Prologue
‘Taking boss aggro… Sillylime, get ready to interrupt his cast.’ Alterain’s voice sounded over VocalTeam, the voice chatting client they used. Yuna’s heart was in his throat as his finger hovered over the button he needed to press soon.
‘Nice. Good job. Getting close now guys, only 20 percent left. Keep it up.’ Alterain was the guild leader of their guild, Smiles of the Fierce, and was doing a good job directing the group to victory. He was also the Main Tank, meaning he was responsible for keeping the boss’ attention and directing all of its damage to him.
For the past three months they had been grinding away in Fantasy War Online EDIT: CHANGE GAME NAME, an MMORPG. It had been released nineteen years ago, in 2022. Shortly after its release it had grown into the enormous worldwide phenomenon. During its golden years it had a playerbase of 180 million, making it not only the biggest MMORPG in the world but also the most played game of all time. Despite its age it currently boasted a massive sixty-million concurrent players, while being less than half of its peak, it was still the biggest game in the industry.
And now Smiles of the Fierce was facing down against one of the hardest boss-fights in the game: The Forsaken Hydras. They were competing with another guild, Tainted Chaos who held the world first title for the previous three bosses. If they didn’t kill this boss tonight, Tainted Chaos would surely beat them to the world first title.
‘Bulletblaze, make sure you CC that add when it spawns.’
‘Uh-huh.’
The voice chat became eerily quiet. Where there was some small banter here and there before, everyone was now focused on their one goal: to kill the boss. Suspense grew with each percent removed from the boss’ health bar. Everyone afraid of making even the simplest mistake, as that could completely wipe them, meaning they would have to restart the boss-fight from the beginning.
Yuna’s hands started shaking as they hit the 10 percent…
5 percent…
2 percent…
Yuna’s heart was beating so aggressively, it felt like his chest was about to explode.
1 percent…
They did it.
The boss was beaten. The once quiet voice chat now booming with loud cheers and clapping of the twenty-five excited players. Loot got distributed, and soon after many went offline. Most of their members were just regular people with full-time jobs. They had to get up early for work the next day.
Yuna stretched as he sat back, letting out a slight sigh he traced his hand across the side of his coat, hanging from the backrest of his chair. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and looked inside. ‘Fuck… I’m out again… Speak in a bit guys, I’m gonna get some more cigs.’
Walking down the street Yuna found himself smiling. They finally killed that boss they were struggling on for so many weeks. And he even got an piece of loot, which isn’t guaranteed as the boss only drops four to five pieces for a group of twenty-five players. He actually got a weapon, which is one of the biggest upgrades he could get for his character. As he approached the crosswalk he quickly glanced around to check for cars. There were never any cars around at this time of night. And tonight proved no different. He quickly went in and out of the shop. Lighting up a well deserved cigarette as he stepped outside, he started making his way back, thinking about the next step to take to progress in the game.
A loud honk startled him as he snapped his head to the side. He was looking directly at two giant headlights belonging to a large truck, which was quickly making its way towards him. The headlights were so bright they blinded him. His mind was racing, trying its hardest to figure out what to do, where to go. Should he make a run for the pavement? No, no time. Step to the side maybe? That wouldn’t cover enough distance. His breathing became rapid and shallow. Fuck. It was already too late. The truck showed no signs of stopping and he would never be able to move fast enough to get out of its way. He instinctively braced himself for impact as he looked directly into the light…
Nothing… Not even a small bump. And the lights had disappeared.
As his eyes adjusted themselves he found himself in a strange hallway. The walls, floor and ceiling were snow white with no trace of corners anywhere. The walls were lined with doors, each door different from the others. A wooden one here, a steel one there, some even seemed to be made out of materials he had never even heard of before. Behind him, the hallway looked to go on infinitely. In front of him it came to an end. A single wooden door stood there. Compelled to find out where he was, he made his way to this door. With his heart beating in his throat he put his hand on the doorknob and twisted it. With a deep breath he opened the door. It opened into an elegant office. The walls were lined with bookcases and in the middle, on a large rug, stood a dark wooden desk. With behind it a middle aged man smoking a cigar. Though there were no windows or candles, the room was perfectly illuminated. The man was arched over some paperwork in front of him, scribbling something here and there. As soon as Yuna stepped inside the man looked up, right at him.
‘Welcome Yuna. Please, come in.’ He hesitantly made his way further into the room, the door closed behind him, seemingly on its own. ‘Cigarette?’ the man asked as he held out a small pack to Yuna. ‘No? That’s alright. Have a seat,’ he gestured at the large leather chair in front of him.
‘Do you know why you are here?’ the man asked.
