Arc 1: A First Day Filled with Anarchy
At the end of one's road. Fumbling through life filled molded by fear, reckless emotion, and a lack of any hope. To fall through reality, and land in this fresh space. The boy's mind was blank, freshly stopped in its tracks. As his thoughts slowly returned to his body, he immediately assumed he was dead.
{Am I dead? It's all black, wonder if that's some void after life. Better than hell I guess.}
The somber words fill his head in the same sad tone you would imagine, but it quickly turns to fear and confusion. Is this eternity? Is this how he's going to spend the rest of his life? Would accepting a religion have fixed this? All questions he asks himself, but they all go unanswered. A question he had yet to ask himself, what is the weather like, is answered though, as he feels a nice cold breeze wash over him. He then tried doing something he hadn't done yet, he opened his eyes. He wiped his glasses off as his eyes adjusted to the afternoon sun, and his heart sank when he finally looked around. He was a weak boy, wearing a gray jacket, black sweatpants, black and white shoes, and small glasses. All of these things directly contrast the area he stands in, which is completely different from where he was ten seconds ago. Stone and brick buildings, either old or falling over. He looked down, finding his once clean, wet, shoes covered in mud, as he was standing in the middle of a dirt road.
Shrubs poked through the ground, weeds covered the buildings, and spider webs held the homes together. It was barren, with no life, other than the bugs and spiders that kept the abandoned buildings inhabited. He brushed his unkempt brown hair out of his face, as he couldn't believe what he was seeing. His first thought was impossible, so he moved to the next and most plausible option. Which happened to be, that he'd gone insane, but he felt far too sane, which made him think that all crazy people like to think that. After the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth ideas, he circled back to the first. With a moon larger than he's used to slowly rising over the area, he takes a deep breath and hopes to death for what this could be.
"Medieval buildings, randomly appearing here by way of truck, and being a shut-in loser…yeah, this has to be…an Isekai!"
He yelled not with joy, instead intense fear before even more words shouted out his mouth. With a newly invigorated spirit in his eye.
"I GOT SUMMONED TO ANOTHER WORLD!?!?!? I didn't get hit by that truck though."
He remembers walking down the storming street away from his parents. Lost in a daze as the world felt like it was shifting, only for his eyes to draw in on that speeding semi and it's bead lights, before he took that step and everything went black. His words were loud, enough to spoke the crows. Only for his words echo throughout the truly lifeless area. And those who did sense him seemed to stay clear, locking doors or rushing into alleys after seeing the odd and panicking boy suddenly step out of nowhere. But the boy, seemingly without a care in the world, a newly formed will live, and with a new chance at life, he sprung into the air.
"ITS ALL BEHIND ME! THIS IS IT! THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN NEEDING!"
He tried not to think of the world he left behind as he left at this new opportunity. First, he checks his pockets, finding nothing, as he has left his phone and his wallet on his desk at home. Second, he feels his tall, frail, lanky body, all things that tell him he hasn't changed forms. Third, he swipes his hands down, trying to force a menu to pop out, when that doesn't work, he tries to focus and form one, and once again, it doesn't work. Breathe fire, use a magic smart phone, make a wish to some random god. Waking in circles without any idea of what to do, lost in a mix of terror and blinding hope. Now, after countless failures, he stops himself, going through his options.
"No Excalibur sword, game menu, goddess, or kingdom to greet me…so unless I can revive by dying, which would be the worst option, I got nothin!? Is this is one of those bare-bones Isekai. I better have a rare skill then, a rare affinity, massive amount of mana or something yeah! What other protag powers I could get my hands on. Oh please don't be the revive one."
With no other ideas, he begins walking around mindlessly. Hands in his pockets, eyes filled with uncertainty, across the side walk like he was moments ago in an entire different world. But no matter how much he called out, windows and doors just shut. Surprisingly quickly, his moral fades, returning to the more hateful and depressed feeling that once filled his thought-to-be-dead mind. After walking around, seemingly in circles for around thirty minutes, he grits his teeth, balls his fist, and punches a wall beside him. Instead of crushing the wall, all he does is hurt his weak hand as well as get dirt on it. Leaving him jumping up and down with a bleeding hand, feeling some of the worst pain he's ever felt on accident before finally screaming out at the husk of a district.
"Dammit what is this!? Do I have to run head first into a castle!? Is earth paused or are they gonna think I ran away!? No no no what is happening why is this happening!?"
He begins to break down, finally understanding the horrible situation he's in. There may be a language he can't speak, rules he's already broken, fate he's already missed or luck based skill points he lost out on. Or simply, this is Hell. And if it is another world, his family is sitting at home, waiting for him to return with snacks for movie night. It was just a late-night walk, through a rough storm, but he trucked through. His parents' attempt to make him happy after a fall in his mental health had turned into an unexpected journey through dimensions. He almost gives up right there, just as he had done thirty-one minutes ago when he was back on Earth, but like it was a god intervening, he heard some commotion across the street.
