Leon Gray was fifteen when his world ended.
Not the whole world, just his.
The rain had been hammering against his window all afternoon, each drop like tiny bullets against the glass. His room was dim, lit only by the cold glow of his phone screen and the occasional flash of lightning outside. The thunder rolled in the distance, but Leon barely heard it. He was lost in his own world, sitting cross-legged on his rumpled bed, earbuds jammed in his ears, hoodie pulled up like armor against reality.
His thumbs moved like lightning across the screen. Dodge left. Strike. Combo. The elite boss on his phone was down to its last sliver of health, a measly 5% that stood between Leon and victory.
"Come on, come on..." he muttered, sweat beading on his forehead despite the cool air. His character danced around the boss's massive sword, each movement precise and calculated.
Slash!
The boss crumbled into pixels.
"YES!" Leon threw his fist in the air, grinning like he'd just won the lottery. "That's right! MVP again, baby!"
For a moment, everything was perfect. He tossed his phone up and caught it with a lazy flip, the device spinning through the air like it was showing off. His legs stretched out, joints popping as he cracked his knuckles. Outside, the storm raged on, but in here, he was king of his digital kingdom.
That was when the real lightning struck.
The light came first, not the yellow-white of normal lightning, but something pure and blinding, like staring directly into the sun. It filled his room instantly, turning everything into a white-hot photograph. Leon's eyes went wide, his mouth opening in a silent scream.
Then came the sound, not thunder, but something else entirely. A static boom that didn't just hit his ears but surged through his entire body like liquid fire. His bones vibrated. His teeth ached. Every nerve ending screamed at once.
His phone didn't just break.
It 'exploded'.
The device detonated in his hands with a crack that split the air, sending sparks and plastic fragments flying. Leon felt the heat sear his palms, saw the brilliant flash of electricity arc between his fingers. For one terrifying moment, he was connected to something vast and otherworldly, something that definitely wasn't from Earth.
Then darkness swallowed him whole.
And there was nothing.
---
Leon's eyes snapped open.
The first thing he noticed was the silence, not just quiet, but the complete absence of sound. No rain. No thunder. No humming electronics. Even his own breathing seemed muffled, like he was underwater.
He was standing in a white void that stretched infinitely in every direction. There was no floor he could see, no ceiling, no walls, just endless, pristine whiteness that somehow didn't hurt to look at. Yet beneath his feet, he felt solid ground. When he took a step, it made no sound but felt real enough.
"Okay," he said aloud, his voice echoing strangely in the emptiness. "This is either the weirdest dream ever, or I'm seriously dead."
"The second one, I'm afraid."
Leon spun around so fast he nearly lost his balance. A figure stood before him, tall, draped in flowing white robes that seemed to glow with their own light. Where its face should have been, there was only a smooth, featureless surface that somehow still managed to convey attention.
Leon's heart hammered against his ribs. "Who... what are you?"
"I am Helios," the figure replied. Its voice was strange, smooth and calm, like wind through still water, but it seemed to come from everywhere at once. "And you, Leon Gray, are dead."
"Dead." Leon repeated the word like it was in a foreign language. He looked down at his hands, still there, still solid. No burns from the phone explosion. No scorch marks. "I don't feel dead."
"Death is rarely what humans expect," Helios said, and Leon could swear he heard amusement in that otherworldly voice. "But yes, that lightning strike fried you quite thoroughly. Your phone, as well. Though don't worry, you'll be getting that back."
Leon blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Your phone exploded because it was struck by interdimensional lightning," Helios explained casually, like he was discussing the weather. "The energy that killed you came from my realm. It was... an accident. But your arrival here is not."
"Your realm?" Leon's voice cracked. "Are you saying you're—"
"I am not a god," Helios interrupted. "I am the Overseer of a world called Eldros."
Despite everything, Leon almost smiled. "A middle manager? That's not exactly what I expected from the afterlife."
