START OF BOOK 4 CHAPTER 319 PROLOGUE

START OF BOOK 4 CHAPTER 319 PROLOGUE

My name is Mikhail. I assume I had a good childhood. Unfortunately my younger life is a blur. The first true memory I had was crawling from a frozen lake. My friends had tried to save me, or so they said. I had fallen through the ice far out on the lake. I had apparently swam to the edge on my own. Breaking myself free long after I should have succumbed to the cold.

We had been too scared of discipline from our families to say anything. Over time my memories before that event were forgotten. Simply washing away like melted snow in spring.

I was told I became different after that incident...Colder almost. I simply became aware. Aware of my surroundings. Aware that my actions had consequences. While the other boys were busy being children, I became disinterested in them and the games they played.

When I was old enough I joined the military. I did my time and ended up traveling. I spent a lot of time in China and Korea. In those countries there was more access to outside entertainment. I remembered seeing my first video game as a young man. Born far from a city I had never run into such things. It was an arcade game called Double Dragon. For the first time in a long time, I was interested in something. I became engrossed with it and other games.

After leaving the military I traveled more. Enjoying all the past times that had eluded me. Where my awareness of the mundane nature of my life was brought to bare, my mind turned to other avenues to try to find enjoyment. Games, movies, manga, everything was an interest to me. For the first time, I was the older kid desperate for the release of this or that book or game. I lived in Japan. The Americas. Europe. Acting as a Russian interpreter and translator, I did my best to fit into the countries. Eventually settling in Canada.

My past life was a blur. No enjoyment in it. Instead I focused on other worlds made by people I would never meet. I was drawn to any and everything to pass the time. I became quite good at video games. Never competition worthy, but they weren’t about getting the highest score. They were about drawing me away from the dull life I lived before.

I never married. Never had kids. No friends that I interacted with other than through a screen. I simply existed. No matter where I was, I became the weird foreigner that never talked. Hardly leaving my room I had been happy with that simple existence.

I died in a fire. My body wasn’t as fit as it had been once upon a time. Especially after I could do my translation job from home.

I woke up near the end of the fire. After my nerves had been burned off. I didn’t feel much of anything. Simply waited for it to end. And once it was over, and I felt my last breath leave me, I was fine with it.

I was quite surprised to open my eyes again. In a large black room with 4 red lights over 4 doors I sat up to find I had my younger body. 15 or 16 years old. As I stood up I noticed the blue female figure appear in the room.

“Hello Mikhail,” she said in perfect Russian.

“Cortana?” I asked. She was as I remembered from the Halo video game, but far more life-like. Blue luminescent skin. Short black hair. Skin tight clothes. Halo was the first game I had become an expert at. I had played it for days on end. Thousands of hours. I had looked forward to its release. Posted tips and tricks on the game. It was my passion.

“I am the Moderator,” she said. “But you can call me the Moderator if you want.”

“Okay...” I said slowly. “Is this-”

“Hell, purgatory, heaven? No. Sorry to interrupt, but I have to get through a lot of these. Welcome to the Challenge. You and 9,999 others that died around the time you died, have been brought here. Or more specifically, rooms just like this one. No, I can’t tell you why you were picked. Why we are putting you through this. What happened after you died. None of that. Think of this place as a second chance, and take it for the gift it is.”

“Which is?”

“A second chance,” she said with a huff. “Are you not paying attention?” Her hands behind her back she began to walk the perimeter of the room. “Beyond these doors will be every world you ever dreamed of visiting. Halo?” She pointed at herself. “One Piece, Marvel, Tales of Demons and Gods, Solo Leveling, Gravity Falls, Harry Potter, Stranger Things. Any and every popular form of entertainment is at your fingertips, you simply have to pick your favorite.”

A screen popped up in front of my face.

Please Pick 4 Halls.

Note: The First Hall Chosen will be your Main Hall. Your Main Hall will have different perks and advantages.

Books

Comics

Manga

Manhwa

Anime

Movies

Television

Video Games

Manhua

Cartoons

“What am I picking these for?” I asked.

“To live,” she said. “That’s all I can tell you on that question.”

So that meant there were other questions I could ask. “Why is there an Anime and Manga Hall? Most manga are anime. Are they separate?”

