Lucas Renn's first breath in this new world was as ordinary as any other. The cold sting of morning air filled his lungs as he opened his eyes to the familiar, bland ceiling of a modest apartment. He lay there for a moment, the quiet hum of distant traffic filtering through a slightly cracked window. Outside, the city was waking up—cars streaming down streets, people hurrying to jobs, the clatter of footsteps on sidewalks.
For a long moment, Lucas simply stared at the cracked paint overhead, telling himself that this was just another day, just another life. That was the truth he clung to. After all, wasn't this what he'd expected? An ordinary life in an ordinary world, one that bore no trace of the bizarre transmigration he'd experienced moments—or was it days?—ago.
Yet, even as the thoughts settled, a subtle unease stirred within him. Something about this place felt different, off in ways he couldn't yet name.
He rolled over and sat up, running a hand through his dark hair. The memories came unbidden—fractured images from a life he no longer fully owned. The screech of tires, the impact, the sudden flash of light—and then nothing. No pain, no confusion, just a sudden shift, a slipping through the seams of reality itself. And now here he was, awake in a body that looked like his own but carried the weight of a soul from another world.
Lucas had always been a practical man, grounded by routine and logic. His days back "home" had consisted of dull office work and quiet evenings spent watching old shows. He wasn't a man who sought adventure or mystery, and yet here he was, in a world that should have been ordinary, yet somehow was not.
He swung his legs off the bed and stood, the wooden floor cold beneath his feet. The small apartment was sparse—two rooms, a kitchenette, and a bathroom. Not much, but it was his. He moved to the window and peered out. The city spread out before him: a dense cluster of buildings, glass and steel gleaming in the morning light. People bustled on the sidewalks, going about their business. No signs of magic, no crackling auras, no floating islands—just normal life.
Lucas exhaled, a shaky laugh escaping his lips. Maybe this is it, he thought. Maybe I'm really just stuck in another boring reality.
The morning passed like any other. He dressed in a simple shirt and jeans, grabbed a granola bar from the kitchen, and prepared to head out. The city's rhythm was already pulsing faster, the streets filling with workers and students, delivery vans and food carts. His job was simple—a courier for a small shipping company, delivering packages and documents across the city.
Lucas liked the anonymity. Being just another face in the crowd gave him a comfort that no supernatural power or grand destiny ever could. Here, he thought, he could disappear, fade into the background, and maybe forget the strange journey that had brought him here.
He locked his apartment door behind him and stepped into the hum of the street. The air smelled faintly of exhaust and blooming flowers from nearby planters. He glanced up at the sky—clear and pale blue, the sun climbing steadily. As he walked toward the transit station, his eyes caught an old man sitting by a café, reading a newspaper. The man's gaze met his briefly, and Lucas felt an odd flicker in his chest, a sensation he couldn't place.
Just a trick of the light, he assured himself.
The day passed in a blur of deliveries—package dropped off here, signed for there—until late afternoon, when his dispatcher gave him an unusual order.
"Hey, Lucas," came the crackly voice over the radio. "Got a last-minute job for you. Pick up a container from the old docks. Some weird client, no ID. Just deliver it to the warehouse on 27th."
Lucas frowned. The docks were a bit run-down, filled with abandoned warehouses and rusting cranes. Not his usual route.
"Got it," he replied. "Anything else I should know?"
"Nothing. Just be careful."
The ride to the docks was uneventful, the city skyline slowly giving way to stacks of shipping crates and warehouses. The air smelled of salt and grease. Lucas parked near the designated container—a large metal box, faded and scratched, with no visible markings except a small sticker peeling off the corner.
Curiosity tugged at him. He glanced around—no one watching—then carefully lifted the heavy latch. Inside was darkness, but as his eyes adjusted, he saw something glowing faintly, pulsing with a light that didn't belong in this world.
The moment his fingers brushed the object, a shock of energy surged through him, and the world tilted. Light exploded behind his eyelids. A voice echoed, distant yet intimate.
"Awaken… open your Domain…"
Lucas collapsed backward, heart pounding, as the edges of reality blurred. When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the city but standing on a shore beneath endless skies. Water stretched before him—vast, deep oceans covering nearly three-quarters of the land. Islands dotted the horizon, forests thick and green, deserts shimmering under a distant sun.
A new awareness bloomed in his mind: this was his Divine Domain—a realm tethered to his soul, vast and alive.
He took a breath, cold sea air filling his lungs, and realized that what had seemed ordinary before was just the surface. Beneath it lay a power vast enough to reshape worlds.
Back in the real world, the news was buzzing. Reports of strange disappearances and unexplained phenomena flooded the airwaves. People across the globe whispered about visions, dreams, and personal worlds opening inside their minds.
For Lucas, it was just the beginning.
The ordinary life he thought he had was gone. And something far greater was waking within him.