Chương 1: Friends

Oscar Reed walked around his campus aimless as his mind worked overtime to conjure up some new excuse. His literature class group for their big semester project had been asking him to come hang out tonight. And all because he'd gone and accidentally done too much of the heavy lifting which had secured them all the highest grade out of all of the other groups. While he had no friends these days, it wasn't because he was some social outcast.

He felt immense anxiety at being in social situations, but he could fake being confident. Well, at least a decent level of confidence to not be viewed as some loser. But make no mistake, Oscar knew he was a loser. Over the years he'd grown accustomed to solitude and doing things alone. Even when he gamed online, he did so alone. He'd tried joining online chats and stuff, but never had the courage to really talk to strangers. There was also the aspect of online denizens having a high risk of being weirdos.

He'd seen enough creeps be canceled to know better than to risk befriending someone online. It was best to keep his online world closed off, he figured. And as a result of his unfortunate decision to apply himself on this project… Brock was now asking him to come and chill with the rest of the group. There had been other invites throughout the semester, but each one he'd declined via bullshit excuse. Worst of all, Brock knew but never called him out. This time was different, though.

Brock was for some reason hyper-determined to drag Oscar's pale-ass out. As if sensing he'd been thinking of the guy, his phone buzzed. This time Brock typed in the group chat… Great. It was the usual, so he decided on a generic excuse." Gotta go downtown tonight. Forgot it's my dads birthday celebration tonight. Sorry!" Oscar stuffed his phone into his pocket… and then fished it back out once more. After setting his phone to 'Do Not Disturb' he returned the device back to his pocket.

In all honesty, he didn't know why he continued to act this way. His distaste for Brock was completely irrational. Despite Brock being so handsome, athletic, charming, and all of the other things that Oscar wasn't… he never acted superior. And he did want to change and start making friends. And with someone like Brock continuing to offer a helping hand his way… Why did he keep swatting it away? Even the other members of their group was nice to him. Not even in a patronizing way either.

Whilst deep in thought, he'd accidentally bumped in someone.

"Uh… sorry! I wasn't—""Oscar? No way!" the dreadfully familiar voice of Brock said.

"Oh, hey… Brock. What's up?"

"I just saw your text. We were all really hoping you'd be there tonight. We're gonna get some good food to celebrate. You sure you can't make it?"

"I…want to. It's just that—""Don't overthink things! Come hang out, get dinner with us, and let's celebrate nailing this final project," Brock said.

"Hard to let anxiety control you when there is a huge bowl of ramen staring at ya!"

"…What time?" Oscar heard himself ask… or rather, his stomach asked.

"8 PM! Allie's parents own that little ramen spot downtown next to Big Mike's Massages." Brock pulled up the address and sent it to Oscar as he spoke.

"I gotta go, but we all better see your ass there or else!" With that, Brock dashed off in the opposite direction. Oscar let out a little sigh, and despite himself, the beginnings of a smile started crafting itself upon his visage. Maybe this was going to be the first step to improvement. If only Wilson could see him now… Five hours until dinner meant Oscar could sneak in a quick little three hour nap to ensure his social battery was up to snuff.

His apartment wasn't that far either as he practically lived on campus. It was only a ten minute walk from where he was now. After arriving back to his place, Oscar stripped down to his boxers and flung himself into his eternally comfy bed. After setting an alarm, sleep came almost immediately after. It didn't take long for him to realize that he was completely lucid. A couple of years ago he tried to learn how to lucid dream from various videos, but sadly to no avail.

How odd that during a random nap on a day like this that he would achieve lucidity. The mystery quickly subsided as he started taking note of this surroundings. The room was completely barren with there being clear walls telling him he was basically in a box. However, the walls were like a black void, seemingly going on infinitely and also not at the same time. The only thing of real note was the plain wooden door that stood alone in the middle of the room. Not on any of the walls… just directly in the middle.

The door creaked open despite not being on any hinges, revealing another room. Oscar hesitantly sidestepped around the door just to confirm that the room he was seeing from beyond the door didn't exist in the room he was in now.

"Enter," a cold voice said from the new room. Oscar didn't go through the door, but when he blinked, he saw himself in that new space. It looked a bit different, though. Varnished wooden bookcases expanded without end in each direction, while the spot he was in was something like a common area. There were finely made chairs and a couch, a fireplace that was lit alight with no tinder, and a chandelier that provide more comfortable lighting. But no source of the voice.

"Um… hello? Is someone there?"

"Truly… you're here?" the voice said from behind. Oscar turned around and almost screamed from fear. Looming in front of him was a tall figure of unknown origin. That was the only way to describe it as the thing was completely unlike anyone else he had ever seen before. No features indicated male or female, and its skin was a blinding white. That wasn't to say the figure didn't possess features… it was just that Oscar's brain broke trying to comprehend what he was seeing.

The figure had a mouth, a nose, fingers and all of the normal parts of a human… but it all just seemed fake. Almost like… like it was an awful AI recreation of what it thought people looked like. And to make it worse was how the thing was nude, but also not nude, as it was truly just blank from the neck down.

