A skinny-looking young man with pale skin and dark circles under his eyes was just walking out of his work with a frown on his face.
"Another day of this is over, fucking finally..." Rui thought
Rui had just finished his shift at McDonald's and he couldn't wait to escape the smell of grease and the complaints of customers.
He exhaled loudly as he stepped out of the restaurant, muttering to himself, "I am sick of this shit, people are always complaining about not having enough time, this and then that. It just pisses me off. I am actually done with this job." The memory of a customer yelling and almost physically assulting him earlier for forgetting to put ketchup in his burger still stung. "People like that make this job unbearable," he muttered.
Rui had covered for his 'friend', making him do twice the amount of work he needed to. He didn't know the reason why his friend didn't show up, but all he knew was that he had to cover for him since his boss said so. But at last, he was out of that shit hole. He had missed his bus since he worked so late but that doesn't matter, it is over.
As Rui leaned against a wall and rubbed his tired eyes, he considered quitting. "Money is kind of an issue at the moment. I can't quit now," as he thought.
Rui Walkington was 19 years old. He lived alone in his apartment. He does have parents and two younger sisters but has moved out last year due to certain unfortunate circumstances...
After leaving work, Rui trudged down the familiar streets of his suburban neighborhood, the sound of crickets chirping and the smell of freshly-cut grass in the air. He could see the warm glow of his apartments small porch in the distance, a welcoming beacon after a long day of work.
30 minutes later, after walking home and opening his door, it creaks open loudly, "This door really needs some WD-40 or something, it is getting worse and worse." Rui steps inside and takes off his shoes, placing them neatly by the door. He's alone in his small apartment, but that's nothing new. Rui has never had much luck with relationships, but he's come to terms with it. He's used to spending most of his evenings by himself, reading, watching TV or working out.
As he walks through the living room, Rui notices a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. He sighs and decides to tackle them right away. It's not like he has anything better to do. As he scrubs the plates and utensils, his mind wanders to the events of the day.
The strange woman he saw on the bus this morning keeps popping up in his thoughts. He wonders if she was just schizophrenic or if there was something more to her behavior. It was like she was sprouting nonsense but I could almost understand her. She also looked very, peculiar... almost familar...
After finishing that thought, Rui had just finished the dishes, not like he had a lot to clean anyways. He then heads to his bedroom and changes into his pajamas. He crawls into bed and reaches for his phone, intending to catch up on some news or binge social media. But instead, he finds himself staring at a blank screen, lost in thought. Eventually, he sets the phone down and just lies in the darkness, he can't shake the feeling that something strange is going on. He drifts off to sleep, not feeling hungry anyways, hoping that tomorrow will bring some answers.
As Rui lay there, trying to get some sleep, his mind wandered to thoughts of his future. What would he do after this crummy job of his? Would he just work a "better" mundane 9-5 job and earn a somewhat above-average salary? He didn't want this, he felt like life had more meaning, a better purpose.
He sighed. "I always do this, don't I? Do I have depression or something?" He wondered if he was the only one who felt like life was lacking something.
Rui pondered, "This world is so boring. It feels like I am wasting my life just to earn money, to then use that money to waste even more time. *sigh* I wish the world had superpowers or something different. At least that would spice things up, right? At least the money that I would work/use for would add and support something cool"
As Rui pondered this, he imagined himself lifting 2-3000kgs and shooting fireballs from his hands. He smiled at the thought, but then sighed again.
"Doesn't God, if he exists, get bored from watching us do all of this? Wouldn't adding fantasy lands, superpowers or something similar that I see in novels and anime make it at least more exciting to watch all of us humans? If I were him, I would think so. Nonetheless, what do I know, huh? I am no God, just some trash at a deadend job...
"I wish I could fulfill my potential somehow *sigh*"
As Rui finally had enough of his depressive thoughts, he wanted to catch up on the most recent chapter of a manga so he decided so pick his pho-
"Thoomp-thoomp"Â
As Rui thought these words, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. At first, he thought it was nothing to worry about, but the pain intensified with each passing moment.
"Thoomp-thoomp" "Thoomp-thoomp"
He tried to get out of bed to see what was going on, but then he couldn't move. His heart dropped. Beating faster and faster. Was this sleep paralysis or was he dreaming? Was he even breathing? But the pain felt too real, way too real! He had never experienced pain like this in his whole life. It felt like his soul was getting sucked out of his body.
Well lucky for Rui, that was exactly what was happening.
Suddenly, Rui felt himself being pulled upward, out of his body slowly, and then through the ceiling. He watched in disbelief as his own body lay motionless on the bed below. Panic set in as he floated higher and higher, until he was no longer in his room but outside in the night sky, going higher and higher again! It was like he was astral projecting and also being on a rollarcoaster Rui thought.
As Rui looked around, he realized that he wasn't alone. There were others with him, all floating in the air, looking around in confusion. They all seemed to be in a trance as if they were being controlled by some external force.
Rui tried to speak, to ask what was happening, but his voice wouldn't come out. Instead, he heard a voice in his head. "Welcome, Rui," it said. "You have been chosen."
"Chosen for what?" Rui thought, but the voice didn't answer.
All of a sudden, Rui felt a surge of energy flow through him. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before. He felt powerful, almost invincible. He looked down at his hands and saw a bright light emanating from them.
"What is this?" he wondered.
The voice in his head spoke again. "You have been granted a gift, Rui. A gift that will allow you to do incredible things. Use it wisely."
Rui looked around at the others floating in the sky, wondering if they too had been given this gift. As if in response to his thoughts, the others began to move, floating off into the distance. Rui followed, feeling exhilarated by his newfound power.
As they moved through the night sky, Rui noticed that they were heading toward a bright, glowing portal. As they got closer, Rui could see that it led to another world.
Rui felt a rush of excitement. This was it. This was what he had been waiting for. He was finally going to experience something truly amazing.