《Stuck》 Chapter 1 Nathan''s eyes fluttered open, still heavy with the remnants of sleep. At first, he didn''t notice anything amiss in the familiar act of waking up. Yet, as his gaze drifted to the ceiling above, a sense of uneasiness began bubbling up his consciousness. The ceiling was stark white, deviod of the familiar hexagonal patterns that adorned his own bedroom ceiling. As he blinked away the remnants of sleep, his gaze wandered further, taking in the bare white walls that lacked the familiar figurines of okabe and shiina, which usually adorned his room. Absent, too, was his well-loved desk, adorned with it''s flashing keyboard and the latest and greatest hardware available to a 12 year old with an admittedly low budget. The absence of the humming CPUs only added to the disconcerting emptiness of the unfamiliar place he now found himself in. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach as he realised he wasn''t in his own room. The bed beneath him felt too large, the sheets unfamiliar against his skin. Nathan pushed himself upright, the weight of uncertainty pressing down on him. Panic began to claw at the edges of his mind as he tried to piece back together how he had ended up in this strange place. The image of his familiar surroundings, the comforting embrace of his chair as he watched Eren choose the worst possible plan to fulfill his dreams. He recalled the frustrated attempts at differential calculus. With a sigh of defeat, he had given up and given in to the embrace of sleep. But how had he gone from the warmth of his bed to this unfamiliar white walled room? With a trembling voice, Nathan called out to his mother and father, the words trembling on his lips as he slowly made his way out of the room and down the stairs. Each step felt unnaturally silent, the absence of familiar sounds amplifying his growing sense of unease. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "No response," he muttered to himself, his voice wavering with uncertainty. "This.. This isn''t funny if it is some kind of prank." But still, there was no reply, no sign of his parents or any other presence in the house. As he descended the stairs, he couldn''t shake the feeling of deja vu that washed over him. The structure of the house seemed oddly reminiscent of the the cliched houses he had seen in animes, with it''s quaint layouts and sterile cleanliness. However, in his state of disorientation, he failed to recognize the significance of this similarity. As he reached downstairs, the scent of fish and rice wafted through his nose, drawing him towards the door at the end of the hallway. Summoning his courage he pushed open the door and stepped inside, his eyes widening in suprise at the sight before him. In the room, he was met with the peculiar sight of two unfamiliar figures. The first was a japanese woman, her expression blank as she ate her steaming hot rice, her movements almost seeming robotic. Beside her sat another person, their attention fully absorbed by the newspaper spread out before them. A piece of fish sat untouched on their plate, signifying their sheer focus of the words on the page. The scene was eerie, their lack of reaction leaving Nathan unsettled. "Hello?," Nathan called out, but still, there was no reaction. With frustation plain on his face, he approached the woman and gently tugged on her sleeve. "Ma''am, where am I?" But, with it''s growing familiarity, there was still a stone cold silence in the room. Feeling a surge of fear, Nathan tore himself away from the unresponsive figures and feld from the room, his heart pounding with each frantic step. As he rushed through the unfamiliar corridors of the house, his mind was filled with confusion and fear at how he had reached this situation. But it was when he stumbled upon the open door of a bathroom and caught sight of his reflection in the mirror that the true horror of the situation dawned on him. Staring back at him was not the familiar face he knew, but the face of a stranger. Chapter 2.
