(Samuel's POV)
"Alright." I said as I shut the console off, "That's enough for tonight. What time is it anyway?"
I looked at the digital clock that was on the nightstand. It was 3:30am.
"Damn!" I said, "I spent 5 hours straight playing??? Well, luckily, I got a day off."
I stretched as I let out a yawn, feeling the effects of sitting down for that long. I didn't even think that I would lose myself that long in the online western game.
It is just that fun.
I like playing video games for that long, but sometimes I have to snap back to reality. I can't stay up much longer because I require my sleep. I had some stuff to take care on later throughout the day so I really needed to have some rest.
I walked to the bathroom to brush my teeth, turning the light on and standing in front of the mirror. I saw my brown hair was kinda messy and it needed a haircut. My black eyes were staring right back at me as I stood there, blinking slowly.
"Man...." I said, "I wonder what's to become of my life."
I felt the phone in my pocket vibrate; I had received a message.
I took it out and looked at the message; it was from Yuki, my girlfriend.
It read: "Are you awake?"
I smiled as I placed toothpaste on my toothbrush, beginning to brush my teeth as I opened the message and responded to her.
Me: Yes, I am about to head to bed.
Her: Oh, good. I wanted to talk about something.
Me: Oh, is it about tomorrow night? I am quite excited.
Her: No.
Me: Ah, alright then.
Her: I can't do this anymore.
Me: Do what?
Her: Us.
I spat out the toothpaste as the bad taste of mint was still in my mouth.
"W-What the fuck?" I said as I looked at the text
Us? What does that mean? Us? Is she breaking up???
No, that can't be. We've been dating for two years! D-Did I do something wrong? We've been through so much, I've met her parents. Why would she do this?
Wait. No. I have to confirm what she means.
I texted her back:
Me: Us? What does that mean?
Her: We're done. I am sorry.
Me: But why?
Her: ...
So she does want to break up.
What could have happened?
I looked at the next message that came through:
Her: There's someone else.
Me: What?
Her: Yes. I am in love with someone else.
Me: Do I know him?
Her: No. But I want to be with him. I am sorry, Sammy.....I love him.
Me: What about me? You didn't love me? How could you do this to me? After what we've been through, Yuki. You're joking right? This is some cruel prank.
Her: No. I am sorry. I feel terrible but I've felt this way for months.
Me: Months?! You've been in love with another man for months and you just tell me now?! Did you cheat on me?
Her: No, I didn't. I was close though.....but I stopped. I wanted to break up with you before I become one with him.
I tossed the phone on the counter of the sink and rinsed my mouth, getting rid of the toothpaste.
"What the fuck?!" I exclaimed, "The audacity on her!!! She wants to break up so she can be with another man without me on her conscience, what kind of bullshit is this?!"
I picked the phone up and I responded to her.
Me: Call me, let's talk about this. I want to know exactly what you mean.
Her: No. I am sorry. Delete my number. Don't call me again.
"What?!" I exclaimed, "Oh fuck no. I have to go and talk to her."
I took a step to the side and I felt my foot slip. Next thing I knew I was looking up at the ceiling and suddenly, I felt a loud thud.
Then everything went black.
********************
I groaned as I opened my eyes, seeing that I was in a dark room, "W-What?"
I sat up, feeling a cold sensation on the back of my head as I reached for it. I blinked, seeing that there was little to no light in this room.
I wonder where I could be.
"Where is the light?" I said aloud as I got to my knees
"Yo." I heard a voice say
It was an unsettling voice, one that made me jump right away.
"W-what?" I said as I looked to my left, seeing the figure of someone sitting on a chair in front of the wall, "What the hell?"
I noticed two red eyes staring right at me, glowing in the shadows of the room. They were crimson, a deep shade of red. Something about looking into those red eyes reminded me of fire. I couldn't explain but it is as if there were raging flames within those eyes.
"Rise and shine, buddy." a man's voice said, "You've been asleep for a few hours."
"W-Who are you?" I asked, 'Where am I?"
"I'll answer the second question." He said as I heard clapping
Suddenly, some dim lights turned on and illuminated the room. I saw that there was a slim man sitting down in the chair. He had pale skin and dark red hair and wore some kind of store uniform, as if he was employed at some random convenience store or gas station. It was a red collared shirt with brown khakis and dress shoes.
He had a matching cap on his hand as he looked at me with his fiery red eyes.
"What?" I said
"You're in Limbo." He said with a slight smirk, "You are dead."
"Dead?" I frowned, "What are you talking about?"
"Yes." He said, "You're dead. Funny thing, you slipped on a small puddle of water. I don't know how it got there. You probably accidentally wet the ground prior to receiving the break-up message from that girl, Yuki."
I did get up to piss like around 1 am. Did I get the floor wet when I washed my hands? If what he's saying is true; I slipped on that very same puddle that didn't dry. What kind of insane luck is that?
I narrowed my eyes, "How do you know that?"
"I know a lot of things." He said as he looked down, "Your Name, for example."
He opened his palm, and a small red screen appeared above it.
"Name: Samuel Grey. Age: 19. Height: 6'0. Weight: 200lbs. Most of it is muscle, I can tell." He said with admiration in his voice, "Family: Two Mothers, Ooh, this is different. A younger brother. Aaand...an older sister."
I got on my feet, "Who are you? What are you?"
"Name's Red." He said as he placed the cap on his head, "And what I am doesn't matter. Not now, at least. See, there's something I am going to do with you."
