---
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
I was falling. Fast. Through a sky that was way too purple to be normal. I couldn't even process what had happened. One minute I was sulking on the school rooftop, hating my life. The next—
Boom.
The clouds split.
The world flipped upside down.
Gravity said, screw you specifically.
And now I was plummeting to my death while screaming like a kettle left on the stove too long.
"WHAT IS GOING ON?! AM I DEAD?! IS THIS SOME KIND OF DRUG TRIP?! I DIDN'T EVEN TAKE ANYTHING!!"
The wind was howling past me, slapping me in the face. My school blazer flapped like a sad cape. I was too terrified to cry and too confused to pass out. So I just screamed until—
WHUMP.
I hit something soft. But not pillow soft. More like this is technically softer than concrete but still really hurts soft.
"Ow…" I groaned, tangled in branches, leaves, and what I'm 80% sure was a squirrel nest.
I rolled out of the bush and collapsed on the dirt. My body was still intact. My brain, however, was rapidly breaking apart like a poorly coded gacha game.
"Okay. Okay, Shin. Deep breaths," I muttered to myself. "You're in a forest. A weird forest. With glowing flowers. And floating jellyfish things. But maybe this is a dream."
Something with wings and fur flapped past my face.
I screamed again.
---
Ding!
And then it happened.
A glowing blue screen popped up in front of my eyes. Not like a phone screen. Like... floating in the air screen. Straight out of a fantasy RPG.
> [Welcome, Chosen One.]
You possess the Unique Ability: OBEDIENCE.
Your voice is law. Anything you say… must be obeyed.
Current Name: Shin Asakura
Recommended New Name: Riku Ardent
[Accept?]
I froze.
"Wait. Waitwaitwait. WHAT?!"
My voice cracked halfway through the word.
I waved my hand in front of the screen. It didn't go away. It just blinked patiently, like a smug game tutorial.
> [Name changed to: Riku Ardent.]
[Title acquired: The Yes King.]
"...I DIDN'T EVEN PRESS YES!"
What the hell kind of fantasy world gives you a title like The Yes King?! That sounds like a trash-tier supervillain! Or a weird adult film character!
---
"Oi! You there! Stop right there!"
I spun around. Three men in armor were approaching through the trees, spears out, faces hard. Real medieval vibes. Real sharp weapons.
My panic surged again.
"I—I don't know where I am! Don't come any closer!" I yelled.
And just like that... they stopped.
Not like paused. I mean froze. Like statues.
They exchanged a glance, then all stepped back in unison.
Wait.
Waitwaitwait.
"No way."
One of them tilted his head. "We shall not come closer. As the Yes King commands."
My soul left my body.
I didn't say anything for a full five seconds. Then, carefully, I tested it.
"Uh... kneel?"
They all dropped to one knee like knights in a royal court.
"OH NO. OH GOD. THIS IS BAD."
My mouth had power. Real power. And worse... it was listening to everything I said.
Even the dumb stuff.
I backed away, hyperventilating.
"I can't handle this. I'm not built for this. I'm just some nobody who failed his midterms and got rejected by three girls in one month. I CAN'T BE THE YES KING!"
The guards didn't move.
I think one of them nodded solemnly.
---
[To be continued...]