The Promised Of Elaria

The Unexpected Shift

Ethan Reed pushed his chair back and rubbed his eyes. Staring at the screen for hours was getting him nowhere. He checked his phone, hoping for a distraction. A message from Jake flashed on the screen.

"Game night at 7. Coming?"

Ethan sighed and replied, "Yeah, sure." It was always the same routine-work, game night, sleep, repeat. He stood up, grabbed his jacket, and decided a quick walk before meeting the guys would clear his head.

Cutting through the alley near his apartment, Ethan's foot hit something hard. "What the-?" He looked down and saw a small object half-buried in the dirt. He bent to pick it up. It was a strange metal disk with unfamiliar symbols carved into it.

"Huh, weird." He turned it over in his hand. The moment his fingers brushed the symbols, they glowed faintly. He frowned, but before he could toss it aside, the disk began to vibrate in his hand.

"Okay, what is this thing?" he muttered, trying to drop it. But the object stuck to his palm like it had a mind of its own. The ground beneath him suddenly shook, and before he could react, everything around him spun wildly. A dizzying whirl of colors blurred his vision until, just as quickly as it began, the spinning stopped.

Ethan blinked. He was no longer in the alley.

Instead, he was lying in a field. The sky above him was a soft purple, dotted with unfamiliar stars. The air smelled sweet, almost like honey and flowers. He scrambled to his feet, heart racing. "What the hell?"

Voices interrupted his panic. Female voices, soft and urgent. He turned toward the sound and saw a group of women walking toward him. There were six of them, dressed in long, flowing robes, their faces filled with shock and curiosity.

"Is it him?" one of them asked.

"It has to be," another whispered.

The tallest of the women, with piercing green eyes, stepped forward. "You... you're the one. The Promised One."

Ethan shook his head, backing away slightly. "Uh, I think you've got the wrong guy. I'm Ethan. And... where am I?"

The woman stared at him, her lips curling into a soft smile. "You're in Elaria. And no, we haven't made a mistake. You're the one the prophecy spoke of."

"Prophecy?" Ethan looked around. "Okay, hold up. I have no idea what's going on. One second I'm walking home, and the next thing I know, I'm here. Wherever *here* is."

The green-eyed woman stepped closer, her voice calm but firm. "This is Elaria, a land blessed by the gods. And you... are the first man to walk this realm in centuries. You were promised to us by the gods themselves."

Ethan's mouth dropped open. "Wait, what? Promised? By the gods? Look, I don't know what kind of game this is, but I need to get back home."

One of the other women stepped forward, shaking her head. "You can't leave. The gods sent you for a reason. The Mother will explain everything."

"The Mother?" Ethan asked. "Who's that?"

"She is our guide, our connection to the gods," the green-eyed woman explained. "She's been waiting for you."

Ethan ran a hand through his hair, his mind spinning. "I don't think I'm the guy you're looking for. I'm just... a regular guy."

The women exchanged glances, clearly unconvinced. The green-eyed woman smiled gently. "Come with us. The Mother will help you understand."

Before Ethan could protest, the women surrounded him, gently but firmly guiding him down a narrow path. As they walked, he tried to make sense of everything.

"So, no men... at all?" he asked, trying to grasp the situation.

"None," one of the women replied. "You are the first in hundreds of years."

"And this... prophecy?" Ethan asked, his voice skeptical. "What exactly did it say?"

The green-eyed woman glanced at him. "That a man would come, chosen by the gods, to restore balance to our realm."

Ethan sighed, rubbing his temples. "I think you've got the wrong guy. I'm no chosen one. I can barely choose what to eat for dinner."

The women chuckled softly, but their pace didn't slow. Ethan had no choice but to follow, his mind racing. How did I end up here? And what do they want from me?