Marc felt like he was floating, enveloped in a pale blue light. A strange peace invaded him, a sensation of lightness that contrasted with his usual chaotic dreams.
I feel light. This dream is tranquil and nothing like the chaotic ones I usually have. They say dreams have meaning, but yesterday's was absurd: a diabolical doll the size of my palm was trying to assassinate me while I escaped riding a polar bear in the middle of the jungle. What the hell could that mean?
"Ahem," a voice was heard.
But this dream only makes me feel peace.
"Excuse me," the same voice insisted.
His worries had disappeared, and he was in a state of trance.
I wish all my dreams were like this. Though it's weird that everything feels so real.
"Would you mind paying attention to me?! We don't have much time," the voice said, now in a louder tone.
What?
Marc lifted his head.
Standing a few feet away from him was a man who looked about 50 years old. He had long white hair and a beard, and he was dressed in immaculate robes. Though slender, his musculature was noticeable. His face reflected both compassion and authority.
Marc's face, for his part, reflected sheer disbelief.
"All right, why not?" Marc said, standing up without giving it much thought.
"My son," the man began.
"I'm pretty sure you're not my father," Marc interrupted.
"I have summoned you to a new world," the man proceeded, ignoring Marc's interruption.
Marc looked around: there was nothing, everything was pale blue. A new world? What is this old man talking about?
"In this world, you must undertake an important mission—one that will save the planet," the strange man said, bringing a closed fist to his chest.
Well, compared to an assassin doll, I guess this isn't so bad for a dream. Although this guy is kind of weird.
"This is not a dream," the stranger said. His face now reflected a hint of irritation.
"Did you read my mind? Well, I shouldn't be surprised if you're a product of my subconscious," Marc said in a skeptical tone.
"Excuse my manners. Perhaps I should have started by introducing myself. I summoned you while you were asleep, so I understand that you're confused. My name is Amir, and I am the God of this world."
A God? Yeah, right.
"I wear this clothing and have this physical appearance because this is how some gods are represented in the religious figures of your world. It was better to present myself to you with a familiar appearance that would reflect that I am truly a God."
An appearance that reflects him being a God? Tsk. Doesn't he know I'm an atheist? I don't believe in God, much less one represented by various religions. I've always thought that if a divinity existed, it would be an abstract entity: neither good nor evil.
"You have a point there," said the God Amir.
He's listening to my thoughts again.
"As I said, I presented myself to you in this physical form so we could converse, but truly, gods do not have a form," the God Amir continued. "Likewise, although I intend to task you with saving the world, I am not doing it out of goodness. You see, the gods, as you rightly think, are neither good nor evil, nor pious nor ruthless, nor just nor unjust. We are not impartial, but we do not take anyone's side in particular. What matters to us is Balance, and that Balance will be in danger in the world I brought you to. Hence the importance of what I wish to ask of you."
"Am I dead?" Marc asked, looking at his own body without paying much attention to what the man had told him.
"Not yet," the God Amir replied. "But I'm not planning to kill you or send you to your death."
"I'm sorry, but I still don't believe you. I went to bed a few minutes ago, exhausted after working all day. The safest bet is that this is all just a very deep dream," Marc said, feeling skeptical about Amir's words.
"Have you ever felt this way in a dream?"
"I have to admit it feels very real compared with my usual dreams, but everything you're telling me is crazy."
"I understand how you feel. To show you that what is happening is real, let me take you to your room, where your body currently lies."
As soon as the God Amir finished pronouncing those words, he teleported them to the room. They were both standing next to the bed, watching Marc sleep.
Marc felt disoriented and immediately began observing everything around him. Everything was exactly as he had left it before falling asleep.
In that moment, fear began to invade Marc.
"All right. I'm starting to believe you. But why am I outside my body? Doesn't that mean I'm dead?" Marc said in a scared tone.
"You are not dead. Let's go back to where we were, and I'll explain everything to you."
And just as quickly as they had arrived in Marc's room, they were now back in the empty, pale blue place.
Marc was now petrified with fear. He finally understood that none of this was a dream.
"What the hell! Please, I don't know what you want from me, but I think you have the wrong man. Saving the world is not something I can do; I'm just an ordinary guy, without skill or training."
"You were an ordinary guy in your world. In this new world, you will have magic and power much greater than average," said the God Amir, with satisfaction in his words.
