Chapter 2 - Rebirth
Tal opened his eyes and blinked furiously. After he could finally see, he observed the change in scenery. He was now standing in a 4 by 4 meter room of pale, white walls. The ceiling glowed with a steady golden light, blanketing the room in a warm tone.
“Greetings, Contender!” rasped a voice from behind him.
Tal whirled, searching. His eyes met those of an old man, shrouded in a grey cloak and leaning against a wall.
The cloak’s hood fell back, revealing a grandfatherly figure with a distinctly bold head. The grandfatherly figure bore an expression of patience, interrupted only by a mischievous smile playing across the corners of his face.
Most notably, a semi-translucent field of swirling grey motes was lying at his feet. Each of which flickered every so often with ember flashes.
“Uhh….Hello?” Tal choked out, ‘Well, what the hell am I supposed to say?’
The old man took one long look at Tal before sighing. “I know you have questions. I’ll try to answer them, but we don’t have much time. I’m already under too much pressure forcing The System to accept you as a Contender.” The old man cast a nervous glance around the room. “I can’t let it notice me, or my life will be on the line. The damn thing doesn’t know friend from foe.”
“Right...” Tal muttered, trying to keep the quake from his voice. Like that’s totally not ominous at all. “Then what can you tell me? Why am I here? Who... or rather, what, are you?” Where are we? And h” - Tal stopped short when he noticed the old man’s smirk dip down into a frown, his patient expression instantly transforming to exasperation.
‘Right…no time. Besides, I feel like I don’t want to make the god-like figure angry.’ Tal decided to cut his losses and shut up.
“As I was saying,” Grandpa continued as if there was no interruption. “Little time. Lots to get through. You, my boy, have been chosen. Due to your unique situation and performance in one of many recruitment programs.” the figure paused, “Valeria? It’s far more than a silly game from your homeworld.”
Suddenly, the gravity in the room doubled in strength. Tal felt his knees lock in surprise, and his hands limply drop to his sides.
Grandpa’s eyes flashed for a moment. Then, just as quick as it came, it was gone.
If he hadn’t seen the faint glimmer of sweat on the old man’s face as the pressure in the room returned, he would have discounted it as a figment of his imagination. But, instead, the old man suddenly interrupted Tal’s musings. “Ok, scratch that, lots to get through. No time. Just know that you have been summoned alongside many others...hopefully, you can all make a difference in the coming storm.”
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‘He has straight-up abducted me.’ Tal thought. ‘Though it was me that purposefully decided to step into the unknown, I can’t entirely blame him. But still, f**k this guy.’
Grandpa nodded slowly. And as his eyebrows furrowed, he looked almost as if he was taking pity on Tal. But then his face lit up again with a mischievous smile. “You and the others have a lot riding on your shoulders. And certainly, many enemies are waiting for you due to my...position. Yet, you’ll soon find your…situation comes with many benefits. The first of which you will soon discover. For now, do me proud. Survive, and you will be rewarded. This isn’t the last time you’ll see me, kiddo.”
Grandpa stood then. Giving Tal one final once over before bringing his hands behind his back. Grandpa strode towards Tal and, with a wink, placed his hands over Tal’s wrists. “Oh, and one last thing. When you get to the Tower, make sure you choose very, very, wisely.”
Immediately, a fiery heat built inside Tal’s arm. Then, it spread to the rest of his body.
Tal jumped back in surprise, breaking eye contact with the old man and glanced down at himself. Shining through his skin was a tangle of threads writhing sporadically. Tal watched as the threads rearranged themselves into yet another configuration. Finally, the threads settled down before they began to shine with an increasingly brighter intensity. Tal looked away, shielding his eyes from the light. Then, burning pain shot throughout his body. Needles dug into his skull and a hissing built under his skin. What felt like a sea of lava invaded his lungs. Tal collapsed onto his knees, barely managing to keep his head from hitting the floor. Wave upon wave of piercing pain swept throughout his body. Slowly, his brain processed the feeling of shredded vocal cords, and he realised he had been screaming.
Your spiritual pathways have been rewired. New opportunities await you!
Error: Shrine Connection Not Formed
Process paused.
Tal’s body twitched on the floor in silent agony for another moment before his vision was consumed by a swirling nexus of colours.
It didn’t take long for the hallucinations to start. Shadowy faces and bright lights flew all around him. Some passed directly through his body. Tal tried to move, lurching up from where he was, only to find he was stuck. Seemingly bound to what looked like a hospital bed, it whirled through space in a dizzying fashion.
Tal spotted a faint silhouette in the far distance, rapidly approaching as he zoomed through space. The silhouette resolved into a mirror, then his vision blurred, and the mirror separated into dozens of shards, slowly orbiting around him. In their reflection, Tal found himself staring back. Only…different. Hundreds of identical eyes met his own, each displaying some measure of wildness or indifference. Some hidden mirth that only he wasn’t privy to. He closed his eyes before he could vomit from the onslaught of mind-bending sensations. Whisperings from far off yet still right next to him crept their way into his ears, making it known that closing his eyes was no escape.
Just when Tal thought he couldn’t take it anymore. A blue screen with glowing amber letters illuminated his vision from behind his closed eyelids.
You Have Died
Your body will be reformed due to System Intervention.
Error...contender profile not fou-
[Injection Detected]
Countender Profile Found.
Beginning...
***
The Deity frowned. ‘The recruitment program must be failing. This one certainly doesn’t look promising. I can’t speak for the rest, but I’ve done my part. At least he’ll have The System on his side, what with being a Contender and all. How much that will help him win back his world from the spread of The Shroud...one can only hope. Either way, his life will continue further than it would have on his homeworld now that his body has been reformed...’