Chương 1: White Light

How did I get here? I wondered that to myself as I looked around this place. My name is John and I'm here at a cabin in the woods from our small-town. Hardwood floors, a fireplace crackling for some reason... Even though it's only June. A cold beer in my hand thinking it can help ease my nerves. Drunk idiots all around me. Either crying that they'll miss each other or angry shouts that I can't really make out over all the chaos. I'm nothing too crazy, black hair, blue eyes, 6 ft 1".

I'm good with physical activity and I'm pretty smart. Enough to get a scholarship out of my little hometown to one of the top 10 Colleges in the Country. I didn't need to go to somewhere like that, but I feel it was the best way to repay my current Foster Parents. To let them know they succeeded and I'm not going to let My Parent's deaths control my life. That's where I'm going and why... But as for the reason I'm currently at this place, dealing with the person I'd rather never see again...

That would be because of my Foster Sister. It's a Graduation Party I didn't really want to come to it, but I decided to come because she came. Laura, my Childhood Friend and Foster Sister. Blond hair like untouched sand, green eyes like emeralds. A person could get lost in her eyes. That or her good looks that could've made her a model already. She's wearing a green top and jeans, she's of average height. We've been in each other's lives for as long as I can remember.

our Parents were Friends before we were even born, they even got houses next to each other and it stayed that way until the car crash happened. I was 9. And I was in the back seat of the car... It was a head on collision... It took 15 minutes for the emergency services to get there while I sat, stuck from the seatbelt I was wearing... Covered in blood looking at the blood covered hole in the windshield where my Parents... Where their corpses were...

It took a long time to be able to sleep at night without nightmares, drunk drivers are the worst. I still catch myself thinking that they're still here... Of course I miss them. I try to hide it as best I can because after the funeral, Laura's Parents were kind enough to take me in. They're good people. Her Mother, Victoria, was extremely patient with me. Her father, Dan, is someone I trust completely. I can never fully thank them for what they've done for me.

To make things easier for Laura, we decided to hide the fact I live with her in high school. Something about her finding it embarrassing... Or not trying to rock the boat... It doesn't really matter now, I guess? I agreed... She seemed disappointed when I said yes. But if she was, what was the point of asking me to hide it in the first place? As for Laura, we were more or less together since birth. I usually went with her flow. I'm more of a stay at home, relax, play a video game or watch a movie kind of guy.

Recently, in high school our relationship has gotten more strained. We used to be so close... It felt off being apart before. Now she sometimes struggles to get words out when we talk, but she still insists on talking to me and bringing me places? She's really popular at our school, able to get along with just about anyone. I usually kept to myself, studying or working out, occasionally interacting with people when the situation would come up.

In fact, I see a couple of people in the room who I've had interactions with. In particular the four people sitting opposite me, around Laura. This situation ended up playing out multiple times during these past 4 years. For some reason, I'm invited by Laura somewhere and she brings them, and my stress starts to build. The three girls sitting around Laura, her friends. The first of which, sitting by her right side, was Lucy. The most active of the 4 girls. Her and Laura are cheerleaders.

Lucy has blond hair and brown eyes. She's wearing a black top and a white skirt tonight. Her natural good looks made her and Laura seem like the perfect pair. Next to Lucy was Ashley, a track and field runner, she was the sportswoman of the group. she's part of the track team and seems to be pretty good at it. She's slightly tan because of all of the running outside she does. She was a brunette with hair so dark brown it almost bordered on black and her eye color matched her hair color.

She's dressed in a pink shirt and black shorts. Then there's Jaime, sitting on Laura's left side. She's a lot quieter than the other 3. She's more of a bookworm. I've seen her reading in the library while I was there studying during our time in high school. She was a brunette like Ashley, but her hair was a lighter shade, like milk chocolate. Her eyes were light blue, almost like her eyes were made of ice. She's dressed in a blue blouse and jeans... And then there's Lucy's brother Luke.

Who was sat in a chair adjacent to the girls. He was a little shorter than me, with black hair like me, and brown eyes like his sister. Pretty much the 4 most popular girls in the school are sitting opposite to me. I'd be able to enjoy it more if it wasn't for Luke being there. Sitting there, next to the couch the girls were sitting on. Glancing over at me with a strange look on his face that was beginning to reach the end of my patience. Luke and I don't get along.

Whether it be sports or studying, I've always gotten the better of him. I'd assume that is where his attitude with me comes from. It's always been bad vibes between us and it doesn't help the fact that he takes every chance to try to belittle me in the only way he can, that being my social life. Seeing as Laura is the only person, I'm close to, he takes every chance he can to call me a loner or a freak. Whether behind my back or in front of my face. Like now for instance. He's a few cups of beer in.

yelling Loudly so everyone can hear him. He turns his head from Lucy who seemed to have said something to him and begins to ask Laura something. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Why do you even talk to this loser?" He said this while the conversation wasn't about or involved me at all. All 4 of the girls sat there puzzled as to where that came from, even more so as he lifted his hand to point at me incase they didn't understand who he was talking about... As if they could. I wasn't too confused... Like I said, this is how it's always gone, though usually, he isn't this brazen. Maybe it was the beers he drank or maybe he assumes this is the last time we will see each other.

