"Fuck!"

That was the last thing that came out of my mouth as I bled out in an alley, but let's rewind a bit. There is a bit more to the story than me just dying.

My name is Hyde, and I work as a security detail for a gang at a nightclub. I am only eighteen, but I have been working for my boss for the last two years.

I was usually early for my job, but I was out later than usual last night trying to get a girl's number. Surprise, I didn't get it, but that was the going rate for me in this life.

Now I was late.

I was supposed to be at the club by 8:15 PM, and the boss needed me there. It was a matter of taking the dark alley to get there.

This is where my trouble started; I took the shortcut, knowing full well that this could put me in harm's way. I really didn't care at this point; my being late could get my earnings cut.

I was wearing a hoodie, jeans, and my head was bald, so I guess I didn't really look that intimidating. I also had red and black tribal tattoos that ran up my arms and neck, but they were covered.

"Hey! You, give me whatever you got! I don't want to hurt you," a crazy-sounding voice called to me from the left.

From the shadows, a strung-out caucasian male stepped into my path. I stopped and took a step back as I looked the guy over.

Guy probably thought I was some young poser, but I ran protection for my boss, and I was the best. Plus, my father had taught me many different skills before he went off the deep end.

The next thing I knew, the man quickly pulled a knife out, but I was already looking at the watch on my wrist. I really didn't have time for this, and I was already thinking of backing out of the ally.

I was tough, but the knife changed things, and it would be taking an unnecessary risk. Just as I was about to turn and back up, the tweaker stepped forward with the knife pointing at me.

"Come on, man, just hand over the wallet or whatever the fuck you have that's valuable, and I won't stick this fucking knife in you. Put your fucking hand down, you scrawny fuck," the man told me, and I scowled.

Now the guy was too close for me to run. There was a good chance that the knife would end up planted in my back if I did.

The idiot must have been high on something. The man's eyes were all bugged out, and the knife was almost vibrating in his hands.

The man didn't wait for me to reply and made a move to stab at me. This was fine by me.

Time slowed as the man dove at me, but I punched the wrist holding the knife. Using my free hand, I punched him in the throat, and I could feel it collapse.

The knife hit the ground with a clang, and I watched him drop like a sack of garbage. The man immediately grabbed at his throat, starting to gasp for air, choking.

That was when I made my fatal mistake. I turned my back, not wanting to step over him, and I never saw it coming.

Junkie must have had another knife and somehow was able to get back up. Before I knew what happened, searing pain coursed through my body, radiating from my lower back.

The knife had been slipped into my back close to the spine. I could feel the heat from the wound and blood trickling out.

Now the searing pain that was breaking through the shock. This was my fear becoming a reality.

"I told you! I just wanted your money, but you have always been the same! No matter where you are, I will find you," the man's voice said from behind me.

He sounded different now; the junkie's voice was more profound and clear now. For some reason, I felt like I knew the voice, and I had heard it many times in my past, but I had never seen him before.

My legs slowly gave way, and I slipped off the knife, sinking to the ground. I threw my arms forward to catch myself, but they barely slowed me as my face hit the pavement.

MY blood was leaking out of me fast, and my insides were on fire. My body was heavier than it had ever been, and any attempt to get up just made things worse.

This was not how things were supposed to go.

"Don't worry. We will meet again. No matter where you all go, I will find you." The deep voice from behind me said as it walked away, but the comment seemed to clear my head.

"Again?" I croaked as I turned my head back to look for the man, but he was gone.

What was the point? The man didn't even try to take my things!

Anger coursed through my veins, but that just made things worse. Blood was now soaking the back and front of my shirt and starting to form a pool around me.

This was it, eighteen years was all I was going to get, and now it was all over. Not like there was a lot to keep fighting for; this world had done nothing but throw one curveball after another.

"Fuck!" I groaned out with the last bit of my strength.

I closed my eyes and prepared myself for what was to come. The problem was that someone else seemed to have other plans for me.

Out of nowhere, there was a dinging noise, and a bright text box with writing filled my darkened vision. It looked like some kind of prompt from a game or something.

[WARNING!

AUTO-SUMMON DEATH TRIGGER EVENT OCCURRING.]

'The fuck is this? Where are these words coming from? This text box is too fucking bright. Can't I just die in peace?' I growled in my mind, too weak to speak out loud.

There was no vocal response from the text box. I don't know what I thought it would say back to me.

Instead, the first box of text disappeared, but it was immediately replaced by another.

