The Gambler

The New World

Upon opening his eyes, Hiro is very confused. His head hurts, and his eyes are having a hard time adjusting to the sunlight that is intruding into the room he's in. At the center of the room stood a sturdy oak bed, its frame intricately carved with patterns of vines and leaves, a testament to the craftsmanship of the artisans who had fashioned it. A thick woolen blanket lay on Hiro. Opposite the bed, a small table and chairs were arranged, the polished wood gleaming in the firelight. Upon the table sat a simple pitcher and basin, filled with cool water. In one corner of the room stood a wooden wardrobe, its doors adorned with wrought iron hinges and handles. The walls were adorned with tapestries depicting scenes of knights in shining armor and fair maidens, their vibrant colors lending a sense of warmth and cheer to the room. And in the windows, heavy velvet curtains hung, drawn closed against the chill of the early morning outside.
"Where am I?" Hiro asks, sitting up and rubbing his head and eyes.
"Good morning!" Elara says extatically. Hiro looks down and notices that he has no shirt on, revealing abs that he had never seen on his body before.
"Wah-" Hiro freaks out and covers himself with the woolen blanket.
"Don't be silly! I'm the one that undressed you for bed last night!" Elara laughs.
"YOU DID WHAT?!" Hiro begins to panic.
"Calm down! It is okay! You just threw up on yourself and the clothes needed to be clean. I didn't do anything to you!" Elara insists.
"Oh. Okay." Hiro sighs, then looks back down at his torso. He stands up, in nothing but his briefs.
"Someone's mood has changed." Elara snarks as Hiro walks towards the mirror on the wardrobe. Hiro, does not recognize the man that he sees in the mirror. It's not Hiro Yun the Gambling addict that was a shut in and never left his room or showered. It was someone much much different. Rather than the five foot that he was, he is now very clearly six foot one to six foot two. He has long hair that goes past his shoulders, with half of it being white, and half of it being black. Split perfectly down the middle. He has muscles, decent sized muscles. He has a six pack that he has never seen on his body ever.
"What's wrong? Haven't seen a mirror before? I guess you New Colony folk are always at war so it makes sense your appearance is the last thing on your mind." Elara jokes. 
"Just been a long time since I've looked at myself, I guess." Hiro says, realizing that if he told Elara the truth, she'd think he's crazy.
"Princess!" A man says as he barges into the room. He has a dark ornate outfit on, with a black trench coat over the top of a sleek black vest, with a silver pendant on his left side chest.
"Princess?" Hiro mutters.
"Sir Jefald! I told you I was busy!" Elara yells.
"I'm terribly sorry, miss. But, as your royal guard, I must urge we leave at once. I am the Captain and my word is to be taken with as much respect as your fathers in these cases!" Elara rolls her eyes.
"Captain Jefald, this is our newest recruit! Meet Hiro Yun!" She smiles looking over at Hiro.
"Wha-" Jefald begins but stops himself, "Nice to meet you. Get dressed and let's go!" He yells as he slams the door behind him.
"Get dressed in what?" Hiro asks, "New recruit?" He adds.
"In that wardrobe is a uniform. Put it on. I am Princess Elara Starwind of the Elven Kingdom of the Distant Colony. As of today, you're apart of my Royal Guard! Your magic will be quite handy!" She laughs as she steps out of the room. Hiro opens the wardrobe and grabs the identical uniform that Jefald had on, minus the pendant. He sets the uniform on the bed and sits next to it, staring at it.
"Wow, you're making moves faster than I anticipated, Gambler." A familiar voice says from behind Hiro. He turns to see the woman who brought him here.
"Oh, it's you." He sighs.
"You don't seem happy to see me."
"I don't mind, I am just a little lost right now."
"Well, let me get you up to speed real quick." She sits next to Hiro and points to the wall next to the wardrobe.
"Hertofyrd is a beautiful world, filled with exciting new things you could never imagine from your world. It has Colonies instead of states or Countries. They have Elves, Dwarfs, Merfolk, Hybrids, and many more races as well as Humans. They wage war with weapons, and Magic. They are, as you called it, fiction. And so are you." Hiro is a little awe struck.
"But, how do I play into it all?" Hiro asks, still unsure of everything.
"You, my little Gambler, are the key."
"The Key?"
"Yes. You will change the destiny of this world forever. You are either going to change it for the better, or for the worse. That choice in the end, is yours to make." She smiles as she begins to float towards the window.
"With that, Hiro. Become the Key in the only way you know how." She chuckles before disappearing.
"Wait!" He yells running towards the window and throwing the velvet shades to the side. There's a carriage outside with Jefald and Elara having a conversation, the woman is gone.

As Hiro walks out to the carriage in the uniform, Elara runs up to him, "You look great!" She laughs.
"Thanks. You always do." Hiro lets out.
"Oh." She gets bright red cheeks again.
"LET'S GO!" Jefald yells. Both of them run into the carriage. There are two other men in the carriage with them. Five people in total. There is Jefald, Elara, Hiro, and then the two men. They are dressed just like Hiro and Jefald, also missing the pendant. One of them pulls out a deck of cards, "Hey, kid, you like to gamble?" He asks to Hiro. Hiro's smirk almost reaches his ear.