What if I told you that a new world truly existed?
A world in which you could abandon your modern woes, your mediocre existence, and experience the unknown, with both its benefits and disadvantages alike. Would you take such an opportunity?
While many can dream of such a world, there are very few who could truly take such an initiative. To abandon everything one has built within their ordinary world requires the strongest of will. Only "Holy Men" could surely take up such an offer.
After all, there is no guarantee that the new world will be filled with happiness. In fact, it will likely be far more painful than your current life. It will be filled with obstacles far greater than ordinary man.
Even knowing all of that, even knowing that my life could end up as some nameless tragedy, I still took his hand.
And it was on that day, April 15th, 2030, that my life would come to an end.
___
I awoke to a familiar ceiling and a blaring alarm that I quickly disabled with an irritated throw. My phone's cracked home screen read "6:30AM." It was time to get ready for another school day.
I enacted my usual morning routine; some personal grooming for thirty minutes, stretches for another ten, and the rest of the twenty minutes were spent on making breakfast. My parents usually worked in the morning hours all the way into the afternoon, so we didn't have many chances to see each other and personally interact. I didn't have much of an issue with it, but there was something distinctly "off" about it. After all, a child should at least maintain a cordial relationship with his parents, no?
Putting aside the thought, I checked my home screen yet again.
"7:30AM - perfectly on time."
On the way to the station, large display boards broadcasted numerous events around the city. Today, there was an interview with a famous fixer in the area.
[The Strongest Fixer in District 7 - Spinner - here on Channel 11 for a morning interview!]
Fixers were essentially specialized workers tasked with the protection of a particular corporation or government entity. They were celebrities with otherworldly abilities that could never be acquired by an ordinary citizen.
The board displayed the man's handsome face for the entire district to see. His spikey blond hair and shit-eating grin reminded me of some comic book protagonist; like he was some vapid celebrity that the masses worshipped despite having no real talent. All he had was a little luck, yet people like him get praised to no end.
While it was frustrating, there was no use in dwelling on such feelings. I instead chose to simply clench my fist and ignore it. I have my own business to attend to. After all, the B train for the Inter-City Railway had arrived just on time.
A familiar face greeted me with a warm expression.
"Morning Derrick!"
"Morning Asiah"
Asiah was a childhood friend of mine in District 7. Her eyes were fierce and sharp, yet her face maintained a confidence befitting of a ruler. Her shoulder-length vermillion hair perfectly matched her fiery personality. If I had to describe her, she had the appearance of a lion, yet her tongue was forked and deceptive like a serpent.
I slightly nodded my head towards the book in her hand and said, "That isn't your usual preference, what book is that?"
"Ah, this?" She brought the book closer to her face, her expression lighting up a bit. "I'm glad you noticed. I thought I'd switch it up a bit from the usual Dostoyevsky. It's the story of Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes."
"Ah, the novel about the delusional Spanish knight? That certainly is a classic. Just how old is that thing?"
For a moment she looked at me with confusion and said, "You read books? I thought you weren't a fan of the medium."
"Well…it's not like I read them or anything, but I have some general knowledge of the classics. It's kind of hard to not find any interest in them when you talk so passionately about your favorite novels."
"I'm flattered that I've made such an impression of you."
"You didn't have to make it so weird," I said with a flat tone.
"Ha! I was just teasing you asshole, but let's get back on topic. Don Quixote, the story of a delusional Spanish knight - at the core of its story is fantasy, sure, but you can also interpret his knighthood as an escapist fantasy specifically. After all, we've all felt dissatisfied with life now and then, eh Derrick?"
"Well, I don't suppose you're wrong. Everybody has their vision of an ideal world, but the distance between that ideal and the reality brings people pain. That's why people ought not delude themselves in fantasy.
"A gap between ideal and reality - that's a good way to put it." Asiah scratched her nape as she continued with speech. It was a common mannerism that happened only when she was deep in thought.
"That being said, is there anything good about an ideal? Ideals by their very nature are unattainable dreams, wishes of those without the power to exact their desires upon the world. Isn't it better to maintain realistic perspectives in life? I don't see much reason to indulge in stories."
"I don't think it's that simple, Derrick. Escapism and the pursuit of ideals aren't at all harmful. In fact, it's the entire basis of science, is it not? If we didn't pursue our closest dreams, then modern science would make no progress at all. People need to be inspired, uplifted even, especially in a world as huge and strange as this one."
"Science is based on hard reason and evidence" I said with a stern tone.
"Yet that evidence is interpreted through a particular philosophy. Isn't your worldview a bit too simplistic?"
I'll admit it, she had me stumped for a moment. When it came to these types of discussions, she was far more knowledgeable than I was, however, that didn't mean my ideals would be shaken so easily.
