Less Than a Hero, More Than a Gamer

Chapter 1

*Edited 9/28/2020*

It was a chilly September night, remarkably so for the time of year. Windows were fogged up far as the eye could see. And a layer of dew, so thin that it was nearly invisible, laid on the ground.

The local news had predicted a heavy fog rolling in the area, driving most people inside, save for some beggars on the street and a scant few people working the night shift.

Few places in the area could be considered busy by any stretch of the word, save for the lone bus station in town.

The people inside stayed to themselves, many being too tired from their jobs or too socially awkward to socialize. The same applied to the people outside the station, all three of them.

Two were common beggars dressed in rags. It was unsurprising that they would be outside. However the third looked very out of place, standing a good distance away from the station. It was a teenage boy, dressed in a loose looking jacket that covered most of his face. He leaned against a light post and tapped his foot impatiently.

One would think that someone with common sense, even a teenager, would try their best to get out of the cold, which the boy did at first. But certain...choices made by the bus station workers forced him outside.

'I'd rather freeze than listen to the shit those morons call music for another second.' It was a really petty reason to stand outside in the cold, but it was more than enough in the boy's mind.

The boy shivered and crossed his arms tighter, 'Dammit. Why's this stupid bus takin' so long?' It should've been there five minutes ago. He may have chosen to stay out in the cold, but doing so was choosing the lesser of two evils. However, as the fog began to roll in and the moon rose higher, the boy began to regret his decision.

'Screw it, I'm going back inside. Maybe I can swipe some earplugs or something.' the boy turned around and walked back to the station. But the very second his fingers grazed the door he heard the sound of skidding tires and screeching metal. The bus had shown up, 'Better late than never.' the boy thought.

People began pouring out of the station in droves. To say that they were in a hurry would be an understatement. The boy slowly blended his way into the crowd, clumsily weaving his way to the bus.

He stepped inside the door and fished a few coins out of his pocket. He started to place them in the machine but for some odd reason found himself completely frozen in place.

Boy…Offer….Existence…..Fate

'What the-'

"Hey, brat!"

The boy turned around to see a small crowd of people behind him with anger on their faces, "Get a move on! The rest of us have places to be!" said a man near the front.

The boy silently complied, taking a seat close to the back door. As the bus pulled off the boy's face turned pensive.

'That voice, what the hell was that? Is it someone on here? Naw, it couldn't be. It didn't even sound like a real person now that I think about it. Am I hallucinating or something?

The boy sat close to the door just in case something happened. Normally he would've sat somewhere near the back, but his…episode in front of the bus hallucination made him feel uneasy.

As time went on, the boy's breath became labored and erratic. He shivered in his seat despite the bus being fairly warm and there was a pounding feeling in his chest, similar to a heartbeat but different.

Slowly the pounding grew stronger, and stronger, and stronger until everything just...stopped

For some inexplicable reason, everything suddenly ground to a halt. It was like the universe hit the pause button on everything…everything except for the boy.

"What the fuck…" The boy muttered. He was finally dozing off when suddenly he felt the bus stop. He got out of his seat, thinking they had arrived at their destination, but instantly felt that something was off.

The bus was still on the freeway but wasn't moving an inch. Neither were any other cars. The boy also saw a flock of birds high in the sky frozen mid-flap. The boy looked at his fellow passengers out of curiosity.

They too were frozen, he couldn't even see them breathe!

'Is this some kind of dream…or maybe a nightmare? This is way too freaky to be real.'

DEPENDS ON YOUR DEFINITION OF FREAKY, KID

"What the-!" A loud voice traveled throughout the bus, startling the boy. He looked around to see if anyone had unfrozen to no avail, they were still living statues.

"Yep, definitely a dream." Why else would he be hearing voices while the entire world was on pause?

AFRAID NOT BUD, EVERYTHING YOU'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW IS REAL.

"Sure, sure, it's totally natural for the world to freeze up for no reason," the boy rolled his eyes, "Cut the crap already and go away, I'm not in the mood to hear any disembodied voices today."

YOU ARE A VERY RUDE KID YOU KNOW.

Whoosh*

The boy felt a cold, bitter wind push him back until he bumped into something. He turned around to see what he crashed into but was faced with a blue cloud of smoke.

Then the boy felt a cold hand place itself on his shoulder and spin him around. Another cloud of smoke, but for a fraction of a second, the boy saw what appeared to be a glowing shoulder.

A light tap on his back. The boy swung his fist trying to hit…whatever was messing with him but, yet again, only saw a cloud of smoke.

STILL THINK I'M NOT REAL?

Before the boy could retort a bright light caused him to shield his eyes. Once it faded the boy looked up to see a glowing fist sailing toward him. He tried to smack it away, but it turned into smoke right before it connected.

DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION NOW, BOY?

