Axel lay in his hospital bed, watching rain spatter against the windows and stream down the glass in rivulets. A handheld video game console was in his lap, chirping occasionally to remind him that he'd left his game on pause.
The console had been given to him by his 'father', right after his broken arm and wrist were mended. At first, he was curious about it as he never had the chance to play video games, but after months he lost interest and only played casually to escape his reality and distract himself from everything else.
He thought back about how his life had been before his current situation.
Ever since he could remember, his father always said these words.
'You're destined to be extraordinary.'
At first, he didn't understand what those words truly meant, but as he grew older he realized their true meaning.
Once he reached four years old, his father started hiring different tutors who taught him different fields, from science, math, physics, history, and so many other subjects that increased with the passing of the years.
The moment he turned five, his father expanded his education to include physical training. Martial arts became a significant part of his life. His father hired expert instructors, each specializing in a different discipline. Axel's daily routine quickly filled with lessons in judo, taekwondo, and karate, each tailored to enhance his agility, strength, and discipline.
He remembered the grueling training sessions vividly. The days were long and exhausting, with no room for failure. Mistakes were met with stern lectures, and success was rarely acknowledged. At first, the movements felt foreign, his body uncooperative as he struggled to execute basic techniques. But as time passed, his muscles grew accustomed to the strain, and his mind began to absorb the intricacies of each style.
Despite the physical exhaustion, Axel found a strange sense of satisfaction in mastering a move or landing a precise strike. It was one of the few times he felt a sliver of pride in himself, though he rarely showed it outwardly. His father, however, remained stoic, his expression unreadable even when Axel succeeded.
By the time Axel turned six, the martial arts training became even more demanding. His father introduced weapon training, starting with simple sticks and gradually moving to more advanced tools like staffs and swords. At an age when other children were playing games or learning to ride bikes, Axel was perfecting stances and sparring against adult instructors.
The rigorous training and constant pressure to excel took its toll. He often found himself longing for a normal childhood, one free from expectations and endless lessons. But he never voiced these thoughts aloud. His father's mantra—you're destined to be extraordinary—echoed in his mind, leaving little room for rebellion or self-pity.
Looking back now, lying in the hospital bed with a broken arm and wrist, Axel wondered if all the effort had been worth it. The training, the lessons, the relentless push to be better—it had all led him here, a broken body and a mind too weary to care.
The sound of knocking on the door pulled Axel from his thoughts. He turned his head slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of the man entering the room. The man looked to be in his forties, with neatly combed black hair and sharp, piercing golden eyes—eyes that mirrored Axel's own.
Axel's gaze lingered on him for only a moment before drifting back to the rain-streaked window. His expression remained neutral, almost apathetic, as though the man's presence barely registered.
"Still sulking, I see," his father said, his tone as calm and measured as ever. He stepped further into the room, the soft click of his polished shoes echoing in the quiet space. He carried himself with an air of authority, every movement deliberate and composed.
Axel didn't respond, his fingers idly tapping at the buttons on his game console. He wasn't playing, not really. The game's cheerful music continued in the background, a stark contrast to the tension filling the room.
"I heard from the doctor that your recovery is progressing well," his father continued, ignoring the lack of acknowledgment. "You'll be back to training in no time."
The words were meant to be reassuring, but Axel felt a knot of resentment tighten in his chest. Training. That's all it ever was. Even now, lying in a hospital bed, broken and battered, his father's mind was on his progress and potential, not on him.
He didn't bother to look at the man again, his voice flat as he finally spoke. "Did you come here to say something important, or just to remind me of how 'extraordinary' I'm supposed to be?"
Axel knew why he was subject to such a harsh childhood. The reason for that was quite simple. His father wanted him to be the ideal man he always dreamed of. His father was born poor and struggled through life, bullied and mocked, not achieving anything in life until later. He didn't want his son to go through that, so he pinned all his fantasy dreams on him, not caring about his opinion in the slightest.
The silence that followed was heavy, though Axel knew better than to expect an emotional outburst. His father was not the type to shout or lose composure. Instead, he sighed—a quiet, restrained sound.
His father said evenly. "I'm not here to argue with you. I just wanted to see how you're doing."
The sentiment, if genuine, fell flat. Axel kept his gaze fixed on the rain, his fingers tightening around the game console. "You've seen me. Now you can go."
His father remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. I know that you enjoy reading fantasy books, so I'll leave these here."
From his bag, he pulled a bunch of books and put them on the side desk near his bed.
Without waiting for a response, he turned and left the room, the door clicking shut behind him. For a moment, Axel stared at the closed door, Then he let out a slow breath, turning back to the window.
The rain continued to fall, a constant rhythm that felt oddly comforting. In that moment, Axel let himself feel the smallest flicker of defiance. Extraordinary or not, I'll decide what to do with my life.
After a while, he randomly picked a book and started reading it.
After he finished half of it, he lost interest, put it away, and prepared to play with the console until he heard a sound.
Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw that one book had fallen off the desk. He crouched down and picked up the book while looking at the cover and the title of the book with some curiosity.
The cover of the book was completely black without any illustration; however, what caught his attention the most was the "rather unique" title of the book, written in English.
"... Defiance against the Norse gods?" He muttered with confusion at such a title.
A rather strange and curious title for a book. He could not imagine why the author had put that name in his book. Maybe it was a title that caught people's attention. He could not say; after all, he had never read any book with a strange title like that.
Not knowing what kind of book it was, he flipped through the pages of the book.
However, just as he opened it, a mysterious white glow appeared around him. He could see several white particles enveloping his body, and he couldn't do anything about it as everything around him completely changed to pure darkness. He didn't understand what the hell was going on when his mind went completely blank.
...
…
[ Ding! ]
[ Congratulations! You can choose Unique initiant ability for crossing the dimensional boundary. ]
Abilities :
- Heal (Undying)
- Phoenix Rebirth
- necromancer
- Space Manipulation
- elements manipulation
- iron Body
- Dragonic Transformation
- Phoenix Transformation
- abyssal chains
- spirit Summoning
- Demon Transformation
...99+ More
---
After looking at the system panel, Axel felt ridiculous. This was like something out of a fantasy novel. He was very familiar with this kind of setting, given his background as a fantasy novel enthusiast.
"Does this mean I have died already? Or is it all just a dream? But it was too realistic to be a dream."
Finding no other options, he focused on the system panel, where he was instructed to choose three skills.
"So, I just have to choose one skill out of these thousands of options. Sh*t! It's too hard. There are so many good skills, but why only one? I want all of them!"
Nevertheless, he had to choose quickly, as time was running out. There was a timer in the corner of the system panel, counting down ominously.
Knowing the importance, he calmed his mind and read the descriptions of each skill to decide his path ahead. He had no idea what exactly was happening, but If he wanted a good life, an ability with great potential to grow was essential.
He started reading the skill descriptions one after another, which took a lot of time. But considering the importance, it was nothing.
"I chose this one."
Finally, he picked his favorite ability that he thought had the best potential.
"Confirmation received. You will receive your chosen ability after you are transferred into a random dimensional world."
"Hey, wait! Ah!"
Before he could get any response, his vision turned black, and he remembered nothing after that.
[ Initiating the transfer process. 0.1%...11%...59%....100%.. Complete ]
Everything was dark and remained that way for some time before he saw some light again. As he opened his eyes, he quickly noticed that the environment he was in was completely different from his room. Green, several trees, wherever he looked, he did not doubt the environment he was in. There was no one around him when he began to think.