Matt

Chapter 1- The Club

"Without further ado, Serena Winter will go on with the disclaimer."

Serena picks up a piece of paper and begins reading. "This story is a work of fiction. The author of this story claims no ownership of the characters, locations or events that this story uses. Anyone that claims that...why do I have to read this? Isn't it obvious?"

Matt shrugs his shoulders. "Beats me. Just do it so we can move on."

Serena drops the paper and walks away. "Forget it. I'm bored. Let's go!"

Matt puts his hand on his face and sighs and follows her off the stage.

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It was yet another typical day in the clubroom. I was currently strategizing my next move in a game of chess against Alex. We were about halfway through the match and it was clear that I was beginning to gain the upper-hand when I had taken out his queen in the previous move. Seriously, it was such a bone-headed move that I half-believed he did it on purpose. Why does he like these games so much if he sucks at them?

Clara was busy working on homework from what appeared to be math class. Although she usually gives off the appearance of someone of unexceptional intellect, watching her complete the problems she was doing seemed to indicate that she was a lot smarter than she let on. I only wish I could do as well at math as she does.

Alexis was sitting in her usual corner, reading what appeared to be an old, spanish version of Don Quixote. I began to contemplate as to whether there were any languages she didn't know. Maybe there were some that she didn't know. There was no doubt in my mind that she was familiar with all the popular languages.

Finally, my eyes moved towards the front of the room, where our very own club commander appeared to be watching something intently on the computer. I assumed it was some kind of video, perhaps a clip from one of those shows that explore haunted houses. However, I was soon corrected when she let out an exasperated groan.

"Aww man! I can't believe he failed! I thought for sure he'd win the money!"

Puzzled by her comment, I decided to open my mouth. "What are you watching, a game show?"

Serena raised her eyebrow in my direction, an obvious indicator that I was wrong once again. "Of course not! I was watching a show about this supposed psychic that was trying to win that million dollar prize that was being given out by the Charlie Wilds Foundation."

Ah, now it makes sense. The Charlie Wilds Foundation is an organization founded by the world famous skeptic and former magician Charlie Wilds. He goes around the world trying to find rational explanations for seemingly phenomenal events. I was a bit of a fan of his until a year ago when I met Serena.

Anyway, his foundation has this prize that they're holding onto that is worth one million dollars to anyone that can prove under strict laboratory conditions a paranormal phenomenon. This prize has been up for grabs for years, yet not one person has come to claim the prize. This fact has been a bit of a thorn in her side, considering the fact that she adamantly wants to find the paranormal.

"It pisses me off!" Serena stated loudly. "If there really are people with paranormal abilities in this world, why hasn't anyone claimed the prize yet?"

Well, I can think of three reasons why that would be. One, it could be that there really are no paranormal phenomenon. Two, those with paranormal abilities that could prove themselves are unaware of the prize or are unable to compete for it for reasons beyond their control. Or three, those with paranormal abilities simply do not care to win the prize.

"Oh come on, Matt! Do you really think that those are the reasons? I think that maybe they're covering up the truth!"

I highly doubt that they are. I still stand by my reasons. I know better now that the first choice was not the case. I already know that paranormal phenomenon already exist. So much has happened to me over the past year. Let me think about what's happened...

I've learned that Serena Winter is not a normal person, she unknowingly has the strange power to bring fantasy into reality. Alex Ledger is a physchic, he can travel to the fantasy world of Eorzea. His job is literally to keep the dangers there from coming here. Clara Oswald is a time traveler from that same world, Alexis Trimpton is a self proclaimed 'Voidsent' from Eorzea. Alot has happened to me, Matt Herdsman, the only normal person here. Without a doubt I can say that extraordinary things do exist. For a few reasons, we can't tell anybody for the sake of keeping the world safe, and this includes keeping Serena in the dark.

Serena then stood up from her chair, a look of defiance pasted on her expression. "I hereby declare that the Charlie Wilds Foundation is the sworn enemy of the Fantasy Seekers club! I declare war on them! WAR!"

I highly doubt the CWF (Charlie Wilds Foundation) is concerned about the actions of a highschool pseudo-club. Charlie himself is in his eighties, I'm sure he's more concerned about staying alive then anything else.

It was then that Alex stated "check" while I was being distracted by the current nonsense. Dammit, you're not supposed to beat me!

Luckily, I was able to rally back and defeat him later in that match. Soon afterwards, club activities for the day had ended so we all got up and went home. Today had overall been a pretty relaxing day without anything strange going on, and I certainly wasn't going to complain. It had been month since anything weird had happened to us (that weird thing being those goblins that had taken up temporary residence in the sewers). My final year in highschool had started without much fanfare and little seems to have changed other than the fact that we now reside in a different classroom from now on.

Before long, we arrived at our usual meeting place and went our separate ways. The trip back home was less than memorable as I made my way into my front door. I hadn't expected the rest of my day to be anything unusual, but unfortunately I was wrong. The first thing I had noticed was that my younger sister was in tears while being balled up on the floor. Before I could walk up to her and ask her what was the matter, I was approached by my mother...

The next half hour felt completely surreal. I kept trying to convince myself that this wasn't happening and that it was a joke. My mother explained to me that my father was being transferred to an office that would be to the far north and that we had to move in order for it to be possible for my father to make the trip to and from work. We were going to be moving this Sunday, and I would have to transfer to a new school. We would move in with relatives until we could find a place for us to stay. I kept hearing my sister pleas to my mother that she didn't want to move and that she liked going to school here. The truth of the matter was that I felt the exact same way. I was really enjoying my life at North High School. I began to think about my classmates, thought about the club. Finally, I thought of Serena ...How would she react to me moving away? No doubt that this was a serious problem considering she is so possessive of her club members.

I spent the rest of the day in my room, feeling somewhat sick to my stomach. I knew I had to tell everyone that I was going to be moving, but I couldn't find the will to do it. I guess I'll do it tomorrow.

I can only guess as to what was going to happen when I told everyone the news...

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Authors Notes- For the sake of clarity I'll state that this story is inspired by the game Final Fantasy 14 and an anime. Now for a bit of details about the main characters.

Serena Winter- A girl of asian descent, she has long beautiful black hair and pale skin. She is notoriously eccentric, her eccentricities keep other people from really engaging with her but she's actually very friendly and true to her beliefs. She is unaware of her ability to bring fantastical things from Eorzea into the real world.

Matt Herdsman- The only 'normal' person in the club. He complains alot about having to put up with Serena's bullshit but deep down he enjoys it but he'd never admit it.

Alex Ledger- A physchic of sorts, he's part of a 'party' that can travel to Eorzea and keep the beasts there at bay and from traveling to the real world whenever Serena gets emotionally unstable.

Clara Oswald- A red headed time traveler sent to observe Serena and ascertain the truth behind her abilities. Despite having a somewhat aloofness about her, she's actually much more intelligent that she let's people know.

Alexis Trimpton- Despite her human form, she's actually a Voidsent from the relm of Eorzea. Voidsent are former mortals who have mutated into monsters as a result of absorbing more dark-aspected aether than the body and soul can manage. Due to her dark nature she's not particularly friendly and mostly keeps to herself.