Sleep was supposed to be dreamless.
At least, that's what he thought. But when his eyes opened again, he wasn't in his bed, or anywhere familiar. There was only a void of absolute black, a silence so deep it pressed against his eardrums like a physical weight.
Then, light.
Not a sun. Not a flame. Just a floating rectangle of white text in the air, cold and clinical.
[Welcome, Candidate.]
[Please spin for your Race and Powers.]
"…what?" His voice echoed too loudly in the nothingness, swallowed almost instantly by the void.
Another line appeared.
[Think of this as… character creation.]
"Oh no. Oh no, no, no. I've read enough web novels to know where this is going."
The screen did not dignify him with a response. Instead, three glowing wheels materialized before him, floating in the dark. Each was enormous, turning lazily as if mocking his choices.
The first was labeled Race. The other two, Power #1 and Power #2.
He sighed. "Alright. Fine. Let's get this over with."
With a thought, he flicked the first wheel. It spun violently, letters and names blurring past. Elf. Dragon. Demon. Angel. Human (ugh). Until finally—
[Race Acquired: Great One]
The words etched themselves into his vision. The moment he read them, a creeping chill ran up his spine. Something vast and alien pulsed faintly in the back of his mind, like an ocean current too deep to fight.
"…Great One? Isn't that—oh no. Oh, no."
Before he could protest, the first power wheel began to spin. His heart skipped a beat.
The wheel slowed. Sparks flickered across the void as it came to a stop.
[Power Acquired: The First Flame]
The void rippled. For an instant, he saw a burning kiln, a fire that birthed light, disparity, and gods. A flame that was destined to fade, yet refused to die. He almost collapsed as the memory of something not his own seared itself into him.
He clutched his head. "What the hell is this?! That's… Dark Souls! Why am I getting things from fictional worlds?!"
The final wheel spun. Slowly. Too slowly.
The light dimmed. Heat rose. And when it stopped—he could only gape.
[Power Acquired: The Frenzied Flame]
Yellow fire bloomed in the void. He screamed as visions poured into him: the end of all things, the world melted into a single writhing mass, sanity shredded by chaos. A flame that devoured identity, difference, and reason.
He fell to his knees, shaking, his mind caught between two opposite infinities—
Division that birthed all things.
Wholeness that ended them.
His breath came ragged. "…First Flame. Frenzied Flame. Great One. Are you kidding me?How does that even work shouldn't they be tearing each other apart!"
The screen pulsed one last time.
[Race and Powers confirmed. You are now complete.]
[Destination: Little Garden.]
[Enjoy your stay.]
The void cracked. Reality tore like paper.
He had one last thought before the world swallowed him.
"…I'm so screwed."