"Well, that's rather peculiar. Truly, utterly devoid of any discernible change. What class did you select? Or did you, by some twist of fate, opt out of having one altogether? Hmm, let me see…" The jester asked well conjuring a shimmering, translucent panel from the air in front of him, his brow soon furrowing in genuine confusion as he scrutinized its display. He tilted his head in mild confusion and interest. "'Forever Second?' What in the blazes kind of name is that? Furthermore, why would anyone choose such a thing? There were countless superior options presented. Imagine, a powerful Druid, or even a formidable Necromancer… Heck, you even had the option for 'Day Dreamer!' Do you comprehend how rare and incredibly potent that class is? I've witnessed its power before on other levels, it could literally weave new realities into existence on a whim! What a profound loss, indeed. So, tell us a bit about this 'Forever Second' class. If it proves interesting enough, perhaps you'll still manage to garner some views. I mean, it can't be quite as terrible as it sounds right?" The jester's voice, though initially perplexed, shifted into an unnervingly smooth, almost theatrical pitch, reminiscent of a sleazy TV host trying to hype a disastrous segment.
John rubbed the back of his head, a blush creeping onto his cheeks, a carefully constructed façade of embarrassment. "No, I'm afraid not," he confessed, mixing a dollop of truth with a generous helping of strategic misdirection. "It is precisely as the name implies. No matter how diligently I work or how fiercely I strive, I am destined to eternally occupy second place in everything I do. It was actually… a miss-click. I had intended to select the option directly above it and my finger just kinda slipped?" The jester deflated visibly, a long, drawn-out sigh escaping his painted lips as he slowly shook his head.
"Honestly John, some folks just draw the short straw, but your luck seems to be in a league of its own and not in a good way I tell you." the jester uttered, a genuine note of pity entering his voice. "While it's not unheard of for people to pick… less-favourable paths, you my friend, have managed to thoroughly lose the interest of all the gods who had still cast their gaze upon you. Looking at my panel, it seems even the deity from whom you derived this peculiar class has already ceased to watch you. This means your path forward is going to be exceptionally arduous. Worse, some of the more capricious entities might even actively interfere, making things utterly miserable simply for their amusement by trying to have obstacles thrown in your path or fund there chosen to try and kill you. You're an easy target now, a blank slate of despair in their grand tapestry of entertainment." He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a low, urgent whisper, laced with a tremor of fear. "Now listen closely and keep your mouth shut about this. Absolutely no one must know I've done what I'm about to do. If the higher-ups ever caught wind, I'd be sent to a place so wretched, so devoid of light or sound, that even my painted smile would crack. And if they do find out because of you, I will personally ensure your brief existence ends in a way that makes 'Forever Second' seem like a blessing, understand?" The threat, while delivered with a shiver, was undeniably real. He then softened, his gaze distant. "I'm only taking this risk because there's literally zero divine interest in you. And, honestly… you remind me a little too much of myself when I first started out in my work place, put in a position without my consent with the world against me." With that, he extended his hand, pressing a plain, but well-balanced, iron dagger into John's palm, followed by a small, rough-spun sack.
"And before you even think of asking some ridiculously stupid question like 'Why are you doing this?' Know that a long, long time ago, when I was a fresh face just starting out, facing a situation not unlike your own, someone in a position similar to mine at the time took pity on me. They stuck their neck out, offered a lifeline risking everything for a complete stranger. It etched itself deep into my very being. I still vividly recall his words when I asked him why. He simply offered a kind smile and said he had once been where I stood. Someone had extended that same random act of kindness to him, with but a single instruction: to one day do the same for another, to keep the cycle going and ask them to do the same." The jester's voice resonated with a profound, almost spiritual depth, emotions too numerous and weighty for mere words to fully convey. He gave John one last piercing, empathetic look, then simply melted away, disappearing into a ripple, a literal slice in the air that sealed itself shut with an imperceptible shimmer.
"A random act of kindness, huh? I promise to never forget this," John muttered to himself, the weight of the dagger a grounding presence in his hand. He quickly hooked the simple sheathed dagger to his belt; the blade nestled securely against his hip. "And I'll repay it. Kindness returned a hundredfold, enmity a thousandfold." He then turned his attention to the sack. Inside, thirty coins gleamed, not of gold or silver, but of something akin to crystallized starlight, each one radiating a faint, almost rainbow-like luminescence. Strange, intricate markings spiralled across their surfaces, symbols he didn't recognize but felt instinctively were important. He carefully counted them, then pulled out twelve, slipping them into his pocket for safekeeping, before tying the sack's drawstring securely to his other side. The urgency to connect with his friend, to understand their new reality, burned within him. He pulled out his phone, his fingers flying across the screen to type a message to Fae.
