It was an unusually rainy morning and the class of room 23 was waiting for their teacher to arrive. Room 23 was abuzz with gossip, talks of sports, and bullying. All students were partaking except for our protagonist. Lucien Scott. Looking out the window daydreaming while listening to hard rock through a single earbud. An outcast partly by choice, but also by the one’s he trusted. Some of the previously mentioned gossip was surrounding Lucien. He got in a fight with someone popular. 

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They pushed me too far so I pushed back, physically. Just like they wanted. The classroom’s door opened abruptly and all heads turned towards it. I didn’t have to look to know who it was. Erik and his little gang of traitors entered the room with him in the back like the cowardly snake he is. They surrounded my desk and stood there expecting me to give a damn. I kept looking out at the rain hitting the window as I flipped them off.

“Now now Lucien. Don’t be a sore loser, we were friends once. Besides, I won fair and square.” Erik said in the voice of the most annoying preppy kid, him. I scoffed, shaking my head.

“Fair and square? Is that what you call it when you stab someone in the back?” I finally turned towards them, with an emotionless glare. 

“They would have found out eventually. After all, it's not like your good guy act would have fooled them forever. Ain’t that right babe?” He said to the girl with his arm around her shoulder. Avery, my ex friend and ex girlfriend. 

“Erik, stop. you said you wouldn’t antagonize him.” Avery said softly, and clearly uncomfortable. I exhaled through my nose deeply.

“So, what do you want from me now? You already got my friends, girlfriend, and secrets.” 

Erik snickered, “Just wanted to tell you what we did last night.” I froze like stone.

“Erik, stop!” Avery started to shout, but was interrupted when the whole room flashed blue, blinding me as I felt my body cease to exist. 

My body reformed in the clouds along with my peers’. A woman stood before us. She had a robe along with wings and a halo. It only made sense that I thought she was an angel. “Greetings! I, the Goddess Alisa have chosen all of you to be the saviors of another world.

There were murmurs and whispered conversations among us, but at this point I couldn’t care less.

I raised my hand, as to show at least some respect, but I spoke before being called on. “All of us? What kind of criteria for being saviors did this entire class meet?”

Before the goddess could respond Erik jumped in, just to kiss ass while putting me down. “Lucien! Show some respect. I know you might not understand that word, however this is a beautiful goddess. How dare you question her!”

I glared at him with a skeptical smirk. The goddess stepped in to comment. “Ser Erik, I appreciate it, however I can handle this myself.” She moved on to explain some things, as Erik smiled at me, in a subtle yet clearly antagonizing manner.

Apparently the world the goddess is sending us to is called Tena. It’s a fantasy world with magic and monsters. There’s a demon lord or something, and we have to kill him? I don’t really know, I didn’t really pay attention. However I did hear all of us would be hailed as heroes and gifted blessings from various gods that will watch us from above. She even gave a demonstration on how it worked. I would end up being an example.

“Lucien, step forward if you will.” The goddess told me, as the other students snickered as if to say ‘even here you’re nothing but trouble.’ I sighed and stepped forward. “So you’ll say ‘Ser’ before Eriks name but not mine?”

The goddess smiled with an undertone of bad intentions. “‘Ser’ Lucien, I hereby curse you.”

I raised an eyebrow and looked at her quizzically. “Huh?-“ I felt warmth, cold, and all strength leave my body, making me fall to my knees. Some of my peers were smiling, SMILING. Only a couple of them seemed concerned, oddly Avery was among them. 

The goddess continued to explain. “The other gods will be able to curse you as well, should they deem it necessary. So be on your best behavior Heroes. Now I’ll send the heroes to Castle Emyre.” She turned to me. “However, Lucien will not be joining them.” Avery was about to speak up when Erik forcefully stopped her. She screamed as he held his hand over her mouth, sneering at me before they were teleported away.

“Lucien, I have cursed you with a very special curse. Since you don’t seem very obedient, I’ve decided to make you my puppet to carry out my bidding.” As I was about to protest she ordered me to be silent. I couldn’t talk, no matter how much I wanted to. All I could do was growl like a maniac as she continued. “As my puppet, you will commit crimes and bloody your hands so I don’t have to.”

I breathed heavily through my nose as it flared. Gritting my teeth, I refused to accept it. I charged at her, feet slamming against the surface beneath us. “Stop.” I did against my will, no matter how much I struggled. I stared into her eyes with a fury foreign to me. “I despise that look in your eyes. As such, I’ve changed my mind.  Your curse will be immortality, however you will spend it in hell. Far from your friends and family. Let’s see how long you can keep up your rebellious attitude when given an eternity to break.” She smiled and waved as the solid surface I stood on disappeared.

With the curse being changed I could scream again. “BITCH!” Were my chosen parting words to her. I then closed my eyes as my descent sped up. It was getting hot, be it from the fall or the area I was falling to, I didn’t know.

The meat and skin on my back started to crack and burn away before I felt my spine snap on impact. It felt like a freight train had collided with it. I layed there unable to move. Stranded in a volcanic hellscape surrounded by grotesque monsters. One of these monsters was already by my side, towering over my body with a horrific toothy grin. Their giant cleaver-like sword was raised before I could blink. It fell severing my leg just as fast. 

The shock delayed my pain for a single blissful second. “AAAAAAAAAH!” I screamed in agony. Both my screams and the scent of the blood spewing out my leg’s stump attracted more monsters. These ones were small and the next to torture me. Piercing my body with sharpened sticks and bones, as others gnawed on my flesh and clawed through my clothes leaving deep gashes. I lost consciousness as they tore open my stomach, tears streaming down my face.

I died, and wound up in a void. Purgatory, as far as I could tell. I heard a gargled indecipherable voice that against all evidence, I understood.

“I, the God of Adversity bless you with regeneration. Act wisely, and fight bravely no matter the odds."