He was standing on the roof of his house, enjoying the breeze and the rare quiet of a Tuesday afternoon.
It was a normal day. No trucks in sight. No suspicious portals. Just a typical sunset over a typical neighborhood.
Then, he saw it.
A small, bright dot in the sky. At first, he thought it was a shooting star. Maybe a satellite reflecting the sun.
Then it got closer. And closer. And faster.
'Is that... a meteor?'
It wasn't a meteor. As the air began to scream and the heat hit his face, he realized it was a massive, jagged piece of a broken space station. Two tons of reinforced titanium, glowing white-hot as it broke the sound barrier.
He didn't even have time to scream.
BOOM.
Everything went white.
...
He woke up standing.
That was the first thing that felt wrong.
He had nothing beneath his feet, and he wasn't falling. In each direction, thick fog stretched and seemed to have no end. He could not see the sky above him. Hell He could'nt even see himself.
"OK," he said. His voice echoed strangely. "Either I'm dead, or this is the weirdest place I've ever been in."
The fog had shifted.
A figure stepped out of it, tall and indistinct, like a shadow given shape.
"You are in my domain," the figure told him.
Elias raised an eyebrow. "Cool. Mind telling me how I got here? Because last thing I remember, I was getting atomized."
"You arrived without cause," the figure replied. "Without history. That should not be possible."
"Yeah," he said. "That tracks. My life's been weird like that."
The figure circled him slowly.
"I can send you elsewhere," it continued. "Another world. A fresh existence. Power. Safety. Purpose."
Elias tilted his head. "And the catch?"
"I must create you a body there," the figure said. "In exchange, I will experience the human world through you."
That made him pause.
Experience.
Not observe. Not watch.
Experience.
"So," He said slowly, "you can't leave this place."
The figure stopped moving.
"I rule this domain," it said.
"That's not what I asked," he replied.
Silence stretched.
The fog thickened.
"…I am bound here," the figure admitted.
The MC nodded. "Thought so."
He crossed his arms, calm now. "You need me more than I need you."
"That is not true."
"You just said you're stuck," he shot back. "I'm dead. Worst case, I stay here. You're the one offering deals."
The figure's presence grew heavier. "You are bold for a soul with nothing."
He shrugged. "Nothing to lose."
He looked around the fog. "Let me guess. You can send souls out, but you can't follow. So you want a ride. A proxy."
The figure didn't deny it.
"Here's my condition," the MC said. "You give me a good world. A stable body. No hidden failsafes. No taking over when you feel like it."
"And in return?"
"You get to feel everything," he said. "Food. Pain. Sleep. Fear. Boredom. All of it."
The fog stirred.
"You would allow that?"
"You're already planning to," he replied. "I'm just setting the rules."
The figure studied him for a long moment.
"…Very well."
The fog cracked.
Light spilled through.
"Choose wisely," the figure said. "This will not be undone."
He smiled faintly.
"Don't worry," he said. "I already died once today."
And stepped forward.