Flesh is Weak

Arise from the dream oh dreamer.

The world was one of no form or shape. A wasteland of blackness that stretched as far as the eye could see. A place of silence and oblivion. Then came a noise that broke that oblivion. 

I am Iron Man.

The song kept playing as I moved my hand blindly towards my bedside table searching for my clock to silence the alarm. After several blind slaps I successfully found it hitting the snooze button. I turned over to enjoy a last fifteen-minute snooze before I truly woke up to get ready for another day of thankless work at my boring office job. However the alarm did its job like always making sleep impossible forcing me to open my eyes slowly and reluctantly. As light starts to enter my eyes as the world takes shape, I turn toward the wall to the right of my bed to see a strange thing.

Overlooking my bed on a beige wall is a poster for an anime that looks like Dragon Ball Z. I glanced away from the poster and saw the next strange thing. My bedroom has strewn across the floor in numerous small piles wrinkled and worn clothes. The strangeness continued to grow as there on a well-worn oak desk near the door were several plastic take-out boxes. The mess in the room was appalling and was like I was back in teenage me's room. I got up from the bed confused stumbling for a second as my body felt unusually lighter. I steadied myself on the bedside table before I bent over picking up a wrinkled shirt that was next to the bed before the smell from it hit me. The smell was awful promoting a gag before I moved it away from my face.

After gagging once more I made a new mission to clean this up. I spotted a hamper and began making my way to it next to the open closet door. As I passed through the horrid mess towards the closet door I was wondering why my room was in such a horrible state while trying not to trip on more clothes. Just as I was about to throw the shirt into the hamper I turned to the left and caught sight of something that made me freeze.

There looking back at me from a mirror on the door was a complete stranger. The reflection didn't have my short raven black hair with the ever-encroaching white creeping in. It's now a medium-length green that is spikey towards the back. The eyes on this stranger were not the hazel of my mom's with the scar over my right eye from a fireworks accident. What was staring back at me were eyes of pure red. The world seemed to me at that moment like a dream as I raised my free hand and waved. The reflection did the same back at me. I moved my hand to flip myself off as did the reflection. The sight unnerved me making me turn from the mirror to clean up the room while being confused along with the beginning of panic.

Cleaning the room took only five minutes and all the while I was confused. When I was done cleaning I drifted towards an attached bathroom to take a shower to think this over. As I stepped inside the bathroom I saw the reflection again. The stranger looked back at me from the bathroom mirror as I quickly moved to the shower opened the door and started the hot water. Midway through the shower as the steam rose and the heat relaxed me I finally came to conclude that this was all just a very vivid and unusual dream. Just follow the dream through to the end and when I truly woke up this would be a fun tale to tell to my friends. That idea settled in me as I reentered the room. I quickly got dressed in a black shirt and jeans that looked like they were from the early 2010s.

As I am about to leave the room I out of a long-established habit check for my wallet and don't feel it. After looking for three minutes, I found it in an old pair of pants near the top of my hamper but what it contained confused me further. Inside the leather wallet was an ID card with the name Alex Mason next to a picture of my current strange appearance. This small thing shouldn't have bothered me since this was a dream but my name is Gregor Williams, not Alex Mason. I was still looking at the card before I again put this up to weird dream logic as I exit the room.

It soon was apparent that there was no one else in this place besides me. As I walked out of my room down the short hallway I glanced down at my ID card again. I look seventeen in the photo and in my mirror yet the card says I'm sixteen. My investigation of the place shows it's a small modest house that was sparsely furnished. The house consisted of my room/bathroom, a living room, a basement, and finally, a kitchen that was fully stocked with food. I again put this strangeness up to the dream before I moved to the front door opening and exiting it after locking the door.

Outside is an early morning with a beautiful blue sky overlooking a middle-class neighborhood. The homes look weirdly old-fashioned and not the sleeker modern designs I'm used to. Where am I? I slowly walked down the sidewalk from my home towards a signpost at the end of the street. It's thankfully for my very bum American self in English. However, something was off as the homes looked Japanese. Was this Japan or somewhere else?

This big conundrum was put to the side as more dream logic but it bothers me further. I look around and see no one out and about in the neighborhood yet. It's still mid-morning and it's horrible being a night owl. I walked down the street normally for a bit before something else struck me. I'm not fatigued or wheezing much. I was not horribly out of shape but I would be wheezing by now after two extremely strong cases of pneumonia in my childhood back to back.

