Prologue: Happy Birthday
Another day had come, and a young man was once again going through the motions.
He was sitting through his last lesson of the school year before summer, inside a classroom with more than fifty students. He could hardly force himself to stay awake.
There was no point-the teacher wouldn't notice if he fell asleep right then and there. Yet, part of him felt guilty for thinking that way.
(Man… I wish I could have a fantasy of my own. Like an isekai where I could reach the absolute top… Become the most powerful and finally live my way, without having to bend to the rules of the world around me. Though maybe I should pay attention to class,) he thought, daydreaming.
Though he felt bad, that didn't stop his mind from wandering. He kept thinking about the story his adventure would become, and how much he wished to be taken away from all this.
A faint chill ran down his spine-a fleeting sensation, like someone had just whispered his name. He glanced at the window, half-expecting to see something strange, but there was only the ordinary world outside. He shook it off.
Eventually, the class ended, and he made his way home with a slight smile on his face.
Today was his eighteenth birthday, and there was a specific book he had wanted and talked about extensively. In his mind, there was no way his parents hadn't picked up on it.
Typically, his parents were absent most of the day-sometimes even for whole days-leaving him to fend for himself, even on his birthday. But they had a habit of leaving a single birthday present box in their room for him.
That's how they did things, and he was used to it. He didn't mind anymore.
As he walked through the streets of his city, the calm afternoon breeze allowed him to take in the world around him.
Since it was his eighteenth birthday, he found himself reflecting on his life and how it had led him to this moment.
He was an only child, living with his mother and father. They had built a successful company and owned the condo where he lived.
Thanks to their success, they could afford private tutors and luxuries like the elite school he attended.
They lived in the best part of the city. If he wanted, he could have bodyguards and a driver, but he preferred walking home.
He never struggled academically; everything seemed to come naturally to him.
He had been very popular before moving to a new place for high school. Tired of the attention, he decided to keep to himself and stay in the background.
It worked, and he stuck to it. But in the end, neither being popular nor being a nobody gave him the feeling of being alive-the flame he was chasing.
Only stories ever made him feel that way. But why? He wondered time and time again, with no answer.
Still, he never stopped trying, even though nothing changed. So he began to yearn, to wish, to hope for another world-one where he could finally feel alive.
On his way home, he saw people in the neighborhood busy with various tasks, from gardening to construction work. He stopped as often as someone needed help, lending a hand wherever he could. It wasn't the flame he sought, but it helped him feel a little better.
One older woman needed a good portion of her wall patched. He helped her, doing such a good job it looked like there had never been a problem.
"Thank you so much! You're such a wonder every single time. You should hang out with people your age more, instead of wasting time on an old lady. Here, have this," she said, smiling brightly as she handed him some candy.
"It's nothing. I just like seeing people happy," he replied, smiling back and accepting the candy before moving on.
Time and again, person after person-older men, young women, kids, and everyone in between-he helped out. It was a daily occurrence for the people in the condo community.
Many thanks flew his way, but he just brushed them off. To him, it was nothing special. Unbeknownst to him, the community saw him as a pillar, someone who helped keep everything in harmony.
(I'm not a good person. I'm a sinful bastard. Scum of the worst kind-not a hero, never a hero. Heroes are trash, even if they're not useless. I could never be something like that. I'm just me-a selfish person,) he thought to himself.
A memory flickered-to the many, many times every day he consumed excessive amounts of adult content, the many times he had manipulated people for personal gain, the times he played the victim even when he was the cause of the problem. He was only as good as he was quite the opposite. He helped people, yes, but only because it filled a void, not because he was good.
When he finally made it home, he passed through the empty living room and went to his room to drop off his backpack.
Then he entered his parents' room and, as expected, found a present box on their bed. It was pure white, even the ribbons. He approached it on the double bed.
There it stood, giving off a calming vibe, making him want to open it even more.
"I hope they listened and got-" he smiled, thinking about reading the book, but when he opened the box, it was something else entirely.
Inside was something unusual.
Out of the norm. Hard to describe.
Many words crossed his mind, but none quite described it perfectly. They all lacked something.
(This!… This… feels like the start of one of my stories… Maybe this is my chance to rise, to live that way. No way to know but to try,) he decided, placing his hand on it.
There it was-a distortion of light bending around the shape of what could be a book. He felt a strange warmth, almost like a pulse, and for a split second, the world seemed to slow down. The faint chill from earlier returned, stronger this time, as if the universe itself was holding its breath.
Upon touching it, his body became covered in markings, and whatever was in the box disappeared.
"Absolute potential-The Ascension to ???$@&$#£¥… Huh… What?" The words escaped his mouth before he even realized he was speaking.
Silence. He looked at the ceiling, then back at the present box. Something was off.
"Hmmm… I feel different… Hahahaha! I feel better…" A smile spread across his face as he felt a weight lift from his chest. The need for that feeling, that flame, was gone.
There wasn't much else to say, so he didn't. He picked up the box and its lid, went to his room, and then to the bathroom.
After his bath, he came out refreshed, sighed, and lay down on his bed.
(I'm good now… Part of me still wants it all, but I don't need it. If I don't get it, that's fine too. I shouldn't stay so closed off to other people anymore. Maybe making friends will help. Yeah, I'm happy my parents are-) he began, talking to himself to help internalize everything.
A strange, tingling sensation crept over his skin. He frowned, glancing around his room. For a moment, everything felt too still, too quiet.
BOOM!
It wasn't long before an explosion consumed him and his entire house, leaving nothing but cinder.