Sam

Their entrance ceremony was beautiful. Truly, a celebration of the work they had put in to get this opportunity, as the crowd roared and cheered. The families in the front were ecstatic to see their children get this chance to boost their lives to the next level, the businessman and politicians in the back speaking hidden words as they gossiped the true purpose of the supposed game.

Cheering, Sam laughed and chatted with her friends as they waited to enter the capsules. Her mind was filled with confidence and appreciation, a smile that didn't come from a fake friendship, rather a genuine appreciation for her comrades in arms.

Amongst all the cheerings, Jackie was the only one who was smiling grimly, eyeing the capsules. She rubbed her arm looking at them, a sign of anxiety that she told Sam the months they started to date. However, Sam did not move, as she had a show to put on.

A hum or buzz came off the capsules as they were flooded with electricity. Men in coats and specialized gear had done the maintenance and diagnostics on them moments before they entered the stage.

It’ll be alright. When we get in, I’ll talk to her.

The lights cut off, flooding the stage in darkness. The brass and horns that were playing earlier cut off, silence drowning everyone's ears. An electric guitar strummed violently, the warbling and sheer sharpness of it radiating throughout the arena. Drums began to beat in, bass and beats thumped in the back as the stage went from a bright blue to a heinous plum color.

The steps of a man full of arrogance stole everyones undivided attention. Sam’s face frowned as the familiar walk of the cockidly stupid and half witted man that plagued her high school experience for the better part of 4 years walked out to the sound of hip hop and rock smashed together, each step he took with a bounce that made Sam cringe.

Everyone was meant to wear tighter, more plain clothes going into the machine. Ajul, however, walked with black boots, gray ripped jeans, a black leather jacket with a ouroboros on the back. 

He stood in front of his machine, gloating and flipping off the crowd that booed at him. Clearly, he revealed that however as he smiled and waved at his mother and father that calmly sat in the back.

Smirking, he turned and looked at Sam, sticking out his tongue like a teenage rockstar.

Sam rolled her eyes as the crowd refocused. The players turned to their machines, staring at the seats and the multiple different types of electronics that adorned the inside. That mysterious black box that was at the front of it all.

A slap caught Sam off guard as she saw Ajul slap himself as a boost of courage. 

Stepping into it, the students laid down, the seats comfortable and cool as the massive glass lid began to lower. Claustrophobic feelings began to creep inside of Sam as the lid closed, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

The wires inside buzzed as she saw little of the outside world. Out the corner of the lid, she saw Mr. Adanya appeared, someone who announced that he wouldn't be attending the ‘logging in’. Her face was filled with shock as he gestured madly, waving his arms around as the concerned face of the program director watched. 

The inside of the capsule began to heat. Heat, and heat and heat. The warm feeling began to sear, the metal feeling like a seat belt on a hot summer's day. The metal creaked and groaned as the capsules began to heat.

The black box in front of Sam began to vibrate and glow. Quickly, Sam pulled her fist back and began slamming it against glass.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

The glass remained uncracked as the laugh of Mr. Adanya ringed in her ears as the box glowed brighter and brighter. The box cracked. As the sound of humming and buzzing went silent.

The box exploded, the constraining area of the capsule seemingly disappearing as an ethereal light exploded outward as Sam watched glowing golden energy swirled and vortexed like a portal.

WHAT THE HELL—

The light enveloped her eyes as the capsule around her faded into light.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ajul

Opening his eyes, Ajul expected to see pearly white gates or an infinite void of black. He was partially right, floating in a void however a glowing crimson screen floated in front of him. 

Power selection? Are we in the game?

“HELLO?” Ajul yelled out, his voice echoing in the void.

Well, shit. 

The screen in front of him displayed a list, the caption asking him to select a power.

Please Choose a Main Power:

• #$%^&*(
•  
•  
•  

“What the fuck are these choices? I only get one choice?” Ajul complained at the screen. The screen nodded almost smugly, as it brought itself closer to Ajul.

Fucking of course I get the shittest first option. What even is this?

Begrudgingly, Ajul selected the first, rather, only option he had. The screen flashed a black flash as it disappeared, reappearing moments later.

Please Choose a Second Power:

• Free Information
• Tags
• Sharpened _____
• Snake God
• Written

Tags? Snake God? Written? I don't even get a damn description. 

