Win to Live

Prologue

How did it get like this?

My father isn’t coming home. My mother is sick and bedridden in the hospital. My sister ran away from home and my older brother isn’t responding to any forms of contact.

I’m home alone for the seventh day.

I visit my mother in the hospital daily.

What did I do in my previous life in order for this to happen? Was I a serial killer?

I sit in front of my laptop eating another meal I have prepared for myself.

Another week passes.

My father has stopped contacting me. My sister is god knows where. My mother’s condition is only getting worse with no signs for recovery. My brother messaged me saying goodbye. I just sit once more in front of my laptop.

Another week goes by.

I got a job at a local restaurant after they heard my situation.

The landlords for my apartment are letting me stay rent free. I just have to pay for the bills to that room.

I am self-sufficient now.

I had to stop going to my classes in college because I needed to make some money.

Another week flies by.

I got a second job at a local laundromat. I just sit there and supervise.

Eighty percent of my hours awake are now spent at work. The rest is for eating.

I sleep for eight hours like my mother always told me to.

I think I am eighteen years old.

A policeman came to my door the other day. He said my father had committed several murders and was shot dead by the police in a fierce shootout. Several officers died along with my father.

I went to my father’s funeral. I was the only person there who was a family member. Everyone else was staff.

Why am I not feeling anything?

The same day of my father’s funeral I get a call on my cell phone that my mother’s condition suddenly worsened and she wasn’t going to make it through the night.

I quickly go to the hospital to see several doctors and nurses around my mother.

I silently watched from a corner of the room.

My mother saw me after a while and smiles. The ECG monitor goes blank as a long high pitched noise leaves the machine.

After a couple minutes of CPR and several attempts to start her heart again with a defibrillator they declared her dead and marked down the time of death. Cause of death, unknown.

I attend my mother’s funeral as the only family member. Similar to my father’s.

I didn’t cry. I don’t feel any emotion.

Another month passes.

A couple days ago I got a notification from the police. My brother had committed suicide. He was kicked out of college some time ago and went to live with friends. He went down the wrong path and started to do drugs. One day he had enough of it all and jumped off a large building.

I attend my own brother’s funeral. At least his friends are here. However, everyone kept their distance from me.

Yet again… no emotion.

I spend every day working and eating. Working, then eating. Eating, then working.

My sister is still missing. The police ask me if they can put out a search for her seizure so that we can at least talk.

I denied and went on my way.

Several months later, I receive another knock at my door.

“Hello! This is the police again!”

I slowly walk to the door.

I open the door, “Hello sir. How may I help you today? Would you like to come in for some coffee?”

He nods, “You may want to sit down for this one sir.”

I nod slowly and unemotionally as I walk towards the kitchen table. I pull out a chair for him and he sits. I then sit in the chair across from him, “What is it this time sir?”

He frowns, “I’m going to be blunt here. Your sister has committed suicide and she left this note here for you to read.” The officer pulls a piece of folded up paper out of his pocket.

I grab it slowly, “Thank you officer.”

He shakes his head slowly, “I don’t want to be thanked for something like this.”

I take a deep breath and keep a straight face as I read the note:

‘Dear my lonely brother,

You have done a lot for me over the years and you even helped talk me through things that a parent just could never understand. I loved you as much as a sister possibly could, but I will have to say my final goodbye to you now.

I will see you later.

Enjoy your life, become someone I could only dream to be.

Don’t give up. Push on.

You need to remember that I will always love you and I always have. Now be a good older brother and don’t cry. You need to stay strong. I will watch over you in the other life if I can.

Goodbye.

Love;

Your one and only sister.’

I set the piece of paper down the look on my face unchanging.

I bow slightly to the officer, “Thank you for brining me her final words. Has the government planned this funeral for me too?”

The officer sighs as he sees my reaction, “Yes the government has planned this funeral too. Are you sure you’re okay? I burst into tears just thinking about what was written there earlier.” The officer pats my shoulder, “Your whole family has passed away and you are the only one left. When will you grieve? I heard that you haven’t cried once since any of this started. Throughout your school life I was told that you distanced yourself from others and only talked when you were talked to. Even then you only gave the smallest answer possible.” He stands up, “When are you going to wake up to reality!? You need to move on and live your life! You need to grieve! You need to move on!”

