"Who are you?"

The Stranger laughed and shook his head. How many times had he heard that question over the years? Enough that he might as well be reading off a script at this point.

"Who am I? A Watcher? A Guide? A Messenger? What you chose to call me is not important. What is, however, is that I have a request for you, Sergeant."

Mark raised an eyebrow. What was with the cryptic wording? What kind of game was he playing at? Was he implying he was some kind of angel? god? Did he think Mark was stupid?.

"No, I'm not God. I just work for him, HAHAHAHAHAH! But that's is not important at the moment. If you must, think of me as your Agent. Your Handler for one last mission."

Mark's eyes widened at the answer to his unspoken question, and cold sweat dripped down his back. The wary man's guard tightened as he leaped several steps back, focusing on the 'person' in front of him. Between the little green men, the shattered moon, and literal knights in shining armor, Mark no longer knew what to think about his situation. Now he had some... thing... in the shape of a person rooting around in his head? What the hell was going on?!

The Stranger laughed, deep and full of mirth, but otherwise simply stood there, a grin on his face.

"You've always been a thinker, Mark; I like that about you. I guess that's why 'He' chose you for this. Though you do have a habit of overthinking things at times as well. I guess it's better than the last one, though. I'll never understand who thought it was a good idea to send in some unstable teen. That kind of thing only works in novels.

I'm not here to hurt you, Mark. I'm not even here to really guide you. At the end of the day, what you do and how you do it is totally up to you.

As I said; Should you choose to accept it, I simply have one final mission for you, Sergeant. Ha, I've always wanted to use that line."

Mark didn't even pause to think about his response before replying in a cold voice.

"I Refuse; I stopped following 'orders' a long time ago. I'm not some puppet dancing on your strings just so you can keep your hands clean. I don't care who you are, do your dirty work yourself."

The Stranger paused, eyes wide as his shoulders slumped. Then, with a sigh of resignation, he shook his head and spoke in a calm voice,

"You're no fun. In all seriousness, Mark, you misunderstand. I say 'mission,' but in reality, you don't really have to DO anything. You simply being here, in this place at this time, is enough."

Mark squinted his eyes and glared at the Stranger but didn't drop his guard.

"The mission that I have for you is a simple one. Be yourself. Live as you see fit, move as you wish, do what you feel needs doing. Learn. Grow. Become better than you were yesterday; aim for more than you will be tomorrow. And frankly speaking, Mark, you are already 'here'. There is no going back, no refusing even if you wanted it."

Mark asked the Stranger, his voice low and threatening but curious.

"And where IS 'here' exactly?"

The Stranger was silent for a moment, his gaze moving towards the shattered stones slowly drifting through the sky. When he spoke, his voice was softer, a small frown forming.

"A Shadow? A Choice? A 'Possibility' made reality. This world is but one of an infinite others like it, each resulting from choices and outcomes, Cause and Effect. A collection of 'What could have been' sleeping in the shadow of 'what is'."

The Stranger lowered his eyes, focusing back on Mark, a tired smile replacing his frown.

"Don't misunderstand. This world is just as 'real' as your home; its people laugh and live; they bleed and cry just like any others. The only thing that separates the two is this world has become... sterile. Its ability to create new 'Possibilities,' new 'Worlds,' has been stripped. It simply... Is. It sleeps while others still run their race."

Mark wasn't a stupid man. Foolish, sometimes, maybe even reckless, but not stupid. One didn't survive long in his old line of work if you couldn't read between the lines. Yet, the implications of the Stranger's words felt like a physical blow, causing his stomach to flip and his head to hurt. Mark's heart began to flutter widely as he asked in a trembling voice.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"W-what so, this is... some kind of 'Alternate' reality? Y-you, expect me to believe that? And even if it was, what does that have to do with me? Why drag me all the way here if you don't even need me to do anything?"

Again, the Stranger was silent, but Mark could see the dim 'moonlight' (shardlight?) reflect off a single tear as it traveled down the man's cheek.

