Kai Nakamura had always felt invisible—except when it hurt.
From the first day he stepped into middle school, Kai became a target. He was the quiet one, the loner, the boy with a hoodie two sizes too big and a permanent shadow under his eyes. While other students chatted about weekend plans or the newest sneakers, Kai kept his head down and his thoughts tucked deep inside a shell he had built from years of survival.
"Yo, hoodie freak!" Masaru called out, shoving Kai from behind.
Kai stumbled forward, nearly dropping his books. He turned, lips tight. "What do you want, Masaru?"
"Your dignity," Masaru grinned. "Oh wait, don't have any. You keep walking around like you're invisible. Makes it too easy."
One of Masaru's friends, Jinta, snatched a notebook from Kai's hands and opened it.
"'ShadowKAI'?" he laughed. "Dude writes fantasy stories about himself. What a loser."
"Give that back!" Kai lunged forward, grabbing for the book.
Masaru slammed him against a locker. "Careful, freak. Wouldn't want to get hurt again. Or maybe you like it?"
Kai didn't answer. His heart pounded. He hated that they could see the fear in his eyes.
Later that day, he approached Mr. Hoshino after class.
"Sensei, I need help," Kai said. "Masaru and the others—"
Mr. Hoshino raised a hand. "Kai, I've heard it all before. Why don't you try... blending in? Talk to your classmates. Don't wear that oversized hoodie every day. You're inviting attention."
Kai's throat tightened. "So it's my fault?"
"I didn't say that. But you have to meet the world halfway."
Kai walked out of the classroom, feeling more alone than ever.
Each day after that, the bullying escalated. In the locker room, his gym clothes were tossed in the toilet. In the cafeteria, someone dumped soup over his tray. On the school forum, someone posted a meme with his photo and the words: "NPC IRL."
He learned to stop reacting. Crying only gave them fuel. Arguing gave them sport. Silence was his only weapon, even though it did nothing to stop the bruises or the isolation.
That evening, he stepped into the apartment drenched from the rain. His mother stared from the kitchen.
"Look at the floor! Are you brain-dead? You're soaking everything."
"I forgot my umbrella," Kai mumbled.
"Of course you did. You're so careless. Always lost in your little fantasy world."
His father, sprawled on the couch with a half-empty bottle, muttered, "Kid probably does it on purpose. Pathetic waste."
Kai's hands trembled as he carried his soaked bag to his room. He didn't cry. He was long past crying.
He tossed his bag down and collapsed into his chair. The hum of his aging PC greeted him like an old friend. He booted up his favorite MMO.
[GuildChat] SkyValkyrie: "ShadowKAI! You in for the raid tonight?"
[GuildChat] ShadowKAI: "Not tonight. Need to grind solo."
In that digital world, he was someone. He was ranked. He had gear people envied. He had a guild that respected him. When he spoke, others listened.
[GuildChat] IronBoar: "You alright? You've been quiet, man."
[GuildChat] ShadowKAI: "IRL stuff. Nothing serious."
[GuildChat] IronBoar: "Take care of yourself. Game's always here when you're ready."
Those words meant more to Kai than anything he had heard in real life. Here, he was ShadowKAI, not the loser, not the freak.
In-game, he was on a hunt. Sword flashing, armor glowing with enchantments, he defeated monsters with mechanical precision. He leveled up. He unlocked achievements. He mattered.
But the victory was hollow. When he took off his headset and looked around his small, dim room, the weight of reality returned.
His walls were bare. His mattress sagged. His phone had no notifications.
"Why am I even here?" he whispered.
The next day at school, Kai's locker had been pried open. Inside was a dead mouse, rotting and vile. The stench hit him instantly.
Masaru leaned against the wall, smirking. "Heard you like RPGs, so we gave you a quest. Hope you've got a poison resistance stat."
Kai said nothing. He closed the locker, turned, and walked away. They followed him.
Jinta shoved him. "Hey, we're talking to you!"
Kai finally snapped. He spun around. "What do you want from me?! Huh? You think I don't feel anything?! You think I'm just gonna let you keep doing this?!"
Masaru's smirk faded slightly. Then he grabbed Kai by the collar. "You think you can bark now? Try it again and see what happens."
Kai shoved him back. It was a mistake.
The punch came fast, splitting his lip. He fell, dazed. Laughter erupted.
At home that night, his mother barely glanced at him.
"What happened to your face?"
"Got into a fight."
"Did you win?"
"No."
"Figures. You're always bringing shame."
He didn't answer. He went to his room and sat there in the dark.
His father opened the door without knocking. "You bleeding on the carpet, boy?"
Kai looked up. "No."
"Then shut up."
The door slammed shut.
Hours later, he logged back into the game.
[GuildChat] SkyValkyrie: "You good now?"
[GuildChat] ShadowKAI: "Just needed to fight something."
[GuildChat] IronBoar: "Well, the next dungeon's open. Wanna join?"
[GuildChat] ShadowKAI: "Sure. Let's kill some gods."
He smiled faintly. If only the real world had a final boss he could take down.
That night, as he lay in bed, the storm outside raged. Thunder cracked the sky, and rain slammed the windows.
Then—everything stopped.
The hum of the streetlights vanished. His fan stuttered and died. His computer shut off with a pop.
He sat up. "Power outage?"
Then came the tremor. And another.
He ran to the window. The clouds glowed red. The stars above were flickering like dying candles. And then he saw it:
The sky was cracking.
White lightning danced in a web above, but it didn't fade—it stayed, jagged like shattered glass. A low hum filled the world, vibrating his bones.
His computer flickered back to life. A message appeared in clean white text:
"RESET INITIATED. TRANSCENSION IN PROGRESS."
Kai backed away from the desk. "What the hell...?"
His body froze. He couldn't move, couldn't blink. The room folded in on itself. The noise became deafening.
And then—
Nothing.
Just silence.
When he opened his eyes, he wasn't in his room.
He was lying in tall grass beneath two moons. The air was clean and sharp. Strange, glowing trees surrounded him.
A small creature, like a glowing ferret with wings, darted past. Kai sat up slowly.
He was dressed in armor—sleek, black leather with strange runes. A sword rested beside him.
"What is this...?" he whispered.
A voice echoed in his mind:
"Welcome, Chosen One. You have been reborn."
Kai stood, eyes wide. He looked at his hands, his feet. He was stronger. Taller. He felt... whole.
"No more bullies. No more parents. No more pain."
He smiled—a real, wild, victorious smile.
"For once," he whispered, "I get to decide who I am."
And with that, Kai Nakamura took his first step into the unknown world.
A new story had begun.
And this time
He was the hero.