The boy hesitated for a moment before nodding. It would be smart to humor the voice for now and let the dream run its course.

GOOD. NOT THAT YOU'VE DECIDED LISTENING TO REASON, I THINK IT'S HIGH TIME WE DISCUSS YOUR FATE.

"My...fate?"

YES, YOUR FATE. YOU SEE FATE IS WHAT-

"I know what fate is, jackass."

SO YOU AREN'T COMPLETELY BRAINLESS. IM GLAD TO HEAR YOU AREN'T LIKE YOUR MONKEY ANCESTORS, SERIOUSLY THOSE GUYS WERE DUMB. DID YOU KNOW THAT-

"Can you quit yapping about monkeys already! Didn't you come here to talk about my fate or some crap?"

OH YEAH…THAT. WELL LOOKING AT ALL THE FACTS, IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT YOU HAVE A PRETTY BAD FATE IN STORE FOR YOU.

'Tell me something I don't know.' He knew he would run out of places to run, eventually. Eventually, they would catch up with him and it would be game over.

YOU LIVE A SAD, FEEBLE EXISTENCE, RUNNING LIKE A COWARD. AND THIS COWARDICE WILL BE YOUR UNDOING

"What about it?"

WHAT IF I WERE TO SAY THERE IS A WAY TO ESCAPE YOUR FATE, TO START ANEW WITH A CLEAN SLATE

"I would say that you were an idiot." the boy had already thought of ways to start a new life. Hell, he even debated the pros and cons of moving to Mexico not too long ago. But every idea he came up with was either impossible or stupid.

OH, THERE IS A WAY, I PROMISE. BUT IT WILL REQUIRE YOU TO GIVE UP YOUR CURRENT LIFE IN EXCHANGE FOR ANOTHER

"Wait are you…Oh, hell no! I'm desperate, but not desperate enough to off myself!"

IT WOULD BE TROUBLING IF YOU WERE THAT DESPERATE. I DO NOT MEAN FOR YOU TO COMMIT SOMETHING AS…TRIVAL AS SUICIDE, BUT TO ACCEPT SOMETHING GREATER THAN YOURSELF

"What-"

I HAVE AN OFFER FOR YOU, BUT THIS ISN'T THE TIME OR PLACE FOR IT. I'LL GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU LATER, ADIOS!

The world unfroze the moment the voice left. The bus resumed its journey along the freeway, the people moved and chatted as if they weren't just frozen in time. Everything was at peace once again…well, almost everything.

The boy stood in the middle of the bus with an empty stare.

"It was real…"

"Hey kid, Sit back down!" the bus driver barked at the teen who quickly complied, still in a daze.

The boy had concluded his ride about an hour ago and was currently walking through a small town with his brow wrinkled in distress. He was still thinking about the voice, or more specifically its offer

'Another life…a clean slate. Ha! I wish…' He would be lying if he said the Voice's offer didn't sound temping. A clean slate would be nice, incredible even. But the boy didn't have much reason to think it was even real, much less accept any offers.

'Maybe I'm just going crazy…' the boy tried to convince himself, but his gut told him otherwise. Time had actually stopped or at least had been slowed down. It honestly hurt to think about.

It had taken a few seconds for the bus driver to notice he was out of his seat, meaning that no time (or at least very little time) had passed during his talk with the voice, even though roughly a minute had passed during his talk with the supernatural being.

BaDum*

The boy hissed as the intense pounding in his chest returned, albeit weaker than before.

"Maybe I'm just hungry," he hoped. He pulled out his (stolen) phone to look for a decent restaurant.

Luckily there was a motel nearby that was next to a well-rated pizzeria. The boy immediately ordered a room, using what meager funds he had to reserve it for a night.

He bolted to the bathroom to wash up once he got inside. He threw off his jacket, unobscuring his face. The boy looked into the mirror. A pair of slanted gray eyes and a mop of brown hair stared back at him. Dark bags covered his face, betraying the boy's lack of sleep.

After showering the boy flopped on his bed and tried to fall asleep to no avail. Groaning he turned on the old TV in his room, trying to be interested in what was on the screen….he lasted three minutes before shutting it off

"*Groan* This is gonna be a long night…"

PING*

The boy heard a message tone come from "his" phone but didn't look at it. The message definitely wasn't meant for him, so there was no point in taking a look.

PING*

PING*

PING*

PING*

'Whoever is texting this guy really needs to chill.' The boy thought, before quickly shutting the phone off and laying back down.

PING*

'What the fuck?' The boy snatched "his" phone off the shelf.

From Unknown: Thinkin' about my offer

From Unknown: Kid?

From Unknown: Kiiiidd?

From Unknown: KID!?

From Unknown: It's rude to ignore someone, ya know

From Unknown: Dick move kid

From JEiCEON: That offer of yours…what's the catch?

From Unknown: So now you decide to answer…too ya long enough

From JEiCEON: What. Is. The. Catch?

