He walked through the streets. With no idea where he was heading to. Zane Synnott is a young man who recently got kicked out of his high school and then soon after, out of his own home. He got in a fight with his parents about him getting expelled but he knew that he was on the right side. Zane always had problems with other students and would often violently clash with them. Whether it was a minor inconvenience or he was protecting the bullied from their bullies, he’d often return home bloodied and covered in bruises. Until one day, the principal flat out said: “Get out and don’t ever come back.”

 

Zane had at least expected support from his parents but was shocked when they too turned against him. His father had issues with drinking and secretly cheated on his mother while his mother was a gambling addict. Their financial situation was tough and this recent development in Zane’s case only further sowed the seeds of mistrust and family conflict. Since he wasn’t a minor anymore as he had turned 18 not long ago, his parents were more than happy to throw him out. With nowhere to go, Zane thought about it. He wanted to finally end it all.

 

Now, in present time, he walks through the alleys in the crowdy parts of his city. People pass by him and some acquaintances even greet him but he doesn’t see them. All he sees are dark, shadowy faces and a voice telling him to do it, to end this suffering. What method will he use? The good-old save a child in front of a truck and then get transported to another world? Or jump in front of a moving train? It can’t hurt to try.

 

Zane crosses the road but just as he’s about to get hit, a huge delivery truck stops dead in its tracks and narrowly avoids obliterating Zane into pieces. The truck driver curses and shouts but Zane doesn’t stop. He continues to run into traffic but to no avail. Nobody is able to hit him. A police officer, with the appearance of a brown-skinned old man with a mustache, pulls Zane to safety and reprimands him. He gives Zane a look that only wise and experienced elderly people can give. The old cop puts his hand on Zane’s shoulder and Zane feels a sense of comfort and safety that only a grandparent can give. But, Zane refuses his help and politely declines it as he moves forward into the metro station, leaving the old cop with a sad look on his face.

 

The metro station is in a distraught state. It reeks of alcohol, tobacco, drugs and various types of body fluids. Homeless people, crack addicts, junkies and God-only-knows what types of life forms reside here as Zane ignores this sight and heads straight to where the underground trains are located. He waits near the train tracks. He waits and waits and waits. But there is nothing. No new trains are arriving at all. He looks around him. Apart from the usual metro denizens, he’s alone. Shaking his head and rubbing his eyes, Zane walks around the station to see what this is all about. He then notices a piece of paper taped on the wall. A sort of notification. Today, on April the Tenth, there will be no train rides at all. The train operators and drivers are on strike. Some sort of union conflict with the government. Zane chuckles in amusement. Nothing unusual.

 

That is the rotten luck of Zane Synnott. Just when he thought of finally ending it all, he gets stopped in every way possible. What other method shall he try? Jumping of a cliff? The cliffs are too far from here, this is a low altitude city zone. Jumping of a building? The buildings here aren’t that tall but it could be worth a try. Zane looks around him to pick up the place to fly. After spotting the building, he goes to its direction. It’s an older building built around 50 years ago that is now used as both for living apartments and commercial shops. As he enters it, he notices a small video game shop. This sight does put a subtle smile on his face. Since he’ll be leaving this world soon, he might as well enjoy one last walk among his favorite hobby in the world.

 

With some effort, he opens the old and rusty door of the shop and goes inside. The smell is strange to say at least. Like it had been years since this shop had been used. The lights worked properly and the shelves were full with various genres of games for both old and new consoles and computers. He slowly walked by the old retro games and smiled. Tracing his fingers over the many platformer games he used to play when he was younger with his friends, these particular memories fill Zane with a wave of nostalgia and a yearning for the past, happier days of his life. If only time could’ve stopped still when he was happy once...

 

“Hey bud, can I help you with anything?”

 

Zane twitches briefly, waking up from his thoughts to a voice coming from the corner of the shop, where the desk and the cash register are located. It’s the shop clerk. A white man with a balding head, some unshaven stubble, large glasses, plain clothes and overweight. His voice is monotone and yet strangely kind.

