IN A MORNING
ADRIAN
Morning came without asking my permission. The pale, sickly light seeped in through the cracked window, stabbing right into my eyes like it had a personal grudge. I groaned and rolled over on the straw mattress. The thing had more sharp bits than actual straw, and my coat had done a terrible job pretending to be a blanket. My toes felt like frozen pebbles.
"Status. Body temperature is low. Energy is critical. Suggest immediate food intake." The system's voice buzzed in my head, sounding way too cheerful about my imminent hypothermia.
I sat up, joints creaking like I'd been thrown down a staircase in my sleep. From the corner of the rickety nightstand, the leftover hunk of bread sat wrapped in a greasy scrap of cloth. I unwrapped it like I was unearthing treasure. The bread was stale enough to chip a tooth, but it was mine, and it meant I wasn't going to faint from hunger, at least not before noon.
"Bread quality. Poor. Nutritional value. minimal. Survival boost: +5." System announced.
"Yeah, thanks for the pep talk." I muttered, gnawing on the corner like a desperate rat.
It tasted faintly of the tavern's ale-soaked air, and there was definitely a questionable spot on one side. I tore it off and threw it toward the wall. A soft thud told me it landed in the pile of whatever was already rotting there. The cold wasn't giving up, though. My breath fogged the air in thin little ghosts, curling toward the ceiling. I rubbed my hands together until my fingers tingled and glanced at the single cracked window. The outside looked exactly like yesterday, grey, wet, and miserable.
"Next objective. Secure sustainable food source. Find warmth. Survival difficulty. Moderate to high." System said.
"Moderate to high? That's my whole life now," I whispered, pulling my coat tighter.
The thought of stepping outside again made my bones want to turn to dust. But staying here meant starving. I shoved the last bit of bread in my mouth, chewed until it stopped feeling like gravel, and swallowed.
"Alright." I told the empty, mold scented room. "Round two. Let's see if the world's still in the mood to kick me around."
I grabbed my coat, stuffed my few pathetic belongings into my bag, and stood by the door. My fingers lingered on the rusty key. Giving it back meant I couldn't come back.
"Decision pending." System whispered.
"Yeah." I muttered. "Story of my life."
"Welcome to Chapter 1. 'The omega's early morning misadventures.'" System said.
The system's voice buzzed in my head, all sharp edges and zero empathy.
"Reminder: Attempting to escape story tropes will result in increased comedic torture and possible death by embarrassing circumstances."System said.
I groaned. Cosmic forces clearly had a sense of humor darker than my soul. Shoving my hands deep into my coat pockets, I started walking. No clue where I was going, but this part of town wasn't on any damn map in the novel I hated. That meant I might be on neutral ground.
The people here looked different. Not warm hell no, but less like they wanted to skin me alive for lunch. It was… weirdly refreshing. Like maybe I wouldn't be murdered in the next five minutes. And then, just as I was starting to relax, a second voice broke into my head. Deep. Smooth. Uncomfortably smug.
"Well, well, well… look who crawled out of bed and into my little playground."A voice said.
I froze mid step.
"Oh no. No, no, no. Who the hell-"I started as voice sounded way too familar.
"Congratulations." The voice purred, rolling the word around like it tasted expensive. "You've been promoted. You are now… a brand new extra character in my story."
I blinked at the empty street.
"…Your story?"I asked.
"Indeed. I am Zenith. God of this world. Creator of fate. And apparently… your landlord now."He said.
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Right. Sure. And I'm the king of instant noodles."I said.
"You flatter yourself." Zenith said. "But here's the deal, little mortal: you're not just in the story anymore, you're my newest toy. My pawn. My…" his voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Plaything."
"Wow." I deadpanned. "Thanks for making that sound only mildly serial killer wibe."
"Oh, don't be like that. It'll be fun. For me."He said.
The system beeped irritably.
"Alert: Interference detected. Divine presence classified as 'Zenith-class annoyance.'"System said.
"Hush, little system." Zenith said smoothly. "I'll be borrowing him for a while."
Borrowing. Like I was some library book that was definitely going to be returned with missing pages and coffee stains.
"So what exactly does being your… uh… plaything involve?" I asked slowly.
"Surprises. Games. The occasional brush with death. You'll dance through my little plot twists until I decide your chapter is over."He said.
"Cool." I muttered. "I can't wait to die in a pie eating contest or get trampled by a herd of feral sheep."
Zenith chuckled, the sound curling in my skull like smoke.
"Oh, Adrian… you have no idea."He said.
At that moment I could have tell he got more than a few plans for my future. The streets were a patchwork of mud and misery. Not the friendliest place, but hey, better than getting eaten alive. I headed to the corner guild hoping for a fresh start, or at least a warm meal. The guild was cramped and smelled like old beer and broken dreams. I looked like a mess. A dirt caked on my coat, hair tangled, and the unmistakable scent of 'just survived the apocalypse.' The clerk glanced up, barely hiding a smirk.
"You want a rank?"She asked.
"G-rank." I said, voice hoarse.
She squinted at me like I was an alien.
"You sure? You look more like a walking disaster than a hunter."She smirked.
Behind her, a few guild members snickered, whispering about the 'new mess in town'.
"Alert. Subject classified as 'homeless bakery explosion.' Recommendation: immediate hygiene upgrade."System said.
Zenith's voice flickered through my mind, all mockery and amusement.
"Ah, Adrian, the legendary mud magnet. Truly a shining star in the 'I'm gonna die' constellation."He grinned.
I flushed, ignoring them, and slumped over to the application table.
"Alright." The clerk said, handing me a crudely drawn map. "G-rank it is. Don't expect much, newbie."
"Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence." I grumbled, trying to look less like a walking disaster and more like someone who maybe, just maybe, wouldn't die immediately.
As I left, I caught a few lingering glances and snickers. Great. Just great.
"Note. Confidence level critically low. Recommend therapy or heavy drinking."System said.
"Don't worry, Adrian. The fun's only just starting."Zenith chuckled.
I groaned, trudging into the cold city streets again, wondering how I got stuck in this twisted story.