The Chosen One 01 (Patreon)

"The end is coming, human." As soon as I open my eyes, a soft voice reaches my ears. "That spider shall awake from it's slumber in one year, and that shall spell the end of your life. The end of everyone's lives." I look around the room, trying to identify where the voice is coming from.
 
And then I finally realize it's coming from a bird who's flying around my room. "That is your destiny... however I have found this unjust game most vexing." Holy shit, a magical bird is talking to me.
 
"Which is why I have decided to help humanity. My method of doing so shall be to grant it thirteen supremely powerful weapons developed by a god who is both of foreign origin, and yet known to you." Holy shit...
 
Since this bird is clearly talking with me right now, that means I'm about to get one of those weapons... "You're gonna turn me into a super hero..." I wish I could have a bigger reaction, but I just woke up, so I don't even know if this is real or if I'm dreaming.
 
The bird stares me in the eyes. "I shall not turn you into anything. I shall simple give you power, what you do with it is your choice." Wow, birds are awesome. "You are my chosen champion human, who shall receive these thirteen weapons... Now go on and make a destiny to fulfill." Wait, you're giving me all of them!?
 
Without anymore explanation, the bird flies away...
 
I look to the ceiling. "Is it possible to get high without using drugs?" Because that's how I feel right now. Or maybe I just developed schizophrenia? I guess that could be a thing too.
 
Well, it's not like I'm not aware of the existence of magecraft, so I know a bird suddenly showing up and giving someone superpowers is possible, but... I'm also aware that I can't do magecraft, so why pick me?
 
Oh, and there's also the fact that currently I see not a single one of these thirteen weapons, which means I really was hallucinating. I guess I need to go to a doctor soon or something, this is definitely not normal.
 
I slowly get up from bed, and then I walk over to a mirror, so I can see my reflection. "Nothing's changed, that's for sure." It's just good ol' Daichi Ryouta, except I look worse than usual since I went to sleep pretty late, I guess.
 
I raise a hand. "Super weapon activate...!" And nothing happens, as one would expect. "Is it weird that I sort of feel crushed right now?" Thanks for giving me hope about suddenly becoming important, and then taking that hope away from me Mister Hallucination, very cool.
 
I grit my teeth. "C'mon, super weapon activate now...!" I close my eyes, and try imagining things, most specifically the death of humankind. That's how people awake their powers, right?
 
And if we go by the mage way, then I should try imagining something super shocking to act as a trigger, a way to hypnotize myself and make my body enter fight or flight mode. I only know the theory of course, since I have no magical circuits.
 
I lower my hand, and open my eyes again. "Back to normalcy, I guess." It's not bad or anything, I'm actually pretty happy. Besides, ever since my adopted parents died and left their inheritance for me, I have had tons of money.
 
I don't even need to find a job in the future, I'm just gonna do it so I don't laze around all day. That is to say, my life is set, and so I shouldn't be sad over bird hallucinations that tell me the world is about to end.
 
I pout. "Okay, one last try!" Yet again I raise a hand, and close my eyes. "However, if traumatic imaginations won't work, then what will...?" Maybe I should have read more manga to prepare me for this moment.
 
Oh, I know. How about I imagine something really strong? As strong as I want to be. And the image that comes to my mind is that golden man, of course.
 
I take a deep breath. "Super weapon, activate!" And suddenly I feel a weight on my hand. I am now clenching something which feels very heavy, and yet feels very light at the same time. That's... weird.
 
I open my eyes. "Ah, It's huge!" The thing on my hand that is. I'm surprised I can even lift it... And so I lower my hand, and hold the weapon with both, so I can take a better look at it.
 
A golden axe. I guess that's the first of thirteen weapons...
 
I drop the axe immediately. "Kyahahaha! I'm the chosen one! Fuck you father!" I'm now prancing around the room like a goddamn maniac. I do notice however, that I feel much weaker once the axe leaves my hands.
 
"Well, someone is excited..." Eh? Where did that come from...?
 
