SWITCH TO ME

Chapter 02

The message I received almost stuck in my mind, and it seemed to give me the confidence in myself to be not afraid to try new experiences. Therefore, I got out of bed and sat in my wheelchair. I went to the window to see if my servants had left, but they were still downstairs chatting happily outside.

I was planning to run away and leave this house without them knowing, but how could I do that if they were all still here? But I want to get out of this house and go to different places that I've been dreaming of going to for a long time. So even though what I'm thinking is impossible, I'll still try to get out of my comfort zone.

While they were busy chatting, I slowly went out the door and tried not to make any noise that would steal their attention. I was not disappointed because I successfully got out of the gate without them noticing and knowing. But suddenly, I stopped when I saw a dog, and it was barking at me. Because of that dog, they all turned to me and were very surprised to see me outside the gate.

“Master Neil? Where are you going?” My head maid, Marlene, asked me while they were looking at me in wonder, and they slowly came closer to me. But before they could get close to me, I immediately pressed the speed button of my wheelchair to run away from them.

“Master Neil come back here!” they shouted as they chased me, but I didn't stop, and I didn't turn to them, instead I just kept running away from them. Until my wheelchair lost control and no matter how hard I braked, it refused to stop, so I screamed while letting the people on the road go. It accelerated, even more, when I got off the road and if I couldn't stop it I might have gone straight onto the highway where there was a chance of hitting cars. So, I pressed hard the button on the remote control, but it didn't seem to work anymore, so I kept shouting for help. But unexpectedly, strange magic appeared in front of me and it was like a portal leading to another world. I tried to avoid it but since I couldn't control my wheelchair I slid into it where it also closed quickly. Thereafter, I suddenly lost consciousness and I don't know what happened next, but when I woke up, I was lying on the ground and I could smell smoke, but I didn't know where it was coming from.

“Axel, what are you doing there? Come on because we have a lot of work to finish.” A woman with red hair and a strange costume like a cosplay said to me. I sat down and looked around my entire surroundings, where I couldn't explain where I landed. Ruined houses, buildings, and wasteland can only be seen there as if I have gone to the future where the world I came from has ended.

What kind of place have I been to? And where am I? I whispered in my mind when the woman with red hair came to me again, and she reached out to me with one of her hands to help me stand up. But instead of accepting her help, I just stared at her hand.

“What are you doing there? Stand there.” She said, and I slowly looked up at her.

“But I can't stand,” I replied to her, but she just grinned as she grabbed my hand and pulled me to stand up.

“Did you get drunk again last night?” She said and turned her back on me. I wasn't able to answer her right away because my attention was focused on my feet where I was already standing.

Is it true what I'm seeing now? Can I stand up now? Is this a miracle or just a dream of mine? While I was staring at my feet, the woman called me again, so I turned in her direction.

“Come on, we're going to be late for our work.” She invited me and I slowly tried to walk, where I started to tear up and couldn't believe that I was able to walk on my own feet. To be sure, I ran quickly towards her and grabbed both of her hands, which surprised her.

“Tell me what kind of place is this? Am I in heaven? Or is this a miracle world that can heal the sick person?” when I said that, she was shocked and was looking at me in wonder at the same time she removed her hand from me.

“Are you going crazy? What's going on with you? Do you still have a hangover?” She replied as she turned her back on me and walked away.

Stupidly, I was still standing in my place where I was looking at my hands as well as my strange outfit which was all black.

Whatever world I entered or if it's not true, I would rather not leave it anymore, and I won't even think about going back to the old world I came from because I don't want to be a cripple and sit in that wheelchair again. That's why, even though I was still wondering about the mystery that was happening to me, I just quietly followed them.

“I feel that the vengeful spirit is just around us, so be alert.” The white-haired man who looked to be in his forties told us. I don't even know what they do or what their names are, but they look like a group of secret agents or magicians because of their unique costumes.

“May I know what we're doing here today?” I whispered to the young man next to me with blonde hair. He turned to me with a look of astonishment on his face, he just shook his head and ignored me. Therefore, I thought of approaching the woman with red hair to ask her, but even before I got close to her, I was stunned when suddenly a red sword appeared in her hand.

My eyes widened in shock and amazement as I stared at the sword in her hand. Until the swords of the others came out, and what was even more surprising was when a black sword also came out of my hand.

“Wow! Is this what I'm seeing right now real? Look at this, isn't it amazing?” when I said that they all turned to me with frowns, and it was as if I'm just fooling around, so they just ignore me.

I just stare at the sword I was holding again, and I was about to hold it with one hand to make sure if it was a real sword, but for an inexplicable reason, I suddenly throw up somewhere.

“Axel!” the girl called me, even though I have no idea why she kept calling me by a different name. I fell so hard to the ground that I also dropped the sword I was holding. I can't understand why it happened to me all of a sudden, but suddenly the scary creature appeared in front of me and I don't understand why he was smoking black.

His face was so terrifying that I couldn't look at him, so I just closed my eyes, but he immediately disappeared when the red-haired woman stabbed him in the stomach with a sword.

“Are you alright?” Worried, she asked me, so I opened my eyes again, and she helped me stand up while I was still shaking with fear.

“What kind of creature did I see earlier? Was it a monster or a ghost?” I asked her. 

“That was a vengeful spirit and if you don't kill them right away they will take your body from you.” She replied as she turned around and picked up the sword that I dropped, then she came to me again to return it to me.

“Next time, don't let it slip from your hand if you would rather not be like him and turn into ashes.” After she said that, I took the sword she was handing to me, and it suddenly disappeared from my hand. I was still dumbfounded and could not believe the mystery that was happening to me. But if everything she says is true and I saw a vengeful spirit earlier, then that means I'm not an ordinary mortal, and I'm not in the real world.

So, their clothes are unique, and they have powers because they might be a wizard or a group of heroes who kill vengeful spirits. Maybe that's why my legs can walk now, and possibly, I'm dead in the real world I came from, so I became a grim reaper now.