Jason sighed as he walked down the street toward his one-bedroom apartment, rolling his shoulders after what had officially become the worst month of his life.

  First, his girlfriend dumped him. Then, two weeks later, he got fired. Sure, he’d been slacking, but who could blame him?

  Jason watched the cars drive by as he stood at the crosswalk, glancing at his watch. "8:30 already?"

  All he wanted was a hot shower, his couch, and a night full of video games.

  Ding.

  Jason pulled his phone out.

  "Anyone getting on?" Kaylen

  He chuckled. That’s all it took, and...

  Ding, ding.

  Right on cue.

  Kortlon, and Ashton. "I'm on."

  "At least the night is looking up." He said, as he started to cross the road.

  Another police chase? He squinted, watching as the glow pulsed erratically. “Looks like the cops are after Reaver again,” he muttered, quickening his pace into a light jog. He didn’t want to be out here if that psychopath was running around.

  “Finally,” Jason muttered, as he opened the door to his apartment. Home sweet home, he thought, tossing his keys on the table.

  “All right, where did I set my controller?” A light behind the curtain caught his attention.

  “Are the cops shining a light through my window?” he muttered, pushing the curtain aside.

  “What the hell?” Jason whispered—before the world erupted into a brilliant white flash.

  His vision blurred. His eyes burned as he blinked furiously against the searing light. “Feels like I just had a staring contest with the sun... and got my ass kicked,” he muttered.

  “Welcome, Contestant number fifty, to the fiftieth annual Games of Raz.”

  As his sight returned, Jason blinked in shock. He was no longer in his apartment. He stood in a forest unlike anything he had ever seen. Towering trees made of crystal loomed overhead, their translucent leaves catching the sunlight and refracting it into dazzling prisms. A cool, electric energy crackled in the air, making his skin tingle.

  A being stood in front of him made of the same blue crystal as the trees.

  Humanoid in shape it glowed softly from within, its smooth, faceless form watching him with eerie stillness.

  It spoke, calm and commanding.

  “Contestant Number Fifty. I am one of the Oracles of Raz, a guide of sorts. You may call me Nexus. Contestant, what name will you be known by in the Razian Empire?”

  Jason’s stomach churned. “Jason is fine,” he said cautiously. “But… What the hell is going on?”

  “Well, Jason,” Nexus replied, “you have been selected to compete in the Games of Raz, for control of your planet. A great honor.”

  “What?” Jason asked. “This is one of the weirdest dreams I’ve ever had. And control of my planet? You mean Earth?”

  “I assure you this is no dream.” Nexus reached out and flicked Jason on the forehead.

  Jason’s head jolted backward. “Son of a—That hurt! What kind of drug-induced coma is this?”

  “Again, this is no dream. I have more extreme measures to convince you, if needed.”

  Jason’s heart pounded as he rubbed his forehead. “Okay—let’s say I do believe this is real. How could something like this even be possible?”

  “The easy explanation is this: your planet’s mana levels have been rising and have reached a point the Emperor has deemed adequate.”

  “So you’re telling me, you or this Emperor guy tore me from my home, from my life.”

  Granted it wasn’t a very good one… but this guy doesn’t know that, Jason thought.

  “And now you expect me to compete in some kind of Games? For my planet? What does that even mean?”

  “Yes. You and four others have been chosen. And Jason—we do know your life wasn’t a very good one.”

  Blinking in surprise, Jason realized this crystal dude just read his mind. The more it spoke, the more pissed off he became. Finally, it spilled over.

  “This is all going over my head, and I am not competing in this fairytale nightmare. And you can tell this Emperor guy to go F—”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  A deep resonance vibrated through the forest.

  Before Jason could react, a bone-piercing ring shattered the air, slamming into his chest like a sledgehammer. Pain detonated through his body. He gasped, clutching his chest as an invisible force ripped through him. A violent cough wracked his body, blood splattering onto the ground.

  Gritting his teeth, he glared at Nexus. “What was that?”

  The ringing struck again.

  Agony tore through him, white-hot and relentless. His thoughts shattered, and the last thing he felt before darkness swallowed him was the sickening sensation of falling.

  Jason stirred, his body aching as he struggled to regain consciousness.

  Nexus’s voice, calm yet commanding, cut through the haze.

  “Hello, Jason. Let’s try this again.”

  His eyes snapped open.

  Shaking his head, Jason groaned. “All right—you win. I believe this is real,” he muttered, rubbing his temples. “What was that?”

  Nexus ignored the question. “Jason, I have concluded that we need to start over. Before we begin, it is not permitted to speak ill of the Emperor or his Empire.”

