Part I: Six Packages, Six Journeys, One Big Wooden Door

88 89 The Chosen: Battle with a Cerberosian Prince 1st Projection After taking a moment to draw some results from all the information, Tumi added, “What we experienced down in the cave, I think we got like a type of energy boost. It’s as though our bodies were rejuvenated.” “Well, these numbers are indicative of a person who is at their peak performance,” said Ana. “Like an athlete who has just performed a few warm-up exercises, getting their body ready for vigorous activity.” “Voice command,” Fang yelled abruptly. “This is a smart Watch, and it has voice command.” Fang continued fiddling with his Watch. “Good afternoon, Fang. Welcome to your personalized RCPU. You have activated the voice command on your device. What would you like to name this device?” In what was clearly a rare moment, Fang smiled from ear to ear. He was excited like a little boy on a Christmas morning ready to open his long-awaited gift. “I will name you… ” Leaving everyone waiting in anticipation, Fang left a dramatic pause. The others weren’t waiting in anticipation as much as they were figuring out their own devices, themselves thinking of a unique name. “Darius.” This was met with silence, a few of them looking perplexed. “Um, Darius? But why?” asked TJ. Fang laughed. “It’s a character from one of my favorite games, LOL.” “There’s a game called Laugh Out Loud?” Ana asked with even greater confusion. “Do you people know nothing about gaming? LOL is short for League of Legends.” “OK, that makes more sense, I think,” TJ said. They spent the next few minutes figuring out their Watches, how they worked, what they were capable of, and how to customize them. After much silence, Tumi said, “Is no one else baffled by how we feel? No more shortness of breath, fatigue, or feelings of cold? Like, we just climbed Mount Everest. How are we feeling this good?” “There’s a lot that doesn’t make sense about all of this,” TJ responded. “Can our Watches not tell us anything?” asked Pippa. “I’ve already asked. Darius only knows as much as the Internet can tell him.” “Did you just refer to your Watch as a ‘him’?” Pippa asked. “Yes. I did,” responded Fang, with a smirk on his face. “Mate, if I had known all we needed to do to get that stick out your butt was to give you a talking Watch, I would have given you my smartwatch the day we met. I mean, you know these were invented years ago, right?” said Ethan. “Darius, please explain to this simpleton that you are much more than a smart watch.” “I am a Realms Central Processing Unit. Through this device, I am connected to multiple networks, satellites, and my immediate physical surroundings. All of your devices are connected, which means I have access to all the information that your device has. That is how I know that you are Ethan, blood type B, current body temperature 37.2 degrees Celsius.”