Johnny was a fool, the kind who'd pet a snake if it wagged its tail. But he was my ticket into places like this, where the air stank of money and desperation.
"Come on, Vince, it'll be a blast," he'd said. The nickname grated on my nerves, like nails on a chalkboard. Johnny never took the hint, or maybe he just didn't care.
I didn't give a damn about his idea of fun, but I tagged along anyway. Good to blend in, even among the clueless.
The mansion was in the better part of town, all polished floors and people too rich for their own good. Fake smiles and hollow laughs filled the space, the kind of place where everyone's hiding something. The air was thick with perfume, and the clink of glasses was almost deafening.
Socializing was easy. A charming smile, a well-placed compliment, these fools opened up like diaries. I chatted with a blonde who prattled about her art collection, a brunette who yapped about her charity work. My mind was elsewhere, calculating, planning. Emotions? I knew how to fake those perfectly.
The night dragged on, each minute stretching longer than the last. Johnny flitted about the room, engaging everyone with his relentless enthusiasm. I envied his naivety, his ability to take things at face value. But I was there with a purpose, a silent hunter in the jungle of affluence.
My gaze scanned the crowd, searching for a particular face, a specific clue. The background noise of idle chatter and laughter faded into insignificance as my focus sharpened.
Eventually, I saw her: a redhead in a sleek black dress, standing by the grand piano. She exuded a cold confidence, her eyes flickering with a knowing glint as if she was aware of the hidden currents beneath the party's polished surface.
I made my way towards her, weaving through the throng of partygoers with practiced ease. As I approached, I adopted a casual air, masking the intensity of my intent. She looked up, her lips curling into a half-smile.
"Enjoying the party?" she asked. I nodded, matching her composed demeanor. This was it—the start of a game I had been waiting to play.
Then it happened. Not an earthquake—those were child's play. This was a rupture, like reality itself had been ripped open. A blinding light seared my vision, and I threw up an arm to shield my eyes. Screams and gasps filled the room, but I stayed calm. Their was no pain, I'd read enough trashy novels to know what came next.
When the light faded, the mansion was gone. We stood in a grand hall, all stone and torches, like something out of a medieval nightmare. I took in the scene, eyes adjusting to the dim light.
A man in regal robes stood before us, flanked by armored goons. Beside him was a woman who looked like sin wrapped in silk. Long black hair, eyes like icy steel, and a body that made men stupid. She was a classic femme fatale, but I wasn't buying. Emotions were tools, and I was a master craftsman.
"Welcome, heroes," the man declared, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "I am King Thalion, and this is my daughter, Princess Elyria. We apologize for the sudden transition, but our world is in desperate need of your help."
The princess stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over us like we were meat on a slab. "We have summoned you from your world to aid us in our fight against the demons that threaten ours."
I glanced around at the other party-goers, now fellow "heroes." Confusion, fear, awe—they wore their emotions like badges. Not me. I knew this game. We were the chosen ones, destined for greatness. And I intended to play my role to the hilt.
A robed figure shuffled forward, holding a glowing orb. One by one, we were called to receive our status. It was a tired ritual, one that would determine our place in this new world. When my turn came, I stepped up, my face a mask of calm.
The orb glowed brighter, and the robed figure's eyes widened. "Unbelievable," he muttered. "Your status is extraordinary." He reached out, his skeletal hand trembling with a kind of desperate reverence, but a harsh cough from a nearby knight snapped him back to reality.
I returned to my spot, feeling the envious stares. Heroes, they called us. Each one of us granted powers beyond imagination. But in every story, there's one who gets the short end of the stick, the underdog. I spotted him immediately. A skinny kid, barely out of high school, looking like he'd seen a ghost.
He was the wildcard, the one everyone would underestimate. According to one of the more popular tropes, he'd turn out to be the real powerhouse. And me? With the best status, I'd be a prime target for manipulation, coercion, and worse. But I wasn't worried. I knew how to play this game.