 

“Oh, I’m just looking around, no big deal. Looking at all these video games just makes me happy, even without playing them... sorry if I sound weird.” Zane scratches the back of his head awkwardly as he approaches the cash register. The clerk nods as he adjusts himself in his chair.

 

“Nothing weird at all my man. Us gamers have to stay together, you know? Tough times are ahead of us. See anything you like?”

 

Zane let out a deep breath. He glanced around the shop again, his gaze lingering over the largest shelf in the store, which was reserved for PC games. An entire section was dedicated to RPG games, his favorite genre. But it didn’t matter, since he was broke as hell.

 

“It doesn’t really matter what I like or want. I don’t have any cash at all. I can only watch and imagine playing these amazing games.” Zane sighs as he looks to the ground. He never felt this pathetic in his life before.

 

The store clerk didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he had a mysterious aura over his face as he smirked and stood up slowly. Letting out a quick giggle, he pointed to the door that was located in the opposite corner of him and Zane.

 

“Not every game is paid with money. Remember, there are free games too. Luckily, I might have one just for you. I noticed your longing gaze over the RPG section so I think this game would fit you greatly. What do you think my man?”

 

Zane didn’t ponder for too much, nodding his head, he accepted. He didn’t have anything to lose anyway.

 

“Excellent choice my fellow gamer dude. Please, follow me.” The clerk claps his hands and goes to the room as Zane follows him. The clerk reaches for his back pockets for the key to unlock the door. The room is dark so he turns on the light. It’s a small room with a small wooden desk, a chair and a working laptop with a mouse plugged in, all located on the desk. It all looks strange and as if it didn’t belong to this world but nothing could surprise Zane anymore in this universe.

 

“Make yourself comfortable. Go on, try it out. This game will make you feel like you’re inside the game itself, like you can interact with all the NPCs and the various features. Play it for a few minutes, see if you like it. If you do, I’ll give you a free copy. If you don’t find it to your taste, also fine. Personal tastes are subjective.” The clerk chuckles as he moves to the side to allow Zane to pass. Zane nods as he sits down in front of the laptop and analyzes its contents. The default desktop background is on, which depicts nature and flowers. There aren’t many icons on the desktop. The Computer icon, Recycle Bin, Network Connections and... a world icon which is titled ‘Reborn Regression’. That must be the game.

 

Zane moves the mouse cursor over the game icon as he highlights it. He doesn’t double-click it immediately as he leans in and squints his eyes to see the icon in more details. The game icon resembles a miniature Earth but the continent and island layout looks much different when compared to the real-life Earth, akin to a twisted version of it. This might be an alternate universe Earth, Zane thinks to himself as he double-clicks the icon and after a few seconds, the game launches.

 

The game logo is nothing special. The letters are all in caps lock and they all have a blue tint to it against a black background. Then some music starts to play but strangely, there are no sponsors or developers or producers showing at all. Just the game logo. This must be one of those quirky weird RPGs like Taleunder and Boundearth. Zane smirks as the game menu comes up next. It has only one option.

 

PLAY.

 

The PLAY option is light-blue while the background depicts a city but Zane can’t tell if it’s an existing city in the world or a fictional one. Probably the setting of the game. But still, he feels a churning in his stomach as a weird uncanny feeling creeps up inside of him. As if he had already seen this city. And for what it’s worth, the city looks like a modern day metropolis. With skyscrapers and multi-lane roads and various types of architecture styles. Just at first glance it looks much bigger than Zane’s homecity.

 

Clicking on the PLAY button, the game stands still for a few seconds and then it launches. A black screen pops up and stays on for some time. Just when Zane thinks of asking the clerk if the game has ended prematurely or glitched, a low-pitched, growling noise startles the young man which causes him to jump up a little from his chair. He looks around him. The clerk is nowhere to be found. The door has also disappeared. It’s only him and the room now. He quickly jumps up from his chair, causing it to fall over and nearly knock over the entire desk too.

 

“What the hell is this?! Hey! Stop this!”

 

Zane lashes out as drops of cold sweat form on his forehead. While he wasn’t claustrophobic, the idea of being trapped in a room with no exit would leave anyone in distress.