Marc was perplexed by such words. Magic?
"That's right. The world I brought you to is a world with magic. A world of Fantasy, as you know them in your world."
"Fantasy! You mean like those worlds where mythological creatures exist?" Marc asked, now completely surprised.
"You are correct. Although they are not considered mythological creatures in this world, they are as common as any human in yours. Besides humans, there are elves, dwarves, demons, and many other beings that will catch your attention," Amir said, smiling, knowing he had successfully piqued Marc's interest by talking about magic and a world of fantasy.
Marc felt overwhelmed by all the information he had just received. Even so, he wanted to delve deeper into the topic of magic.
"And is magic common in this world?" Marc asked, unsure of where to even begin his interrogation on the subject. He had lost his fear and was now intrigued. "And what kind of magic is it?"
"Magic doesn't exist in your world, so logically, it could be said that it is much more common here," the God Amir replied.
Yes, that was a stupid question on my part.
"But only one person in a thousand possesses magical power," Amir continued explaining. "That power consists of controlling the natural elements of the world: fire, water, earth, air, but also other kinds of things. But I don't want to get ahead of myself; I know the subject of magic interests you, but I will start by explaining why I summoned you to this world."
Magic really exists in this world! And on top of that, it's a world of fantasy.
In this world, the races are each divided into their own territory: the human, the Demon, the elf, the dwarf, and several others. Humans consider demons their natural enemy due to religious beliefs and past wars. There is currently a relative peace, as neither of these two territories is presently in conflict, but that will change, and a new war will break out in a few years.
These demons must be evil beings, so I understand why a war would break out.
"I see. So you want me to defeat the demons and save the world that way?" Marc asked.
"Not exactly," the God Amir replied with a slight smile.
Marc was so engrossed in the conversation with the God that he had forgotten that, just moments ago, he had observed his own body lying in his bed.
"What I want to entrust you with is becoming a demon in this world. To be more specific, I need you to become the Demon King," Amir said with a smile.
Silence settled for several seconds.
A demon? Marc was still processing the God Amir's words. The Demon King?
"What the fuck are you talking about!" Marc said, raising his voice. "A demon? How do you expect me to be a demon?"
This God is messing with me.
"Not just any demon, but the Demon King, to be more specific," said the God Amir, smiling with an almost mocking satisfaction.
He is definitely messing with me.
"But you said you wanted me to save the world. Aren't demons evil?" Marc said, furious.
"Yes. I said so. I want you to save the world," the God Amir continued, the mocking smile still on his face.
"Is this supposed to be a joke? Because it's not funny to me," Marc was indignant at the God's attitude.
"It is not a joke," the God Amir replied, ceasing his smile and now speaking in a more serious tone. "Demons in this world are different from what they are known as in your world. There, demons are malevolent spiritual beings, but here they are a race, one of many. They have horns and a power greater than that of humans. It is true that because of this, many demons view humans as inferior beings, but within their race, there are both good and evil, exactly as it happens with the human race."
It's true that the concept I have in my head of what a demon is, is something evil. However, being an atheist, it's not like I actually believed they existed; for me, there is no heaven or hell, nor angels nor demons.
"Although due to religious reasons—exactly as happens in your world—humans believe that demons are a malevolent race that must be exterminated. Their existence is considered a heresy, an aberration of creation... and an insult to God," the God Amir said, pronouncing those last words while looking away.
Marc analyzed those words for a few seconds.
"An insult to God?" Marc asked, surprised. "Aren't you the God of this world?"
"Yes," Amir replied curtly, with discomfort.
"So, humans believe demons are an insult to you, and you summoned me to become not just any demon, but the Demon King, the greatest enemy of humans"—Marc smiled. The situation struck him as comical, and he saw in it an opportunity to get revenge for the God's attitude.
"Well, the religion was created by humans, not by me. They set the rules," Amir replied, attempting to justify himself.
What a permissive God with his subjects! Can he really be called a God?
"And couldn't you simply appear before them, just as you are doing with me right now, and tell them that their belief is wrong?" Marc asked, since that seemed to him the most logical and effective option.
"It is not that simple," Amir replied.
"I see all this is very easy for you," Marc said, throwing up his arms and looking around.
