Being a Nobody
When Tang first opened a book as a child, he was mesmerized by a world teeming with billions of people. But amidst the crowd, there was always that one extraordinary individual who defied the odds, embraced adventure, and lived a life filled with excitement and purpose. Determined to script his own thrilling narrative, Tang made a solemn vow. He delved into countless projects, honing his skills and talents to perfection. Yet, he couldn't escape the realization that there were others who far surpassed his abilities. As he grew older, Tang became a daring helicopter pilot and found love with his high school sweetheart, who now carries their first child. It seemed that Tang had finally discovered the exhilaration he had always craved, but little did he know, this was just the beginning. During a routine client escort, tragedy struck as Tang faced a fatal helicopter crash. Just as he was about to succumb to his fate, a mysterious voice echoed in his ears. And when he opened his eyes, he found himself in a strangely familiar yet unfamiliar room. Tang soon discovered that he had been transported to a magical realm, where he yearned to reclaim his role as the protagonist. But it quickly became apparent that this new world wouldn't make it easy for him to seize the spotlight once again.
Arrival
Tears stream down Sebastian's face as he feels the cold metal press against his neck, and his heart begins to race as he feels the cool liquid flowing down from the needle, and suddenly a burning sensation spreads itself throughout the area of his neck, along with a slight sting, Sebastian closes his eyes tightly as he clenches his fist.
"Kid, it's done-" Sebastian didn't even wait for Shiy to finish what he was about to say before running out of the shop, leaving Mikko and Shiy puzzled.
"It's not supposed to hurt, right?" Mikko inquired while sitting on top of the counter, running his fingers over his own tattoo.
Sebastian sprints as fast as he can until he reaches his home. When he arrived at the house, he dashed in, closing the door behind him as he slid down it until he landed on the floor, exhausted and breathing heavily as his back was pressed against the door.
"Mama!!" He cried out as he began sobbing loudly; he is a grown adult, but his mind and body are still those of a child, and it's natural for children to cry when they're in pain, especially if it's something they've never experienced before.
"Sebastian, are you okay?!" His mother hurriedly comes rushing down the stairs and towards Sebastian after noticing him crying on the floor.
She kneels down beside him and asks him softly "Why are you crying, what happened?" She then asks worried before her eyes noticed the fresh tattoo on his neck "It was today, huh" Silvia stated as she assisted her son to stand up while Coste walks down the stairs without wearing anything on top once again.
"Papa was about to get more than a kiss a few moments ea-"
"Coste..." Silvia said, glaring at him as if to say he shouldn't say what he's about to say, prompting Coste to smile and raise both his hands in defeat.
"It's okay, Sebastian. It probably hurts more than usual because your Nether is unstable," Silvia said, wiping the tears that had been streaming down Sebastian's face and attempting to calm him down.
"Our Nether will release an energy to minimize pain, so it's natural for you to feel more pain than the others," she says as she pats his back. Sebastian nods and looks up at Silvia.
Silvia smiled cheerfully at Sebastian, "So how about Mama make your favorite for dinner?" She suggested, and Sebastian immediately brightened, nodding enthusiastically like he completely forgotten about the pain.
ーーーー
"Sebastian," Mikko hummed as he walked into Sebastian's room, only to find Sebastian still sleeping soundly on his bed, drool dripping from his mouth, clearly having a good dream despite running away the day before.
He approached Sebastian and poked his finger over his cheek, hoping to wake him up. "Wakey wakey," he sang while nudging him.
Sebastian awoke when he heard Mikko call his name, but he quickly returned to sleep when he opened his eyes.
"The heroes will arrive today, just so you know," Mikko says, and Sebastian immediately sits up, looking at Mikko with interest, clearly excited.
"Really?" he exclaimed, making Mikko laugh and nod in response, knowing that if anything was going to wake Sebastian up, it had to be something related to training, magic, or Heroes.
Sebastian got off his bed and rushed to the mirror on his wardrobe, he took a look at himself, brushing his silver colored hair before rushing towards the bathroom to prepare himself.
After finishing his preparations, he walked down to their kitchen, only to find Mikko there, who had already begun eating breakfast while Sebastian was still in the bathroom.
"Auntie and Uncle left earlier to help with the preparation," Mikko explained as he bit into his toast. Sebastian nods in understanding before sitting across from Mikko and digging into his own toast.
"Do you have class today?" Sebastian asked.
"The masters in "Skarlax" don't respect our tradition, but if it's related to the heroes, we can be excused," Mikko replied, shrugging his shoulder as he took another bite of his toast before placing it on his plate.
"That's why I like the leader of the demon race more because, out of all races, she's the only one who values fairness in everything, unlike the leader of the human race who only works on what he thinks is good," Mikko added, hoping nobody hears his complaints that can eventually led to his doom. He stood up from his seat and walked to the sink to wash his dishes.
Sebastian was about to ask him about the 'leader' of the demon race, but he decided against it because he have plenty of time to ask later. Instead, he simply watches Mikko wash all of the dishes before turning back to face Sebastian and smiling.
"How about we walk around town and see all the preparation?" Mikko suggested as Sebastian smiled and began eating his breakfast much more quickly.
ーーーー
Mikko and Sebastian walks around the town scanning their eyes on the decorations prepare by the others.
The streets were decked out with colorful banners hung on every house and stall, and the commemorative talisman was tied to trees in various locations, along with fairy lights.
Some of the vendors were already working hard, while others were chatting with one another while selling food from their stalls. The atmosphere was upbeat and lively, and Sebastian couldn't help but smile and admire this side of town he hadn't seen before.
They came across the market place while walking through town, where most of the vendors are standing with a table on which a variety of foods is laid out in front of them.
"Wow!" Sebastian exclaimed in awe as he stared at the delicious looking food placed on the table as she noticed Silvia and Al putting more food they prepared on the table.
They continued walking down town, seeing other citizens come out of their homes to buy supplies for the upcoming events. "People are more livelier than I expected," Sebastian said, looking back at Mikko, who had his hands behind his head.
"We don't usually celebrate this much, but because one of the Heroes is from our town, people got carried away," Mikko explained, widening Sebastian's eyes as he came to a halt and placed his hands on Mikko's shoulder.
"Do I get along with them?" Sebastian wondered, thinking that if he couldn't be the main character, he could at least be one of those side characters who feels like the main character.
"Of course not, you've never even talked to her before, and no one has because she's mostly busy with studies," Mikko replied, completely dismissing Sebastian's idea.
One of the residents yelled, "The heroes have arrived!!" to let everyone know that they had arrived. Mikko and Sebastian exchanged glances before nodding and rushing to the village's entrance to be the first to meet the heroes.