Friday. Another unremarkable day for Kaelen. Just a typical trudge home from school, the only highlight being the prospect of a decent dinner – a rare treat these days. Kaelen himself was as unremarkable as they come: average height, unremarkable build, average grades. His inky black curls were the only slightly unusual feature, but even those were nothing special. He was an outcast, true, but not in any particularly dramatic way. He simply lacked the social graces, a consequence of his unconventional upbringing.
His parents had been his world until the age of twelve, when his father succumbed to a sudden illness. Grief consumed his mother, leading to a tragic end. Fortunately, his parents had been prudent, leaving him a modest inheritance. This allowed him to live independently for a time, but his finances had dwindled in recent years, forcing him to make ends meet with increasing difficulty.
Now, walking home, a weary sigh escaped his lips. "Broke again," he muttered, "just enough for dinner and that's it." He glanced at the meager sum in his pocket, a grim smile twisting his lips. An explosion shattered the afternoon's tranquility, but Kaelen barely registered it. Why should he care? The world was indifferent to him, and he to it.
Curiosity, however, eventually nudged him towards the source of the commotion. He approached cautiously, skirting a large, oddly unheated rock. Suddenly, a shower of debris rained down, one fragment striking him squarely on the head. The world dissolved into darkness.
He awoke to… nothing. Not darkness, but an absence of sight, a void that defied description. "Where am I?" he whispered, his voice echoing strangely in the nothingness. Then, a sensation unlike any he had ever experienced – a thought, a vision, appearing within his mind. "Choose," a voice commanded, cold and impersonal.
"Choose what?" Kaelen demanded, bewildered.
"Choose your system," the voice repeated. "You have three hours. Otherwise, the system will be chosen for you."
Confusion battled with a strange sense of calm. "Why am I not… afraid?" he mused. "Most people would be terrified of death."
"Your emotions are currently suppressed," the voice explained, "The suppression will be lifted upon your selection."
"Choose what system?" Kaelen reiterated, his mind reeling.