This peaceful walk continued with no signs of other people out and about on this summer day. After fifteen minutes of walking the buildings changed from houses to small businesses with colorful signs everywhere advertising stuff. The shops were currently closed so I couldn't ask the burning question I had started forming despite this being a dream. I continued walking through the district in a slight haze before I came to a stop seeing a library. There was a sign saying it was open. I was still for a few seconds before I made the decision to enter it as I moved past an exercise shop close to the old building. I walked up the well-kept sidewalk and entered the building through old worn blue wooden doors. It's inside the library that I finally see another person.

It's a kind-faced middle-aged woman who is very clearly Japanese, but her hair like mine is extremely weird being magenta-purple. That hair and my own makes me wonder if I am in an anime dream. Her eyes are thankfully a warm brown and once they see me, she smiles kindly and greets me.

"Good morning, young man. How may I help you today?"

I nervously looked around the entrance room and freaked out a bit more because that was said in English. More dream logic at play but she is not American. I met her eyes, which had grown a bit worried seeing how nervous I was before I replied with a smile.

"Good morning. I'm wondering if you could answer a question of mine really quickly."

The woman is less worried now but is surprised by the manners. She must not be used to that from people my age.

"Of course young man I'd be happy to help you."

I looked around cautiously before asking.

"What city and country are we in?"

The woman looked at me confused before she replied.

"We are in the city of Kuoh Japan young man."

That news both stumped me and confirmed my suspicions. The city name was also vaguely familiar to me. This dream was so strange and I wondered when I was going to wake up. Till then I would find out about this city I was in. I was silent for a few seconds before I asked the slightly worried woman.

"Do you have any computers here librarian-san? I promise to be quiet and quick."

The woman looked at me strangely before she got up from behind her desk. I noticed she was wearing a conservative white dress and blue skirt, and she answered my question while gesturing me to follow.

"We have several computers I'll show you to them."

I followed behind her from the greeting area into an old but well-maintained and clean library room. The woman led me past multiple ceiling-high bookcases to the open center of the room. There on four desks in two pairs facing each other are the computers. I eyed them and saw that there are disk drives in them. That is not a standard issue thing anymore.

"Here they are and if you have any other questions, dear I'm happy to answer them."

I smile still nervous, but bow my head in thanks

"I have one more librarian-san. What year is it?"

The woman looked at me strangely again before she tilted her head.

"The year is 2012."

I had been sitting down on a well-worn chair when she replied and that saved me from losing the strength in my legs. That idea was beyond strange as I turned the computer on and let it boot up as the woman looked at me worriedly.

"Are you okay, young man?"

I opened up the computer to the main screen before turning to the woman and faking it.

"I am I just have had a weird morning. Thank you for helping me librarian-san."

The woman was not buying that, but she also was not too worried about me. However, she kept looking at me strangely before she heard the bell above the entrance of the building go off. She eyed me once more before she went to help the next person. I in a dream haze of shock absentmindedly clicked the internet button.

I was about to look up the city of Kuoh Japan when I saw a very strange article on the front page of the browser. It was a story about how NASA and Space X had made history by having the first commercial spacecraft to rendezvous and berth with another spacecraft. That news made me click on the story in curiosity as I vaguely remember that day. As the page opened up something immediately stood out to me. In the picture of the astronauts shaking hands underneath a picture of the American flag, there was one more star than normal on it.

That strange thing led me down the beginnings of a rabbit hole learning that this new star was for a state called Vancouver. I brought up a map to confirm this and makes me blink as this state and its land are in Canada. That strangeness diminished slightly by more searches showing that things like the Gulf War and Nine-eleven happened. However the strangeness returned when it was mentioned that Russia had helped in the Gulf War. That was beyond strange and led to me clicking a hyperlink to the country.

On that page the strangeness returned in full force as it stated that Russia had a Tsar again. That left me in shock as I read that this Tsar was more like the queen of England in being a figurehead rather than the old Tsars. Further searches showed that this Tsar hard returned to power when the Russians overthrew the Soviet Union in 1980. That was also the same year that the cold war ended. That was concerning in multiple ways given I was born only a few years after the Soviet Union fell in the nineties. As I click on hyperlink after hyperlink more and more things don't make sense like how France was currently in the sixth republic not the fifth. There was a now reunited Ireland. Each discovery and statement is being treated like they are facts and this helped me get more and more lost along with growing concern.

