It is the twenty-first century and unlike many intellectuals of the past predicted humanity did not become more civilized or intelligent. Instead, now as differing ideologies clash the world seems to have become more uncivilised and stupid.
The economy has started to decline leading to mass poverty and civil strife. Birthrates have decreased and so too has the average life expectancy in the world. And as society has started to crumble, so too has the earth along with it.
Little by little the earth has started to change. Natural disasters and odd weather patterns have increased, destroying crop yields around the world leading to mass famine and migration.
At the same time humanitys ever growing need for more of everything has depleted the earth's natural resources. With depleting resources at home, countries are left to find them elsewhere. This has led to an ever increasing number of wars around the world and an increase in weapons production, further degrading the earth.
Like so the cycle has been for a long time and now the unity of the past centuries that once held the world together falters. And as the Union of Nations is unable to find common ground and solutions to the many problems plaguing the earth together. The leaders of individual nations are left with no other choice but to act on their own.
And so as the twenty-first century comes close to it's end humanity stands at the brink of war.
Some were in the Middle East, during the dead of night in a ruined coastal city. Armed men wearing bandanas with strange writing on them that an English man could not understand were placing rockets on rooftops. When ready one of them spoke into their radio and said quietly. "Akl alqaraf."
Then the men waited, listening to the radio for a reply. One by one they heard many voices speaking the same language, but using different accents saying the same thing. "Akl alqaraf." After everybody had said the same words, came the final command. almawt li'amrika . With those words, the city and many other places across the Middle East were lit with rocket engine lights. From north to south all across the Islamic world rockets were launched towards many carefully picked targets.
At the same time somewhere on the Mediterranean Sea, in the cabin of an aircraft carrier. Lt. Jack Fritz was awoken from his deep slumber by the sound of loud sirens going off. As he opened his eyes lazily he grunted in displeasure and blindly started to feel around his surroundings for his phone. Unnable to find his phone Jack started to search his memory for clues. Thats when he realized that there was something hard and warm in his underwear. Sticking his hands into his underwear he finally felt it. His beautiful hard and sizable phone. It was truly thick and big, a phone meant to last for a long time. Taking out his phone he sleepily turned it on to check the time.
With his sleepy eyes, he stared into his phone intensely and frowned.
Quickly he realized that it was futile as his vision was too blurry and the room was too dark for him to see anything.
"Oh come on eye's work dammit!"
With trained movements, Jack pulled a joint and a lighter out from a secret pocket hidden inside his pillow. Taking a deep hard hit of it he could feel his body lighten and his mood brighten. After a moment of pure bliss, his vision finally cleared and he came back into reality and checked the time.
Seeing the time Jack raised his hands to the sky in an exaggerated expression as he cursed his life and yelled in annoyance.
"Are you fuking serious? It's only 3 in the morning!"
To his dismay, Jack was part of a US-led deterrence force. Serving in the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group. For the past 2 weeks, they had been getting constant warnings. A few small primitive rockets had been fired at them from the ruined coastal city. But with ease, they all were shot down or came nowhere near their target.
By now Jack had gotten sick and tired of the constant wake-up calls and pointless drills. Assigned to the carrier flight deck Jack would need to walk up many flights of stairs always to reach the deck and this annoyed him to no end.
" Fuck me, man. Why now? And what's all that commotion about outside? Sounds like somebody is way too excited for another false alarm. "
As Jack started to get dressed and ready to head out, to see what was going on, that's when he heard frantic knocking on the door of his cabin.
"Lt Lt! Lieutenant! open up!"
Jack was startled. Why is he in such a rush? Could it be that something's finally happened? Jack opened the door to the sight of a fat, excited and sweaty Petty Officer. Jack glared at the sailor and before he could say anything. The sailor straightened his back, did a salute and excitedly spoke.
"Sorry for disturbing you Lieutenant but I have urgent news! Sir!"
Jack just lifted his eyebrow in curiosity and nodded to let the man continue. As he did so, he saw other sailors run past the fat man in the corridor.
"Sir it's war! We are at war! The news just came out!" The petty officer said.
"War? With whom?"
Jack questioned in surprise as he felt the adrenaline kick in with the mention of war.
"Everybody!"
The sailor answered in panic as the intercoms came on and the admiral's panicked voice could be heard yelling!
"This is not a drill! this is not a drill! Everybody to your posts! I repeat....!!!"
With this, all doubt about a false alarm had been erased from Jack's mind. As they both started running toward the ship's deck at full speed. The sounds of the Phalanx CIWS anti-air guns firing and explosions could be heard.