"It may seem that way, but it is not. It is difficult to explain to a human being, but it is easier for me to summon someone from another world like you than to appear before the people of this world. Besides, as I mentioned before, what matters to a god is Balance; everything else is irrelevant."
"But it's your name they are using! It is in your name that they want to commit an atrocity like exterminating an entire race," Marc said, exasperated.
"And why do you think I summoned you to become the Demon King and plan to grant you power greater than everyone else's?" Amir asked, in a more serious tone.
"You want me to save the demons from the humans?" Marc asked, with incredulity.
"Partly yes, I want you to save the demon race, but that's not all," Amir paused and exhaled deeply before continuing. "The reason I told you that you must save the world is not only to save the demons. In one hundred years, a human being will be born with incredible magical power, stronger than all the humans who have ever existed. That human will be baptized by the church as the Hero, and he will be entrusted with the mission of killing the Demon King and completely exterminating the demon race."
In short, killing me. Wait... One hundred years?
"But that human, intoxicated by his power and by the extremist faith instilled by the church, will lose his sanity and consider all other non-human races as aberrations, not just the demonic one. After killing the Demon King and exterminating the demons, he will destroy the elves, dwarves, and every creature and monster that inhabits this world. After that, he will proclaim himself King of the entire human race for being the chosen of God."
I see they're just as assholes here as in my world, but even so, with everything he's telling me, I see a problem...
"I understand what you're saying, but you said all this will happen in one hundred years. Why are you summoning me right now?" Marc asked, confused.
"The power I will give you is not equal to the Hero's; it will be less. But you must dedicate yourself to increasing that power to equal or surpass him. It will depend on your dedication," Amir replied.
"You mean it will take me that many years to match his power?" Marc asked, surprised.
"It could be much sooner, but I am considering... your personality."
Is he calling me lazy?
"Why don't you just grant me greater power than the Hero's and send me one hundred years into the future to defeat him?" Marc asked seriously.
Well, I understand him calling me a slacker. The first thing I thought of was to find a way not to have to train for so long and just take the easy way out.
"It is true that I could do that, but it is different for you to have to strive to gain that power than to obtain it so easily. That is exactly the problem the Hero will have: by obtaining that power without having to strive for it, it will breed a feeling of arrogance and superiority in him."
"I understand your point, but it doesn't make much sense to me. People who strive to meet their goals or gain more power can often become arrogant and believe they are better than others, precisely because of their effort," Marc countered.
"There is a reason behind my words: if I grant you greater power than the Hero's right now, can you assure me that you won't become intoxicated by power and try to conquer the world?" Amir asked, staring intently at Marc.
Marc fell silent for a few seconds; the question took him by surprise.
Me, trying to conquer the world? It seems absurd that he would ask me that.
"Of course I wouldn't... that's what I'd like to think," Marc finally replied.
"But you're not completely sure, are you?" The God Amir kept his gaze fixed on Marc, as if he were scrutinizing his thoughts.
Marc took more time this time before answering.
What does he mean? Of course I wouldn't! But why am I doubting?
"I have never been an ambitious person. The mere fact of becoming a King is already too much for me," Marc said, while reflecting.
"Marc!" the God Amir said seriously, drawing the young man's fixed gaze. "The reason I brought you to this world is because you possess exactly the necessary ambition to be a King, and you have always deeply desired to live an adventure like this."
Marc lowered his head... and a smile spread across his face.
Yes, it's true, this God is absolutely damn right. I've always longed for something like this to happen to me; human or demon, I want my adventure, and if I have to defeat that shitty hero to have it, I'll do it willingly.
The God Amir smiled with genuine satisfaction. After all, he hadn't summoned the wrong man.
"Excellent, Marc. Your appearance will change to suit that of a Demon King: you will have two horns and your eyes will be an indigo blue color. I will also make you taller," the God Amir said.
That's not so bad. I thought maybe I'd turn into some kind of monster.
"And I'll also make you a little better looking—not that I'm calling you ugly," the God Amir said with a mocking smile.
You son of a bitch.
"I must warn you that your eyes will glow when you use your magical power or when rage consumes you. Also, I will not send you directly to the Demon territory (in the northernmost part of the planet). Instead, you will go to the southernmost territory. There will be a cabin I prepared for you. In it, you will find various books with information about the world, where you will learn about the races and maps of the territories; you will also find grimoires that will help you learn magic and become familiar with its use. Additionally, there is enough food for a year, a small garden, and various animals that you can hunt if you run out of food or if you crave meat," the God Amir explained in detail.
