《Shadow of Light》


 Chapter 1.1: Plot? Who needs plot?

    The day I died started out like any other day. A few mishaps, a few successes. I fell out of my bed before I woke up in the morning, I actually managed to get the ingredients I needed for a meal that didn¡¯t taste like manure, and then the moment was ruined once more by an early morning call from my boss. I grumbled a bit about work and put on my suit.


    I was a major programmer for a robotics company, Pluto Inc. We were an interesting group of people, working on the development of autonomous mining drones and machines. The world was like that nowadays, machines doing all the work for people, while most of us just sat back doing nothing. The few of us still working were in crucial positions of management, things that could be accomplished by robots, but were much easier to do by people.


    As I finished up my morning routine, I stepped outside, starting to walk towards my workplace. The company was a tight knit group, each of us very close friends. We also mostly lived within walking distance from our workplace, the Chicago Branch Headquarters. A larger building than most, the CHQ, as we called it, was where we and five other groups of ten or twenty people worked together to develop any kind of AI imaginable. Anything that was too monotonous for people to handle, we made robots to do it for them.


    I stood across from the light on the corner of Madison St. and Bloomfield Ave. It was one light away from HQ, and my eyes were still drooping from sleep loss. I yawned, and looked at the walking light, silently wishing it would move faster. Whatever. A minute wouldn¡¯t make any difference.


    I arrived at work a minute late, cursing my lasafare attitude. A short jog into the office, I found Bridget, Leon, Gerald, and Sophie waiting for me, each with their arms crossed. They looked really mad.


    ¡°Umm¡­ Hey, guys! Look I can explain¡­¡± I barely got into my whole elaborate excuse when they burst out laughing, so much so that Leon fell out of his chair and started rolling on the carpet. I just stood there, mouth ready to catch some flies. Then I closed my mouth, and it formed a smile.


    ¡°Okay, idiots, you¡¯ve had your fun. Back to work, slackers!¡± I feigned a loud, obnoxious voice, and they cracked up some more, moving towards their desks. I walked over to mine, turning on the machine. ¡°Where are we so far, Leon?¡±


    The guy had reoriented himself in the chair, and started to look semi-professional, if you could excuse his poor dressing and laid back posture. Then he smiled some more. ¡°We¡¯re more on time than you, Max. The programming is almost complete. I estimate two, three weeks for a beta test.¡± I nodded. Leon was second in command here, sort of. He could run the show, make sure everything was in order that needed to be while I was out. Everyone was a well oiled machine, and we functioned more like a family than peers.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    We worked through the day, long into the night, bug fixing, testing, theorizing methods to improve. Soon it was late afternoon, and the group was exhausted. Our caffeine diet had not worked out well today, not at all. So, I sent them home and finished up compiling my report to the boss. I went up to the door and prepared myself for it.


    I knocked, and after receiving permission to enter, I did so. My boss, Frank Mason, was a plump guy that you could tell was rich and arrogant about it. I closed the door, approached his desk, and put the report on the stack of papers from other project leads like myself. I turned around to leave.


    ¡°Max.¡± He spoke, and I stopped turning. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°The company has decided that it needs to cut off some loose ends. They¡¯ll choose next month, and your group is pretty low on the list. If you don¡¯t pick up the pace, you might fall behind. This is a warning.¡±


    I looked at him, through him, contemplating my options. There really wasn¡¯t any good choices for jobs besides this one. I was already near broke. The only thing that paid less was the government pay that you got for free just by living. Nobody could live well on just that. Those who tried generally wound up with nothing but pain and misery.


    I thought about complaining, that we had been doing much better than any other group that was actually our size, but I realized that it would be useless. If they were going to cut us, there was nothing I could say or do that would improve the situation, so I backed down.


    ¡°Thanks for the heads up, boss. See ya.¡± I walked out the door, mind abuzz with the new information, thinking about what I should do next. I meandered down the street back to the light that separated my house from my work, or my soon-to-be previous office. As I did, I saw a small family, a little girl and boy laughing and running while their parents walked up behind them.


    I was at the light when the pair of children reached me, and the light opposite us turned red. The girl stepped out before the walking light turned blue, and spoke out. ¡°Race ya across the street, bro!¡± Then she turned to run, not noticing what I did.


    I quickly stepped forward out onto the street and grabbed the girl¡¯s hand, pulling her back to the sidewalk. As I did though, I lost my balance and fell forward, right into the path of a small, pitch black sports car, barrelling down the avenue like it was a highway.


    Three flips later, my head hit a power line, and I knew no more.

 Welcome to Grim

    I opened my eyes with a groan. What had happened? I completely forgot. My hand went to my head and I blinked to clear my mind. Sitting up, I looked around.


