Yggdrasil: Svartalfaheim

Chapter 1: OUT

Yawning, I slumped down in my seat, bored out of my mind, thinking it was just another monotonous day at school. All I wanted to do was sleep, but I forced myself to keep my eyes open. I daydreamed about the day when I would be able to make money doing what I loved.

"That's a nice dream you have there," I muttered to myself, "but is it really possible?"

Suddenly, I hear a familiar voice calling out to me. It's Rin, a girl from my class.

"Hey, Nero! Want to go somewhere?" she asked.

I groan inwardly. Rin always seems to be bothering me. But as I look up and see her frowning at me with her blonde hair waving behind her, I can't help but think she looks cute.

"Why don't you ask some of your friends?" I replied sarcastically. "You have a lot of them."

Rin's expression turned even more upset. She looked like she's about to cry.

"Aw, don't be so mean! Everyone else is busy," she pouted.

Before I can even protest, Rin jumps right in and say, "So how about it? Let's go to the mall tomorrow. It's Saturday, so you're free, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Do you want me to carry your things?"

"Of course not!" Rin protested; her cheeks turned pink.

Despite my annoyance, I know I'll end up going with her anyway. Rin's blue eyes are too persuasive, and I've always had a soft spot for her.

"Okay, I'll come with you," I said, giving in.

Before I can say anything else, Rin notices that she forgot to wear her usual hair clip.

"Oh, I forgot to wear it," she says, running her fingers through her hair.

I shrugged. "No problem."

As our teacher enters the room, Rin scurries back to her seat, and the rest of the day drags on.

After class, Rin and I walked home together. Our houses are in the same subdivision.

"Hey, we've been together since the start of class, and it's almost the end of the term," Rin suddenly said.

I glance over at her, surprised by the sudden change in topic.

"So what?" I asked.

"Well, before I came to this school, I wasn't used to being around boys. But when I'm with you, I don't feel so cautious," she admited, blushing slightly.

I felt a flutter in my stomach at her words, but I quickly shook it off.

"Oh, I see," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Why weren't you used to being around boys?"

Rin hesitated for a moment before responding. "It's nothing, really."

I don't push the issue. If she wants to tell me, she will.

"Okay," I said simply.

Rin seems relieved that I'm dropping the topic, and we continue walking in silence. I feel guilty for making her uncomfortable, but I don't know what to say to make it better.

When we reach the fork in the road where our houses diverge, Rin says her goodbyes and heads off to the left.

"See you tomorrow!" she called back over her shoulder.

I wave and watch as she disappears down the road, hoping that things will be better between us tomorrow.

...

Trying to sleep, lying on my bed, I couldn't help but think about Rin and our plans for the following day. I realized that I didn't know much about her, but I felt like I could understand her thoughts and emotions just by observing her. Maybe I would get a chance to ask her more about herself tomorrow.

I woke up earlier than usual the next morning, eager not to keep Rin waiting. After a quick shower and getting dressed in my usual casual clothes, I realized that I didn't know the meeting time. I sent Rin a quick text asking her, and after a few moments, she replied that we were supposed to meet at 8:30 AM.

As I waited outside the mall, I watched the cars passing by and tried to calm my nerves. When Rin arrived, I couldn't help but compliment her on her cute outfit. We spent the day shopping and having fun, and I found myself really enjoying her company.

As we walked through the mall, Rin spotted an arcade and asked if I wanted to join her. We played some games and she won a stuffed toy that she had her eye on. While she was playing, I remembered a strange message I had received earlier in the day, asking for the binary code for "Svartalfaheim."

"01010011011101100110000101110010011101000110000101101100011001100110000101101000011001010110100101101101"

Feeling curious, I decided to answer the message and convert the name to binary code. Just as I hit "send," something strange happened. The world around us dissolved into rainbows, and Rin and I were suddenly transported to a different dimension.

We found ourselves floating in a strange and surreal landscape, surrounded by constantly shifting colors and shapes. I felt like I was melting, and Rin clung to my hand, looking just as scared as I was.

I could hear Rin's voice calling out to me, but it sounded distant and muffled. I tried to respond, but my consciousness was slipping away, and I felt myself slipping into darkness.

Suddenly, I felt a jolt and heard Rin calling out to me again, more urgently this time. Gradually, I became aware of my surroundings and opened my eyes to see Rin's worried face looking down at me.

When I turned to Rin, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked in her yellow cream dress. It was a perfect fit for her, not too revealing but still very alluring because of her visible collarbone. Her blond hair flowed freely around her face, and her blue eyes shone brightly in the strange and surreal landscape around us.

I couldn't help but feel grateful for her presence as we stood there, lost and bewildered. Even though Rin was worried and confused just like me, her gentle demeanor and the concern in her eyes gave me a sense of comfort and reassurance.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice trembling.

I nodded weakly, still feeling disoriented and confused. Rin helped me to my feet, and we looked around at our surroundings. We were in a strange and unfamiliar world, with no idea how we had gotten there or how to get back home.