"It seems our wish for change has definitely come to pass, lol. But please, please be incredibly careful with your choice if you haven't already made one. I know you're brilliant, but it feels like there are plenty of hidden traps and nasty tricks embedded within these class selections. Also, let me know what you pick when you decide. For me, it's called 'Forever Second' . Yeah, it's exactly as the name implies, but honestly, I have a gut feeling it's one of those incredibly overpowered but hidden classes, it was confirmed after speaking with my patron. I mean, it will clearly take a significant amount of effort to truly get going, but if used correctly I think I can genuinely make the absolute most of it. On a much more serious note, please make sure you and the others there, especially the more vulnerable ones, try to stay safe. I know you'll probably be fine, but I genuinely worry about the rest of them. They're going to desperately need you." John sent the message, a distinct and unsettling unease swirling in the pit of his stomach as he impatiently awaited her reply.
While waiting, a gnawing anxiety compelled him to try contacting his brother and parents. He dialled their numbers repeatedly. Each time, his phone did nothing but emit the hollow, unanswered ring, a sound that seemed to mock the distance and the impossible barriers now between them. Frustration coiled in his gut, quickly followed by a cold, hard anger. "Damn it, knowing them, they either chose something catastrophically wrong, or they've already been corrupted by this new system. Damn it!" John exclaimed aloud to the empty office, his hand clenching around his phone, though he was careful not to crush it. Despite his earlier excitement, his long-held plans for this new, fantastical world, he was still grappling with the sheer, brutal reality of it all. Looking forward to something and planning for it didn't automatically make him a fish in water; this was a baptism by fire and he was still sputtering.
His phone vibrated. It was Fae. His stomach tightened even further as he read her first message, the raw fury palpable in her words, even through text: "Kay is gone… they said children under 15 simply aren't going to be part of this reality. The system apparently transported her to a reality parallel to ours, where she's with their version of herself, essentially as a twin. I'm grateful she's safe, I truly am, but I am going to rip this entire goddamn thing apart for taking my child from me!!! You will help me with this right? Please. Even if I can't get her back to our reality, I want these assholes to pay for this! I will never forgive them!!!!" Ouch. John instinctively recoiled. That was a beehive he was absolutely not going to poke right now. Every ounce of his self-preservation screamed to change the subject, to avoid that particular, explosive conversation. Thankfully, another message immediately followed.
"Yeah, I figured you would choose something inherently odd, John. You're always like that, a magnet for the unconventional. I took something called 'Moonlight Writer,' which permits me to alter reality, but only very minutely. Nothing truly major, yet, though perhaps if it grows stronger? The catch is that I can only use it when the moon is visible and its strength depends on the moons phase, strongest when its full and weakening as it becomes less visible through its phases. Jay, on the other hand, chose the 'Gamer' class, pretty much exactly as the name implies. For him, everything is now literally one big, strategic game. He's already created a party and added me to it. We tried to add you, but it seems there's a distance issue – either geographical or a system limitation, were not really sure. He's also acting… slightly different. Nothing overtly alarming, but definitely a shift in his demeanour and this detachedness to his words. Anyway, I'm going to try something. Since my powers, or whatever they are, can subtly shift reality im going to make the most of it, I seem to even get a tiny glimpse of what's ahead in my own odd way that I can't explain so I'm going to try and make the most of this well I can. Given we can't get you into the party, my plan is to try and use my power to change your phone. This should work, I hope."
Before John could even formulate a question about what she was planning, his phone began to vibrate violently, emitting a soft, ethereal azure glow. The entire device shimmered, the metal and glass seeming to liquefy and then re-harden, forming a seamless, incredibly durable, hard plastic-like casing that perfectly molded to its original shape making it only slightly thicker but clearly far more durable. A new icon, bearing a stylized crescent moon intertwined with a quill, blossomed on the screen, pulsing gently to indicate a new message. He also noticed, with a jolt of surprise, that the battery indicator and the signal strength symbol were both conspicuously absent.
"So, I tried to make some minor changes, leveraging the fact that the moon is just now peeking out on this side. Guess I should be incredibly grateful this all went down just as night was falling! Anyway, what I managed to do was write into reality how your phone transformed into an item matching those of the new reality. Being an item, it no longer requires power to function and it allows certain individuals to stay in contact with you through specific mediums. I really hope this worked as intended! The downside is, I can only chat with you on it by writing in the special book I received with my class, so our conversations are restricted to nighttime, contingent on the moon being visible," John read, a wave of profound relief washing over him.
He quickly typed back, "Fae, you are a damn genius! I would never, in a million years, have thought of something so brilliant. Honestly, my utterly mundane plan was to try and scavenge and jury-rig a charging system for my phone, then snag as much mobile data as possible to stay connected for as long as the cell towers lasted. I'll still going to try and rig a simple solar system and batteries though. You never know when you may need to power something else, like a radio, or who knows what." As he sent the message, a renewed sense of purpose hardened his resolve. The new reality was harsh, unforgiving, but with friends like Fae and the jester's unexpected generosity, he wasn't entirely alone. John slipped the transformed phone into his pocket, its new solidity a comforting weight. He then began to methodically search the abandoned office and the rest of the building, not just for supplies, but for anything—tools, weapons, information, even just a forgotten blanket—that might aid his sudden, solitary struggle for survival.