[CHOOSE MAGIC]

'Magic? What? Am I going to some nerd's basement to play some D&D?' I asked in my mind, but there was no reply.

The text box disappeared again, but this time it was replaced by one that looked different than the last two. This one looked like something pulled out of MMORPG, with the magic type and uses.

[GROWTH MAGIC-create and control nature and help nurture others.]

Growth Magic? While this might seem cool, it really didn't seem like it would really make me that strong.

Never had any passion for gardening or really helping others.

My life has always been about looking out for myself. Relying on others was a great way to fast-track yourself to disappointment.

'I'll take a hard pass on the tree-hugger magic. Is there anything else? Also, did I stop bleeding?' I voiced in my mind

Maybe I could just lay around for a bit. The pain from before was not something that I wanted to experience again.

'Do not waste time. You are still dying, and if you don't hurry up, you will be given a random ability!" An older-sounding male voice spoke in my mind, surprising me.

'Who are you?' I asked the voice in my mind.

'That isn't important right now. You need to pick a Magic Type or let RNGeezus take the wheel!' The male voice told me.

Everything that was going on was making my head spin. Very little, if any, was making sense, but I decided to listen to the strange voice.

I was about to die, and this voice was going to give me a second chance. With a magical power, I would get to the top of this world, no problem.

'What's next? Please make me a wizard, Garry. I promise to be good and all of that bullshit!' I told the voice in my head.

'Who's Garry?' The male voice asked.

'You said that your name didn't matter, so I made one up,' I said with a mental shrug since I was no longer in control of my body.

The truth was that I couldn't feel it anymore. My body was gone, and trying to open my eyes did nothing for me.

'You were close, but my name is Gripton,' the voice explained.

'Good for you! If you're the chief, then what's the game plan here? You're just gonna show me a bunch of magic, and I get to pick one?' I asked, thinking that there might be more than what I was being told.

'...Yeah...' Gripton said in a suspicious voice, trailing off.

'Really? Yeah? What the fuck is that shit? Don't make me scroll through all these weird things, and just pick one for me!' I growled.

I did not like how the man trailed off when he spoke. Now I was sure that something was being held back.

The problem was that I really wasn't in much of a position to be making demands.

'True, you really aren't in much of a position to be demanding, but I get it. You are not the type that has others fight for you, and you are used to doing things alone,' Gripton explained to me.

'Fine, but I don't want any sissy magic! Also, since this will cut some of the time, what is this all about?' I asked.

'A world needs a hero.' Gripton replied flatly, causing my irritation to flare again.

'Don't go giving me that bullshit. What does that even mean? Do I go and pick a person out of the crowd and say you must be the bad guy? Then shout some stupid heroic line?' I asked, my voice filled with annoyance.

'I'm sure you will figure it out,' Gripton replied in a casual tone that just made me angrier.

'Oh, you're just Mr. Have A Good Day And Go Away then?!' I demanded.

'Me? Oh, I have no problem with that! Have a good day then!' Gripton told me, but that wasn't what I wanted.

'Wait, annoying voice in my head, what magical shit did you give me?' I shouted out in my mind.

I was worried that I might have pissed the person off, and now I was just going to die for real. I was okay with dying at first, but now, I was starting to get used to the idea of getting another chance!

There was a long pause, but then the voice spoke up again.

'The Magical Hands of Maximus and Negima,' Gripton finally replied.

'Hey! What kind of mumbo jumbo lollipop squawk was that?!' I asked, not understanding a word that was just said.

'I can take it back if you don't want it?' Gripton told me, but I could feel the grin in his words.

'Don't be such a sensitive grandpa; I'll keep it. What the fuck does it do?' I asked, trying to not sound as much like a jackass.

'You want to keep it but...argh! You really know how to frustrate people! I would have given you a magical power, but you already seem to have it flowing through every inch of your soul!' Gripton growled at me in frustration.

I smiled inwardly but decided that making this person frustrated wasn't really going to help me. I decided to just wait quietly until the voice was ready to speak again.

'Anything your right-hand touches becomes magical. Anything your left-hand contacts lose magical function forever unless you touch it with your right. The effects may vary,' Gripton explained to me.

'Eh? Not bad, but I have no fucking clue what that means, but hey, fuck it. So were we going, boss? Gonna stay here?' I asked, but there was no answer.

Suddenly, the pain kicked back in, and I was able to open my eyes. I was back in the alley, bleeding out on the pavement in the dark.

The world started to get fuzzy, and it was hard to concentrate on anything in the dark. My eyes closed again as I lay in a puddle of my own blood.