As for me, maybe it's the beer I just finished or maybe it was the fact I've been sick of him since the first time I heard him speak, but my patience has worn thin for the night. So fuck it... I responded directly to him.

"Probably because I don't have a personality that revolves around my inferiority complex. or how badly I try to impress people over nothing." I guess that beer is starting to let my real thoughts leak out. I stare at the 5 of them, not particularly caring about the reactions. After a few seconds Luke speaks. I'm sure I'm going to hear something on the level of the greatest writers on the planet." Says the guy sitting in my family's cabin." He looked proud of that one, I don't know why. I replied."

If that's the best you can do it's no wonder why you could never beat me." The girls started having worried looks on their faces, Luke was furious since he's drunk. I guess it was just enough to provoke him. he proceeded to get up and come towards me, so I stood up to, waiting to see what happens next. the girls get in the middle of it. Lucy, Ashley and Jaime go to pacify Luke as Laura looks at me angrily, she began to shout at me, like I was the one in the wrong...

"why are you fighting with him tonight? It was nice before that!" I responded to her while raising my voice as well." I'm fighting with him because he started it! You guys were saying nothing about me, and he brought me up to try to insult me! Just like always! Why are you even trying to defend him!?" I hoped that was the end... It wasn't. Before long, she started to speak again." You know he's always like that, you're always the bigger man, why change today!?"

I try not to, but I can't help responding to her with the blood rushing to my head, I start to say things that have been weighing on me for a while now... I almost can't believe they're starting to escape my mouth.

"It's not my job to turn the other cheek, to keep you and your friends happy! It's almost like you bring me places just to have him try to talk down to me for some idiotic reason! I'm sick of it!" Laura took a deep breath and responds to me in a shaky, weak voice." I never asked you to do that. I brought you to places with them because they're my friends and they're important to me." I responded to her as soon as she finished her sentence." Yeah, but you still seem to be missing the point!

They aren't MY friends, they're yours!" Anger is coursing through me and the past 4 years all flash before me. I feel something snap, and I feel a strange sense of calm. Laura noticed that happening... Maybe the three girls did as well? At this point they're watching me and Laura speak to each other. Though I was confused by the sad looks in their eyes. Regardless of that, I look at Laura and I just say what's really on my mind.

"I'm tired of holding back, I'm tired of being dragged by you, to interact with these people who don't even attempt to talk to me when I'm there and honestly... I'm just tired of trying to make our friendship work. You can barely string 2 sentences together when talking to me and you look flustered like you'd rather be doing anything else. I'm tired of feeling like the guy you feel sorry for, so you drag him to places. And honestly I'm tired of trying." The three girls looked horrified... Luke is smiling.

He most likely has been hoping for something like this to happen... Oh, he's going to get what's he hoped for and more, I can feel my fist tightening already... But that's when I heard it.." Hck.." Laura... She... She sniffled? I looked back at her and I could see Laura's eyes were starting to water... Before the tears could fall, she started trying to say something. Her voice was weak, almost like a whisper... And it made me lean in as I tried to hear what she was about to say." No, I.." / BOOM!

/ And then, all I heard was a loud boom and looking around, I could see that I'm surrounded in white light, and I feel a set of strong eyes on me like they just saw through me. What the hell? / BOOM! /"!" I jump slightly at the feeling of being looked at... Even more when another loud boom exploded in my ears... The light faded and I'm in a big room made of stone. The sun is shining in the tinted windows of the room I'm in.

I look around from the window, and I can see weird looking humanoid creatures staring back at me. Men with animal heads. With 3 eyes or 4 ears, sometimes both, sometimes more, sometimes less. I see humans of different shapes, sizes and ages with skin, hair and eye colors I've never seen before.

My eyes eventually land on a set of steps in front of me... I follow them till I see the eyes that feel similar to the ones from the white light, but somewhat different? I can't explain it well, but I don't think they're the eyes that I felt? They seem... Sadder? Less discerning maybe? The eyes I'm seeing now... They're tired, like someone who hasn't slept in weeks is looking at me... Thew eyes were red, blood red, maybe they'd be scary in a different circumstance, but right now... They feel frail...

Looking at what was around the eyes, I saw a man with long white hair who looks to be in his early forties despite the hair color. He looked exhausted even though his handsome features still make him look almost like a male model. There was also a woman a little younger looking than him standing next to the man. If he looked like a male model, then she was every bit his perfect match and more. Her deep, dark blue hair and eyes looked like the ocean at it's most untouched and pretty.

I almost forgot to breathe looking at the both of them together. It was almost like a painting of the perfect couple was in front of me... But there was a problem, the woman wasn't just standing next to the man, she was helping to hold him up. The tired man looked at me, and said with what appears to be the last of his strength." I, the Demon King Warrick Dreadnaught and My Wife, the Demon Queen, Aqua Dreadnaught, welcome you, John Ericsson, the Paladin, to Diablos!"

I hear cheers all around me and all I can think is something so simple, but encapsulates so much about this.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING!?"