No one knew for sure what caused the wave of light that appeared in the center of the Atlantic Ocean, stretching from the North Pole to the South, and proceeded to sweep west until it had completely rounded the planet’s surface and returned to where it began. In the aftermath, some would say that it was a natural phenomenon, others that it was a literal act of God, or of aliens, or even the result of some strange magic. Before the wave hit that last explanation would have been laughed at, but considering the effect that it had, it wasn’t something that could be entirely ruled out.
When the wave hit, everyone it touched was changed, and strikingly so – they became creatures that might have stepped right out of a fantasy novel or game. Inside or outside, awake or asleep, there was no hiding from it; when the purple light touched you, you instantly were transformed from an ordinary human into something else, elf, dwarf, orc, or one of any number of creatures. There were even reports of more dramatic transformations into demons, dragons or the like, though these seemed to be rare and none were yet confirmed. Some people seemed to remain human but were nonetheless changed into fantasy archetypes such as barbarians, mages, or knights. If there was any rhyme or reason to how the changes played out it hadn’t yet been determined, save that types of change seemed to run in families, so that if you became, for example, a dwarf, all of your blood relatives probably would as well. In about a third of cases, even gender was changed. In any case, your clothes and possessions all seemed to change with you, becoming something appropriate for your new form and life.
James didn’t know anything about the “fantasy wave” when he woke up that morning; he was a pretty typical college junior and certainly never expected that the world would change so radically on him. But when he pulled up the news on his computer he thought he was seeing some sort of elaborate prank; the website was overflowing with stories, some panicked, some excited, regarding what was happening. Confused, sure that it was some sort of hoax, he pulled up a video and watched a reporter on the east coast enveloped by the implacable wall of violet light, in the process going from a rather ordinary looking middle-aged man to a busty elf woman in a rather revealing gown.
James closed the video and sat back in his chair. It seemed so unbelievable, but even so he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was too elaborate to be a hoax, that somehow, it had to be real. After a bit of searching he found a site that was tracking the wave, which was advancing at a steady pace, and saw the approximate time it was supposed to hit the town where his college was located. Well, he thought to himself, then we’ll see if it’s true.
A few hours later James waited outside on the grassy knoll near the center of campus, along with a bunch of other curious sorts. Other people had fled, trying to get out before the wave arrived, though if the speculation that it was rounding the whole world were true, James didn’t think much of their chances. He’d take his chances with the purple light, and he wasn’t the only one.
Then it appeared, a flickering wall of light in the distance that slowly advanced, glowing brighter and brighter as it enveloped the university buildings. Finally, it reached the knoll and passed over James. He felt a cold sensation fill his body, and then he began to transform, into…