r/storys

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So this happened like 2 weeks ago and I still don’t understand how it escalated this fast.

I’m a pretty average guy. Nothing special. I just play football at lunch with my friends, nothing serious.

One day, I show up to school and there’s this announcement that the senior football team is missing a player for a tournament that weekend. Apparently someone got injured and they were desperate.

Now here’s where it gets weird.

During lunch, I’m just kicking a ball around, not even trying. Just messing around. Taking random shots from way too far out.

And somehow… I keep scoring.

Like not even close misses. Top corner shots. First touch volleys. No idea what was happening.

There were like 20 people watching by the end of lunch.

Then one of the senior coaches walks over and goes:

“Are you on the team?”

I literally said, “What team?”

Next thing I know, I’m being dragged to training after school.

I thought it would be a joke. Like “show up, pass the ball around, go home.”

Nope.

They actually put me in drills.

And somehow I wasn’t terrible.

Not amazing… but I was keeping up.

Fast forward 3 days and I’m told I’m starting in the tournament.

I tried to explain I’ve never played seriously in my life, but they were like: “Just do what you did at lunch.”

Worst advice ever.

Game day comes.

Stadium is packed.

I’m standing there thinking I’m about to embarrass myself in front of everyone.

First half: I accidentally assist a goal by tripping over the ball.

Second half: ball gets crossed in, I panic, swing my leg… and it goes in.

We win the match.

Everyone is chanting my name like I’m some kind of prodigy.

After the game, the coach comes up and says:

“We’ve been looking for a player like you for years.”

I still don’t know if I got lucky… or if football just decided to bless me for one day only.

Either way… I’m apparently on the team now.

A man sat in front of his laptop with a cracked screen, running on an external hard drive that was being cooled by a small summer fan. On the screen is a writing competition banner with a prize money of $100,000 for the best story, 50,000 for the runner up, and 10,000 for the third place. If that wasn't enough, numbers 4 to 10 will get 5,000 each and 11 to 30 will get 1,000 each. "My story can definitely make the top ten," he muttered to himself, "if I get that money I can pay off my debts and finally get rid of those pesky loan sharks along with that infuriating landlady."

As Colin continues to read, he gasped, "just hitting a 1,000 sales on Readers Merchant will get a spot in the top 30?" his eyes widened in disbelief, "oh, right, you need to be one of the first 30, phew, that nearly gave me a happy heart attack."

He then closed the tab and opened Pen Buddy, his trusty writing app, "This really came at the right time. Now all I need is to publish Legion on Readers Merchant and I'm rich... hahahahah! Damn I'm gonna be rich!"

Bang! bang!

"Quiet down you idiot, or have you finally gone mad so i can call the mental asylum for ya."

Colin's lips twitched, _fuck you!_ he really wanted to shout that out, but decided against it, whilst rubbing his bruised left cheek.

"Think you're tough huh, I'll show you," Colin muttered, as he opened the bookstore and started setting up his story for sale.

A few minutes later, Legion was up on sale and in just the first few minutes, it had already sold 10 copies. Seeing this a crazy grin appeared on his face.

"Shit, I forgot to register for the competition," he scrambled to pulled up the submission form from the website and filled it out, "phew, good thing they had a 10 minute buffer or I would have been screwed."

He then closed his laptop and went to sleep.

---

3 days later, "Let's see if I'm in the top thirty yet," Colin muttered as he opened the competition leaderboard, and after scanning it for a while he raised an eyebrow, "why am I not there yet?"

He then opened his Readers Merchant account,

[ Title: Legion ]

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: Unrated

[ Sales: 18 ]

"18 sales..., WHAT THE HELL IS EVERYONE THINKING, THAT'S THE BOOK OF THE CENTURY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT!!!" Colin shouted angrily.

Bam! His door suddenly swung open and a big man came in and grabbed his collar then lifted him off the ground to face him, "What did I tell you about shouting?" He asked calmly but every word laced with a threatening edge.

His neck bulged as he swallowed a lump of saliva, "nn, o, n-no, noise..." he stuttered in reply.

"Good that you remember, now let me make sure you save it properly," with those words, Paaa! A slap rang in the room and the man dropped him to the ground and left.

Colin then stood up with shaking steps, walked to close the door but just as he was about to close it he saw his girlfriend standing in the hallway looking at him with a blank expression.

