Isekai Gap Year

The morning light streamed through the window of your small, cluttered room, painting the walls in a warm glow. Your alarm clock buzzed insistently from the nightstand, a stark contrast to the serenity of the scene outside. With a groan, you rolled over, reaching out to silence the unwelcome intrusion. The digital display read 6:00 AM, far too early for your taste, especially on a summer's day that promised nothing but lazy afternoons and quiet nights. But today you were headed to the Isekai Exchange centre for your transfer to Mystara, a world of magic. Actual magic, with monsters, undead, Demi humans, wizards and warriors!

You threw the covers off and sat up, your heart racing with excitement. This was it, the start of your gap year adventure. You had read so much about this place, watched countless animes, and played every video game that came close to simulating it. But now you were actually going to live it. You jumped out of bed and headed to the bathroom, the cold floorboards a sharp reminder of the reality of early mornings. After a quick shower, you dressed in your favorite jeans and a t-shirt.

You’re 18, male, fresh out of a stressful last year of school and, like a number of your fellow students, you have enrolled in an exchange to Mystara for a year before college starts where you’ll study magic and martial skills in the Mystara Acadamy. And today your mind will be swapped with a citizen of that world. You’ll have their body and they’ll have yours here on earth!

You grabbed your backpack, already packed with a few essentials for your future host bodies orientation on earth - details of you, your family and your life for them to settle in. In the kitchen, you found a note from your mom, her handwriting tight and slightly shaky. She had made your favorite breakfast: eggs sunny-side-up, crispy bacon, and toast with a smear of butter. The smell was heavenly, and your stomach rumbled. You knew it might be a while before you tasted something from home again.

With a mix of excitement and nerves, you scarfed down your meal. Your mom hovered in the background, her eyes brimming with a mix of pride and concern. She had always supported your love for fantasy, but the reality of you leaving was clearly setting in. You gave her a reassuring smile and a quick hug, trying to ignore the lump in your throat. It was time to go.

The drive to the Isekai Exchange center was a blur. The sleek building loomed before you, a stark contrast to the quiet suburban streets you had left behind. As you stepped out of the car you felt a thrum of nerves. Inside, the lobby was a bustle of activity, with people of all ages and nationalities milling about, some looking as nervous as you felt, others brimming with excitement.

You lined up at the transfer gate and passed your passport and transfer papers, ready to step into the mind transfer rune gate.

As you waited your friend Palo arrived and clapped you on the shoulder. “Hey Sal, Howsit?” He asked. You’d both signed up at the same time and he’d helped you fill out your form.

“Nervous and excited!” You respond.

“This is going to be a year neither of us are going to forget…” he agreed.

“Yeah,” things between you and Palo had been strained after you’d started to date his ex-girlfriend but that all seemed to be behind you now.

Almost on queue Dani arrived and kissed you on the cheek. “Hey Sal. Palo. All ready?”

“Oh yeah.” You replied.

The Isekai Exchange staff were dressed in crisp, blue uniforms, their faces a picture of professionalism and efficiency. They lazily checked your documents before you were ushered into a small, sterile room.

“See you on the other side!”

The walls were lined with monitors and screens, displaying an array of mystical symbols that danced and pulsed with an eerie, otherworldly glow. The air was thick with anticipation as the technicians went through their final checks. You took a deep breath and stepped onto the rune-inscribed platform, your sneakers squeaking.

There was a flash and you felt a moment of vertigo as your mind was wrenched from your body and sent to another world. Another body.

“Oh, what the fuck!?” This was not what you’d signed up for. You were meant to be human. You were meant to be male! Male!!!