"Apologies, I know how I must look. Currently, this is all I am able to project to you. Please forgive me," It said.

"Perhaps a name would help you… acclimate better? How about… calling me Friend, for now?"

"And are you a friend?" Friend ignored him and gestured to the empty seat in front of it, motioning for Oscar to sit. Unsure of its intentions and not wanting to agitate Friend, he gingerly sat down. The two stared at each other for a minute, which felt like an hour, before Friend finally spoke again.

"At some point tonight, you will be brought into my world. I don't know the estimate of how many others there will be as this is my first time casting this spell," Friend said.

"And none of other others shall be granted the same opportunity as yourself." This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Uh… right… and what opportunity is this?" Friend slightly twitched its head to the left.

"To… to meet me. To have a bond with me within your new home. I can't forge more than one connection as deep as ours until my strength returns to me, but I trust you'll be capable."

"Hold on, let's assume that this isn't a dream and—""Do not insult me, boy. This is real and you are going to be capable in assisting me with returning to me my freedom," Friend said, its mask shattering slightly, but just enough to show Oscar that this thing wasn't a friend. Pure malice was seeping away from the figure, and detecting how unnerved he was, Friend repaired its mask.

"I'm sorry, Friend… I don't mean to offend you."

"No, no, it's me that should apologize," Friend said, but no apology followed.

"Now, our time together is limited until you arrive in my world. I shall offer you a bit of insight to inform any others should they arrive with you."

"Okay… Go ahead, I guess."

"Our souls become a physical object when extracted from the body. It's not an easy task to do, but six wretches managed to do it through means far beyond their own capabilities and divvied up my soul into six pieces: six soulstones. I don't know how, but something has happened to one of the stones causing cracks to appear in my prison. Using that opportunity has allowed me to take my first steps towards freedom." Friend stopped speaking at this point to allow Oscar the chance to digest his words.

"So, you want me and the other people that are getting summoned to do what? Seek out the soulstone holders, retrieve them and then do what exactly?"

"Yes, that is correct. Simply obtain the soulstones and I shall guide you on what to do next. I'll be slightly truthful and tell you that I'm still researching how to return a soul to someone's body. It's possible that the answer is quite simple, but I'll let you know when the time arrives."

"Okay, so… what if I decline?"

"You won't."

"Humor me, Friend. I mean this sounds like an end-game quest and I'm being sent in at level 1."

"Level 1? No, you'll carry your levels over to my world. Don't ask me such stupid questions when our time is at an end," Friend said dismissively.

"I know you won't disappoint me. Enjoy your last few hours with some friends and family. When the summoning happens, it'll do so painfully. Be prepared and most importantly… be capable. I don't work with failures." Oscar tried to ask another question, but Friend then waved its hand and collapsed the floor, plunging Oscar further and further down into the depths of his subconscious until he woke up gasping for air back in the familiarity of his apartment.

Shook by his dream, he grabbed an old cup of water left on his nightstand from last night or the night prior and took a hearty sip. The alarm that he set prior to that cursed nap started blasting at full volume and shook him out of his stupor. By the time Oscar finished getting ready and had sent a text to Brock notifying him that he was heading to the restaurant, the peculiar dream had fled mostly into the back of his mind.

A bit of the experience, however, still lingered, but when he arrived at the ramen shop, the dread of social interaction took precedence in his mind. Brock was standing outside smoking a cigarette when Oscar arrived. Once he got closer, Brock smiled at him and waved with an oddly shaky hand. Looking inside, he saw the other members of the group seated. Allie, Jonathan, Sandra and Michael were joking around with one another, already looking so familiar and close.

Had Oscar been more active with the group earlier on, could that have been him? A pang of regret, followed by annoyance struck him, but it didn't last long as this was the expected outcome considering how he lived.

"Glad you could make it. Guessing you realized this is probably more fun than hanging out with your dad, huh?" Brock teased.

"The others all know you were bullshitting by the way, but don't sweat it. We all understand sometimes people just need a good push to get going."

"My dad is a master at bingo just so you know, so I wouldn't be so sure you guys can provide even a sliver of the thrills I've passed up on," Oscar joked back.

"Thanks for pushing me to come out, though." Brock laughed at this, perhaps out of pity.

"I hardly even pushed you to come! You folded almost instantly once you saw it was me that you'd bumped into!" Brock took another drag of his cigarette and coughed. Oscar noticed something then that wasn't present when the two of them spoke just a few hours prior. Brock had deep bags under his eyes. In all of Oscars time of knowing Brock, this was something he had never noticed in the young man before. Brock always seemed… well, perfect in just about every aspect.

He ate well, took his health serious, got healthy amounts of sleep, and was an avid gym goer, so what the hell happened to him during their short time away from one another? The shaking he had in his left hand also hadn't stopped yet. It wasn't even that cold tonight. Well, Oscar didn't want to be rude, so he remained silent and instead gestured if he wanted to go in. Brock nodded his head in agreement and tossed his cigarette out, then the two of them walked in and sat down with the rest of the group.

