Liam's last memory was a blinding white flash, then emptiness. A cold void, soundless, sensationless. It was like diving into an ocean of nothingness, where time and space ceased to exist. There was no fear, no pain, just... nothing.
Then, abruptly, the pain began.
It wasn't a sharp agony, but a dull ache at first, then a crushing pressure, as if his body was being squeezed under an invisible weight. A sound followed. A cacophony of clanging metal, angry shouts, and muffled screams. Liam slowly opened his eyes, finding himself staring up at a strange night sky. It wasn't the familiar, neon-polluted sky of his city. This sky was a deep, inky canvas, studded with stars that glittered with a clarity he'd never seen before, and a massive, blue-hued moon casting long, eerie shadows below.
"Where am I?" Liam mumbled, his voice a hoarse whisper. He tried to sit up, but his body wouldn't fully obey. He felt dizzy, his head spinning.
He was lying on a filthy ground, reeking of garbage and stagnant water. High stone walls flanked him, barely allowing the blue moonlight to filter through. It was an alley. A dark, narrow alley.
"Stop, thieves! You won't escape!"
Another voice, closer this time, made him flinch. It was a deep, enraged voice, followed by the rapid thud of footsteps and the clang of swords.
"Damn it! They're on our tail!" A sharper voice, then a heavy thud.
Liam suddenly realized he wasn't alone in this alley. A struggle was unfolding just a few meters away. He saw flashes of metal, and shadows moving swiftly in the gloom. Men were fighting.
"This... this feels too familiar." Liam muttered, a chill running down his spine. He tried to remember. Where had he seen this scene before?
Then it hit him like a lightning bolt.
Chapter Three. The 'Forgotten Shadow' alley in the city of 'Aetheria'. The city guards' pursuit of the thieves who stole the 'Gem of Light'.
These were details from a popular fantasy webnovel he had devoured before his death. The novel, "The Rise of the Last Hero." It was an epic tale of an orphaned youth who discovers his hidden powers and leads a revolution against a corrupt empire.
"No way... This can't be real." Liam mumbled, his eyes widening in horror. "I'm... I'm in the novel?"
He remembered the details of Chapter Three vividly. In this very alley, during this very chase, an insignificant background character was accidentally killed by a stray arrow. A body later discovered and buried nameless. Just a minor detail to heighten the tension of the scene.
"I'm... I'm that body?" A cold dread washed over Liam. He wasn't a hero, nor a villain, not even a supporting character. He was just... a corpse.
At that moment, as panic seized him, a faint blue light flickered before his eyes. It wasn't moonlight, but a digital glow.
Words appeared in the air, like a transparent screen floating before him.
[Incompatible soul detected with predetermined fate.]
Liam stared at the screen, his mind reeling. "Fate Facilitator? What is that?"
[Fate Facilitator: An entity that gains power and skills by assisting key characters in achieving their grand destinies.]
"Predetermined fate... death." Liam swallowed hard. The choice was clear. Death, or a mysterious chance at survival, even if it meant being a mere tool.
"Accept!" Liam said aloud, barely audible over the din of the fight.
[1 Fate Point granted.]
Liam felt a warmth spread through his body, as if new energy was flowing through his veins. The dizziness faded, and his mind became clearer. He tried to stand again, and this time, he succeeded. He swayed, but he stood.
Just then, an old wooden door at the end of the alley burst open, and a man rushed out. He was tall, clad in light leather armor, his silver hair falling over his shoulders. He wielded a longsword, glowing with a faint light.
"That's... Alistair!" Liam whispered. This was the novel's true "Hero," Alistair Verne, who was supposed to pass through this alley just minutes after Liam's death.
Alistair was panting, seemingly having been chasing the thieves as well. He suddenly stopped when he saw Liam standing in the alley.
"Are you alright?" Alistair asked, his grey eyes fixed on Liam with concern.
Before Liam could answer, an arrow shot out from the darkness, heading straight for Alistair's chest.
"Look out!" Liam yelled, shoving Alistair hard.
Alistair stumbled to the ground, as the arrow embedded itself in the wall directly behind where he had been standing moments before.
Alistair looked at Liam in surprise, then at the arrow stuck in the wall. "You saved my life!"
Liam felt another wave of warmth course through his body. He hadn't done anything grand, just a simple push. But the System deemed it sufficient.
"Who are you?" Alistair asked, getting to his feet and tightening his grip on his sword. "What are you doing in this alley so late?"
Liam looked at Alistair, then at the shadows still stirring at the end of the alley. He knew the thieves would flee soon, and Alistair would pursue them. But he was no longer just a corpse. He had become a "Fate Facilitator."
"My name is... Liam." Liam said, feeling his words echo in the cold air. "And I'm... I'm here to help."
Alistair gave a quick smile, then dashed towards the shadows. "Well, Liam, it seems you arrived just in time!"
Liam was left alone in the alley, with the blue moonlight casting its long shadows. He looked at his hands. Nothing was physically different. But he felt different. He was no longer just a background character doomed to die. He was part of something bigger.
[New Quest: Help Alistair Verne retrieve the Gem of Light.]
Liam looked towards the end of the alley where Alistair had disappeared. This was the beginning. The beginning of his journey as a "Fate Facilitator." But could he truly forge his own destiny while helping others achieve theirs? And would he even survive in this dangerous world?