Chương 1: The Last Adventure

Zander finally felt the excruciating spike of pain recede, settling back to its usual, agonizing baseline. As always, the attack ended as abruptly as it began. He was born with an inexplicable illness. For as long as he could remember, the pain he felt constantly was his daily companion. It felt like countless tiny needles in his blood were poking him all the time, a relentless ache that pulsed with every heartbeat.

With each birthday, the intensity had ratcheted up a notch, a grim milestone marked not with celebration, but with increased suffering. Yet, he'd learned to mask it, to present a stoic facade to the world, a skill honed since the tender age of five. What better motivator than having your parents constantly consumed by worry? They had spent oh so much money to ease their son's suffering, but nothing helped. The countless doctor visits all led to the same result.

"Everything seems normal", the doctors would invariably say. They would give him painkillers, but those never had any effect on him. No drug ever had for that matter. He couldn't even imagine what his parents had gone through when he was still a baby; the constant, inconsolable cries of a baby in unrelenting pain. A wave of sadness washed over him at the thought of his parents: they had both died in a traffic accident a few weeks ago. At least they won't see their son die.

Children are supposed to bury their parents, not the other way around, he thought, a bitter solace in the face of his impending doom. The grim reality was that Zander's days were numbered. The turning point had come just after his eighteenth birthday. The usual increase in pain intensity was accompanied by something far more terrifying: the attacks. Three months after that fateful birthday, the first one struck.

The needle-like pain intensified tenfold, joined by a burning sensation, as if his blood had turned to molten lava. It happened for the first time in the middle of a college class; he had collapsed and was screaming at the top of his lungs. A quarter of an hour later, it was over, but that day marked a turning point in his illness. Since then, he had to switch to online college classes, and after that, he was lucky enough to land a remote job. He basically had no social life to speak of.

The attacks became more frequent, progressing from every three months to every two months, then to monthly, and now, they occurred every three days. He was spiraling towards a terrifying precipice. Soon, the attacks would become constant, an unending nightmare that would surely claim his life, or worse, his sanity. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Pushing away his dark thoughts, Zander got up from the bed where he had collapsed and headed towards the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face, the shock momentarily clearing his head, and grabbed a towel to dry himself. He glanced at the mirror, which returned his atypical gaze. His irises and pupils were blood red, mirroring the color of his hair. From the look of his hair, people assumed he was a redhead, but his medical tests told a different story.

Doctors had run endless tests, trying to prove it was just a rare genetic quirk of melanin, but the results always came back normal. He didn't have any freckles either. He was a true medical enigma, a puzzle the doctors couldn't solve. He would have become a human guinea pig, he was sure of it, if his parents hadn't been so fiercely protective. Yet, the reflection the mirror gave him was not that of a sick person.

He stood tall and lean at 5 feet and 11 inches, his skin healthy, his physique suggesting a man in peak condition. This was the paradox of his illness: on the one hand, he was constantly in pain with regular agonizing attacks, and on the other, he had not fallen ill once in his 27 years of existence. He was also in excellent physical condition and stronger than his slim physique would suggest, a fact some school bullies had learned the hard way when he was younger. Alright, that's enough sad thoughts for today.

Zander left the bathroom to finish his preparations, a sense of purpose fueling his actions. Knowing that he only had a few months to live, he'd decided to spend his remaining days in the wilderness, a final adventure before the inevitable end. His plane ticket was already booked for the next day. He checked the contents of his backpack one last time: fire starter, map, compass, clothes, knife, food, water... He then added his lightweight tent.

I'm finally ready for the last adventure of my life, he thought, a bittersweet mix of anticipation and sorrow swirling within him. * Two days had passed since Zander arrived at the national forest, but the throngs of tourists and weekend hikers had grated on his nerves. He craved solitude, a place where he could commune with nature and escape the noise of civilization. So, he'd ventured deeper, pushing further into the wilderness, his pain, that old friend, always with him.

He'd even endured an attack the previous day, collapsing by the side of a trail, the world dissolving into a vortex of blood and agony. It had been a spectacle for a few concerned hikers who passed by, but when it ended fifteen or so minutes later and he reassured them that he was fine now, they went on with their day. Finally, after two days of trekking, he found it: a secluded clearing, nestled amidst towering pines, far from any trail. The only sound was that of nature: the wind and the sounds of wildlife.

A mountain loomed in the distance, its peak shrouded in a light mist. He couldn't wait to go there in the upcoming days to explore. As dusk settled, painting the sky in hues of orange and red, Zander set up his tent. He ate a freeze-dried meal, the food a mere formality. His thoughts were on the adventures tomorrow would bring. He laid down in his sleeping bag, the hard ground not bothering him at all. He closed his eyes and drifted into sleep, the pain a constant hum beneath the surface of his consciousness.

But then, in the middle of the night, he was abruptly pulled from sleep by a voice inside his head: The System welcomes you to the integrated universe!