"I see... so that's how it is..."

The world around me was clearly my new reality, I could tell that because my senses were as perceptive as ever. I couldn't bring myself to believe that this was merely a dream--it felt so real, so overwhelming. I stood up and headed for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

I looked back. Ariel seemed like she was going to blow a fuse.

"Well, I only have to die to get back to the real world right?"

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if she was about to froth at the mouth by the look she was giving me. She lunged at me, grabbed my collar, and sent us both to the ground.

"SUICIDE IS NEVER THE ANSWER!!! Do you not understand?! Some people would give anything to go on an adventure like this!"

"I'm not 'some people' then."

"Clearly you are! Why do you think you're here?! You're here because, deep down inside, you wanted an adventure. Right? Right?!"

Well, I mean, college was kind of getting boring, but I didn't want to leave it just because of it. "That doesn't mean I wanted to just get up and abandon everything! Do you know how much I've struggled to get where I am?!"

"I-DI-OT!!! You haven't told me anything about yourself! But even if you did, that's beside the point! Were you even listening to me?! The world will be just the same as when it was when you left it when you get back!"

"But what's the point?! I'm going to forget it all anyways right?!"

"You need to live in the present!" She stood up, and shrugged her shoulders, still with my collar in her grasp. "Well, if you're going to be like that, then I've got no choice. Time to show you something you won't be able to walk out on!" She dragged me over to the door, opened it, and threw me out. I braced to hit the ground, but I didn't need to. I felt my body collide with a rather squishy object, and I was reflected upwards at an angle. My body caught a little bit of spin, and I caught a glimpse of what I hit.

A... bubble?

It popped and before I hit the ground I was once again sent upwards by what I expect to be another bubble. Ariel made a bubble, jumped on it, and sent herself in a similar trajectory. I was in for a long ride.

-----

"Are we there yet?" I was getting rather tired of forcibly bouncing around. If this was Earth I would have certainly gotten sick by now.

"What are you, seven?"

"Seventeen."

"All I heard was 'seven'."

"Selective hearing much?"

"But yes, we are here."

I hit the ground. "Ouch! Give me a softer landing next time!"

"Come on! Or I'll drag you here!"

She's not even listening... I reluctantly followed her. We walked through a few trees and into a clearing. There, right before me, was an amazing sight indeed. People of all races, sitting around, chatting, sharing their culture. It looked like they were simply having a good time. I felt that this sight, though more normal than anything I had seen thus far, was outlandish in its own right. I couldn't imagine such a diverse population getting along so well in reality, though that word was starting to take on new meaning here.

"What are you doing just standing there with your mouth wide open? Go talk to someone!" She pushed me forward.

I decided to walk over to a nice looking Arab. "...Hello."

The man smiled. "What are you being shy for? My name is Paladine." He poured some orange tea into a cup. It was steaming and smelled strongly of the transition from summer to fall, which, while not very descriptive, is the best way I can explain it. "How do you like your tea?"

He speaks fluent English? "Umm... Cold. I don't like hot drinks."

"In that case..." He held the cup in his hand in front of him. I felt a slight heat wave run through me, and the steam stopped coming from the cup. "Here you go. My power is the transfer of heat. I simply dispersed the heat from the tea into the surrounding area. That's enough about me though, what about yourself?" He handed the cup to me.

I nodded 'thanks'. "My name is Neuman. I... don't know what my power is yet."

His smile was comforting. "Well that's alright, we all find it eventually. Unfortunately, I'm looking for a companion with some skills, so I can tackle some of those World Level tasks. Have a good day, Neuman. I hope that you find someone that is compatible."

I slurped down the drink, and handed the empty cup back to him. "Thanks for the tea. Have a good day." I felt awkward. What exactly am I doing here? I decided to sift some answers out of Ariel, who was patiently watching. I walked over to her and whispered in her ear. "What did you bring me here for? Why does everyone speak English?"