He quickly brushes off his body, forms a fake smile, and runs off. In an alley, between two large yet collapsing buildings, were three people. He was about to simply walk over, but one of the men caused him to stop in his tracks. He wasn't just a person, he was much more. While wearing dirt and ripped clothes, fitting to the area, his body did not fit what the boys' mind could register. With large muscles, a height that passed seven feet, and thick light green skin, he was far from human. His mind started racing, staring at the scene before him. Beside the large man, was a much smaller one, a disheveled young man with dirty hair, tanned skin, and what a thirteen-year-old would call a mustache, who was holding a rusty kitchen knife.
He was pointing such a knife at a young girl with extremely long dark green hair, so long that it almost touched the ground. She also possessed a short sword that looked like an oversized kitchen knife, a scar going over her left eye, and a large brown jacket. These were all simple things to describe her, but the main thing, aside from the sword and the green hair, was her shaking, large, pointy ears. She, at least what the boy had assumed, was an elf getting mugged.
The Disheveled man: "You're like a cornered animal! I thought you were confident, an ass! But look at you! You're shakin'!"
The dirty man looked at his bigger friend with a smile on his face, but the large man seemed hesitant. He was shaking as well, which brought a bit of levity to this messed up situation, at least to the boy. To see such a scary beast scared of a little girl was surely a sight to see, but what he saw next stood out far more. The air around the young girl began to sparkle, shining a light green. The wind was being pulled all around her, which she seemed to focus around her sword, coating it. The disheveled man became a bit frightened, watching a cocky smirk appear on the young girl's face. She throws it at them, but the large man promptly blocks it without issue.
To see magic, even if it's a weaker form of it than he's used to, stuns him. Every boy's dream, aside from swinging a big sword, was to see this, an action set piece from a movie, game, book, or whatever. His base way of thinking, being a bit more pessimistic and annoyed, is quickly overpowered by a child-like sense of wonder, but the adult within him begins to overpower that as well. This may be cool, but it's dangerous, and even if he can't do anything about it, he feels his stomach turning at the thought of not doing anything.
The Disheveled Man: "HAHAHAH! YES! AN OGRES SKIN IS THICK, AND RESISTANT TO MANA IDIOT! HE MAY BE A DEMI-HUMAN, BUT HE'S DAMN STRONG!"
The young girl: "SHUT UP! DAMN YOU'RE ANNOYING!"
The smirk on her face dropped, though her angry and annoyed voice was genuine. She wears her heart on her sleeve, which causes the boy to assume how she got into this situation in the first place. The young girl swirls wind beneath her feet, attempting to jump from wall to wall to escape, but the Ogre hits her mid-air, causing her to fall on her back and drop her sword. Without a second thought, the Ogre holds his large disgusting foot over her and is about to crush her.
The Boy wishes he could help, and wants to help, but his will to live is fighting against morals he didn't know he had. And as the Ogre lets his foot off of her, just as she's about to be crushed, he is already off, springing into the scene. His fear, and newly found morals, hadn't beat each other but had lost to something else. As he had no care for his life, finding the life of this random girl much more important. He tucks and rolls under the Ogres' legs, grabs the girl, and barely misses the Ogre's punch, which causes a great impact on the ground.
If that had hit the girl, it would have killed her, if he was any bit slower or the Ogre was any bit faster, they would have both died. He began to sweat, hating himself for inserting himself in this disastrous, dangerous, and stupid conflict.
The Disheveled Man: "Who's this guy!?"
The Ogre: "Yeah dude, what the hell are you doing?"
The young girl: "I could have done that myself you know!! And now you're just in my way!"
Unable to speak, as the fear within him is keeping him from doing so, a new feeling forms as he hears the demeaning tone of voice coming from this little girl. As it was a feeling of annoyance. The homeless man, what the boy had named him in his head, is also annoyed, screaming out.
The Disheveled Man: "I SAID! WHO! THE! HELL! ARE! YOU!?"
The boy, overcome by every bad emotion in the book, looks to the young, hurt girl beside him. He hesitates, staring on a massive green beast man with muscles larger than his head, wider than his body. He couldn't stop his lip his leg his soul from shaking. It's like nothing else existed but that Ogre and the other thugs knife. Not the elf, magic, the fantasy world surrounding him. All he knew was that he was weak. Pitiful. Slow. That he couldn't think, he couldn't speak. He couldn't do anything but brace for impact. To die in a random dirty alley, to random dirty people, and be remembered as a random dirty corpse.
{I guess I really am dead.}
And yet, he was the soul wall between the bruit, the knife, and the little girl. No matter if she had magic, was en elf, it didn't change the fact this boy wouldn't run. Maybe he couldn't fig t back either, but those shaking legs stood their ground. Using the only emotions he had, the ever lasting fear, and his intense rage building up toward himself, he tried his best to smile like the heroes he dreamed and wished and begged and cried to be like. Pointing toward the thugs just as they stepped forward, and moved further in front of elf while she prepared to leave the boy for dead. Leaving her to think about just how stupid this strange boy was. But then his thumb came back toward himself, over his heart, to scream out his fake and entirely made up proclamation. Using the only power he had, lying.
