Chapter 2: Awakening

The fist landed square on his face, sending Nox tumbling to the ground.

"If I ever see you in here again, I'm gonna kill ya."

The scruffy-looking bouncer growled as he grabbed him by his collar and tossed him onto the dusty streets outside.

Nox was a frail 17-year-old boy with bruises on his face, fresh from the beating he just got. 

He scrambled around for his belongings and tried his best to wipe off the muck from his clothes as he struggled to get up.

Grinning to himself, he limped his way onto a nearby bench and collapsed.

Even though the boy looked half dead and malnourished, he couldn't hide the smile on his face. Pulling out a small silver coin from his pocket, his bony fingers traced the intricate rune patterns engraved on it and sighed.

He had a terrible habit of gambling at the local pit, but today… he had lucked out.

A young noble had brought an Otherworld token into the pit, and it somehow made its way to Nox… which is a clever way of saying that he stole it.

After getting roughed up by his bodyguards, he barely made it out in one piece.

The pit wasn't kind enough to offer protection to its customers, much less an orphan boy with no background.

But today, everything would change.

Nox would become an "Otherworlder".

The 'Phenomenon' occurred 100 years ago when the great calamity began. Massive meteors showered from the sky, smashing into every single location on Earth and bringing strange creatures along with a massive solar flare.

The impact itself destroyed over 20% of the man-made buildings, with casualties numbering in the hundreds of millions.

On that day, every living being, human or beast, received a message in their brains.

–The dimension 'Earth' has entered the abnormal state [Calamity].

However, the resulting shockwaves were the most brutal part.

The solar flare wiped out almost all technological advancements that humanity had created in the past century, leaving the world in a period known as the "Calamity".

Without technology, the world was thrown into chaos. Impervious to most firearms and blunt weapons, the strange creatures massacred entire cities and left hundreds of countries in ruins.

Amidst the chaos, the world's top scientists banded together and found a way to save humanity from the rampaging horrors.

Though the meteors brought along destruction and death, they also came with opportunity. 

Analyzing the strange metals from the crash sites, they found that it was from an otherworldly source, capable of granting its user unfathomable power. 

Reacting to blood, the strange metal would awaken a connection to the otherworld, bestowing a divinity or a curse to the individual.

Starting with a few samples, scientists gradually sent out millions of metal relics to survivors all over the world, giving humanity a glimpse of hope.

But, it was soon crushed.

Out of the million awakenings, only a mere thousand survived the first world and were able to use their newfound powers.

A decision was made to create multiple bastions around the planet, focusing on groups of otherworlders.

Humans were inferior beings compared to the horrid beasts that came to the world, but they also possessed something unrivaled in the history of the world.

A will to survive.

Through the information gathered from the successful otherworlders, scientists were able to analyze the trials and created programs that would train civilians to have the abilities necessary to complete the 'Worlds'.

After a century of trial and error, humanity was thriving once more. With the extinction of most technology, civilization regressed to the past.

Stores used metal coins as currency, and royalty were now treated with respect and reverence.

Not that any of this mattered to Nox, anyway.

Using the bench to support himself, he hoisted himself up and limped his way into a large Victorian mansion, surrounded by armored guards.

One of the guards stepped forward as he aimed his spear at Nox's neck.

"Stop! Show your identification!"

He put his hands into his pocket and fished out a shiny silver coin, making sure to reflect the sunlight onto the guard.

The guard's eyes widened, then turned serious.

"I apologize. Please follow me."

Being escorted through the large mansion, Nox stared around him. After all, this might be the last time he gets to be in a place this nice.

Portraits of men and women littered the walls, with expensive gold and silver chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

'Otherworlders.' Nox thought.

They were the first ones to conquer the challenges and become genuine Otherworlders. 

Though the colors of the paintings were long faded, he felt the power and elegance radiating from the heroes of the past.

"We're here."

The guard grunted and nudged him.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he found himself in a circular room. Different from the rest of the mansion, this room was pitiful.

Cracks emerged on the stone walls around him. Strange patterns lined the floors and cobwebs were scattered around the corners. 

In the center… was a single unassuming wooden chair.

"This is it, kid."

Nox nodded as the guard slowly talked.

"No matter what kind of life you lived before this, it all changes now. "

"I don't know what your circumstances are but, for the sake of humanity… please survive."

The guard walked over and strapped him down with a steel chain.

After taking one last deep breath, Nox sat down and pulled out the silver token once more.

On one side of the coin showed a regal human, adorned in robes.

On the other side, it showed a three-headed beast, eyes filled with bloodlust.

If he won, he would awaken and be one of the symbols of mankind.

If he lost… he would appear as a Villain, forced to take the lives of humans to survive.

Shuddering at the thought of innocent lives being lost because of him, Nox pulled out a small dull knife.

Staring at it, he felt oddly emotional.

'Is this what people feel when they're about to die?'

Under the watchful gaze of the guard, he chuckled to himself and nicked his finger. A drop of blood dripped onto the coin, reacting with the metal.

Suddenly, his vision turned blurry and he felt like he was comprehending the entirety of the Universe.

Grabbing his head, he slammed back onto the chair and gritted his teeth.

His mind wrestled with a force that surpassed human understanding. With every minute, his headache intensified. Writhing on the wooden chair, the only thing that held him back from collapsing was the metal straps tying him down.

After what seemed like forever, the pain subsided and Nox felt a connection to something… greater.

Feeling a sudden sense of sleepiness, Nox closed his eyes.

He was falling.

Falling.

Falling.

Falling.

A strange voice whispered into his head as he drifted off to sleep.

[Constellation: Chronos examines you with a surprised expression!]

[Welcome back, challenger! This is your last chance. Prepare for the first world…]