1: the adventure begins

He woke up that morning in the Kingdom of Doom.

What was the point of calling it that? he thought to himself. It was not exactly a reassuring name, and being reassured was exactly what he needed. For last Friday he had found himself taken from his home, put aboard a spaceship, and taken to an alien planet called the Kingdom of Doom (planet? asteroid? moon? he had no idea, but it was an object floating in space). He hoped his mother wasn't fretting over him. She was a kind mother while he was living at home on Earth. She was one of the people who made his life there manageable and fun. I shouldn't worry. She'll get over it eventually. I really should send her a letter, though.

Say what you will about the Kingdom of Doom, it had comfortable beds. He didn't want to get up just now, although the alarm clock was ringing. The alarm clocks in the Kingdom of Doom were something he could get used to. Unlike the ones on Earth, that made a harsh noise painful to the ears, this one made a soft, yet powerful beat. With every beat of the alarm clock's ringer, it jostled him from ever trying to fall asleep. Eventually he gave in, and with a sweep of his hand, threw off the covers and stood up to the side of the bed.

He had been given a comfortable room. It was everything he should have expected from a lodging. There was a mirror in which he could look at his reflection, a dresser in which he could store his clothes, a soft carpet to lie on, and while the room was not incredibly big, it wasn't a tiny closet or a miniscule room. It was rather cozy. He was exhausted, of course, but he was not the type of person to sleep in. He was the type of person to get things done. And although he was not exactly sure at the time where he was, he knew somewhere in the back of his head that there was work to be done. What had he done the previous night? How had he gotten here? Where was he?

It came back to him then. Greto, the scruffy man who had first picked him up from his front yard last Friday night to take him to the Kingdom of Doom, had let him here. Where was here? The Academy of Doom. At eleven o' clock the previous night, while the boy was bleary-eyed and wanting nothing more than to find a comfortable bed on which to lie down on, Greto had led him to the gates of this institute. Greto told him that this school only accepts truly unique people, people who could really amount to something in the grand scheme of things. People from many different planets who were creative, curious, adventurous, and intelligent were accepted to the Academy of Doom. He remembered thinking I suppose I can't debate that. He was unique, unlike every other person he had ever met. He could see why he was accepted to this school in a the far reaches of the galaxy.

Then Greto had led him through a maze of twisting corridors to get to his dormitory. They hadn't walked in through the front entrance, he recalled. They had entered through a side door somewhere in the wall of the building. But then he realized he had no recollection of the route that the two had took throughout the academy to get to his dorm. He just remembered plopping down on the bed and instantly going to sleep, with Greto closing the door behind him and leaving him alone. And now he was awake in the room, and he had no idea what to do now.

Hopefully Greto would show up and tell him what he was supposed to do. He didn't know if he was supposed to go to classes here or something, as it was, after all, a school that he was planning to attend. He was very confused about the entire situation. And to make it worse, he was millions of miles away from his home on a completely alien planet.

The thing that really confused him, though, was the fact that he had seen nothing but english speaking humans here. All of his thoughts and ponderings about aliens back on planet earth told him that of course aliens weren't humans, they would have evolved completely differently. And without a doubt, the language of the universe was not English. But how, how was everyone on this faraway land a human? He made a mental note to ask Greto later.

On Earth, he had spent many a day thinking, pondering, and wondering about existance. He was not an especially social person. He was not the type to have a vast amount of friends to talk to whenever he needed some company. He was a solitary boy that had some great, great ideas. That was what happened when you spent your time thinking, you realized something. Although, since the last Friday, he had thought that he had gotten nowhere, but he hadn't. In fact, what Greto told him the night that he came to the boy's house, was that he had came up with some truly magnificent things in his thinking times. The boy was shocked to learn that he knew more than most human beings on Earth.

Of course, it was immediately obvious that he was light years ahead of his peers. They were still battling girl trouble, sports, test scores, and other meaningless issues that he had not the slightest concern for. He was more intelligent than them. But to have discovered more than anyone else in human history? To truly be one of the most special people on the planet? To meet alien contact? It was unforeseen. Yet the last few days had been the most interesting experience of his life.

