When I stared into the abyss, I found that I was staring at a mirror.

Devoid

Chapter 1: Recycled

I slow my pace down as I finish the 8 mile run with the cross country team. I stoop to my metal thermoflask and take a deep draught. I check my watch to see that it is only 8:36, 24 minutes before practice ends. Just a few weeks ago, I was returning a few minutes later, so my pace has increased.

I catch up to Gale, my brother, who’s distracted by a few of his friends, the top level runners. After practice, we had back home and complete the regimen of 30 pull-ups, 8o pushups, 30 leg lifts and 120 crunches. After 2 months of doing this routine, we have become used to it, though we are both sweating near the end.

“Come on Zeph, if you want to attain my level of strength and genius, you’ll need more effort than that!” My bro then strikes a ridiculous pose, as though he was some sort of hero. We both end up laughing, because if I didn’t, he’d know that something was off.

I find that though it can be tiring at certain moments, it’s much more interesting to act as though it was funny than to act how I really am. If I acted naturally around my “friends” at school, I would be even more alone than I am know. I go to my room and change my clothes into something more casual.

I remember studying for the SAT, receiving my letter of acceptance, and feeling all of the hard work pay off for that perfect 1600. Though I’m in college now, it doesn’t mean I’m having an easier time with school.

Later that day, my brother and I decide that, to clear up our schedule, it’s time to quit Taekwondo lessons.. We’ve both already reached brown belts, and at a certain point, there isn’t much to be gained except for flashy jumping kicks and things that will never be used.

If you how to punch, kick, block, and counter the opponent, then what’s the point of all the special crap? Though, while we were discussing, my brother seemed distracted, as though he was far away, focused on more pressing issues.

Probably that game he’s addicted to.

I return to my room to finish the medical homework that I received the other day. I plug in my headphones, turn up the J-Pop, and begin the grind. “Oshiete yo, Oshi-” Rat ta ta ta ta, ta ta~

What a pain. I take off my headphones to hear someone pounding on my door to a smooth rhythm. That means it could only be one person. My brother, who probably thinks that it’s his sole purpose to pester me with every miniscule problem that I have, like school, working out, and whatnot.

I saunter towards the door, open it, lazily raising my head towards him as I speak. “What could it possibl-” are the last words that I utter as all in one move, he pulls a gun from his pocket, puts it in my hand, and blows my brains out.

As I open my eyes, the warm sun blinds me momentarily. I feel the slight ripple of grass behind my head as a soft gale washes over me. I have no idea where I am. I have no idea what my business is to be on a hill, covered in grass during the day.

And perhaps most importantly; I have not the slightest idea who I am.

I hear a voice that seems to emanate from all around me. “What did you do to get here?” I swivel to my left and right quickly, but grogginess is still with me and I fall over and roll down the hill. Wait. I swear I just heard someone snort. I get up and observe my surroundings, which happen to be nothing but grass as far as the eye can see.

Again the voice emanates. “So tell me, why are you here. How did you die?” How did I die? When did I die? “I died?”, I inquire. As if to mock me, “Of course. That’s the only way to gain passage to this world." I don’t recall dying anytime, but I also don’t remember living.

I speak this aloud, and for a moment, the voice seems to ponder. “How odd. This must be the first time I’ve seen someone who has no memory of their death or their life, and yet you are still a functionable person, is knowledgeable in things, and how to live. You must be special!”

Special? I snort at this prospect. Although I have no memory or distinction of life or people, I do remember being alone. As though it was good thing…

“I’m not sure how I could be special. So what is this place? I died to get here? Also, you not having a name is boring, so I’ll call you Joe.”

After hearing my words, Joe seems to be irritated for some reason, almost as though Joe is boring of a name for it. “So what’s the deal Joe?” After this, I can definitely tell that Joe is mad. “Insolent human… Joe... hmph. Yeah, so I randomly choose people who die to come to this world.

It’s called, uh, [turns away and seems to whisper to someone] Aerth.” What the shit. That’s just a lazy anagram of earth. “Depending on how someone dies, the outline for their new life is created. I don’t choose the outline, it just kinda occurs or something.” For some reason, this explanation seems to be getting less and less reliable. I start to walk left.

“Usually, suiciders get a pretty rough start, because suicide is a pretty dumb way to go. Serial killers and people like that get starts that are completely ass, like exile and no possessions. People are usually just born into the origin point, but this is the first time that someone’s been reborn here.” This is starting to seem like just another shitty, lazily made anime. I should know; I’ve seen at least 10 or so just like this.

