“Captain, we have arrived at our target, and it seems to be just like what Command described. The anomaly is completely symmetrical, it is an exact copy of our universe…”
What is this thing, thought Captain Coaltaurn Ta’al, This thing that replaced  the other half of the universe with an exact copy of this half. But what if this thing was always here, what if there is no great unexplored part of the universe, what if humanity has reached the end of all exploration? Does our species end here because there is nothing left to do? Does all life become obsolete?
“Captain! We have just received new orders from Command!”
“Stop yelling lieutenant! Put Command on my private viewer.” Coaltaurn walked into his quarters and there she was, yelling her head off as usual.
“Captain Coaltaurn, you will pilot this ship straight into the anomaly, no questions!”
“General Wa’Tear!”, said Coaltaurn but it was too late, Command had already disconnected them from the rest of the universe.
“Well lieutenant, we are going through the anomaly…”
“WHAT! Captain, that is ridiculous!” “Sorry, the orders are straight from command, so take us through…” As his ship passed through the strange mirror anomaly, the Captain couldn’t help but wonder what he was getting his crew into, and if they would ever return…
*****
A little child walked along the cold shore, the same shore he had washed up on, and he still wondered what lie beneath those waters, and why in 20 years, he had not seen a single soul. He could recall screams and fire, and metal, but nothing more of what had happened to him, of why he didn't hunger or thirst, or require anything at all.
But the thing that bothered him most was that he recalled people for the first time that day, and he wondered where all the people that were with him went. The days passed, and those days turned to years, and those years to decades, and those decades to centuries, and still the boy was still a boy. But how could that be? Was time irrelevant here? Did he age outside of this cove that had been his home for centuries by then, or did time not matter to anyone in this universe.
Universe, thought the boy, what is a universe, and how did that word enter my mind?
Suddenly, a rope fell from the high cliffs that had entrapped him there for centuries, and following it was a voice, the voice of a  young man. Why does he want down here? Who is he? Questions raced through the boy’s mind, and anticipation spread through his soul. He realized how lonely the ageless centuries had been for him, and how much he longed for companionship.
His silent plea for someone alongside him was not long withheld, for the man who threw down the rope was suddenly rappelling down the cliff, until his rope snapped. Suddenly he was falling much faster, racing towards a gory death.
The stranger muttered words unintelligible to the boy, and his descent slowed until his feet gently touched the ground. The man stood there grinning like an idiot, screaming,
“I did it! I bested the great cliffs that protect the Eversea! Even when my rope cut!” Still grinning madly, the man collapsed
*****
The man awoke, and saw a boy sitting in front of him. The child spoke in a gruff tone, unbefitting of a small boy.
“You are the biggest baby I have ever had the displeasure of meeting, not that I have ever really met anyone else in all the years I have sat here.”
“Who are you child, to call me a baby? You are but a whelp yourself!”
“Do not address me as though I where a child! I have lived here for many centuries! I am older that your grandfather’s grandfather, even if I don’t look the part!”
“Elf-child!” gasped the strange man, “You must be the child of an Elf! I must take you to Alsmeer at once! The High Elven Council will be very pleased with my actions, and maybe I could spend some time with the beautiful Emrelsa, the Elven King’s daughter! Her heart will be mine someday!”
“You really are a love-stricken idiot, aren’t you?” said the boy, exasperated at the man’s stupidity.
“I am most certainly not!” The man blushed. “I am not in love, or stupid! I will get us out of here now!” The man snapped, and a great wind carried them upward and out of the cove, but as the boy passed over the very edge of the cove, he changed, and suddenly, instead of a boy and himself the mage of the wind was carrying, it was two fully grown men. The new weight was such a surprise to the mage that he almost lost concentration, and his magic failed. The two men fell suddenly, but were flying again, with much grunting from the mage.
*****
Coaltaurn woke with a start. Where was he, why was a man carrying him like a boy, and why were they ten feet above the ground, precariously close to the edge of a cliff!
“Who in the name of Shak are you! And why are we floating, no, FALLING!” exclaimed a very agitated Coaltaurn.
“We are falling because a certain elf-child decided to play tricks on an elder of the Wind Mages Circle! Boy, turn back into a boy at once! It is extremely hard to carry a full grown man at this height.”
“I am Captain Coaltaurn Ta’al of the 47th empire of man, and I am not an elf, whatever that is! Put me down at once!”
“So you are an imposter?! I shall have you thrown in prison for this betrayal! Prison!” and with that, the man dropped Coaltaurn. He landed on his rear with quite a thump.
