Today was Saturday, and the two brothers, Jacob and Connor, were bathed in the early morning with soft sunlight filtering through the window.

They lay side by side on the bed, uncomfortable as always, trying to make room for one another in the limited space. The bedframe groaned beneath their shared weight, ancient and worn like the rest of the room.

The space around them was cluttered—dusty furniture, dirty mattresses, and trash scattered everywhere. Beer bottles lay on the floor, and the faint stench of neglect clung to the air. The room felt more like a landfill than a place of retreat or rest.

For most people, Saturdays were a day of freedom—a reprieve from the monotony of work on the weekdays, a chance to relax. But for Jacob and Connor, this was just another miserable day of a purposeless life. Being that they were conjoined twins, their lives offered no "good days," only ones that were slightly less unbearable than the rest.

The high-pitched sound of the alarm shattered the sanctuary of stillness and awoken the twins from whatever reality they were to this Grim one.

Jacob groaned, with his arm flapping around, trying to shut off the clock, but instead, his hand smacked Connor in the face.

"Jacob!" Connor snapped, irritated. "I told you the alarm's on the left—my side! Stop throwing your damn arm in my face!"

"Sorry," Jacob muttered, rubbing his cheek. It wasn't the first time this week.

Connor sighed, the frustration weighing on him. "That's the seventh time this week. Can't you be more careful?"

Jacob, trying to lighten the mood, smiled weakly. "Hey, wanna play some video games? Take our minds off...everything?"

Connor hesitated; to be honest, he did not want to play any video games, but what else was he going to do? Go outside where people would look at him like he was a freak show glancing around the depressing room. Video games and metal Rubik's Cube had been their only escape, but even that was starting to feel routine, like everything else. Still, what else was there to do?

"Fine," Connor said, his voice resigned. "Let's just get out of bed."

Standing up was always a tribulation. Every maneuver had to be coordinated between them—years of practice, yet it still felt awkward. The bedframe creaked as they used it for support, their shared body weight making the process slow and cumbersome.

Finally, they managed to stand and stagger their way to their gaming room. The space was just as uninviting as the bedroom—trash cluttered up the floor, the cracked TV barely worked, and the flickering fluorescent light hummed softly above them. The air reeked of stale beer and dust.

Carefully maneuvering while accounting for their body composition to the couch; slowly, their legs slightly trembling; they reach for the couch while jocobs lean toward Connor; they beg to lower themselves in unison. They sank into their worn-out chairs, the faux leather peeling away at the same spot they sat in. In front of them, the small, outdated TV flickered to life, casting a dull glow in the dim room. The games they played numbed their frustration with the outside world—if only for a little while.

Jacob and Connor had grown used to the disappointment of life. At twenty-six, they didn't know who their parents were or why they were abandoned as babies. It was easy to guess, though. People saw them as a horror; two people fused, seen as a freak show. They knew their parents likely felt the same. The twins had long since stopped hoping for anything better.

Tap. Tap..

Their fingers drummed on the table as they waited for the game to load, staring at the flickering screen. Then, instantly, something extremely odd happened.

A subtle, low frequency seemed to ripple through the building, vibrating all their surroundings. Everything stopped, then the room started to stretch strangely; it was as if reality itself was stretching.

The TV that was in front of the twin's screen blinked, and then the room proceeded to what seemed to dissolve. Then, with a sudden whoosh, the place they were in vanished. In an instant, they found themselves in a vast, empty, endless white void. The air felt different—cold, and disorienting the area around them seemed endless.

"What the hell..." Connor thought to himself, Could he be dreaming? He squeezed his hand, then he thought, probably not seeing as he had just woken up now. Connor murmured, eyes wide, glancing around. "Where are we? Is this...real?"

Before Jacob could answer, a voice echoed through the void—calm, robotic, and strangely soothing.

"Welcome to the institution process of Universe Eighty-Eight."

The twins turned and started scanning the room, just like before; they were in an endless white void with no one around but them, but there was no source for the voice; it could have come from anywhere. Just emptiness.

Then, a blue screen materialized in front of them, displaying a list of classes like something out of a video game:

}Class{

Warrior/Fighter: Frontline fighter, high physical strength, melee combat abilities.

Mage/Wizard: Spellcaster, high magical damage.

Rogue/Assassin: strength, agility, high burst damage.

Healer/Cleric: restore health, protective spells.

Tank/Guardian: draws up damage and protects allies.

Archer/Ranger: Long-range combat, high accuracy.

Summoner: Commands creatures to fight alongside them.

Monk: martial artist, hand-to-hand combat.

Support/Bard: enhances allies with buffs, weakens enemies with debuffs.

"All participants are required to select a class. If you do not select, one will be chosen for you," the voice continued.

Connor's anxiety grew. "This can't be happening. What is this place? He's thoughts started running wild about what the cause might of all this might be, resuming his line of thought like where he had left off last time. We can't be dreaming."

Well, for one, he already squeezed his hands; if he was dreaming, he would have already awakened; plus, we just woke up eight minutes ago, so that was not a possibility. 

But Jacob, ever the gamer, was excited and was already studying the options. Without hesitation, he selected Summoner. 

"Jacob! What the hell are you doing?" Connor yelled, but it was too late. then a sharp beep was heard. A countdown began. 

"Ten...nine..." 

Panicking, after hearing the message coming from the voices, Connor quickly selected Mage. 

As soon as they selected their class options, the void shifted just like what had happened in their apartment. In an instant, the twins were transported to a dense jungle, the humid air hitting them like a wave. They stood amidst towering trees, their leaves thick with vibrant green. The sunlight filtered through the canopy, and the air buzzed with unfamiliar sounds. 

"Welcome to the Jungle of Trials."

The voice said again, fading into the background as if it were some sort of all-knowing guide. 

Jacob's eyes lit up. "This is...incredible." He spotted a group of small creatures swinging through the trees. They resembled monkeys but had shimmering, captivating rainbow-colored eyes. 

{Skill activation}: identify

The voice whispered. as a small window appeared in front of him: 

{Simian Monkey} lvl 3

Jacob grinned, amused at the current circumstances. "Look at that! We can identify the animals here. I wonder what else we'll find." 

Connor wasn't as impressed. He could feel his brother's excitement, but something felt off. The jungle was too quiet, too still, and it made him nervous. 

Then, from the shadows, something emerged. Its skin was as black as the void they had just left, eyes glowing with a malevolent light. It stalked them silently, preparing to strike. 

Jacob's laughter stopped, and the twins' hearts pounded as if they wanted to jump out of their chests.