Suddenly, my eyes shot back open as I could see a light from behind my eyelids. A circle of lights formed around me, filling the dark alley with light.

Then it started to tear me apart.

I woke up with something cool and hard behind me. Opening my eyes, I looked out across a sea of grass.

It was blowing in the wind like I was at a beach with green waves.

Where was I?

I stood up and turned around. I was looking to see what cold lump of rock I had woken up next to, but it was just a statue.

It was a figure of a man holding his fist up with a big smile on his face. I looked down and noticed a plaque that said something in a language I couldn't read.

I turned back around and looked at the wave of grass and then took in a deep breath. The air had a clean and crisp feeling that I was not used to.

I had lived in… I couldn't remember the name of the place…

The name was at the tip of my tongue, but no matter how much I tried, it kept slipping from my grasp. Frustrated, I turned back to the statue and pulled my thoughts from my past.

I was in a new world, or at least a different part of the one I had been before. I guess that it was time to test out this new power I had received.

"Let's try these magic and not-so-magical hands out!" I said out loud, happy that my voice was still the same.

I noticed that I was still wearing my clothes from before as I reached forward. I stretched out and placed my right hand on the statue's chest.

Suddenly, the man started to move, and I stepped back, so I didn't get crushed as the statue started to move. The knight turned to me and started to speak in one of those way-too-fucking-happy tones.

"Oh, great traveler, you must be the new hero! Thank you for free-," but I cut the rock face with a quick touch of my left hand.

Fuck that noise. I was not looking for a sidekick.

I looked around and noticed a forest a little ways away, so I dusted both my dust-covered hands off on my pants. The pants started to rustle, but I ignored them when they stopped.

Were they just gonna walk off if I didn't watch them?

The thought made me chuckle as I started to jog to the trees. I stopped partway, seeing rock, and I walked over to pick it up.

The rock started to glow a lime green, but there didn't seem to be another effect. I even tried throwing it at the base of the statue, but nothing happened; the rock just continued to glow.

Chuckling, I reached down and picked up another rock. I started to toss it back and forth between my hands.

This rock turned red and glowed on the first toss, but I had to toss it fast because it almost burned my hand. I watched fall to the ground, and I instinctively put my hands up to cover my face.

Thankfully, I did because the rock exploded the moment it hit the ground. I was hit with small hot pieces, but my hands blocked the ones that had come at my face.

That made me a bit more cautious when picking up the next stone, but I used my left hand this time. I would have to be a bit faster and toss the rack back to my left after the right had touched it.

The first toss to my right hand made the stone start to float. I quickly used my left to snatch it before it was out of my reach.

The next one caused the stone to go soft like putty, but it changed to an ordinary stone in my left hand. Then the stone didn't change in my right hand, or at least I couldn't tell what had changed.

The following magic caused the rock to turn to water and slip out of my hand, but back to rock just before it touched the ground.

"The fuck is this?" I asked out loud, perplexed by what I had just witnessed.

I tried to touch it with my right, but it just turned to water when my hand got close. Then the water moved away from my hand if I tried to chase it.

The same thing happened with my left, so that got me thinking. If I did that to a person, what would happen?

I let my mind drift to people exploding or turning into dust and getting blown away. I was starting to become worried about what this would mean for me going forward.

Maybe, it would be ok if it was the evil person that Garry had told me about. If it was anyone else, it would be like playing Russian Roulette.

'Gripton!' The familiar voice said in my mind to my shock.

I whipped around, thinking that he would be behind me, but there was no one. I guess that I was stuck with this guide, but I really didn't know where I was, so it might not be too bad.

'Ha! You are still here!' I declared in my head.

'I'm not supposed to talk to you anymore,' Gripton said in my mind.

'That's what most daughters say to me after their parents meet me! I thought we had a connection, Boss?' I joked.

'Well, I guess I won't be the worst if I stick around. You do seem like you're going to get in a lot of trouble if left alone...' Gripton explained in my mind, letting his last words trail off.

'See? That's the spirit! I'm a human cannonball with the power to do who the fuck knows what! Best to give me a little guidance and a boost every now and then, if you know what I mean. Right, Boss?' I asked, not wanting to stir the pot too much, but I couldn't change who I was.

'Ugh, you have no idea just how right you are, do you? You know, I was just minding my own business, walking the cosmic highway, and I noticed you dying! Ha! This is what I get! How can I go back to the mountain springs now?' Gripton complained, but something about his voice felt like an act.

