Kalmar Escapade: Reincarnated in Another World's Scandinavia

Chapter 1: An Explosive Exit

Welcome to Kalmar Escapade!

This is my first actual venture into writing a story. I have been dipping my toes in world building with one of my friends, but I never got around to actually writing something with my ideas. This changes now. I have seen many stories where modern countries encounter fantasy worlds, with them being shocked by the power of our technology, and us being shocked by their magic. But what if the fantasy world got a taste of what modern magic can do? Something not supported by primitive elemental theory and spirits letting you borrow power at their mercy, but based on the laws of the world and built by many years of scientific exploits instead.

Though that comes later, as most events will revolve around a similar world to our own in a near future, yet one where the practice of magic and technology are one in the same.

Then there is our 30-something Danish astronaut friend being shoved face first into another world, leaving him... or should I say her, missing something most men would consider rather important.

oops :P

___---___

<<All systems nominal. T-50 seconds to launch.>>

A young man adjusts himself in his seat, preparing for takeoff into space.

I am currently sitting in the first EU-built rocket to take humans into space. I never really expected I would take this specific career choice, and if you told the younger me from back in Gymnasium that I would become an astronaut, I would probably have laughed in your face and called you a moron. But, well, here we are.

Frederik Mogensen, about to become one of the youngest astronauts ever flown into space at the age of 25, used to be rather unremarkable. One of many Danish gymnasium students who indulged in large amounts of alcohol with his friends, and wasted so much time procrastinating that it affected his academic performance. While he did have more talent than the average bloke, he simply used it so that he could stop worrying about school and focus entirely on his hobbies, to the annoyance of his teachers.

He was a genius, and still is. In terms of intelligence measured with IQ tests, he is part of the top 10% smartest people in Denmark. Not only that, but he is very quick to figure out how something works. Though, unfortunately, he would rather waste that talent on his gaming escapades. His actual work in school was mostly done at the last minute, and to the massive annoyance of his educators, it was decent enough. Even if he did occasionally underestimate a project and end up turning it in late.

<<9... 8... 7...>>

However, this lazy lifestyle would not last. One fateful early summer day, while he had stayed home due to an unfortunately timed sickness, his classmates were driving through the Norwegian mountains in a tourist bus on their class trip to see the Norwegian mountains. It was a trip that everyone had been looking forward to, and paid for as well. Everyone in the class who went on the trip paid 2000 kroner for it. Luckily, he did manage to get a refund, since he would be staying home anyway.

I was rather bummed out that I missed that trip, but what came after changed my life. Not the refund, but something much, much worse than that. So bad that it even made me consider the sickness as a stroke of luck, heh.

That day, an accident was plastered across every news site in the otherwise peaceful Scandinavian internet. "19 people killed in a road accident; tourist bus flung off the side of a cliff."

Just like that, most of the people Frederik considered friends were gone in an instant. All because of a single drunk truck driver.

Everyone was talking about it. The news, older people, parents, especially all the other classes. Sure as hell sucked to be the only person left in my class, what, with the two teachers that went with them gone as well. That was a giant fucking shitshow.