At 8 years old, Nathan''s hands had trembled with anticipation as he received his first computer. Eager to play alongside his mother with the exciting games she used to enjoy on her own computer, he had delved into the mechanics of the arcane device before him like no child ever before. As he delved deeper into the world of the digital, however, he realized that in order to play any game available on the computer, it had to be installed first. Beginning this process¡ªwith absolutely no help from his parents at all¡ªhe had his first encounter with the mystical side of the world: the page of terms and conditions. Unlike many who clicked ''accept'' without a second thought, our beloved protagonist, with his ''unyielding will'', vowed to read it in its entirety. Yet, after almost 300 words, his ''unyielding will'' had broken. His eyes slipped off the legalese like water off a duck''s back. It was as if this specific combination of words had acquired the mystical ability to confound any mortal who dared confront it with sheer boredom. As Nathan now looked back at the damning mirror in front of him, he was reminded of the forgettable quality of the arcane text. It bore an unremarkable visage with a complexion neither strikingly fair nor notably tan, hair a shade of brown so common it vanished into the background. In stark contrast, his eyes were widened in terror, while his mouth fell agape in a silent scream. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "No... No way," he whispered, his voice trembling with doubt and uncertainty. As Nathan walked towards the mirror, he began noticing other oddities in his body. Every move felt different, his limbs more elongated, his frame taller and more angular. "Shit. No way I got isekai''d. No way." He stood frozen before the mirror, grappling with the idea that he had somehow become ensnared in the most dreaded genre of anime for any serious anime watcher¡ªisekai. "But I never saw a truck before I went to sleep," Nathan muttered, his words tinged with confusion and disbelief. The absence of the infamous truck only served to add to the surreal nature of the situation. How could he have been transported to another world without the catalyst of Truck-kun, as was so often the case in the animes he watched? As the realization of his new reality began to sink in, Nathan found himself experiencing a strange mix of emotions. Amidst the panic and terror that gripped his consciousness, tinges of excitement began to bubble up from within. How many times had he endured the sting of rejection, watching as the jocks picked him last for dodgeball, all the while dreaming of a different reality? A reality where he wasn''t just the awkward kid on the sidelines, but the valiant hero of a fantastical world, battling demons and saving the day with each swing of his sword. "Holy shit... I got isekai''d." Though uttered with the same disbelief as before, there was now a spark of hope illuminating his voice, a glimmer of excitement for the new possibilities that lay ahead in this new world. He could finally shed the cloak of insignificance of his former self and dare to dream of achieving the impossible, a feat beyond the reach of his own self. Nathan felt a surge of hope that maybe, just maybe, this new journey could lead him one step closer to fulfilling his life''s greatest ambition. Chapter 3. As Nathan glanced back at the mirror, the terror that once gripped him began to recede, replaced by the delusions of granduer afforded to him by his newfounded circumstances. Yes, the sudden transportation into another body was horrifying and almost certainly would be a pain in the behind in the future, but for now, he pushed those concerns aside gleefully. It was time to indulge in the fantastical possibilities of his new superpowers! Unfortunately, as he delved deeper into his fantasies, a cold realization washed over him like a wave crashing against the shore-he wasn''t in a fantasy world at all, as evidenced by the demoralizing patterns of modern architecture surrounding him. The truth hit him like a punch to the gut, shattering the illusions of grandeur that had momentarily taken hold of his imagination. Fortunately, the metaphorical punch in the gut served as a wake up call, pulling Nathan''s thoughts away from the spiral of panic and forcing him to confont his actual situation. "Calm down, Nathan, just calm down. Be cool...like Levi. Yeah, like Levi," Nathan muttered to himself, trying to channel the stoic demeanor of the coolest guy in the universe. As Nathan''s mind cleared, he thought about his next steps. If this truly was an isekai adventure like he thought it was, then he needed to ascertain it''s genre. Perhaps it was indeed a fantasy in disguise, and this nondescript house was built by time travellers who would become his advesaries in the future. Or, it might mirror the novels where protagonists found themselves in rom-com plots, forced to steal hearts. Nathan couldn''t deny he''d rather face demons than talk to girls. But, before delving into the mystery of the genre, he had to first unravel the enigma of the eerie room from before. Before confronting the eerie room and it''s potentially robotic occupants, Nathan recognized the need to arm himself. After all, even Levi never fought against Titan without his vaunted ODM gear. As Nathan surveyed the bathroom around him, his eyes fell upon a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, and