~Alexander Luo, Class of 2024
Persistence Saves Worlds
Ethan knew he was lazy.
He was a black-hair and brown-eyed fifteen-year-old boy who never submitted his school assignments on time and always only gave half of his effort but still achieved average results. Everyone around him always told him that he was wasting his potential, and if he gave everything his all, he could make an impact on the world, but he didn’t care about that. All Ethan wanted to do was live an average life full of relaxation, and if everyone else criticized him for it, then so be it.
That’s why, after spotting a blazing star as it shot across the night sky in the summer of 2023, Ethan surprised himself when he took it as a sign to head out for a walk.
The smell of the chilled air and the scene of the shining stars contrasting against the dark space of the night sky made him slow his steps to a stop and made his brows furor. Did he really want to live all his life without giving any semblance of effort? Any semblance of giving a damn?
“Man,” Ethan lamented out loud, “this takes too much energy to think abo-ah!” he yelped in panic as he tumbled into a three-meter-wide circular crater.
The crater was filled with glowing golden essence, and Ethan could only let his mouth hang open as he was mesmerized watching the essence start circling in the middle of the crater.
“What in the world is happening?” Ethan muttered to himself. “I swear I’ve never taken a shot of alcohol in my life. What-hey, hey hey!”
The glimmering essence started to seep into his body like water soaking a sponge, and he could only watch helplessly as all the essence disappeared into him a moment later.
“Urg, what the crap,” Ethan rubbed his eyes as he shakely stood up and started on his path home. “Did-did I just hallucinate?”
“It’s time,” a girl with stars and planets in her skin and ensnared by huge, thorny vines proclaimed to Ethan as she appeared in his vision. “Save me!”
“Save what?” he screamed back. “Who are you?”
“Come to the north and find the chamber!” she screeched.
“What’s happening?” Ethan yelled as he tried to turn his head around. He couldn’t. He could only shout and stare at the girl as she shrieked on and on.
Ethan let out a huge gasp as he sat up in a cold bed of sweat. “My god! What just happened?”
Oh, sorry about that, a feminine voice apologized in his head. I did not mean to be so dramatic.
”Huh?!” Ethan jumped out of his bed and ran to hug the nearest wall. “What was that?! Who-what are you?! What’s happening to me?”
Oh, the voice said in his head again. I am Nadia, one of the deities of space.
“Oh my god!” he screamed. “Where are you?!”
I am here, in your head.
“I’ve got God in my head?!”
I am not God. I am just a deity. One of many.
“Uh, I don’t feel so good,” Ethan groaned as black spots appeared in his vision and his eyes rolled up into his head.
Ethan groaned and brought his hands up to hug his head as consciousness returned to him. He stood up on the cold wooden floor of his bedroom and sighed.
“Where am I?” he mumbled, but as he looked around, he remembered what was happening. “Oh yeah, there’s a freaking deity in my head! I’ve got to be going insane right now.”
Nope.
“What is happening?”
Be quiet for a second. Let me explain what is happening.
“What do you-“
Quiet! As I have already said, I am Nadia, the deity of space in charge of keeping order on Earth. Recently, I was captured by a major plant deity, Zeke, during space’s routine check up on all of the planets because it wanted to rebel against the Order. You need to save me because, without me, no one will be able to make sure Earth is not conquered by these rebellious spirits and deities.
“Wh-what,” Ethan stammered. “I-I don’t even know what’s happening.”
The voice-Nadia sighed. Let me put it into simple terms. You need to save me to save Earth.
“Supernatural deities and nymphs are real?”
Yes.
“Wh-why me?”
Bad luck.
Ethan grabbed at his hair. “How would I even do anything against a freaking nymph or a deity? I’m just a random dude!”
I know, Nadia sounded like she was just as happy as Ethan was about the situation. However, you are not completely helpless, as I am here to help. Whenever you are in trouble, I can help guide your way.Nadia hissed in pain. We do not have time for this. You need to come save me. The longer you wait, the more Zeke the major plant deity sucks out my essence.
“Wait!” Ethan shook his head. “I can’t just leave! My parents and school!”
It does not matter. My life and the rest of the planet is in danger. Let me take over your body for the time being.
“Wait wait wait!”
Ethan was annoyed. He had been taking a taxi for half a day, then was forced to walk into a forest for the second half of the day with an annoying voice yelling at him to speed up.
“How long until we get to the place you’re being kept?” he asked Nadia.
It would take only a couple more hours until we reach a cave that will lead straight to my cage of vines, she replied.
“Man,” he sighed. “Can’t I transfer you or this power to someone else?”
No. It does not work that way.
“Well that’s just-” Ethan started but was cut off as the ground beneath him disappeared. Screaming, he fell into a twenty-meter-deep hole filled with some sort of green gas.
“What the crap?” he whispered under his breath. “This smells horrible! Is this a sort of fart spray or something?”
Ethan, he could faintly hear Nadia yelling at him in the background. Ethan! Get up! This is-
It was too late. Ethan could feel his mind drifting away into the realm of sleep, and his head hit the ground a moment later.
Pain. It was all Ethan could feel. He couldn’t see, couldn’t hear and couldn’t smell. All he knew was unbearable, excruciating pain as a pike-like object stabbed into his stomach. He couldn’t even think about anything because his mind was occupied by the feeling of the hole in his abdomen.
