1 Chapter 1 - Dolian Tatori

"Hello there."

A man with sharp yet soft facial features smiled gently and leaned forward. He had tidy black hair and sharp eyebrows while having a cleanly shaved face with no signs of stubble nor beard. His fair white skin had a tinge of yellow undertones that complemented well with his outfit.

He wore a simple black shirt tucked into his pants along with a black cotton coat put on top of it. With the pair of circular black-rimmed glasses on his face that matches well with his oval-shaped face, he gave off a scholarly air that would instantly make anyone he encounter to relax and treat him as an old friend.

"H-Hello…" a child no older than 16 meekly responded.

The child had long black hair with bangs that covered the majority of his face. His hair was unruly and rowdy, like the hair of a typical depressed teen depicted in social media. But even with his gloomy appearance, one would still notice the nice clothes he wore consisting of a plain white oversized shirt along with wide black pants. Adding in the accessories scattered all over his body such as rings or a watch, one can clearly see that he was born into an affluent family.

The man stared for a few seconds at the child silently. As his eyes squinted ever so slightly, a stream of thoughts unhurriedly flowed through his mind like a river.

'He has a ruddy complexion. He nervously stares at my office. He constantly rubs his fingers with one another. He seems to have a huge problem of social anxiety…' Within moments, the man seemed to have noticed all kinds of things regarding the anxious teen in front of him. But he didn't stop his train of thought and continued analyzing without pause.

'The child of two wealthy business owners who suffer from mental problems because of his unguided upbringing. Once I rope him in and he starts to improve, I'll make him dependent on me and milk his money's worth for a very long time! Good, it seems like my business is booming and my monthly income would skyrocket to 50k a month already!'

Retaining his gentle smile, the man chuckled softly to capture the anxious teen's attention, "My name is Dolian Observa, and I'll be your psychiatrist for today."

Hearing Dolian's soft and soothing voice, coupled with his amicable appearance, the body unknowingly relaxed by a little bit and opened his body, uncrossing his legs while lessening his subconscious mannerisms.

"First of all, what's your name?" Dolian clicked the button on his pen and had a small piece of metal pop up from one end. Resting his pen on the paper he held, Dolian visibly made his body more open and accepting, allowing the seemingly depressed teen to calm down little by little.

"M-My name is Dhep Prest," Dhep muttered with a meek voice.

Nodding his head, Dolian remained smiling and asked more, "Dhep? That's a pretty unique name."

"Do you mind me sharing why you went to my office today?" Dolian inquired while the sound of a pen writing on paper suffused the relatively silent room.

"N-Not at all," Dhep hurriedly responded before he then turned silent. Only after a short while did he respond as he felt more and more uncomfortable by Dolian quietly staring at him, "I-"

"Pause." Dolian raised his hand in a stopping motion and interrupted Dhep from speaking. "I can see that you're not ready to share with me your problems right now, and that's okay. I get it."

Dolian clapped his hands together and placed both his pen and paper on the wooden desk between the two of them, smiling lightly while making sure to not show any negative body language leak through.

"Everyone has their own problems, but others simply do not have the courage to share them with others. If you don't want to, that's fine." Dolian stood up which made the boy wonder what Dolian was planning to do.

Walking up to another nearby sofa that faced towards a large wide TV, he bent down and plugged in a cable before turning his head towards Dhep.

"You play fighting games?" Dolian asked while booting up the TV and turning on his office's Play Terminal 4. With the iconic sound of PT4 resounding throughout the room, Dolian grabbed a box of games stored inside a nearby box while also grabbing a black controller from the box.

Surprised by Dolian's actions, Dhep was only able to respond after processing things, although he was still clearly socially anxious indicated by his outer appearance, "Yes…"

"Nice!" Dolian turned around, smiled, then sat down on a vacant black sofa. Patting the space right beside him, Dolian pulled out another controller other than the one he was already holding while saying, "Come on, let's play some games."

"Huh?" Dhep couldn't help but look confused.