"Lyla," he called, and she immediately snapped out of it, turned around and left without looking back.

"Lyll," he tried to call her again but his now swollen cheek denied him, as his words became incoherent.

---

7 days later, He once again opened the leaderboard and scanned it only to get the same results, "still not in the top 30?" His hands shook slightly as he opened his Readers Merchant account.

[ Title: Legion ]

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: Unrated

[ Sales: 33 ]

Upon seeing this his entire body trembled, as he recalled last night's text from the loan shark,

<If you don't have my money by tomorrow, I'm taking your hand back home with me.>

He then stood up and then walked to close the door, then closed the window covers. After that he picked up his backpack on the bed and pulled out a thick rope.

Ten minutes later, Colin was hanging from the ceiling, dead.

However, on his merchant account,

Sales: 33 -> 46

Sales: 46 -> 109

Sales: 109 -> 167

20 minutes later,

Sales: 12388 -> 28392

...

The End

---

© 2026 u/Golaen1. All Rights Reserved. This "Ore" is open for "Spins" and "Refinements" exclusively within r/StoriesFromWithin. Commercial use or external distribution requires the original author's consent.

A dark wave of monsters spilled out from the forest treeline, kicking up a dense cloud of dust that cast a shadow upon the land. At the city gates the royal army stood in a tight formation, their shields overlapped to create a stable defense wall, though underneath them some legs could be seen shaking. A select group of knights held the vanguard gazing at the approaching beasts, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

Amongst the knights was Reid.

---

Flashback: Three Years Ago.

---

Reid came to this world after being hit by a car while crossing the road. One moment it was screeching tires against the road and the next he found himself in a grassy plain face to face with a horned rabbit. The rabbit didn't give him time to think as it channeled mana at the top of its horn and shot a fire ball at him. However, purely out of instinct, Reid dodged the attack and drove a kick at the rabbit's head, killing it on the spot.

_Clap, clap, clap!_

"Impressive, boy where did you learn to move like that?" A voice suddenly came from behind, and Reid turned around in fright that he jumped a small distance back creating a gap between him and the newcomer.

The man raised an eyebrow, and grinned at him before he said. "Good. How would you like to become a Knight of Gebdin?"

Reid eyebrows came together as he looked at the man in contemplation, _'**knight of gebdin?** What the fuck is that? But then again I've nothing to lose and he doesn't seem like a bad guy, so...'_

"Ok," he replied abruptly.

From that day on Reid joined the knights and there he discovered his talent with the sword.

---

Back To The Present

---

_Now it's time to show my power._

*Sigh* a sigh escaped his lips as he looked at the approaching beast horde.

"You're not regretting this are you?" Fig asked with a teasing grin. Fig was a bulky man with a knife scar that looked like a tear trailed down his cheeks for eternity.

"No, not at all, in fact I have been waiting for this opportunity," Reid replied with a firm tone.

"Ok, then what's with the sigh?" a sharp-eyed lady, Sandia, asked curiously.

Reid chuckled, "It's just that... their numbers are too small."

Hearing this the knights go silent leaving only the rumbling noise of the beasts approaching playing in the air.

"Hahaha, that's more like it. You hear that boys, a true knight can never have eno..., ouch!" Fig burst out in laughter and said but, before he could finish Sandia whacked his head with the sheath of her blade, "who are you calling boy?" she said her voice carrying an icy chill.

"I wasn't... I didn't mean you," Fig muttered, his booming voice instantly shrinking to a timid whine, causing everyone to burst out laughing.

Then a cold voice cut in.

"Enough games, time to get serious. Knights of Gebdin, charge!!!" he commanded.

With that the figures of the knights blurred and the next moment they clashed with the beast horde. It didn't take long before everyone was drenched in blood and gore, well everyone except for Sandia, who danced around, piling up beast corpses yet there was no stain on her or anything within the length of her blade.

Reid, slashed, hacked and pierced moving through the beast hoard, and wherever he went beast corpses dropped and blood sprayed the air.

He grinned, _now this is the life._

---

Meanwhile, in a mental health institute, Reid could be seen seated on a chair madly waving a plastic pipe in the air.

"Doctor, is Reid going to recover?" a concerned woman asked.

"I'm afraid his brain was damaged beyond what we can save, the only thing we can do now is wait, and hope for a miracle," the doctor replied with a heavy tone.

