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Chapter One

“The Guardian”

In the Realm of Fantasy, a character named Luna searches for the answers behind the massacre of her people. She had spent several months tracking down the group of humans who had carried out the heinous act, and, now that she knew where they were hiding, she had no thoughts on her mind other than justice and revenge.

Luna was certainly a character of Fantasy in her appearance. She had the basic look of a fox, with red fur on her back, orange fur on her chest and the tip of her tail, and she had elegant bright orange wings and eyes.
In her quest, she had found herself in a dim forest. Though it was early in the afternoon, the forest was dark since no light penetrated through the thick layer of leaves overhead. Luna tried desperately to keep to the forest trail to keep from getting lost, but she soon found herself wandering through the trees aimlessly.

"Is there any way to get through these woods?" She wondered out loud.

"I would have thought you would have found it by now. You've been wandering around for hours." Said a male voice from the trees.

"Who's there?" Luna asked, trying to hide her fear.

"Look up." The voice replied, and Luna had to look closely to see a raven looking down on her from a tree branch above.

"Can you tell me the way out of here?" Luna asked.

"I could." Replied the raven. "I could tell you how to escape other things as well."

"Um...I'd just like to know the way out of the forest for now." Luna said.

"But you know not the things that I can help you escape from." The raven replied.

"Ugh, I don't have time for this." Luna moaned. "If you're not going to help me, then please leave me alone."

"You're on a quest to avenge the death of others like you, are you not?" Asked the raven.

"How do you know what I'm doing?" Luna asked.

"I know everything about you." The raven replied. "Everything you've done until now, and everything that you're going to do in the future, and I can tell you know that avenging the massacre of your friends and family will not bring you closure."

"We'll see about that." Luna said. "Now if you'll excuse me..."

She began walking further into the woods when the raven called after her, "You've done what you're about to do countless times before, Luna."

Luna stopped in surprise, then turned and said, "Excuse me?"

"I said that you've done what you're about to do countless times." The raven said as Luna returned to him.

"How could I have done this before?" Luna asked. "I certainly don't remember any of it if I have."

"Because you're not supposed to remember." The raven said. "If you remember, then the cycle will be broken."

"What cycle?" Luna asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I can tell you more if you'd like." The raven said. "That is, if you're willing to give up some of your time to listen."

Luna thought about it for a moment and said to herself, "Well if I've done this all before, then what harm could stopping for a few minutes do?" Then she looked up at the raven and said, "I'm listening."

"Then listen closely." The raven began. "I'm only going to tell you this once. You are part of a universe that is known as the Realm of Fantasy."

"Realm of Fantasy?" Luna asked. "Are you saying that I'm not real? That I don't exist?"

"Of course you exist!" The raven replied. "You're talking to me aren't you? You have emotion, and physical strain, so you
do exist. You just aren't a part of Reality."

"I don't understand." Luna said.

"Then be quiet and let me explain it!" The raven snapped, then continued, "Characters, like yourself, that reside in the
Realm of Fantasy go through their lives many times. You've witnessed the death of your people countless times, and, in turn, you've sought revenge countless times. Life in the Realm of Fantasy is a story, and when the story ends, it starts back from the beginning. When it restarts, you have no memory of your previous life so that the story would play out as it's supposed to. Your story, for example, ends when you finally exact your revenge on those who killed your family, and begins on the night of the massacre. There is nothing before or after. Your ancestors never really existed; they were just created to help add depth to your life. And every time the story resets, it plays again the exact same way. Every breath you take, every step, every emotion, and every dream is the same. There is never any difference in the Realm of Fantasy."

At first Luna couldn't believe what she was hearing. She began to feel as though her life had no purpose, but, after thinking about it for a moment, she replied, "How do you know all of this? Doesn't your story restart every time as well? And if I'm hearing this, then wouldn't I change something? You say that my story ends after I exact my revenge, but what if I decide not to do that after hearing your speech?"

"Because I'm not part of a story, Luna." The raven replied. "I serve as the Guardian that protects the border between
Fantasy and Reality."

"Reality?" Luna asked. "What's different about that?"