This was the first time he was experiencing having a random person who he just met ask him to play a game. And that random person was even his psychiatrist!

'Aren't psychiatrists supposed to be more professional and stuff? Why is he inviting me to play a game right now? And is that Bond Force 2?' Unable to hold in his confusion, Dhep remained silent for a few seconds straight without responding to Dolian's question, just staring blankly at the man who excitedly booted up the game on the screen.

"What? You don't want to play a game with someone older than you? Just so you know, I'm only 21! And 21 is the new 20 already, and being 20 is the same as being 19, and being 19 isn't that far off from 18, and 18 isn't really that different from 17, and 17 and 16 are basically the same at your age; so, I'm basically 16!" Dolian explained with a shameless smile as Dhep was brought out of his stupor.

"No… No, I want to play with too." Dhep hurriedly stood up and walked towards the empty sofa beside Dolian.

Upon sitting down, Dolian patted him on the back as his large, and surprisingly muscular hand made Dhep feel a slight tingle on his back. 'Why is he so damn strong.'

"That's the spirit. Just so you know, the girls don't like guys who are meek and fragile, so you better man up or you'll…"

Dolian rambled on and on, and as if he didn't notice it, started to belittle Dhep's stature as a man with an arrogant tone. Hearing Dolian's smug and 'know-it-all' tone seemed to have bothered Dhep as he refuted Dolian's statement after being barraged with a series of taunts as if he was possessed, "But I don't like girls all that much in the first place!"

The world then turned silent after his statement as Dhep blinked.

"Eh?" Dolian paused and stared straight into Dhep's eyes. Noticing his piercing gaze, Dhep swiftly looked away as his heart started to beat as if it was on fire.

Realizing what he has just said, Dhep's forced himself to stare right back at Dolian as he said with chattering teeth, "Wait! I-"

"So are you gay or bisexual? Wait, are your parents homophobic? Or are you just in the closet? Huh…" Dolian scratched his chin and shook his head, much to Dhep's dumbfounded gaze. "Who cares! I only care about crushing you miserably in Bond Force."

"You really think gay or bi guys would like meek guys like you? Whether it be man or woman, you're still a meek little twat. And if you find yourself offended, then hmph, you can only prove me wrong if you defeat me in a match!" Dolian completely ignored the shocking statement Dhep has just said and returned his focus to the game.

Amidst his confusion, he asked with a confused tone while tightly clenching his fist, "Aren't you… surprise?"

"Surprise? Of course, I was surprised, but then what? You're bi or gay or pan, but can I do anything about it? And did you really think a homophobe would work as a psychiatrist? Besides, it's already 2025, and people are more accepting compared to before, so it's not as big of a deal as you think it is." Shrugging his shoulders, Dolian swiftly moved through the menu and readied the game, picked his character, and stared back at Dhep.

"Hey, pick your character already!"

Unable to process what was happening, Dhep could only nod his head and stared at the screen as if everything that has just transpired was an illusory dream that would go away after he woke up.

…

"YOU FOOL!" Dolian shouted with glee as his hands swiftly move as if it was lit on fire. Inputting his controls in quick succession, he stared at the screen as his ultimate move was activated, and he shouted at the same time as his character did, "BATHE IN ABYSSAL FLAMES! HELLBLAZER!"

On the screen, a man nearly naked and only wearing a pair of black pants had his pair of black eyes shine brightly like two abyssal stars. Flames engulfed the entire area around the two characters, while the girl wearing a strange green dress and having curly orange hair had her health bar rapidly deplete down to zero.

"FUCCCKKKKK!" Dhep gnashed his teeth and slammed his fist on the table, staring at the screen as an annoying 'Player 1 Won' text appeared.

Twisting his neck with a smug grin, Dolian taunted Dhep with a condescending stare and said, "HAHAHA! LOOK AT YOU! YOU GOT DEFEATED BY THIS EDGELORD!"

