“Shit! I got fired just because I took a pill while on planetarium duty!” I yell out as I am speeding through the quiet road to my home in my old Fiat Multipla. 

The planetarium is always deserted during the evening shift so who cares if I want to experience it with some added effects? And why did those bastards have to fire me immediately without warning? I’ll have to lend some money to pay rent this way…. 

As I think this, I see him. My supervisor from the House of Science. The bastard who fired me earlier tonight, then walked away and let his assistant do the paperwork while I was being escorted by a security guard. 

"The House of Science is a prestigious establishment where we share our passion for the sciences with the world" he said while walking away. Prestigious my ass, everyone who works there knows he 'invests' some money into his own pocket after every fundraiser. 

And now this bastard is standing on the side of the road to cross the road. No way in hell I think as I press down the gas pedal even further. 

My old Multipla speeds up as much as she can. I come closer and closer and then….

BAM!!!

Fuck… 

Those were my last thoughts before I passed away. And even worse, in the moment of pre-death clarity I noticed it… That wasn't my supervisor, it was the shadow of my headlight shining on a bollard… 

Those fucking poles

Everything turned black

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Adam

What?

You have been chosen to become the hero, our hero, in this great world

Where does that voice come from? Am I dead?

Adam

Even more voices?! What's happening here? 

We chose you to save the Kingdom of Amarel from the great threat that is the Black Dragon. Do your duty and you shall live free any riches you desire

Hero? Great riches? That sounds great! Where do I sign up?

You are the first hero us Gods have summoned. As such, we shall offer you an unique blessing and you may choose the race you will be born as

⸢ Options ⸥

- Human

- Elf

- Dwarf

- Halfling

- Metal Folk

- Goblin

- Merman

- Naga

These sound pretty standard fantasy to me. Other than Metal Folk that is? What am I supposed to imagine? A guy made of iron? Like in those superhero franchises?

So you have chosen the small statured Metal Folk, very well. Lets start the summoning process. 

Wait! I haven’t chosen yet! I was just wondering what they were!

Too late I’m afraid, Tiana the Goddess of Magic has already started the summoning process and it can’t be stopped I’m afraid. One of the gods says

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

You bastards! I don’t want to be a lump of iron! Don’t send me down there yet!

Quiet! I can’t concentrate like this.  One of the gods yells out

Piss off! You aren’t the dead one here! I wanted to be an Elf! A cool and tall Elf! Now I am going to be stuck in a cold body forever to be alone!

Stop talking! Otherwise the spell will fa—

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A flash and then it’s all dark again. Only this time without the voices. I wake up from what feels like a long slumber. There is just one thing…

Why can’t I open my eyes? Are Metal Folk supposed to be blind? And why can’t I walk? Am I really just a clump of metal… 

After the initial shock I regain my calm a bit and try to focus. Apparently I focus a bit to much because suddenly I see. Not anything regular mind you, I see EVERYTHING. Infinite colors surround me.

I try to yell out, but instead of ‘I can see the Truth of the Multiverse!’ it remains quiet. Too quiet. How can a world this vibrant and chaotic be so silent and orderly. This makes no sense!

I focus a bit more and when I finally adjust to this new world I see them. Balls. Balls! Balls everywhere! Balls surrounded by rings surrounded by even more balls! Infinite balls!

Wherever I look I see them. Small balls, big balls, every single one with rings on which more balls reside. After a while I notice an order to these balls. And then it hits me…

The Truth is Balls

And then, it really hits me…

These are atoms…. I am an atom! Gods be damned! This was not the deal!

System initialized

Name: Adam

Race: Metal Folk / Infinitium Atom

Class: N/A

Attributes:

- Health: N/A

- Mana: N/A

- Stamina: N/A

- Strength: N/A

- Dexterity: N/A

- Constitution: N/A

- Wisdom: N/A

- Intelligence: N/A

- Charisma: N/A

Skills:

- Multiplication (3 uses/day)

- Attraction

- Repulsion

- Change (1 use/week)

Description:

Infinitium is a newly created element blessed by the gods. It has the property of being able to duplicate itself and change to any other element in existence. A blacksmith’s dream.

Goddess of Magic’s Note:

Apologies. I might have made a mistake which ended up with you in this situation. I sadly can’t do anything about this for now so good luck! You can do it! 

So I really am an atom… A tiny atom in a world of atoms….

And what is up with that note?! Even if I did my best and multiply myself diligently every day it would take AGES to become even visible. One time in the House of Science I read that there are 602000000000000000000000 atoms in a single gram of hydrogen. IN A SINGLE GRAM. No way in vibrant atom HELL am I going to grow large enough before the Black Dragon strikes that kingdom or whatever.

Fuck this! Fuck the gods! Fuck the kingdom and fuck that Black Dragon! I am DONE being played with and thrown away like some stupid toy. First the House of Science and now this! Fuck it all!

My anger grows and grows and if I had a head it would’ve exploded by now. The atoms around me react to this as my anger continue to grow. They slowly start shifting in my direction. They clump up together and become bigger. I remember something from that system thing a moment ago.

Attraction, was it?

I focus my mind on the spell and it starts kicking in by instinct. The atoms around me speed up and they clump together more and more. I can feel a great energy around, as if the gods are near me, which only fuels my anger even more. 

This is your fault! You should’ve let me die in peace! I’m going down and I am taking you all with me!

As the atoms around me move at an amazing speed I use another ability for the first, and hopefully, for the last time. 

Multiplication!

Multiplication!!!

Multiplication!!!!!!!!

I cast each use of my multiplication spell and with every bit of will and power that I have I try to speed these newly cloned Infinitium atoms up as much as possible.

Wait! Don’t to it! The universe can’t handle the forces involved in what you are about to do!

I was planning to blow up this world, but it turns out I’m that special, huh?

Yes! We never planned to make you an atom! And because of our mistake you became a new element that never should’ve existed in the first place! All our blessings and your power were combined in such a small vessel. Please! Think it over!

I did. And now…. 

My 3 'clones' sped up even more. They collided with the clumps of atoms and with me. 

I’ll see you all in hell!

For a fraction of a moment everything was silent. Then the flash came and the ‘storm’ that followed. My ‘vision’ blurs and whatever is happening now I can only describe with the word ‘chaos’. It is as if the universe itself is exploding, ripping apart anything and everything. I lose my sense of time and space completely just before everything turns dark again.

Phew… I survived…

Wait…

I survived?!

That was not the plan! I was supposed to ‘die’ while taking everyone with me!

Why is it so dark? And why is my feeling of time gone?

I floated around in the darkness like this for what felt like an instant yet an eternity. My thoughts came and went and eventually I realized it.

There is no time. That too ‘died’ after the explosion. So does that mean that I am alone? Alone in this endless nothingness?

Thoughts like these started popping up less and less. First I was angry, followed by sad and eventually I felt nothing anymore. My anger at my unluckiness, at the world and universe itself, made me end up all alone. Truly alone, for everything other than me was wiped away after the Collision. The Gods were right at one thing; I really am a magic blessed element if I am able to survive such forces of destruction and chaos.

At another moment which too was just a short while yet an eternity, I felt nothing anymore. 

Forever floating in nothingness.

All alone.

Because of my own stupid anger….

MULTIPLICATION….

MULTIPLICATION

MULTIPLICATION!!!

MULTIPLICATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MULTIPLICATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello, Friends. Let’s start over. Together.