The Extra-dimensional Pioneer Of Fiction [Draft]

[Outside Medical Facility]

Arlo settled into the car beside Aria, taking a moment to absorb his surroundings. The interior was a minimalist marvel—soft white seats molded perfectly to his form, faint ambient light emanating from smooth, buttonless panels. It felt more like the cockpit of a spaceship than a vehicle, like something lifted straight out of the futuristic RPGs and high-tech anime he'd binge-watched during sleepless nights.

The vehicle hummed softly, and before he could process what was happening, they lifted smoothly off the ground.

"Wait… we're flying?" Arlo blurted, leaning forward to peer out the window. Below, the vibrant streets of Ataraxis shrank away, bustling crowds and sleek vehicles reduced to a miniature version of the surreal city he'd walked through minutes ago.

The car slid effortlessly into a network of sky-lanes, joining dozens of other hovering vehicles in an organized dance through the air. The lanes shimmered faintly, like invisible highways traced with light, stretching across the floating districts.

"This is… insane," he muttered, trying to absorb the idea. It was one thing to see flying cars in games or anime, but to actually be in one? This is something straight out of Cyberpunk 2077, but… way cooler. No glitches.

He glanced over at Aria, who watched him with mild amusement, as if she'd seen this reaction a thousand times before.

"Miss Hartman," he said, still transfixed by the sights outside, "where am I, exactly? What is this place?"

She didn't miss a beat. "We're currently in Ataraxis," she replied evenly. "One of the ten floating States that make up the Hub."

"The Hub?" he echoed, turning back to her. "Is that the name of this place?"

Aria shook her head, her gaze steady. "Not exactly. The Hub is short for the Extra-dimensional Hub. It's a space beyond any single Multiverses or Universes, existing at the very edge of creation. It's where existence begins and where it ends."

Arlo felt his jaw slacken. "So… you're saying I'm literally at the edge of… everything?"

"Yes," she said with a calm nod. "The Hub is a crossroads where the boundaries of individual Multiverses dissolve. Here, beings, technology, and cultures from countless dimensions coexist."

She gestured out the window, her voice carrying a trace of pride. "Ataraxis is one of Ten States Orbiting the central region of the Hub, creating a vast, interconnected massive metropolis and dimensions. Each State is self-sustaining and unique, but they're all part of the same whole."

Arlo turned back to the window, feeling a strange mix of excitement and apprehension. Outside, the buildings were unlike anything he'd ever seen. Tall spires seemed to stretch endlessly upward, and entire districts floated independently, held in place by a technology he couldn't even begin to understand. Transparent bridges connected these floating areas, and around them, he could see the faint shimmer of some kind of energy field, giving everything a surreal, dreamlike quality.

"So… this is all real?" he asked quietly, still trying to wrap his mind around it. "I'm… not just in another Universe. I'm in the place where Multiverses connect."

"Exactly," Aria replied, her tone steady. "You're at a point where the boundaries between Multiple Multiverses intersect. The Hub is a place where the concept of a single Multiverse is obsolete."

Arlo took a deep breath, leaning back in his seat as he tried to process everything. Just hours ago—or what felt like hours ago—he had been in a bus crash. His last thought had been the panic of knowing he wouldn't make it out alive. Now, he was at the edge of creation itself, surrounded by technology he could barely fathom and a city that seemed to defy every rule he'd ever known.

"This… this isn't where I thought I'd end up," he murmured, half to himself.

As Arlo stared out the window, watching the cityscape blur past them, an unsettling thought kept creeping to the front of his mind. This was all incredible—the floating city, the advanced tech, even the concept of the Hub itself. But it all led to one question he couldn't ignore.

"Miss Hartman…" he began, his voice softer than usual. "What am I? I mean, the last thing I remember…"

He hesitated, forcing himself to continue. "The last thing I remember is dying. That… that bus crash. I know I didn't make it."

Aria was silent for a moment, her gaze steady as she looked at him. "You're correct, Mr. Leeroy. Your physical body no longer exists in your original world."

Arlo's stomach twisted at the confirmation, the finality of it sinking in. He really was dead. Yet, here he was alive, breathing, and somehow existing in this impossible place. "So… if I'm dead, how am I here? Is this… an afterlife?"

"Not quite," Aria replied. "When someone dies, their soul typically enters the natural cycle of reincarnation. In nearly every case 99.999999999% of souls, to be exact this cycle is absolute. They're reborn into new lives, with no memories of the previous one."