From Unknown: Before I answer that, can I ask you something?

From JEiCEON: Shoot

From Unknown: Have you ever heard of a place named Remnant?

From JEiCEON: No, should I?

From Unknown: The opposite actually, It would be a little less entertaining if you did.

From Unknown: As for the catch…well, the place I'm sending you isn't particularly safe…but then again neither is your world.

From Unknown: The difference is that you have to potential to fight back. To grow strong in a new world, a new life.

From Unknown: So…Do you accept

From JEiCEON: …

From JEiCEON: …

From JEiCEON: …Yes

From Unknown: Very well, the deal has been sealed. May your fate be an exciting one, kid.

I APOLOGIZE FOR THE PAIN BUT DO NOT WORRY, IT WILL BE OVER IN A MINUTE.

"What does that me-Urgh!" the boy was interrupted by an invisible force knocking the air out of his lungs. The dull aching in his chest blossomed into mind-numbing pain as if a spike were slowly being driven into his heart. He rolled off the bed and doubled over wheezing, making strangled gasps for help.

TWO LIVING BODIES CANNOT POSSESS THE SAME SOUL, AND I CANNOT SIMPLY PULL YOUR SOUL OUT OF YOUR CURRENT BODY INTO YOUR NEXT ONE.

The boy barely registered the higher being's words, pleading for someone, anyone to come help. But no one heard him. He tried to balance on his arms to crawl to the door but felt his left arm go numb before he could get even an inch off the floor. The boy's vision darkened and his mind was slipping away. But with the last remaining spark of will in his body, the boy slowly inched himself to the door.

DO NOT FRET OVER YOUR APPEARANCE, IT WILL STAY SIMILAR TO YOUR CURRENT FORM. BUT DO NOT BE TO SURPRISED AT ANY…ALTERATIONS.

It was so close! Less than a foot away. He reached out with his free hand, just a little further! But the moment he felt his fingertips graze the wood his body went slack, and his heaving chest went still.

And with one final gasp, the boy died.

The police would break into the boy's room the next morning, handcuffs at the ready, only to see their perp laying on the ground dead with a hand reaching for the door.

The boy's cause of death wasn't discovered to be a heart attack or from an illness, or even a strange outside cause. It would remain a mystery that perplexed the police and doctors for months. But eventually, the case and the boy behind it were forgotten, scattered in the sands of time.

The boy felt himself floating, drifting in and out of sleep. He felt raging winds batter his body and vaguely sensed himself moving forward in a void of black. Every so often, during the all-too-few moments he could open his eyes, he could see a white streak pass by, faster than he could comprehend in his addled state.

The steaks began to grow in number. First two, then four, eight, twenty, a hundred, a thousand, a million!

Eventually, they all started to blend together, an immeasurable number of specters flying past him in a spiral of color.

And yet their numbers still grew.

It was far too much for the boy's ephemeral mind to handle, making him lose the little consciousness he had left and blinding him from the rest of his journey.

Do you think it will realize it? The path it has chosen to walk?

No.

So you think it will fail? That it will stumble to its ruin?

No.

I see...

The boy's eyes fluttered open, vaguely consciousness but out of focus. His skin and bones felt numb, and his mind was clouded yet whole, for better or worse. He groaned as an ear-splitting migraine blossomed and quickly sputtered out. Definitely for the worse.

What the heck happened to him, and why did his body feel so weird?

Slowly but surely the numbness left his body, and the cloudiness blanketing his mind faded little by little. His vision was the first thing to return.

'Why is everything so...bright...? It looks like...night...or does it?'

Second came smell, more vibrant than ever. Then came his hearing, so intense that it nearly made him scream before adjusting to the world. Taste was the next to return, bitter yet sweet. Finally came touch, which had brought with it the rest of his mind.

He was resting on concrete against a brick wall, a familiar sensation. It felt like something...extra was attached to the base of his spine, as well as his head. Just what in the world happene-

That voice!

The boy slowly forced himself to sit up, despite his strangely roaring muscles and aching head. He shook his head as he prepared to get up, but noticed a mirror laying in his lap which showed a bizarre sight, to say the least. Curiosity overtook him and he grabbed the mirror.

He dropped it seconds later.

The boy's messy brown hair had turned silver and grew in length. His canines had gotten slightly sharper. A second pair of canine ears jutted out of his skill, blending perfectly with his shaggy hair.

He picked the mirror back up, again and again, waiting for it to reveal that he was just hallucinating to no avail.

The boy's head was spinning. The mirror fell from his hands during his confusion, tumbling to the ground causing the glass to split off into shards. From the shards came light, and from that light came a panel, glowing sliver with two sentences. Two sentences that would change the boy's life

'What the hell!?'

[Welcome to Remnant, Maxwell Argentum]

[We hope you Stick Around]