I'm getting more and more convinced this all of this truly is a dream. Yet the nagging doubts I have had all day start rearing their heads one by one as I finally ask the question. Is this real and not a dream? The doubt that had been growing in me grew further asking that as I pinched myself and let out a quiet yelp. That action made me look up from the computer screen and catch something out of the corner of my eye. A young woman wearing a strangely familiar school uniform of white and red with a black skirt. She was looking at a book in her hands near a bookshelf. She is close to my dream age with long slick black hair with her back turned to me. Something about that uniform is raising alarm bells in my head. Despite the alarm bells and growing doubt I go back to the computer and look up the city of Kuoh.

I opened another tab for one of the history of the city and there is nothing special about here. It's just another city, but my unease continued to grow. I was nearing the end of my search when I finally clicked on a hyperlink to the city's most famous attractions and locations before I froze. There on the screen was a picture of a school that I knew well and a name on the gate above the grounds.

The sign read Kuoh Academy. That name finally kickstarted a memory in me.

Oh no, oh no, oh no. That's the name of the center point of an anime series my friends had urged me to see. They said it was good, and the fuckers had left out it was an almost hentai. It had a very cool world and concepts, but such a crap protagonist. I stare at the image of the school as all of my doubts begin to boil over as my question returned and hit full force. As I consider that I froze badly remembering more of that series. There was a supernatural world in it with humans at the bottom of the pole. Kuoh is the territory of devils. Creatures of magic and sin with many stupid quirks like being a fucking magic girl devil king that's also a massive sis-con. The more and more I remember the series the question and my doubts sing louder and louder. The doubts grew further when I remembered how real everything had felt. I gripped the desk hard as I again saw out of the corner of my eyes the schoolgirl putting her book away and turning back towards me. I froze completely as I caught sight of her two different eye colors behind a pair of glasses. I recognized her and it made me start shaking.

Right there was a living and breathing Tsubaki Shinra who was the Queen of Sona Sitri's peerage. She doesn't notice me and continues down the bookcase hall till she's out of sight.

Oh shit. I froze harder than ever before as more things about that universe came to mind. I again pinched myself hard again and it felt real once more. My heart beats faster as I think that if this is not a dream then Great Red and Ophis are real and thus the Chaos Brigade is real along. My heart rate zooms faster and faster and I begin to shake in fear as I remember something vastly worse than Ophis and Red. Trihexia possibly being real makes the dread reach a breaking point. The images of all those beings in that series were now looming over my shoulder continuously growing more and clearer. My hands shakily move as I finally log off of the computer. I get up from the chair with my knees shaking before I slowly move toward the library entrance. I passed by the front desk and bowed to the librarian.

"Thank you for your help today, librarian-san."

The purple-haired woman looked up at me extremely worried.

"You're welcome, young man. Have a good rest of your day."

I smile again turning and backing up to the door. I opened it before closing it again. As soon as the oak door closed I took off in a full-speed run towards my home as the dread and fear broke out. As I ran everything hit me all at once like Truck-kun as I realized I might be in an almost hentai universe with things that are beyond my strength to even have a hint of a chance to win against! If this is all real how the hell am I going to even stand against a single pawn devil! The run made meget to my home in less than ten minutes before unlock the front door and quickly barricade said door with my modest couch and chairs. As I panted from that I realized that it won't do anything against a devil. My fear grew again before I hoped beyond hope that this was just a dream and that I would wake up soon. That fear made me run to my dream room with each step and sensation continuing to feel real as the fear jumped in intensity.

Once inside the room I again barricaded the door with the desk chair before I took several breaths to try and calm down. I was still shaking and got ready to look for more things to barricade the door with as I looked around this strange room again. Then something caught my attention. Underneath the desk was a partly open cardboard box. That sight made me I kneel and grab the box. It was a regular medium-sized box that was slightly heavy. I focused completely on the suppressing some of the fear before sitting on the bed and opening it completely.

The first thing I see inside is a picture of three people standing together. There was my dream version self next to a Japanese-American couple. It was apparent that I got the hair from the handsome man and the beautiful black-haired woman gave me the eyes. That stumped me before I dug deeper into the box glad to have a distraction. These were apparently my parents according to a small text box in the picture frame. As I continued digging I found another picture of the man and woman in a tuxedo and a wedding dress with a date showing it was when the Cold War ended. There are several other pictures of them and then I found something that made me wince. They died earlier this year leaving my dream self with extremely limited money held in a trust fund.