I turn around and see... a golden lion. In my room. Looking at me. "Aaaaahhh! Don't eat me!" I try looking around the room to find my axe, but it's seemingly gone. There's no way I lost my legendary equipment the moment a enemy showed up, right!?
 
The lion sighs. "Eating my wielder would be... foolish, to say the least." His wielder? Wait, this gotta be my golden axe! "Now sit down, I believe we have much to discuss. I do not know if you are aware of the supernatural, but..."
 
"We must begin your training immediately. You possess a Longinus, a weapon that could even kill a god. This means every faction, from angels to demons, will want to recruit you." The what?
 
I raise an eyebrow. "Don't worry, I'm not exactly planning to step on the reverse side of the world anytime soon." How would I even get there anyways? I can't exactly walk over to the Clock Tower and ask access to Albion.
 
The lion seems confused. "The reverse side of what...?" And suddenly I remember that the bird mentioned the weapons would be from a foreign god.
 
"Golden axe dude... we have tons to talk about."
 
...
 
"This is a most worrying situation. I don't know what kind of monster this... spider is, but if some multiversal bird deity decided all Longinus would be needed for its defeat... It must be a monster beyond all human comprehension." Cool, that's not terrifying at all.
 
Still, I feel like this lion is beyond my comprehension. Apparently he is from some alternate dimension or whatever, one where angels, demons and mythological figures are just running around.
 
And then there's those weapons he talked about. "So... you think I should awaken the rest of the Longinus' right now?" Assuming the other twelve are them of course. Regulus over here seems to be confident they are.
 
Regulus shakes his head. "I don't believe so. There has never been a case of someone holding all thirteen at once, so I can't say for sure, but... I doubt your scrawny body could handle it." Oi!
 
I cross my arms. "So you're saying I should start working out or whatever?" Normally I'm too tired from school to do so, but since the world is endangered... fuck school. I now have the perfect excuse to skip whenever I need!
 
The lion nods. "Yes. Not just working out however, you must truly train." He takes a deep breath. "If all of humanity is threatened, we must not lose any time. You must find an isolated spot where you can hone your abilities."
 
I make a thinking pose. "An isolated spot huh...? That's a hard ask..." Maybe I could ask Tohsaka for help? Nah, I don't want to even look at her, and she definitely feels the same. "I guess we could train in the Fuyuki Park? Nobody goes there." It probably brings bad memories.
 
He shrugs. "Sure, it seems. Now let's go, we must begin our training posthaste!" This guy sure is going straight to the point...
 
I sigh. "Already? I basically just woke up." Also, I should be getting ready for school. Which I can now skip of course, but I probably shouldn't be making a habit of it.
 
The lion glares at me. "Yes, already my most foolish wielder! A threat to your entire species approaches after all!" I guess that's correct... No, it's not that I guess, it's literally true.
 
I can't procrastinate on this! "You're so right Regulus! I must train! Train until my limbs fall off if necessary!"
 


 ////////////////////////////////////////////////
 


"Regulus my man, I cannot do this shit anymore." I feel like I'm about to vomit and then die. Probably because my weak body will fall on that vomit and I'm gonna drown myself or something.
 
He sighs. "My wielder... it has been one week. You're already giving up?" It felt way more than a week! I seriously feel like I have been training for decades, and I can't handle it! Do I look like Goku or something!?
 
I glare at him. "Shut up! My feet were literally bleeding yesterday from how much I ran! That's not how training is supposed to go! At this point I'm hurting my body more than anything else!"
 
He rolls his eyes. "It worked for my previous wielder..." W-well, he was a freak of nature then. "Besides, were you really expecting this to be easy? To carry such a burden as saving the world?" Isn't obvious!?
 
"Yes! I did!" I clench my fists. "I just wanted to be cool and enjoy myself damn it, maybe get a girlfriend along the way!" Or you know... multiple girlfriends. "But so far, all I have received is pain! If you want a self sacrificing hero then go to the fake janitor or something!"
 
His eye twitches. "Very well then..." Eh? "I am, but a weapon. If you wish to stop training, then it is your decision to make." For real!? Then I can like... just stop training?
 
