Spirit of Darkness was released with little fanfare and a mediocre commercial performance. It faced a troubled development, almost being scrapped entirely several times before completion. The company president is famously quoted as saying:

“Complete rubbish. Nobody would want to play this.”

Directed by a fresh-faced newcomer, nobody had high exceptions for it. But soon after release, something changed. The critics loved it, calling it a fresh new take on the genre with innovative design and features that nobody else dared to use. Word of mouth spread, and sales began climbing. This low budget game nobody even heard of suddenly became a huge force in the video game industry. It was a true miracle, an underdog success story that almost never happened.

For me, it was love at first sight. I wanted to give it a try ever since the first gameplay trailers. I was intrigued by the world and the weightiness of the combat. I didn't even wait for its local release, I imported a copy before it was officially localized into English. I would stay up all night playing it, intrigued by the story and captivated by its gameplay.

I was a salaryman working at a company office. I couldn't care less about what product the company was producing, and I couldn't stand any of my co-worker. The pay was terrible for the amount of effort I had to put in, and so I despised every day I had to come in for work. I had no family or friends, I would usually spend my days at home playing video games. I spent several years getting an education, but that got is this garbage job paying just enough to afford my apartment. But as long as I had my games, I felt I could get by.

The story of Spirit of Darkness was set in a dreary land being consumed by the World-Devouring Demon. The player was an adventurer who fought in the name of a local deity in order to banish the Demon and save the world from despair. On the outset, it was a fairly straight-forward set up of good versus evil. After defeating the five demon generals, each with their own elaborate dungeon, the player could finally confront the great Demon itself. There the player would be granted a choice: to save the world as the gods originally intended, or join the demon side as its new general, bringing the world to a new phase of despair.

Of course, that was only the story outwardly. Spirit of Darkness rarely told you information straight out, and you had to piece it together from vague clues and hints the NPCs gave. Dedicated players would notice that besides the five deities the player was shown, another name was repeatedly came up in their travels. It was Tenebris, God of Darkness. One would eventually figure out that this was an alternate name for the World-Devouring Demon. The great enemy you fought against was no different from the deities you fought for. Instead of the player having agency, it implied you were always part of a game by higher powers who cared little for you, and all your actions meaningless. It perfectly fit the harsh and treacherous nature of the game.

Although it could be played alone, one of the major innovations of the game was its Spirit mechanic. While traveling through the world, a player could encounter other players summoned into their world as spirits. You could leave messages, aid each other, or even fight in gladiatorial combat. I was actually quite fond of that part of the game, and became proficient at player versus player combat. I can confidently say I'm likely one of the world's top Spirit of Darkness players in that regard. Some players focused on honor, but the game encouraged treachery more than anything. This was not a world that rewarded kindness.

The main theme of Spirit of Darkness could be said to be despair. There were very few friendly NPCs in the world, and those almost exclusive experienced tragic fates. The world was doomed and rotting, but in some way, it was also peaceful. There was beauty in its depravity, which made the invading player feel like an unwelcome force, even as you were slaying demonic abominations. It's the only game I've seen that managed to pull off such an effect. Perhaps that is why I fell in love with it. In a twisted way, it reminded me of my own life.

The last thing I remember is being alone in my apartment. It was my birthday, and as usual, I spent it playing video games. By this time Spirit of Darkness had already been out for several years. Online activity has greatly gone down since the golden years, so playing it wasn't the same. I explored every nook and cranny, was intimate with every bit PvP strategy, and knew every piece of lore. It was a great run, but I was ready to finally put the game to rest. After all, the sequel was supposed to be coming out soon.

My memory becomes fuzzy afterwords. I think I went on my computer and read something. I don't remember what, but I know it didn't make me feel good. I can't remember anything after that. Or maybe, I don't want to remember? The unpleasantness pushed me away from thinking further.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Next thing I knew, I woke up in this world. It was just like Spirit of Darkness, but there were enough differences to convince me this was a separate entity. I can't deny that in my back of my heart, there were times when I wished Spirit of Darkness became reality. My mind would then immediately brush aside those delusions, however, as only a madman would want to live in a world such as that. Then again, perhaps I have already gone mad.

“What do you think? Pretty crazy dream, no?”

The two audience members sat around the campfire nonchalantly. The lizard spoke up first.

“Yes, that is pretty odd. It's hard to believe a world so completely different from our own could exist.”

Of course, I didn't tell them the real truth. I changed enough details for them to be able to comprehend the main gist of it. The concept of a video game would fall on deaf ears here.

“But you know, if we're talking about alternate worlds, then it does sound feasible. If you use spirits, for example,” she said.

I never thought of that. Each player's game was considered its own world, and summoning a spirit would the same thing as grabbing an entity from a different world and bringing it over to yours. If we treat the real world as being just one of these alternate dimensions, then one person could indeed just find themselves waking up in a different world just like I was.

“But don't spirits dissipate eventually? They don't stick around longer than a several minutes, from what I know,” I asked.

The lizard took a skewered mushroom from the fire pit and eyed it. She rolled the skewer in her hands and pondered.

“Isn't that only because they don't have a body? This is just an idea I had, but I always wondered what would happened if you summoned a spirit into a an empty body. Like a freshly killed corpse, for example. With a corporal form, it might stay around for years. Perhaps even forever,” she said as she took a bite of the mushroom.

That's an intriguing idea. Could that be the method by which I was transported into this world? That would explain why my current body looks nothing like my old one. I don't know who did it or why, but that is an entirely plausible explanation.

“Lacerta, you're a genius. I never would have thought of that on my own.”

The lizard blushed.

“Please, brave knight, you are overrating me. I am merely your humble companion.”

“By the way, could you stop calling me 'brave knight'? Just my name is fine.”

“Okay, sweetie.”

“...what about just Eren?”

“How about we compromise on honey?”

“Why?”

“We are destined to be married, so calling you by something so impersonal would be unseemly!”

“Okay, I take back my request. You can call me whatever you want.”

This reminded me too much of real life; I could never attract normal women.

Lacerta took one of the skewered mushrooms and presented to to Calvar.

“Would you like one as well, Mr. Calvar? I noticed you couldn't stop staring, so you must have really wanted a piece.”

“...very funny, Princess. Where, per tell, would the eaten food go? To my nonexistent bony stomach?”

“How unfortunate. You could say, that it the matter of food, Mr. Calvar is...boned!”

The skull was starting with seething anger. I, on the other hand, was impressed.

“What that a pun? I didn't think those would be your type,” I said.

“Oh, me neither. But it suddenly popped into my mind several hours ago, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. My mastery of the human tongue knows no bounds now!”

Calvar had enough and exploded.

“You, you seething scoundrel! You took the most obvious joke, one which any bone-head could come up, and wasted it on that? Did you have any idea how much thought I put into it, where would be the best time to use it for maximal effect? But then you go ahead and waste on something so stupid before I had the chance! You will pay for this, lizard! You will pay!” he yelled.

He took a few seconds to huff and puff.

“Calvar, have you calmed down now?” I asked.

“Yeah, I'm done. Just had to vent for a bit. We should probably get going, anyway.”

After we finished eating, I put out the campfire and was ready to head on my way.

“Where are you going next, kid? Another dungeon for you to vanquish?” asked the skull.

“Not this time. I think it's time to revisit a place which was already vanquished. We still have some unfinished business there.”

The lizard followed excitedly. Now that we had her along, that place should prove more fruitful.