A man, dressed in a black coat, and holding an umbrella, was walking in an alleyway, rain drops bouncing off his umbrella. He passed by an open dumpster, beside it, a frail looking boy around the age of 10, with pale skin, was leaning his head on it his head covered by a single piece of cardboard to shelter him from the rain.
The man looked at him for a second, then walked closer so that the boy was under the umbrella.
"Hey kid!" the man called out, his voice higher than normal.
Instantly the boy woke up, and looked up at the man, revealing an unhealthily thin face.
"What?" he asked, his voice still sleepy.
"You want a chance to improve your life?"
Instantly the boy sobered up and answered:
"Yes!" the boy beamed with excitement.
The man smiled softly, and asked in an equally soft voice:
"What's your name then."
The young man thought for so long, it seemed that he didn't even have a name.
"My name is Grey."
"Well then, come with me Grey."
***Six years later***
Grey was standing in the crowded hall of the Chosen academy. Next to him, stood a boy around the same age as him, he had jet black hair and eyes. He was Arthur, the son of the kind man who took him in six years ago, and his best friend.
"Chosen!" a voice called out from an elevated platform, "All of you will be transported to the Rift realm in..." he looked at his hand watch.
"five minutes. So I'll keep it simple, you will be transported to a random area in the Rift realm, to come back you will have to either find a conquered citadel and enter it's gateway, or find a unconquered citadel, defeat it's guardian, and enter the gateway. Of course on your way you will have to fight Creatures Of Corruption. How will you fight them? Upon entering a core will be formed in your body and runes will appear on your back, each rune represents an ability..." he was cut off by a female whispering in his ear.
"You can combine up to four Rifts, and be transported to the same place. That's all, now hurry up and go to the transportation chambers." he finished in a hurried voice.
With that all of the Chosen present exploded in conversation and walked to the chambers.
"We will enter alone." Arthur said.
"Yeah, Yeah, I know, you suicidal fuck." Grey replied.
They continued walking until they found them selves in a padded white room.
"Are we in a...mental asylum?" Grey asked.
Arthur looked at him, regretting teaming up with him, and then said:
"The Rifts will open any time now can you shut the fuck up."
And true to his words, in the next moment two Rifts tore through the fabric of reality, at first they were motionless but then they started getting closer and closer, and then started spinning around each other and shown with blinding light making Grey close his eyes, when he opened them, he saw a single Rift bigger that both of the previous combined.
He didn't have time to look thought, because in the next moment he was pulled in.