I look the skies. "I hate this. Let's keep going." I was just a bit frustrated, okay!? Give me a break, not everyone can have a unbreakable will. In fact I would even say my will is very breakable.
 
He smiles. "As expected of my wielder." Shut up, idiot. "That said... you shouldn't be worried about a girlfriend or looking cool. These things always come with power my wielder." I suppose so...?
 
But... "To be honest I just want some sort of adventure. When you hear about stories like this, the protagonist doesn't train for a year straight and then faces the big bad." Where are all the mini-bosses damn it!?
 
He hums. "I see..." And then his eyes widen. "Someone approaches, I smell them. Call me." Ah, it's probably Shirou again. It turns out the fake janitor comes here once in a while.
 
I raise a hand. "Return." And Regulus comes back to... my soul or something. Honestly it must be a mess right now, if our theory about me having all the Longinus' is true.
 
"Daichi...?" A familiar voice reaches my ears. "What are you doing here of all places?" I turn around, and see Rin Tohsaka. Ugh, talk about rotten luck...
 
I look away. "I was just... Don't worry, I was just about to leave anyways, Tohsaka-Senpai." I wasn't actually. So once she leaves I will be making my return so I can continue my training from hell.
 
She hesitantly nods. "Okay then..." Now she's avoiding eye contact. "H-hey Daichi, I heard you have been missing school recently. It's everything okay?" Oh, the school idol is showing concern huh?
 
She shouldn't be talking to me at all, that's what father decided. "And you look really pale. Are you sick?" That's certainly the excuse I have been telling school. Only the fake janitor knows I'm lying through my teeth.
 
I wave her off. "I'm fine. Tomorrow I'll go back to school." I didn't want to if I'm being honest, but I can't avoid it forever. Sadly I'm not old enough to just quit it. Sorry world, but I'm too busy learning history to train!
 
She smiles. "Great. That's good." And it's at that moment that I notice a weird red mark on her hand.
 
Could it be...? "Hey Tohsaka-Senpai that mark on your hand... Has that ritual started again?" I just broke the rules right now, I definitely shouldn't be asking her about magecraft. Though she approached me first, and we shouldn't be talking at all.
 
She flinches, probably thinking the same thing as me. "Yes, it has." Well, guess the school idol might be dying soon then. "And that's why you shouldn't be staying outside when it's late, okay?" The sun hasn't even set yet.
 
I send her a thumbs up. "Sure. Like I said, I was about to leave anyways." Normally I do train even as night fall, but I won't be doing that anymore. In fact I should probably stop training for a month or so.
 
I don't want to get involved with this death sentence of a ritual. Besides, if I die the world will presumably go bye-bye in a year, so right now I'm just making the wisest decision. Yeah, I'm just being smart for once.
 
I start walking away. "See ya, Tohsaka-Senpai. Take care." This might be the last time I see her.
 
She waves at me. "See ya."
 
I don't have anything else to say to her, so I don't. Instead I continue on my way home... Eventually however, once she's far enough, I begin to feel Regulus' desire to leave my soul. I let him out of course, there's no reason why I shouldn't.
 
He immediately takes his lion form. "That girl... my wielder, it seems you have found your adventure." Oh? "A ghost follows her, we should probably eliminate it before she gets hurt." So she already summoned one...
 
I look down. "Nah. Trust me, that's no ghost. She just summoned a legendary hero so she can participate in a battle royale for a wish." I wonder if she summoned the so-called invincible golden man like father did.
 
He raises an eyebrow. "That's... a lot of information you just dumped on me." And I would like it if we could change the topic. "So are you familiar with that girl?" That's...
 
I nod. "Yeah, she's my elder sister. We aren't from the same family anymore, and we aren't even supposed to talk with each other, so I would be grateful if you forget what you just heard or saw." I'm a Ryouta now.
 
He sends me a confused look. "I see... do you wish to talk about it my wielder?" I shake my head. I don't even want to think about it. "It seems familiar complications are common in all dimensions." I don't doubt it.
 
