Chapter 1: The Start

1st Person POV

"Well, I think we can conclude our session here today." my therapist said once she closed her notebook.

As per my weekly routine, I returned from my part time work and arrived in my weekly appointment, today was a pretty normal day, I went to work and otherwise, nothing eventful really happened, so I just had to look forward to my late evening appointment.

"But...my dreams aren't stopping, I went to that specialist like you said before, nothing has worked, I-I don't know what to do."

"You're usually cheerier, please put a smile on that face." my therapist then placed her hand on my face and pulled it into a smile "We've been at this for several years, already, I can tell you grew up, you didn't even let me touch you when we first met, you're in your 20s now and I no longer am a newbie, maybe that dream is just an ordinary dream."

"I don't know...it felt really surreal since I...since I was a part of that project...It's been over a decade and I still see the same woman, and now when I see her, she's been saying 'It's close.' or 'It's almost time.', the others aren't experiencing it, I'm the only one, what if I haven't recovered."

"It's alright, the government are paying for all our sessions for all that you've been through, the others are still attending their sessions regularly too if what I heard from the others are true, those kind of trauma don't just go away, some heal faster than others and it's okay." she reassured me "Look, tomorrow, you signed up for a small field trip at the university, right? Just go home, rest, and look forward to it, have fun and become your usual self again, I'm free tomorrow night, you can come and join me for dinner if you still have anymore questions."

After that, I bid her farewell and went home to have a good night's rest. And these days, those same dreams have become more frequent, I keep seeing that very same beautiful woman.

I remember talking with her a lot before, I don't know why, but I was lonely and even as a dream, she did saved me from dark abyss I was stuck in back then, it stopped for a bit, but now she's back, and she's not engaging in friendly talks anymore.

Her looks haven't changed throughout the years, 170cm tall, she looks to be in her mid 20s, she got black eyes and gorgeous flowing black hair. She always wore the same black dress and sat on these stairs, I once walked to the top of it and saw a black rose, but she kept saying that it was not yet the right time.

"Tomorrow." she spoke as I stood there dazed "Tomorrow is time."

"What do you fucking mean? You've been giving me these stupid cryptic messages through all these years, I'm seriously questioning my small brain every time I see you, cuz I've never seen a woman so beautiful to dream one of your caliber. I don't wanna stereotype women and them giving these subtle messages, but this is just pushing it!"

She just then sniffle a slight laughter.

"Tomorrow is the time for the summons, and we will exist in the same world then, it might take you years, but please never forget me." she requested as the dream then ended.

*****

The next day, I was sitting on the bus as the professor in charge took our attendance, including the bus driver, him, and us students, there are 24 people on this particular trip.

I just blasted music with my earphones once I got my attendance in as the bus moved since it's a 2 hour trip there. I just got out my phone to read online novel about this person becoming a vampire through some system, I know that totally narrowed down the long list of online novels.

*****

Once we made it halfway though, As I was briefly looking out the window since the bus is driving on this curving road on the side of some mountain, I can see a large circular array of sorts appeared out of nowhere right under the bus.

It then shot a blinding pillar of light upwards and almost blinded me if I hadn't closed my eyes in time, once I opened my eyes, I can see that everyone but me and the bus driver disappeared.

The blinded bus driver was so surprised by the light pillar earlier that he stomped on the pedal instead of the brakes, we...well...we flew of the side of the mountain and crashed.

I mean...anyone can guess what what happens if you flew of the side of the mountains and crashed several hundred feet down, I didn't even die a painless death, I survived a bit after the fall, but...I died a very agonizing death, I didn't even get to graduate before I died.

*****

I guess...nothing, I can't see, I can hear nothing, I would say it's pitch blackness, but it's just nothing, after what I felt was eternity, I started to hear these rhythmic beating sounds, I can't keep track of time, but much later, I heard muffling sounds, and the beating sound seems to be that of a person's heartbeat...oh no...

I'm not...I'm not some sort of isekai protagonist, am I?

That means, right now, I'm in someone's...I can't even gag, the only thing that can comprehend what's going on is my teeny tiny brain, this is disgusting, just the thought of it wants to make me die...well I died once, it can't be any worse than flying of a mountain, right?

Well unless I tried to save someone from getting hit from a fast moving vehicle only to realize it was just a delusion and I died cuz of shock, that might be worse.

At least kill me by hitting me with a truck, if I really am a protagonist, at least let me meet the minimum quota, can you imagine me going to a meeting full of other dimension protagonists, and they say like they got hit by a vehicle, they got summoned, their soul was transferred into a mob character, then I'm there like 'Yeah, so my bus flew off a mountain and I bled to death.'?