I didn’t expect to find anything valuable in that alley, let alone something that would ruin my life. It was one of those alleys that smelled like hot garbage and bad decisions—a place you’d cross the street to avoid unless you were desperate. And I was desperate. 

The box was half-buried under old newspapers and something suspiciously sticky. It didn’t look special, just a cheap case with “Dominion Online: Alpha Version” scrawled on the front in marker. 

“Seriously?” I muttered, picking it up. Who even uses discs anymore? It didn’t have a studio logo or anything official, just a tagline underneath: ‘Become the Chosen One!’ 

If I’d been smart, I would’ve left it there. But I wasn’t smart. I was broke, bored, and unemployed, which is basically the holy trinity of bad decision-making. 

So, I brought it home. 

Installing it was a nightmare. My laptop practically begged me to stop. Every time I tried to launch it, it threw up an error message like, “This program is not safe for human consumption.” I overrode them all, because hey, when has ignoring warnings ever gone wrong? 

The screen flickered, and the game launched. 

Welcome, Chosen One! 

The words hovered on the screen, glowing like they were programmed by someone who just discovered Microsoft Paint. A slow drumbeat built in the background, followed by a cheesy trumpet fanfare. I half-expected the narrator to yell, “Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!” 

“Chosen One, huh?” I said, leaning back. “Not even ten seconds in, and you’re buttering me up. Classic cult move.” 

The screen didn’t respond. Instead, a new text box popped up. 

Prepare for Ascension! 

“Yeah, I don’t think I—” 

That’s when my laptop exploded. 

Okay, not exploded exactly, but there was a flash of light, a loud pop, and then everything went dark. When I opened my eyes, I was somewhere else. 

 Chapter One: Nothing About This is Normal 

You ever have one of those days where life just veers wildly off the rails, and suddenly you’re the main character in a story you didn’t ask to be part of? No? Just me? 

I woke up face-down in dirt. Not just regular dirt, either—this stuff smelled like someone had tried to compost a festival porta-potty. The taste wasn’t much better. 

Pushing myself up, I spat and looked around. Green fields stretched out in every direction, dotted with flowers that glowed faintly, like someone had rigged them with LEDs. In the distance, a towering castle loomed on a hill, complete with spires that stabbed at the sky like they were compensating for something. 

I sat back on my heels, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. “Okay, brain. What the hell is this?” 

No response. Just the faint hum of a breeze that smelled way too fresh for a city kid like me. 

“Right. I blacked out, woke up in Narnia, and apparently nobody bothered to leave me a map. Cool. Totally normal.” 

I checked my pockets: phone, gone. Wallet, gone. Keys, gone. The only thing left was a growing sense of dread and the vague memory of booting up some ancient game disc in my apartment. 

As if summoned by the thought, a glowing screen popped up in front of me, floating in midair. 

Welcome, Chosen One! You have been summoned to the realm of Kaedralis to fulfill the Sacred Prophecy. 

Prepare to choose your starting class! 

I froze. My first instinct was to laugh—because this? This had to be a joke. Some kind of augmented reality prank, right? Any second now, someone in a VR headset was going to jump out of a bush and yell, “Gotcha!” 

Except there were no bushes. And no cameras. Just me, the field, and this screen. 

I reached out, hesitating before my fingers brushed against the glowing text. The screen rippled like water, but it didn’t disappear. 

“Okay,” I said slowly, “this isn’t happening. This is just my brain filling in the gaps while I’m in a coma somewhere. I’m probably drooling on myself in a hospital bed right now.” 

The screen flickered. 

Coma confirmed: -15 Sanity points deducted for attempting to rationalize your reality. 

“Wait, what?” I took a step back. “Are you serious?” 

Another notification appeared. 

Yes. 

Now I was panicking. Like, full-on, heartbeat-in-your-ears panicking. This wasn’t a hallucination. Hallucinations don’t respond to snarky commentary. 

