Elias had always believed he was destined for greatness.
Not because he had talent. Not because he worked harder than anyone else. Not because he had some carefully built plan for his life that would inevitably lead him to success.
No.
He believed he was destined for greatness because, in third grade, he had won a rock–paper–scissors tournament against his entire class.
Including the teacher.
In his mind, that wasn't luck. That was prophecy.
That was the universe quietly pointing at him and saying: you are chosen.
Unfortunately, the universe had spent every single day since then treating that belief like a personal joke.
And today, it seemed determined to finish the punchline.
Elias woke up to the sound of his alarm clock screaming like it was being dragged through metal blades.
He slapped it without opening his eyes.
The alarm stopped.
Something else in the room probably lost respect for him at the same time, but that was a problem for later.
He lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, hair messy, eyes heavy, mind still half trapped in sleep.
"Today," he muttered, "will be normal."
A pause.
"Just normal. Nothing weird. Nothing suspicious. Nothing life-ruining."
He nodded once, as if negotiating with reality itself.
Then he got up.
The floor was cold in the way that made him immediately reconsider all his life decisions. He shuffled toward the kitchen like a man being slowly summoned by responsibility.
Morning light leaked through the window. Everything looked ordinary. Safe. Predictable.
That was always how it started.
He opened the cabinet.
The cereal box was gone.
Elias paused.
He leaned forward slightly, as if distance might fix the problem.
Still nothing.
He checked again.
Nothing.
Not empty.
Not hidden.
Not even crumbs.
Just… gone.
"…I bought this yesterday," he said slowly.
Silence answered him.
He opened the trash.
Nothing.
He checked the counter.
Nothing.
He opened the fridge, because at this point logic had already left the building.
Still nothing.
Elias stared at the empty space inside the cabinet for a long moment.
Then he exhaled.
"I swear," he muttered, "if Felix ate it again—"
Ding.
Elias froze.
The sound hadn't come from anywhere in the room.
It came from reality itself.
He turned his head slowly.
Nothing was there.
"…Hello?" he called cautiously.
Ding.
This time, it came from directly behind him.
Elias turned fully.
Still nothing.
But the air had changed.
It wasn't dramatic at first. Just a faint distortion, like heat rising off asphalt. Subtle enough that most people would ignore it.
Elias was not most people.
He squinted.
"…Okay. That's new."
The distortion sharpened.
The air folded slightly.
Then snapped.
A glowing blue rectangle appeared in front of him.
Elias stumbled backward and hit the counter hard enough to regret existing.
"What the hell is that?!"
The rectangle floated calmly at eye level.
Too calm.
Like it had been waiting for him specifically.
Text appeared.
DESIRE DETECTED.
Elias blinked.
"…What?"
YOU DESIRE: "A NORMAL MORNING."
Elias pointed immediately.
"I did not say that out loud."
YOU THOUGHT IT.
"That's not how thoughts work."
CORRECTION: THAT IS EXACTLY HOW THIS WORKS.
Elias pressed a hand to his forehead.
"No. No, no, no. I'm not doing this. This is stress hallucination. Sleep deprivation. Brain malfunction. I'm going back to bed."
He turned around.
The screen moved with him.
INITIATING FULFILLMENT.
Elias froze mid-step.
"…Wait. What does that mean?"
The world answered before the system could.
Everything went white.
Not bright.
Not fading.
Just… absolute white.
Elias felt his body drop.
No floor.
No kitchen.
No anything.
Just falling.
Wind roared past him.
He screamed immediately.
"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!"
Below him, the world opened like a broken painting.
A forest.
But not a normal forest.
It glowed.
Trees shimmered with faint blue veins of light. Leaves sparkled like glass dust. The air itself looked alive, filled with drifting particles like floating embers.
The sky was too wide.
Too deep.
Too wrong.
The blue rectangle floated beside him calmly.
FULFILLMENT FAILED.
REASON: USER IS NOT HAVING A NORMAL MORNING.
"NO SHIT!" Elias shouted into the wind.
Impact came instantly.
He did not hit the ground.
He hit a bush.
A very large, very offended bush.
It exploded upward on contact, branches whipping him like they had been personally insulted. Leaves slapped his face. Something poked him in the shoulder with intent.
Elias rolled out of it groaning.
For a moment, he just lay there.
Then he spoke to the sky.
"…Okay. I'm dead. That's fine. I died in my kitchen and this is the afterlife."
A pause.
"…It sucks."
INCORRECT.
Elias flinched so hard he almost rolled back into the bush.
"STOP DOING THAT!"
The rectangle hovered beside him.
WELCOME, USER.
"User of what?!"
THE DESIRE SYSTEM.
Elias slowly sat up.
"The what system?"