“Can I just have my special ability already?” I say this expressionlessly and monotone. “What? How did you know? Impatient idiot… sure, fine, whatever. Blah blah blah, generic world building, what ability would you like?” says Joe.

“I want the ability to control the flow of time. Speeding up, slowing down, freezing, unfreezing, ya know? Also, make it toggleable.” I pick this specifically because, if you think about it, it’s quite literally the most overpowered ability. If time is frozen, I can do whatever I want. Same thing with slowing time down. Joe replies with, “Woah woah woah, that’s almost too OP.”

Eh? OP? When did you learn that kind of vocabulary? What are you, a 12 year old? “Okay fine, how about you attach some kind of demerit for using the ability?” This is also a generic element, but I hope it doesn’t come back to bite me.

After thinking for a few seconds, Joe replies, “Hmm. Okay then. I’ll make using the ability give you fatigue, like you were doing a long distance race.” Hehe. That works out just fine. I used to be a long distance runner. Wait. I just remembered something. But I still don’t remember anything about the actual endeavor…

“That’s fine.” I am fine with this. I remember running 7 or 8 miles every morning for a while. And yet, I don’t remember where, why, or any detail.

I hear a snapping sound and Joe says, “Now imagine the entire world slowing down or freezing around you. I’ll make some long grass that sways in the wind so you can tell if anything happens.” I look at the grass and imagine it slowing down. For a moment, it seems to become slower, but after just a few moments, I release my ability, and it resumes normal speed.

I stare harder and picture the grass freezing. It still doesn’t do much. I close my eyes, concentrate, and try to force the image in my head upon reality. The grass freezes in place.

I’m just standing in place, and yet, I feel like I’ve been running for a minute already. It seems that for every ten seconds I hold the freeze, I’ve run for another minute. After holding the freeze for 46 seconds, I feel the fatigue, and at 104 seconds I begin to sweat. And finally, at 343 seconds do I finally give in.

“Okay then.” This is gonna be good. I can perpetually increase my stamina. I know this for a fact. There are people who can hold a much faster pace than mine was for much much longer than 34 minutes back in my world.

I stare up into the cerulean sky and feel the warm wash over me. I got thrown away and killed, but I got recycled as someone into a new world. Let’s see, priorities: I’ve gotta find out who I am, get a job, find a place to stay, all of that. I don’t care much for love or comradeship, but I won’t turn down help if I can find it.

Joe seems to be blathering something in the background. “So, this world works kinda like an old school RPG, but there aren’t any stat windows or anything of the sort. You get stronger by training, smarter by studying, normal things like that. You can also kill monsters to increase all of your stats at once, per se, but it is much slower compared to individual training. There are also things like magic. Everyone uses it; but only the really skilled users have extreme magic, like meteors, and such.”

I hear a click, and a holograph pops up in front of me. “This is the origin point.”, Joe relays to me. What I see is pretty odd. I see skyscrapers and cars, but I also see dirt huts and mountains. He explains how this world has been around for a long time, blah blah, innovative things.

The mountain has monsters, upper middle class people live in cities, the huts are poor people, and recyclees, like me, have abilities also. But there is no way to distinguish the recycled from those born here or those originally from here.

The people here are mostly humans, but there are also some mixed breed humans, part demon, part animal, part monster or such. They mostly live in the huts though.

Past the mountains I see other villages and cities, and even a few lakes here and there. Joe then says, “And the farther you go from the origin, the stronger the people and creatures are.” Eventually I see a point to where there are no more cities, only mountains, fields, lakes, and caves.

“The only limit to how strong one can be is the physical limits to ones body. There may or may not be a way to break the physical limits. Monsters drop materials, you can make things out of the materials, sell them, more generic fantasy worldbuilding. There’s also other RPG elements, you’ll find them out eventually.” “Blah blah, I get the point. Send me to the origin town.”

This is beginning to get boring, and I just want to speed things up a little bit.

“Fine. Have it your way. There are plenty of people in the origin. Figure it out.” Joe seems to be annoyed with my insolence anyways. I hear a clap clap, and I am teleported to an outskirt area in the origin hut area.

I hear a crackle in my pocket and find a wallet with paper money and a note that says, “Don’t die. There should be enough money for a generic start ~ Joe” What a guy.

End of Chapter 1