The king droned on about our mission, the dangers we'd face, the rewards we'd earn. I barely listened. My mind was already working, forming plans, strategies. I'd come to that party to find prey, and now I had a whole kingdom's worth.
"We've exhausted every recourse, our armies shattered and most of the land lost. The demons are getting bolder with each attack..." the king said, his voice a gravelly whisper dripping with the kind of weariness that comes from watching everything crumble.
As the king wrapped up his speech, the ground rumbled. This wasn't a rupture and i doubt we would be returning so soon. This was something darker. The grand doors of the hall burst open, and a thick, black mist poured in, twisting into monstrous shapes.
The knights drew their swords, the king barked orders, but my focus was on the mist. This was no ordinary threat. This was the demon scourge he'd warned us about. In the chaos, I saw my chance.
I moved through the panicked crowd, eyes locked on the scrawny kid. He was the key, the ace in the hole. I reached him just as a shadow lunged, pulling him to safety. His gratitude was almost pathetic, but he was useful.
"Stay close," I told him, my voice steady. "I'll get us through this."
He nodded, eyes wide with fear. He was mine now. I led him through the chaos, my mind racing with possibilities. The mist thickened, screams grew louder, but I felt nothing. Just cold, calculated purpose.
We reached a side passage, the kid looking at me like I was his savior. "What do we do now?" he asked, voice trembling.
I gave him a smile, the kind that put people at ease. "We survive," I said. "And then we find out what's going on here." He nodded, trust complete. Too easy. But this kid had to be tested, to fulfill his role in this twisted narrative.
I glanced around, spotting a shadow creeping toward us. I knew what I had to do. I grabbed the kid by his collar, yanking him closer. "Listen," I said, my voice low. "The world's a harsh place kid. You're gonna have to face it head-on."
His eyes widened with a cocktail of confusion and fear, but before he could respond, I shoved him toward the shadow. His screams cut through the chaos, but it was muffled by the thick, encroaching darkness.
"Help! Please!" he shouted, desperation lacing his words.
I stepped back, watching as the shadow enveloped him. He fought, flailing against the dark tendrils, his face a mask of terror. From his perspective, I was abandoning him to a gruesome fate. But I knew better. He had to face this on his own. It was his trial by fire, his chance to rise from the ashes.
The kid's screams grew fainter as the shadow consumed him, but I turned my back, walking away. If he survived, he'd be stronger for it. If not, well, the weak didn't deserve to survive. This world, like any other, belonged to the strong. And with that, the seeds were sown. Only time would tell what twisted weeds would claw their way to the surface.
I re-entered the main hall, the chaos still in full swing. Demons clashed with knights, screams and shouts blending into a cacophony of battle. Perfect.
A knight stumbled and fell in front of me, a mess of torn flesh and leaking blood. He looked up at me, eyes full of desperate hope, but I wasn't in the business of saving souls. I stepped over him without a second thought, grabbing his sword from his hand. It was a cold, familiar piece of steel, a tool for ending lives. Just the way I liked it.
The air was thick with the scent of blood and the cries of the dying, a symphony of chaos that resonated with something deep within me.
Not even a full hour had passed since our arrival, and already the ground was slick with crimson. Blood filled my vision, painting the world in a macabre hue. The chaos around me was a cacophony of screams and dying breaths, and it suited me just fine.
Every move I made was precise, each step measured. I navigated through the battlefield like a shark through water, cold and efficient. I wasn't a soldier, but in the grim art of death, I was a seasoned maestro.
The demons' screams were just grating background noise, lacking the raw, satisfying edge of human cries. Amid the chaos, I moved with cold efficiency, never missing a chance to put my fallen comrades out of their misery.
The blade sang in my hand, each swing a note in the symphony of death I was composing. A tune composed from the get-go, tonight was meant to hit a different chord. But who am I kidding? The only real difference is the length of the blade I'm holding and the sorry world I'm stuck in.