…now playing: And so It Begins by Klergy.

…warnings: gore ; violence ; body mutilation.

“what kind of game

hurts, burns and takes 

our humanity, our humility

Is life something so easy to take? 

should death be something we must allow

from those who can control

it all?”

 Rowan

A sharp throbbing pain at the back of his neck is the first thing that Rowan notices when he wakes up, slowly he opens his clear hazel eyes to meet the sight of pure chaos. People running around in despair, some screaming and others crying, there were also those that haven't woken yet. The 20 year-old man sits, his neck still hurting like hell, he gazes around to evaluate the place he is in.

It's some sort of stage surrounded by a transparent dome, the ground is made of a gray hard and cold stone, it reminds him of the streets of old villages in his country. There are seven pillars around the stage, each glowing in different colors, green, purple, yellow, blue, red, white and black and they also have weird carvings in letters he doesn't recognize.

Outside the dome is the audience, the chairs are made of the same material of the ground he's sitting in and the figures watching them are flooding in, like a real audience waiting to watch a play. The figures are nothing but smudges, no features can be distinguished, except for their width and height. They're also colored in the same colors of the weird pillars. 

Will something happen when all the chairs are taken? The man thinks, turning his gaze towards the other humans around him. There are probably around 400 or more people there, they're also from different countries as the languages they speak are varying, some Rowan can recognize and others he can't.

The last memory he has is of going for a walk after university classes, he was a bit depressed after seeing his grades, even considering dropping out. He never wanted to study law, however it was in his parents will, so he simply didn't see another option besides it.

Rowan doesn’t remember getting home, so he probably was kidnapped while he was making his walk, panicking won’t make him go back home, so he decides to get up and walk around to search for someone that speaks English or another language he knows. Elders, children, teenagers… people of all ages were there, for fucks sake, there's even a baby here, what the fuck? He thinks as he spots a woman carrying a baby she claims isn't hers. She's speaking Italian and the baby is crying loudly, almost as if he can feel what will happen soon.

After a while he finds a group of middle-schoolers with a uniform he recognizes from the school next to his apartment complex. They got here together when every other person seemed to be random… Rowan thinks as he approaches the group composed of two girls and one boy, they seem to be afraid, yet they were acting calmer than some adults.

“Hello, kids”, he says, one of the girls glances at him with a weird expression, while the others smile weakly.

“Hey mister”, the boy speaks first, his hands shaking. “Do you know what's happening?” He asks with hope in his tone, however Rowan shakes his head, shattering the boy's hopes in a matter of seconds. “We're going to die”, he whispers to himself, one of the girls hugs him from the side, consoling the boy that starts crying.

“What were you doing before you woke up here?” Rowan asks.

“We were eating chips at a store close to the school, a really strong light blinded us and the next thing we knew, we were here”, the girl that is hugging the boy says, she seems calm, but Rowan can see the fear in her eyes.

“We are going to die”, the boy whispers again, the girl in front of him, the one that looked weird at Rowan, snaps at her friend.

“Shut up, stop saying that, we won't die”, the confidence in her voice almost convinces Rowan, however she's shaking even more than the boy in front of her. The man wants to tell them that everything will be alright, and that they won't die.

But he can't be sure of that. And fake hope is worse than no hope.

He walks around a bit more, observing the people around him, after doing so he comes to the conclusion that most people there are around his age or older, children and teens are approximately only 10% of the people there, however their ages range from months old to late teens. He also came to the conclusion that everyone there is from parts of Europe, meaning that if they weren't the only ones kidnapped like that, there are other stages like that somewhere.

I wonder how many people are in such a situation? Thousands? Millions? Or maybe billions? His thought is interrupted by a really loud noise, he and all the other people there go silent and direct their gazes to a single spot: the audience. The theater is full, there's not a single chair left.

“Hello, my dear players!” A shrill voice turns their attention to the back of the stage, where a tall woman is, her skin, hair, eyes and clothes are all completely white like snow, almost as if she's a polar bear turned human. She's standing in the air, floating so that everyone can see her even at a distance. “Welcome to The Theater! This is your first step towards saving your world!” The stage is quiet, not because they don't want to speak, not a single person there can open their mouths to speak, the baby is even turning purple, unable to cry. “You were summoned here to have the privilege of climbing the Tower of Life, where you'll grow stronger in order to save your world from imminent doom!” She giggles, her voice is annoying, Rowan thinks, frowning. 

He already saw this setting a million times, in games, novels and comics, people gathered against their will to challenge monsters, to die or live at the hands of selfish gods. What she's saying is basically that if they don't climb the tower, someone or something will come and destroy their world, and since they failed, there won't be anyone to protect it. Questions flood into his brain, there are so many things he can assume by his experience playing RPGs and reading stories, however, he can't even come closer to understanding the motives of what is happening right now even so.

After all there must be a difference between a game and reality, even if she's referring to them as players.

“The Tower of Life has 100 floors, each with a different challenge to complete!” Her words are filled with excitement, as if everyone in front of her doesn't have an expression of pure terror right now. “You must complete 10 floors before returning to Earth, and when that happens it'll have a cool down of 9 months before you're summoned for the next 10 floors!” Rowan stares at the white woman, her eyes are shining and she has a twisted grin on her face. So, it'll take at least 8 years to get to the 100th floor, depending how long you take to complete each floor. He thinks, pushing his slightly long blonde hair back. 