"Tch." Dhep clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. "Hmph, it's because you had been playing this game for a very long time, you tryhard."

"What do you mean tryhard?!?! I only got this game yesterday!" Dolian snapped back while clutching his chest as if he has been offended.

"Heh, losers remain losers while winners remain winners. Let's have a rematch then to show my clear superiority!" Dolian swiftly moved his hands and returned to the character select screen.

Staring at the extroverted and outgoing psychiatrist beside him joyfully selecting a new character, Dhep couldn't help but feel surreal as a smile formed on his face. Closing his eyes for a bit, everything else seemed to quiet down and he thought in silence, 'Is this what it feels like to play with others?'

'Is this what it's like to just be myself without any ounce of fear or thinking about the judging eyes of others?' Dhep clutched his heart that thumped with equal amounts of fear and joy. He felt that he was still in a dream, while another part of it had him hopeful for the future.

'Even though I've only met him for less than an hour, it feels like I've known him for years already.'

'To think there would be a moment in my life where another person knows I'm bi. To think there would be a moment in my life when another person would accept me as who I am. To think there would be a moment in my life where I can play a fighting game with a random person I just met and curse all I want.'

A flood of emotions welled up within Dhep as his eyes turned watery. Sobbing ever so softly, he opened his eyes that were coated with a thin layer of tears, and muttered with a voice filled with joy, hope, and all kinds of positive emotions.

"Thank you, Dolian." Even though he only said a simple sentence, it was coated in such thick wraps of gratefulness that Dolian paused whatever he was doing.

Turning his head to the side, Dolian wore a brilliant smile, stretched out his hand, and patted Dhep on the head, "No problem, Dhep…"

"So go pick your character already! I can't wait to beat you again to a pulp and show the supreme might of Abyssal FLame of Darkness, The Black Sun, the Eternally Burning Fire, the…"

Hearing his usual snappy response that discarded the emotional mood, Dhep chuckled softly, and nodded his head with a smug grin, "You're already an old man, Dolian. It's time for the new generation to take the world by storm!"

"Why you… You're getting arrogant just because you almost defeated me! Just so you know, I've only been using a fraction of my power this entire time!"

…

As Dolian walked Dhep to the entrance of his office, he ruffled Dhep's hair with a grin and opened the door ahead of them, "Take care of yourself."

Turning his head to look back at Dolian, Dhep smiled and replied, "I will."

"You should also try and get out of the closet with your parents. You should trust them more." Dolian added with a voice that couldn't be refuted.

"I…" Dhep paused, but his eyes twinkled until he finally responded with a nod, "I'll try."

"Good." Dolian then puts his hand into his pocket and took out a golden necklace.

Handing it out to Dhep, the young teen stared at it in confusion and asked, "What's this?"

"It's just a little something I give to first-time patients. Think of it as a gift for becoming…"

"For becoming what?" Dhep asked while wrapping the chain around his neck and clicking on the lock.

"For becoming a friend of mine." Dolian smiled.

Dhep's mind instantly trembled upon hearing Dolian's words. He could already imagine countless flowers blooming around the two while colorful rainbows dyed the land in an iridescent glow. His previously blank and lifeless eyes glowed brightly as if new life was breathed onto them, rekindling his sorrowful soul and bathing it in sunshine.

In the end, Dhep seemed to have been reborn as he wore a beaming smile.

"Are you sure I'm your friend and not your rival?" Dhep smirked and unknowingly clenched the necklace around his neck.

"Fuck off, I'm way better than you in any given way possible." Dolian rolled his eyes while poking out his tongue.

"But that's just the present. In the future, my limitless potential will devour you whole and I'll crown myself as the new supreme god of bonds!" Dhep remarked while clenching his fists.

As the two turned silent for a second, they eventually burst into booming laughter.

"That was a good one! Now, you should go home already, it's getting late now." Dolian patted Dhep on the back and pushed him forward out of the office.

"I will! You should also take care of yourself, Dolian!" Dhep turned around and waved his arm, "Don't get yourself into any accidents now!"

