutafu, Japan, honey," she replied. Her words sent a shockwave through my body, and I whispered to myself, "I'm in the My Hero Academia universe."
Kamui Woods...I couldn't believe I was actually witnessing this in real life. The hero's legacy had captured the world's attention, and I felt as if I had just stepped into a dream. I took a deep breath and watched in amazement as the fight continued to unfold before my very eyes.
