And in the blink of an eye I was back in my room, staring at the same old walls I had seen a thousand times before. Cold, empty, and as unwelcoming as ever. But this time, something felt different. My heart was still racing from the dream—or vision—or whatever it was. That man with the eyes like burning suns had called me "chosen." Chosen? Me? The guy who could barely get through a school day without being invisible to everyone?
Yeah, right.
The only thing I've ever been picked for is being ignored. But now, apparently, I'm the "bearer of Solar Rebirth," whatever that means. It's not like life wasn't already strange enough with monsters, portals, and the whole world falling apart. Now I have to deal with this... cosmic destiny thing.
As I stood there, a strange feeling crept over me, like the air around me was buzzing with energy. My skin tingled, and the hairs on my arms stood up. Suddenly, everything in the room felt too quiet, like the calm before a storm. Before I could make sense of it, I heard a faint *ding* sound, like a notification from a game.
"What the…?"
A bright blue screen appeared in front of me, floating in mid-air. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, but it didn't go away.
---
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
WELCOME, KARAN.
YOU HAVE AWAKENED AS THE BEARER OF SOLAR REBIRTH.
LEVEL: 1
BEGINNER QUEST AVAILABLE
---
I stared at the screen, my mind spinning. "This can't be real," I muttered. This had to be a dream—a really messed-up dream. I reached out to touch the screen, expecting it to disappear, but my hand went right through it. Nope, it wasn't going anywhere.
---
[BEGINNER QUEST: ACCEPT YOUR DESTINY]
- Objective: Accept your role as the bearer of Solar Rebirth.
- Reward: 100 XP, Sunsteel Dagger, System Shop Unlocked.
[ACCEPT QUEST? Y/N]
---
Great, now my life is a video game. But what choice did I have? I wasn't exactly swimming in other options. With a deep breath, I clicked on the "Y" option.
*Ding!
---
QUEST ACCEPTED
---
A warm sensation washed over me, like standing in the sun after hours of cold. Then, with a flash of light, a dagger appeared in my hand. Its blade shimmered with a faint golden glow, warm to the touch but light as air.
---
[ITEM: SUNSTEEL DAGGER]
[EQUIPPED]
---
I swung the dagger experimentally. It moved smoothly, like it had always been a part of me. For a moment, I just stood there, staring at the weapon. Was this really happening? I had a freaking magical dagger now.
Before I could process it, more text popped up in front of me.
---
[NEW TAB UNLOCKED: SYSTEM SHOP]
[SHOP] [INVENTORY] [SKILLS] [QUESTS]
---
I blinked at the options, half-expecting to wake up any second now. But the screen didn't vanish, and the dagger was still firmly in my hand. Curiosity got the better of me, and I opened the "Shop" tab. A grid of items appeared, most of them grayed out with price tags in something called "Solar Points."
There was one skill available though.
---
[SKILL: SOLAR STRIKE]
- Cost: 100 SP
- Description: Channel the power of the sun into a concentrated strike.
- Requirement: Solar Rebirth, Level 1
---
A basic skill. I'd seen stuff like this in games before. The logical part of me knew I should be freaking out right now. But instead, I felt... strangely calm. Like this was the most normal thing in the world.
"Okay," I said aloud, "I guess I'm doing this."
I backed out of the shop and opened my "Skills" tab, just to see what else I had.
---
[SKILLS]
- Solar Rebirth (Unawakened): Harness the power of the sun to heal and fight. Unlock more abilities as you level up.
- Solar Strike (Locked): Unleash a powerful attack using the sun's energy.
---
"Alright, so I'm not completely useless," I muttered. "I just have to... level up."
---
[MAIN QUEST: THE FIRST TRIAL]
- Objective: Find the first of the Seven Immortals in Banaras.
- Reward: 500 XP, 500 Solar Points, Skill Upgrade.
---
Right. Find the first Immortal. That didn't sound terrifying at all. But hey, what's life without a little danger?
I sighed, sheathing the dagger at my side. "First Immortal, huh? How hard could it be to find someone who's lived for thousands of years in a city full of people?" I said sarcastically to no one. But deep down, I knew this was only the beginning. Something big was coming, and I wasn't sure I was ready for it.
But ready or not, the quest had started.
As I stepped outside into the busy streets of Banaras, I couldn't shake the feeling that the man from my dream was watching me. And for the first time, I didn't feel like running away from whatever was coming. Maybe this was my chance—my chance to stop being the forgotten kid and become something more.
Something powerful.
"Time to find out if I'm really chosen," I muttered, gripping the dagger. "Let's see what this Solar Rebirth is all about."