"This World is dying, Mark. It's no longer making choices, no longer growing or moving forward. It has grown cold and still, apathetic and content. With Apathy comes Stagnation, and with Stagnation comes Rot. If a branch is sick, it must be pruned from the whole before the entire vine is infected. If a limb is festering and the rot can't be removed, then it's better for the limb to be cut off than for the body as a whole to die.

The flame could burn away the rot... but this world has lost its flame.

A passion that once burned bright has dwindled into smoldering embers and ashes. But as long as even a single ember remains, hope isn't lost. As long as even one spark left, no matter how flickering and frail it may be, the flame can be rekindled!"

The Stranger stranger's, as he spoke, grew louder, more animated. By the end, his arms were spread, and his eyes glistened in the light.

"THAT is why you were called here, Mark. THAT is all I ask. Be a spark! An 'Ember' to rekindle a smoldering Flame!"

The Stranger paused, smoothing out his rumpled shirt as he collected himself. Lowering his arms, his voice once more soft and quiet.

"Or else there will be no other choice but to sever this withering, rotting branch... and cast it away, into the darkness."

Mark groaned, massaging his pounding temples, before glaring at the Stranger. When he finally spoke, his voice was flat.

"I Refuse."

The Stranger gave a sad smile before replying.

"As I said, Mark, it's not something you can really refuse. All I ask that you go about your way. Simply you being here, doing the things you would have done, whatever they might be, regardless of what you were or weren't asked, is enough."

Mark's eyes flared as he threw an arm out in anger; he spoke in a voice near shouting,

"And What if I don't want to! What's stopping me from gallivanting off into the woods, never to be seen again?!"

The Stranger laughed lightly and shook his head.

"You misunderstand Mark. It is not the Ember's will to light the kindling that it lands on. That's its Nature. No matter where you go. No matter what you do, your very presence will bring change. Like a stone cast into a still pond, ripples will spread and stir its stagnant waters to life once more."

Mark's mouth closed tight at the Stranger's words, his clinched hands shaking as the fire of defiance blazed in his eyes.

The Stranger's somber face suddenly lighted before he clapped lightly, breaking Mark's focus. When he spoke, his voice was once more the light and friendly tone he had when he first appeared.

"Well, enough of the heavy stuff! You have more important things to worry about right now, don't you, Mark? After all, that's why you're out here in the cold, isn't it? I know you don't like this, Mark, and you sure as hell don't trust me. But I have a gift for you. Think of it as a reward for what you did today... and what you'll do in the future. Simply say 'System Menu.' Go ahead, do it."

Mark squinted his eyes, staring at the grinning man in front of him. He was tempted to simply ignore him and walk back towards the cave. But in the end, curiosity trumped his wariness.

"System Menu?"

Mark's eyes bulged, and more on instinct than anything swung his fist through the small grey window that popped into existence in front of him.

[What the F---?!]

Before Mark could finish his words, his mouth was slammed shut, seemingly against his will. The Stranger stared at Mark, a small warning glittering in his eyes.

"Language Mark. As I was saying, I understand that coming to a new world may be confusing and overwhelming at first. More so when the culture, History, and common sense differ greatly from what you're used to. So to help you in your travels, I whipped up a little gift for you. For now, let's call it 'The System' [Patent pending].

Think of it as a 'New World Windows Wizard,' designed to fill in the gaps of information that you would otherwise be missing. It's not perfect; it won't provide information that you would otherwise not be able to access, such as someone's bank pin, a history of which there is no longer any record, or certain private personal information, but other than that, as long as it is something that you would have had the ability to learn, then the System will cut out the grunt work for you.

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!! I've decided to throw in a few extra functions I thought might be fun. If you look at the Menu in front of you, you will see several buttons."

EXAMINE STATUS INVENTORY INDEX

Mark stared in silence, blank faced at the nostalgic menu floating in front of his face. Mark turned, peering around the window, and gave the Stranger a look that questioned if the man in front of him was really sane.

“Seriously?”