Rowan Emrys Lewis, a 179cm, 20-year-old man that is currently living in London, he's originally from York, where he lived across the street from his grandparents. However due to several incidents he ended up following his mother around the world, he ended up in so many places in the span of 10 years, that even if he wanted he couldn't say that he was from a specific nationality. He had four different types of passports, his accent was gone and his generic blonde hair, hazel eyes and decent build made him fit in wherever he went.

He was homeschooled by his mother, his father was against it, as he wanted Rowan to have a normal life, and sometimes he wished that his father won the argument. He still saw his grandparents frequently and his father as well, but every time he visited they felt more like strangers than family, and at a point he stopped visiting at all.

Both his parents agreed on one thing though, that he should go to Law School, and so he did, he got into a small university close to London and started university alone, for the first time in 19 years. And after a year into this adventure, he had no friends, he felt like a foreigner in his own country and he was failing every single class he was in.

Therefore, right now, he doesn't understand what is happening, but he wants to live and his imagination is running wild with the possibilities. Things he only ever read in books are now happening in front of him, how can he not feel excited and fearful? 

Before the woman spoke again at least that was how he was feeling. “In 10 years, the world you know will suffer mass extinction, the gods however felt pity for you, and decided to create the Tower of Life to give you a chance to live!”

A brave yet stupid elder man raises his hand, the white woman nods, allowing him to speak, he gasps for air before he speaks. “Can we die in this game?” The question makes the audience mumble, the sound is impossible to understand, but it seems like they were displeased by it.

The woman laughs. “Oh well, of course you can die, you silly pie! This is about saving your world, not saving yourself “. Altruism, selflessness, those are both things he's used to being around, people getting shot in order to drag a body from a warzone, things no 12-year-old child should see, however he realized something after a while.

No human will save others at their own expense. They'll say they do, and in situations where they foolishly believe they'll survive, they might even save people, but it's all in order to feel better about yourself and when you sleep at night you can tell yourself that you're a savior.

“If you want to survive enough, I'm sure you won't die”, she says with a twisted smile. “Now,” she claps her hand, startling Rowan. “Our audience seems to be excited for what comes next! Like what you humans call video-games, here you can choose your class! We have six choices, please pay attention as this information is critical for your survival”, as she speaks the members of the audience seem to rumble with excitement. By Rowan's conclusion they probably are the gods that she mentioned, he wonders if they're the gods people worship at Earth or they're something they never even imagined about. 

He glances at the three younglings he talked to before, they're trembling, and the boy seems to be the one in the worst condition. He's crying in a fetal position, rocking his body forwards and backwards as he mumbles with no sound. A wonder crosses his mind, how long will these children survive? 

If it's based in games and people can die, they'll probably end up dealing with monsters and even deadly traps. Luckily for Rowan he had good stamina and he used to run marathons with his mother after he turned 15, he also enjoyed surfing and canoeing. So at least he can run away, but some of the people there were in wheelchairs and crutches. Are some of us just being sent to die?

He wonders even further, if people are summoned at random, there are odds of ending up with serial killers or severely mentally ill individuals. Those people that like inflicting pain in others tend to thrive in this situation.

“To choose a class, just touch the pillar of your choice. Let’s start then! The first class is red! The class of fighters, be it with your body or weapons, those that thrive in combat can choose the red pillar!” Rowan watches as most men and some women touch the red pillar, it is a smart choice for those that are confident in their strength, however it's tricky considering the many possibilities you can end up with. He watches as one of the women tries to remove her hand but it seems to be stuck. Once you choose you can't change it, she also never said that we should choose it as soon as she speaks, though. Others who didn't choose also seem to take note of the same thing as Rowan.

The black haired young woman that is holding the baby raises her hand. Once the white woman allows her to speak, her words leave her mouth in Italian, as it’s one of the languages Rowan speaks, he's able to understand her. “What about the baby? He can't even walk!” The white woman nods.

“I see, well, you can leave it, you don't need to take care of it.” Her words are cold, almost as if the Italian woman was interrupting her important moment. 

“How can I…” She attempts to plead once more, but she's unable to continue speaking. Rowan feels sorry for the woman, she looks conflicted, she could abandon the baby, simply put him on the ground and leave. She doesn't, though. 

“Continuing,” The floating woman says, her expression is one of annoyance. “The next pillar is white! Class of Priests, this one is just as powerful as the god you serve! Holy magic can be used to protect and also to destroy, intriguing, right?” The gods she seems to be talking about are probably in the audience, not the ones people might believe in Earth. If they choose this path, not only they'll need to abandon their current religion, but also be lucky enough to be chosen by a god there. Even with all of these dangers, some people go to the pillar, fewer than the previous one, but that is to be expected, as the fighter class was always one of the favorites in any game.

Mistakenly, people believe that offense power is the best one out there. Which isn't necessarily true, both in games and in real life.

“Good to see the ducklings choosing their paths! Now let's go to the green pillar! My favorite if I'm being honest. Summoners! A class that allows you to use both magic and weapons, the sky's the limit with the power of your summons!” Her excitement is not translated to her gaze, her eyes are unexpressive. Summoners are one of the weakest classes in the games that Rowan played, at least. They depend on their affinity to spirits and also to their goodwill. Only one person goes to the pillar this time.

It is to be expected, compared to actually being a magician or a priest, being a summoner doesn't sound as cool. He thinks, while observing the others, he also steals glances to the audience, however as he can't distinguish their forms or words, it is useless to do so.