The Hyrule Paradox: Worlds Collide | BOTW Isekai (Book 1)

Chapter 1: The Isolated Plateau

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The setting summer sun dipped under the horizon, and Jordan Tollin watched the colorful evening sky as he relaxed peacefully in a chair in his backyard. He enjoyed the summers here in Minnesota, the place he had been born. He had a light complexion and striking blue eyes. He was just fifteen years old, stood at just under six feet tall, and though he had a rather skinny frame, was remarkably athletic.

However, he was not a typical American teenager with a conventional upbringing. Instead, Jordan had spent his formative years overseas as the child of two U.S embassy ambassadors, and that meant that he had spent his upbringing overseas. He had spent most of his formative years in southeast Asia as well as a few years in western Europe. Jordan and his younger brother Owen grew up going to international schools in each country that their parents worked in. In such a diverse setting, Jordan learned to navigate the kaleidoscope of cultures and backgrounds as he grew older.

Floating in the melting pot of cultures, Jordan had befriended people from all different walks of life, and it had shaped his world in a uniquely profound way. He had learned to be accepting of others ideas, and to consider every perspective.

This year, things had changed. Jordan's parents had decided to move them back home to the United States so that Jordan could finish high school in one place, instead of taking the risk that the government might send them to another country and upset his education. Jordan's parents owned a house in the suburbs of Duluth, Minnesota, and that was where they would reside. With this change of scenery, his parents would be sending him to public school in the fall for his sophomore year of high school.

Growing up as a third-culture kid, Jordan had endured his share of discomfort and loneliness. Living in a country that didn't share the many of the same western values that his parents had encouraged growing up had made it hard for him to make friends at times, and he had learned how to change and adapt to the world around him. It did not help that he had a rather bothersome case of anxiety, but in some ways, it had made him stronger. He learned not to make rash decisions with his emotions, which could become too much for him in stressful situations.

Even in middle school, he had earned some praise from some of his teachers for having a high EQ, and having a deeper insight into emotions than many of his classmates. As he grew older and began to gain a deeper understanding of the world around him, he had become adept at finding friends during his travels, and was known by others for being extremely positive, able to find good things out of negative situations. He hoped to get better and better with his emotions as he grew older. He understood that he was only fifteen, and that he still had a long way to go.

Even though he had moved home, he could still contact his old friends from other countries over social media, so he was still keeping social during these summer months as he waited for the school year to begin.

Soon, the sun had set and the light was slowly disappearing. He got out of the patio chair and went inside, feeling pretty tired after a long day. This summer he had joined a local baseball league, and he had played a game that afternoon. There usually wasn't much competitive organized baseball overseas, but his family had always been huge baseball fans and loved playing the game. It turned out that he was actually pretty good at baseball considering his lack of experience compared to other American kids. He had become something of a clubhouse leader among his teammates for his work ethic and skill. Today he had gone 3 for 4 with a triple, and played shortstop.

Aside from baseball, Jordan also enjoyed a hobby that many people would give him a weird look for if he mentioned it; swordplay. He had watched popular fantasy movies since he was little, and the superheroes wielding magic swords and fighting for their lives had looked so awesome. Ever since he was little, he had always wanted to become proficient with a sword himself, and over the years had slowly realized that dream. His parents had encouraged the hobby, though he had never been allowed to own a real sword. He was a decent fencer, but he also enjoyed free combat with whatever replica sword that he was allowed, and he had gotten pretty good at it. He didn't have any plans to become a professional, it was just a hobby, but he enjoyed it nevertheless.