Adrian Vale: A Second Chance

Adrian Vale had always been invisible. Not in a poetic, tragic sense—just… unnoticed. At twenty-four, his life was a quiet series of muted grays: the late-night fluorescent hum of a cubicle, the cold indifference of coworkers, the sting of childhood memories that refused to fade. Every slight glance of mockery, every whisper behind his back, had built a wall around him. A wall he never asked for but had learned to live inside.

Tonight, that wall felt especially heavy. He trudged home, long past midnight, taking a convoluted route through deserted streets just to avoid eye contact. The wind tugged at his coat, a mild reminder that he existed at all. At least, he thought he did.

A flash of memory: a laughing kid in middle school, shoving him into a locker. Another: a coworker smirking as he dropped a stack of reports. He shook his head. He had survived all of it, but at what cost? The only reward for surviving was… more invisibility.

And then, the world decided he’d had enough.

The streetlamp flickered, a loose manhole cover wobbled underfoot, and a screech of tires came from nowhere. Time stretched, slowed, and Adrian felt a strange calm—he knew. Knew that in a heartbeat, everything would change. And then there was nothing.

A void. Black, endless, and silent.

He floated—or fell. He wasn’t sure which. Memories flickered around him like shards of broken glass: faces he’d forgotten, insults he’d endured, moments of failure he had tried to bury. A dull ache of regret pressed on him. If only… if only I’d…

Then a voice. Not loud, not booming, but calm, almost bemused.

“Adrian Vale. Your previous life has ended. System access granted. You have one chance to live again.”

Adrian tried to speak, to protest, to ask what it meant—but no sound came. The voice continued, matter-of-fact, yet with a spark of humor.

“Do not panic. You will retain consciousness, memory, and thought. Your body will be new. Your world will be familiar, yet different. Use this opportunity wisely.”

And just like that, the void ended.

He woke to the taste of stale air and the ache of unfamiliar limbs. Blinking against morning light spilling through blinds, Adrian realized something immediately: he was tall. Way too tall. The ceiling seemed lower than it should. Standing, he teetered awkwardly, long limbs refusing to cooperate. His reflection in the small mirror revealed a lanky, pale face framed by dark brown hair, arms hanging like overgrown noodles. He groaned.

He was… unfit. Out of shape. A giant, awkward shadow of a man, incapable of even standing without wobbling.

And then, as if mocking him, text appeared floating in midair. Holographic, glowing, impossibly neat.

“Welcome, Adrian Vale. System access granted. Your journey begins now.”

He blinked. Slowly, incredulously.

“Uh… what?”

No response—except another line appearing below the first:

“Task Available: Stand up without falling. Reward: +1 Agility.”

Adrian stared at the floating words. Agility? He shifted his weight, tried to stand… and nearly collapsed. A grunt, a stumble, his knees threatening mutiny. Finally, with an awkward wobble and a few panicked breaths, he managed to stay upright.

“Task Completed. Agility +1. Current Agility: 3/10.”

Adrian sank back onto the bed, breathing hard, staring at the glowing interface like it was a hallucination. Three out of ten? He was effectively a newborn giant. And yet… something inside him sparked.

The system flickered again:

“Next Task: Open window and breathe fresh air. Reward: +1 Perception.”

He rolled his eyes. Really? But curiosity won. He stumbled to the window, tugged at the latch, and felt the breeze brush against his face. It was a small victory. Perception +1.

The hologram commented, almost teasingly:

“Not bad. You’re alive, and you’re standing. Progressing nicely. Though you wobble like a newborn deer.”

Adrian groaned, a nervous laugh escaping. “Thanks, I think.”

“Optional Task: Drink water without spilling. Reward: +1 Coordination.”

He froze. Coordination? At this point, everything felt like a monumental effort. But he drank—carefully, deliberately—and succeeded, earning his first real sense of control in his life.

It was absurd. Humiliating. Hilarious. And… exhilarating.

For the first time in his life, Adrian Vale realized he wasn’t invisible. Not here. Not now. He had been given the tools, the chance, the system. And if he played it right… if he grew strong, clever, charming, unbreakable—maybe, finally, he could be someone who mattered.

And he would.

Because now, failure wasn’t optional.