I swiped at the screen, hoping it would go away. It didn’t. 

Please select your starting class: 

[Knight of Valor] [Seer of Truth] [Thief of Shadows] [Wizard of Flame] 

I stared at the options, my brain running in circles. If this was real—and I wasn’t saying it was, but if it was—what the hell was I supposed to do? 

“You don’t even give me a tutorial first?” I snapped at the screen. “What kind of amateur operation is this? Who runs this thing, EA?” 

No response. The screen just hovered there, patient as a DMV worker waiting for me to pick a number. 

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to keep it together. “Okay. Think, Ash. You got sucked into... what, a video game? A magic alternate reality? Whatever this is, you need to figure it out before something tries to kill you. Or worse.” 

I scanned the classes again. Knight of Valor sounded like a walking target. Seer of Truth? Pass—I didn’t need extra visions in my head. Thief of Shadows seemed sneaky, but what if I sucked at sneaking? And Wizard of Flame... fire sounded cool, but I didn’t trust myself not to burn my own face off. 

I hesitated, then tapped Thief of Shadows. If this was some kind of game, stealth was usually the safe bet. 

The screen blinked. 

Class selected! Allocating stats... 

A new screen appeared, listing things like Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence. Most of them were average, except for one: 

Charisma: -10 

I squinted. “Wait, why is my Charisma negative?” 

The screen popped up another message: 

Self-deprecating humor detected. Penalty applied. 

“Oh, screw you.” 

As soon as I finished talking, the world rippled. A shadow fell over the field, and I turned to see a robed figure approaching. He looked like the kind of guy who’d corner you at a party to talk about conspiracy theories, but with more glowing eyes. 

“Chosen One!” he boomed, his voice deep enough to rattle my teeth. “You have answered the call of the Divine! Praise be to the Light Eternal!” 

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Uh, thanks?” I said, taking a step back. “Listen, I don’t know how I got here, but—” 

“There is no time for doubt!” the man interrupted. “You must fulfill your destiny! The heretics of the East threaten our holy kingdom. Only you can lead us to victory!” 

I blinked. “Heretics? Holy kingdom? Did I walk into a Crusades simulator?” 

The man didn’t seem to hear me. He raised his hands toward the sky. “The prophecy foretells that you will deliver us from the darkness! Your faith shall guide us!” 

“Faith? Yeah, about that.” I gestured vaguely at the field. “I don’t even know where I am. Or why I’m here. Or who you are, for that matter.” 

He frowned, like I’d just kicked a puppy. “But you are the Chosen One! You must believe in the Light Eternal!” 

I opened my mouth to argue, but another screen appeared. 

Warning: Blasphemy detected. Penalty: -20 XP. 

“Oh, for crying out loud,” I muttered. 

The priest’s expression hardened. “You must believe. Without belief, there is no salvation. Only heresy.” 

I rubbed my temples. “Okay, buddy, let me stop you right there. First of all, I didn’t ask to be here. Second, I’m pretty sure your ‘Light Eternal’ is just a loading screen with delusions of grandeur. And third, if you don’t stop yelling at me, I’m gonna—” 

Before I could finish, another shadow fell over the field. This one was much bigger. 

I turned, and my stomach dropped. A massive, scaly creature with six glowing eyes was lumbering toward us, its claws sinking into the earth with every step. 

The priest pointed at me. “Face the beast, Chosen One! Prove your faith to the Light!” 

“Prove my what now?” 

The screen flashed again: 

New Quest: Defeat the Shadow Beast. 

Reward: +100 XP 

Penalty for Failure: Death 

“Awesome,” I said, backing away. “This is exactly how I wanted to spend my Tuesday.” 

The beast let out a guttural roar, the kind of sound that rattles your bones and makes your brain start whispering run, run, run. I wasn’t about to argue with my brain. I turned on my heel and bolted. 

“Chosen One! Where are you going?” the priest shouted behind me. 

