Liam woke up later than usual.
He hated getting up early for school, and that day his body seemed especially against him.
The morning light filtered through the window, warm and annoying, hitting him straight in the face. His body felt heavy, as if he had slept badly or as if he had not slept at all.
For a few seconds, he remained still, breathing slowly, while a kind of static buzzed inside his head.
When he finally sat up, something was not right.
It was not pain.
It was a strange sensation in his chest, an uncomfortable pressure, almost a tingling that made his skin prickle.
He stood up carefully and walked to the bathroom. The cold floor beneath his feet fully woke him up. In front of the mirror, he lifted his gaze… and froze.
A black mark stretched across his chest.
It had the shape of a dragon, dark and well defined, as if it had always been there.
W- what the hell…
He touched the mark with the tips of his fingers. The skin was hot. Too hot. He did not remember getting any tattoo, nor had he felt any pain the night before.
He grabbed a nearby towel and began scrubbing hard, hoping it was some kind of cruel prank, cheap ink, or something like that.
The mark moved.
It slowly slid across his skin, as if it were alive, crawling up toward his arm.
Liam stumbled back, crashing against the wall. His legs gave out and he ended up on the floor, breathing heavily, his back pressed against the cold tiles. The bathroom fell into silence, thick and uncomfortable, broken only by his rapid breathing.
From the kitchen, he heard his mother's voice.
"Are you up already?"
Liam swallowed.
"Yeah," he replied, trying to make his voice sound normal.
After getting dressed, he went downstairs, hiding his arm under his shirt sleeve. The smell of breakfast filled the house, familiar and comforting. He sat at the table.
Everything was as usual.
Pointless conversations. Routine. Normalcy.
Before leaving, his mother carefully adjusted his shirt."Take care."
He nodded and walked out.
In the classroom, he headed to the last seat at the back. The murmur of the students, the sound of the wind hitting the window, the faint chill of the morning… everything felt like
any other day.
The hours passed slowly.
The teacher stood up from his desk and walked toward him.
"I need you to get a book I left in the teachers' lounge."
"Okay," Liam replied, standing up.
As soon as he stepped out of the classroom, something changed.
The teachers' lounge was darker than usual. It was not just a lack of light. It was a thick, enveloping darkness, as if the air itself were heavier inside.
A chill ran down his spine.
He took a step forward, hesitating. Something was not right. He thought about leaving, about going back to the classroom and pretending he had found nothing.
Then black hands emerged from the floor.
They grabbed him tightly and dragged him down.
I do not want to die, I do not want to die… I still have so many things to do…
That was all that crossed his mind as he felt his body being swallowed by the darkness.
The sensation of falling disappeared. His body floated, suspended in an endless void. The air was heavy, almost impossible to breathe.
THUD!
BOOM!
"Augh…"
Liam opened his eyes abruptly.
Heat surrounded him. The smell of sulfur burned his nose. He was lying on the floor of a massive hall, surrounded by lava, chains, and bars covered in a purple aura that illuminated the place in an unsettling way.
From above, a silhouette watched him.
On a balcony stood a white haired woman, dressed in a robe that covered part of her face. Beside her were two massive beastmen, their gazes cold.
"Human," the woman said. "We have brought you here because the prophecy points to you. You must kill the Dark Lord… even at the cost of your life."
"At the cost of my life?" Liam replied, still on the ground.
"Yes. Let me explain better… since this idiot here does not know how to speak," she added, pointing at one of the beastmen.
She began to explain. That they had summoned a hero. That the Dark Lord had tormented them for centuries. That a seer had foretold his arrival.
As she spoke, she extended her hand and a panel appeared in front of Liam, showing attributes and a ridiculously low level.
"Ah… what kind of garbage is this?" Liam muttered.
At that moment, a window appeared before his eyes.
Only he could see it.
// HIDE STATUS? //
// YES / NO //
Yes, he thought.
A notification confirmed the action.
"With such a pathetic status, we will not win the war, my lady," one of the beastmen whispered.
The woman revealed her face. Her expression twisted in disgust as she looked at Liam.
"Kill that living trash and summon someone better."
The floor began to sink.
Liam tried to climb, desperate. His hands slipped. The heat intensified. He lost his balance and fell.
He thought that was the end.
But instead of pain, he felt intense heat surrounding him before he hit the ground.
He landed in a dark, hostile place filled with fire and shadows.
He tried to stand.
In front of him, several giant beasts watched him in silence.
"I am screwed…," Liam muttered as he saw them approaching.