Aleck set down his pen with a satisfied sigh, the last signature neatly scrawled across the title page. His hand felt slightly stiff from signing so many copies, but the small ache was worth it. It was a dream come true, seeing his book in print for the first time. He glanced up and caught a familiar sight—Rebecca, his wife, curled up in a chair with a steaming mug of tea, her face illuminated by the soft glow of the lamp beside her. She was absorbed in the first physical copy of Lost in Dungeon, his most popular web novel. The faint crease of concentration on her brow softened when she turned the page, a small smile forming as she continued reading. Aleck couldn't help but smile back.
His career as a web novelist had taken off years ago, but this moment felt surreal. There was something undeniably satisfying about holding a physical book in your hands. It felt more permanent, more real, than the online chapters he'd been posting for years. He was no longer just Aleck Hales, the guy behind a keyboard.
Aleck had always been a fan of fantasy stories, Worlds filled with dungeons, gates to other realms, and dangerous quests. As an adult, that passion had shaped his career. But Aleck's take on fantasy was a bit different. While others glorified the thrilling adventures and near-invincible protagonists, Aleck focused on the harsh, often grim, realities of these worlds. In his stories, choices had consequences, and survival wasn't guaranteed. It wasn't always what readers wanted, but it was what he felt these tales needed. After all, the kind of worlds he wrote about weren't just playgrounds for heroes—they were brutal, unforgiving, and filled with nightmares most would never survive.
Despite his love for writing and exploring such themes, Aleck had never wanted to experience that kind of danger firsthand. Fantasy was something he crafted and controlled, not something he ever desired to live through.
His gaze shifted from Rebecca to the framed photo on the wall—a picture of them with their daughter, Alexa, taken on her third birthday. Alexa's eyes sparkled in the photo, her face split into a wide grin as she clutched a stuffed platypus they'd given her. That was his real world. His family. The center of his universe. Writing had given him a successful career, but it was Rebecca and Alexa who gave him purpose, they were the reason he'd left his turbulent past behind and embraced a new life as a writer
Rebecca glanced up from her book and caught his eye, her smile widening. "It's just as good the second time," she said, holding up the novel. "Maybe even better."
Aleck chuckled, warmth spreading through him. "You're just saying that because you're married to me."
"No, I'm saying it because it's true," she teased, turning back to the page.
As Aleck picked up his coffee, intending to take a sip, something strange happened. His hand froze halfway to his mouth. A faint buzzing filled his ears, and a black screen suddenly materialized in his field of vision, hanging there as though it had always been part of the room.
The text on the screen was unmistakable:
[Do you want to be a Titan and save the world of Arkellith?]
[Yes] [No]
Aleck blinked, his brain struggling to process what he was seeing. The words hovered in mid-air, stark and clear. His first instinct was to assume it was a prank—maybe some new kind of augmented reality tech that someone was messing with. But the more he stared, the less plausible that seemed. He waved his hand through the projection. Nothing. It didn't flicker. It didn't move. It stayed exactly where it was.
This couldn't be real. Could it?
For a moment, he found himself admiring the design of the message. It was almost exactly how he'd envisioned system prompts in his own stories. A chilling thought crept into his mind—had he somehow summoned this? Had writing about it somehow made it real?
Aleck shook his head. Ridiculous. He was a writer, not some kind of wizard.
Still, his heart began to race. The words stared back at him, as though waiting for his decision.
[Do you want to be a Titan and save the world of Arkellith?]
[Yes] [No]
The answer was obvious.
No.
No hesitation. No second thoughts.
But the screen didn't vanish. Instead, the text changed, and his stomach dropped as he read the next line.
[You have been selected as a Titan. Transporting to Arkellith in 10... 9... 8...]
"What? No, no, no!" Aleck scrambled to his feet, the chair clattering to the floor behind him. "I pressed 'No!' Why am I seeing this?"
Rebecca looked up, alarm flashing in her eyes. "Aleck? What's going on?"
He turned toward her, his heart pounding in his chest. "Rebecca, something's—something's wrong." The screen kept counting down in his peripheral vision, the numbers ticking away toward something he couldn't comprehend. He needed to do something, anything, but his mind was blank with panic.
[…7… 6…]
"Rebecca, I don't know what's happening!" His voice cracked with desperation. "I pressed 'No' and—"
[…3... 2... 1...]
[Ding]
Aleck's world lurched. His surroundings distorted, the walls of their cozy home warping like melting wax. The coffee cup slipped from his hand, shattering on the floor as everything around him twisted and darkened. The last thing he saw was Rebecca's terrified face, reaching out for him as the world dissolved into nothingness.
He didn't even have time to scream.
[You are being transported to Arkellith.]
[...]
[...]
[You have reached the endangered world of Arkellith.]
[You have been gifted a Titan Serum. Please use it immediately.]