"Why are you sending me to the southernmost territory instead of sending me directly to the Demon territory?" Marc asked, confused.
"The Demon territory is desolate and harsh. It is difficult to survive there without experience; it would be impossible for you to start. The best thing is for you to learn about magic and the world before embarking on your adventure."
"But did it have to be from extreme end to extreme end? Couldn't you send me to a place nearby, but where it's not difficult to survive?" Marc asked, dissatisfaction evident on his face.
I'm slacking off again.
"I have my reasons for doing it this way. One of them is that I guarantee you will have to strive enough to improve your magic and skills, also guaranteeing your victory against the current Demon King," Amir said.
Wait, what?
"The current Demon King?!" Marc yelled. "Do you mean a Demon King already exists and I have to fight him to become the King?"
"Yes, there is that little detail," Amir smiled again. "The system for choosing the Demon King, unlike the monarchical system in the human territory, is through strength: it is believed that the strongest demon is the one who should govern, and the current Demon King is very strong."
"I think I'm starting to retract my decision," Marc said, letting out a nervous laugh.
"Don't worry. As I said, you will start with magical power superior to the majority, and your growth limit is practically infinite," Amir said, trying to reassure Marc. "By the time you face him, you will have surpassed him by far."
"I will trust you, although I have my doubts," Marc said, still incredulous at Amir's words.
"By the time you reach the Demon territory, trust me, those doubts will no longer be present," Amir said in a calm tone.
Marc fell silent and began to reflect on everything Amir had said since the beginning. Then, something he had overlooked came to his mind.
"Wait, you say I'm not dead, but my body was asleep in my world. Plus, you say I'll be in this world for one hundred years. What does that mean?" Marc asked, dismayed.
"Ah yes, regarding that. Let's just say a physical copy of you is being created in this world, and your soul will be transported to that copy, as if you were possessing a new body. It is true that one hundred years will pass here, but time moves differently for a God like me: within one hundred years, I can send you back exactly to the moment I summoned you so you can continue your life in your old world."
Marc nodded.
Would I really want to go back to my old world? There isn't much I'd miss.
"Time is running out, so I will proceed quickly," Amir said, hurrying the explanations. "I will give you immunity to poison; I don't want you to die from eating a poisonous fruit or plant you didn't know about. Likewise, I will grant you immunity to diseases. You will be in a new world and, although with a different body, I don't want to risk you dying from not being accustomed to its bacteria and viruses."
That will come in handy.
"Also, as I mentioned, you will be in this world for one hundred years, so I will grant you Immortality."
That word caught Marc's attention.
"By this, I mean that you will not age nor die of natural causes. However, you can still die if you are assassinated or eaten by a monster, so don't get overconfident."
No aging! Ha! That truly is good.
"Now, regarding the way to return to your world: in the area where I will send you, near the cabin, there is a small temple with an altar. To return, you will have to go back there. You simply have to express your desire to return; the words don't matter, only the firm will to return. Don't worry, the temple will still be standing even a thousand years from now," Amir said, pausing.
Marc lowered his gaze once more as he continued to assimilate all the information the God Amir was giving him.
"Ah, and finally, I think this will please you: when you fulfill your mission to defeat the Hero, you are permitted to return to your world. However, it is not necessary for you to do so at that moment. With your immortality, you could live two hundred, three hundred, five hundred, or even more than a thousand years before returning. The only condition is that you do not try to conquer the world during that time."
Demon King? Magic? Immortality?
A smile spread across his face once more, even wider and darker, and for the first time in his life, he felt truly important. Marc raised his gaze; the brightness in his eyes had changed. It was no longer skepticism, but a mix of nervousness and an excitement he hadn't felt since childhood. His boring life, his monotonous job, his lack of purpose... all of that evaporated in this new world.
"Understood. And when do I start?" Marc asked, unable to hide his excitement.
"Right now!" Amir replied, extending a luminous hand toward the young man. "Welcome to the world of Fantasy... Demon King."
And thus, with the promise of becoming a King, gaining incredible magical power, and the burden of a prophecy granted directly by a God, the pale blue light enveloped Marc.