  Jason scoffed. “If you think I give a damn about some kidnapping piece of shi—”

  His voice vanished.

  His throat tightened. His breath hitched. He tried again, but nothing came out.

  “I have prevented you from committing another heinous crime,” Nexus continued, unbothered. “By removing your ability to make sound, I’ve spared you the consequences of further disrespect. You’re welcome.”

  Jason gritted his teeth. Not only had he been ripped from his home, but now even his right to speak had been taken.

  A low thump echoed in his chest.

  Nexus narrowed his eyes and tilted his head.

  Another thump.

  A faint smile split his crystalline form.

  Jason clenched his fists. The air trembled around him. A crack formed along Nexus’s body.

  A thin stream of crystalline blood trickled from its eye.

  Nexus let out a sharp breath, but his smile remained.

  “I’ll say whatever the hell I want to, and neither you nor your Emperor are going to tell me otherwise,” Jason growled. He took a deep, calming breath. “However, I’m not an idiot. If I’m truly stuck here, it’s in my best interest to hear what you have to say.”

  Nexus steadied himself, though his glow had dimmed. For the first time, Jason saw something in his expression: hesitation.

  “…Very well,” Nexus said tightly. “Let us proceed.”

  With a wave of his hand, five translucent screens materialized before Jason.

  Jason flinched. “Holy crap. This is like something straight out of a video game.”

  Nexus nodded. “I’m glad you’ve made the connection. The Empire introduces video games, comic books, and anime into new worlds to help with the transition.”

  “I should probably thank you—or curse you. I’ve logged a lot of time in games,” Jason muttered, resting his chin in his hand.

  Nexus stared at him expressionlessly. “You are a Forerunner—one of the first from your planet to be introduced into the system. As such, you will be granted five class options, compared to the three most others receive. Two will be of Epic rarity.”

  Class Selections:

  Fighter (Common): A balanced warrior trained in physical combat and weapon mastery.

  Mage (Uncommon): Channels arcane forces for devastating magical attacks; fragile but powerful.

  Shadow Dancer (Rare): A master of stealth and assassination, able to phase through darkness.

  Lord of the Undead (Epic): Raises the dead, sacrifices life force for immense power. Lower leveled undead are confused into servitude. Converts user into undead.

  Tattoo Binder (Epic): A warrior who binds defeated monsters into living tattoos etched into their flesh. Each seal costs blood, pain, and spirit– but grants the power to summon their strength in future battles.

  “Kinda stupid to even offer the common classes.” Jason muttered.

  He read through the descriptions. Lord of the Undead could be cool… but I don’t like the whole ‘turn into a zombie’ thing.

  That left Shadow Dancer or Tattoo Binder.

  One of his favorite games growing up was capturing creatures and leveling them up. He made his selection.

  Tattoo Binder.

  Instantly, a surge of power flooded through him.

  A new notification appeared in his vision:

  Class Skills Acquired:

  Capture – Enter into a war of attrition; both your and the target’s health drains. Target drain: 5 points per second. If the target’s health reaches 10%, it is captured and turned into a tattoo. Cost: 10 health per second.

  Tattoo Summoning – Summon your tattoos. At the current level, only one tattoo can be summoned at a time. Cost: 15 mana.

  Ink Bound Resonance – Gain a 1% boost to the highest stat of all captured creatures. Passive.

  Race Skill:

  Identify – Check the properties of some items and creatures.Jason blinked in shock as the crystalline forest became more vivid, the sounds sharper and clearer.

  Open stats menu for more information.

  “How do I open my stats menu?” Jason asked, looking at Nexus.

  “Look to the upper right of your vision. You will see three lines—focus on it, and a drop-down menu will appear.”

  Sure enough, in the corner of his vision were the familiar three lines you’d see on any smart device. He focused on them, and a menu dropped down.

  Stats

  Jason furrowed his brow. “Why have a drop-down menu if there’s only one thing?”

  “More will be unlocked in time.”

  Jason clicked the Stats screen.

  Health: 100 / 100

  Mana: 30 / 30

  Tattoo Slots: 0/5

  Attributes:

  Strength: 8

  Constitution: 10

  Dexterity: 6

  Willpower: 9

  Intelligence: 5

  "Congratulations," Nexus said, one crystalline brow raised. "Tattoo Binder. I have not seen one of these in many cycles." With a calm, almost eerie smile, he continued, "Now that you have become imbued, we can move on to more pressing matters."

  Jason’s month already sucked—dumped, fired, and now abducted by a glowing chandelier with a god complex.