Ordinary people are born, live, and die. Forgotten by time, erased by history—reduced to echoes of the past.
But some leave marks that survive through the ages. Memories that can't be erased.
Scientists. Political leaders. Philosophers. Even ordinary citizens who changed the course of eras. Each of them carved a part of themselves into the world—and became part of history itself.
One god decided such people deserved a second chance. To be reborn in a new world, their fates rewritten.
Friedrich Nietzsche
I felt my consciousness slipping away… every memory falling through my fingers. And yet, even as everything vanished, one question remained: Had it all ever truly meant anything?
A blinding light tore across my mind, like a passage to somewhere else. Suddenly, my body was in another place. The air was cold and heavy against my skin.
I opened my eyes slowly. Before me stretched a white corridor filled with Greco-Roman statues and paintings—things I had never seen in my life.
I rose to my feet, weak but able to walk. Moving down the hall, I realized I recognized some of the sculptures—like the Doryphoros.
One statue drew me closer: Atlas carrying the world, his face twisted in eternal agony. A chill ran down my spine. Every detail felt intentional—or maybe it was just my mind desperate to find meaning.
The paintings on the walls pulled me in like whispers. One showed a human breaking chains—yet its hands seemed to move, struggling for freedom, even though the canvas was still. Another showed countless masks, each with a different expression. Staring at them made me question morality, appearances, even the truth I thought I carried within me.
At the end of the hall stood a clock without hands, resting on a lonely column. No ticking. No sound. Time did not exist here—or perhaps it followed another logic I hadn't yet understood.
As I advanced, subtle distortions revealed themselves: shadows with no source, reflections that weren't mine, statues shifting positions when I wasn't looking. Unsettling, yes—but also deeply fascinating. This place was more than a world. It was a test of mind, of perception, of meaning itself.
The light grew stronger at the end of the corridor, where a colossal door stood. Ancient symbols glowed faintly across its white surface, each one pulsing like a question about power, morality, and existence itself.
Then, a deep, calm voice filled the corridor. It had no form, but its authority was absolute:
"Welcome. Each of you has been given a second chance. Here, nothing is written… except what you will create."
I fixed my gaze on the door. The weight of my past, my ideas, my principles, and my failures all pressed against me. The corridor itself pulsed with my own reflections, as though it were built from the essence of consciousness itself.
Walking to the door wasn't just crossing a physical threshold—it was confronting logic, morality, and power. A chance not only to recreate my existence, but to redefine what meaning itself could be.
For the first time in centuries, I felt the thrill of the unknown. The fascination of a challenge only eternity could offer.
Game Start
"Do you wish to continue? This is a dangerous world, filled with challenges beyond comprehension."
[Yes] – [No]
All sensations drained from me. Only those words remained.
They hovered before me, not as written letters but as light itself. Yes glowed warmly, like an ancient spark promising creation. No was a cold outline, sharp and unyielding, marble-like in its refusal.
Tiny lights—imperceptible symbols—spiraled around the options, as though the universe itself was offering not a choice, but a contract.
Images flickered at the edges of my mind: greatness and ruin, creation and annihilation. Choosing felt like my entire body was leaning toward the future.
My first reaction was to laugh—not out of mockery, but recognition. To reduce a man's will to a floating contract? Cruel. Poetic. A test.
I stood in silence. Time stretched like an eternity. Yes promised risk, the chance to forge values anew. No promised refusal, resistance, perhaps another kind of strength. And between them—hesitation, which could be calculation… or cowardice.
I raised my hand, not to touch the words of light, but to weigh the gravity of the choice. My fingertips brushed the warmth. The Yes trembled, as if recognizing a kindred will.
The light swallowed me whole.
I woke to the smell of burnt wood and damp earth. A cold wind brushed my face, carrying the sound of voices, horse hooves, and the metallic clang of a nearby forge.
Slowly, I opened my eyes. Narrow cobblestone streets wound between tall houses of wood and brick, towers adorned with colorful banners. A medieval city. And yet—something was… wrong.
Among the humans, I saw humanoid creatures with animal features. A dog-headed man walked past. Something I thought existed only in myths and books.
And then I noticed it.
At the corner of my vision, translucent lines of light. Numbers, words, floating like smoke:
Strength. Agility. Intelligence. Level: 1. Skills: Unknown.
I froze. Breathed deeply.
This wasn't just a world. It was a system. A test. Perhaps even an experiment.
My hands trembled slightly. Warmth spread through my fingers as if my very essence was linking to something unseen. In the reflection of a blade lying on the ground, I noticed my shadow moving differently from my body—like a silent promise that something within me was awakening.
A small creature—a cat with glowing eyes—crossed the street. When I reached for it, a spark jolted through me.
+5 Perception.
The system was alive. Not just an illusion. Every action, every decision, every glance would matter here.
Excitement welled up inside me. Finally, the challenge I had longed for. Not just philosophical, but tangible. Measurable. And yet limitless.
Standing there, between stone and shadow, I understood one thing:
The true game had only just begun.
To be continued…