The Boy: "MY NAME IS GRAY KYOJIN! WORLD'S STRONGEST KNIGHT! AND HERO FROM ANOTHER -
The Boy, now revealed to be Gray Kyojin, is stopped mid-sentence. His body tenses up, his heart freezes, his blood begins to boil, and feels a sharp, overwhelming pain in an organ he had never felt before. Something in his chest that wasn't there, but felt as if it was, lets out a sharp wave of power. Along with it, his blood boils, his brain feels like it's just been stabbed, and he loses all of the confidence he once had. This quick wave of power causes the two men to freeze in place, giving the young girl time to charge up another attack. And once she does, she leaps off of Gray's back, sending a weak blade of wind toward the Disheveled man, knocking him to the ground.
Gray, still frozen, is about to be crushed by the now-angry Ogre-man but is promptly saved by the young girl as she quickly swirls wind beneath her feet, pushing him away. He's still afraid, but he forces his feet to move. Instead of trying to attack the Ogre, as he knows he would lose in seconds, he leaves that to the much more experienced girl, heading toward another man. Only just standing up, he finds his knife has been dropped and is currently between Gray and himself and runs toward it. While Gray runs, he quickly unzips his jacket, throwing it in the man's face. As he has no training in any combat, nor has he ever been in a fight, all of his combat skills stem from his lack of confidence in himself. Knowing that he's weaker than most, he'd never win a fight head-on, so he always knew he'd have to rely on dirty tricks to win, and the jacket throw was just that.
Even if the jacket falls not a second later, it gives Gray just enough time to grab the knife and lunge toward the dirty man. While Gray has the advantage, the other man has experience, slipping under Grays terrible punch before hitting him right in the stomach.
Gray: {SHIT!!!}
Blinded, out of breathe, and completely in a daze from such a simple strike, Gray collapsed to his knees in an instant. Staring up at the rusty blade with tears in his eyes, before lunging into the man with all he could. Forcing him to the floor where Gray kept trying to roll over top him, punching face once before he got smashed in his own. Rolling back into the wall with a thick bruise after, I ly to find the knife between them.
Gray: "BACK OFF DUDE!"
in their mutual attempt to lunge for the blade, the Ogres steps shook and frozen them both. Leaving their attention towards the Ogre and the elf. Even if he was massive, Gray couldn't help but see the panic all over his face, before he desperately swung at the elf. Breaking the dirt and cobble road under his hefty fist, while the bright glowing and wind rushing elf leapt Rigby over. Running across his arm to slash directly over his right eye.
"OW OW OW ! WHAT THE HELL!??"
He screamed and moved wildly, flinging his arms as his eye rushed with blood. Giving the girl the chance to begin running away, until she noticed Gray still fighting. So, with a heavy sigh, she moved to try and save him from getting trampled.
Gray: "I SAID BACK OFF"
in their struggle, Gray bit down as hard as he could on the mans hand. No matter the dirt, the sweat, or how pitiful it made him look, Gray Kyojin would do anything to win. Biting down so hard the mans hand began to bleed, until Gray was punched across the face yet again. Leaving him to drool blood into the alley, and grab hold of the mans knife before he could.
"BOID CALM DOWN AND HELP -
The ogre roared, smashing into the alleys walls as he tried to get away. Snagging his friend before Gray could stab him, and began running as fast as he could. Shaking and cracking the ground on his way past Gray, the girl, before pivoting out of the alley and to anywhere else that here
The Young Girl: "YOU IDIOTS MESSED WITH ME!? SOKU!? THE EVIL THIEF? THE WIND ELF!? THE RULER OF THESE STREETS!? YOU BOUGHT THAT SHIT KNIFE FROM ME!"
They both ran sweating and crying, leaving Soku and Gray to boast and bask in their victory. Gray, covered in bruises and barley standing, leapt arms stretched it l the air. Screaming with a massive smile on his face, and a heart racing with a warmth he hadn't felt in what seemed like forever.
Gray: "THAT'S RIGHT! I'M THE BEST! PROTAGONIST, MC, WHATEVER! I'M AWESOME! And got a hundred percent win rate now."
Soku begins laughing at him, finding his stupidity fairly enjoyable. As he grabs his jacket off of the dirty ground, his mind is frantically raced with thoughts, thoughts of victory. He thought of the fame, the riches, the power that had to be in his future. He had just one his first fight, his first fight in another world, finally won something at all. And it was the happiest feeling he's ever felt in his life. As he zips up his jacket, he ignores all the things around him, only thinking of himself.
Gray: {Gray Kyojin, Strongest Knight, Hero in another world. That sounds nice, real nice.}
As he took his first steps to being a hero, he'd really began walking to the starting line instead. In a world that seemed to do nothing but torment the people within. His smile, the light that finally lit back in his eyes after so long, was now going to be tested at every turn for the rest of his life. Until he'd realize, maybe being a Hero isn't everything he thinks it is.