Earth

2024

A loud notification interrupted Drake's nervous pacing, making him bite his thumbnail in anticipation.

He hurried to his computer, eager to check the awaited message. With practiced precision, he clicked on the pending notification.

The message unfolded before him: "CONTRACT APPLICATION REJECTED. We want exciting plots, not the usual stories you write. Give us something thrilling. We await your next book."

Drake slumped into the worn-out sofa, his hands trembling as he stared at the rejection notice on his computer screen. He tried to chuckle, it seemed like a joke but the bitter truth twisted his gut and wet his eyes. For the tenth time this year, Icenovel rejected his book; and each time they sent these merciless notifications to him. It felt like falling from the lofty heights of his writing aspirations to the harsh reality of repeated failure.

His book, a labor of love, has been his solace, a refuge from the challenges of an otherwise jobless existence. Yet, the constant rejection had transformed his passion into a source of anguish. Frustration clung to him like a shadow, threatening to consume whatever remnants of hope still lingered.

Drake's mind, already burdened, was haunted by the memory of his earlier boasts to friends about winning contracts and achieving success. The irony of those proclamations weighed on him like tons of metal. The more he remembered, the more his heart ached.

The impending dread of his girlfriend taking advantage of his vulnerability lingered in his thoughts. Drake was still grappling with the reality that, despite his creative endeavors, he remained jobless, scraping together a meager existence from the novels he wrote. The rejection letters were not just critiques; they were echoes of his struggle, amplifying his sense of inadequacy.

Getting up from the sofa, he sighed to himself, there were noises of objects moving which he could no longer ignore. Lazily he moved over to check the room, his gaze met Amy's, she was the one in the room and she was standing next to her luggage. Chills ran up his spine.

He placed his right hand on his head, scratching it. "Where are you heading to with all these boxes, babe?" he asked.

"Where does it look like I'm going?" She retorted, giving him a nasty look. He shivered a bit.

"But you have nowhere to go, remember," he said, a bit puzzled.

"The house rent is about to expire, Drake. You don't have any job, and tomorrow I'm sure the landlord will throw us out. And you're asking me where I'm heading to?"

"But you can't just go, just like that. I already said I will fix it. I just need time," he tried to explain, looking at her with pleading eyes. Hoping she could see he meant what he said.

"We both know nothing good will come out of it. You don't have a job which means you are no different from worthless trash. Now excuse me," she said with disgust written all over her face.

"I see. I know where this is leading…"Before he could continue, she passed right by him to the door, about to open it. Then Drake's hands rushed and pushed it back, not letting her.

"Are you leaving for your sugar daddy? Baby, you… you promised me…" he stuttered, allowing her to see him cry.

"I did promise, but right now you're financially broke. And I don't have to suffer with you. When you recover, you let me know," she said with smug written over her face.

"What!" Drake said, and he stood stiff, replaying what she said. Using this opportunity, she opened the door to leave, Drake tried to stop her but it was too late; she banged the door right in his face.

What a pity.

'Wow! This is really Sick. What have I been thinking all this while? Staying still like that, what did I expect to happen; for her to wait on me?' He mocked himself, not sure of what to do. By merely looking at him you can tell he was trying hard not to break down.

Ding dong.

The doorbell's chime disrupted Drake's internal turmoil, jolting him from his thoughts. He hesitated; his emotions clashing; more humiliation could be waiting behind that door or maybe, she changed her mind about this. The suspense made the pain worse.

"Could life be any worse than this?" he mumbled to himself, steeling his nerves as he approached the entrance.

He opened the door, and the next instant disappointment spread across his face.

"Please sign here for this package," a tall, thin man wearing a baseball cap instructed as he handed Drake a clipboard.

"Oh, is that how your delivery service works? This was supposed to come on the fourth day. What took you so long?!" Drake retorted, as he tried to contain himself but still, his frustration spilled into his interaction with the delivery man.

"About that, there was a little problem, but it's all fixed now. Can you sign this before you take the package?" the delivery boy explained, trying to defuse the tension.

Drake scoffed, accepting the delivery receipt, and begrudgingly signed it. "Here's the package, do enjoy," said the delivery boy before leaving.

Closing the door behind him, Drake eyed the sizable box on the table, wrapped in anticipation. Just as he was about to sink into solitude and self-pity, the box moved, shocking him out of his despondency.

Intrigued, he tore off the wrapping, revealing a graphite-colored box. As he opened it, a dazzling diamond wristwatch greeted him. A surge of excitement replaced his earlier despair.

"Wow. Is this really a diamond? I didn't order this," he exclaimed, his voice ringing with newfound enthusiasm.

"Like hell, does it matter? If this is a real diamond, then I'm freaky rich! I'm selling this; let's see who's going to be making fun of me," Drake declared, a triumphant smile gracing his face.

He almost spurned towards his computer but the beauty of the diamond kept him standing still.