Arlo's mind was reeling, trying to grasp what she was saying. "But… I wasn't reincarnated. I'm still… me."

"Correct," Aria continued. "A fraction of souls an impossibly rare 0.000000001% slip through the cracks in that cycle. We don't know why it happens. The System senses these souls, and instead of allowing them to float into the void and disappear, it brings them here to one the many universes across creation. Then, it reconstructs their physical form based on their original identity and essence."

Arlo tried to let that sink in. So he was dead—physically gone from his own world, and yet here, in this bizarre place, he'd somehow been given a second chance. Or maybe it was just a strange twist of fate. "So… I was one of those rare souls, and now… I'm here because the System pulled me out?"

"Yes. When you were pulled here, the System reconstructed your body, integrating you into this realm," Aria replied, her tone steady and matter-of-fact. "It's as if you were never meant to return to your own world or enter the usual reincarnation cycle. Instead, you're here, given a form, and connected to the System."

Arlo leaned back, running a hand through his hair as he tried to digest all of this. He felt like he was trapped in one of those existential sci-fi novels that he'd always found fascinating but distant. Now, it wasn't just a story—this was his reality.

"So… I'm here because of some… glitch?" he asked, half-joking but feeling a tinge of fear at the thought.

Aria's expression didn't change. "Perhaps. Some call it a glitch; others believe it's part of the System's purpose. But no one knows for certain. All we know is that the System takes the souls, for reasons beyond our understanding, and brings them here to the Hub."

He let out a shaky breath, feeling a strange mix of awe and dread. The idea that he was some anomaly, a soul that had slipped through the cracks of reincarnation… it was both humbling and unnerving. What did it mean? Why him, of all people?

Aria studied him carefully, perhaps noticing the turmoil in his expression. "I understand that this is a lot to take in. Most people struggle with it at first."

Arlo nodded slowly, trying to find his voice. "Yeah… yeah, that's one way to put it." He looked out the window, the cityscape suddenly feeling more surreal than ever. If he'd been given a second life no, a different kind of existence what did that mean for him? And what was this System that had pulled him here?

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Arlo took a deep breath, trying to make sense of everything he'd just learned. But one nagging question still hung in his mind.

"What exactly is this 'System' that brought me here?" he asked, looking directly at Aria. "I mean, if it's the thing responsible for pulling me out of… well, death… then what is it?"

Aria's face remained as calm and unreadable as ever. "I don't know."

The flatness of her response made his eyebrow twitch involuntarily. Here he was, pulled out of his own world, floating in a sci-fi city at the edge of existence, and his supposed guide didn't even know what brought him here?

"Really?" he pressed. "No idea at all?"

She maintained her steady, professional gaze. "No one truly knows what the System is. It's simply… there. Some of the First Pioneers, those who arrived in the Hub long before anyone else, say that the System has been here since the very beginning since the formation of the Hub itself."

Arlo's eyes narrowed slightly. "So you're telling me the entire place runs on this… mystery machine, and nobody has figured out where it came from?"

"Correct," Aria replied without a hint of irony. "The System is ancient and powerful. It governs all primary function in the Hub, from transportation, the Very land of the 10 States and Rules or Laws, even determining who enters this realm and why. Many have studied it, but even the brightest minds have come up empty-handed. It exists beyond our understanding, and it never offers answers."

Arlo shook his head, half in disbelief. "So… it's just a giant cosmic question mark that everyone's accepted?"

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes sharp. "Exactly. The System is an enigma, but it's an enigma we depend on. We Pioneers operate within its framework, accepting that there are things we can't explain. Even if it is a mystery, it's our only link to survival here. And to power."

He sighed, the frustration mingling with fascination. Here he was, in a world run by a sentient network or a machine—or maybe something even stranger that no one really understood. And yet everyone here simply lived with it.

It was like he'd stumbled into some twisted version of The Matrix, except there was no Oracle to spell things out for him.

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[Ataraxis: Skyway Lane]

As they traveled through the sky-lanes of Ataraxis, Arlo's mind kept circling back to one word: Pioneer. The term sounded both exciting and ominous, and he felt like he needed to understand what exactly he'd been pulled into.

"So… what exactly is a Pioneer?" he asked, turning to Aria. "What does it actually mean to be one?"