I stretch my body. "Leaving all that aside, we are gonna have to give a pause to our training for a while, Regulus. Unless it's something we can do on my room, I guess." It's doable, just a bit annoying.
 
And I definitely can't swing that axe around. It makes me way too strong, and I have already accidentally destroyed one tree or two. If the same type of accident happened inside of my house I wouldn't have a house anymore.
 
Regulus sends me a questioning look. "You are stopping your training now of all times? Just after you reaffirmed your will to continue?" It does sound a bit pathetic when you put it that way.
 
I cross my arms. "Don't look at me like that! It's just that this ritual is seriously dangerous you know!? It involves seven mages summoning seven heroes and killing each other, but they won't care if a civilian dies a long the way."
 
"I don't want to die because I was training at night, and some mage found me and decided I should die by the hands of Robin Hood or something. That ritual only grants wishes one wish, and only to suicidal people, and I'm not." I like living, it's pretty cool.
 
He snorts. "You are afraid of a hero or two?" Yes!? Why wouldn't I be!? "You are the wielder of the Regulus Nemea, you hold the power to shatter the Earth in two and slay the divine. What is a hero compared to that?" Most heroes can shatter my skull.
 
I rolls my eyes. "We'll see if you would say that with Hercules hanging around." And there's a very real possibility of him getting summoned too. He has to be the most famous hero in the world after all.
 
He growls at me. "Watch your mouth." Oh, I hit a nerve? "Though even if the son of Zeus of this world appeared... remember that you are not just the wielder of the Regulus Nemea."
 
"True Longinus, Zenith Tempest, Annihilation Maker, Dimension Lost, Boosted Gear, Divine Dividing, Canis Lykaon, Sephiroth Graal, Incinerate Anthem, Absolute Demise, Innovate Clear, Telos Karma and me... Each one individually could give birth to a legendary hero."
 
"So why are you so afraid of seven heroes?" I... "And besides, isn't this the adventure you were looking for? It's certainly a nice warm-up before we face that dreadful spider, don't you agree?" I guess a spider that can end the world is indeed scarier.
 
He grins. "You wished to look cool, and to find a girlfriend. This is your opportunity to look cool, and I imagine any woman will find herself attracted when she hears you destroyed Hercules." Stop trying to sweet talk me!
 
Because it's actually working, and I hate it! "Why would I even join it!? I don't have a wish for the grail..." I could ask it to kill this spider, but I feel safer training to eventually kill it instead.
 
He looks me right in the eyes. "You do not?" I... Well, I do have wishes of course, but not ones worth risking my life. I'm not gonna join a deathmatch so I can ask to bang a model!
 
I nod. "Yeah, I don't have a wish. If I had...." I look at my hand. "The Grail would have picked me, I would have a type of red mark on my hand." Not that I could do anything with it, since I don't have Magical Circuits.
 
He raises an eyebrow. "My wielder... if you do not hold a wish, then why is it that your body is trembling with such excitement?" He grins. "Right now you look exactly like an old partner of mine." Ah...! Shut up!
 
I grit my teeth. "That's because... because..." This stupid lion. "Because I really wanna win it anyways! I seriously don't have a wish, but when I think about beating those three arrogant families, of beating my sisters... I get really excited, okay!?" It's only natural, right?
 
He chuckles. "I have no idea what families you are talking about, but if you want to join, stop crying and join already." I will seriously die if I do so though!
 
I take a deep breath. "Regulus... Fuck it! You're right!" What am I doing!? "I don't care what gets on my way, I'll be crushing it all, and attaining victory...!" I feel a chill run down my body out of nowhere.
 
But it's surprisingly nice.
 
Regulus smiles. "Understood, I will do my best as your weapon of course. Still, congratulations are in order my wielder, it seems your resolve and your training have awarded you with a new weapon." Huh? "Turn around."
 
I do as ordered... and immediately I come face to face with a gigantic doll made of ice. And when I say gigantic I mean it, this thing has to be at least three meters tall.
 
"My wielder, Absolute Demise, the Eternal Ice Princess is now under your command. Try to not start an ice age by accident." That's...
 
Really scary! Dolls are way too freaky!