Digging deeper into the box netted a folder with official-looking stamps and papers saying that I was on a stipend from the Japanese government. I also found documents saying that my dream self was emancipated, but that status could easily be revoked. The money my family had was being held till I reached a majority and fulfilled certain conditions from my mom's will. I don't like the thoughts I'm having about this situation. Where was my dad's will and why was he seemingly absent? I don't like the sudden bell-like thought that crossed my mind. If this is real and not a dream did I kill the original person of this body? That troubled me badly bringing up more horrible questions. As I learned more about who I am apparently in this dream the dread continues to grow as I imagine Trihexia and every other threat from there.

Finally, after learning all I could easily from the box and folder I was left with even more questions as the fear returned in force. I sat on the bed for two minutes of fear and worry before my stomach rumbled. I put the items away on my bed and go shakily to make myself breakfast.

I make a ham and cheese sandwich in a slightly zombie state having had plenty of it in the fridge. As I am eating I'm still freaking out as I consider my big possible problem. I'm possible in a universe where everything is vastly stronger than lowly humans. Gods, angels, devils, dragons, and more are very likely real along with probably the most horrific thing I can think of. That fucking idiot pervert who powers up from breasts is real.

The world is so fucking screwed as he had fucking plot armor out the ass up to his eyeballs. If this is real and not a dream then we are not a TV show or book series where he can be the dumb hero he was safely.

As I consider that idea my shaking returned. What was I supposed to do be that hero if this is real? I am not a hero I can't save shit. If I couldn't save the best relationship of my life with my girlfriend of ten years, what hope would I have in saving this universe? I'm not special being a devil, pure angel or fallen angel. I'm not a hero descendant, and I hope to God I don't have sacred gear as that is what got the pervert killed in the first place. I'm just some regular ass dude. This has to be a dream yet the dread builds again further with the doubts even louder.

We are so boned if the pervert and his plot armor don't apply against the many foes here. As I think of them I see Kokabiel the disgusting warmonger who wants a new Great War smirking in glee. Yet his visage disappeared as I remember there are worse things out there than him. I picture the Chaos Brigade and their strength and remember that some of whom want to find Trihexia. Rizevim the ultra arrogant man child, Cao Cao the 'hero', and especially Euclid, the fucking degenerate that wants his sister. Then there is Ophis the damn emotionless lizard who is incredibly powerful and dangerous. She makes me think again of Great Red. Then I shiver thinking of Trihexia who is nothing but is a pure destructive force that takes gods, the Satans, and more to keep it at a standstill in a time loop never truly defeated. We are so fucking screwed and I don't know how to feel, hoping the fucking idiot can save us if this is real. His goals are stupid unless it's that social dragon thing, people speculate he has. I try to tell myself that this must be a dream. I'll wake up soon just wait it out. Thinking that made me return to remembering about the pervert.

I don't want a harem unlike him. Yeah, I like sex, but you shouldn't be peeping on people dude. His near constant peeping and getting caught with no major punishment happening is more plot armor bullshit that makes me nervous. The three of them should have been removed from the school after the second peeping, yet that was so well known that the kendo club kicked their ass constantly. Oh god, we are so screwed if the plot armor isn't real. I am extremely worried as I'm here in a city with the two major pillars of team DXD.

I'm not a huge fan of Rias as Sona is and was my favorite character in the series. Yet Rias's peerage is the powerhouse while Sona's are the strategic minds. Everything happens here and I want no part of that. I'm not going to that school unless I have to, which, if this isn't a dream looks incredibly likely because that's a condition of my emancipation. We are in so much trouble if this is real.

I finish my breakfast then go to a corner of my home sitting in the corner to freak. Oh, how this dream day is cursed. We are in so much trouble, and I'm a year early to the boat paddling up shit creek. Death is coming for an entire world in a very vivid dream if he doesn't have plot armor. I still have no idea why or how I'm here and not in my real home. I stayed there for about three hours as the dread increased. I finally found the barest hint of courage and went out again to buy things like food along with a computer to do more research. The GI Joes are right knowing is half the battle as I prepared for the worst-case scenario.

I jogged back to the business district till I found a computer store before buying a laptop. Then I hit a grocery store nearby and get the cheapest stuff I can find that is easy to make at home. I carried it all home while jogging and once home ran to my room sitting at my desk. I began to look for everything I could about this world I might be in if this was real. This task takes me to the early evening of this Friday according to the laptop.

