[DING!]
Daemon flinched violently at the sound.
It rang through his head with impossible clarity, sharp and artificial, utterly out of place in the frozen forest. His eyes flicked downward on instinct and froze.
A translucent screen hovered before him.
He barely had time to process it before his gaze snapped back to the Wendigo.
The monster was slowing.
Not stopping, slowing. Its massive body lurched forward as if trapped in thick syrup, every movement dragging unnaturally, snow hanging in the air where its claws had kicked it up. Even its breath, those foggy plumes of frost, drifted in suspended arcs.
Daemon's heart thundered.
The screen flickered again.
[You have been chosen to join the Multiversal Chat Group]
[Would you like to Sign In?]
[Yes] [No]
"What…?" Daemon whispered.
His breath hitched.
Is this it?
Was this his Isekai Cheat? The thing that was supposed to make all the suffering worth it?
A wide, almost hysterical grin stretched across his face despite the blood, the pain, the terror. His hand trembled as he reached toward the glowing YES –
- and the screen glitched.
The interface fractured, colours tearing like broken glass. A blaring noise exploded in his ears, harsh and deafening.
Air-raid sirens.
The kind that clawed straight into the spine.
[ALERT]
[Candidate detected to be in mortal danger!]
[Activating Life-Saving Procedures…]
Daemon's grin vanished.
"Wait, what?"
[Welcome to the Multiversal Chat Group]
[Do you wish to Roll for Power?]
[Yes] [No]
The options were greyed out.
Dead.
Untouchable.
Unclickable
"It doesn't matter what I choose?" Daemon asked hoarsely. "Then why even -"
The world went black.
Not darkness like nightfall.
Darkness like nonexistence.
As if the sun, the stars, and the concept of light itself had been snuffed out in a single breath. Daemon sucked in a sharp gasp and pressed himself harder against the oak tree, every nerve screaming as he strained to hear anything.
The Snow.
Any sounds of breathing.
Movement.
Was the Wendigo still there?
Before panic could spiral further, something changed.
Light bloomed.
Right in front of him.
Red.
Blue.
Green.
Purple.
Gold.
Motes of radiant colour erupted into existence, swirling around a dense, blinding core. They spun faster and faster, forming a massive spiral, tightening with each passing second until it resembled an accretion disk around a newborn star.
The speed became terrifying.
The colours blurred, stretched, screamed silently as reality bent around them.
And then -
Collapse.
Every particle rushed inward at once.
They collided.
And exploded.
A wave of brilliance tore through his mind, not pain, but enlightenment. For a fraction of a second, Daemon felt as though he were standing at the center of infinite doors, each one leading to a different life, a different world, a different self.
Then it was gone.
The light faded.
Silence returned.
Floating before him was a single card.
Gold.
It pulsed faintly, warm and heavy with meaning.
Daemon reached out and grabbed it.
[You have received – Gold Reward]
[Metamorphosis]
The self becomes a doorway, opening to countless realities beyond the veil. With each shift, a new existence is worn like a second soul - carrying the strength, memory, and echo of worlds unseen.
"…What?"
The boy of four-and-ten stared blankly at the words.
"What does that even mean?"
Before he could think any further, the darkness shattered like glass.
The forest snapped back into existence.
Cold.
Blood.
Pain.
The Wendigo.
The monster stood before him once more, time restored, its twisted body coiling to strike.
The screen flashed again.
[Activating Multiversal Chat Group Hub…]
Then the messages flooded in.
[Bastard of Ice and Fire has logged in]
[ Honourable Fool has logged in]
[ Fallen Angel has logged in]
[Star of Ruin has logged in]
[Graceful Yandere has logged in]
[Skeletor has logged in]
[There is currently no Admin. Please vote for one!]
Daemon ignored all of it.
Because the Wendigo was moving.
Whatever that strange time-slowing effect had been, it was gone.
The creature lunged.
Its jaws stretched impossibly wide, splitting further than bone should allow, rows of jagged teeth aimed straight for his throat.
Daemon flinched.
And power erupted.
Heat surged through his body, not burning, but changing. His bones cracked and reshaped. His muscles screamed as something vast and ancient poured into him, rewriting him at a fundamental level.
He felt strong.
The transformation ended as suddenly as it began.
Daemon stood upright.
Taller.
Broader.
Clad in unfamiliar orange and blue clothing, a fighting gi that stirred something deep in his mind, memories just out of reach. A blue wristband wrapped around his only wrist, impossibly heavy despite looking like simple cloth.
His right arm was still missing.
But the pain was gone.
Before he could process that, the Wendigo's jaws snapped shut around his left arm.
Daemon squeezed his eyes shut.
Here it comes.
Pain never arrived.
He opened his eyes.
The Wendigo was gnawing at his arm.
Gnawing.
And failing.
Its teeth scraped uselessly against his skin, sparks flying as enamel shattered.
"…Whoa," Daemon breathed. "This is so cool."
He wrenched his arm free.
The monster's teeth exploded.
Daemon glanced down at his arm.
Not a scratch.
"What is happening to me…?"
The Wendigo answered with a shriek so piercing it felt like knives driven into his skull. It launched itself at him again, limbs flailing, desperation overtaking hunger.
Daemon's fear vanished.
He clenched his fist.
And when the monster entered range, he punched.
The world ended.
An explosion of unimaginable force consumed the forest, flattening everything for miles. Trees vanished. Earth overturned. Snow vaporized.
When the dust finally settled, only a vast wasteland remained.
The Wendigo was gone.
Not dead.
Erased.
Daemon stared at his fist.
"…What the hell am I?"
Nothing around him had survived. Just broken land and silence.
He needed to see himself.
A small pond shimmered in the distance.
He stepped forward, and the world blurred.
In an instant, he was standing knee-deep in water.
"What the - !"
His heart slammed against his ribs.
How did I get here that fast?!
He looked down.
And froze.
Dark eyes widened in disbelief as a familiar face stared back at him from the water's surface.
Spiky black hair.
Sharp features.
A face he knew from childhood.
From Saturday morning cartoons.
And from anime.
His lips parted.
A single name escaped him.
"…Goku?"