    The grey plain stretched out as far as I could see, rolling hills and valleys dotting the landscape. A light grey mist dropped from the ceiling like liquid stagalites, and rose from the ground the same way. It truly felt surreal. Across the plain, an uncountable number of medicinal beds lay, each with their own person. Some of the people, however, looked incredibly alien, with four arms, two heads, a tail, or some other strange limb or feature. I saw one thing or being that looked like a giant crab, and another that was just a mass of inky black tentacles and eyes.


    ¡°Ah, the curstanci and the horrors. Yeah, many find them strange.¡± A voice reached my ears and I turned around. An avian creature appeared before me, mostly humanoid except for the avian head and wings. I thought I also saw claws and talons on its hands and feet, but I couldn¡¯t be sure. The feathers were all black, giving it the appearance of a raven.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked, inching away from it before I remembered what was behind me. ¡°Where am I? What is happening?¡± I seemed way too calm for what the situation around me was.


    ¡°All in due time,¡± he said, and grabbed me under the armpits. ¡°Up we go!¡± His wings beat and I found my screaming self being lifted off the ground. I looked around in the air and saw thousands of others being taken too, each with their own avian creature. Even one of the horrors was being dragged by its tentacles, though it seemed like the bird thing was having a bit of trouble carrying it.


    We quickly passed the ceiling like sky, and I gasped as I felt like something just went through me. I looked back down at the ceiling and saw that it had become a floor. I guess we¡­ what? Flew? I had no clue, but the avian being started setting us down.


    I was quickly dropped and landed in a heap of groans and screams, before the being gracefully touched ground in front of me. I sat up and looked at it. ¡°Where¡¯d you take me? What¡¯s happening? Please, I just want some answers.¡±


    The being sighed. ¡°They all do. I can¡¯t answer you. Just follow me.¡± He glanced down at what looked like a clipboard. ¡°A neutral. Unsurprising. But seriously close to bright, so a bit of a shame.¡± He started walking past me, and I turned around. The sight in front of me was jaw dropping.


    Five double doors stood before me, forming a semi-circle around a staging area, an open piece of grey-white concrete. Each of the doors were huge, twenty meters tall, and intricately designed. Each one also had a uniqueness to it. On the far right, there was a burnt wooden set of doors covered in black flames, each dancing high into the sky. On the far left there were blinding white doors made of feathers, forming what looked like shields from their wings. In between, there lay a set of metal doors decorated with skulls, a pair of grey, indistinguishable doors that looked like tinted glass, and a light glowing set of doors decorated with beautiful nature. It¡¯s easy to guess that the list was from right to left.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I felt an unknown force dragging me forward, towards the doors covered in nature. However, the raven being led me to the grey glass doors. I quickly spoke up.


    ¡°Hey, I think we¡¯re going the wrong way. The lighter door should be the one I go to, right? Right, Mr. Avian guy?¡± I started to panic as he dragged me towards the grey doors, but when I said that, he turned back assessing me, then looked down.


    ¡°No. You¡¯re scheduled for the neutral door, but lying to me is a serious offence. To lie to an Arch is to send yourself straight to Grim. I¡¯m sorry, kid, but you¡¯re right, this isn¡¯t your door.¡± He turned, and started dragging me towards the doors covered in black fire. As I got dragged away from the doors that I felt I was supposed to go towards, I started kicking and struggling, trying to reach them, but he just kept dragging me towards the darkest door there!


    I lost control of my body as I felt the door sucking me in like it had its own gravity. I saw the raven back up, looking towards me with sorrowful eyes. ¡°You should¡¯ve just accepted your fate. Now you¡¯ll be suffering. I¡¯m so sorry, but this is really your own fault.¡±


    The doors dragged me through them, kicking and screaming, and I felt myself lose consciousness once more. The last thing I heard before I only saw black flames was another being flying forwards, screaming, ¡°Wait!¡±


    *****


    After the man had vanished through the Grim doors, Abethos turned around to look at the new voice. A messenger was flying towards him, holding a small package. He glanced at her. A smaller angel, she was obviously a minor being of power. He quickly saw the small winged sandals of Mercury on her feet.


    ¡°Hello. What do you need, young one?¡± He asked. The girl took a minute to catch her breath and looked up at him. ¡°Major, the one you just delivered was not yet fully cycled. We hadn¡¯t yet managed to update everyone with his death.¡±


    Abethos¡¯s face paled. If that meant what he thought it meant¡­


    ¡°Major, that man saved a child with his final breath. He also had just received significant bad karma from his boss, in the form of being told he might not have a job. The combination of a minus three bad karma and plus thirty good karma made him a Bright, not a Grey.¡± The angel looked at him seriously. ¡°If you thought he was lying and that¡¯s why you sent him to the Grim, you know what that means.¡±


    Abethos couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened. The gods had made a mistake? The boy wasn¡¯t lying? How could this happen to him? An archen shouldn¡¯t face these troubles! His mind moved faster and faster until his eyes rolled up in his head and he saw no more.

