The blue light of the monitor was the only sun Kai ever saw.
Click-click-click-click.
His fingers danced across the mechanical keyboard, a rhythmic, plastic staccato that echoed in the silent, claustrophobic apartment. He was on a forum thread dissecting the latest "destiny-driven" fantasy bestseller. Kai took a swig of warm, flat beer, the aluminum can light in his hand, and typed his rebuttal.
> User: Entropy_Kai
> Let's be real. The "Chosen One" isn't a hero; he's a trust fund baby with a magic sword. Destiny is just nepotism for orphans. You aren't rooting for his struggle; you're clapping because the universe rigged the slot machine in his favor before he was even born.
He hit ENTER. A savage satisfaction settled in his chest. It was the only control he had.
Kai leaned back, the cheap ergonomic chair groaning under his weight. He rubbed a hand over his chin, the bristles of unshaven hair scraping against his palm. The air in the room was stale, a cocktail of old laundry and the yeast of the three empty cans forming a chaotic perimeter around his desk. He was a cog in the corporate machine by day, a keyboard philosopher by night, slowly rotting away in the dark.
PING
A notification cut through the gloom. Kai blinked, his eyes dry and gritty. A message from a friend. He opened it.
It was a meme. Simple, stupid, high-tier absurdity. Kai huffed, a sharp exhalation of amusement. Then he chuckled. The chuckle rattled in his throat, catching on something deep in his lungs. It morphed instantly into a wet, violent cough.
Then, the sting.
It felt like a hot knitting needle puncturing his heart. Kai gasped, his hands clawing at his t-shirt, bunching the fabric tight. The veins in his neck bulged, ropes of tension snapping taut against his skin. He tried to inhale, but it refused to come.
Is this it?
His vision blurred. The blue screen warped. He slumped forward, his forehead slamming into the keyboard with a deafening CLACK.
dddddddddddddddddd—
The key repeated endlessly on the screen, a digital flatline. Then, the darkness swallowed him whole.
Kai woke up to the smell of expensive, suffocating lavender.
It was pitch black. Not the grey-black of his apartment, but a heavy, velvet darkness. He sat up, groaning. His body felt heavy, like he was moving through water.
Am I in the hospital?
In answer, a searing blue light fractured his vision. It wasn't a screen. It was hovering in the air, etched directly onto his retinas.
[USER: KAI (VESSEL: BARON VANE)]
[ARCHETYPE ASSIGNED: THE JOKER]
[PASSIVE SKILL ACQUIRED: NEGATIVE KINETIC STORAGE]
Kai squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. The text remained, floating with crisp, high-definition indifference. He focused on the skill name, confusion cutting through his grogginess.
[DESCRIPTION: Store the energy of impact or genuine negative emotion from others. Release upon command.]
"Negative emotion..." Kai muttered. His voice sounded different-smoother, less rasping.
He swung his legs off the bed. Dust motes danced in the gloom as he stood. He wasn't in his apartment. He reached out, his fingers brushing against thick, heavy drapes. He gripped the fabric-it felt like silk damask, centuries old—and ripped them open.
The sun didn't just shine; it assaulted him.
Kai shielded his eyes, blinking rapidly.Below him stretched a city that couldn't exist. Cobblestone streets worn smooth by centuries of foot traffic. Buildings with swooping rooflines and carved stone facades. A marketplace where vendors sold certain fruits that glowed faintly purple, their crystalline skin catching the light. People in leather and linen moved through the crowds-no cars, no concrete anywhere.
This was Aethelgard. He didn't know how he knew the name, but the knowledge sat in his brain like a memory that wasn't his. A Second-World Fantasy.
Another chime rang in his skull.
[CURRENT ENERGY LEVEL: 20%]
[RATE OF DECAY: 1% PER MINUTE (STANDARD DECAY)]
[WARNING: ENERGY LEVEL CRITICAL]
Before he could process the countdown, the heavy oak door behind him slammed open.
"Welcome, Mr... Oh, Dear Mother of Gods!"
Kai spun around. A man stood in the doorway-tall, dressed in the severe black livery of a high servant, with a face that looked like it had been carved from disappointed granite. This was Gyles.
"What?" Kai touched his own face, his fingers frantically mapping his features. "Do I look weird? Did I reincarnate as a goblin?"
Gyles stared at him, his lip curling in undisguised revulsion. "Your Archetype... it's a JOKER. I cannot believe this. The Master spent a fortune on the reagents to summon a Hero, and the cosmos spat out a Villain instead."
"Villain?" Kai stiffened. "Wait a minute. I was summoned? Like a Chosen One?"
"Chosen One?" Gyles laughed, a dry, barking sound. "Oh, no. You are more like the trash that falls out of a garbage truck on its way to the afterlife."
Kai blinked. The insult was so specific, so visceral, it actually stunned him. "What. The. Fuck."
"Pardon my candor," Gyles said, smoothing his coat, though he looked anything but apologetic. "I am Gyles, one of the Threshold Guardians."
"I don't... I don't understand."
"In simpler terms," Gyles sighed, checking a pocket watch, "this building acts as a gate between universes. Not long ago, the Master summoned a true Hero in this very chamber. A shining beacon of hope. I advised him not to get greedy, to quit while he was ahead. But no, he wanted a spare."
Gyles gestured vaguely at Kai. "And we got you."
"So... what am I supposed to do?"
"Nothing," Gyles sneered. "You are a failed roll of the dice. Do whatever you want, provided you do not break the Kingdom's laws. Just try not to stain the carpets."
Gyles turned on his heel and marched out, muttering loud enough for Kai to hear, "Another century of waiting... that senile geezer wasted the one of the chances the Gods gave us on this."
Ding.
[MULTIPLE CRITICAL INSULT DETECTED]
[SOURCE: GYLES]
[ENERGY +10%]
Kai froze. The heat of the insult didn't just sting his ego; it physically surged through his veins. The lethargy vanished, replaced by a buzzing, electric caffeine hit.
He looked at the UI. Then, he looked out the window.
A roar rose from the city below-cheers, applause, the screaming adoration of thousands. In the distance, a golden light erupted from the plaza. A figure in shining armor was riding through the streets.
[SUBJECT IDENTIFIED: PRINCE ARTHUR]
[ARCHETYPE: THE RULER / WARRIOR]
[ADULATION ENGINE: ACTIVE]
[ARTHUR'S POWER LEVEL: INCREASING]
The golden light grew brighter with every cheer. The "Hero" was feeding on their love. He was powered by their validation.
Kai looked at his own hands. Shadows seemed to pool in his palms.
Arthur got stronger when people believed in him.
Kai got stronger when people despised him.
A slow, jagged grin spread across Kai's face. It wasn't the smile of a hero. It was the smile of a man who had just realized the game was rigged, and he had just been handed a sledgehammer.
"So, you want to make me miserable, even in this life?" Kai whispered to the empty, lavender-scented room, to whatever cosmic force allowed him to be dragged into this world. "Fine. I won't just play the game. I'll break the whole DAMN system."