I woke up.

Usually, after death, you don't wake up but, here I was, Awake on the cold hard floor. Staring up at a ceiling that I didn't recognize, a vaulted ceiling almost 200 feet up with a few chandeliers providing most of the illumination. As my eyes slowly adjusted to the dim candlelight, I began to make out the details of my environment.

I was in a sealed-off room with the only noticeable entry point being the large wooden double doors in front of me. The walls were made of white marble interrupted by periodic black stone pillars. A dark wooden trim decorated the stone. Different wooden murals hung from the walls. On my left was a wall of foreign script. On the right was some sort of battle. Two figures, one with a sword the other with a dagger, stood fighting atop a mound of corpses. Under both of these murals laid strange arrangements of glowing runes that I couldn't decipher.

Magic!

It was surprising how quickly my worry and panic from possibly dying was replaced with unbridled excitement. I couldn't help but jump to my feet. Any sense of weariness was utterly gone. I did a quick double-take of my surroundings before examining myself. I was still in my own body, still in the black t-shirt and jeans, I didn't have my phone, and the only thing in my pockets was a receipt from lunch and a worn-out ballpoint pen.

This was it! I had been transferred to another world! My harem-filled adventures would start here in this very room! I dropped to the ground and sat in my best imitation of the lotus position. I did my best to clear my mind and started to meditate. If it's a fantasy world, it has to have magic, and as the chosen hero, I should have no trouble awakening it. I tried to focus on any cultivation image I could think of, a lake of Qi in my stomach, A magic circle over my heart, A core in my chest that sucked energy in from my surroundings, anything.

After sitting crisscross applesauce for longer than I care to admit, I gave up on the notion of awakening magic. Sadly, I couldn't notice any significant difference from my deep meditation. I wasn't going to be able to find mana on my own, apparently. Oh well, patience is a virtue, as they say. Still, the welcome has been rather lackluster, No cute princesses, honorable knights, or even a circle of robed magicians. Maybe this is one of those solo adventures where I have to power up on some ancient grimoire or something.

For good measure, I also decided to test if there was some sort of system. After closing my eyes and seeing no level or menu, I decided to use the old reliable verbal system call.

"System!" I shouted with genuine confidence. Despite my voice proudly reverberating around the empty room, there was no visible change. Perhaps I had the word wrong?

"Status. Level. Control Screen. Pause…." I tried every variation and activation method I could think of. None of which produced any results.

Seeing as there was nothing much I could do, I decided to explore my new environment. I made my way to the script on the left and did my best to decipher some meaning from it. My findings were odd. I found an image on the top border of the mural. It depicted hundreds of people of tons of different races, most of which I didn't recognize. All of them were weeping, like a lost child separated from their parent. Above them was a thunderous storm. Tornados, lightning, and torrential rains all poured down on the weeping masses. In the middle of this storm sat twelve empty thrones, all with their own unique decor and symbols.

I couldn't read the script at all. Yet, almost as if I was staring down the barrel of a gun, as my eyes passed over each line, I could feel the anxiety building up inside me. I wasn't worried about not being able to read the language. I'm sure that would resolve itself sooner or later. It was a sort of primal urge to run. To close my eyes and hide from the contents of the script.

Like what was written on that mural was some truth of the universe that was never supposed to be known.

After a few more seconds of light reading, I gave up on the writing and made my way to the opposite mural. On closer inspection, it looked as if most of the creatures depicted in the battle weren't human. Instead, most were a form of huge horned monster. The carving was faded, but from what I could make out, it seemed the leader of the monsters and the human king were fighting atop a mountain of fallen warriors. All of which were still fighting for control of the pile despite having life-threatening wounds. The most intriguing part of the carving was the weapons of the monster leader and human king. Both were carved in excruciating detail. Each chip, rune, and mark on the blades were perfectly annunciated. Unlike the rest of the faded carving, the weapons appeared brand new.

As I moved in for a closer look, the doors to the chamber flew open. Two knights wearing matching gold-trimmed plate armor stood glaring down at me. One stood steady with a lance to his right. The other seemed jittery, closing and unclosing his hands around his heavy halberd. They both must have been at least 7 feet tall and almost 2 and a half feet wide. These guys were massive! A small hint of worry plagued me but was soon overtaken by my excitement.

This was it! It's finally time for my adventure to begin! Alright, first impressions are essential Daniel. Don't fuck this up. Make yourself sound important yet approachable—you're the chosen hero. You can do this!

"Um, hello, my name is Daniel. I suppose you must have summoned me?"

Despite my greeting, neither of the knights responded to my words. Maybe there was no auto-translate in this world. I couldn't read the script or the runes from before either. I should be ok, though. Usually, a mage will come and cast some language comprehension spell on the protagonist or give them a translation artifact. This will likely be my first time witnessing magic casting too! Maybe I'll be able to copy the spell as soon as I see it. The mage might also be able to see my potential in magic and take me under his wing. Then I can go and kick ass in some famous magic academy for a few years before becoming an unstoppable magus of tenth-tier magic.

I was so far gone in my daydreams that I almost missed the subtle knock on the door. The Knights shared a simple nod as they moved from the doorway. One of the gates slowly peered open, allowing a stench beyond my wildest dreams to pour into the chamber. I began to gag at the smell before losing myself in a fit of puking after one glimpse at the figure behind the door. The figure was a human female, if you could still call it that. Dull flames engulfed the woman melting her skin like wax. Bits and pieces of hair and flesh freed themselves from bone and splattered on the ground as she moved. Her body locked in an endless cycle as any flesh that fell was quickly regenerated and engulfed in flame.

I was so focused on the woman before me. I missed the Knights movements. The Knights moved soundlessly despite their hulking figures. Before I could comprehend the direction of their activity, they were already behind me, prodding me forward with the butt of their weapons. Without giving me even a moment to respond, I was soon knocked forward by a heavy blow.

I fell to my knees before the melting woman. The heat of her flames caressing my skin. The woman leaned down to meet my eye. We stayed locked in that position for an eternity peering into each other's eyes. It must have only been for an instant, but for the briefest moment, the woman's eyes glazed over in a look of pity.

Was she really pitying me?

With a series of grunts and hisses from the woman, the room once again came to life. My sight began to blur from the heat as the melting woman drew closer. Before I could beg her to leave me be, I was thrown back by one of the Knights. My body crashing against the floor from the force. What the hell? This wasn't how summonings happen.

I was only able to catch a glimpse of his movements as he raised the butt of his weapon and slammed it down on my head. Excruciating pain engulfed me before leaving just as quickly as it came.

My consciousness slipped, and darkness engulfed me.