Fortuna Parasyte

The world is an unjust place where luck decides everything. While some are born with everything in their favor, living happy, carefree lives without any effort, others are forced to live miserable lives because they have nothing.

We like to think we can control our destiny, that with enough effort, we can overcome these limitations… but that's just a lie we tell ourselves to ignore reality: we are slaves to luck. Everything we have, we ultimately owe to it.

Unfortunately, not everyone is equally lucky. Whether it's sheer coincidence or fate, it's undeniable that some people are luckier than others.

Julian Cross can't remember a moment in his life when luck ever smiled on him. His biological parents died when he was five years old, and he was adopted by his uncle and aunt.

Far from being a fresh start, living with this new family was torturous. His uncle and aunt saw him as a burden, a responsibility they didn't want. For that reason, they never cared for him or showed him affection.

His adopted siblings didn't make things easier either. They never treated Julian as a new family member, but rather as an intruder, a beggar they were forced to tolerate.

This gap widened over the years, deeply affecting Julian. The cheerful, outgoing boy he once was transformed into a very lonely young man. Due to constant mistreatment, he started developing social anxiety and isolated himself in his room. His academic performance plummeted to the point where teachers gave up on him.

And what was his escape from all that? Food and video games. A deadly combination that basically turned him into a fat, antisocial nerd and virgin with self-esteem issues.

"What a shitty life, right?" Julian muttered with his mouth full, letting some fries fall onto the bed next to him. In the darkness of his room, the flickering lights of his computer screen were the only source of light, partially illuminating his greasy face behind thick plastic glasses.

As he typed on a video game forum, his computer flickered, and suddenly, the screen went black. Julian frowned and slammed his desk, frustrated. "What now?" he complained, but before he could try restarting the system, bright letters appeared in the center of the screen:

[ Administrator Anonymus has sent you a gift. Would you like to accept it? ]

[ Yes / No ]

Julian blinked, confused. *What kind of joke is this? Have I been hacked?* He thought. However, curiosity got the better of him. He moved his cursor to the [Yes] option and clicked it.

Seconds passed… nothing?

Julian sighed, feeling slightly disappointed.

"How stupid. For a moment, I thought… huh?"

But this time, the message that appeared was different. It was no longer just plain white text; it was framed with an elegant design of golden borders that contrasted against the dark background.

⟦ Gift received: Fortuna Parasyte System ⟧

⟦ Registered user: Julian Cross. ⟧

⟦ Luck level: Unfortunate ⟧

⟦ System compatibility: High ⟧

⟦ Installing… ⟧

⟦ 10%... 24%... 67%... 91%... 100% ⟧

When the installation hit 100%, the screen emitted a blinding flash of light. Julian instinctively raised his hands to his eyes, but he wasn't quick enough.

An electric shock surged through his body from head to toe, every nerve vibrating with an unknown energy. It was as if the current reached deep into his soul, pulsating with an intensity that left him breathless. His brain tried to process what was happening, but the sensation was indescribable and overwhelming.

After a moment of paralysis, his body collapsed heavily onto the bed like a puppet with its strings cut. The mattress cushioned the fall, but the shock left him dazed. Every muscle in his body relaxed, and a wave of overwhelming fatigue dragged him toward unconsciousness, as if he hadn't slept in days.

As his eyelids closed, his vision caught one last message on the screen. The golden letters glowed softly, ethereal, forever etched into his mind:

⟦ Welcome to Fortuna Parasyte. ⟧

And then, everything faded into darkness.