 

After a moment of silence, Zane smirks. Then he laughs out loud. Of course. What was he thinking? He probably did the stupidest thing someone can do. Going into a small room with a complete stranger, who might have been a serial killer or a human and organ trafficker. And now he’s going to die horribly or even worse, first he’ll get tortured. But wait, that’s what he wanted in the first place, right? He came here to die. He picked this building because it’s tall and jumping down from its top would mean a sure death and breaking around 200 bones. Zane falls to his knees.

 

“I don’t... want... to... die...”

 

Zane sobs silently as he starts shaking. Everything has changed. His mindset changed. Even though his parents have thrown him out, he has other people he cares about. He has... himself. Let him live and prosper.

 

“I want to live!”

 

* * *

 

His room is small but cozy. It has a bed, a desk, a chair, an old laptop that barely even works, some movie and tv show posters and a wardrobe for his clothes. It’s the best they can get from their current funds. His mother knocks on his door and then enters shortly after. She has a very affectionate expression on her face. She sits on the right side of his bed and strokes his hair very gently.

 

“Oh sweetie, you gave me quite a scare back there. But thankfully, it will all be good. The doctor said that the MRI screening was good and that you don’t have a brain concussion. You’ll feel a headache for a few days but he has prescribed you strong antibiotics so your pain will be numbed significantly.” His mother smiles at him as he slowly opens his eyes and blinks a few times.

 

Zane squints his eyes as he looks at her. He’s laying down on his bed covered with a blanket and a bandage wrapped around his head. Who is this woman? Why is she being so affectionate with him? And what is she talking about?

 

Zane tries to get up but a sharp jolt of pain in his head prompts him to return back down. He lets out a sigh.

 

“Not like that, my dear. Remember what the doctor said, if you want to get up, you have to do it as slowly and carefully as possible so you don’t strain yourself too much. I can help you if you want.” Then, his mother gets up and extends both of her hands to him.

 

Not thinking about it too much, Zane accepts her help and slowly lifts himself up while grunting. As he gets into a sitting position, he leans back against the wall and glances at the woman. She’s wearing a brown blouse and a long blue skirt. He notices her jewelry which includes pearl earrings and a golden wedding ring. Her hair is long and black and neatly combed while her face is pretty and also decorated with some wrinkles. This woman does not look like his mother at all. His real mother is shorter and older compared to this woman.

 

“I don’t want to be rude or anything like that but... who are you?” Zane contemplated whether to ask her this directly but he ultimately decided in favor of it. This was such a weird situation that he didn’t know what to expect anyway. Might as well go all the way to the end.

 

As the woman takes a step back, her face sinks down but she quickly recovers as she smiles again at Zane.

 

“The doctor said this might happen, a short form of amnesia. Oh well, no shame in reaffirming what you temporarily forgot. I am your mother, my dear. You are the world to me. I love you more than you can ever imagine.” Her lips quiver and it takes all her strength not to tear down.

 

Zane’s mouth goes wide open. This was just... so comforting. He couldn’t remember when it was the last time his ‘real’ mother said this to him, and yet this woman that he couldn’t remember seeing before, just showered him in an infinite amount of motherly love and compassion.

 

“I see... I’m sorry if I hurt your feeling, mom. I remember now. Can you also tell me what happened to my head? How did I get hurt?” It’s never too soon to ask the important questions.

 

His mother nods as she pulls out the chair from under his desk and sits down it.

 

“It happened a few days ago. Ever since you dropped out of high school, you have been training. All kinds of exercises. You said you wanted to become stronger so that you can undertake the Public Security Competition and successfully pass it.”

 

Zane narrows his eyes. He processes each word letter by letter. Even in a game, he still doesn’t finish his high school education?! Talk about a realistic role-playing game. But what also confused him, is the fact that he had been training. He glances at his arms: they’re more muscular than his real self. At least that’s a positive thing here. He’s physically stronger and more fit.

 

“Please continue mom.” Zane smiles as he adjusts himself in his bed. The headache is getting weaker and weaker.

 

His mother nods as she continues.