He had not hated being on Earth, nor had he loved it. For the first decade of his life, he had never realized that there was anything wrong with living this way. It was peaceful and carefree. He loved being intelligent! He excelled in math, science, and the arts, never have to worry about falling behind in everything. He grasped concepts much quicker than the rest of the class, and he remembered sitting in lesson after lesson, waiting patiently for the teacher to explain something that he already fully understood. He used that time to think, to ponder. And it was worth it. Now, because of this, he was at this academy on a faraway planet, having a bit of an adventure already.

He walked over to the mirror on the wall, and stopped to look at his reflection. His hair was rumpled, and he had a large red blotch on his face from sleeping with his head on his arm. A yellow button-down shirt and kakhi pants were already on his body. When he got to the dorm late the previous night, he had no energy to change into pajamas, and just lay down in his clothes. He squinted a little, and realized that he still needed to put on his glasses, which he had left by the bedside table in his new room. As he put them on, he fully admired his reflection.

Never very tall, and not the most thin, he was a somewhat stout figure. He had a large, plump face that his thick round glasses gripped tightly, with normally neat blond hair that was now askew from sleeping. While normally he would have gotten picked on at his school, he supposed the reason he had for the most part avoided bullies was the way he carried himself. His manner was somewhat pompous, as if he had a purpose in life, a purpose he had to do sometime soon. He held his head high at all times, which made him look not as short as he actually was. Looking weak was something that made it easy for bullies to pick on you, and he was a strong boy in manner. While he would never be considered the most handsome person, this was him. The Young and Awesome Edward the Brave.

He had given himself the name so that he would stand out from the crowd. Not that he needed the help of course. But his given name, Edward did not suit him well. It was a normal name. A simple name. A name that he shared with hundreds of people on the planet Earth. Edward was so basic, how was he to distinguish himself from the other Edwards all over the world? He prevented this problem by giving himself a title. But was it really necessary now? If he was to believe what Greto had said, everyone here was like this, unique and brilliant like himself. Just Edward would suffice on this alien planet, at least for now. Perhaps when he acquired more of a reputation at this school, he would don his old guise.

It was several more minutes before Greto came in, precariously carrying a breakfast tray in one hand as he pushed open the door to Edward's dorm. "Hey, um, can you give me a hand here, Young and Awesome Edward the Brave?" he said, as a pitcher of milk slid several inches, forcing him to catch it with one hand and hold the door open with his leg. "Yes, I can," Edward said, as he got up and walked over to the entryway. "And that name won't be necessary, Greto. I have decided to abandon my title." Greto laughed a nervous laugh, while trying to steady the food items on the tray perched on his arm. "That's great. I was getting tired of calling you that." Edward extended his hands, and Greto started to transfer the platter to Edward's hands, spilling a crossiant on the floor. "It's just that," said Edward, as he grabbed the food tray and placed it on the bed. "I have decided that my title is no longer necessary."

Greto nodded. "I brought you some food, as you can see." But the boy was already digging into a scone, hardly bothering with manners at all.

"Well then," Greto laughed. "So..." how are you liking your stay in the Kingdom of Doom so far?"

Between mouthfuls, Edward found an answer. "It's great, yes. Why do they call it that?" Greto shrugged. The man was tall, and unshaven with a faded gray shirt and jeans. His hair hung all over the place, not at all well-groomed. At first he was not someone that Edward trusted, but he quickly realized that Greto was looking out for Edward's best interests and that he should consider what Greto said.

"But, anyway, Edward," he started. "Tomorrow's your first day here. I... I think I should be showing you around. But first you need to eat your breakfast, of course." When Edward didn't respond, Greto continued with his little speech. "The school is huge. It's way bigger than what you're probably used to. And believe me, the work is intense. You need to be shown around a little before you start out here. But, relax. I'll help you out. I know you're new, but you should fit in great."

Edward was still chowing down whole pastries.

"You know, I think I might help myself to one of these scones..."

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