Erase Erase
Gazing at the AP Calc sitting on my cluttered desk, I contemplate the Contextual and Analytic Applications of Differentiation worksheet, struggling to finish or at least understand the problems on this damned sheet of paper.
"Hey, Vidal, still working on your Calc assignment?"
"Yeah, this assignment was nothing like how the teacher explained it to us."
"Bro, come on, just hop on already, do that stuff later."
Jaezeyhn's always like this, not letting me do my own thing. Also, doesn't he see that I'm not like him? I'm determined to finish my work now so I can play without worry later. Why doesn't he understand that I care about my future college and graduating, while he can just act like homework doesn't matter? If I finish now, I'll have more time with them anyway.
After silencing the nuisance in my ear and focusing on my work, I was finally able to finish the god-forsaken Calc assignment that was due the next day.
Math wasn't a subject that I was strong at, as memorizing formulas and rules wasn't my strongest suit.
So why was I taking this AP class in the first place?
First, passing this would look good on a college application, and secondly, it would look good to my parents. Since elementary school, they had this idea that I was gifted at math, that I was destined to be the best in my class, and so they pushed. Extra tutoring, enrichment programs, anything that could give me an edge. And maybe it helped, in some objective sense. My grades were fine. But fine never felt like enough for them, and after a while, all that pushing started doing the opposite of what they intended. The more they told me to do more, the less I actually wanted to do anything at all. So here I am, taking an AP class I never asked for, in a subject I was never actually good at, because somewhere along the way, their expectations became my life.
After contemplating and looking at many videos and recollecting my memories of the past math work, I finished the assignment. Proceeding with this assignment, I put it away in my backpack to turn it in tomorrow, then I closed all of the math tabs on my computer and joined in with my friends, Zekeil, who was already running his livestream like he always does, not caring whether anyone was watching or not. Ian and Kyren were probably arguing about something pointless as usual. Lene, the quietest of all of us, but somehow always the first to notice when something was off. And then Jaezeyhn, who had already sent three messages asking where I was before I even opened the app.
"I'm back, guys, what are you all doing?"
"Nothing much, can't really find a game we can all decide on, so we were just watching something on Zekeil's livestream."
"Aight sounds good. I'll tune in."
For the next 20 minutes, we were all chillin', watching some anime that Zekeil chose.
It was an intriguing anime as the main character could come back after death, which allowed him to save people from the dangers yet to come.
Man, that ability would be so useful, you know? Being able to save your friends and prevent the evil that engulfs the world. At least, that's how I would use it, saving my friends and protecting what's right. Dealing with repeated failure may seem unbearable, but as long as I can protect what matters to me, it will be worth it.
While in my thoughts, I hear a ping, followed by an unusual notification.
??? Joined the server
"Who the hell is this guy?"
"Did one of you guys invite him or something?"
"Fuck no, why would I invite someone with this creepy and mysterious name?"
??? - Hello friends! Now one may wonder, "Who is this?" and "Why is he here?" Well, to answer your questions in a short manner, I am here to guide you to another world.
Ah, I get it now, one of my friends probably set this up as a joke to try and scare us. Luckily, I don't get scared by things like this easily, because there is no way something like this could actually happen, right?
"Bro, who does this guy think he is!"
"I know acting all mysterious, talking about some guide to another world, like who is he!"
??? - Ok, guys, I get it. Why would someone believe that there was a random guy from another world offering to take them to this so-called "other world"? Well, if you think this is true, why not test it out? To test this, click yes on the following pop-up on your screen.
[Would you like to enter Another World?]
[Yes]
[No]
Contemplating the various random messages sent from a person supposedly from another world, I start to think, could this really be a real situation that I'm encountering right now? No, it can't be. There is no way for someone to transport here from another world that just can't be physically possible. Right?
??? - Let me stop you before you choose your answer, because you may be wondering just what this world is like. This world is a land called Kolui, a land of magic and fantasy with mythical monsters as large as you can think of! But what makes it truly unique is a system unlike anything in your world, contracts with gods and devils. These beings have servants who watch over specific people across the land, deciding whether to recruit them and lend them a fraction of their power. It may only be a small fraction at first, but if you earn their respect and they take a liking to you, that power can grow into something far greater.
Contracts with gods and devils?! Just what is this guy talking about? There is no way this could be real; it sounds like something straight out of a novel.
"HAHAHA, just what could this guy be talking about?"
"Is this guy a crackhead?"
??? - Believe me or not, you have 60 seconds to answer the prompt asked of all of you.
Thinking about it, would I really want to go to another world? It would be as if I were leaving everything behind in my life and starting anew.
Wait, what am I even saying? This isn't real, it's probably just someone seeing what people would pick in the spur of the moment, or just someone playing a prank, of course.
Well, never mind that, let's see what my friends are saying.
"Guys, let's all choose yes, it's not like anything's going to happen ."
What? What is he even saying! Even if the chances are so close to zero, what is the benefit in choosing yes? If someone were to push a button that was a 99.9% of you living, but that one sliver of chance that you would die, you would still be afraid and not want them to push it, right? So what is this guy talking about?
Jaezeyhn really can't wait a little longer. He's always like this, never patient, always pushing me to just do something before I've had the chance to think it through. Honestly, it reminds me of my parents. Different situation, same feeling. I know he means well, he's a good person at heart, but sometimes it gets to a point where I wonder if anyone in my life is actually okay with letting me make my own call.
"No, Jaezeyhn, don't push yes. I know nothing will probably happen, but what if it does? You don't want to be transported to another world, leaving everything behind, right?"
"Too late, Vidal, already pushed yes."
"Yeah, we all already did it, just do it, nothing's going to happen."
I'm in disbelief. There is no way these idiots decided to push yes. I mean, it's not like anything will happen, but I thought they were smarter than this.
Fuck.. Do I click yes now because of my friends, or do I be intelligent and not follow them?
I'm taking this way too seriously. But let's say I did click yes, and it actually sent us to another world. Would it really be that horrid?
Yes, it would mean leaving everything behind. Almost everything I've built in this world would become meaningless. But at the same time, in this world, a place with different rules, magic, and gods that might actually choose me, I could build something new. Something that's actually mine.
And maybe most importantly, I'd be free. Free of everyone's expectations. Free of doing what my parents want, what Jaezeyhn wants, what anyone wants. I could just be myself, for once, without anyone pushing me toward a version of me I never asked to be.
Maybe that's worth the risk. Maybe that's exactly why I click yes.
[Yes]
[Entering Kolui]