While running Jack thought back to his past. Shit, how did it come to this. It was not supposed to be like this. All he wanted was to get a nice and easy position in the Navy. Jack had always dreamt of a happy family with a dog in a nice white picket fence house. Just the nice normal, good old American dream life. But no they just had to start World War 3. Right when he was in the prime of his life. Why couldn't they have started 30 years later or something? Instead of him going to war, he could have just sent his children to war and lived in peace, back in the homeland.
Yes, Jack was somewhat of a coward. Never had he trained martial arts or gotten into a fight before. Early in life, Jack learned that just talking bull shit and acting tough was enough to get by.
Maybe he should've listened to his father and joined him on his fishing boat. But it was always way too much work for him. He'd much rather talk shit and yell at people in the Navy.
Ohh well, it's too late for regrets. Jack thought. YOLO I guess. I mean come on it can't be that bad out there on the deck right?
But when Jack got to the deck of the ship, he was greeted with a light show. It was unlike any other he had ever seen. Crazier than any Fourth of July fireworks show he had ever been to. All around him, the Phalanx CIWS anti-air guns bullet tracers were flying into the distant night sky. There in the sky, he could see hundreds of lights like stars heading towards them. It was a sight unlike anything he had ever seen before, it was absolutely beautiful.
"Wait what the fuck? Those are no stars! That's a fuck ton of TNT coming our way!"
Jack fell to his knees and just accepted it. With the advancement in rocket technology and that many rockets. Jack knew if even one of them hit the ship, it would be pretty much over for them. And there were hundreds or maybe even thousands of them coming for them.
Seeing this the fat sailor turned to him in excitement.
"Damn that's fricking awesome! Lieutenant, what should we do? Why are you kneeling? Sir? I don't think this is the right time to be reenacting the scene from platoon?"
The fat seaman looked at him with concern in his eyes. Not so confident anymore about the situation. Seeing his Lieutenant dead hopeless eyes had finally brought him to reality. That's when he spoke with an inspiring tone of voice.
"I know sir. It's all wrong.
We shouldn't be here, so far from home.
But we are.
It's like in the great war stories Lieutenant.
The ones that really mattered.
Full of darkness and danger and sometimes you didn't want to know the end.
Because how could the end be happy?
How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?
But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this darkness.
But even darkness must pass.
A new day will come.
And when the sun shines it will shine out brighter.
Those were the stories that you remember.
That meant something.
Even if you were too small to understand why.
But I think Sir, I do understand.
I know now.
Folks in those stories had many chances to turn back, only they didn't.
Because they were holding on to something."
Jack sat there on his knees watching his coming doom. With a tear in his eye and a smile on his face, he said.
"What are we holding on to, petty officer Sam?"
As he said this Sam put his hand on Jack's shoulder and spoke like the original.
"That there's some good in this world, Lieutenant Jack. And it's worth fighting for."
As he was about to answer Sam. Jack could see from the corner of his eye a ship getting hit by a powerful missile, cutting it in two. He could see the shockwave reduce the men and women on board into meat paste. Seeing the shockwave coming he tried to get up, but. The next thing he knew the world went deathly silent. His body felt weightless as he saw his feet in the air, and he flew over the carrier's deck and then darkness.
As consciousness returned, Jack could feel his whole body was in pain. His lungs were smashed and filling with blood causing him to cough violently. His ears were ringing and his eye's bleeding.
With his blurry vision, he could see fire all around as some more fortunate men were running all around, putting out fires. Some were desperately trying to get to safety as they jumped off the tall carrier's deck. He could see smoke rising from the side of the ship. Most likely the ship had gotten hit, which was now causing the ship to start tilting to the side. Causing the sailors to lose hope and start to abandon the ship.
Though the guns were still firing crazily into the dark night sky.
That's when he saw it. In the sky a beautiful big light heading towards him. It was like an angel descending from the sky to come and take his broken body to a better place. With the last of his strength, Jack spread out his arms as he lay there with a broken smile.
"Yes, you big tittied beautiful angel lady. Come to meeeeee!!!! Let me be isekaid!"
In his final moment instead of a beautiful angel. He saw petty officer Sam crawl on top of him missing two of his legs and having a grim and bloodied face. Right before the end, Sam said.
"Not yet Lieutenant! We can still make it, we can live!!!!"
Jack's final thought was. "Yes! I want to live!"