I only take a break from research to make another ham and cheese sandwich for dinner. The dream was still going strong and that made my panic continue growing. That makes my hope slowly begin to leave me in a trickle. I continue trying to think of anything that can possibly help me here but I can't come up with a potential plan. I finally after eating the sandwich got off the computer and then hid in the bathroom. I look at myself again closely in the mirror ready to faint. This must be a dream it can't be real I must wake up!

I slap myself multiple times to try and free myself from this nightmare of unequal proportions. I'm horrified even more when I don't wake up in my old apartment. I'm still here and the terror made me try one last thing. I jab my knee into the counter in an attempt at a hypnic jerk. The pain made me hiss and I again didn't wake up to my now very very overwhelming horror. That attempt finally made me accept that this was real. I'm so fucking screwed and terrified. I'm so boned dude as I'm clearly not a gamer where I could become overpowered ultra quickly.

The dread boiled over and that finally does something that is another strange thing on a day of strange things. A ghostly white hammer and anvil suddenly appeared in front of me along with a ring on my right hand.

I stare at the objects dumbstruck. Only one thing makes even a hint of sense here. Do I have sacred gear? I hope to God not as that paints a target on my head. I know that Asia has something similar with twilight healing regarding rings yet as I studied the ring harder it, the hammer, and the anvil disappeared in a quick flash. I frown and then say screw it trying to summon it again. It took twenty minutes of pure focus and gritting my teeth before they returned. I studied the ring again and finally saw something that I recognized after a morning of not recognizing anything.

On the ring that was the color of silver with a red ruby in the center was a motif I knew. Staring up at me is the emblem of the Cult Mechanicus with its skull split down the middle with half machine and human. This is extremely weird as another strange part about this world is that there is no Warhammer fantasy or Warhammer 40k. There is no Games Workshop rather just a very interesting World War One company that fills that niche based in France. I look at the anvil and then the ring in confusion.

Today has been a ride of pure horror, and now shit makes even less sense. The ring and anvil disappeared again. I am seriously considering not trying again for the anvil and ring. But maybe this could help? Probably get me killed, but I'm very likely in a dark forest, like 40k just with more tits and magic girls. I shiver thinking of Serafall. Oh, by the Machine God, I might actually die from cringe if she is that insane. That's probably the least painful way to die here but the ring makes me refocus.

I concentrated on the feeling that had summoned the objects in building. The ring and anvil returned faster this time. I look at the anvil and wonder is this sacred gear? Despite my confusion and worry about this being gear I imagine something from the hobby that saved me from a serious permanent depression. The idea of it slowly made me move my hand to the hammer picking up the ghostly white object. It was lightweight and the idea of that object made me tap the hammer against the anvil.

There is a brief bright light that blinds me, making me close my eyes before it disappears. I opened my eyes again before I looked in wonder at the new item on the anvil. It's a chainsword that is not ghostly like the anvil and hammer. My other hand reached for the sword and picked it up. It's real and lightweight with the sword having the symbol of the Mechanicus on both sides of it near the grip. The anvil and hammer disappeared but the sword didn't. I hold the sword up looking at it in pure amazement. I touched it and in almost a haze I moved my free hand toward the teeth. I touch them and feel cold hard steel there. I withdrew my hand from the blade before I moved my thumb and accidentally hit the activation button.

The sword roared to life making me flinch hitting the activation button again while dropping it. The sword hit the floor with an audible thud. I look at the sword as its spinning teeth start slowing down in complete shock. The shock continued for another two seconds before I let out a massive whoop of joy! Despite being a loose agnostic on the best of days I'm now down with the Machine God completely as this is a fucking miracle! Praise the Omnissiah I have something to defend myself against them! I'll probably still die quickly, but it's better than nothing! How long does the construct last, can I make anything I want? That and more questions pop into existence for me at a fast rate.

The possibility of anything from a universe that was fucking stupid and over the top might save my ass here in another universe that also was stupid and over the top. It might save the fucking world if the stupid pervert doesn't have plot armor. A world that is looking more and more likely to be real. I need a possible plan and by the Omnissiah and Machine God hallowed be thy names, I might have something that can help me.

I quickly hide the sword in my closet while thinking I need to make something to hold it. I was now wide awake hopped up on adrenaline. People are so right it's a hell of a drug. I sat down and started making a possible plan along with a list of things I needed to do or make. I finally passed out around four in the morning when the adrenaline rush finally died. My head hit my pillow and my last thought before the sweet darkness was that this might not be totally hopeless after all.