I had always lived an ordinary life. I wasn't famous, and I didn't have a remarkable job. I worked as an accountant in a cramped office and lived in a similarly small apartment on the outskirts of the city. My days followed the same predictable loop—wake, work, eat, sleep—and I'd long since stopped expecting anything to change.
On what would become my last day on Earth, I woke up expecting that same routine. I dressed in something just nice enough not to get me fired and walked to the office. As usual, I bought a sandwich from a convenience store. It wasn't delicious by any definition of the word, but it was good enough to hold me until lunch. As I crossed the street, a void suddenly appeared around me. Swallowing me as I tried to run its was painless , no stray thoughts flowed from my head, only sudden, absolute blackness.
When I opened my eyes again, the world was unrecognizable. The sky above was a deep violet streaked with bands of pink and gold. The air smelled faintly of wood, lavender, and rain. The ground under my feet felt wrong—too soft, like a pillow. Massive stone structures dotted the landscape, and jagged mountain peaks in the distance bent the rules of physics.
As I tried to make sense of it, a tall man appeared before me. He was warring a flowing white robe that was embroidered with golden symbols, he radiated power.
"Welcome, Alex," he said.
I stared, unable to tell whether I was dreaming or dead. The man didn't let me linger long. "The gods have chosen you," he continued.
"Chosen for what?" I managed. It all felt surreal absurd even —me, chosen?—I was just heading to work and yet everything around me was way too vivid to be a dream .
"The plane you're now standing in is called Eldrath by those of us who can see fate," the man explained. "A realm where magic and physics mingle. A tyrant has been brought into power and he seeks to control everything there is on Eldrath. That's where you come in. I want you to kill and replace him."
"What?" I yelled , completely stunned by the absurdity of his words.
He just smiled at my outburst no doubt knowing how crazy he sounded. "Don't worry. I will make you more than powerful enough to face him by gifting you an special ability.You won't be the first human to rebel against this emperor," he added, "but you will be the one to succeed—for you are the first one chosen." He explained
I had no idea how to process any of what was going on . I mean I wasn't some kind of warrior or a leader; I had no training to take down a ruler I wasn't even a manager at the office. But something inside me stirred—an unexpected, fierce hunger to rise. I knew this would be my only chance to become more than the life I'd been before, some nameless accountant.
"I don't really have a choice, do I?" I muttered. Trying to appeal to this god sympathies.
The god's gaze softened. "People always have a choice, Alex. But know this: if you succeed, Eldrath will be competently yours."