Somewhere in a realm known to none, nothing existed, as if void of creation. There, amidst the vast expanse of nothingness, stood a singular being. Its presence was not marked by shape or structure, as if concealed from perception veiled by the fabric of the void itself. The being looked down at its clenched fist, its gaze focused on the invisible force he held within.
"Finally, after all those sacrifices, I secured the way to save the world from those @#$^&. With this, I have fulfilled my part of the Oath, though I made certain changes. But that much should not be a problem; after all, I don't know what those crafty guys are planning behind my back while I am here. The world would be saved, definitely, but on my terms."
As the being prepared to leave, his gaze lingering on the vast void around him, a sudden shift in the air made him pause. It was as if the very fabric of nothingness had thickened, a dense pressure descending upon him from all sides.
"Why are you interfering? You are going against your own words." Spoke the being resisting the pressure, his voice laced with authority. He lifted his gaze to see the source from where the pressure was coming from.
Above the being, a brilliant light erupted. A star blindingly bright—shone into existence, completely countering the nothingness of the void. From the heart of the star, a beam of pure, radiant purple energy shot down, slicing through the void. Before the being could even react, the purple beam went inside his clenched fist and assimilated with the thing inside it.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" shouted the being, the being's voice erupted with such force that the very fabric of the void seemed to tremble.
"GET LOST!" with just two words from the star, the being was forcefully plunged from the void.
The next second, the star, too, began to fade. Its light, once blinding and overwhelming, began to recede, like a distant memory slipping away into nothingness.
....
"Ha… Ha…" a boy suddenly woke up from his deep sleep.
The boy's chest rose and fell with each frantic breath, his body drenched in cold sweat. His heart pounded in his chest, a frantic rhythm that mirrored the chaos he had just experienced in his dreams.
"What was that, can that even be called a nightmare?" the boy muttered to himself, still trying to shake off the lingering unease from the strange, vivid dream.
"Hmm!" he suddenly noticed the high pitch in his voice," My voice is younger. It can't be…"
The boy's gaze shifted downward, his heart still racing from the confusion and the strange events unfolding around him. His eyes widened as he looked at his hands. They were smaller, the skin smoother and fairer than his old rough hands.
"YES! YES! I really have transmigrated! Free from that mundane and extremely practical world!" the boy exclaimed.
"This really is like those novels I read during my free time... No, wait, I need to confirm something —is this the same world I want it to be, or is it something entirely different?". The boy thought as he rushed towards the window covered by curtains not far from him.
As soon as the boy removed the curtains, a bright beam of sunlight poured in, instantly blinding him. The boy rubbed his eyes, clearing his hazy vision with every second, and then he turned to face the outside world.
The first thing that came into the boy's view were the houses, their architecture a mix of modern and medieval designs. Some buildings had sleek, metallic surfaces that reflected the sunlight, while others were made of stone and timber, their facades adorned with intricate carvings and banners fluttering in the breeze.
As his eyes traveled lower, he noticed the street itself. The road stretched out in both directions, bustling with activity. Carriages pulled by horses clattered along the cobblestone, their wheels creaking as they moved, the sound of hooves echoing in the air. Some of the carriages were extravagantly designed, their polished wood and gold trimmings catching the light as they rolled smoothly over the stones. Other carriages were more open, with no covers to shield the passengers.
Pedestrians could be seen walking along the elevated trails on both sides of the road, moving in a steady flow as they went about their day. Some were wearing armor made of - leather or metal, while others were wearing robes or cloaks. A few people could even be seen carrying swords and spears.
"THIS IS IT!" shouted the boy, his voice filled with a burst of pure excitement. "This is the world; I know far better than my previous world. The world belongs to the game 'The New Era of Heroes'."
"But why did I get transmigrated?" thought the boy.
"The two reasons that I can think of are either writing that email or my heart attack. It can even be both, but I rely more on the previous one," the boy muttered to himself, as thoughts and conclusions began to form in his mind. He also knew the heart attack had played a part in his transmigration, but he chose to omit it from his thoughts for now. The reason was, he wouldn't have lived much longer anyway with his extreme drinking habits.
Thinking about the heart attack made him remember the painful experience, the crushing sensation that had gripped his chest, and the suffocating darkness that followed.
"Don't think negative, think positive," the boy muttered to himself, trying to shake off the lingering discomfort.
"Think of how replying to an email filled with curses resulted in a transmigration to this world", he reminded himself with a wry smile.
"Leaving that aside, what is the new name that I would be called from now on? I hope it's either Leon or Roan. Those two were my favorites among the male playable characters," the boy muttered to himself as he scanned the room. His eyes searched for a mirror, a way to confirm what character his soul now possessed.
The room was very small, it consisted of a single-person bed, a wardrobe, and two gates.
"This must be the inn, near the Academy only they had small rooms like this for exorbitant prices." muttered the boy.
Since he knew the layout of the inn, he started walking towards the gate that led to the bathroom, which had a mirror inside. As the boy's hand was about to touch the door handle, a deep sense of forbidding washed over him. His heart seemed to skip a beat, and for a moment, his hand froze. The initial excitement of his new life in this world had faded into a sudden, uncomfortable realization.
In his previous enthusiasm, he had overlooked an important detail. Leon and Roan, his two favorite characters, never started their journeys in an inn. His brain started working in overdrive, He began to mentally list the playable characters who started their journeys in inns.
In a few seconds he concluded that there was only a single male playable character whose story starts in an inn… but that character's hands were nothing like his own.