What was happening?
His attempt to wiggle away was shortly dashed as a second spear-like object shot through his shoulder, making him howl out.
Why was this happening to him?
Ethan could only whimper as another spike embedded itself in him, this time in his knee.
Should he just give into the pain and into death? Take the easy, lazy way out, like he had done his entire life? It would certainly be easier, Ethan thought as all sensation started fading from his body. Maybe he could just wait for judgment in the afterlife…
“Ethan!” he heard his dad shout. “You can’t die here. You’ve still got so much of your life ahead of you!”
“Whaaat?” Ethan mumbled blearly. “Dad? I’mmsotirrred thooouugh.”
“Remember,” his dad continued speaking. “I told you there will be a point in your life where you need to persist and not be lazy? That point is now. The fate of the entire world lies on your shoulders!”
My dad’s right, Ethan thought as his senses and the pain came back. So much depends on my success. I need to get up. He screamed in anguish, but didn’t let it make him succumb into death. He just persisted.
-ake up, Ethan finally heard Nadia’s voice in his head again. Wake up! Yes, you survived!
“Huh?” he groaned. “I’m… alive?” He stood up, feeling the areas of his body he remembered feeling pain in. I’m alive!”
Yes, Nadia spoke, sounding like she was grinning. You made it. You breathed in a type of poisonous gas that makes living organisms imagine death, and if they give in, the organism truly dies. You survived.
“Yes!” Ethan shouted in triumph. “Now we just need to get out and get to the cave, and I can save you!”
Yes. Let us set off.
The cave was too dark, Ethan thought to himself when he finally reached it. He could barely see his feet. “Is there a way we can light up this cave?”
No, Nadia answered. There is not. Still, all is not lost as I can help guide you through the darkness.
“Okay,” Ethan nodded his head. “That’s good.”
The sound of his footsteps echoed through the hollow cavern, and all he could only hope and put his trust in Nadia to guide him safely.
Wait! Nadia shouted in his head. You have two paths ahead of you. Hug the left wall and continue walking.
“Mhm,” Ethan hummed.
A minute later, Nadia gave him another order. The wall to your right is a fake wall. You can just walk through it.
”Yep,” Ethan followed her directions to the letter.
It wasn’t long before he reached the final chamber: the cage of vines he had dreamed of. It had been so long since then that it felt like decades ago.
Looking upon the chain of thick, thorny vines that had wrapped themselves around Nadia, Ethan thought out loud for a moment. “All I need to do is pull away the vines keeping you in place, right?”
“Yes,” Nadia confirmed, speaking from her real body. “Do that and I can handle the rest.”
“Gotcha,” he grinned and ran up to her, slowly pulling the plant material off of her body. “Man, I’ve never actually heard your voice before. I can’t believe that this journey is almost over.”
Nadia smiled. “Yes. I am quite excited as well.”
Ethan couldn’t stop the sides of his mouth from stretching as high as possible as he ripped the vines off one by one. But, when he reached the final snake-like natural rope holding Nadia there, they both heard a huge rumbling sound, and a voice sounded out in the cave.
Do not do this!
Ethan jumped. “What was that?”
“It’s here,” Nadia growled. “The dryad that captured me. Zeke.”
I can give you all the riches and shiny diamonds in the world if you walk away right now, a head grew from the ground.
“No! Do not listen to it!” Nadia yelled.
You could go back to that simple, lazy life that you love so much. You wouldn’t have to exert yourself even remotely if you just go back to your home.
“Back to the life I love?” Ethan spoke, almost mesmerized in his thoughts as thorny roots started crawling up his legs.
“No!” Nadia shot him a look of betrayal. “I cannot believe that you would even consider it!”
“A life of comfort…” Ethan mumbled. “My dream life…”
Yes, yes, yes! Zeke’s face contorted into a wide, disgusting smirk. As the thorny vines reached Ethans arms.
“Ethan!” Nadia screeched.
“I-I can’t take it,” Ethan clenched his teeth in pain, as the vines sucked out his energy. “I remember my dad’s words to me! Too many people are relying on me. I need to do this!”
With a loud cry, he ripped his arms from the thorny clutches of Zeke, leaving chunks of his flesh in the thorns, and Ethan grabbed onto the last vine clutching onto Nadia, pulling it off with the last of his strength.
No, no, no! Zeke screeched a wretched screech, and Zeke’s face fell apart into chunks of dirt and plant matter.
“Yes,” Ethan let out a sigh of relief as his vision darkened. “I did it.”
He could have sworn that he felt a pair of warm lips on his forehead before he blacked out.
When Ethan came back to his senses. He was on his bed again. Was it all a dream?
He let out a loose breath and stood up to get to his desk, groaning as he moved his sore body. “Man, what an adventurous dream that was. It seemed so realistic too.”
Grabbing his school supplies and shoving them into his backpack, he thought about his dream. “You know what?” he spoke to himself. “I think I’m going to try and put more effort into my life. Sometimes I’ll definitely need it.”
Just standing there for a moment, Ethan rubbed his forehead. “Weird, my forehead feels warm for some reason. No matter. Mom! I’m ready for school!”
Up, above the clouds, Nadia laughed. “It seems that I was not the only one impacted by the adventure.”
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