The Card Junkie

Luke woke up in a puddle on the ground.

"Luke!"

He rustled himself into wakefulness.

"Luke!"

He peered through the surrounding mist.

"Luke!"

His eyes settled on a ghost-like figure. 'Dad?'

"You will go to the Blabobah system. There you will find yourself a master who will teach you the ways of the cards. I have done all I can to protect you. It is now up to you to continue my legacy…"

"Cool, huh?" A high-pitched voice came off from the right.

"Huh?" A little fairy flittered into view. "Where's my dad?"

The little fairy pointed her finger at him. "Yeah, no. Your dad's dead, little man. But hey."

"Congratulations! You've done well in your escape of death. You avoided a million-year-old prehistoric megalodon, a young Supersquid that found its way through the void, and the explosion that sent you on your way."

"By killing those two beasts at your current level, as well as avoiding death three times during the summoning, you've managed to accrue quite the rewards."

"For each avoidance during your summoning, you gain a token. The first token is memory retention."

"During your second avoidance, you gained a second unique talent."

"For your third avoidance, you gained a wish."

"Think about it! What's your wish?" The young fairy got in his face. Puffing up her breasts she coyly added, "You can take me with you if you want…"

"No." Luke succinctly replied. "I'm in love with someone else. Is it possible to reach Earth from the new realm?"

The fairy frowned. "If you reach the highest levels of strength, make your way through the great void sea, and manage to find your way back, yes, but the maze of worlds separating you can take a lifetime."

"So? What talents do you want?" The fairy insisted, grabbing his shoulder. Dragging him towards a wall, she showed him the list.

The wall showed all the available talents.Towards the top sat the strongest abilities. Ultimate Symbiosis was directly at the top.

As he lowered his eyes through the list, he asked a question. "Will the wish come true, no matter what it is?"

"Yes." The fairy replied. "No matter what,with the laws of causality, using our junction in space/time we at the summoning bureau can attain your wish."

"I see." Luke hesitated.

"I want direct control of everything related to the summoning bureau. …But there's something I want more."

Looking at his wall of memories, he smiled.

"Talent: Unyielding Immortality. As for my wish… Seal the Earth in a field of Space/Time until I return. May nothing change until I resume my post as a denizen of my home world."

The fairy smiled. Even if he had asked for that, she would have shut him down. While she had to abide by his request, it was nothing to kill him first.

"You have one more talent." Pointing at the board, she selected the Unyielding Immortality trait. Several items at the top disappeared.

"Since you had an amazing achievement record on your home planet, you were alotted an enormous number of points, this allowed you to select any of our talents."

"Unfortunately, while you have the opportunity to gain a second talent, you still don't have enough points to have an unlimited selection for your second talent."

Luke Jaywalker looked at the list. There were still some good ones. Looking at the top down, he settled on the lower-ranked version of Ultimate Symbiosis.

"I'll take 'Devour' as my second talent."

"I see." The fairy replied.

Luke didn't respond. He was staring at his memories. At the woman. The one woman his heart desired to be with above all others.

The little fairy was frustrated that her charms hadn't worked. "Aren't you at least going to ask me my name?"

"No."

She harrumphed. Clenching her fists, she replied to the obtuse, standard-height male with flowing golden locks, toned muscles, and a slightly scruffy beard trim.

"In that case, I, Tilia Glabneau of the Summoning Bureau, hereby sentence you to your summoning location: You will be going to the fifth moon of the planet Xilec, formerly known as Moss, within the Blabobah system inside the Insectosidal Galaxy."

"Now," she said, summoning a wave of blue magic behind her, "Begone, ye insolent fiend!"

The magic pushed him into a spacewell proportionally intricate to its length.

"Why didn't he want me?" The fairy muttered as she wiped her eyes.

No matter! This one was going to get his just desserts! First, she'd hijack an unwitting victim. Then, she'd summon him directly to Xilec. Following behind, she'd lead him on a direct revenge path towards the idiot. After enslaving the idiot, she'd make him understand her true powers once and for all!

"Muaahaahaahaahaa!" The fairly let out her most evil laugh.