Welcome to your new world

Ryan sank further into his well-worn sofa, its faded fabric a testament to many evenings spent in a similar manner. His apartment, with its minimalist décor, boasted clean lines and neutral colors.

The remote control lay idly in his hand as he flicked through channel after channel, searching for something to fill his Saturday evening. 

His eyes paused and widened when he stumbled upon a live boxing match on one of the sports channels. 

For a moment, a spark ignited in his eyes, but it was quickly doused as his face tightened into an expression of nostalgia, and regret.

Boxing was not something new to him. There was once a time when he had been a force to be reckoned with in the ring.

He had loved boxing from the moment he first stepped into a makeshift ring at his local gym, the scent of sweat and rubber filling the air, the intoxicating beat of his heart echoing the tempo of a fight. 

Those were the days when every punch felt like a step toward destiny, every bruise a badge of honor. He had quickly ascended the amateur boxing ranks and his coach promised that he had great potential. 

But just when it was time to go big, life intervened in the form of his ever-cautious parents. "Boxing won't pay the bills," they had warned, their eyes clouded with a blend of concern and disappointment. "You need to have a backup plan, something more stable."

Caught in the tug-of-war between two worlds—one that promised visceral joy but an uncertain future, and another that guaranteed stability at the cost of his passion—Ryan made the choice that many before him had. 

He unstrapped his gloves, stepped out of the ring, and packed his bags for college. 

He had convinced himself that it was the more pragmatic path, ignoring the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that screamed he was leaving a piece of himself behind.

Now, he was here, confined to the four walls of his cubicle from 9 to 5, a not-so-special spreadsheet warrior in the labyrinthine maze of corporate monotony. 

On paper, he had a good job with a reputable firm, and his salary was more than enough to live comfortably. 

Yet, he couldn't shake off the feeling of entrapment, the mental walls closing in much like the physical walls of his small office.

Each day was a monotonous cycle. 

Occasionally, he would catch himself daydreaming, his mind wandering to what might have been if he had kept his gloves on, taken the road less traveled. These daydreams were both his escape and his prison.

Physically, Ryan was a shadow of his former self. As he watched the lithe, muscled bodies of professional boxers darting around the ring on his TV screen, he couldn't help but compare them to his own reflection. 

Gone were the rippling muscles and the toned physique, replaced by the softness that a sedentary lifestyle brings and of course, a beer belly.

Ryan sighed deeply. "What am I doing? Why am I thinking about those things? I am only going to depress myself."

He wanted to feel alive. He felt an urgent need to do something, anything, to inject a sense of vitality into his existence. It was a thought he had entertained a million times, but always dismissed. He did not even have the motivation to go to the nearest gym.

This time, though, as if the universe had finally decided to tune into his frequency, something clicked. Or rather something chimed loudly.

[Ding! Sapience located. Starting Integration…]

[Ding! Welcome to your new world ]

A translucent blue screen materialized in front of him, hovering in the air like some sort of holographic display. 

"What the hell?" Ryan blinked in disbelief, half-expecting the screen to disappear as a figment of his overactive imagination. But the display remained stubbornly present, its digital glow casting a light on his face.

"Okay, Ryan. Deep breaths. You are not going crazy. This is... this is something else," he muttered to himself, slowly reaching out to touch the screen, only to find that the thing was actually something tangible. He was able to touch it?

But before he could make sense of it, suddenly the earth started shaking. His things, the tv, the furniture—all began to rattle and tremble as though caught in a sudden earthquake.

The screen before him flickered for a moment and then stabilized. New text appeared.

[Warning: Dimensional Rift Detected. Prepare for Integration.]

His eyes widened in disbelief, his pulse quickened, and a sense of urgency washed over him. "Dimensional rift?" 

The shaking suddenly intensified and he fell on his knees. If things continued this building was definitely going to collapse on his head. He was going to die. What the heck? Even though his life was boring as shit, he was simply not prepared to die just yet.

However, instead of getting squashed like a bug under the weight of the crumbling building, something else happened first. His vision blurred and everything became dark.

Ryan's face paled. Death could come at any time now. His life flashed in front of him. So much regret. 

Life was so short and still, he wasted it. Why didn't he live more freely? Why didn't he chase after what he wanted? Perhaps in the next life...

The shaking ceased and his thoughts ceased, snapping him back to reality. Everything was still again but Ryan could no longer feel the carpet under his feet. He felt a cold hard surface.

He stood up in the darkness and felt the small stones prickling his feet. His eyes adjusted a little to the darkness and he could see the walls around him. 

He could also see the exit that was a few feet ahead of him.

Slowly, he walked towards the exit, his feet scraping against the gravelly floor. As he stepped out, his eyes were met with an unexpected sight.

Ryan gaped as he saw the abundant greenery all around him. Tall trees, lush grass, colorful flowers. The air was fresh, almost sweet, a stark contrast to the polluted atmosphere of the city he had left behind.

Yup, he was definitely not in a city anymore!

But at least he was alive.

He took a deep breath, savoring the scent of this new world. If this was a hallucination, it was a convincing one. Just as he was admiring the beauty of the new surroundings, suddenly a few new sounds echoed from within the cave.

"Ke Ke Ke! Ke Ke Ke! Tasty meat... growl!"