A Birthday To Remember

Huff…

"Finally, I've written the prologue," Zar muttered, leaning back in his chair. His fingers were stiff and aching, but there was a spark of satisfaction in his chest. After countless hours of thinking, planning, and editing, he had finally completed the introduction to his very first novel.

He stared at the screen, a faint smile playing on his lips. Today was his 22nd birthday, and what better way to celebrate than to begin the journey of writing the story that had lived in his head for years? He had dreamt of the Nexus Verse, an expansive universe filled with multiverses, gods, and unimaginable mysteries.

The prologue had barely scratched the surface of the grand narrative he envisioned, but it was a step forward—one that left him both excited and nervous for what was to come.

For a moment, he closed his eyes, basking in the small victory of finishing the prologue. He stretched his arms over his head, his fingers cracking with the motion.

"Zar! Come downstairs, we're waiting!" His mother's voice rang from the living room.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a sec," he called back, feeling his creative momentum falter.

The familiar rush of writing was something he relished, but today was his birthday, and his family was waiting. He couldn't exactly skip his own celebration. With a reluctant sigh, he pushed himself away from his desk and made his way downstairs.

The scent of cake drifted through the air, and the low hum of conversation filled the space. His parents stood by the table, smiling as they waited for him.

"Happy birthday!" his mom said brightly, gesturing toward the small but beautifully decorated cake.

"Thanks," Zar replied, a soft smile forming on his face.

He picked up the knife, ready to slice into the cake—when suddenly, an unbearable pain surged through his body.

A searing, overwhelming agony shot through every nerve, as if his very soul was being torn apart.

The knife clattered from his hands as his vision blurred, darkness creeping in from the edges. His legs gave way beneath him, and the last thing he saw was the worried expressions of his parents before the world around him faded into nothingness.

Zar awoke with a start.

The searing pain was gone. But as clarity returned, confusion quickly set in.

He wasn't at home anymore.

The ceiling above him was unfamiliar, adorned with intricate carvings and inlaid with glowing symbols. The bed he lay upon was grand and ornate, its wooden frame carved with designs he had never seen before—no, that wasn't right.

He had seen them before.

His heartbeat quickened as he shot up, scanning the room. The dark stone walls shimmered with faintly glowing runes, pulsating as if alive. Heavy drapes hung over tall windows, but beyond them, there was only darkness—no sun, no moon, no stars.

"What the hell… where am I?"

His voice echoed slightly in the eerie silence. He scrambled to his feet, his body reacting strangely—too smoothly, too powerfully.

He glanced down at his hands.

They weren't his.

They were stronger, smoother, free of scars and imperfections. His fingers curled and uncurled as he tested them.

A chill ran down his spine.

This isn't real.

He needed answers. There was only one door in the room. Taking a deep breath, Zar hesitated for only a moment before pushing it open.

Beyond the door lay something out of his wildest imagination.

A massive portal, swirling with energy, hovered in the center of a vast chamber. The walls were etched with ancient symbols, glowing faintly. The floor beneath him was covered in intricate magic circles, their lines pulsating with power.

His breath caught in his throat.

No… this can't be real.

The runes, the architecture, the sheer atmosphere—it was all too familiar.

His mind raced.

Before he could react, the portal pulsed, and the world shifted.

---

Zar found himself standing in a long corridor.

The space was vast, with massive pillars stretching up into an unseen ceiling. Everything about this place felt ancient, like it had existed for millennia. The air itself was thick with power, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

He turned, taking it all in, and then it hit him like a bolt of lightning.

He knew this place.

This wasn't just any corridor—this was the corridor from his novel.

The same one he had painstakingly designed in his world-building notes.

The towering architecture, the glowing runes, the mystical energy in the air—everything was exactly as he had imagined it.

"No way."

His heart pounded.

With a sudden idea, he reached out and placed his palm against one of the towering walls. Nothing happened.

He frowned. Then, recalling his notes, he turned to the opposite wall and repeated the action.

The moment his palm made contact, a deep hum resonated through the corridor.

A massive, ornate gate materialized in front of him, its golden surface shimmering with power.

Zar stepped back, eyes wide.

This was real.

Somehow, impossibly, he had been transported into his own novel.

His breathing grew ragged as the reality sank in.

"I've… transmigrated into my own novel?" he whispered, the words tasting surreal on his tongue.

It was the kind of scenario he had joked about, the fantasy every writer entertained at some point.

But now, it was real.

And he had no idea what to do next.

He hesitated, his hand hovering over the glowing gate. But curiosity overpowered fear.

He pushed open the gate.

And once again, the world shifted.

---

When the dizziness faded, Zar found himself standing on a stone platform—floating in the middle of space.

His jaw dropped.

Before him was the Nexus Academy, a sprawling complex encased in a shimmering multiversal barrier. It floated in the vast, star-filled void, suspended between worlds.

It was exactly as he had imagined it.

The Academy was massive—designed to hold six multiverses.

A place where only the most powerful beings in existence could enter.

And now… he was here.

Zar looked down at his chest, where a faintly glowing phantom badge shimmered.

He wasn't just in his novel.

He was a participant in the entrance exam of the Nexus Academy.