 

“Nobody saw you exactly but according to the police report, you were trying to jump from one house to another in the neighbourhood, as some sort of training to make you more agile. And well... you slipped and bumped your head real good...” Zane’s mother takes a deep breath, causing Zane to feel more guilty than before. The missing puzzle pieces of memory were slowly falling in place. Him entering the game caused his game persona to injure himself and lose his memory temporarily, greatly worrying his game mother.

 

“I apologize for making you worry so much mom, I should have been more careful.”

 

Zane looks at his mother, trying to sound as sincere as possible. She smiles back at him.

 

“Oh, please don’t. Let’s not get our eyes wet again. While at first, I was against this path that you have decided to partake in, I have gradually learned to accept it and support you. It’s your wish and desire after all. Just because I couldn’t achieve most of my dreams, doesn’t mean that I need to prevent you from chasing after your own goals.”

 

Zane’s mouth went wide open again. He just couldn’t believe this. A NPC, a game character was this patient and considerate with him. It feels like a dream, like it’s unreal. And it probably is.

 

Earlier she mentioned that Zane was training hard to participate in the Public Security Competition. While he could get the broad idea of what it was as it had the word competition in it, he was still curious about it. But he didn’t want to bother his mom too much, after all, there’s also the internet and social media in this game right? It was time to dig in and learn what his goals or more precisely his quests were.

 

“Now, if you’d excuse me mom, I would like to relax a bit, alone. We’ll talk later again.”

 

His mother nodded as she stood up and walked towards the door.

 

“Of course sweetheart. If you need anything, just call me, okay?” His mother smiled at him again before leaving his room and shutting the door behind her.

 

Now, Zane made sure to very carefully get out of his bed. He succeeded without greater inconvenience as he stretched out his arms and back. He looked at himself in the small mirror on the wall. He had the same appearance as his real self. Except that he was more muscular and happier. His head was bandaged but his headache was gone. Glancing around his room, he smirked. A small but cozy room. Looking at the desk, he sat at the chair and turned on the laptop. It was slow and old but he only needed it for browsing. And the internet worked. Perfect.

 

Opening up the internet browser, he typed into the search engine ‘Public Security Competition’. There were around thousands of results. The first one was from a page named ‘https://www.scc.com/’ and naturally, Zane clicked on this one. A well-written and neatly arranged front page showed up with many clickable links and introductions. In the top right corner was an icon which looked exactly the same as the game icon of ‘Reborn Regression’ that he clicked on when he entered the game, except this time there was an acronym which read ‘S.S.C.’ Zane clicked on the ‘About’ section.

 

“The S.S.C. which stands for ‘Social Security Committe’ is a global and non-governmental organization which has many different branches and purposes. While we are described as a global organization, our HQ is located in Newpolis, the capital city of the Republic of Cascadia. To define our organization and our goals in a simple sentence would be too complex so we let our actions and thoughts define us. Among our branches you will find the Research & Development Lab which, as the name suggests, focuses on R & D of various scientific and medical terms and solutions, both in co-operation and independent of classical medical facilities. The Archeological Department is focused on the exploration and research of ancient and historical sites, and the deep and thorough analysis on whether or not said findings and discoveries are mythological or real. The Sociological and Psychological Institute is mainly focused on the research of human relationships and international relations between members of different nations and ethnicities and how we can improve our understanding and compassion for those we consider foreign. And finally, the one department that is both most famous and infamous, is the Public Security Agency. The members of P.S.A. are called ‘Rangers’ and consist of powerful individuals highly skilled and trained in various types of martial arts, weapon skills, psychological warfare and most importantly, training and mastery of the mysterious art and skill of Ike, the life energy that is present in every single living being. This is, of course, just a small introduction to our facilities and what you can expect of our work but for more information and details, please refer to each individual section on its own.”

