The blue light of the monitor was the only sun Kai ever saw.

  Click-click-click-click.

  His fingers danced across the mechanical keyboard, a rhythmic, plastic staccato. He was on a forum thread dissecting the latest "destiny-driven" fantasy bestseller. Kai took a swig of warm, flat beer and typed his rebuttal.

  ●User: Entropy_Kai

  ●Let's be real. The "Chosen One" isn't a hero; he's a trust fund baby with a magic sword. Destiny is just nepotism for orphans. You aren't rooting for his struggle; you're clapping because the universe rigged the slot machine in his favor before he was even born.

  He hit ENTER. A savage satisfaction settled in his chest. It was the only control he had.

  Kai leaned back, the cheap ergonomic chair groaning. The air was stale, a cocktail of old laundry and yeast. He was a cog in the corporate machine by day, a keyboard philosopher by night, slowly rotting in the dark.

  PING.

  A notification cut through the gloom. A meme—simple, high-tier absurdity. Kai huffed, a sharp exhalation of amusement. Then he chuckled. The chuckle rattled in his throat, catching on something deep in his lungs. It morphed instantly into a wet, violent cough.

  Then, the sting.

  It felt like a hot knitting needle puncturing his heart. Kai gasped, hands clawing at his t-shirt. The veins in his neck bulged, ropes of tension snapping taut. He tried to inhale, but the air refused him.

  Is this it?

  His vision blurred. The blue screen warped. He slumped forward, his forehead slamming into the keyboard with a deafening CLACK.

  dddddddddddddddddd—

  The digital flatline repeated until the darkness swallowed him whole.

  Kai woke to the smell of expensive, suffocating lavender.

  It was a heavy, velvet darkness. He sat up, groaning. His body felt weighted, moving through water. Am I in the hospital?

  In answer, a searing blue light fractured his vision. It wasn't a screen. It was etched onto his retinas.

  [USER: KAI (VESSEL: BARON VANE)]

  [ARCHETYPE: THE JOKER]

  [PASSIVE SKILL: NEGATIVE KINETIC STORAGE]

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  [DESCRIPTION: Store the energy of impact or genuine negative emotion from others. Release upon command.]

  "Negative emotion..." Kai muttered. His voice was different—smoother, less rasping.

  He swung his legs off the bed and gripped the thick, silk damask drapes, ripping them open. The sun didn't just shine; it assaulted him.

  Below stretched a city that shouldn't exist. Cobblestone streets. Buildings with swooping facades. A marketplace where fruits glowed faintly purple. People in leather and linen. This was Arveth. He didn't know how he knew the name, but the knowledge sat in his brain like a memory that wasn't his.

  [CURRENT ENERGY LEVEL: 20%]

  [RATE OF DECAY: 1% PER MINUTE]

  [WARNING: ENERGY LEVEL CRITICAL]

  The heavy oak door behind him slammed open.

  "Welcome, Mr... Oh, Dear Mother of Gods!"

  A man stood in the doorway—dressed in the severe black livery of a high servant, with a face carved from disappointed granite. Gyles.

  "Do I look weird?" Kai touched his face, mapping the features. "Did I reincarnate as a goblin?"

  Gyles’ lip curled in undisguised revulsion. "Your Archetype... it's a JESTER. The Master spent a fortune on reagents to summon a Hero, and the cosmos spat out a Villain instead."

  "Villain?" Kai stiffened. "I was summoned? Like a Chosen One?"

  "Chosen One?" Gyles laughed, a dry, barking sound. "Oh, no. You are the trash that falls out of a garbage truck on its way to the afterlife."

  Kai blinked. The insult was so specific it stunned him. "What the hell?"

  "Pardon my candor," Gyles said, smoothing his coat. "I am Gyles, a Threshold Guardian. This building acts as a gate. Not long ago, the Master summoned a true Hero in this very chamber. A shining beacon of hope. I advised him to quit while he was ahead. But no, he wanted a spare."

  Gyles gestured vaguely at Kai. "And we got you."

  "So... what am I supposed to do?"

  "Nothing," Gyles sneered. "You are a failed roll of the dice. Do whatever you want, provided you do not break the Kingdom's laws. Just try not to stain the carpets."

  Gyles marched out, muttering loud enough for Kai to hear, "Another century of waiting... that senile geezer wasted our chance on this."

  Ding.

  [MULTIPLE CRITICAL INSULT DETECTED]

  [SOURCE: GYLES]

  [ENERGY +10%]

  Kai froze. The heat of the insult didn't just sting his ego; it physically surged through his veins. The lethargy vanished, replaced by a buzzing, electric hit.

  He looked out the window. A roar rose from the city—the screaming adoration of thousands. In the distance, a golden light erupted from the plaza. A figure in shining armor rode through the streets.

  [SUBJECT IDENTIFIED: PRINCE ARTHUR]

  [ARCHETYPE: THE RULER / WARRIOR]

  [ADULATION ENGINE: ACTIVE]

  The golden light grew brighter with every cheer. The "Hero" was feeding on their love. He was powered by validation.

  Kai looked at his own hands. Shadows seemed to pool in his palms. Arthur got stronger when people believed in him. Kai got stronger when people despised him.

  A slow, jagged grin spread across Kai's face.

  "So, you want to make me miserable?" Kai whispered to the empty room. "Fine. I won't just play the game. I'll break the whole damn system."

  Warning: The story may start of comedic and light and...funny, BUT! By chapter 10 it'll transform into the Dark novel I claim it to be.