“Someplace less lethal!” I yelled back, legs pumping as fast as they could go. 

The ground shook with every step the creature took, its heavy footfalls growing louder, closer. A quick glance over my shoulder confirmed it: the thing was chasing me. And it was fast—too fast for something that size. 

“Stupid game rules,” I muttered between gasps. 

I didn’t know where I was running to, only that I couldn’t stop. My lungs burned, my legs felt like jelly, and I could practically feel the creature’s hot breath on the back of my neck. 

Then the screen popped up again. 

Hint: Use your Thief abilities to evade danger. 

“Oh, now you tell me,” I hissed. 

The screen helpfully added: 

Thief Ability Unlocked: Shadow Step. Temporarily merge with shadows to escape pursuit. 

That sounded promising, except for one glaring issue: I had no idea how to use it. 

“What am I supposed to do? Say a magic word? Click my heels together?!” 

The screen didn’t answer. The beast roared again, and I swore I could feel the vibrations in my teeth. 

“Okay, okay, think like a thief,” I muttered. “Shadows. Hide in shadows. Become shadows.” 

I glanced around. The midday sun wasn’t exactly providing a lot of cover, but there was a patch of shade under a nearby rock outcropping. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. 

I dove toward it, landing hard on my side. For a split second, I felt like an idiot lying there, pressing myself into the dirt. Then something weird happened. 

The world shifted. The light around me dimmed, and the air grew colder. My body felt... lighter, less solid. Like I was fading into the shadows themselves. 

The beast lumbered past, its glowing eyes scanning the field. It slowed, sniffing the air, but it didn’t see me. It let out a frustrated growl before stomping away in the opposite direction. 

I waited, heart pounding, until the ground stopped shaking and the beast was out of sight. Slowly, the shadows released me, and I stumbled back into the sunlit world. 

“Okay,” I panted, hands on my knees. “That was new. And horrifying. But mostly horrifying.” 

The priest’s voice broke through my thoughts. “You ran from your sacred duty!” 

I turned to see him storming toward me, his robes flapping dramatically in the breeze. If I hadn’t just narrowly escaped being eaten, I might’ve found it funny. 

“Sacred duty?” I snapped. “That thing was the size of a bus and wanted to turn me into a chew toy!” 

“Faith would have protected you!” he insisted, his glowing eyes narrowing. 

“Oh, sure, because nothing stops a giant murder beast like positive vibes and blind optimism.” 

The priest ignored me, raising his hands toward the sky. “The Light Eternal does not look kindly upon cowardice, Chosen One.” 

Another notification appeared: 

Warning: Alignment with Ecclesion decreasing. 

“Alignment?” I stared at the screen, baffled. “Wait, I can lose points with you people?” 

“Only if you reject the Light,” the priest said, his tone dripping with condescension. 

I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. “Look, can we just skip the sermon? I didn’t ask to be here, and I sure as hell didn’t sign up to be anyone’s Chosen One.” 

He frowned, his glowing eyes dimming slightly. “Then why are you here?” 

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Why was I here? The last thing I remembered was installing that stupid game on my laptop. But now? Now I was in a world where NPCs acted like real people, and screens floated in the air, and monsters actually tried to kill you. 

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “One minute I was in my apartment, and the next...” I gestured vaguely at the field. “This.” 

The priest studied me for a long moment, then shook his head. “Perhaps the Light has made a mistake.” 

“Finally, something we agree on,” I muttered. 

He didn’t seem to hear me. Instead, he turned and started walking away, his movements stiff with disapproval. “If you wish to survive in this world, Chosen One, you would do well to embrace the Light Eternal. Without faith, you will fall.” 

“Without faith, I’ll die. Got it,” I called after him. “Thanks for the pep talk.” 

Another notification appeared. 

New Quest: Find Shelter before Nightfall. 

Reward: +50 XP 

Penalty for Failure: Death 

I stared at the screen, my stomach sinking. “Seriously? Death again? This game has no chill.” 