‘I have an idea. But I’m not sure.’ A chill ran down Yuna’s back as he thought about what happened right before he found himself in this strange place.
‘Oh? Tell me,’ the man seemed genuinely interested.
‘I would assume I’m dead.’
The man laughed quietly. ‘You assume correctly. But there is more to it than that. Allow me to explain.’ He poured himself a drink of what seemed like whiskey and looked askingly at Yuna, who shook his head.
‘I’m sure you are well aware that every living creature must die at some point in time. This point in time is generally set in stone for everyone, however sometimes… accidents happen. The universe makes a mistake, and someone dies when they aren’t supposed to.’
Yuna shifted in his chair uneasily. ‘Is that what happened to me?’
The man nodded while taking a sip of his drink. ‘And why does it matter when someone accidentally dies sooner than they’re supposed to? That, is a good question!’ the man paused as he pressed his cigar into the ashtray, ‘there are many more worlds out there besides yours. And some of these worlds need some… assistance. Which is where I come in. I keep tabs on those who die before they’re meant to and pick out those who would be more useful in a different world. You are one such individual.’ Yuna couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This was the first time someone told him that outside of video games.
‘In fact I have just the place for you. However, it is not my decision whether you go there or not,’ the man continued.
‘What do you mean?’ Yuna was confused. He didn’t decide to come here.
‘Some people prefer to actually die, rather than be reborn into another world. Let’s just say the way you died was more… fortunate, than others. But the choice is yours. If you wish to be reborn, then leave this room and take the first door on your left. If not, walk to the other end of the hallway. I cannot guarantee you it will be fun, but I can certainly guarantee you that it will feel like you belong there. You are welcome to remain here, while you think it over.’ He leaned back in his large olive green leather chair. ‘I am sure you have many questions, and while I might not have an answer to all of them, do feel free to inquire.’
Yuna sat and pondered for a moment. He had so many questions, but what to ask first. This man was obviously a powerful being. He probably knows a lot about him. But how much does he know?
‘What do you know about me?’
‘More than you know about yourself,’ the man replied.
‘March 17th 2011.’ Yuna said with a slight grin on his face.
Without a pause the man responded: ‘You came home after being fired from work that day. To your old family home. Caught up in your frustration with your former boss, you were pulled out by the scent of fire. When you looked up to your old home, you felt an intense fear, as you saw the entire house enveloped in flames. Your mother was off from work that day. The thought of losing her broke you. Saving her was the only thing you could think about, death be damned. In a panic you…’
‘That’s enough.’ Yuna trembled slightly as he thought back on that day. His eyes burning as he tried his best to stop himself from tearing up. The man looked at him with a calming expression. As if he knew his pain. Yuna took a moment to compose himself, rubbing his eyes.
‘You said I could choose to remain dead.’
‘That is correct.’
Yuna glanced at the door, ‘what’s on the other end of the hallway?’
The man adjusted himself in his chair. ‘I’m afraid I cannot answer that. What you will find over there is unique to you. Even I do not know.’
‘Could I choose another one of those doors?’ Yuna’s mind ran rampant with possibilities. There could be so many different worlds out there.
‘Yes, but you and I both know you won’t.’ The man took another sip of his drink, holding eye contact.
‘What about me. Will I change? Will I keep my memories? Will be reborn as a baby?’
‘You will be reborn as you.’ The man smiled. His cryptic answer didn’t sit well with Yuna. He had an idea of what the man meant, but inquiring about it further seemed fruitless, the man’s expression showed this was the answer he was getting. Still… The offer was certainly appealing. A world where he feels like he belongs, where he could actually be a useful member of society. But what if it was all a trick? Some sort of elaborate plan from some demon, designed to mess with him. Perhaps each door leads to the same place? He couldn’t straight up ask any of these questions. If it was a trick, the man would just deny it. He could also just as easily say each door leads to a different place. Yuna had no other option but to trust the man on his word.
For the first time since entering this room, the man broke eye contact and looked at the door. Then down to his drink. Then back at Yuna. ‘I see you have made your choice,’ he said in a calm voice.
Yuna bit the inside of his lower lip. ‘I have.’
‘Splendid! Then I bid you farewell. Good luck in your endeavours.’ The man smiled at him kindly.
Yuna gave the man a short nod and got out of his chair and left the room, turning to his left. The door in front of him was made out of thick tree roots, turning and twisting along themselves, yet contained within the door’s frame. He opened it and stepped into a black void. When he looked behind him he found the door had disappeared. So it was a trick, he thought to himself. The solid floor beneath his feet snapped out of existence. He screamed out in fear as the sensation of falling overtook him. His arms flung around wildly trying to grab on to something, anything. When suddenly he hit something solid and lost consciousness.