Personal Audio Log - 2357 Zulu December 31st, 2099:

  For almost the last 365 days, the world has prepared for the Age of Heroes which was unexpectedly announced to all human beings on Earth as far as I am aware. I am officially out of the military after today and have spent the last three months of paid time off reading stories about monsters invading the world and superhumans called hunters or heroes fighting them. It was a recommendation from one of the Communication's nonners* at my last base but the more I read, the more I believe the Age of Heroes will be similar. There was a screen that appeared on the day of the announcement that told me I would be a Colorless. Whatever this meant, I would find out alongside the rest of the world tonight in less than a couple of minutes. End of Dialogue.

  ____

  I put my recorder in my back pocket and returned to the New Year's party with my coworkers. I saw Karson and Johnson by the punch bowl, which was certainly spiked by the condition I found them in.

  "Yo, Staff Sergent Donald, how you likin' your last day of service?" I shot a sharp look at Karson as I snagged the cup he was drinking from. After I took a swig of the punch and confirmed my assumption, I handed the cup to Johnson before I turned back to Karson. "You are supposed to be our DD* tonight." I went to get my own cup of punch before continuing, "And after tonight, it's just Dennis. No more of that rank and last name b.s."

  The two gave my shoulders a playful punch of jealousy, adding a red stain to my black button-down shirt. I chuckled as I took the shirt off since I had my white tee shirt underneath it. "Thanks for that, I guess I'll be DD and start my sober resolution a day early."

  I handed my cup to Karson, who wasted no time taking it from me and downed it. Johnson tucked his hair behind his ear to emphasize his judging facial expression toward Karson, "You good there, bud?" He laughed at his own amusement before he met my gaze. "Anywho... So, Mister DD, how does it feel to go from a hood hero to a war hero to an actual hero starting tomorrow?"

  "I was never a hero, not in my hometown nor during my service. I will say though, if I have to wear tights and a mask to have powers, I'm going back to drinking and being Hanco-" a sea of chants drowned out our conversation as midnight was seconds away.

  "5! 4! 3! 2! 1! Happy New Year!" Everyone erupted in cheers and laughter around me while I became too distracted by the screen in front of me.

  [Greetings Hero! You have been selected by {___ the ___}to inherit their power and gift! Moving you to their realm now!]

  I couldn't decipher if the name was redacted on purpose or not before I blinked and there was a sudden jarring silence around me. I checked my surroundings and only saw a void of white in front of me while a void of black was behind me. I took a few steps to only realize that, while I was able to walk, I did not feel any resistance to my steps. "Hello? Am I alone?"

  A violent rumble shook every part of my body as the white void filled with a black one, spotted with small bright lights from all visible angles. "Hmm? Oh? Is it time for me to send another one to their death?"

  I remembered reading about these types of encounters in the webcomics I read and decided to answer boldly, "I'm a Hero on Earth and I've been called here to receive your blessing." While my words rang true, I could not help but internally wince at the ridiculousness of them.

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  Booming chuckles filled the void before settling down. "You sound like the humans I met the last time your species was selected for being Heroes. Just my luck to get the human that is as sharp as his heel. Alright, let me slip into something more human-appropriate!" The black void returned to white on all sides as a pitch-black humanoid figure with shining spots appeared in front of me.

  The words slipped out of me after I gazed upon their new figure, "Are... are you the creator of everything?" All the stories about the main character receiving powers that put them above everyone else came to mind and my excitement overrode my shame of how I spoke early.

  The figure floated to me before touching my head, "No, I'm not a creator. Though, I guess I could be in a way. However, you'll find that my blessings are something to resent. I'll tell you now that you are able to decline to be my Hero and you can go back to your boring life and I can get back to sleeping."

  I spent too much time being prepared for this moment to simply turn back now, plus, I lied to my wife about turning down a job because I was going to be a Hero. I needed this, if not for saving people, then to pay my annually increasing rent. "I accept being your Hero, attrition does not dissuade me."

  "Oh joy." The being's words and tone seemed to have been divorced from each other. With more intent, the being spoke plainly to me, "Now, hold still while I adjust your body to be my Hero." I felt a surge of energy course throughout my body as it put strenuous amounts of stress upon me. The strain turned to immense pain as my skin felt as if it was being filleted by a dull frozen blade. It may have been seconds but I suffered for what felt like weeks. When the pain subsided, I stayed still as instructed until the being gave the order for me to rest.

  "I hope you don't change your mind once you realize the limit to my power." The being laid down in mid-air as if exhausted from their efforts. They waved their hand lethargically at me, "You can summon your progress by thinking about it but I don't think you will be checking it often. Oh, before I send you away, I must grant you an Insignia. Maybe you will make it beyond one encounter without dying. Anyway, begone now."

  My vision went dark for only a moment before I realized my eyes were forced shut. When I opened them, I smelled mold, dirty sweat, and blood in the air. Karson was fast asleep in a chair that faced me. The open room I remembered being before I was whisked away was cluttered with trash and a degraded tent that had enough holes to be a showerhead sat by the balcony.

  I tapped Karson's leg with my foot but instead of him being jolted awake, I unintentionally swept his feet from beneath him. He let out a shriek as he fell out of his chair, "What the f-" his eyes widened in disbelief.

  I held my hand out to help him up, "My fault."

  Karson met my hand to pull himself up, "No, you're alive? Dang it!"

  I shook my head in case I misheard, "What?"

  "I lost a bet. I hope you're not hungry for a while. Johnson! He's back!"

  His explanation only furthered my confusion, "I- what?"