The screen vanished, and I sighed. I didn’t know who or what had brought me here, but one thing was clear: if I wanted to survive, I needed answers. And maybe some weapons. Definitely weapons. 

For now, though, I had to figure out where the hell to go before something else tried to kill me. 

“Alright, Kaedralis,” I muttered, setting off across the field. “Let’s see what you’ve got.” 

The field stretched out endlessly before me, waves of grass rippling under the breeze. With every step, I tried to process what was happening—or at least, tried not to completely lose it. 

A few minutes ago, I was in my apartment, minding my own business. Now? Now I was apparently the star of someone else’s fantasy novel. A bad one, at that. 

“Okay,” I said out loud, as much to hear a human voice as to keep myself from spiraling. “Game plan. Step one: don’t die. Step two: figure out what’s going on. Step three: profit.” 

The humor didn’t land, even with me. 

It didn’t take long to realize I wasn’t alone. As I walked, shapes began to materialize in the distance—buildings, or at least something that might pass for them in this world. 

A cluster of wooden structures sat at the base of a hill, smoke curling lazily from chimneys. It looked like a town, though calling it that felt generous. It was more like someone had half-finished a model village and decided, “Yeah, that’s good enough.” 

I hesitated, eyeing the place from a distance. On the one hand, shelter sounded great. On the other hand, the last person I’d met here thought “faith” was a better defense against monsters than running like hell. 

Still, the quest screen wasn’t giving me much of a choice. 

Objective: Find Shelter 

Time Remaining: 02:43:12 

“You’re really into this whole ‘do or die’ thing, huh?” I muttered. 

The screen, as usual, didn’t respond. 

The village was... underwhelming. Up close, it was clear the buildings were cobbled together from whatever was lying around—wood, stone, metal, even what looked suspiciously like the hull of a ship. 

The few people milling about didn’t seem to notice me at first. They were too busy going about their business, hauling crates, tending to livestock, or shouting about prices I didn’t understand. It all looked so normal. 

Which, of course, made it even weirder. 

I stepped into the main thoroughfare, trying to look like I belonged. A few heads turned my way, and I forced a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. 

“Hey,” I said to the nearest person—a woman stacking barrels outside a shop. “Uh, I’m new here. Where exactly is ‘here’?” 

She glanced at me, her brow furrowing. “You’re in Westmarch, stranger.” 

“Westmarch,” I repeated. “Right. Cool. And... what’s Westmarch?” 

Her frown deepened. “You don’t know?” 

“Not a clue.” 

Before she could respond, another screen popped up in front of me: 

New Quest: Gather Information about Westmarch. 

Optional Reward: Gain +10 Reputation with Westmarch Citizens. 

I waved it away, trying not to look like I was swatting at invisible flies. The woman raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. 

“Okay,” I said, forcing a laugh. “Let’s try this a different way. Say someone, hypothetically, woke up here after being—uh, summoned. What’s the first thing they should do?” 

Her expression softened slightly, and she nodded like she understood. “Ah, you’re a Chosen. Should’ve guessed.” 

“Yeah,” I said warily. “That’s me. Totally chosen.” 

She jerked her chin toward a larger building at the end of the street. “You’ll want to talk to the Overseer. He deals with your type.” 

“My type?” 

“Prophecy types,” she said, like it was obvious. “You’re not the first, you know. He’ll get you sorted.” 

“Great,” I said, plastering on a fake smile. “Thanks for the help.” 

As I made my way toward the Overseer’s building, I couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d said. 

You’re not the first. 

That should’ve been a relief—proof that I wasn’t the only one stuck in this nightmare. But it also raised a lot of questions, none of which I had answers for. 

Who else had been summoned here? Why? And more importantly, what had happened to them? 

The screen pinged again, but I ignored it. Whatever this place was, whatever this game was, one thing was clear: it wasn’t going to play fair.