She didn't feel like whispering back, and let the rest of the world hear. "I brought you here so that you could meet someone you would want to travel with. This place is one of the places in this world where groups are assembled, friendships forged, and adventures are begun. The reason I'm in this part of the country in the first place is to come here. My compa--... Nevermind." She had obviously brought up a memory she didn't want to remember. She shook the thought from her head. "Anyways, today we're going to find you and I some travelling partners! Surely then you can go off into the world and enjoy yourself! And I actually have no idea why everyone speaks the same language here. I think the prominent theory is that it's the 'language of the heart' or something cliche like that." She looked forward into the pack of people. "Come on, let's meet back here in about an hour. Okay?"

I had to admit that I was interested in meeting more of these people, so I agreed. An hour passed and I had talked to quite a few people from all around the previous world. It seems that nationality in this world was pretty much determined by which country the person was 'born' into, so it's not that different from the real world I guess. Just strange how no visual similarities were present to indicate nationality. I also met people with lots of strange and interesting abilities. I met a few more people that could fly, which was apparently a pretty common ability to have, some people with elemental affiliation, some that could modify their bodies in strange ways, such as harden parts of his body so much that he could punch steel without pain, and there was even one woman who could store and replay any sounds that hit her ears. I got the same message from all of them though "I'm looking for someone who is on the same level as me". None of them meant it in a mean way, but they certainly meant it. Honestly, I couldn't blame them. I met up with Ariel as planned at where we started. "Any luck?"

"Nope. No one quite met my expectations. I guess the bar is set pretty high, but that can't be helped. You?"

"Not a single one. I don't think I'd be able to find anyone unless I find my power." I sighed. "See, there really wasn't a point in bringing me here. I'll be going back to Earth now."

I tried to turn away, but she glared right into my soul. "You think I'm going to let you off that easily?! No way! I was like you at one point, but all I had to do was meet the right person and this world became so fun you can't even imagine!" A tear streamed down her face.

That's when it became obvious to me. Even if these experiences, these friendships, didn't last to the other world, the ones who inhabit this world are just as human as the ones of the other. Emotions still matter. Looking at that tear, just one, made it so obvious I could no longer turn back. Honestly, the logic was stacked against me this whole time. "It doesn't matter what happens in this world," what a false conclusion. What I should've drawn from the facts in front of me was "no matter how much I mess up in this world, no matter how overboard I go, no matter how much I hurt myself, no matter how much I live on the edge, it won't adversely affect what I've built up." If anything, what I've built up from the other world would only help me here, not become something I had to protect. Upon coming here I had unintentionally created a bond, and that bond was all I needed to stay. Now that I had a reason, all I had to do was take the first step. That first, crucial step to a life that would branch off from my other. Yes, to the me of this world, this was my life, and throwing it away would be just as bad as throwing away the other.

"Hey, how would I know when I've met the 'right person'?"

"Huh?" She looked up at me, still sad, but with a twinkle in her eyes.

"You said that I only needed to meet the 'right person'. How do I know when I've met them?"

She pondered it for a second. "Um... I'd say that they'll make everything more exciting, for better and for worse."

"I'd say that's pretty accurate."

"Eh?"

"I think I've found that person, 'for better and for worse'." I pointed my finger at her face, come almost as close as to touch it. "The person I'm going to travel with is right in front of me."

She smiled, not one of her outrageous smiles, but one that you would hardly notice if it weren't for the alertness of her eyes. "Well I guess it's settled then. We'll be the founders of a new group!"

"Group?"

"What, you think that two people is enough to go venturing around the world! One of which doesn't even know their power yet?! Yeah right." The smile widened from ear to ear. "We're going to find more people and we're going to go to the ends of the world with them."

The extremity of the statement struck me as odd, but I guessed it was possible for such an event to occur. "And where are we going to find these people? When are we going to set out?"

"As we go, and now," she said without hesitation.

"Hm. Figures."

"Hop on." She didn't really give me a choice to obey her command though, because she practically pushed me into a more pillow-like bubble than the ones before. Even with the weight of me on it, it immediately started to rise into the air. Ariel fashioned a bubble for herself and then we were off. Floating on the air, wherever the wind took us. That's how we started our adventure together. You could hardly call what we had "plans", but I was still excited to see how they would pan out.

I still wonder if she even gave any of the decisions she made that day a second thought. Knowing her, she probably didn't.