“FUCK! YOU REALLY WANT TO DO THIS THE HARD WAY?!?” Ajul cried out into the void. He slammed his finger into a random option, the click sound flashing black once again.

Ajuls whole body began to tense as a robotic female voice ringed in the void.

Preparing User body for *****, please bare with it

Fuck is that? Fuck is ‘it’---

A sharp, shooting pain filled Ajuls fingers, moving through the inside of his body. His muscles, veins, nerves, and bones screamed in pain as his body twisted and contorted like a man being pulled by strings. Like a stick figure that was drawn incorrectly, his limbs bent in twisted ways as his mouth foamed with spit.

Blood pooled out of his eyes, the black void suddenly filled with crimson blood. Ajul didn't want to scream. 

His stomach shattered, the acid inside spilling everywhere as every cell in his body was being remade. He saw his nervous system be lifted out of his skin, the thin transparent lines igniting with a hellish purple, before returning to his body. Ajul still didn't scream.

His bones mashed to dust, falling out of his skin. Ajul saw through his arm as new bones of black reattached themselves to his muscles. He still refused to scream.

The pain paused for a moment as the void began to gather stars. Golden light began to swarm above Ajuls head, like a vast universe only for his eyes to see. Sparkling and glittering, light shines through his new eyes. Ajul saw everything, the lights folding themselves like squares, like—paper. Not lights, rather glowing gold paper. In the middle, a silver book appeared before dissolving itself into the same lights, rather it was silver.

Those lights, silver and gold, condensed into a massive cone, the tip pointed at Ajuls head. Before he could do anything, the spear shot itself in his head.

He screamed.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of car horns and whispers tingled the inside of Ajuls ears. His eyes pried themselves open, fighting against the bright light. Opening his eyes, he saw the sun pouring light down on him. Lying in an alley, Ajul sat up, groaning as he climbed out of a dumpster.

“Shit…where?” Ajuls glanced around, his clothes that he wore going in now burnt, his shirt and jacket now blazed black in random parts. Stretching his arms and legs, it felt like he’d been lying down for years, each strand of muscle stretching like they were wound over and over again.

Where the fuck am I? Am I even in the state? 

Thinking back to the last time he played a virtual reality game, Ajul began swiping his hands or waving his fingers, saying “Menu, loggout, options”.

People passing the alley stared and watched as Ajul signaled like a crazed man.

“Well shit. Uh, what about system?” He spoke as that same red screen blazed into existence in front of him. Rather then the list from before, there was very little information gifted to him about, well, anything. 

“Level, main power, secondary, SP, and MP? It’s like a video gam—“ he began as Ajul realized the irony of what he said.  

“Paper control(True)?” Ajul read the main power he first chose now in plain text. 

Like, I am an office worker's worst enemy?

Ajul's finger hovered over the power as he clicked it, information being placed into his head. His head ringed, like a migraine in the back of his brain before fading away, leaving only a bleeding nose. 

In this empty hallway, Ajul gestured his hands as the space itself became paper. It followed his hand as he created more, Ajul folding it, curving it, molding it. 

“Holy shit.” The power felt like water, a tureen that he could pause. It felt so natural, as the paper began to float softly around him. 

This is cool and all, but like, how do I use it as a weapon?

Ajul thought this whilst the paper began moving faster. Pointing his finger at a wall, he felt that the ‘river’ could branch off there. Towards the wall, the paper shot towards it, sticking into the wall like shurikens. Not all of the dozens of pieces of small post-it like paper stuck into it, with the ones that just cracked the wall.

 “Oh. I guess this really is a fighting ga—”

Ajul paused. He still didn't know where he was, so after chuckling at the paper damage, he stepped out into the streets.

The city looked familiar, yet there were aspects of it that felt wrong. Looking at street signs was the worst time to feel deja vu looking at the names of the streets.

Am I even in the same state?

Ajul opened his system again, looking at the people passing by, as he found no answer except the ‘quest’ bar.

Quest? Really fantasy for a superhero theme.

MAIN QUEST:

• DEFEAT THE HEROES
• BE A VILLAIN

What kinda of shit is this?!? Be a villain? Like killing civilians?

Ajul for a moment, forgot that he did not get upset at being a villain upon the option release.

Pondering for a second, Ajuls attention was suddenly stolen by the yell of a man. A man in a suit was being chased by a group of, what for lack of a better term, thugs.

Ajul sighed for a moment, pondering for just a moment before throwing away his thoughts and running towards the group.