The Beginning of the End

*SNAP*

Brady awoke to a fiercely beating heart. He was sweating profusely, and his bed was wet enough to make a bystander believe he had went straight from the pool to the mattress.

Before he even noticed any of this, his mind struggled to recall the dream that had put him in this state. Brady wasn't one to dream; in fact, he could count on both hands how many times he'd remembered ever dreaming at all. He always woke up the second he went to sleep, as if time had never passed at all. Despite his mind racing to remember even the smallest detail of his elusive dream, only the raw emotion his dream brought forth was present in his mind.

Anger

He didn't understand how he could feel such raw anger, what could possibly illicit this deep hatred he had no target for, or why he would ever be filled with so much hate; but he knew it was the strongest he had ever felt about anything.

The feeling only lingered for a few seconds, but to Brady it felt like eternity. It took him a few minutes to calm down and realize the state he was in, for when he moved his legs the pants he wore were stuck to his skin like a wetsuit. Realizing he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep in such a state, he looked over at his clock to check the time.

3:34am

"Fuck", was all he said as he climbed out of bed and began to clean up the mess.

Brady lived in a small 1 bedroom apartment downtown. Thankfully he lived alone, as it would definitely look like he pissed himself in his sleep.

While waiting for the sheets to wash, he decided to pass the time with some meditation. It was an old habit of his whenever he got upset in the past. Anger always led to bad decisions, which led to regret, and finally settled on depression.

His younger life hadn't been easy, but that wasn't anything special, and he knew that. As shitty as things seamed at times, he always knew things could be worse, but knowing something and doing something we're two very different things.

An hour went by as he lost himself in his mind. Finding silence wasn't easy, but the best things in life never should be.

The loud sound of a bell pulled him out of his head, as he began to get up and grab his clothes only to stop dead in his tracks before even taking a step.

At first he thought it was the washer, but it'd never made that sound before. Immediately opening his eyes to scan the room, he jumped back at the sight in front of him.

He was no longer in his room. In fact, he wasn't in a room at all. Surrounding him was pure darkness. Not the darkness when the light goes out, or even when you close your eyes; but pure, untainted darkness. The only exception was a string of words floating in front of him.

"Welcome to EVOLUTION"

Brady was frozen, he couldn't move a muscle as he stared at the words in front of him. His usually racing mind even stopped thinking as if he was still deep in meditation. The words stayed in his vision for a minute before shifting.

"Your world, planet #1071998, has finally reached the threshold for evolution. With this evolution, your planet will undergo fundamental changes that will drastically change the life of every living being on it. EVOLUTION was created to assist the adaptation process of life on all evolving planets in this universe. As the planet changes, so shall you if you wish to be apart of your new world. In one year's time, your planet will have completed evolution, and this system will cease to assist all life forms that survive the process. Until then, may EVOLUTION be your guide to the new world. Once the planet's evolution is completed, your world will have access to the worlds beyond, but be warned. Your world is not the first, and there will always be bigger and stronger threats in the unknown. To get you started on your journey, all life forms on this planet will receive one tutorial token in their inventory after this message. Good luck, and may you grow strong enough to protect what is yours."

As soon as Brady finished reading, the words disappeared. There was no time to mull on it either, as his surroundings burst with a multitude of colors more clear than a rainbow. He found himself standing in his room once more. He felt no different than before, and nothing in his surroundings indicated any change either, except for a small screen at the corner of his vision.

When he focused on the screen it opened up like a game interface, one he felt very familiar with. As if the thoughts were placed in his mind, he instinctively knew how it worked.

| Status | Skills | Inventory |

Name: Brady Alexander

Title: None

Class: None

Level: 1

Health: 10

Mana: 20

Attributes:

Strength: 6 Dexterity: 8

Constitution: 6 Intelligence: 14

Spirit: 2 Luck: 5

Brady stared at the screen for a few minutes before even beginning to read. His mind couldn't comprehend what was happening before his eyes. He'd always dreamed of this, but never did he actually believe it would happen. His mind drifted to all the possibilities of what he might be able to achieve with this, before also beginning to imagine all of the trials he'll have to face along the way.

"There's no time to mess around, I've gotta go", Brady said to himself before jumping up and surveying his apartment. The first thing he did was gather up anything he could use to defend himself. A machete from his camping supplies, a weighted vest for training, a pocket knife, and a bag full of food and water. With all the items in a pile in the center of the room, he reopened the system interface.

The knowledge of how to use the system was ingrained into all life forms as soon as it came online, so he had no trouble moving all of his belongings, besides the machete, into his inventory. The process was simple, completely with only a thought. Brady felt nothing as it happened, but upon checking his inventory page he saw all the items there.

He strapped the machete to his belt and summoned the tutorial token before sitting on his floor and clearing his mind. This wouldn't be some fantasy he read about, there was no plot line or godly savior to keep him going. He needed to steel his nerves and prepare for whatever lie ahead.

Brady sat there for an hour before inspecting the token. It didn't look special. It was the size of a fifty-cent piece, and had no decorations on either side, making it nothing more than a flat disk.

As if it could anticipate his thoughts, the system answered for him. He heard the familiar bell before the words materialized in his sight.

Would you like to enter the tutorial?

He'd already prepared everything he could, but physically and mentally, so there was hesitation. Reality started to warp as he left his apartment behind. The familiar swirl of colors was accompanied by a naucious feeling in his gut. The only similarity to the feeling he could conjure up was like being on the worlds fastest roller coaster, but even that didn't do it justice.

The feeling only lasted a few seconds until his vision started to clear. The swirling colors were slowly replaced by the sight of a new room. This room was small, the size of an average bathroom at most, and only contained a bed and a door. The bed was a spitting image of his own, but the room had an ancient feel to it.

He stood there and took in the new place for just a moment before being distracted by a familiar bell.