I opened my heavy eyelids and looked straight ahead.
Darkness. Total darkness.
I remember I was eating my dinner when the floor above me fell in. I still recall the searing pain of being crushed under all the rubble and furniture. A few more minutes of torture, and I was pretty sure I died.
Where am i?
The pain eventually faded, replaced by a cold silence.
I tried to move my head, to feel something, anything, but my body refused to obey. It felt as though invisible chains bound me in place, heavy and unyielding. Panic began to claw at my chest, but I forced myself to focus. I blinked, over and over, desperate to maintain control over the one thing I still could, my eyes.
The silence stretched endlessly, swallowing me whole, until a blinding light erupted in front of me. I squeezed my eyes shut.
When I finally dared to open them, the darkness remained, but now a faint, pulsating glow hovered near my face. A shape, vague and shifting, like a blob of jelly, floated closer. Its light reflected on what little of my surroundings I could make out: jagged shapes, like fragmented glass, suspended in a void.
[I have been waiting for you, the Chosen One.]
Is what I was expecting to hear. After all, that's how it always goes in the isekai novels I obsessed over. But reality, or whatever this was, had other plans.
[Do you know how long I've been waiting for you, you damn bastard!]
I blinked, my confusion undoubtedly obvious. The blob pulsed angrily, its light flickering like an unstable bulb.
Well, at least I'm not the chosen one. Let's face it, I can barely make breakfast. Saving the world? Hard pass.
But... did it have to be so rude?
[I cannot maintain this space for long, so you better listen. I won't repeat myself.]
It continued, its movements erratic. The blob grew larger, its form shifting like liquid mercury. The light it emitted illuminated my face, making it impossible to look away.
[When you wake up—if you wake up—you must find a black book. I will try to make it land near you, but you must keep it on you at all times. Lose it, and you're better off dead. Trust no one who comes your way, especially those who want to 'help' you or take you somewhere. If that happens, run. Just... run.]
Great. Now I have to trust this slimy blob with cryptic instructions and no context.
The blob leaned closer, pressing itself against my cheek. Its texture was slimy, like wet skin stretched over something soft. I wanted to recoil, but my body wouldn't cooperate.
I don't want to be rude, but can this thing please move away from me?
[I want you to give me a name the next time we meet. You better come up with something good or else forget about me helping you.]
Name? Helping me?
No! Firstly, what the hell is this thing and what does it mean by "next time"?! Will I die again? Is that what it's telling me?
As it finished its words, I noticed my vision getting more and more blurry with an addition to a ringing sensation in my ears. The ringing slowly grew louder, and I started panicking, but the blob's next words took my attention.
[I'm sorry for all you've been through... and all you will go through. It's my fault I'm so weak, but I won't make the same mistakes again. I sincerely hope you rememb—]
I feel like I've missed something important...
Before I could voice my questions or even think them through, my vision blurred. A sharp ringing filled my ears, growing louder and louder. Panic set in, but the blob's last words pierced through the noise.
The world returned in a haze of pain.
I felt as if someone had cracked open my chest and torn my muscles apart one by one. A sob escaped my lips, hot tears spilling down my cheeks.
What are those white and black things?
Above me, specks of sunlight filtered through the trees. But these weren't ordinary trees. Their black trunks twisted unnaturally, their white leaves shimmering like frost. It would have been beautiful if it weren't for the pounding ache in my skull and the unbearable sting in my body.
I tried to sit up, my hands trembling as they pressed into the soft ground beneath me. My fingers brushed against something hard and smooth. I squinted, bringing it closer.
A book.
Its leather cover was cold under my fingertips, the spine embossed with strange symbols. The blob's warning echoed in my mind: "Keep it on you at all times."
I hugged it to my chest, ignoring the sharp pangs of protest from my ribs.
"Damn you, blob," I muttered through gritted teeth. "You never told me it would hurt this much."
The pain flared, hot and unrelenting, dragging me to the brink of unconsciousness. I thought of my brother's face, my sister's nagging, my aunt's warm smile.
I had to survive. For them.
But survival seemed like a cruel joke when my body betrayed me, pulling me under once again.