An elderly man in his late sixties laid in the hospital bed. His head resting on the soft pillow, with lightweight blue tubes, placed up within his nostrils, delivering supplemental airflow of oxygen to the patient's own respiratory system.
While his heartbeats stubbornly just to survive, with his somewhat deflated rip caged like a chest. His skin is so fragile and thin, with hardly any meat on it, that you could easily see his bones underneath. It could possibly rupture on anything more than the softest of touches.
The elderly man opened his eyes halfway, finding it quite difficult to lift his eyelids even further, staring at the white padded ceiling above.
The figure of a young teenage boy then enters his line of sight. His eyes were noticeably amber brown in colour. His black hair was cut short in length and is neatly kept.
The young teenage boy called out to him, with crying tears. "Grandpa! Grandpa, can you hear me? It's me, Grandpa..." Hearing the young teenage boy's voice, the elderly man reacted his dull brown greyed eyes flickers.
"Is that you, Lil' Alex?" The elderly man responded in his weak voice, as he slowly raised his hands upwards to touch the young teenage boy's face.
However, the elderly man did not have that much strength left, in his right arm, to push it up any further. The young teenage boy then lightly grasp his hand and placed it on his soft cheeks.
"It's me, Grandpa. I'm back..." The young teenage boy said feeling slightly emotional.
The elderly man gave a slight smile. His voice a bit shaky, "My how big you've grown, Lil' Alex. You were only eight years old since the last time you've visited me... You've grown so big and handsome, boy."
"Yeah." The young teenage boy gave a short reply.
"Do not cry, my boy. You are no longer a child anymore. If I were to pass away, promise me, that you would live a fruitful and happy life. Please don't put the burden on your parents any longer." The elderly man spoke in his weak shaky tone, as he caressed the young teenage boy's cheeks.
The young teenage boy holds his grandpa's hands quite firmly, as he forced himself to smile, and said. "I will, Grandpa. I promise..." The elderly man smiled and weakly replied, "Good..."
However, this will be the last time the elderly man would ever speak with the young teenage boy, as his consciousness fades away.
The elderly man died with a happy expression plastered on his face.
The heart monitor that was once spiking up and down, suddenly went quiet, giving a flat green line. Replaced by a loud autonomous beeping noise.
The first thought that came into the young teenage boy's head was, 'Grandpa has passed away. He's gone.' The young teenage boy's hand trembled, and is shaking, as he let's go of his deceased grandfather's hand.
The elderly man's hand drops and softly landed on the hospital bed and blanket, without making much sound.
The young teenage boy has fallen into shock, as tears dribbled down the side of his face.
He screamed at the top of his lungs, without holding back. "Grandpa!"
His mother has fallen onto her knees, hitting the tiled floor, as she felt weak in the knee, unable to fully support herself. "Father, don't leave me... Father, no. *Sobble*." She broke down into tears, as her mind reverted back into a child, the hopeless frightened little girl she once was.
Alex made a promise with his deceased grandfather that he will live a happy fruitful life, and not become a burden to his parents.
And what was he just about to do. He was about to just give up his life, and submit to this alien octopus-like creature like it was his master. Then what meaning does the promise he made with his deceased grandfather have. Is he a hypocrite. A loser, or a liar.
....
Suddenly, Alex is filled with boiling anger, the life of that which he has never experienced before.
A wave of bright hot determination unravelled from his chest, like wildfire, it spreads to the rest of his body, dousing his entire body in white flames.
"No! I will NOT submit! You can go fuck yourself, you alien parasite! I will not give in!" He told the alien parasite that is connected to his mind.
A sudden burst of white noise flooded all his senses, as his consciousness returns back to him.
He can hear someone is screaming. It was then that he realised it was himself that was screaming when he fell unconscious previously because of the alien parasite.
The white ethereal childlike figure that was previously standing right behind Alex smiled, as his figure slowly dissolved into white petals.
His face and facial features resemble exactly like how Alex's face it, except it is a lot younger. Perhaps when Alex was in his youth.
The white ethereal childlike figure was actually a manifestation of Alex's own subconsciousness, as it was trying to fight back against the alien parasite, and get control over his body once again.
'You've done it, me. You kept your promise.' The younger Alex spoke to his older self.
however, his older self didn't hear him. The younger self disappeared, and then become white petals, which is slowly absorbed by the main body.
....
He grasped right back into reality, as he regained his consciousness. Alex sat up straight, whilst leaning himself against the staircase wall.
"I'm alive? So what the fuck is going on here?" He asked himself.
Alex then wipes the side of his mouth, with the long sleeves of his red maroon blazer. Apparently, he was drooling while unconscious.
"Ew..." He to himself.
Alex then touched his head gingerly, feeling every inch of his face, with his hand, but he did not feel any sign of the alien parasite's presence.
"Good." He said to himself.
Although, Alex didn't find any presence left of the alien parasite on himself. There was still lavender coloured metal shavings stuck to his hand, which is easily rubbed off, with a piece of wet cloth.
However, when he took out his smartphone and was about to turn it 'On' to look at the time.
He saw something withinside his reflection; underneath his right eye, there was a barcode tattoo. Alex was certainly surprised, but he didn't detect any abnormalities caused to his physical body when he examined the barcode tattoo.
"So long as it does not harm me. I should be fine." He said to himself.
With a grown, Alex pulled himself up. His body is aching all over, but it seems that there were no permanent injuries done to his body.
*Ding!*
A blue screen pops up appearing right in front of his retina.
[Congratulations, host! You have fulfilled the necessary requirement to become a Player! ]
[You have received the Player ID number 249911-MAU22! ]
[You are now a designated Player in the new world order "Insignius." ]
[You have reached level 1! ]
[You have acquired 1x [Copper Reward Box]! ]
"What the heck is this? Though I am kind of interested how this will turn out..." Alex said, almost screaming, as he started at the blue notification screen.
"Copper Reward Box?" He asked himself.
As the futuristic copper cube materialises. The Copper Reward Box landed in the palm of Alex's right hand.
Alex then observed the Copper Reward Box within his hand, and a blue screen then pops up.
[Would you like to open the Copper Reward Box? Yes/No ]
Alex then presses on the 'Yes' button, because why the heck not, since he has nothing left to do at this moment.
'Maybe I can get something great out of this loot chest that could come in handy.' Alex thought, having grown slightly excited.
[Item Screen]
Item name: Eastern Style Bronze Sword
Type: Sword
Rarity: Uncommon
Durability: 1000/1000
Description: A bronze jian sword that was forged by a mastered blacksmith of eastern origins {Asia}.
[Buffs/Effects]
- Effect 'Quick Sword': Plus 20% Attack Speed
- Effect {Item Buff}: +6 Strength. +2 Agility.
A Chinese bronze Jian sword, with its sheath, then materialised in front of him. Within seconds he grabbed it, with excitement brimming in his eyes.
The Jian is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese sources that mention the Jian date to the 7th century BCE during the Spring and Autumn period; one of the earliest specimens being the Sword of Goujian.
It is most commonly used in Xianxia type novels, depicting Immortals and Cultivators, who are proficient in the art of the sword.
"I will name this sword {Heaven's Piercer}." He excitedly said.
[Do you wish to name the Eastern Style Bronze Sword to [Heaven's Piercer]? Yes/No ]
Alex presses on the 'Yes' button, as the Eastern Style Bronze Sword is then enveloped in white light. Nothing physical happened to the Eastern Style Bronze Sword, but its name in the menu description has been changed to [Heaven's Piercer].