“Too bad. My last offer. Are you interested in a skill called, Blank Slate? With this skill you would lose all your memories, except coming here and our conversation thus far, and your knowledge of the worlds you picked. All that time you spent playing Halo would be in your head, but not your childhood crush.”

“No, thank you,” I said immediately.

“You sure? If you took Blank Slate I would reveal which doors held which worlds. Also you would get 3 free Challenger Slots,” she said, raising her eyebrows in a suggestive way.

“No,” I said.

“Damn. Only seen that one picked like 3 times. Always interesting. One of these days someone will pick both, and we will get a really cool Challenger,” she mumbled. I was tempted after hearing that, but I feared it would change who I was. I liked who I was.

“Last chance,” she said, hopeful. I shook my head. “Fine, last question. Ask it and I’m gone.”

I had decided against my original question. Instead of asking a simple one I walked up to the door that now read Video Games. Opening it, Cortana followed. A long hallway ahead there was 1 door on my right, 3 on my left, and 1 straight ahead. I opened the side doors in the hallways. They had a random amount of doors. The door at the end had 11 doors all around. I guessed these were the ones I had picked.

“You said no one knows which door is which world. Is there a way to guess or assume which door is which world?” I asked.

“Never been asked that at this point,” she mumbled. “No, there is no way to know for sure. But each world has a Tier of strength that it takes to beat it. Not just the canon, but the world itself. Beating the strongest of the strong. Worlds go up to Tier 5 in difficulty. The higher the tier, usually, the closer to the entrance the door is.” She pointed at the door we just entered. “But also, the harder the story, the better the quest rewards you will have access to.”

I nodded. “That’s it then. Good luck, Mikhail. I am excited to see where you go.” With that she was gone.

Letting out a sigh I looked around. It wasn’t a question of what world I wanted. I would see if I lucked upon it. 12 doors around me I picked the one to the right of the door I walked in. As it all became black, the scenery around me began to illuminate. I was in the cargo hold of a spaceship. One I recognized. More than a little excited there were men and women around me, but I didn’t know any of the people. I was regretting not taking this Memory Meld skill.

Checking my body I was in armor that I recognized. Thick chunks of metal strapped to my chest, I wasn’t the main protagonist, but I must have been some marine in the background. As I tried to get more clues I received notifications.

You have chosen the Halo World

Too bad you only have 1 life. Better hope you get it right the first time.

Rewards:

Status Screen

Access by saying or thinking Status

World Escape

Access by saying or thinking World Exit/Escape

Warning: 24 Hour Cooldown

Despite the cryptic note I had a smile on my lips. This was somewhere I always wanted to go. It was a dream come true.

“Mikhail, strap in. Gonna be bumpy!” Someone yelled from the front of the ship. I noticed others begin to secure themselves in seats. I followed their movements and to my surprise received a quest.

Halo World Quest 1:

Land safely on the ring known as Halo.

Rewards:

Spartan Muscular Enhancement

A wide smile on my lips, the world was already giving me easy quests for great rewards. At least that’s what I thought until the back of the ship blew off. Air being sucked out I saw 2 people that hadn’t strapped in properly be pulled out the rear. Both floating away in the blankness of space.

Alarms blared and I became so scared I couldn’t help but yell, “World Escape!”

Instantly I was back in the main Video Game Hall. “Shithead world!” I yelled. “Already ended my chances at living the life?!” I yelled louder. Hitting the door with my fist.

I knew it had been too good to be true. Angry, I cursed and kicked, upset that it had been pulled from my grasp. In Halo the Spartan, Master Chief, was on a ship called Pillar of Autumn. Chased by aliens, the ship found a large ring called Halo. People evacuated the Pillar of Autumn, which must have been where I was when all hell broke loose.

“If only there was a...” I said slowly. Standing up, the idea struck me instantly. Without hesitation I walked out of the Video Game room. Heading back into the main Junction Room I walked through the door that read Anime. I knew just the world to help me in Halo.

Surrounded by the 11 anime worlds I asked, “Which of you is Fullmetal Alchemist?” I asked.

If I could learn Edward Elric’s method of using alchemy without a circle, maybe I could stretch the metal of the back of the spaceship enough to close the hole. Saving myself from being sucked out into space.

Unsure where to start, I picked a room at random, ready to try again. I was glad I didn’t lose my memories of the rooms. I was able to plan and choose which worlds could help me most. Everything was starting to come together.