---

© 2026 u/Golaen1. All Rights Reserved. This "Ore" is open for "Spins" and "Refinements" exclusively within r/StoriesFromWithin. Commercial use or external distribution requires the original author's consent.

The first thing the boy noticed about the window was that it wasn’t there yesterday.

It stood in the middle of the field behind his house, tall and clear, with no wall around it and no house attached. Just a window frame, painted white, facing the mountains.

Every morning, Milo walked past that field on his way to school. He knew every fence post, every crow, every place where the grass bent from deer sleeping in it. But this window was new.

He stepped closer.

On his side, the glass showed the field exactly as it was: frost on the grass, gray sky, his own small face staring back.

But when he moved to the other side, the window showed something else.

It showed him angry.

Not just a little angry. It showed him red-faced, fists tight, shouting at his younger brother for breaking a wooden boat they had built together.

Milo froze.

“That already happened,” he whispered.

The glass shimmered.

Then it showed him at school, sitting alone at lunch because he had laughed when another boy dropped his tray. He remembered that too. At the time, everyone had laughed. It had felt easy. It had felt true.

But through the window, he saw the boy’s face afterward.

Not funny.

Small.

Milo stepped back.

“I don’t like this window,” he said.

A voice behind him answered, “Most people don’t at first.”

Milo spun around.

An old woman stood at the edge of the field, wrapped in a coat the color of storm clouds. She held a mug of tea like she had been standing there for hours.

“Is it yours?” Milo asked.

“No,” she said. “It belongs to anyone brave enough to look through it.”

Milo frowned. “It only shows bad things.”

“No,” said the woman. “It shows the other side of your own story.”

Milo looked at the window again. His reflection stared back at him.

“I already know my side,” he said.

“That is why it starts there,” she replied.

For many days, Milo avoided the field.

He took the long road to school, even though it meant waking earlier. He told himself the window was strange, probably dangerous, and definitely none of his business.

But the trouble was this: once he had seen through it, ordinary things looked different.

When his brother reached for one of his pencils, Milo felt the old anger rise up. The anger said, Mine. Don’t touch. He almost shouted.

Then he remembered the window.

He saw, just for a breath, his brother’s face from the other side.

So Milo said, “Ask first next time.”

His brother nodded.

Nothing magical happened. No bells rang. No mountain split open.

But the anger loosened.

A week later, Milo returned to the field.

The old woman was there again.

“I tried it,” Milo said.

“Tried what?”

“Looking from the other side.”

“And?”

“It didn’t make me weak.”

The old woman smiled. “No. It gave your power a direction.”

Milo stepped up to the window.

This time it showed him something new.

It showed him older, standing before many people. He was holding something in his hands. Not a sword. Not a crown.

A lantern.

Behind him were doors. Some were locked. Some were open. Some had people behind them, pressing their hands against the wood, afraid to come out.

Milo watched his older self lift the lantern.

The light did not force the doors open.

It simply made the handles visible.

“What is that?” Milo asked.

The old woman came beside him.

“That is what happens when a person stops using truth as a weapon and starts using it as a light.”

Milo watched the lantern glow.

“Will I become him?”

The woman sipped her tea.

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether you keep mistaking your first feeling for the whole world.”

The wind moved through the grass.

Milo looked through the window one more time. On his side, he saw himself: young, stubborn, scared, trying.

On the far side, he saw the field from another angle.

The same field.

The same boy.

A larger truth.

And for the first time, the window did not feel like punishment.

It felt like a way out.

&#x200B;

This is a passion project I’ve been building for the past two months. I’ve always wanted to create a world that felt fully mine, and this is the result. I’m sharing it here to see how people react to the tone, the history, and the style. It’s a long read, but I hope it’s an enjoyable one.

Enjoy "The Horrors of Tuma".

The Horrors of Tuma

By Max Terry

In a world of death, fire, and ash, where the rules of war go unchecked, where many rose and fell. Welcome to Orith…

War is one of humankind's biggest sins. It is no different for the continent of Orith. Orith is a place of many names: for some, it's glory; for others, it's safety; for most, it's fire and destruction. This will give light to the atrocities committed by the Tuma Kingdom, known to most as "The Black Destruction." But before we uncover Tuma's monsters within, let's take a look at what happened that made Tuma its ruthless empire. In 1898, the Adriana Republic forcefully annexed Eastern Tuma for themselves. Adriana threatened military violence to Tuma, and with the Tuma Royal Armed Forces being undermined and unprepared for a full war with Adriana, they removed all military presence from the region, leaving behind supplies and people which it so desperately needed. The eastern half of Tuma was now the Adriana Republic.