 The Archens Attonement

    The darkened doors woke me with a high pitched screech, bringing my hands to my ears. I rolled around, blood dripping through my fingers, before falling off the stone bed that I was on. I stood up shakily, tears flowing from the loud noise. Where am I? Last I remember, the raven person tossed me through the wrong door. A gunshot like noise sounded, and I flinched back. What is with all the sounds! Can¡¯t people keep it down? I stepped forward hesitantly. Let¡¯s take stock of the situation.


    I glanced down at myself, then started muttering. ¡°Woke up in a stone room, looks like a cell. I got nothing on my save a pair of pants and a shirt. Dead guy in the corner of the cell, looks like he¡¯s on top of¡­ a grate? Whatever. Let¡¯s see where this door leads.¡±


    I quickly moved forward, glancing at the cell door. Large, metal, with two holes for food and viewing. Nothing too unique. Pressing against it, I tried to look out and see if there was anybody there, and tested the lock. No dice. Two guards at every door, and I was sure that they were at mine, too, even though I couldn¡¯t see them. I had to find another way.


    I moved the dead guy over to the stone bed, placing him there as his final rest. It was something I loved to do in videogames, and it usually held a secret for any player if they did something similar. However, at that time, I just wanted the guy to have his final rest in peace. Nobody should die unrecognized, unknown, unseen, alone. I quickly moved his hands over his chest, just like if he was awake, and closed his dull eyes.


    A bit of pain in my heart welled up for this stranger, yet I quickly let it go, as I didn¡¯t need it at the moment. I had to find a way out. I observed the grate, trying to figure out if I could get past the guards using it. Below it flowed a near literal river of human waste, and I recoiled in disgust, retching. Now I realize why nobody leaves that way, the smell alone could kill them. I covered my nose and looked past it. The scat looked like it was flowing towards a giant¡­ mouth. Okay, more than one reason not to go that way.


    I looked over the room once more, trying to find anything that could be of use, and I caught a glimmer from something metal in the dead guy¡¯s pocket. I turned around, looking for the light source, and a tray slid on the ground from the food slot in the door.


    ¡°Eat up, kid, it¡¯s your last meal.¡± The guard closed the slot and walked away. I quickly moved to the metal in the man¡¯s pocket, and grabbed it. A screwdriver. Going to have to be good enough. The meal looked positively revolting, and I shoved it aside. Under it, however, was an interesting discovery. A note, addressed to me.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Dear Max Durran,


    Sincerest apologies for my mistake. You were correct, the Bright doors were for you, not the Glass. A mistake of three doors by me, means you get three boons from me. They will arrive after this message. Once again, I sincerely apologize for my mistake. Good luck with your new life!


    Best wishes,


    Abethos, Archen of the High Judge


    I clutched the paper, nodded, then tore it up and tossed it down the drain.


    Note, your chosen action will have consequences.


    A message, appearing¡­ right in front of my face? What is this? I blinked, and the message disappeared. Well¡­ Let¡¯s double check something. As a programmer, I knew all about games, including the modern VR setups that used voice command to show¡­ ¡°Status.¡± I spoke out loud.


    Maxwell Durran: Age 24.


    Level: 1. Class: N/A.


    Skills: Archen Gaze, Archen Potential, Archen Fate.


    The concise message showed me¡­ nothing, other than the fact that this was what I thought it was, a game. I started as a noob character, as most people do, but what were the skills I got?


    Archen Gaze: Skill Rank: Basic. Skill Level: 1.


    You have collected the eyes of an Archen as one of your gifts, and given your eyes to him. Your new eyes allow you to size up anyone you see, giving you a statistical analysis based on their numbers. They also allow several other boons, such as Night Vision, Visual Recording, and Visual replication, that will be unlocked at later ranks.


    Grants: 1% increased visual acuity/perception per level, 1% increased statistical accuracy per level, 1% increased knowledge/intellect per level.


    Archen Potential: Skill Rank: Basic. Skill Level: 1.


    You have collected an Archen body as one of your gifts, and given your shell to him. Your new body allows you to reach any height imaginable given enough time and effort. All your limits are removed. This skill will adapt to whatever you wish to do, and can do anything you wish, even giving you wings should you desire to fly.


    Grants: 1% increased statistical baseline per level, 1% increased ability based on desire per level, 1% decreased training time required per level.


    Archen Fate:


    You have collected an Archen Soul from a minor Archen of Fate, Abethos. Your soul now is fated for greatness, and, no matter what you do, are unable to escape it. A king amongst men, conqueror of all, the Grim Lord Durran.


    Grants: ???


    I looked over the skills that I was granted, and my heart rose and sunk at the same time. If what this said was true, Abethos had basically killed himself by granting me these powers. A soul? If I was right, that means that Abethos no longer had one. He was dead.


    I granted the Archen a moment of silence in remembrance of the bastard. Then I looked up and returned my gaze to the task at hand. Getting out. I knew that there were guards out there, I knew what would happen to me, but I simply didn¡¯t care.


    I grabbed the screwdriver and clutched it tight before throwing it in my pocket. Time to make my escape.