[Quests]
[Active quests, 1]
[Fortune Favors the Bold: Embrace your destiny and enter War of the Realms: Online [Reward: 10 Skill Points]
Alex was already planning on ordering one of Argus' full dive pods from their website and investigating just what the hell was going on with this "game," so having an incentive to do so only increased his excitement. A free ten skill points just for doing something he was already going to do? Sign him up. Anything that made him stronger would be welcome.
[Host has a message left for him, are you ready to receive it?]
The notification gave him pause; he had a message. From who, and how had they already left him a message? These gods and their games were starting to get old. He nodded at the notification, if someone left him a message it was probably best to not ignore it.
[Starting message playback. I trust you enjoy the gift I have given you Alex. I am sure you will use it well. I won't beat around the bush like the others will though, you must get stronger to survive what's coming. And when the time is right, you and I will meet. Oh, and give Amanda a hug for me. She deserves it. Message playback ended.]
The voice that had just spoken to Alex wasn't one he recognized, but he immediately knew it was Fate. Her voice was soft and full of warmth; despite the words she spoke. She might have saved him from a doomed existence, but her message didn't exactly inspire confidence in him. He was already going to get stronger, not just for himself, but for Amanda too.
Now he had to get stronger for some ominous sounding future? What if he had to be strong enough to fight that evil god who had started this whole mess? How was he supposed to fight a literal god? Or what if it was something far worse than that? How could he possibly prepare for something he couldn't even begin to comprehend?
As the what ifs began to rattle around in his brain, fear and doubt settled in, tearing through him like a freight train. What if he couldn't get strong enough? What if he failed? What if he let her down again? What if they come back for him again?
[Error! Host's memories were forcefully blocked out and put behind a containment seal. Your fear has rattled the cage and knocked loose the foundations. Memories may continue to leak through, causing unknown and perhaps fatal consequences. Would you like to re-seal the memories or unblock them?]
Without even thinking about the outcome Alex already knew what he was going to choose. A loud clanging sound, like a chain being dropped from a cliff, resounded in his mind. It was soon followed by the rattling of multiple chains being unwound, as the seal that blocked his memories was undone. Before Alex could contemplate what would happen because of his decision, or even consider changing his mind, everything went dark.
Four years ago
Alex choked on his own blood as he coughed it up onto the gravel beneath him. His body ached and he was wracked with a painful spasm as yet another cough brought forth a spittle of blood.
"Hahaha, that ought to teach the little brat." A cold mocking voice echoed around Alex as his vision blurred, and he struggled to stand up. A boy the same age as him stood a few feet away, a leering grin contorting his face,
"Oh, would ya look at that? Trash here wants another beating." The boy who had spoken was surrounded by a group of other boys who were all laughing at Alex. All of them were dressed in warm clothes to keep out the harsh bite of the Winter cold, whereas Alex was wearing a threadbare shirt and shorts, ripped in multiple spots, that did little to protect his legs.
He stood up on shaky legs and stared at the boy who had practically beaten him within an inch of his life. The smug asshole was the kid of one of the high ranking members of the family. They had been employing Alex and had essentially treated him like he was their property. The past four years of his life had been spent serving this member of the family, and it had been a living hell.
They took every opportunity to remind him that he was nothing. He was worth nothing. His existence only continued because they deemed to let it. To them, and to himself, he was lesser than trash. Dirt on the bottom of their shoes was better than he was.
His arm was hanging at an awkward angle, but the throbbing pain from a broken elbow paled in comparison to the pain he felt in his chest. It hurt every time he took a breath, and more blood dribbled from his lips. He could barely see out of his left eye and his right was completely swollen shut, and there was nothing he could do as Damon approached him.
The dark-haired boy walked straight up to Alex and backhanded him with a loud slap. Barely able to stand as was, Alex crumbled to the ground once more. "Stay down, mutt. God, you're such a pain in the ass. Even your bitch of a mother knew when to stop trying, why do you think we got rid of her? Toys are less fun when they're broken." The last few words were muttered as an afterthought, but they had the intended effect.
Whatever resolve Alex had left fled his body. The words sunk in and repeated in his mind. He almost laughed at himself for being so pitiful, for thinking this time would actually be different from all the other times he had been beaten.
How could he have forgotten? This world is run by the rich and powerful. They take what they want without an afterthought to the consequences. They hurt those who aren't the same as them. His mother had tried to protect him by offering her services to the Valdenci family, and it had worked for some time.
Alex had enjoyed privileges that the other servants didn't get, but all that ended the day his mother was taken from the world. Ever since then, the family treated him like trash. They stripped away whatever privileges he had been given and even took it a step further by moving him out of the servants' quarters and into a cramped, mediocrely sized doghouse.
And the worst part of it all? He had to serve the same man his mother had worked for. It was someone high up in the ranks of the family, and he had a hundred servants he could call on for tasks, but every day at six in the morning he would call on Alex.
The sixty something year old man had a remark for everything Alex did. "Your mother was quicker, your mother was better, your mother worked harder. All she did was talk about you, her precious joy. Pft, I don't see the greatness she talked about."
His current beating was courtesy of one of the old man's sons, all because he didn't bring the right towel for his late-night bath. A sharp digging sensation in his back brought him back to reality.
Damon had knelt down and was using his back to cushion his knee. "Heh, good doggy. You'll remember to bring the proper towel next time, right? Good." He didn't even give Alex a moment to respond, and took extra-long getting up just to ensure he inflicted the most amount of suffering.
Alex was left there on the cold ground as the first snowfall began. The fleeting laughter of Damon and his friends eventually gave way to silence. The pain was finally too much to handle, and he broke, the first tears falling from his swollen eyes. He was alone. He was bruised and broken in all sorts of ways. He was less than trash, and he would never be free.
Present Day
Alex reopened his eyes as the memory came to an end, and he thanked this manifestation in his mind for being unable to cry. It had all felt so real, even his arm was aching and throbbing with an odd sensation. He knew it was his own memory, but still, reliving one of the worst days of his life was not something he would wish on anyone.
[Technically it was real. Unblocking your memories temporarily sent you spiraling through time, and you re-lived your life up until that memory. Strange, there are more, but Fate locked those behind a stronger seal than even I could hope to break through.]
That explained the swirl of emotions Alex was feeling. He was literally feeling everything all at once, pain and sadness just so happened to be the most recent. However, there were happy moments and joyous occasions, it wasn't all bad.
He remembered celebrating his sixth birthday, eating dinner with his whole family, and nights spent with his sister where they shared stories about their day. All of it was there, minus whatever was still being locked by Fate.
Despite all of the thoughts, questions, and emotions going through him, Alex felt at peace. Ever since he had been reborn, it felt like something was missing. He remembered Amanda, but there had been gaps and blank spaces. He remembered serving the high ranked family member, but not that it had been a living hell every single day. Now that he had all of that back, Alex felt complete.
[Excellent, I am overjoyed that you feel that way Alexander. Unfortunately, we are running out of time. I have been forced to make a critical decision without your input, and I apologize for doing so. Initializing Deep Sleep Protocol. Initializing Realm Link Protocol. Complete.]
Alex was still dealing with his regained memories when the System spoke, so it took a moment to process what it had said, but the moment the words registered, Alex's eyes widened in surprise. There was nothing to be done as the protocols finished initializing, and darkness once more took Alex.