Alex stared at the ticking clock in the classroom, each second dragging on like it knew how badly he wanted to leave. The last period on a Friday was always the worst. His pen tapped rhythmically against the edge of his notebook, eyes half-focused on the teacher's voice echoing somewhere in the background.
Seventeen years old. Not a social climber, not a loner. Just. there. Intelligent enough to cruise through school without putting in the effort, and socially attuned enough to steer clear of conflict. Teachers approved of him. Classmates referred to him as "reliable."
He disliked that term — it sounded like something you said about a toaster, not a human being.
Outside, clouds gathered, casting a greyness over the windows. His best friend Leo craned over, whispering, "You coming online later?"
"Yeah, maybe," Alex said softly.
Gaming was fun. Or at least, it should have been.
The problem was, lately, it felt like another notch in the same rut.
School. Home. Homework. Scroll through pointless social updates. Sleep. Repeat.
Life wasn't terrible — it just felt. stuck.
The last bell clanged.
As students ambled out, Alex lagged behind. His phone vibrated. A text from his mom:
"Home late. Order something if you're hungry. Love you."
Typical.
The rain had begun when he stepped outside. His hoodie was just short, but he did not care. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked, earbuds in, music playing as background noise for a movie that forgot its story.
That's when the streetlight flickered.
A low rumble pierced his music. Louder than a car. Deeper.
He turned. Headlights. Squealing tires. A truck — speeding. Dead-on toward him.
"Wait—WHAT THE—!"
CRASH.
No pain.
No road.
No rain.
Only silence, and then—
Laughter. A woman's laughter. Not kind. Not cruel. Just. amused. Like someone sitting watching a YouTube fail compilation.
"Oh, that was beautiful," the voice said, drifting down like wind. "You should've seen your face."
Alex opened his eyes. He wasn't in his body. Not on the ground. Not anywhere real. He was floating in a glowing, dreamlike space, weightless and confused.
"Am I. dead?"
Well, not technically," the voice replied. A woman materialized above him, reclining midair like a restless cat. She had a white, flowing dress that glimmered like fog, and her hair curled around her like smoke.
"I'm a goddess," she said with a smile. "Not the one and only. Just one of several. You caught my eye."
Alex scowled. "Caught your eye? I was hit by a truck.
"Right," she said, twirling lazily. "That truck? One of mine."
"You… sent it?!"
"I nudge things. It's what I do," she said, smiling innocently. "Honestly, you were wasting your potential. Going through the motions. Same walk, same hoodie, same dull thoughts. Boring."
"Introducing me to nice new words like 'thanks' and 'appreciation', aren't you?" she said, smiling mischievously.
She floated upside down, prodding his forehead. "I'm giving you a second chance. A better world. Swords."
"I didn't ask for this," Alex grumbled.
"No one ever does," she shrugged. "But hey — better than another night of swiping till your battery runs out, right?"
He glared at her. "What am I even supposed to do in this world?"
Her grin grew wider. "Survive."
And then, out of the blue, the ground gave way beneath him like glass.
"Wait—WAIT—!"
"Have fun!" she hollered cheerfully. "Or don't. Either way, I'll be watching~!"