"In Reality, there are no stories like there are in Fantasy." The raven explained. "People live their lives how they choose from the moment that they're born until the moment that they die. And there is no resetting in Reality. Once someone dies in Reality, their gone forever."

"But they have control over their lives." Luna protested. "I'm just learning that my life is a constant cycle and that I have no control over my own actions or destiny, and I already don't want to live anymore."

"Why would you think that way?" The Guardian asked.

"Because my life has no meaning!" Luna replied. "Even if I kill the humans who murdered all of my friends and family, it wouldn't matter because it was supposed to happen anyway, and the story would reset and they'd do it all over again. What's the point?"

"You might not have to ask yourself that question much longer, Luna." Said the Guardian. "I'm here to make a special off to you; one that I'm sure you can't resist."

"What do you mean?” Luna asked.

“As I said before, I serve as the Guardian between Fantasy and Reality.” The Guardian replied. “And, as such, I can send people across worlds at will. It’s a very precarious process, and it tends to disrupt something in the fabric of time or space when I do so, but I’ve decided to look past that...just once.”

“Are you offering me a way into Reality?” Luna asked.

“You could say that.” The Guardian replied. “But it’s entirely up to you. I must warn you that Reality is not a paradise. You will most likely face many hardships and difficulties there.”

“And what of this world?” Luna asked. “What will happen to this story without me in it?”

“Well, first the story will reset itself.” The Guardian explained. “Since you are the main character of this story, the world will need to replace you since it can’t maintain itself without someone in your position. When you leave, anyone here who had any memory of you would no longer know you when the story reset, and there would be no way for you to ever return.”

“I don’t care.” Luna replied. “I have only enemies in this world, and, now that you’ve told me all this, I’d gladly leave this wretched world and never look back.”

“Not so fast, Luna.” Said the Guardian. “I’m not just going to take you into Reality simply because you want to go. The freedom to control your life is something that you must earn. I created a series of test that you and hundreds of other Fantasy characters will attempt. If you pass the test, you will be let into Reality.”

“And if I don’t pass?” Luna asked.

“If you don’t pass, then you’ve died.” The Guardian replied. “As I said, once you leave Fantasy, you can’t come back, and since the tests will take place within the barrier between the two worlds, this story will reset as soon as you’ve left.”

“What are the tests?” Luna asked. “I’m ready for anything that you can throw at me. I’ll go through anything for my freedom.”

“If I told you then you’d be able to anticipate what was coming, and thus not fully earn your freedom.” Said the Guardian.

“At least, not in my eyes. And, in this situation, what I believe you’ve accomplished is all that matters, wouldn’t you agree?”

Luna took a moment to think about her situation. She had the opportunity to leave her life of going through the same story for all eternity and entering a world where she could have full control over her own thoughts and actions. It didn’t take long for her to decide that she wanted to leave the Realm of Fantasy and go to Reality, even if she had to take the Guardian’s tests. Luna wasn’t afraid of anything that the Guardian could throw at her, and she was willing to face any challenge.

“I don’t care what I have to go through for my freedom.” Luna said finally. “I’ll overcome any obstacle, no matter what it is. I want to go to Reality.”

“Are you sure that you don’t want to take some time to think about it?” The Guardian asked. “It’s an awfully big decision.”

“I don’t need to think about it.” Luna replied. “There’s nothing but hatred, pain, and suffering for me here. If I have the opportunity to go to a different world where I can change all of that, that I’ll take that opportunity with little hesitation.”

“Then the choice has been made.” Said the Guardian, then he let out a loud screech that summoned a portal behind Luna.

“Your tests await you on the other side of that portal.” The Guardian said. “Step through whenever you’re ready, and begin the trials for your freedom. I’ll meet you in Reality...if you survive.” He then flew away into the forest leaving Luna alone in front of the portal.

She needed to take a moment to summon the courage to press forward. Everything that she had just heard was weighing heavily on her mind, and the thought of an entering an entirely new world made her nervous, the perilous test that awaited her didn’t help to brighten her mood either. When she finally summoned her strength, she walked forward into the portal, which quickly closed behind her, and the world in Fantasy reset to begin its story without her.