Chapter 1 Chosen What..?

Wait…What happened? I woke up, and I tried to open my eyes. My head had this pricing pain going through it, it was like a needle.

Where am I? I tried to look around as I attempted to get to my feet. That's when I realized I was in this huge clearing in the middle of what I think was a forest. It was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen, surrounded by these tall trees that felt almost alive. Their tops disappeared into the sky, and their trunks were wider than any tree I'd ever even heard of. As I looked down, I realized that I was standing on bright green grass with colorful flowers around me, but again, they weren't anything like the flowers I recognized. There was a lake, not far away, that shone with an ethereal deep blue.

What is this place? I rubbed my temples, trying to make sense of what was going on. The last thing I remembered was reading a novel before bed. I didn't have a single clue what the plot was about…but my brain told me it had something to do with falling asleep and waking up in a different world.

Wait, my brain went, is this what I think it is? Is that even possible? No…no, no I stuffed out the thought of this being real, and convinced myself it was a dream, but I could feel the grass under my feet…it really was happening…I had just been Iekaied into another world.

A strange mixture of excitement and confusion rose in my chest. Did I…get chosen? I looked down at my hands, trying to understand. There has to be some system or interface for me. Where is my magic manual? I waved my hand, half expecting a screen to appear in the air, but there was nothing.

"Status?" That was the only word that left my lips, and it felt ridiculous.

"Still nothing," I said aloud in frustration.

“Excellent. No magical guide, no all-knowing voice…nothing I can use.” I looked around the area again, hoping to find some clues, anything at all that could help. All my eyes saw were trees, a lake, flowers...and then…then I saw it. A small hut at the far corner of the clearing near the lake. How could I not have seen it? I walked towards it without hesitation.

"I hope whoever lives here has answers... or at least some clothes. By now, I had realized that I was completely naked. The grass tickled my bare feet as I ran towards the hut.

The moment I realized my nakedness, there was this panic in my head as I looked around, but there was no one else there. There were no answers, just this one singular hut in the distance. Once I got to it, the door creaked open to reveal a warm interior with a crackling fire in one corner. There were clothes piled on the chair, and I hesitantly got dressed, but what struck me was the fact that these clothes were my exact size. Still, relief washed over me as I yanked the shirt on.

Just as I was starting to feel a little less embarrassed, a voice broke the silence. "Took you long enough to get here."

My heart sank as I spun around to face the speaker, who was sitting in the shadows of the corner.

"AHHHHH!" A scream ripped from my throat without any regard for dignity or manors.

The figure just got up and stood there, unmoving, unruffled, and unaffected by my outburst.

"Done?" The soft voice said again, with a hidden hint of amusement.

I swallowed hard and attempted to regain composure…and my dignity.

"Who…who are you? And how long have you been staring at me, you pervert!" I tried to stay with a commanding presence, yet my voice was still broken, shrill, trembling with fear.

The figure stepped closer, and a second later, a woman came into view. Her eyes softly glowing, with an unfamiliar hue of green.

"I'm here to help you," she told me, with her lips curling into a slight smile. "You're not exactly where you might be thinking you are."

"Not…" The only thing I knew at that moment…was confusion. "I'm…not where I think I am? What does that even mean? Where am I? Why am I here? And…WHY WAS I NAKED? AND HOW ARE YOU HELPING ME BY CHECKING ME OUT!"

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Her smile got wiping, as she was clearly amused. "Not naked now, are you?" She joked.

"Look," exasperation edged into my voice, "I just want to know what's going on. Where am I? And..."

She raised her hand, silencing me and annoying me at the same time. "All in good time, you will come to understand, for you have been chosen, Sam. You're part of something much bigger now."

Chosen? That word again. It keeps echoing in my head, who chose me, WHY???. "Chosen for what?"

Her face shifted, losing that amused smile and gaining something more cynical. "To survive. And to alter the fate of this world."

I scoffed, crossing my arms.

