Unlimited Power 02 - The Ranger's Domain

 Ryan also woke up pretty relaxed the next day, but things changed when he received a message on his cellphone from Mia.

"Good luck today, love you."

 The headache again… this time, it had been more powerful than before. At that point in time, Ryan couldn't help but worry. Was he sick or something? He was much fitter than most guys, even though he couldn't win against his father in a wrestling match. He was as strong as a bull… so what was happening to him?

"I guess the fact that I am starting to teach kids is making me nervous… it is a pretty important job, after all," Ryan said. "I and many others are responsible for teaching and guiding the next generation."

 After convincing himself that was the case, Ryan didn't feel anything. Not even nervous. He soon arrived at the school where he would be a teacher and where he spent his high school days. Naturally, not a single student recognized him, but some teachers did. After saying hello to everyone he knew, Ryan greeted the ones he didn't know. Since it was the first day of a new year, he wouldn't teach any students, but he had plenty of work to do. Checking the gym, the materials that he would use, and informing the principal what was in need. Although he didn't do what he really wanted to do and that was teach others, Ryan's day passed really fast.

 While Ryan was driving home, for some reason, he felt the need to stop at the police station of the town. He had passed by it many times, but he never stopped or even entered the place. The place felt strangely nostalgic…

"Is there something wrong?" A voice coming from behind Ryan asked.

 When he turned around, he saw a redhead a bit older than him in a police uniform, and she was looking at him with dubious eyes, even though he didn't notice anything weird with her tone. Also, strangely enough, she seemed pretty familiar…

"No, ma'am…" Ryan readily replied since he was fully aware of how suspicious he looked. "I just felt that the police station seemed familiar today."

"Have you come here many times in the past?" The female officer asked.

"Not once in my entire life, and I plan on keeping that way," Ryan said.

"I sure hope so," the redhead officer said. "Well, have a good day."

 After saying that, she left. Ryan wanted to ask if they had met before, but he decided not to do it since that was a common pick-up line, or at least the start of many. Not only was he going to marry Mia, but it was also a bad idea to use those lines on a female officer.

"Something certainly is wrong with me today…" Ryan said and then entered his car.

 Once Ryan returned to his apartment, he took a shower and changed his clothes. Things would start seriously at school from the next day onward, so it was high time to prepare himself. Still, Ryan didn't have the chance to relax even a little bit. Something felt out of place… even though the apartment was the same as usual. In the end, Ryan decided to call his dad and talk about it.

"Hello, son," Ryan's father said. "How was your first day on the job?"

"Pretty normal I guess…" Ryan said. "Hey, dad, have you ever felt a sensation of familiarity in a place that you had never been before?"

"Are you talking about the school?" Ryan's father asked.

"No, I am talking about the police station," Ryan said. "For some reason, the place felt so familiar to me today… and now for some reason as well, I can't relax at home."

"You must be just imagining things due to the nervousness," Ryan's father said. "Just exercise a little and you should feel better. Why don't you use the bow that I gave you to exercise your back and arms? That should do."

"My bow…" Ryan muttered.

 That seemed like a good idea, it has been a while since Ryan used it, but even without firing arrows, he should be able to get some exercise. However, for some odd reason, Ryan couldn't find it…

"Was it stolen or something?" Ryan said. "I am pretty sure I put the bow and the quiver on the back of the closet…"

 As expected, something was wrong with Ryan. Feeling sudden headaches, forgetting where he put certain things, feeling familiar with unknown people in weird places… maybe Ryan should go and do a checkup in the hospital.

 After thinking for a while, Ryan realized that he wasn't the only one weird. His room seemed a bit different than he recalled… Ryan finally noticed… there wasn't a single photograph in his apartment. When he left his parents' house, he took a few with them, but he had others that he obtained in the last four years. One was when he won a bowling tournament. Another one, when he went fishing with Daniel and John last year, and another when he and all his friends went to the beach three years ago. Not even on his cellphone, they could be found.

"Is this... what is that thing called again?" Ryan frowned.

 Ryan knew that word, but it wasn't coming out that easily… that was another thing that made him think that there was something wrong with him, but this time, he didn't become neuroethical over it. He could tell that the answer to all of his problems was right in front of him. He just needed to say that word…

"A dream…" Ryan suddenly said

 As soon as Ryan said that, he recalled everything that happened over the last year, and he also recalled what happened. He had fallen to someone's spell and was put to sleep. Who did that? It didn't matter because he knew the spell wouldn't be broken that easily… the world around him began to shatter like glass, but then Ryan noticed that his mind and body were getting heavy again. As expected, things won't be solved that easily.