I nod, “Officer. I have two full time jobs to support myself. I make enough to live. That is what I will do, live is all I’ve done. I don’t need to grieve as I do not feel sadness. I will attend my sister’s funeral and I will go back to work. Day in day out. I work. I live. I lose. Thank you for your time officer. I have to get ready for work now. If I’m late I might get fired.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

The officer frowns, “The funeral is on the last day of this month. You know where to go.”

The officer leaves the room.

I sit down at my desk in front of my laptop and turn it off.

I get my work clothes on and head to the restaurant with a bag that has the laundromat uniform in it. Also some money for dinner.

Two years pass.

I think I am twenty years old now. I have enough money saved up to finish college now.

I walk my standard route home from work when I decided I wanted a bag of chips to celebrate being able to finally go to college.

I walk into the store.

“Everyone get down on the ground or I will shoot this man!”

A gun is pressed to my head. A thug wearing a black ski mask is holding a 9mm revolver to my head.

Everyone in the small store gets on the ground except me.

“Go get the cash from the register!”

Two men walk over to the counter and pick up the register and smash it onto the ground. The drawer on it flies open as the lock fails. Money is thrown all over the place.

“Gather it quickly!”

I wasn’t your local neighborhood hero so I had no strength in my arms to fight this guy. All I could do was obediently stand there.

“Why aren’t you pissing your pants already!?” The man jabs the barrel of the gun into my temple.

I keep the straight look on my face, “I’m sorry sir, I have some circumstances that don’t allow me to feel emotion.”

“Shut the fuck up!”

Just like that. Those were my last words.

I was shot in the head. Who knows whether it was an accident or not. I was shot.

In my final second of consciousness I sigh. Everything has already gone black.

Everything I worked so hard for is over.

“Or is it?”

A man wearing clothing that was a blue of the sky appears in the darkness before me.

“Surprised? You died and now you are here. Most people question who I am. What are you going to do young one?”

I feel my body again. Maybe it was a dream.

The man in blue speaks again, “I’m sorry to inform you. This is not a dream, it is reality.”

I stand up from where I was laying on the ground, and dust myself off. I bow slightly to the man, “I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Raydos. Pleasure to meet with you sir, god perhaps?”

He smiles, “You are very calm young one. I will tell you my name. It is Dillan. Not a very uncommon name I know. I am something similar to that which you refer to as ‘God’.”

I nod, “So. What now? I died. Do I live eternally or is my soul dispersed and I will just cease to exist?”

He frowns, “You seem abnormally dark for a human”

I nod, “It is because of my past. I don’t really care much for these touchy feely kind of things so I would like to skip to the point right now if possible.”

The man laughs loudly, “Well said! So then I guess I will get to the point here and now. There are many other worlds in existence that can support life. There are also many different universes out there that abide by different rules compared to your own. Some, where martial arts prevail, and some, where magic prevails. There are also universes in which people transcend the limits of normal humans. These worlds are… underpopulated. Everyone who dies from this world has the choice to have their soul scattered to never exist again. Or, you can choose any world that you would like. However, for some reason you are not able to choose. One of the worlds is seemingly calling to you. I am not able to force you to go to a different world. However, there is the choice of having your soul scattered.”

I nod slowly taking all the information in. I keep my straight face, “My family. Are they in these other worlds?”

The man frowns, “Give me one second to check…” His frown gets larger, “I’m sorry to inform you, but they all chose for their souls to be scattered.”

My facial expression not changing. I nod, “I’ve made my decision. I wish to go to this other world.”

He smiles, “Great! Now one more thing. I can give you one thing of whatever you want. I can give you a holy sword. Any cheat ability, I can give you anything.”

I raise my hand, “I have one more question before I ask for my gift. What kind of world is the one I am being sent to?”

His hand meets his face, “How could I forget that!?” He takes a deep breath, “The world you are being sent to is one where magic prevails over all. Some people practice with various weapons, but they are nothing compared to the magic in that world. That world also has many competitions where many people constantly die. I would love to give you strong magic to start but… I am not able to decide your affinity based on the fact that you are so old already and when transporting you I cannot change your base information.”

I nod, “Then for my gift.”

He nods, “What will you choose? A cheat weapon or a cheat ability?”

I shake my head, “I want to be reborn. I want to be raised by a proper family. I will deal with the nine months in the womb if necessary, but I want to start from the very beginning.”

He smiles, “You are the first to ever ask that wish. Very few people choose the world you are going to and the flow of time is different from universe to universe, so you will probably never meet anyone you know.” He waves his right arm and everything starts to fade. “I wish you luck in your new life!”

My vision once again goes completely black.

Nine long months later. I was born.