"Wait… are you kidding me? I'm just a normal teenager. No girlfriend, no plans, just wasting time playing video games and barely talking with my online friends, and you're telling me I'm chosen to save a world I've never seen? Why would you pick me? Why on God’s green Earth would I save you? and what do I even get if I do?”

She gave a great, exasperated sigh as if she'd heard those exact words a thousand times. "It is always those who feel the least prepared who are chosen. You think you're ordinary, but you've been selected for a reason, for a higher purpose."

"Look, I'm gonna need you to be very specific here.” I said, solfty, "I didn't ask for this! Why would I want to save a world I don't belong to? It just doesn't add up…cuz one, I'm not savior material, and too THIS ISN'T MY WORLD!" I wasn't so soft at that point.

Her eyes hardened in a look that I can only assume was anger. "You may not realize it yet, but you have more potential than you know. This world is connected to you, and you belong to it now, much as that may disgust you."

I clenched my fists as I got ready for a fight. "What am I supposed to do then? Just stumble through this? Wait around for my magical powers to show up?"

Her expression darkened this time, almost grim. "This isn't a game, Sam. The forces that are rising are beyond your understanding…and if you fail, the consequences will reach your world, too. You're already here. There's no going back."

I froze. No going back? The words hit me like a punch. My chest tightened, and it became harder for me to breathe because, for the first time, I got what she was trying to tell me.

"So… what now?" I asked with a vulnerable…broken voice.

Her voice softened, and she smiled at me. "Now, you have to decide. Will you fight for this world? Or will you let it, and yourself, fall into ruin?"

Her words sang in. Do I have a choice? I thought, and then it came to me.

"Would you at least tell me what I'm specifically supposed to do to help?"

"You'll know soon enough. Your powers will awaken in time, and your first trial will come. For now… survive."

"This is just crap you know," I said, and I wasn't even angry, just annoyed. "You want me to fight these 'dark forces,' whatever they are, and yet you won't even tell me what they are, or what I'm supposed to do. I feel like missing vital information here…this system doesn't feel like out here. How do I know I'm not fighting on the wrong side? Maybe I should team up with them instead, I mean if they're giving us any information.”

She didn't flinch, and even her expression refused to change, but her eyes narrowed. "You think you can make that choice? You think it's that simple? You cannot choose to ignore your role, you have to take your place as the savior, embrace immortality and become our savior."

Hmmmmm, I thought for a few minutes. “Okay…nope." I smiled as I sat down.

"Wait…what do you mean…nope." She asked, confused, caught off guard.

"I don't want it, I refuse.” I said without even looking at her.

“But…but…why?”

“Cuz you've had me here for a while, and you've told me…oh yeah, NOTHING."

“How could you do that? You have immortality, you could have great power, you were brought here to be a hero…” she went on for a while, but I didn't listen.

“Look lady, this pitch isn't gonna work on me, so move along will ya.” I ignored her.

She just stared at me, and I knew I had her; she tried to say something…before turning and walking out, leaving me alone in the hut.

I just sat there for a bit, and I wasn't smiling anymore. Great, what am I supposed to do now?

“Aaaaaa why does nobody in these damn stories ever explain what the bloody threat actually is? There's a great evil, WELL WHY???" I thought, and then I started to mumble. "Have none of these people in these stories ever heard of diplomacy, just talk to the other side, make an alliance, stop throwing chosen ones at each other…"

I looked around the hut, searching for anything that could help me, anything. A map, a clue, anything at all.

I saw a few scrolls on a table in the corner and hurried over to them. Please be a map, please be a map, please be a map.

I unrolled one; there were shapes and symbols that looked like a map. Why does every map look the damn same in these stories, and why does this one look like it was drawn by a third grader.

With the scroll clutched in my hand, I looked back at the door. Really, is this where I want to be sitting, waiting for whatever's out there to find me?

Yeah, no. I'm not going down without at least trying to figure out what kind of mess I've been thrown into.

With that, I walked out of the hut.