Have you ever wanted to be part of your childhood games?
To save princess Peach from Bowser or Run along with Sonic? To help Donkey Kong find his banana horde or went on adventure's with link?
Every child dreamed of it.
Once.
I was one such child but now I'm an adult.
A failure of an adult.
No job, no family (kicked out for freeloading) and no future.
Naturally, I'm depressed.
Not like I wanted this to happen.
I tried my best. Did everything I could, just to make my parents and siblings proud of me.
But it never came to pass.
It's just...
Too hard... Living is hard...
So with a nearby bridge, I just ended it all.
So I thought...
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The next thing I knew, I was in a battlefield.
It was a straight up warzone of epic proportions between the living and the dead. Knights, clad in dashing silver armor held their like. Spears and shields held aloft as they clashed against their undead adversaries. Their swords swinging with precision, cutting down skeletal frames of the undead.
But the undead are not to be underestimated. They lacked defense, being a skeleton does that, having scant armor strapped on themselves. Yet even with this, the undead are unrelenting force. Numerous and with no fear of death, they crashed on the knights formations. Their attacks were savage and brutal, uncaring to themselves even as they put themselves in harm's way.
They already dead to begin with.
It was a clash of the living and dead.
So of course, I ran.
I ran as fast I can.
I'm no warrior.
I'm a coward.
I don't like conflict. Nay, I hated it.
It always end with badly whenever I'm in a conflict.
So I ran.
Like a coward.
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The knights were defending a walled city.
Unfortunately, it was already breached as the undead marc inside. The knights themselves are plugging the hole, using their own bodies as a stop gap as they rallied to stop the steady stream of undead marching into the city.
The city is already burning but it doesn't mean it's too late.
Running across the battlefield, I ducked and stumbled through the chaotic battlefield. Not once did I have to drop down and pretend to be dead as the fight grew closer to him. So he waited and waited until the battling group nearest to him died down.
Which meant the death of one side.
Afterwards, I would crawl. My training under the air force kicking in as I slowly inch closer to the breached wall. I was careful not to gain attention of both sides. I was as slow as a snail.
That's when I reached the edge did I make a break for it. I stood up and pushed myself to a sprint.
It was supposed to be a sprint until an explosion rocked my world.
I lost conscious afterwards.
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Days later, I woke up.
I was taken by the locals, thinking I was one of them and needed help. I was grateful of the gesture and didn't correct their mistake.
Afterall, I wasn't in Kansas anymore.
The place I woke into is called Swordhaven.
The Bastion of Good in Lore.
Home to King Alteon the Balance and the Alliance of Good.
I'm in my childhood game.
Adventure Quest Worlds.
A massive world in a 2D MMORPG from the 2000s.
I game that grew up with me as the advent of internet began to life. Reminiscing those memories was nostalgic. A time of carefree childhood and free from the responsibilities of an adult.
I ended myself in my previous life and now found myself in a world full of wonder from my childhood.
It...was not bad.
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I stayed in Swordhaven, helping and earning my keep in recovery of the kingdom.
Sepulcher's assault to the kingdom have deeply crippled the city. Walls were broken, letting in the monsters and any unwelcome creatures of the nearby areas. They ran rampant and creating more chaos even after rather battle and slowing down recovery. As such, the knights were deployed on the walls despite their injuries.
The city itself is also in shambles. Homes and various infrastructures have collapsed or turned into rubble by the undead's attack. Fortunately and unfortunately, their are no dead bodies to recover.
Because all dead bodies already became ingredients for the undead necromancers to create more of their kind.
I was part of the construction group, helping in rebuilding the city back to a running stateas a volunteer in exchange for food and shelter.
Unfortunately, I discovered something disturbing.
I went back to my teens.
I'm adult.
And now I'm not.
I miss my beard.
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Days soon became weeks.
The city was up and running again.
Turns out magic is a good tool in rebuilding ruined cities. Who knew?
I even personally saw Warlic, the Legendary ArchMage. Watching him turn assemble rubble back to a house was incredible. It was like itself was reversed but different. It more akin to puzzle pieces being put to the right place in a matter of seconds.
I want to learn magic.
Who doesn't want to do that?
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My chance came to me when the kingdom began a massive recruitment for manpower. As it turns out, the war had taken a huge toll in the Swordhaven military.
Knight orders are in shambles due to numerous deaths.
Mage corps have dwindled, the undead killing them off first for their power.
Paladins have also began recruiting, the war opening their eyes to the power of the undead.
Swordhaven's military power has to be replenished before the 1st Chaos Lord. Based on what little knowledge he could remember, it is a must as the 1st Chaos Lord have an Army of Sneevils (Goblin like creatures) and a Cyclop War band. So much so that both Good and Evil side has to band together to beat both.
The undead and the living, Good and Evil working together. What a twist.
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Something disturbing came up while I'm under mage training. I have decided to join the mage corps in the end.
I'm a coward. The front lines is not for me.
Sitting on the back lines and slinging spells is far more suited and cool for me. Not to mention, I always play support in many games so it probably translates to this.
I was just lucky to have affinity to magic even if it's not remarkable. Just enough to pass.
But that's not the bad news.
The bad news is that their is no Hero.
No Hero came in the war.
No Hero to stand between Chaos.
No Hero to save the day.
Sepulcher died, slain by Drakath and infected King Alteon with an unknown ailment.
Yet there is no Hero.
Gravelyn, daughter and new empress of the ShadowScythe Empire has to lead her nation alone.
King Alteon has no one to turn to but his own men and women.
There was no Hero.
We are all doomed.