Chapter 2: How Do I Hero?

My mind was overloading. The best way I could describe it is like this. You know when you have to cram study for a final and really have no idea what you're studying but try anyways? You spend hours upon hours reading text and looking at images but in the end your mind is just trying to process whatever it is you're slamming into it. That is me right now.

"I can tell you aren't the brightest young lad out there..." The voice insulted me but I didn't argue...I wasn't. In school I was often getting low grades and I barely passed. When I entered college, I was about the same and the day of graduation I grabbed my diploma and ran to hide it, in case it was all a mistake and the uni wanted it back. I wasn't a smart man but I still tried and I think that matters.

"You're not wrong, you have a heart and a strong sense of willpower." The voice echoed in my mind.

"Wait you can hear my thoughts!?" I sighed a bit.

"Of course...I'm speaking into your mind Mizuki Ayano. I can hear even the smallest of thought." 

"That's an invasion of privacy Mr. Voice." I said smiling a bit. The voice laughed as well.

"True but lets focus. I need to tell you why you're here and I've wasted enough time as is." 

"Are you God?" I asked. Which you can't blame me was a valid question.

"Not God...but a being that he knows of."

"The devil?" 

"No...stop asking questions! Let me explain finally what is happening to you Mr. Hero." The voice seemed genuinely annoyed at my comments. 

"Okay Mr. Voice go ahead." I sat on the cold cliff side ground and crossed my legs. 

"My name isn't Mr. Voice but I equally have no name so that's fine if you're comfortable with that idiotic name. Anyways, I digress. You, Mizuki Ayano age 25 office worker have been summoned to this world. The reason is simple, you are to save it from destruction."

"This really is an isekai...wow." I said outloud.

"Sure, if that helps make sense of the situation you're in, then yes you are living the tale of an isekai'd man who now is a hero. What matters is why though. I have summoned you here because a common hero will not be able to do the job." Mr. Voice took a pause as if waiting for me to respond but I had already asked several questions none of which were properly answered. Figured let him...her...it talk and then ask.

"Within you lies a latent ability called the SOUL. You see all humans in your world have a SOUL, even animals have them. But in this world, the people and beings here do not have a SOUL. They are how do I say this...beings made with a mind and drive but no SOUL."

"Okay I need you to pause now...how do they not have SOULs? They have lives and personalities right? So how is it they lack a SOUL?" I wanted to wait to ask questions but that particular comment hit me too hard to stay quiet. 

"You see this world was created not by God but by a being I call Slain. It, and it is an it, wanted to be like God but in your world had no power or domain. Thus, Slain ripped open the very fragile dimensional barrier between your world and the VOID..."

"The VOID?" I finally sat up and moved around a bit. My legs were growing numb.

"The VOID is as it sounds. It is a place where nothing exists. God made it as a means of possibly restarting the world if need be but he decided not to and it became just an empty place. Slain found its way into The VOID and began to utilize his abilities. It created all that you see here before you but based off random thoughts and visions. Unlike God's beautiful domain, this world is like an amalgamation of randomness. There are beings straight out of fiction and nonsense. Everything here makes no sense but regardless this place has now existed for nearly the same amount of time your world has been around."

I had to really begin thinking about all of this...it was like an information dump in a video game but equally it did it's job. I know knew that Slain was playing God and his world was finally beginning to crumble under its chaos. Making matters worse, this God-like being wanted to save those who had truly made this place their home. As Mr. Voice would continue, the world had people and human-like entities some friendly, others not so much. Yet, they all strove to exist and I couldn't blame them for that. It was like us humans...we do anything to exist and often do horrible things to survive. 

"Mr. Voice I get it now to some degree but that doesn't explain why I have been chosen specifically and more so why I can be a hero?" 

"You answered the call. You walked to the alley between two worlds. I had been calling someone for ages to follow the path but you did it." That explained why I was guided to that strange alley. 

"Okay, but why?" I asked.

"Because you have a SOUL."

"But everyone has a SOUL..." I said as I looked over towards the distant lights. I couldn't tell if those were flames or literal lights. It was too far away. 

"Not like yours. Now before I must leave you I will give you this." Suddenly a flash of light appeared before me and on the ground was a bag.

"In that bag is this world's currency. It isn't a lot but enough to arm you and change your attire. I need to leave for now...my energy is dwindling in this place. I will be back soon but for now go to that city below the cliff and tell no one you are the hero...Slain has eyes and ears all throughout this world and if it learns a hero with a SOUL has been summoned here, you will die." 

"Wait you're leaving? I don't understand anything!" I screamed but this time the voice didn't respond. I was alone...

"What the hell..." I kicked a pebble off the cliff and watched it barely move. Me a hero? I had no strength, I could barely run for one minute and as far as I can tell I have no magical powers here. I picked up the greyish looking bag off the ground. It had some weight to and inside were a bunch of strange looking gold and silver coins. 

"Just like an isekai but a bad one...I'm screwed." I put the bag in my pocket and looked around. I saw a slight downward path and figured that must lead to the bottom of this cliff. I prayed I didn't run into any monsters and die before I was even told what my purpose was here. 

The path down wasn't too difficult believe it or not. I never felt like I was losing balance and it just sloped down enough to make walking feel easy. I pulled out my phone which, surprising to no one I bet, was now completely off and utterly useless. I still had my wallet on me with a few bills inside of it and my ID/business card and my apartment key. All of these things I felt would do little for me. Yet, in a strange way, they were comforting to have. I wanted to ditch my suit blazer in this heat, which reminded me of my world's summer night heat, but thought against it. If anything it could be used maybe for defense at the very least. I didn't know what lurked in this world but if I was only in my dress top and tie, I'd probably be an easy meal to gnaw on for some carnivorous being. 

After what felt like an hour, I ended up at the bottom of the cliff. Before me was a small forest but it too had a path that I presumed would lead to that city I saw from above. 

"I guess I'm really acting like an anime hero. I just keep doing stuff and moving forward." I laughed as I spoke to myself. I wasn't scared but I was on edge. I was alone in this world...well Mr. Voice was here before but he was gone now. Still I wanted to see what this world was about. I wanted to know why I had been chosen as a hero and I wanted to know if maybe there was a means of sending me home. As much as I was bored of my mundane life, it took me all of two seconds in this world to wish I was in my bed and waiting for the alarm clock to signal annoyingly for my work day to commence.   Was I an idiot for wanting to go home so quickly? Weren't iskeai protagonists happy to be in a fantasy world and see the differences of life? I wanted to be happy too but all I could think of was stopping that fear nestled in my heart from escaping. 

The path through the forest was simple, just dug up dirt that was reformed into a makeshift walkway but it sure beat walking down the mountain and if this was just a forest with no direction. I'd prefer not getting lost my first day in this strange world.

"Grrrr" suddenly that fear I was repressing surged out. I knew for a fact that was a growl...I turned around and suddenly saw the source of the dangerous noise. A small dog-like entity was barring its teeth at me. 

"You've got to be kidding me..." I walked backwards slowly but the dog...wolf...whatever this beast was inched closer to me. It wasn't foaming at the mouth but I could see rivers of drool coming out. This thing was hungry and here I was...its next meal.