Aria's gaze didn't waver as she replied. "A Pioneer is an individual who accept the System's quest to take on tasks across different worlds, universes, and Multiverse. We're effectively agents of the System, sent to explore, resolve conflicts, gather resources, or carry out specific quests in these dimensions. Think of it like a video game,"

she added, noticing his expression, "where each mission varies in difficulty depending on your experience level and rank."

"Ranks?" Arlo echoed, intrigued. "Like, Pioneer ranks?"

"Yes," Aria confirmed. "Pioneers are ranked from F to EX, with F being the lowest and EX the highest. Your rank determines the types of quests you're allowed to take on and the rewards you receive for completing them. Lower-ranked Pioneers handle smaller, more manageable tasks, but as you advance, the missions increase in complexity and danger. High-ranked Pioneers are often assigned missions that affect entire worlds or reshape entire realms."

Arlo leaned back, trying to process that. "So, F-rank would be like… beginner level stuff, right? Easy missions, low risk?"

"Exactly," she said. "F-rank missions might involve helping a village on a lower-tier world, gathering resources, or assisting locals with simple problems. They're designed to help you get a feel for extra-dimensional travel and to test your abilities under pressure."

"Then I assume as you go up, things get… intense," he said, a hint of nervousness slipping into his tone.

"Correct. At higher ranks, the missions become increasingly demanding. For instance, C-rank missions might involve neutralizing high-level threats or managing complex diplomatic tasks. By the time a Pioneer reaches A-rank or S-rank, they're often dealing with world-altering events—wars, inter-dimensional treaties, or conflicts that involve multiple realms."

Arlo took a breath, wondering just how far he'd be able to go. "So what about EX-rank? What kind of quests do they take?"

Aria's expression turned serious, almost reverent. "EX-rank Pioneers are incredibly rare. They're entrusted with missions that only a handful of people in the Hub can understand or execute. These quests are often shrouded in mystery and involve entities or forces beyond most worlds' understanding. Some of these tasks involve the Hub itself, while others address threats that could destabilize entire multiverses. Few Pioneers ever reach that level."

Arlo's mind raced at the thought. World-shaping, universe-shattering missions tasks that were essentially legendary. It was like something out of an RPG but with the stakes turned up to the max.

"Let me guess," he said with a slight grin, "it takes years to climb through the ranks?"

"Typically, yes. A Pioneer's advancement depends on both their skill and experience. You'll earn experience points for each completed mission, and the System will evaluate your progress periodically. Your rank can increase after you meet certain thresholds and prove yourself ready for more demanding challenges."

Arlo couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement. He was no stranger to grinding his way up levels in games, but this was on a whole new level one that involved real worlds and real consequences. "So, I'm basically a low-level Pioneer with a long road ahead."

"Exactly. But you're not alone," Aria added. "There are communities of Pioneers at each level, and part of your orientation will be connecting with others in your rank. Many quests are best handled as a team, and cooperation is often encouraged."

They traveled in silence for a few minutes, Arlo still processing everything. His eyes drifted to the window as they neared the city's core, taking in the spectacular view. Ataraxis was magnificent, stretching in every direction with towers of glass and metal that shimmered under the city's radiant lights. Hovercraft zipped around, following unseen paths in the sky, and neon-lit pathways weaved between the buildings, creating an intricate network of light.

The sight reminded him of scenes from Star Wars, but even better—like if Coruscant had somehow met all his expectations. The city's design was sleek and advanced, blending natural beauty with futuristic engineering. It was a world of floating skyscrapers, illuminated bridges, and sprawling parks suspended on platforms high above the ground. The skyline was so captivating that it almost felt alive, pulsing with energy and a sense of endless possibility.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Aria's voice interrupted his thoughts, softer than before.

"Yeah," he replied, nodding slowly. "It's like living inside a sci-fi dream, but… I don't know. It's something else. This place it feels like it's beyond anything I could've imagined."

She looked out the window as well, a faint glimmer of something—pride, perhaps—in her eyes. "Ataraxis is just one part of the Hub. There's more out there than even a Seasoned Pioneer has seen. And if you do well, you'll get the chance to explore it all."

Arlo nodded, his mind a mix of anticipation and unease. The System, the Hub, this city on the edge of existencent all felt like the beginning of a journey he couldn't fully grasp, but one he felt compelled to follow.