Unconsciousness took Alex before he could even respond to Virgol, but Fate wasn't content to sit idly by this time. She saw the potential in the human, and she also knew what awaited him. The gods would send this poor kid to his demise before he could reach his full potential. However, if she intervened and pulled a few strings here and there…
Content with her work, and quite exhausted from the expenditure of power that had been required to alter Alex's outcome, Fate sat back down on her throne. "Receive my blessing mortal and use it well." Her crimson irises flashed with power before she closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep. This time would be different; it had to be.
Fate's meddling with Alex didn't just impact his life, it impacted everything. Despite her best efforts to not go overboard with changing things, she just couldn't help herself. The poor humans were so unprepared for what was coming that she felt it necessary to give them some aid as well.
Of course, this wasn't out of the kindness of her own heart; she had ambitions and goals. This human would simply be the tool for carrying out such goals, it's not as if any Celestials could pin the blame on her if some upstart Hero managed to cause some chaos. Things were about to get interesting in the War…
[Rebirth Protocol Initiated, please wait.]
[5%]
[14%]
[33%]
[50%]
[Error!]
[Reinitializing]
[Fate's Blessing has been received]
[Fate's System integrated]
[Chaos Factor acquired]
[Void's Touch acquired]
[Enhancing body to ensure Hosts chance of survival standby… Complete]
[Celestial Blessing received]
[War of the Realms Online created]
[Fate's Rebirth complete. Enjoy your second chance!]
Alex hurt all over, it felt like his body was on fire, as if every single nerve in his body was alight with flame. His every sensation was filled with pain, and just as he thought it would never end, the torturous pain went away. Finally able to think clearly, the reborn Hero opened his eyes, and everything flooded back into his mind. Dying and being stuck in that weird place, talking to something called Virgol…
It was all so bizarre. Has he really been reborn? That question burned through his mind, and he forced himself to open his eyes, only to find the sky staring back at him. It was dark and full of clouds that threatened to unleash a torrential downpour. As if noticing their existence was the signal, a thunderous boom roared in the distance and the first droplets fell from the sky.
Fucking great.
"Hey now, do not be like that. I am sure this storm is a blessing from some storm god out there; he is just wishing you luck." Virgol's monotone voice made Alex sit up almost immediately, until he realized the voice inside his head was the one speaking to him. Yea, that's a normal thing to realize Alex.
"Subjectively speaking, most Heroes don't acclimate to their administrator for at least a month. The fact that you are acknowledging and accepting my existence proves that the gods were right to choose you. That, or maybe you are just crazy." There was a hint of amusement underlying the voice's words, and Alex could only shake his head in mere reluctant acceptance that this was his life now.
The rain began to fall harder as Alex stood up and took in his surroundings for the first time. He was… Why did this place seem so familiar? The alleyway he stood in was surrounded by two high rise buildings that stretched up towards the sky. Trash littered the entire alley, despite the fact that there was a dumpster at the far end. Outside of that, nothing stood out about this place, so why did his head hurt just by standing here? Wasn't he supposed to be in some other realm and speaking to some dude named Charles?
"Correct." Virgol rang out in his mind once more, "You were supposed to be sent to Vorcast, but some of the higher ups stepped in at the last minute and decided to bring you back to Earth. I am unsure as to why." Well, that answered that question. So, he really was back on Earth.
"Though, this might not quite be Earth as you remember it. Something about it is different from before…" The administrator trailed off, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts and the pouring rain. Another boom echoed in the sky and brought Alex back to reality. There were things he needed to do and- oh crap! Amanda!
Without thinking any further, Alex rushed out of the alley and nearly bull dozed someone walking on the sidewalk. He needed to make sure Amanda was safe, that was all that mattered right now. The person he had almost knocked over was yelling something about an asshole who needed to pay more attention, but Alex didn't have the time to deal with that.
He kept running as fast as he could, fear overtaking his entire body and forcing his muscles to work overtime to help him run faster. If those assholes had done something to her while he was dead-
"War of the Realms: Online has taken the world by storm! The week-old VRMMORPG developed by Argus Studios is being used by over 10 million players, and is still growing daily. Many users report that it is the best game in over two decades to be released." Alex practically stopped dead in his tracks when he had run by the store front with a massive TV advertising some brand new game.
"Many have completely immersed themselves in the game's extensive and deep lore, attempting to learn all about the ins and outs of the game. The lifelike NPCs, impressive skill trees and mind blowing battles have won over the hearts of every player who logs in."
What the hell? Wasn't that the war that he was supposed to be a hero in? Why was it suddenly now a video game? There was no way that dying and being brought back was some sort of cosmic prank, right? "The best part about it is the ease of access. Simply signing up at Argus' website guarantees a full dive DLXR-50 is sent to your address and you can begin playing right away! Join War of the Realms Online today, and become everything you were meant to be."
The TV flashed images of massive fantasy worlds, mages wielding powerful spells and large battlefields filled with thousands of people as the ad played. It ended with the link to Argus' website and a giant blinking button that read "JOIN NOW!" After it ended, the screen switched to some random news channel reporting about a fire that had been sweeping through the Northern Districts.
Oddly enough, Virgol didn't seem to have anything to say about that. Maybe some of those higher ups decided not to clue him in on what exactly they were planning, that would be exactly what Alex expected all-powerful beings to do. Despite the somewhat massive bombshell that this massive war between gods had been turned into a video game, Alex had to get his priorities in order. Amanda came first, he could deal with whatever mess this was later.