I was sitting on my bed, my phone in my hand, scrolling mindlessly through my feed. It was a late Sunday afternoon, one of those quiet, gray ones that settle over everything like a heavy blanket. My parents were downstairs, laughing at something on the TV, and the usual sounds of our neighborhood drifted in through my open window. Normal. Mundane. Safe.
Then, suddenly, everything went dark.
No, not dark—the light just shifted, as if the world itself was drawing in a breath. Before I could even process it, a screen appeared in front of me. Not on my phone or my laptop. This screen was hovering in midair, its edges shimmering in shades of blue and gold, words slowly forming as if written by an unseen hand.
"Attention, Lost Souls."
I blinked. This had to be some weird prank, right? A pop-up on my contacts or a glitch in my phone's display. But as the words continued to scroll down in perfectly neat, glowing lines, a chill crawled up my spine.
"You have been culled from your mundane lives and summoned to the shattered realm of Turgan—a world both dark and magnificent, where hope is a fragile ember amidst a howling storm of horror. Here, you will face unspeakable monsters and the remnants of a dying elven race, twisted by despair, struggling to survive in this brutal landscape."
The weight of those words crashed over me, heavy and cold. *Summoned*? *Culled*? I could almost feel my heart hammering against my ribs as I stared at the screen, a thousand questions and protests tumbling through my mind. But the message continued, relentless.
"Before you lies The System, a merciless tool of survival. As you venture forth, you will hone your skills, harness your potential, and build your attributes—Strength, Defence, Agility, Stamina, Intelligence, and Mana. Every time you defeat a living creature, you will claim their essence, transforming it into power to level up your abilities."
Level up? Like in a game? My brain grasped onto that familiar concept, hoping it might explain the insanity unfolding in front of me. But something deep inside me knew this was no game.
"But heed my warning: Turgan is not a forgiving place. It is a crucible forged in darkness where the weak are cast aside. It is believed that less than a quarter of you will survive the first night. Trust will be a fleeting luxury, and alliances will shatter under the weight of fear and desperation."
An icy dread settled in my gut. Less than a quarter? *This* was supposed to be real?
"You stand on the brink of oblivion or glory, but remember—each choice you make could lead to salvation or doom. The orb of fate has already begun its descent…"
I reached out, as if touching the screen might break the illusion. But my hand went right through it. The letters pulsed, a faint whisper in the air around me, the words seeming to vibrate through my very bones.
Then it began to count down.
3…
2…
1…
I barely had time to gasp.