'Well, I can't just sell it without trying it on.'

The diamond momentarily diverted his attention from the challenges that plagued his life. He reached into the package and took out the watch, accidentally knocking down the box, a small book fell from it.

"Before you put the wristwatch on, make sure to read the rule book." Drake read aloud, a curious expression replacing his initial excitement.

He dismissed the rule book with a nonchalant toss onto the sofa. "Why would I need a rule book to operate a watch?" he wondered aloud, sitting upright.

He played with the watch, twitching inside after another side. Unitentionally, he touched something, a sudden pain shot through his wrist, the watch tightening with an intensity that felt as if his bones would crack.

"Ahh!" he winced, attempting to remove it, but the pain only intensified.

"Calm down, Drake," he urged himself as he sat back on the sofa.

[Hello, Drake.]

A sweet, female humanoid voice echoed in his mind, sending shivers down his spine. Panic set in as he searched for the source, finding only a floating dashboard with mysterious text.

[Host punishment for trying to remove the wristwatch: you will be struck by lightning twice.]

"What the hell?" Drake asked, bewildered.

Outside of his house, a loud noise echoed in the sky, people began looking up. Clouds began gathering and everywhere started growing dark.

In a flash, lightning struck his house, damaging the lightning rod, penetrating the roof and hitting him.

"ARGHHHH!!!"

He shouted in despair and pain, the electrocution was for only a second and he found himself on the floor unable to move any part of his body.

He began to burn, like he was on fire.

The unexpected punishment was the worst experience of his life.

[The host's body is at its limit, second lightning has been suspended.]

Drake couldn't make sense of anything. His brain was utterly tired. He was at home and suddenly tested a watch and he stupidly ignored the rule book leading him to be struck by lightning.

Tears rolled down his eyes, he was paralyzed…first his book, dumped by his girlfriend, now lightning.

[System Activating 0%]

[System Activating 20%]

[System Activating 40%]

[System Activating 60%]

[….100%]

"What. What's going on?" Drake looked around, bewildered, and saw nothing but the floating dashboard.

[…]

"Wait a second… don't tell me it's those overused genres from the novel I usually write?" Drake asked with a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

[Host will be transferred into the new world in 10 seconds. I kindly advise you to sit and be comfortable.]

"What?" It made absolutely no sense to him.

'I was just ignored,' he lamented silently.

[Indeed you were]

[1…2…3…4…5]

Drake quickly understood that the voice was serious. He sat down on the sofa, surprised that he was able to get up given the amount of pain he was in, as he sat on the burnt chair.

[….8…9…10]

He shut his eyes, attempting to comprehend what was happening to him, but before he could gather any thoughts, he lost consciousness.

.

.

.

############

After the countdown ended, everywhere remained silent. Drake felt his body being hanged upside down, and his eyes fluttered open. However, he couldn't see; his eyes were blindfolded. He could hear four men's voices, but not clearly enough.

[System activated…]

[Welcome host to Astral Nexus where magic is very powerful, a world where the laws of physics don't work the same way as back on Earth. It is a world that exists in the imagination, where anything is possible. There are so many possibilities!]

Drake heard what the system said and sighed. He was waiting for the second punishment, scared to death as he could still remember the pain he felt; it was like no other. Being tied upside down wasn't the way he thought he would be transferred to the new world. He tried to use his arm to remove the blindfold, but it didn't help, which led to making some noises.

The men who were at the other corner all looked at each other, sending signals to each other as they could tell he was awake.

"Hey, he's moving," one of the men whispered.

Drake, sensing their presence, spoke out, "Hey, what's going on? Where am I?"

The men exchanged glances, uncertain of how to respond.

[Host, your Earth memory would be wiped out for now as you're going to receive the former host's memories.]

"What!! No, don't do that," Drake shouted, and he froze.

"Wait a second, why's my voice like a 16-year-old boy? What the heck is happening, system?" He shouted.

".."

"Don't you dare ignore me, you stupid system! I don't want to be here. Take me back to my miserable life," he cursed at the system. The men who were with him only watched him as they couldn't understand what he was saying.

[Host, I won't forget what you said today, so you should be warned. Don't repeat the mistake of insulting a high-ranked system like me.]

"Who gives a fuck?" Drake retorted, his voice tinged with frustration.

[Memories of the former host will be transferred into the current host in ten seconds.]

[10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...]

"Aargh!" A sharp sound of pain pierced the room, and the four men there rushed towards the boy as they un-blindfolded him, trying to check why he was in pain.

[Second punishment shall commence in 10 seconds.]

[10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...]

Immediately, a lightning bolt flashed; it was stronger and faster than the first, striking him and the four men together, leading to the four men's death, but as for Drake, he got paralyzed.

[Host punishment completed.]

[Congratulations hosts have obtained 200 crystals.]

Another alert was announced.