And with that final thought, he and Sam were engulfed in a flash of light. And then darkness. Suddenly he felt water surrounding him. Something grabbed his leg and started pulling him down. He was shocked and afraid, quickly he looked down and saw a big horned red demon-looking thing. It was grinning evilly as it pulled him down and he thought to himself. "What the fuck is that? Oh shit! Oh shit, oh shit!" He struggled and tried to swim up with all his might, but the demon was heavy. It felt like a one-ton boulder was attached to his leg. He was sinking quickly and that's when he saw him.
Petty Officer Sam swimming towards him legless. With incredible speed, he swam and grabbed onto his hand, in a futile attempt he pulled and pulled. But now they were both just sinking fast.
Feeling his lungs tighten and air run out, Jack tried to let go of his hand so at least one would survive. But Sam didn't relent, he just looked at him and shook his head as they fell to the depths.
Just when his vision started to fade and consciousness disappeared, he and Sam fell somewhere dark. With a hard thud and a crack, they fell onto something crunchy. As he lay there on some uneven ground in pain, he heard Sam's voice from the side. "Lieutenant, where are we?"
With gritted teeth, he pushed himself up and said. "How should I...." He stopped speaking and watched in horror. In the distance, there was a growing fire lighting up the darkness. He could now see around them and they were on an island made of all kinds of animal and human bones, and even some beasts skull's that he couldn't recognize.
"Lieutenant I think we are sinking." Sam said concerned.
Looking around he could indeed see the bones grumbling and little by little the bone island sank. Quickly Sam crawled to the highest pile in the middle and Jack followed. From the top of the pile they watched in panic as the island sank and strange ghost's started to swirl around the island. "Are those fuking ghosts?" Jack asked.
Watching his bleeding legs spew out blood into the water, Sam said. "I don't know. But they sure seem interested in my blood. Who knows maybe they are helpful ghost's and want to heel my legs. Hahaha!"
"How can you laugh in a situation like this man? We are so dead, you do realize that right." Said Jack with a dreadful expression.
Sam just smiled and said. " Well, my mother always told me that as long as you believe there is a way, then you will find the way. And I believe that we can live. You wanna live also, right? So just believe in it and it will happen."
Jack just frowned and said frustrated. " Of course I want to live! "
Then before he could continue, they felt an extreme heat. Their bodies started to sweat and then they saw the fire rise hundreds of meters high and wide. Through the fire great horns, as large as tree trunks came out and a deep, menacing, soul-piercing voice spoke.
"If you want something, then you must give something of equal worth." Then they saw a strange dagger appear in the middle of the bone pile. It's blade had strange carvings on it and it was made of some kind of dark metal and it had a see-through glass handle.
Without hesitation, Jack reached out to the dagger as he felt it calling to him. "No stop!" Yelled Sam. " Dont be tempted by it Lieutenant. This is clearly a devil's scheme, he is testing us. If we give in, we will be dammed to hell. This must be the sea of souls, a place before entering the underworld. If our fate falters here, I fear that we may never return to god. "
Jack just laughed and said. "Hahaha. Oh and is that a fact? It's like I said before, I want to live and I see no other options. Do you?"
Feeling the water hit his feet, Jack quickly went to grab the dagger. With a pleading voice, Sam yelled. "No don't do it!"
But it was too late. As Jack grabbed a hold of the dagger he felt a shiver run through his spine and hit his head. His eyes flashed red, he felt power and he felt good. His mind was clear, his senses sharpened and then he suddenly felt dread. Quickly he tried to drop the dagger but his hand would not open, as if it had a mind of it's own. With his other hand, he tried to rip it off and smash his hand to the bone-covered ground, but it was futile.
In concern, Sam asked. "What is it LT? What are you doing? Just let it go! "
On his knees and with a dreadful expression Jack looked at Sam and said. " It spoke to me Sam. It says that it's called the soul dagger. It wants me to kill you in exchange for my life and power. "
Feeling the water start to envelop his cut-off legs, Sam asked desperately. "Is there no other way? Can't you get it off? "
" No ." Jack answered.
"Do it." Sam said without hesitation.
"What?" Jack was shocked.
"You are an atheist right?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, what about it?" He answered confused.
"Well I'm not, so my soul is safe with god. But yours is uncertain. I say you use this chance to redeem yourself and find your own way to god." Sam smiled bitterly, not really sure of his own words.
"Oh, Sam!" Jack said with a tear In his eye.
"Dont worry Lieutenant, we will meet again. One day up there somewhere. I will be waiting for you." Sam pointed to the sky.