"Yeah, yeah. And go away already!" Dolian also waved goodbye and watched as the kid disappeared into the distance.

As he closed his office doors and walked out towards his car parked outside, the gentle grin on his face slowly disappeared upon entering his car.

"What a…" Dolian closed his eyes and smiled, "Success…"

'That kid's basically going to become a normal patient now and my monthly earnings have broke past 50k!'

Wiping away the grin on his face, Dolian twisted his car's key and revved up the engine. As he imagined the pile of cash overflowing in his bank account, he muttered with a sleazy smile, "I should treat myself due to this momentous event."

"Maybe I'll eat some wagyu and drink some fine wine, that would be nice."

As he daydreamed, Dolian drove off into the streets with a smile.

Finally, after working so hard throughout his entire life, he is one step closer to achieving his goal, 'Become filthy rich! Once I earn 100k a month, I'll definitely be able to retire early on and enjoy life-'

HOOOOONNKKKKKKK!

Like the sound of death ringing in his ears, he saw a bright white light expand throughout his entire view as the silhouette of a truck came running through the empty night streets from nowhere.

Unable to dodge nor stop his car, Dolian watched as the front of his car gets crashed alongside everything else in the way. With the face of the crushed truck nearing closer and closer to his face, all sorts of images flashed through his eyes as his entire life played back at incomprehensible speeds.

From his upbringing as an orphan, to then realizing his unique talent of being a great observer, and studying hard to finish school and get his psychiatrist license.

Dolian Observa, a young psychiatrist genius who graduated and became a licensed psychiatrist at the ripe age of 21, was now greeting the unexpected arrival of death with helplessness and… unexpectedly, regret.

'To think I would now face regret moments right before my death.'

'I thought I lived life as best as I could, using my inborn talents as an observer and innate potential to become a psychiatrist.'

'I thought that this was the best option that I could have chosen, but…'

'But I limited myself by wanting to become a psychiatrist. I could have instead started my own business much earlier on, using my talents as an observer to sway others and have them wrap around the palm of my hand.'

'I could have started an online channel and used my charisma to amass a large fan base.'

'I could have…'

All kinds of thoughts erupted like an endless flame as Dolian watched the glaring white light of death grow bigger and bigger, devouring his entire vision with poetic helplessness.

'In the end, I'll die like this. Dying to a stupid fucking truck in the night.'

'If I was reborn and could start all over again…' Dolian's eyes flashed with ominous light as a fearless grin appeared on his face, 'I won't remain as an observer and instead dictate my own fate!'

'Whether it be through tricks and lies, I'll reach the apex of the world and become the greatest!'

'Let fate and destiny be damned!'

And so, Dolian Observa died at the ripe age of 21 in the year 2025.

After living a strenuous life full of hardships, he received an uneventful end as nothing but a mangled corpse on a silent road.

But sometimes in life, miracles are bound to occur, and unexpectedly, even Dolian witnessed a miracle.

"Frwoam nwowhw on, ywouo awre…"

"Dolian Tatori."

AN: This chapter has 3039 words.

Wowzers, isekai am I right? It's your author back again, and I'm fucking depress to see you guys so soon. I should have savored that spiritual retreat more while it lasted, but alas, you only learn the value of something when it's gone.

Now onto the serious stuff. I've gained some epiphanies lately so the drop rate of this novel is astronomically lower compared to before.

Next, to new readers, I'm bisexual and a raging homosexual so there's a low chance gay shit would happen.

Third, our dear main protagonist is the same old psychopath so don't hate me for his actions, hate Dolian!

Lastly, if you like the novel, be sure to save it, leave down a comment below, and give me power stones.

I'll upload a chapter from Monday to Friday and none on weekends since I'm a high school boy and still have to worry about stuff other than writing. Goodbye, and remember, I hate you guys if you don't send me power stones, you worthless leach~

(March 5, 2023 - 465th day of writing)