"Huh?" I said
"See, my companions and I are playing a game." He said with a serious look, "We make bets and whoever wins the bet gets to choose to reincarnate any random person into a magical world. We give them a second chance at life and grant them a wish."
"Bets?" I frowned, "What are you talking about?"
"Blue and I were playing dice, and I beat her." He said with a proud smirk, "Anyways, I chose you as my fortunate soul. I get to toss you into that magical world and give you a System. You know what that is?"
"S-System?" I said, "Is it like those stories about leveling up or something? I have a vague understanding. Wait. What do you mean you were playing dice? You are some kinds of almighty gods that make bets and do this kind of stuff?"
"Haha...." He said as he tipped his hat, "There's a natural order to these kinds of things. We just like to shake things up for our entertainment. And you're right about the System thing. It is an outside force that will help you get stronger. Only visible to you. You need to do certain things to level up your skills and all."
"Natural...order?" I said, "What does that mean?"
"Shouldn't matter to you, buckaroo." He said with a chuckle, "You died. And now you're going to get reincarnated. Think of me as your.....sponsor. I give you this System and because I beat Blue in 10 rounds of Dice, I get to give you three little gifts as a bonus. See, one of them is a free weapon, depending on the Class you choose."
"Wait, what?" I shook my head, "What are you talking about?"
"It will all make sense when you're in there." He clapped his hands
Suddenly, some sort of circular portal appeared next to us, swirling wind nearly sucking me in.
"Oh." He said, "By the way, the System is something I cooked up recently. I hope you like it, it's going to be fun. Might take your mind off your breakup."
"Something you cooked up?" I blinked, "Like what? Dammit, this is all too much for me! So much to take in!"
"Yea, I get you." He patted my shoulder, "The rules dictate that a Chosen One cannot remain in the rooms of Limbo too long, lest their souls be recycled. We only have time to give you guys a quick breakdown and toss your asses in the magical worlds."
"I see...." I said, "Well....."
"Welp, time for you to get reincarnated.....or transmigrated. I don't fucking know." He said, "Oh, by the way. Blue and I played a round of Rock-Paper-Scissors, and I lost. So.....you're going to start in a situation she chose. So....good luck, I guess."
I frowned, "You mentioned that name....." I said,
"Who is Bl-"
He pushed me into the portal, and the next thing I knew, my entire body was sucked into one single spot. A strange feeling overcame me. There was nothing but heat and cold all around me as my mind was going blank.
I didn't know what was going on. Everything went pitch black.
*********************
"Wake your ass up!!!!" a voice bellowed as I felt my entire body thrashing around
"Ah!' I opened my eyes as I felt my head hit the side of something, "W-what the fuck?!"
I turned to see two individuals were sitting next to me in what looked like the back of a carriage; I was kneeling down on what looked like wood and there was some kind of bench behind me. I also heard the hooves of horses in the front, where the light was coming from; there was a tarp covering the entire back.
There was a man with a black bushy beard, wearing jeans and a button-up shirt. He had his hands on a rope that connected to my bound arms.
"What?" I blinked as I looked at the other person, "What is going on?"
The other person was another man, short and chubby, with red hair. He was pointing what looked like a revolver at me.
"Don'tcha dare move, bucko." the fat one said, "Or I'll put a bullet in ya."
"Oi!!" a voice from the front exclaimed, "This road leads to the passage that takes us to Drahan! What the hell are we supposed to do?!"
"Why are we getting to the passage, you imbecile?!" The bearded man said, "The drop-off was right next to it!"
"Well, it's not my fault that thing is chasing us!!!" the rider exclaimed
I turned to see the flaps of the tarp jumping up and down, catching a glimpse of what was outside. I saw a massive figure running behind us, on what looked like a dirt road of some sort.
"What is going on?" I asked
"Shut up!" I heard the fat one exclaim, "Do you want me to shoot ya?!"
"Don't fucking shoot him, you idiot!" The bearded one said, "He's Wanted! Alive!"
I frowned, "What is going on?" I said as I began to feel anxiety all over my body, "Who the hell are you?!"
The carriage ran over something that caused a big bump, throwing me to the back of as my back hit the wooden gate.
"Dammit!" The fat one shouted, "Don't let go of him!"
"Hey, Roy!" the bearded one shouted, "Can you lose the damn bird already?!"
"I'm fucking trying!!" the rider exclaimed, "The horses are running for their life too!!!"
I had no idea what was happening. I was in my bathroom, getting a breakup text from my girlfriend when I suddenly slipped and died. Next thing I know, I am in some sort of Limbo room with a guy who has some sort of great power. He tells me I was being sent to a magical world so I could get a second chance.
But now I am kidnapped, in the back of a carriage, while something big is chasing us.
As in cue, I heard a loud shriek, one that sent chills down my spine.
"W-what?" I slowly turned to see that there was a massive creature running right behind the carriage, hot on its tail
It looked like a flightless bird, dark grey in color with a pitch-black beak with orange eyes. It's beak was open, and I could see its dark purple tongue as it let out another shriek. It was probably larger than the carriage itself, and every step it took let out a resounding thud; a massive cloud of dust was left in its own trail.
"What is that?!" I shouted as it got closer, a terrifying sight
The mere sight of it gave me goosebumps; it looked like something out of a nightmare. I had no clue what was going on, and my head was going dizzy.
"Damn Terror Birds!!!" the Fat one said,
"It's gonna fucking kill us all!!!"