Tuman civilians were enraged by this humiliating event, sparking years of pressure on the Tuma Royal Family and Tuma government. The event was considered a disgrace to Tuman honor and a disrespect to the men and women who fought for that land. The government's response to this event was a promise to never let such an event happen again, resulting in increased military funding. The Adriana Republic, having just gained this vast, rich land, needed a way to supply its soldiers by feeding off the land. Homes were raided for supplies, livestock was stolen, and if any refused to give up their homes, they could be imprisoned and forced into labor. This could be seen in an 1898 diary entry by a young boy who wrote: “The men in green have taken Father. He did cry out at them, but they came inside and stole our victuals. I am afeared. Will they take my mother as well?” This boy remains unknown to this day, but his entry shows the hardship of civilians under Adriana control.

In the early spring of 1904, the Tuma Royal Armed Forces, totaling 74,000 men, crossed into Adriana territory via Route 48. Route 48 is a small dirt road used mostly for moving mining supplies through the gold-rich land. It winds through seven small mining towns, ultimately leading to Coleridge. Coleridge is the largest of the seven towns and is home to hundreds of mining families who supply most of the Adriana military, making it a vital town to the Republic. As Tuman soldiers marched down Route 48 and entered the town of Coleridge, civilians seeing these soldiers in black and grey froze in their daily activities. According to local marksman Frank Burgorn: “Upon witnessing those young men, my heart sank, yet it also leapt with great joy, for it seemed our boys had returned at last to deliver us.” However, Tuma had not come to liberate; they came to conquer.

Tuman soldiers were ordered to stop in the town square, and Tuman officers demanded that all civilians line up against the buildings. These orders were not given out kindly, as seen in a quote three years later by Thomas H. Hall: "The officers were exceedingly harsh. They proclaimed us traitors to Tuma. I was but eighteen at the time and could not comprehend; I held the belief they had come to deliver us. I was grievously mistaken." Many of the civilians did not comply, especially those who had grown loyal to Adriana. Some did not come out of the buildings and were forced out by Tuman soldiers. Little did the soldiers know that the 23rd Coleridge Militia regiment was taking aim from buildings and alleys. Officer Douglas G. Hartman, who commanded the 23rd, gave the order to open fire, officially starting the Battle of Coleridge. Three Tuman officers were hit in the initial volley, breaking command. One officer, later identified as Robert A. Jackson, gave a very controversial order to "Fire on the traitors!" The 105th Royal Infantry fired on the civilians who were lined up against the wall, killing 14 people: Emma J. Sinclair, Florence T. Pembroke, George L. Bennett, Elizabeth M. Hargrove, William J. Carter, Clara B. Winslow, Edward P. Sullivan, Henry A. Collins, John R. Hathaway, Anna C. Fletcher, William J. Carter Jr., Thomas H. Franklin, Mary E. Whitmore, and one unrecognizable male. These men, women, and children were the first casualties of the Battle of Coleridge, which many would rename in future documents as "The Coleridge Massacre."

The surviving civilians fled into the side streets and alleys in a panic, though many who escaped the first volley were caught in the crossfire. During the height of the fighting, a stray Tuman bullet struck a gunpowder crate in the local armory. The resulting explosion destroyed the building and ignited three other powder stores, and high winds quickly pushed the fire across Coleridge’s main street. Despite the spreading inferno, the fighting continued until Douglas G. Hartman was mortally wounded by a pistol shot. His death broke the resolve of the 23rd, and the Adriana forces began to surrender, ending the formal battle. However, the end of the fighting brought no relief; Tuman units marched captives to nearby clearings for systematic beatings and executions. One Tuman soldier’s diary recorded the brutality: "We took the traitors into a clearing about one mile from the smoak. The boy were no older than twenty; he screeched and pleaded. We all took turns with the bayonet upon him. Johnson then pulled his knife and scalped him. He gave but one yelp... only once." While these executions took place, the remaining civilians were forced to lie in the dust as their homes burned. When Tuman soldiers questioned the destruction, a superior officer reportedly replied: "The town was irredeemable; let it burn."

