Foreword

Have you ever had a moment when you felt fine, and the next instant, you feel like crap? Well, that's how I feel right now.

It had been a normal day; I returned from university after two years of online classes. It had been a welcome change from the routine of doing absolutely nothing. Boring? You bet.

I've never considered myself extraordinary or expected anything from my life. Those wild dreams of becoming a millionaire and having a good life died in my adolescence. But here I am, in the middle of nowhere in the desert, as far as I can tell.

And a damn apology note. Yes, you heard that right, an apology because some damn being from who knows where killed me because they neglected their child, and it resulted in opening a black hole in my room.

I sighed and continued reading the note. "If you're reading this, you're dead. In fact, you're more than dead. Your body was sucked, dismembered, and decomposed to subatomic levels. I don't really care that my daughter killed an inferior being like you, but you're lucky that at that precise moment, she didn't have her karmic protection, and now her soul is tainted with murder. But that has nothing to do with you. Back to the point, I can't recreate your body in your universe because it's not my territory, and it's just not worth the trouble for you."

I crumpled the paper in frustration and continued reading. "I've recreated a new body for you in a different but similar universe to the one you came from. I noticed that at that moment, you were playing on your computer, so I simply took the character from the game, recreated its body, shape, and powers, and gave them to you. Although it was a hassle to give life to that undead creature again, so be grateful, mortal, and live this new life as you see fit."

As I said, my day couldn't have been worse. I examined my body, looking at what I could. A mid-19th-century hat, a black suit, tie, pants, and to top it off, a dark gray trench coat. I can only assume I now had the body of Dr. Jonathan E. Reid from the game Vampyr.

It's not bad, but it's not great either, I would say. I would have time to explore my abilities later; for now, I wanted to know where the hell I was.

I had been walking for what I believe were several hours under the scorching sun when a thought crossed my mind. Why the hell am I not burning up?

I had only played Vampyr for about two hours before this disaster, and if I remembered correctly, in the game, vampires burned in the sunlight, something that wasn't happening to me. I suppose whoever recreated this body for me didn't see the point in such a weakness. I was grateful for that; I didn't want to be out here at night, or worse, end up in the middle of nowhere and burn until dusk. So, thanks to the being who gave me a new life and screw you for killing me.

In the distance, I could see what I believe were people. Why do I say "I believe"? Well, they were about 10 kilometers away, I think, and the intoxicating smell of blood. I can't describe it, imagine running a marathon, and your lungs are burning for water; that's how I felt as soon as I caught their scent.

Moving faster than I ever thought possible, I approached them in just two minutes. I stopped near them, observing them through a black mist, which I assume was one of my vampiric abilities, the Shadow Veil.

Their dark skin gleamed in the daylight as sweat ran down their muscular bodies. They were dressed in loincloths and had some kind of paint on their bodies. They stalked what looked like a group of gazelles.

They approached the group as silently as they thought they could be, which to me was like standing next to a speeding car. I could hear their steps and see their movements in split seconds.

One of them stood up and hurled his spear at a gazelle that was careless, presenting its side to the indigenous man. The spear arced through the air and struck the poor creature's neck with precision. The rest of the indigenous group quickly pounced on the other gazelles, and it turned into chaos as the poor animals tried to escape while being pursued.

Interesting, I thought as I watched everything unfold. I had seen documentaries about animal hunting in my life, and this was exactly the same. But it was like a movie to me due to the slow motion of it all.

The group managed to catch two more gazelles. They tied their legs and passed a spear through them, carrying the bodies somewhere. I sighed and prepared to follow the group, although I had these urges to grab them by the neck and suck the life out of them. But I could control myself, at least for now. I had always been someone to do what needed to be done and nothing more. You might think that sounds sad, but that's life. Give too much, get too little, and give little, and the same thing happens. The rest is just euphemism.

The group moved at a slow but steady pace. By the time it was getting dark, we approached what was, in the best-case scenario, some kind of camp. Basically, there were only a couple of tents made of animal hides and branches. Taking a closer look at the whole group, there were no more than 30 people.

What kind of shithole had they sent me to, I wondered. Even in my previous world, the most savage tribes had some civilized things, like clothing or something as basic as fire-making, with the exception of isolated indigenous tribes in places like the jungles of Brazil or Papua. But these people lacked all of that.

Putting those thoughts aside, I couldn't help but notice that I had been using the Shadow Veil all this time. Assuming it worked as it did in the game, it consumed energy over time. But I didn't feel tired in any way, and I had been using the ability for hours.

Then something clicked in my mind at that moment. Something that not only brought a wild smile to my face but also made me burst into laughter. "Thank you, you damn being, despite all the shit you've thrown at me, you've given me something that will be too useful." With those words, I set out to verify if my thought was true.

Have you ever played a game and found some things unbearable? Like picking up objects to build others, for example. I had finished playing Vampyr the first time just enjoying the game and watching the story. But when I started a new game to try a different ending, I had this idea that it would be a hassle to search for resources, the same with stamina and health. And the same happened with abilities.

You might wonder what the hell this guy is talking about. The answer is simple; I just wanted to finish the game without having to worry about any of that. So, that day, two hours before some damn being killed me, I had downloaded something called a trainer. I had maxed out my character along with all the abilities, as well as practically infinite health, and stamina. All of it came with an inventory that would give me infinite items and resources.

And you might say it's dishonorable. It's not something a real gamer would do. As far as I'm concerned, everyone can go to hell. I just wanted a different ending and to see poor Dr. Jonathan Reid happy with his beloved.

Now, you've probably come to the same conclusion as me. What would happen if a certain being took a certain character just as you had while playing and gave them everything they had at that moment?

To answer your question, here I was, repeatedly using the Abyss ability while these poor souls fought for their lives, trying to escape in the hope of surviving. Meanwhile, I was just enjoying the show.

Sometimes those moments where you go from being happy to feeling like crap can be the opposite. It all comes down to how your day will end.