The scent of old cedarwood and sun-dried hay filled his lungs. It was a clean, nostalgic smell—a far cry from the rotting stench of Boney Island or the sterile, metallic air of Chris McLean's torture camps.
Ezekiel's eyes snapped open. He wasn't lying on a damp cave floor. He was in his own bed, tucked under the heavy, hand-stitched wool quilt of his childhood. He sat up with a jolt, his movements possessing a predatory fluidness that felt dangerously out of place in this cramped, dusty bedroom. He grabbed the calendar sitting on his bedside table.
March 2007.
"No way, eh..." he whispered. His voice was human again—nasal and young, but it carried an underlying rasp, a ghost of the years spent screaming in the darkness.
Total Drama Island was four months away. He had regressed. He was back before the humiliation, back before the mutation, back before the world decided he was nothing more than a punchline.
He spent the day in a surreal daze. He helped his father, Eustace Miller—a man as rugged and unyielding as the Canadian soil he tilled. He also tended to his mother, Martha Miller, who sat in her handmade wooden wheelchair by the window, her legs paralyzed but her eyes full of warmth. Every time Eustace looked at him, Zeke felt a surge of protective fire; he remembered how the show's producers had once mocked his "homeschooled" life while his family struggled in silence.
By evening, the pressure of his memories and the strange energy buzzing under his skin became unbearable. He locked himself in the small farmhouse bathroom, gripping the edges of the porcelain sink until it groaned under his strength. He stared into the cracked mirror.
The Awakening
As his fingers touched the cold glass, a sharp, crystalline ding echoed inside his skull.
[System Integration: 100%]
[Welcome, Player Ezekiel.]
"What the... eh?" Zeke stumbled back, his breath hitching. Hovering in the air, translucent and glowing with a faint blue light, was a digital interface.
[Status Window]
* Name: Ezekiel Miller
* Title: The Regressor (Hidden)
* Level: 1
* Caste: Unassigned
* HP: 100/100 | MP: 50/50
The air in the bathroom grew heavy, charged with static. His reflection shifted. Behind his piercing gray eyes, a faint, golden pulse flickered—the mark of his evolution. His muscles, though appearing lean under his hoodie, felt like coiled hydraulic cables.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Zeke? Son, you've been in there for over an hour," Eustace's muffled voice came through the door. It was deep and stern, but laced with a rare thread of worry. "Your mother is getting restless. Is everything... alright, eh?"
Ezekiel stared at the screen as a new notification flickered into existence.
[Emergency Quest: Reassurance]
* Objective: Convince Eustace that you are normal.
* Penalty for Failure: [Suspicion] debuff within the household.
* Reward: 10 Gold, +1 Charisma.
Zeke took a deep breath, forcing the "Berserk" survival instinct to subside. He had to play the part of the awkward farm boy for now. He had to protect them.
"I'm fine, Dad! Just... thinking about the chores for tomorrow, eh!" Zeke called back, trying to pitch his voice higher to match his younger self.
He looked back at the mirror. The System glowed brighter. The game hadn't even started yet, but Ezekiel Miller was already playing to win.
Later...
The farmhouse was silent, save for the rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock downstairs and Eustace's heavy, distant snoring. Ezekiel sat cross-legged on the floor of his room, the moonlight spilling across his bed. He couldn't sleep. The adrenaline of the regression and the humming energy of the System kept his nerves on edge.
"Alright, eh... let's see what you're hiding," Zeke whispered.
With a flick of his wrist, the blue interface shimmered into existence. It felt more solid tonight, as if the connection between his soul and the technology was tightening.
[System Menu]
* [Status]
* [Inventory]
* [Caste Selection] (ACTION REQUIRED)
* [Gacha] (3 Free Tickets Remaining)
* [Shop]
"Caste selection first, eh?" Zeke muttered. He tapped the icon, and four distinct icons appeared, glowing with ancient power.
[Choose Your Starting Caste]
* Brahmin: Focus on Mana, Spells, and Mental Fortitude.
* Kshatriya: Focus on Combat, Leadership, and Physical Dominance.
* Vaishya: Focus on Trade, Crafting, and Resource Management.
* Shudra: Focus on Endurance, Physical Labor, and Hidden Potential.
Zeke didn't hesitate. He remembered the humiliation of being the first one kicked off the island. He remembered being hunted like an animal. He needed power. He needed to lead.
[You have selected: Kshatriya.]
[Class Skill Unlocked: 'Sovereign Presence' – Increases Intimidation and Leadership effectiveness.]
[Strength +5, Vitality +5, Agility +3.]
A sudden heat surged through his veins, making his muscles twitch with new-found density. He felt like a king disguised in a farm boy's hoodie.
"Now... let's test my luck," he said, opening the Gacha menu. Three golden tickets hovered in the air. "Come on, give me something good, eh!"
He swiped the first ticket. The screen flashed white, then turned a standard blue.
[Normal Pull: Canned Meat of Vitality (Consumable)]
* Effect: Restores 50 HP and removes minor fatigue. Tastes like mystery meat.
"Typical," Zeke sighed. He swiped the second ticket. The screen turned a deep, vibrant purple.
[Rare Pull: Passive Skill – 'Apex Predator's Stealth']
* Effect: Your footsteps make no sound, and your scent is masked from all non-supernatural creatures.
"Now we're talking." A cold sensation washed over his feet, and as he shifted his weight on the old wooden floorboards, the usual loud creak was replaced by absolute silence.
Zeke took a deep breath and swiped the final ticket. The room suddenly went dark as the blue light of the System turned into a blinding, fiery crimson.
[Legendary Pull: Weapon – 'The Fang of Boney Island']
* Type: Dagger/Shortsword.
* Effect: Deals 200% damage to mutated creatures. Inflicts 'Bleed' and 'Fear' on human targets.
A blade made of a strange, obsidian-like bone materialized in his hand. It felt light, perfectly balanced, and terrifyingly sharp. He quickly stashed it in his [Unlimited Inventory], watching it vanish into a digital ripple.
Lastly, Zeke opened the Shop. He scrolled past the weapons and the armor, his eyes searching for one thing. He found it at the very bottom, under the 'Divine' category.
[Divine Item: Elixir of Restoration]
* Description: Heals any permanent physical disability, regrows limbs, and purifies the body of all toxins.
* Price: 1,000,000 Gold.
Zeke stared at the number. One million. He only had the 10 Gold he earned from the earlier quest.
"I'm coming for that gold, Mom," Zeke whispered, his gray eyes hardening with a resolve that no 19-year-old should possess. "I'll win that show, I'll kill every monster in my way, and I'll make sure you walk again. No matter what Chris McLean throws at me."
[New Quest Generated!]
[Quest: The Wolf in the Fold]
[Objective: Complete your first hunt without Eustace noticing. Target: Alpha Timberwolf in the North Woods.]
[Reward: 500 Gold, 1 Gacha Ticket, +1 Level.]
Zeke stood up, pulled his hood over his head, and vanished into the night.