Then the fire rose higher and the deep demonic voice spoke again angrily. "I grow impatient of this constant whining! Do it! Or I will end you both!"
Jack looked at the demon in fear as his hands trembled.
Feeling the water rise and the intense heat start to boil the water. Sam yelled in pain. "Do it, Lieutenant! Kill me!"
Jack started to feel the heat on his body and the ghostly figures pulled his legs. Making him scream in fear and pain. With closed eyes, he gritted his teeth and grabbed a hold of Sam with one hand. After which he brought the dagger down with the other, as they both screamed, while the demon laughed in the background.
Stab stab, stab stab stab! The blade came down multiple times, causing extreme pain to Sam, until finally.
He felt Sam's body go limp Jack opened his eyes and saw Sam's damaged body causing him to puke. While wiping the puke away he looked to the laughing demon and asked. "Are you happy now?"
The laughter stopped and he said. "No, I want you to cut off his fat head! muhahahahhaha!" He started to laugh again.
Jack felt despair as he heard this. Looking at the dagger he could see what he assumed to be Sam's soul swimming in the glass handle. "Was this really not enough?" he thought to himself.
Already having killed Sam, Jack thought. "Forgive me Sam!" As he grabbed Sam by the hair and started to cut into his flesh. He yelled with all his might, disgusted and in horror as he cut deeper and deeper into Sams flesh. He felt the blade go deeper and deeper and deeper. Until it hit the hard spine bone. He felt absolutely disgusted as he fought the urge to puke. As he cut through the bone he yelled. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
And then the demon vent quiet and darkness consumed him.
***
Marino awoke with a shout as his girlish voice echoed through the small wooden room.
"Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!! Wait what? Did I just speak Portuguese?" He thought to himself.
Wait where am I? He lay there on a wooden straw bed. Wondering what was going on. Clearly, he was alive and in one piece. Although in much smaller pieces. Jack was never no bodybuilder but he definitely wasn't this small. His hands were small without any calluses and his voice was like a girl's or a young boy's.
Next to his bed, he saw a young couple in their late twenties looking at him with questioning eyes.
That's when the memories hit him and he remembered.
Jesus his father was a tall and strong muscular man, a shipbuilder and sailor by trait. With long dark blonde hair and a big beard, he looked like hmm. Well like a buff Jesus, I guess.
Mary was in her late twenties (26) the same age as Jesus but shorter, she was about 150 centimetres tall. She also had a big bust and elegant features. She was a chaste and zealous former nun of the church of Sighard, now a housewife. Due to her chaste nature, she had only given birth to Marino her only child.
"Jesus? Father? Mother Mary? Wait what's going on? Why do I know this?"
Marino furrowed his brows as he searched his memories. It would appear that there were two sets of memories in his mind. One was of the body in which he resided in, whose identity was Marino Colombo. He was a weak-minded twelve year's old boy, with no friends and many dark thoughts. Just a while ago the boy had been laughing madly and choked on his tongue, which killed him apparently.
The year of this world was 1050 AS (After Sighard) and his family resided in modern-day southern Portugal. Here it was called the Kingdom of Andalusia. He lived in the town of Segres. Segres was the most southern edge of Europe.
The other memory was of Lieutenant Jack, a navy officer who got blown up at the start of World War 3. Apparently, he had received a new life. Probably thanks to the big tittied angel's or Sam's wish. If it was a wish. He also remembered something to do with a demon and Sam, but the memory felt hazy and unreal. "I mean when was there ever a story about the chosen hero being reviewed by a demon? There is no way right?" Marino thought.
Before he could think any further, his mother reached out to touch his hand with a concerned expression. With her brown eyes, she watched him closely and asked.
"Are you well my son? You didn't come for breakfast and you refused to wake up? We thought you were dead."
She said with concern.
Marino scoffed and said jokingly. "Nahh I was just trying to set a record in holding my breath."
Jesus and Mary were surprised to hear this. Jesus spoke up first with a happy smile. "Thats my boy. Practicing diving so early in the morning. Although I suggest we do it together in the sea next time. Ok?"
"Yeah yeah. Sure." Marino just said.
After which Jesus and Mary decided to give their son some blessings for good luck.
"May Sighard give you strength and protect you against all and may it be so. Praise sighard the hammerer. Well now that you are awake, please come down and join us for some breakfast, when you are ready of course."
With that said Mary and Jesus left his room. Leaving a stunned boy behind.