I decided to play along.

'Oh, what are you missing out on at the hot springs? Peaking on the women's side? Is my teacher a pervert? Don't worry, I'll give you lots to stare at! This world doesn't know what's coming for it! Lock your door and hide your daughters!' I joked in my mind.

'Oh? Really? Since when have you been the lady killer?' Gripton asked me in a tone that I didn't like.

'WHAT DID YOU SAY?!' I shouted in my mind.

'Am I lying?' Gripton asked, using one of those child-like voices meant to annoy people.

'Oh, I got the goods don't you worry, old man! I may not have a lot of lady experience, but I will learn!' I retorted, but the truth was that I didn't really have much experience with women.

At least, not in the way that I was referring to.

I was really good at helping them and not the worst listener, but that was the problem. I was always the one listening to problems and a shoulder to cry on.

As the saying goes, always the best man, but never the groom.

'You tend to be showy, so I thought it was a good time to put you in your place. Nobody will think it's cool to brag about things you haven't done. Cool is listening, and only talking when you know something,' Gripton explained to me.

Part of me knew that he was right, but my developed personality felt the need to argue.

'You're gonna give me lessons on being cool?' I asked in my head with a salty tone.

'No, I will try to stop you from making an idiot of yourself in front of others. My main goal is to teach you how to properly use your hands,' Gripton explained to me.

'Really? Gonna teach me that finger banging shit then?' I asked, sticking my pointer and index finger into the air in the motion I assumed was done in.

'This is exactly what I mean, see if...' Gripton started to say in an exasperated tone and let out a sigh.

I ignored the windbag as I finally reached the forest. The trees were taller than anything that I had seen before this, except in pictures.

The forest floor had very few leaves, and there was barely any moss. I wasn't really familiar with the forest or the wild by any means, but this forest looked like something out of a video game.

The one thing that was relieving was the fact that I could hear birds and insects. I am no wimp, but everyone knows if you went into a forest and heard no noises, nothing good would come of it.

Shaking the thoughts of a haunted forest off, I started to make my way into the tree line. That was when Gripton's voice cut into my mind louder this time.

'I'm giving you a pair of gloves so you don't start wreaking havoc on the world. Remember, the left is just as dangerous as the right in this world,' Gripton explained, but that one didn't make sense.

"What does it matter if I take the magic away from something? I mean, I get that it would be a jerk thing to do, but I am sure that some are going to need it, right? The bad guy and all?" I asked out loud as I started to wander into the forest.

Wander was the best word that I could think of to describe what I was doing. I had no idea where I was or going, but something told me that I was not on the same planet as before.

'Some creatures and beings survive on magic. Removing it, well, I'm sure you get the idea. Creatures like Nymphs, Sprites, Element based creatures would die because they are magical constructs,' Gripton explained, and I started to get it.

Then, a pair of white gloves fell from the air above me. I let them hit the ground, moving my hands out of the way.

Not in one million years.

"No," I said flatly.

'What do you mean, no?' Gripton asked me in confusion.

"I'm not Mickey Mouse or Michael Jackson! I will look like a fool wearing them! Is that how you want my first impression to be with the locals? If there are even any?" I said skeptically after stopping in front of the white gloves.

I looked around, but it was hard to see more than fifty feet in any direction. The trees had gotten thicker, but there was a clearing ahead that was filled with light.

'This also isn't Earth,' Gripton countered, but I didn't have it.

'No, Dorthey, I am not putting those on! If you can just make the gloves pop out of nowhere, you can give me a different pair! Ones that are not going to make me look like some weirdo! Whoever the people are here, I am sure that they aren't too fashion-forward!" I declared with a thrust of my finger into the air.

'THAT'S NOT MY NAME!' Gripton yelled in my head so loud that it actually echoed.

That was just as annoying as disturbing. I don't think that your head is supposed to sound like an empty concert hall.

'That's because you have a lot of extra space up there!' Gripton growled.

"That was a low blow! Take a chill pill, calm down! This is for both of our benefits!" I said with a laugh.

'Fine! Take these instead!' Gripton growled.

Black gloves fell, and I grabbed them out of the air and looked at them. They had red lines on them, and they fit perfectly… like a glove!

*Sigh* -Gripton.

"Hey! Not too bad, now I'll look like some badass!" I said as I flexed my hands inside the fitted gloves that felt made for me.

*Sigh* 'That is because they were made for you! Ugh, you are so frustrating! Gripton complained, but then I heard something.

"HELP!" A high-pitched voice cried out.