Sounds and colors filled the bustling city streets. Cars, lights, groups of people walking, and the large window displays of shops brought the streets to life.
Deeper in the city, there was a hospital situated, who's bright lights glowed eerily in the darkness. Inside, the sounds of shouting could be heard in a certain patient's room, that patient being Malakai Strand.
"You can't just unplug him! That boy there is my son, and he is still alive!" A middle-aged man shouted at a doctor, his rage could be felt almost physically.
"Sir, your son will never wake up, we tried our best to wake him up and even let you have six more months with him without you being able to pay the bills. It's time to say goodbye." The doctor replied, with a grim look on his face.
"But he's our baby! He never even had a chance to experience the real world!" The woman next to the middle-aged man sobbed, sinking to the floor and leaning against the hospital bed. "Why can't you help him?"
The doctor did not respond at first, looking at the young man in bed, all signs of life gone, aside from the slow rise and fall of his chest thanks to the help of one of the machines attached to him.
The doctor knelt down next to the sobbing woman and finally answered in a quiet voice, "Ma'am... we tried all that we could, but when that car crashed into his... it destroyed his brain, the best we can do is make him breathe, but ma'am... It's time now to say goodbye, before your boy suffers more, trapped in darkness until even the machines can't keep him breathing."
"There really is no better way, is there..." The middle-aged man murmured in response. His once angry face filled with sorrow, and realization that they finally had to let their boy go.
"Come on honey, we have to say goodbye." The man said quietly to his wife as he helped her back to her feet, "We can't let our son suffer anymore."
Tears flowed silently as they looked at their son's face one last time. His once nicely tanned skin eerily pale, becoming so thin, he resembled a husk of his former self.
"Okay...." The woman whimpered softly as tears continued to flow, she unsteadily walked to be beside her son one last time, bending over to kiss his forehead.
"Goodbye... my son, I hope wherever you end up, you get to experience a full life, a great one. One that you never got to experience... Our 19 years with you, were the best years of my life. I love you." She whispered in the boys ear between soft sobs, before standing back up.
"Okay doc, we'll leave now." The man muttered, choking back soft sobs of his own has he quietly guided his wife towards the door, "Goodbye my son."
Behind the doctor the door closed quietly as the boy's parents exited, the room now silent. The doctor looked at the boy's face for a long moment, hoping for a miracle, that by some chance he would wake up.
"Alright kid..." The doctor sighed heavily, his chest heaving slightly as he began switching off the life-support equipment, "I'm so sorry we couldn't save you.." The doctor cried quietly to himself as the vitals began to flatline without the support of the machines.
What?...
The boy's conscious, or so he thought stirred for the first time in what felt like an eternity, finally hearing something in the darkness that had become his prison.
Do you wish to be Revived?
- Yes
- No
The voice could be heard once more in the boy's head, but this time, he could see the question, lit up in the darkness of his mind.
Revival?... Does that mean I died? Well, that would explain the not waking up it....
The boy thought to himself before attempting to use his thoughts to answer this new voice.
Yes
Please select from the following:
- Male
-Female
Uhh.... male?
The boy replied to the mysterious voice, clearly unsure what to do aside from go along with it.
Please select the following:
- Infant
- Adult
Adult, no way I want to be a kid again...
Malakai responded to the voice.
Provide the name you wish to be given:
Kai.
"What in the... hell?" The young man murmured in astonishment as he suddenly woke up in the middle of a grassy meadow, the gentle breeze greeting him like a hug.
I.... I can see again, feel again, speak again!
The young man frantically inspected his body, noticing the lightly tanned skin, the small but noticeable mounds of muscle, the way his feet felt in the grass. His gaze trailed from his body to the quiet countryside he had woken up in, the area filled with grassy meadows, rolling hills and a couple of dirt roads, far from life in the city he was accustomed to.
Skills Learned:
- Item Appraisal
- Language Expert
Please Select A New Skill:
- Magic Affinity (Ability to Use Combat or Healing Magic)
- Shadow Walker (Be able to become a shadow for a short amount of time, unseen by untrained eyes)
- Bastion (Gain exponentially enhanced physical strength & stamina, unable to use combat magic.)
Hmm... what do I pick here?
Kai thought to himself before answering the voice in his head with a soft smile.
Bastion.
Bastion skill applied, stats updated:
Health: 10
Stamina: 15
Strength: 25
Intellect: 5
Faith: 5
Stats? Am I in some kind of game or something? I thought this was some kind of dream but... this is looking to be awfully real.
Kai thought to himself as he rubbed his hands in the grassy soil, feeling the cool ground, the bits of soil move between his fingers.
"And if this is real, I really need to find a place to sleep before it gets dark." The young man sighed to himself as he slowly rose to his feet. He struggled to steady himself at first, almost forgetting to stand with how long he was stuck in the dark state, but his legs held strong.
The fact I can even walk right now, makes this apparent reality so much more dream-like...
Kai thought to himself as he dashed towards the dirt road, his first steps out of the darkness, and what appears to be a second chance.