 

Zane gulped as his throat got dry. He read this all without blinking as he was simply amazed by all of these new informations. All of this seemed interesting and intriguing, this entire organization, but what caught Zane’s attention the most was of course the last S.S.C. branch. The Public Security Agency. His mother had earlier told him that he got injured while he was training hard to prepare for the Public Security Competition. This was referring to this. Zane had, likely earlier in the game before he left the real world, wanted to join the P.S.A. and become a Ranger. Zane felt a jolt of excitement surge through him. This was likely his first quest in this game and for an entrance-level quest this was already getting too good. His head started to hurt again but he couldn’t stop just now. He had to read on, just for a little while.

 

Scrolling through their website, his eyes widened at the big announcement. Not wasting a single moment, he clicked on it vigorously.

 

“This year’s Public Security Competition will be held on April the 20th starting at 08:00. The location of the 2023. Competition will be the city of Treaburn. For all the aspiring candidates, we highly suggest to train both your mind and body as the competition will have several phases, each in stark contrast to the previous ones. Your body, patience, mind, spirit and every single aspect of yourselves will be pushed to its absolute limits. In the link down bellow, you can find the application template. If you wish to participate in this year’s Competition, then please fill up the application template and send it to the following email: [email protected] and no later than April the 19th 08:00. Incomplete applications and applications that arrive at a later time than the aforementioned date will not be considered and will be deleted immediately. So, future competitors and potential new Rangers, don’t be late and good luck.”

 

Zane gulped. Goosebumps invaded his whole body. This was both exciting but also unnerving. Thousands of different thoughts swirled inside of his mind and he didn’t know what to expect from this event. Did his game-self really train enough? Will his head injury heal in time? Even if it did, will he be able to pass the Competition? The date is set for April the 20th. Zane glanced at the lower right corner on the toolbar and he gasped. The date showed April the 15th and it was 16:10 now. In less than five days the Competition will take place! This was it. Time to get up and get ready.

 

Zane stood up and stretched out. He still felt some pain in his head but he thought it all out already. He’d rest for the entirety of this day and night to heal up as much as he could and he’ll drink the antibiotics like the doctor prescribed him. And then tomorrow the real preparations will start for the Competition.

 

A new player has entered the game!

 

- Player Information -

 

First Name – Zane

Middle Name – None

Last Name – Synnott

Gender - Male

Birthday – April 10th

Age – 18

Blood Type - A+

Species – Human

Skin Color – Fair

Height – 175 cm

Weight – 70 kg

Hair Color – Dark-brown

Hair Style – Medium-length, Messy, Unkempt

Eye Color – Brown with a hint of green

Facial Hair – None

Facial Hair Color – None

Clothing Style – Usually a combination of standard blue jeans, white sneakers, short-sleeve T-shirt over a sweatshirt

Unique Body Features – Has a small patch of white hair just above his right ear, however, when he entered the game, the left side of his head is now white

Relationships – Albert Synnott-Father (deceased), Cecily Synnott-Mother

 

- Stats -

 

Strength – 10

Speed – 8

Dexterity – 7

Agility – 8

Vitality – 60

Intelligence – 7

Ike Knowledge – 0

Willpower – 15

Endurance – 12

Wisdom – 0

Unarmed Combat – 10

Armed Combat – 0

Aura Color – None

 

 

A new NPC has entered the game!

 

- NPC Information -

 

First Name – Cecily

Middle Name – None

Last Name – Synnott

Birthday – May 6th

Gender - Female

Age – 40

Blood Type - O-

Species – Human

Skin Color – Fair

Height – 165 cm

Weight – 60 kg

Hair Color – Black

Hair Style – Long, neatly combed, occasionally tied in a bun or ponytail

Eye Color – Light-brown

Facial Hair – None

Facial Hair Color – None

Clothing Style – Long skirts, pearl earrings, blouses or simple dresses

Unique Body Features – Due to age and stress, wrinkles have adorned her face and body but she doesn’t try to hide them and is proud of them since it was all for her son

Relationships – Albert Synnott-Husband (deceased), Zane Synnott-Son

 

- Stats -

 

Strength – 4

Speed – 2

Dexterity – 2

Agility – 3

Vitality – 30

Intelligence – 10

Ike Knowledge – 0

Willpower – 30

Endurance – 3

Wisdom – 0

Unarmed Combat – 0

Armed Combat – 0

Aura Color - None