“Where the Overseer am I” shouted Coaltaurn at the man, but it was too late, he was flying much faster now, and by the time Coaltaurn had regained his breath, the man was out of sight. What am I going to do now? Thought Coaltaurn, I have to get to a nearby settlement, or I’ll surely die. He saw smoke on the horizon, and headed for it.
*****
When Coaltaurn arrived at the smoke, he was greeted with spears and promises of a public execution by guillotine the following morning if he didn't come with them at once. Coaltaurn made no effort to fight back. The men with spears took him to a small house of stone and straw.
Why are these people’s houses not made of industrial grade titanium? Wondered Coaltaurn. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a gruff voice from the darkness of the house.
“I understand that you still think that we are in the Eversea, what you call the universe, but we are most certainly not, but you came from the Eversea, and that is impossible, unless of course you are from this land, W’ylidsak.”
“What?!” exclaimed a still agitated Coaltaurn, “You are trying to tell me that the 47th Empire is in the sea of some screwed up fairytale, and that even though I was born and raised there, that I was born here, and that is why some crazy person was carrying me over the edge of a cliff! I am leaving this mad house and going to find the next transport dock and get off this planet of crazy idiots!”
“You must realize that we can’t just let you walk away and kill yourself, you are our last hope to win The War of Ten Thousand Years, which was destined to last for ten thousand years, and eventually be ended by a great hero from W’ylidsak, who rose from the Sea of Eternity, or the Eversea.” Coaltaurn kept on walking, until spears were put to his neck. He kept walking, even as the spears grew tighter and tighter on his neck, jabbing him, even as they drew blood.
Finally, the Guards’ determination broke, they couldn’t hurt the one man that could end their little war, not if they wanted their children’s lives to be prosperous and long.
“The way I see it Sir, is that you can’t do a thing to me as long as I hold the key to ending this little war of your on this insignificant planet in the middle of nowhere. If you’ll excuse me, I have a transport dock just waiting to be found.”
“The way I see it Sir, is that you don't know a thing about this land, and that you need our help to get back to your own land, so don't disregard us so quickly!” Coaltaurn stopped, and turned around.
He felt bad for these people, and he wanted to help them, but he had to get back to his side of the other side of the anomaly.
He knew that the man was right, what was he going to do? If they didn't have titanium houses, they probably didn't have a transport dock either. And what about food? He was no hunter, his brother had always bested him at the combat games. He needed these people, just as much as they needed him.
“Fine. I’ll help you.”
“Good, you will be taken to one of the four mage academies, you decide which one. Then you’ll be taken to Battle School. You have five days to prepare.”
“That Battle School won’t be necessary Sir, I know my way around a battle.”
“Fine, but you need some rest, you have a long journey ahead of you, and it won't be easy either.”
“I know.”
“One last thing,”
“What?”
“Thank you, you might just keep my three year old daughter from dying a terrible death in war.”
“Who are we fighting anyway?”
“We don't even know what they are, all we know is that they are too powerful for the united races.”
Coaltaurn slowly was marched to a room with a small pallet on the floor. He laid down on the pallet and went to sleep
*****
Coaltaurn woke late on his graduation day from the academy
One more day of rigorous testing, and unbeatable opponents, and then I have done most of my part to help these people, just one more day until I fight Sargosis, and win.
Coaltaurn had prepared himself for the graduation exam, or so he thought.
When he got to the test site, a collection of the deadliest creatures awaited him. Wyverns, Trolls, Elder Dragons! What were they trying to do, kill him?!
As Coaltaurn stepped forward, he could smell rotten flesh on his opponents’ breath. Coaltaurn summoned all of the strength he had, and put it into one word; Hwerv, or fire.
It was fire that came, and such a blazing fire that it disintegrated his enemies in an instant
What was that?! Thought Coaltaurn. “We have a savior among us! The prophecies were true! They said that he would summon fire that could slay fifty demons, and I think that this man has just done quite that!” Shouted the head instructor.
Coaltaurn almost vomited from the odor of burning troll flesh. What am I to have such great power? Thought Coaltaurn. “It is time for battle Sir, you graduate!”
*****
The battleground was covered in gore, and so was Coaltaurn, the last of his battalion standing. Then, a great figure approached.
Coaltaurn Struck first. Hwerv! A great flash of light washed over the battlefield. We have won! I killed the demon king!
Then, the light faded, and the looming body still remained, and as the Demon king approached, he uttered words of destruction, older than both W’ylidsak and The Eternal Sea. Coaltaurn was killed instantly. The prophecies were wrong.
*****
The Demon King’s army swept across the land, obliterating everything, and all was lost forever, or so the Demon King thought.
There was a small boy, fresh from The Eternal Sea. His name was Coaltaurn, and he was here to seek revenge on The Demon King...