The aftermath of the Battle of Coleridge resulted in 130–160 deaths, including civilians. Many of the men who fought were never officially documented by name, since both sides commonly recorded only the age and day the soldier or civilian died. The result also left many without homes, jobs, and family, forcing many to move south into Adriana or even cross the borders into Tuma. In conclusion, the Battle of Coleridge was hard on all sides, but the civilians paid the hardest price of all.

While this engagement reached the Adrian Capital of Mareton, located in mid-Eastern Adriana, the public reaction was a mix of grief, anger, but mostly fear, despite the city being hundreds of miles away from the battlefield. The true nature of this engagement shook the public of Adriana deeply. The same can't be said about the Tuman people; the battle was seen as a show of power, not just to Adriana, but to the world. Thousands of young Tuman men and women enlisted into the Armed Forces. While both sides had different views of the battle, that didn't stop operations whatsoever.

A couple of weeks after the atrocities at Coleridge, the 105th and other units continued their advance deeper into Adriana. Unbeknownst to them, Adriana forces—a mix of civilians and soldiers—began encircling the Tuman forces, who were now located in a smaller town only two miles away from the smoldering Coleridge called "Amity."The Tuman forces had stopped there to regain supplies. The town's mayor, Gary L. Stompson, had submitted the town to the Tuman forces. Although the town was under Tuman control, Adriana civilians still faced discrimination from Tuman soldiers, as seen in an Adriana boy's notebook stating: "The men in grey do mock us; they push and shove our people as if we were but lambs for the slaughter. I cannot traverse the streets without being met by their cruel snickering."The writer of this entry remains unknown. As the Adriana forces fully surrounded the trapped Tumans in Amity, the Tumans realized the town could no longer be held. While the Tumans started planning, Adriana skirmishers moved closer to the town and increased pressure on Amity by tightening the "circle" on the Tumans.Skirmishing between sides began on April 22nd, 1904. We know this because of an Adriana soldier's diary describing "fighting in Bellu Woods near Amity" against "the scums." With fighting getting too close for comfort, a plan was decided: a smaller diversion force would be sent out to disrupt the Adriana lines and then roll up the line until a small opening was made for the Tuman troops to move through. On April 27th, 1904, the plan was initiated. By now, the Adriana lines were positioned on the hills surrounding the town, so it was now or never....

That's all...for now...

I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD THOSE AI REDDIT STORYS ON YT I SEE THEM EVERY SECOND WE NEED TO STOP THIS NOW.

Right so throw back to earlier this year my boy bsf asked me out and I said yes and we were so good together for the first month or two untill I started noticing patterns and stuff I have always turned away at but it felt like he was in a relationship with himself this man would only tuning about how he felt his feeling and wanted the whole world to revolve around him my granny passed away on the 20th of march and had been in hospital and then moved into a care home since New Year’s and she meant everything to me I looked after her for the past two years (she had altzimhers ) and loosing her was when the world stopped for me and when she was put on end of life my now ex boyfriend told me he would be here for me as soon as she passed and the night she passed I called him and he told me he was going to come the next day a day later he messaged me telling me he couldn’t get out of bed because of his mh but then that day whent skating with are mutual bestfriend fast forward a week or two he came round and I was going to the chapel of rest to see my granny and I was writing a letter to say happy birthday because it was her birthday in a few days and my final goodbyes and I kept going in the bathroom because I felt like I was going to break
Down and I don’t like being vunrable in front of people and I had completely switched off when I came back in sat on my phone and wasn’t talking because I didn’t wana break down and I was only like that for 5-10 mins and he had basically fake a phone call saying he had to go home which I did belive at first but when he came round the next time I was on his phone and saw msg he had sent saying I was horrible I was dehumanising him all because I switched off for abit and then one last thing I don’t wana make this crazy long so the band was at his house for his birthday and me and kc and j20 were watching jackass upstairs and he was doing his own thing w his cousin and all of a sudden we heared and I’m not exaggerating her bloody murder screams and bacically he had hit his step dad then ran out into the road and layed in the middle of the road and when his step dad tried to move him he attacked him again and we later stopped at kc friends house because we were genuinely terrified and I woke up blocked also he would get mad at me because I didn’t let him do dr)gs because I used to do them and I used to be an addict and me and kc talking about it but not in a good way we speak about how it affected us badley but yeah anyways that’s the story let me know ur thoughts