"Even if that's true, that wouldn't give me any reason to have faith in such stories. After all, no matter how much you try to run away within fiction, reality will always be there to remind you of where you stand."
"Perhaps that's true," said Asiah, her face shifted into a frown for a moment, "but what if there was another world out there; a world where you could achieve your dream?"
"...What?"
"You've seen the news before, right, Derrick? Every week there is a new headline about the latest Fixers of the city. Haven't you envied their status in society?"
Despite my numerous attempts, I could hardly even qualify for the position of a recruit rank fixer, the lowest rank. Essentially, I had no talent in fixer work and had labeled that dream as a "fantasy". It was simply an impossible wish.
The train rumbled through the underground tunnel, the windows reflecting nothing but darkness. For a moment, silence settled between me and Asiah. The dim overhead lights flickered.
"...No. I haven't."
"You're really dead set on that answer, huh?" Asiah finally said, her voice quieter now.
I crossed my arms, feeling the weight of my own words.
I wouldn't take the chance. I had meant it—or at least, I wanted to mean it.
"Of course," he muttered. "What's the point of chasing something impossible?"
Asiah studied me, lips pressed into a thin line. She looked like she wanted to say something else—but before she could, the train lurched violently.
"GAH!"
Everyone in the train car shouted in pain and confusion as the train jerked sideways. I was sent jutting backwards as a deafening boom split the air and metal bent like sandpaper. Sparks and shattered glass rained through the air.
The train derailed, slamming into a tunnel as the passengers were tossed around like ragdolls. In an instant, everything came to a sudden halt. My ribs were searing with pain; probably broke two or three of them. My head felt dizzy as my vision blurred and ears rang a dull ring. I could hardly breathe, but I didn't have time for any of that. I needed to find her.
"Asiah!" I yelled. With each shout my body ached more and blood erupted from my throat. Yet no matter how much I called for her, I never got a reply. She might already be…
No. There's no way that would happen! I need to keep looking for her!
I dug through the piles of rubble and scoured through the countless bodies throughout the tunnel. The B train was incredibly packed given the fact that it was a Monday morning, so nearly half of the people inside were crushed to death under the pressure of the other passengers. To my right, I heard labored, painful breathing. It was Asiah, whose head was covered in blood with her right leg crushed under the debris. A part of me felt horrified, while another felt relieved that she was at least alive.
"Asiah! It's me, Derrick! Just stay right there, I'll get help!"
"Der…rick?"
"Don't talk. I'll get us help!"
I took off my shirt and wrapped it around her head. As long as I could stall the bleeding, there was a chance that she could survive.
"...!"
Suddenly, a repulsive energy permeated throughout the tunnel. The sensation I felt could only be described as pure terror. It was a terror that transcended emotion or mere feeling; it was a presence, a thing that slithers between muscle and bone, nesting itself in the deepest recesses of the mind where reason cannot reach.
And then I saw it; a creature not of this world.
A Monster.
It rose from the wreckage, its towering frame starkly contrasted the flickering backdrop of the emergency lights. Twisted steel groaned as it shifted, its worm-like tendrils dancing sporadically in the air.
This was an enemy that no human could possibly stand up against.
No. A fixer could take this monster down with ease.
For a moment, my mind lingered in regret. I had lost my dream of fixer work, and here I was faced with a monster. If only I had their talent, I would win.
But then, the pain snapped me out of those loathsome thoughts. It was true that I didn't have talent, but so what? If it meant protecting Asiah, I didn't care if I was the weakest person in the world. I would still use every single ounce of strength I had to protect her.
I lifted a small metal pipe off the ground and steeled myself for the fight.
My hands were shaking.
My arms were shaking.
My legs were shaking.
Every single cell in my body was laced with fear, signalling me to run away. As the monster's tendril descended, I charged forward and pressed the attack. Even a single hit would end my life immediately, and dodging was completely out of the question. My only chance was a singular, well-aimed strike.
With every remaining ounce of strength in my body, I unleashed a vertical slash, yet it had zero effect. My arms were shaking from the blowback of energy, and my grip was weakening.
Fuck…
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the worm-like tendril sliced me in half. It tore through my hair, skin, skull, and brains as blood splattered across the tunnel.
If a fixer were here, we may have been saved.
No…if only I had become a fixer, maybe I could have fought on my own.
I would have been able to protect Asiah.
I would have been able to protect everyone.
I know it's wrong for me to imagine such things.
Reality isn't that sweet.
But God, if you can hear me…
Please grant me the strength I need to survive.
In the midst of my desperation, a flash of light engulfed my vision. The passage of time stopped, and I awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling.
Before me sat a mysterious man with long white hair and a muddled face. His face seemed to be covered in a censorship filter or some sort of distortion effect. He closed his book and asked…
"What if I told you that a new world truly existed?"