"Eldros is not the afterlife," Helios said. "It's something far more interesting. It was forged by ancient beings from the remnants of collapsing realities, a world where the strong write history and the chosen shape destiny. I was assigned to maintain its balance, guide its evolution, and welcome special souls like yours."
Leon felt a chill that had nothing to do with the white void. "Special how?"
"You are what we call a transmigrator," Helios said, beginning to circle Leon like a predator studying its prey. "A soul plucked from a dying timeline and given a second chance. Some are reborn as infants. Others, like you, are sent as they were. You are exceedingly rare. And you were chosen."
"Chosen for what?" Leon's voice was barely a whisper.
"To survive," Helios said simply. "To grow. To be tested. Eldros is not paradise, Leon. It's a crucible. A world where strength defines truth, where power determines worth. You are to become part of it now, and play your role when the time comes."
Leon stood silent for a long moment, processing this insane information. Finally, he asked, "Do I get a choice?"
Helios stopped circling. "No," he said, and there was something almost gentle in his tone. "But you get favors."
"Favors?"
"I will grant you four boons to help you survive," Helios explained. "The first is yours to name. Choose carefully."
Leon didn't hesitate. "My phone. I want it back. With me. Always."
For the first time, Helios seemed surprised. "Of all the powers you could request, immortality, strength, magic, you choose a communications device?"
"It's not just a device," Leon said firmly. "It's... it's part of me. My connection to who I am."
Helios nodded slowly. "Very well. It will be bound to your soul, its purpose enhanced beyond your imagination. Consider it done."
Leon felt something solid materialize in his pocket—familiar weight, familiar shape. His phone. But it hummed with an energy that made his fingertips tingle.
"The second favor," Helios continued, "I grant freely: your memories. You will retain all knowledge of your past life. Experience is power, and most transmigrators lose themselves in the transition."
"And the third?"
"I will tell you of Eldros. Its rules, its people, its power systems. You'll arrive with awareness. Most do not have this luxury."
Helios gestured, and a pulse of light passed through Leon's mind. Suddenly, his head filled with images, words, and feelings that weren't his own.
'Eldros.'
A world split between humans, elves, and demi-humans who lived in uneasy balance.
A place without kingdoms, ruled instead by bloodlines, clans, and ancient power structures.
A realm where job classes defined your abilities and determined your place in society.
Where some were born with strength, others were forged by it through trials of blood and magic.
And where a select few... were sent from other worlds.
Leon staggered under the weight of the knowledge, his hands pressed against his temples. "That's... that's a lot to process."
"You'll understand in time," Helios said. "The knowledge will unfold as you need it."
Leon took a shaky breath, steadying himself. "And the fourth favor?"
Helios smiled, or something like it. Leon could somehow sense the expression even through the featureless face. "That one, you'll discover when you're ready. When the moment demands it."
The white space around them began to ripple, like stones thrown into still water. Reality was bending, preparing to spit him out into this new world.
"Wait!" Leon called out, suddenly alert. "What kind of job class do I get? You said most people get them, right?"
"Ah," Helios said, and now Leon could definitely hear amusement in his voice. "That is perhaps the most interesting part. You won't receive a standard class. You'll be granted something unique, a Heroic Class crafted specifically for your nature."
The light began to swallow the void, growing brighter and brighter until Leon had to squint against it.
"What does that mean?" he shouted over the building roar of dimensional travel.
"It means," Helios called back, his voice already fading, "that you'll have the power to manifest echoes of abilities from every story, every game, every dream you've ever experienced.
Leon's eyes went wide. "That's impossible!"
"Welcome to Eldros, Leon Gray," Helios' voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere, "where impossible is just another word for 'Tuesday.'"
The light consumed everything, and Leon felt himself falling, not down, but 'through', dimensions collapsing and expanding around him like a cosmic kaleidoscope. His last thought before consciousness faded was both terrifying and exhilarating:
'This is either going to be the best adventure ever, or the most painful death imaginable.'
'Probably both.'