The streets of Tokyo bustled with their usual chaos—office workers dashing for the train, tourists gawking at towering billboards, and Ryo Takashi, 18 and perpetually broke, balancing a grocery bag on his knee while trying to answer his brother's tenth text in five minutes.
Akari (12:31 PM): Don't forget spicy ramen.
Akari (12:32 PM): And the canned coffee.
Akari (12:33 PM): Also, toilet paper. You forgot last time.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Ryo muttered under his breath, dodging a man on a bicycle. "I should start charging you for this concierge service."
Ryo wasn't anyone special—or so he told himself. He had average black hair, often mistaken for a bird's nest after he ran his fingers through it too much. His dark brown eyes had a perpetual "I didn't sleep enough" look, which was accurate most of the time. At 5'9", with a lean frame, he was more suited to slipping through crowds than standing out in one.
He glanced at his reflection in a shop window and sighed. "Yep, still rocking the broke college dropout look. Oh wait, I didn't even make it to college."
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The Takashi Household
The Takashi apartment was a chaotic symphony of clanging dishes, scattered socks, and Akari's voice yelling at his computer screen.
Ryo pushed the door open and nearly tripped over a pile of wires. "Akari! You're building another death robot in the living room?"
"First of all, it's a drone," Akari called from the couch, pushing up his black-rimmed glasses. His spiky black hair defied gravity, like he'd styled it with static electricity. "Second, it's not in the living room. It's technically over the coffee table."
"Good to know our living standards are sky-high." Ryo dropped the grocery bag on the table, nearly knocking over a tower of empty instant noodle cups.
"You got the spicy ramen, right?" Akari asked, peering into the bag like a raccoon scavenging for treasure.
"Yes, your highness," Ryo said with a mock bow. "Anything else? A golden chalice for your coffee?"
"Don't tempt me. I could probably 3D print one."
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The Pendant
As Ryo started cleaning up the mess—or at least pushing it to the corners where Mom wouldn't immediately notice—his hand bumped into a small wooden box on the shelf.
"Hey, what's this?"
Akari glanced up, intrigued. "Looks ancient. Probably cursed. Open it!"
"Why would I—ugh, fine."
Inside the box was a pendant—a circular silver medallion with intricate carvings and a faintly glowing crystal at its center. Ryo squinted at it.
"This looks like something straight out of a fantasy anime," he said, holding it up. "Great, now I'm the protagonist of a weird magical plotline."
"You? A protagonist?" Akari snorted. "More like the comic relief sidekick."
"Keep talking and you're getting ramen without seasoning," Ryo shot back.
But as his fingers closed around the pendant, the room suddenly dimmed, the lights flickering like a bad horror movie. Akari jumped up, nearly knocking over his laptop.
"Uh, Ryo? What did you do?"
"Me? This is clearly your fault! You wanted me to open it!"
Before either of them could move, the pendant flared brightly, and a booming voice filled the room.
"Ryo Takashi," it said, deep and dramatic like a narrator for a movie trailer. "You are the heir of the Forgotten Realm!"
"Oh no," Ryo groaned. "Not this Chosen One nonsense. I don't even do my own laundry!"
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The Elder Arrives
The shadows in the room twisted and merged until an old man appeared, straight out of a fantasy novel. He had a long white beard that practically screamed, I know everything, and a wooden staff that looked like it could double as a walking stick and a murder weapon.
"Behold!" the old man declared. "I am The Elder, your guide to destiny!"
Ryo stared. "You look like Gandalf's cousin who got fired for being too dramatic."
The Elder frowned. "Silence, mortal—"
"Mortal? You're in my living room," Ryo interrupted, crossing his arms. "The least you could do is use my name. Also, you owe me for the electricity you just used with that flashy entrance."
The Elder looked momentarily taken aback, then composed himself. "Ryo Takashi, you are the last descendant of a powerful lineage tasked with protecting the balance between realms."
Akari, who had been recording the whole thing on his phone, chimed in. "Hey, can I be a Chosen One too? Or is it, like, a firstborn-only deal?"
"Silence, child!" The Elder snapped.
"Rude," Akari muttered, scrolling through his footage. "At least I'm getting views for this."
---
The Trial
Before Ryo could argue further, the pendant glowed again, and the room dissolved around him.
Ryo blinked, now standing in a bizarre field where the sky looked like someone spilled a smoothie on it—swirls of pink, purple, and blue.
"Oh, great. Now I'm in some psychedelic painting," he muttered. "Is this supposed to be intimidating?"
"This is the Trial of Resolve!" The Elder's voice boomed from nowhere. "To wield the power of the pendant, you must prove your strength!"
"Strength? I can barely carry groceries without pulling a muscle!"
A deafening roar cut through the air, and a massive beast materialized—a creature with glowing red eyes, obsidian skin, and claws that looked suspiciously overcompensatory.
"Yep, this checks out," Ryo said, backing up. "Let me guess, I have to fight this thing with no weapons or training?"
"Precisely!"
"Perfect. Can I at least file a complaint after this?"
The beast charged, and Ryo dove to the side with a yelp. He dodged wildly, narrowly avoiding being turned into sushi.
"Okay, think, Ryo," he muttered. "What do heroes in movies do? Oh right, they die first and let the cooler side characters take over."
Spotting a jagged rock, he grabbed it and hurled it at the beast's head. To his surprise, it actually worked—the creature stumbled, dazed.
"Ha! I knew all those baseball games in gym class would pay off!"
Emboldened, Ryo charged, dodging the beast's claws and landing a series of (admittedly clumsy) punches and kicks. Finally, with one last swing of the rock, the beast collapsed into a puff of smoke.
---
Return to Reality
Ryo blinked and found himself back in the living room, panting. The Elder stood before him, nodding solemnly.
"You have passed the first test," he said. "Though...barely."
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," Ryo said, flopping onto the couch. "Can I go back to my ramen now?"
"This is only the beginning," The Elder continued. "The path ahead will be fraught with—"
"Yeah, yeah, challenges, destiny, big scary enemies, I get it," Ryo interrupted. "Can I at least get a sword or something next time? This isn't Minecraft."
The Elder frowned. "Fate does not cater to sarcasm."
"Well, it should," Ryo muttered as the old man disappeared.
Akari peeked out from behind the couch. "So...you're a Chosen One now?"
"Apparently," Ryo said, staring at the pendant. "Lucky me."
"You're going viral, by the way," Akari said, holding up his phone. "#DestinyDrama is trending."
Ryo groaned. "Great. My first day as a hero, and I'm already a meme."
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