THE DESIRE SYSTEM. I FULFILL YOUR STRONGEST DESIRES.
Elias stared.
"…Why?"
BECAUSE YOU WANTED YOUR LIFE TO CHANGE.
"That is not what I meant!"
TOO LATE.
A bird screeched somewhere above him. Except it didn't sound like a bird. It sounded like coins being shaken in a metal jar.
Elias stood up slowly.
The forest stretched endlessly around him. Everything glowed faintly. Everything felt alive in a way that suggested it might also be hostile.
"Okay," he said carefully. "Okay. I can handle this. Probably. Maybe. I just need to—"
Snap.
Elias froze.
Something moved behind him.
He turned.
A small creature stood in the clearing.
Round.
Fluffy.
Big eyes.
It tilted its head.
Elias let out a breath of relief.
"Oh thank god. Something normal. Cute even."
The creature blinked.
Then its mouth opened.
Rows of sharp teeth unfolded like a mechanical trap.
Elias screamed.
The creature screamed.
They both screamed for several seconds in perfect synchronization before Elias turned and ran.
"WHY IS EVERYTHING TRYING TO KILL ME?!"
CORRECTION: ONLY SOME THINGS ARE TRYING TO KILL YOU.
"That does not help!"
He sprinted through the glowing forest. Roots shifted under his feet like they were alive. Trees leaned slightly as he passed, like they were watching him.
"THIS IS NOT A NORMAL MORNING!" he shouted.
YOU REQUESTED NORMAL MORNING.
"NOT LIKE THIS!"
He burst out of the forest into a dirt path, gasping for air.
A wooden sign stood ahead.
WELCOME TO STARFALL VILLAGEPLEASE DO NOT FEED THE WILDLIFE(ESPECIALLY THE SMALL ONES)
Elias bent over, hands on his knees.
"I hate this place," he said honestly.
A shout came from behind him.
"HEY!"
Elias turned.
Armored villagers were running toward him.
Spears.
Armor.
Expressions of extreme tiredness, like they had dealt with too many "unexplainable incidents" in their lives.
The leader pointed at him.
"You! Outsider! You match the description!"
Elias blinked.
"What description?!"
"The man who fell from the sky!"
Elias threw his arms up.
"I didn't fall! I was forcibly dropped by reality!"
The villagers slowed.
One whispered, "He speaks nonsense."
Another nodded. "Mage behavior."
"I AM NOT A MAGE!"
The leader stepped closer.
"Then explain yourself."
Elias opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
His brain was empty.
Completely blank.
The system chimed gently.
WARNING: USER IS ABOUT TO PANIC.
"STOP ANNOUNCING IT!"
The villagers tensed.
Elias blurted the first thing he could think of.
"I just wanted cereal!"
Silence.
A long silence.
The leader sighed.
"…Take him to the elders."
Elias groaned.
"Of course. Because nothing ever just ends normally."
They grabbed him.
Not violently. Just firmly enough to make resistance feel pointless.
As they walked, villagers watched from windows.
Whispers followed.
"That's him.""He fell from the sky.""He looks confused.""He looks stupid.""He looks cursed.""He looks cursed and stupid."
Elias muttered.
"…System. Reputation?"
REPUTATION: -3.
"I JUST GOT HERE!"
YOU LOOK SUSPICIOUS.
"I ALWAYS LOOK SUSPICIOUS!"
They pushed him into a wooden hall.
Three elders sat around a glowing table.
The air felt heavier inside, like the building was listening.
The eldest leaned forward.
"Outsider. You appeared in the Sacred Grove. Explain yourself."
Elias took a deep breath.
"I was teleported here by a system that reads desires and forcibly fulfills them and I think it is broken."
The elders immediately began whispering.
"He is cursed.""He is possessed.""He is a mage.""He is going to explode."
Elias slapped his forehead.
"WHY DOES NOBODY EVER BELIEVE ME?!"
The elder raised a hand.
Silence.
"We will determine your fate."
Elias stiffened.
"…My fate?"
"Yes."
The elder stood.
"First, we test your intentions."
Elias swallowed.
"…What kind of test?"
A smile appeared.
Not comforting.
"Bring in the Trial Beast."
The doors opened.
Something growled.
Low.
Heavy.
Wet.
Elias slowly turned.
"What the hell is that…"
A massive creature stepped inside.
Too big.
Too wrong.
Covered in fur.
Eyes glowing faintly.
Mouth opening slowly.
Revealing too many teeth.
Elias backed up one step.
The system appeared.
NEW QUEST GENERATED.
QUEST: SURVIVE.Reward: +1 ReputationPenalty: Death
Elias stared.
"That is not a quest," he whispered. "That is a threat."
The beast roared.
The sound shook the entire hall.
Elias screamed.
And the trial began.