"Time to end this," Aconite muttered with a sad grin as he looped the rope over the ceiling, standing on a rickety chair. Random dark thoughts raced through his mind, shrouded in a fog. He was zoned out, hanging the rope like he was setting up a strange piece of art. In his own words, Aconite was ready to take the plunge.

Slipping his neck into the loop, his entire life flashed before him – a messed-up reel of a bastard child, hunted by his own kin, orphaned, battered, manipulated, starved, in constant pain. Even the damn rope was stolen; he didn't have a single coin to his name. He couldn't remember how many summers he'd seen, but at 18, he looked more like a scarecrow than a teenager. Still, with his head in the noose, he hesitated. Something deep inside him refused to surrender.

In the ramshackle old shack, the sunset painted the window orange. As the sun vanished into the clutches of darkness, he finally took that step. The little unwavering voice in him drowned in the sea of dark thoughts.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Wake up, child. Thee was chosen as one of the saviors." A booming voice reverberated in Aconite's head. He opened his eyes to find his neck glowing white-gold, and the rope he'd hung himself with reduced to smoky ashes. He was still alive. The entire shack was bathed in the surreal light emanating from his neck. Bewildered, Aconite listened as the voice continued.

"The great danger is looming upon this world. I, the heavenly messenger declare, the God of Redemption has chosen thee as his champion. Soon you will be teleported to the capital of the Monocite Empire, the center of the continent... as will other champions."

Aconite just sat there, taking in the bizarre turn of events, his mind trying to process the impossible. Then, he burst into laughter—loud, insane, and laced with pain.

"So that’s when you appear, when you f*cking need me, not the thousands of times I prayed to all of you," Aconite spat out every curse he knew, his laughter reaching a crescendo. He had never been this loud in his life. After his tirade, he released a heavy exhale and closed his eyes, the magic circle on the floor beneath him causing him to vanish into thin air.