Wait sighard. Wait what. Marino thought to himself.
Searching his memories, he found out that apparently, the church of Sighard ruled most of Europe as the dominant religion. instead of Jesus creating Christianity and dying on the cross. Instead, Sighard had come.
Thousands of years ago humanity was on the brink of extinction, It was called the Age of Darkness. Humans hid in the forests, in the highlands and in great walled cities. There they lay isolated and cut off from the rest of the world. The world between the cities was ruled by the many creatures of darkness, that hunted and feasted on the humans living flesh. But one day all of this changed, with the coming of the yellow comet. He had arrived, Sighard had come. With a hammer in hand and Gryphon as his mount, he started by unifying the two greatest of human tribes, that of the Germans and the French. Together they formed The Empire of Man. With Sighard at the front, their armies conquered the rest of the Western world and beat back the creatures of darkness. For a hundred years, Sighard ruled and the Empire prospered. This was the age of Sighard and a golden age of mankind. During this time humanity left their hiding places and settled the lands of Europe. They created mighty cities and cultivated the land to feed the ever-growing population.
Now we live in the year 1050 after Sighard, as it is called. The Empire of Man is long gone and forgotten. For Sighard never left behind any heirs and the Empire fractured into many squabbling kingdoms. Nonetheless, humanity has lived on in relative peace and repopulated the lands of Europe. But now rumors of the great Evils returning to the land, have started to spread. Stories of great bloodthirsty hordes growing ever stronger and coming ever closer to the borders of Europe.
This was quite the grim and dark setting Marino thought, but there certainly was some good and many opportunities here in this world. During these 1050 years, human progress has stagnated as most efforts have gone into repopulating the lands. Only the dwarves of the mountains and the Empire have progressed but mostly in the creation of new weapons of war.
This world appeared to be somewhat similar to late medieval Europe. There were many big changes, like the fact that some form of German and French were the two main cultural groups of Europe. The nobility mostly were Germans or French and spoke in those two languages. There was also no Britain or Kingdom of England here, instead, there was the small Kingdom of Albion. Albion was also the island's name and seemed to be a mostly unexplored land with many tales of fantastical creatures and dangerous monsters.
Marino was not of noble birth or highly educated. His education mostly consisted of skills in shipbuilding and sailing. It was their family's main source of income, and Jesus just so happened to be great at it. Almost as if he was blessed by God. From his memories of navigation, he found out that even the stars differed from the ones in his past life. Even though Europe looked the same, apparently the stars weren't. This confused him greatly, making him wonder what could be up there. Maybe something up there was wondering what it was like down here. If he was lucky maybe they could even meet one day.
There were also strange tales going around the ports. Marino had heard the merchants tell tales of great battles in the East. Supposedly great battles were being fought against the endless green tides and the great dead legions of old. Most likely the green tides meant orcs and goblins or something like that, he did not know for sure. What were the legions of old, that also he didn't know, as the merchants had only heard stories themselves and never seen them in person?
From all these memories Marino could conclude that there were fantastical elements in this world. But nowhere were there mentions of real magic. The only mentions of something close to magic were told in the church. They said that with true faith in Sighard, your soul would be saved and you could even receive some of his power as a blessing. There were stories of humans with momentary unnatural spikes of strength and courage during hard times. Apparently in times of need a devoted man could receive sighard help and vanquish the evil that threatens him. These were some bull shit stories Marino thought as nobody had seen such things, only heard of them. But there were other stories, evil stories of necromancers, witches and dark rituals to gain unnatural power, a power that supposedly corrupted and no living man should attempt to obtain or they would be doomed to eternal darkness. This had intrigued him greatly. Though he had no idea of how such dark power would be gained or what these rituals were to gain it, he didn't know. But surely as an Isekaid person, he had some powers of his own and thus wouldn't need to worry about such things for long, he hoped.
There also seem to be some similarities in this world to a fantasy world of his past life. But what were the similarities between this world to that fantasy world and his past world? Well to Marino it did not matter for he would find it out in due time. And since his family name was Colombo and they were shipbuilders, he knew exactly what he needed to do.
No were in his memory were there any mentions of the new world. So just like in his time it would be up to Columbus or in this case Colombo to find it. Though he was not a brave man. But even he would not have any problems, bullying some natives. For this world already had some early muskets for him to use.
Thinking of this Marino smirked and said. "This could be interesting."
Dressed in a medieval middle-class peasant attire Marino went downstairs for breakfast.
He was truly excited to see what this world held in store for him....