'I'm tired.'
'Five more minutes would be nice, but…' Alec could tell that his alarm was about to ring, so he fumbled around for his phone without much luck until he realized that the softness beneath him had nothing to do with the softness of his bed.
'Grass?' He thought in confusion as he opened his eyes and looked around.
[Welcome to the world of Miteria!] A cheery female voice broke Alec out of his stupor and put him on high alert as his head whipped back and forth to try to locate the source. Again, without luck.
[There's no need to look around, silly. I'm in your head!]
'So, you can read my thoughts?'
[If they're aimed at me, yes.]
'Convenient.' Alec's eyes narrowed skeptically. Kidnapped and given hallucinogens? Some kind of chip implanted in his brain? It took a higher spot on the priority list than his current location.
"What are you? What do you want? What have you done with me? I don't have any money, so I can't pay ransom."
[You don't need to talk out loud?] The disembodied voice said with hints of confusion.
"I know. I don't like talking inside my head with what might as well be a hallucination."
[So you'd prefer to talk out loud and let people hear you talk to no one?]
"So you are a hallucination?"
[Of course, not! I am a highly advanced guidance tool in all matters fantastical.]
"What?"
[In some places, my kind would be known as a System.]
'Hmm.' Alec frowned. He was not liking this 'System' or his current situation so far.
"So, what do you want with me, Miss System?"
[I was getting there, actually.]
"Not fast enough."
[I would be faster if you stopped interrupting.]
"..." Alec rolled his eyes and shrugged, silently letting the System continue.
[Ahem.]
He was tempted to comment when the System cleared its throat, which shouldn't exist, but he managed to hold his tongue.
[This world you created has lost its prophesied savior. Take his place and save this world before it's too late!]
"..." Alec waited for the System to continue.
It didn't.
"What?"
[What?]
"Is that it?"
[Yeah. I mean, you created this world. You should know it better than I do.]
"Are you saying I was transported across worlds to save one I created?"
[Yeah. See? You do know what's going on.]
Alec frowned and pinched his brow.
'Highly advanced guidance tool, my ass.'
Suddenly, as he realized something, his eyes widened.
"What world did you say this was?" He asked.
[Miteria.]
Dread crept into Alec's bones.
"I didn't create this world."
[What do you mean? Of course you did. You wrote it into existence. Well, to be exact, this is an alternate reality to the world you created. The one you created is safe. But in this world, the protagonist of the main world has died a premature death. It's the key difference between the two worlds. Unfortunately, it's also what will let this world face a premature end. It's quite interesting, actually—]
"No. I did not create this world. My brother did. It's called "A Tale of Blood and Kings," right?"
[It's no surprise you know that since you wrote—]
"I DIDN'T WRITE IT!" Alec shouted, drawing the attention of the people on the road beside the hill he was on.
[Alright, alright, there's no need to yell. Aren't you Alex Lanterns?]
Alec slumped back on the ground in despair. His face was lifeless, and his spirit weak.
[Is that a no?] The System asked.
"Heh…" An emotionless chuckle escaped Alec's lips.
"My name is Alec Lanterns. Alec with a 'C'. Not Alex," He said, emphasizing the 'X'.
[Oh.]
"Oh?" Alec mocked.
It could be a joke. An elaborate prank. But he enjoyed fantasy stories of all kinds. Reading and writing them. Living such a life made it easy to adapt to reality.
Besides, who would go this far to pull such a prank? Alex? If he had the means to do it, he would. But he was busy running from his deadlines and editors.
Other than him, Alec couldn't think of anyone who would want to torment him like this.
The two suns in the sky also made it difficult to think of it as a joke. There were a lot of things one could do with an extra sun that wasn't playing a prank on a nobody.
[There must have been a mistake somewhere. But aren't you also an author? Why are you so gloomy all of a sudden?]
Alec sighed deeply.
"My brother and I…We're different people. I don't like stress, so I write relaxing stories. If it had been my "Magical Days With My Tsundere Elf Wife," you would have seen me bouncing up and down right now.
"My brother, on the other hand…
"In one word, he's the opposite. He finds satisfaction in inflicting trauma on both his characters and readers. That's what he likes. And you can tell by what he writes. I haven't read this one yet, but I know Alex.
"People in this world are going to suck. Society is going to suck. Superpowers are going to be double-edged. The monsters are going to be disastrous. And saving the world is going to be nigh-impossible. It's going to be so hard that people will think the hero is about to fail even if he's the hero of the story. He might like happy endings, but that doesn't mean he always writes them.
"Once in a while, he switches it up and goes for the bad ending. He's funny like that."
[You don't know this book's like that!]
"You're right. I don't. But I know my brother.
"Not everyone's going to be a bad person. There'll be good ones as well. Honest. Likeable. Killable. Not all superpowers will come with a gruesome cost. And maybe the world is easy to save, seeing as how you said the main world was safe."
[Exactly.]
"I will bet everything I own that saving the world is going to be a pain. I'll bet my right arm that the protagonist lost at least one comrade doing it in the original novel."
[Well…]
"He was the only survivor of his group, wasn't he?"
[...]
The System's silence was everything Alec needed.
He was doomed.
'Fuck. What a way to wake up.' He lay down again and stared at the sky.