"Oscar!" Michael greeted, "Bout time you graced us with your presence. We didn't think this would ever happen. I mean it'd be quite fucking rude of you to not let us treat you to a meal after doing so much of the project yourself." The smile on his face was genuine, making Oscar instantly feel like he could be comfortable around him.

"We all swore that if you didn't make it out tonight, then we would kidnap you and force you to hang out with us," Allie joked and lightly punched Oscar's shoulder.

"Thanks for like… not making all of us commit a crime. I have a sneaky suspicion that any potential clients of mine would maybe not appreciate a convicted felon as their lawyer." Brock looked at Allie in disbelief.

"You really need to learn how to market yourself, I swear. Who else would be better to represent a criminal if not a criminal themselves? Think about it! That could be an untapped niche!"

"Well, it would have been a damn shame for me to go to jail. Not sure how I'd be able to sell myself as an ex-criminal teacher," Sandra said.

"Yeah, you'd be fucked. But being a teacher is already completely fucked, so eh, could be a blessing in disguise," Oscar said. Sandra sighed at this, fully aware already of how shitty a teachers salary is. Jonathan shook his head at Sandra.

"I told you, I know a guy who'd have been able to kidnap him for us while keeping our hands clean. For a guy of Oscars size too… shit, I bet it would've only cost us— Ow!" Sandra interrupted Jonathan with a quick flick to his forehead.

"Ignore him, he's a complete fucking moron who would have completely failed this project and class if not for you."

"I've taken peeks at his tests. Trust me when I say that there is not a single chance in hell that he isn't fucked regardless. Better luck next semester," Oscar said. The rest of the group then clowned on Jonathan for apparently lying to them about his actual grade. Oscar didn't know when the tension had left his shoulders, but he found himself becoming… relaxed around this new group of people. Well, they were new to him in this setting. Due to the constraints of class, he hadn't seen this side of any of them.

Time passed on with all of them sharing jokes and laughs and getting to know each other better. And with any luck, maybe by the end of the night, Oscar could call this group of people, a group of… friends. Friend. The ambiguous figure of his dreams then seeped back into reality. The memory resurfacing and flooding his brain once again. Fear gripped Oscar then, and all of the impossible promises that Friend declared ran through his mind.

Promise of transporting into another world and embarking on a quest of restoring someone's soul. He tried to forget about Friend and all of his promises, but it was impossible for him to ignore any longer as he noticed all of the roots that'd grown within his mind. Reality demanded facing, and unfortunately one night out with his classmates did not change the simple fact that Oscar was a coward. Oh, how badly he wanted to close his eyes to the truth, but the roots were planted and were beginning to dig deeper.

Looking into the faces of the others and seeing the fun they were having made it all the more bitter for him to acknowledge the fact that he believed. For Oscar truly believed that Friend was real. He believed in the idea that Friend was some deity, or being of unimaginable strength and power from a world far removed from his. And that he truly was asking him to find his soulstones and somehow free him.

But what he couldn't believe was that after finally finding a group he could fit in with and be himself after all this time… that it would all be ripped away.

"Brock? Oscar? Are you two good?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, what the fuck happened? You two look like death," Jonathan added. It took a minute before Oscar found his voice again, but it took a second for him to lose it forever. He briefly overheard Allie speaking frantically to Brock, but it was impossible to distinguish what was being said.

"I-I… what…" was all he could manage to say. A trickle of wet ran out of Oscar's ears, dampening the sides of his neck and permanently staining the fabric of his shirt. Unable to hear, he saw Allie and Michael frantically yelling towards Allie's parents that were behind the counter, while Jonathan and Sandra were searching for something, likely first aid. Oscar soon began to lose sight as well due to blood welling up in his eyes, causing excruciating pain.

The excess blood began to pour out of his eyes, running down his cheeks, with no signs of stopping. Bile crept up his esophagus, intertwining with more blood, eventually reaching his mouth, which demanded immediate escape. A sea of crimson flowed out of his maw like a tide that had finally worn down the dam that imprisoned it for so long. Then the pressure in his eyes became too much for his body to handle. Pop. The left eye went out first. Pop. The right following shortly after.

The final act of this play of misery began as quickly as it ended as Oscar's brain started to hemorrhage and the sweet relief of death knocked on his door, whispering to him that soon it'd all be over. His body was still imploding upon itself, but Oscar was too numb to notice it anymore. He knew the end was near, and to his surprise, it wasn't fear that he felt as his last feeling. It was happiness. He was genuinely happy that he finally made the effort to change.

And most of all, he was happy that it looked like he made friends. Well, it was too early to call them friends, but still, Oscar felt quite positive they would have been in due time. But alas, his time was up. He'd never truly know if these people would've been Wilson's replacements or not, but that was okay, because in these final moments… he believed it would've been so. Oscar Reed would be remembered for having died with a smile on his blood stained and eyeless corpse.

December 11th, 2025 328 people worldwide would spontaneously and horrifically die in an unknown phenomenon. Their deaths would never be solved. This would become the first time that such an event would be recorded.