a mirror mounted on the wall. Below the mirror stood a sink adorned with the most luxurious skin care products. A shaver stood on the edge of the sink, it''s sleek design catching the dim light filtering in through the window. With a determined gleam in his eye, he swiftly grabbed the shaver, recognizing it''s potential use as a lethal weapon in his hands. He also seized the toothbrush, not for it''s utility, but rather because he was still terrified. Armed with both weapons, he embraced his role as the guardian of hygiene, ready to cleanse any foe in front of him with his tools of sanitation. With each precise stroke of the shaver and every strategic jab of the toothbrush, he waged a battle against the forces of unkemptness and disorder. His movements were swift and decisive, his resolve unwav- "Focus," Nathan muttered, not allowing himself to succumb to the tempation of delaying the inevitable. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Stepping out of the bathroom, Nathan cast a wary glance back at open doorway leading to the eerie dining room. It was time to confront the unsettling occupants and unravel the mysteries that lurked behind their unsettling facade. "I am calm and cool...just like Levi in a titan''s shadow. I am not terrified at all...just like Levi," he whispered to himself, his words clearly contradicting his shaking hands. Walking through the doorway, Nathan held his weapons before him, his gaze once again drawn to the unsettling scene at the dining table. The woman was still mechanically eating her rice, showing no reaction as he entered the room. The only discernible difference was the gradual depletion of rice in her bowl. "Konnichiwa?" Nathan attempted, drawing upon his limited japanese vocabulary, hoping to bridge any potential language barrier that might explain their lack of reaction. Still met with silence, Nathan attempted a more assertive approach. "If you don''t talk to me right now, I will... uhhh shave your hair!" he declared, brandishing the shaver in a feeble attempt to intimidate them into speaking. The silence that ensued was so profound that he could hear his own heartbeat thundering in his ears. Thankfully, he hadn''t descended into such depravity so as to actually follow through on his insidious threat. Switching targets, Nathan cautiously approached the table. As he circled around, he encountered another emotionless face, this time belonging to a middle aged Japanese man. The lines etched into his spoke of a lifetime in true hell, a corporate job in Japan. The heavy bags under his eyes seemed to have bags of their own. Behind his glasses, his eyes appeared lifeless, though Nathan couldn''t shake the feeling that the strangeness of their current situation may have contributed to their lifelessness. "Sir, can you hear me?" Still met with silence from both occupants, Nathan''s unease deepened, casting a shadow over the already eerie atmosphere of the room. Examining the wrinkled face more closely, Nathan observed that the person seemed to be merely staring at the newspaper rather than actually reading it. His eyes remained unnervingly still, devoid of the usual movements one would expect from someone engrossed in reading. Determined to confirm his suspicion, he waved the toothbrush over the newspaper and then directly in front of the man''s eyes, but there was still no reaction. The old man didn''t even blink. Nathan felt the creeping tendrils of unease tightening harder the longer he stayed inside. His earlier conviction to unravel the mystery began to waver, dissipating like mist in the face of the mounting eeriness. "Maybe I''ll solve this mystery later," he tentatively whispered to himself, the weight of the oppressive atmosphere pressing down on him. Perhaps this house was cursed by a wandering magician, and he had been summoned here to uncover the sinister spellcaster and break the malevolent enchantment, reuniting the original occupants with their lost selves. Finding solace in his new theory, he began to tip toe towards the doorway. "I swear to save you two from whatever ails you, you poor family," he whispered with insincere determination. Walking through the doorway, Nathan''s eyes fell upon another door directly ahead of him. The presence of a shoe stand with pairs of shoes arranged neatly beside it suggested that this door likely led to the outside world. Slipping on a pair of shoes that appeared to fit, although Nathan couldn''t help but notice how much larger his feet seemed than he was accustomed to, he reached for the door handle. Hoping against hope for a fantastical world like The Grand Line, he slowly pushed the door open. "Damn it, this isn''t the fantasy genre."