He felt pain, only pain.
The clouds in the once bright sky turned gray as he laid on the ground. His head pounding into his skull like it was trying to break out. He couldn't move, every bone in his body felt broken. His vision was blurred as soft rain hit his cold body.
He didn't know what to think, they betrayed him, that's all he knew. They put poison of some kind into his food causing all this pain.
They were the reason he was like this.
Breathing stopped. Everything stopped, the rain stopped in mid-air, the sounds of it hitting the ground stopped. Even the pain. The boy blinked in confusion at what's happening. His body went from sluggish to light. Slowly he stood up
Crack
Something broke.
He looked at the sky and there was a crack in it. Blue gold light shone through the cracks and shined through the trees hitting the boy's face.
Yin Hai was the boy's name, meaning silver sea. Yin got up from the ground, but his body started flowing towards the crack. Looking bad at the ground he saw his body.
The corpse's eyes were closed, lips slightly apart, and head tilted to the side. Another crack sounded, but this time it was louder. The sound echoed in Yin Hai's brain as he watched a crack appear beneath the corpse. Almost like dust, the world around him disappeared with a wind blow.
The only thing left was the corpse. Yin Hai touched his body and almost had a movie-like scene appear in his mind. The boy had a normal life, he was picked up by an old couple.
They lived happily along the ocean side in a small house. They fished for food and grew their own veggies. The boy started to make trouble, he couldn't help it, he was at that age point where curiosity took over.
He was curious about the outside world, so he told his parents about it. Even though they tried to talk him out of it, Yin Hai still wanted to explore. The old couple could only smile at his childishness and started preparing for his trip.
He was a kid with high hopes for the future, he wanted to be a traveler and bring back trophies for the old couple.
So he left his home, left the warmth of the old couple to pursue his dreams. He always wanted to show the old couple every piece of the world. At times on his journey he would remember the warm bread the old woman would make, the delightful treats she would make him.
From a starving child in the forest and ocean to a young man who explores the world, he has grown. He remembers the loving gaze the old couple would give him, the love that he now deprived.
The old couple was dead when he came back to his home. Or what's left of it at least. He wanted to show them all the things he had bought for them, show them that their child hadn't changed.
The two most important people in the world are now dead in front of him.
The old couple was laying on a bed with a blanket over their body. Yin Hai broke down, he sobbed on the floor, kneeling in front of the bed. It was his fault, he didn't visit them enough. Water hit the sandy beach as he sobbed.
The seaside wind blew through the open window. Papers flew into the air and landed on the ground. Grabbing a piece he read the content. It was one of his letters.
He looked at the old couple again. They looked continental and happy. Yin Hai looked towards the woman's hands, she was clutching on a piece of paper.
With shaky hands, Yin Hai took the piece of paper. As he read the continents he body shook.
It was the recent letter he sent them.
The boy stopped crying after a few hours. He had no more tears to shed, so he buried the couple underground. Bringing out the items he has collected over the years, he put them around the grave. He didn't want to break the promise he made to his parents, even though they might not see it.
He lived in the house for a few days to rest his poor heart. But everything he looks at just reminds him of the old couple.
Finally, he decided to leave but cleaned up the house a little. Seeing his little self run around the place and all the things he did.
He saw a pendant on the table, remembering his parents used to wear it and clean it all the time he decided to take it so he can do the same.
But now it's dirty and about to disappear along with the rest of the world. Now he knows why his parents and other old people say life flashes before your eyes. Literally.
His body faded away as the 'movie' came to an end. But the pendant didn't. It stayed afloat in mid-air. Yin Hai clutched the pendant to his chest. At least he has something to remember them by.
The pendant glowed in his hands as it was held. Shooting out of Yin Hai's palm the pendant turned black as ink suddenly the pendant shot out towards his neck. He tried moving away from the flying object but it still hit him.
A burning pain hit his collarbone right under his neck. Yin Hai curled up in the air gripping onto the spot of his left collarbone.
It felt cold yet hot at the same time. Like it was carving into Yin Hai's bones making a permanent mark on him. He removed his shaking hand as a black inky mark appeared on his skin. The pain was gone like it was never there in the first place.
[Contract complete]
"Huh?" Yin Hai hummed in confusion. Was he hearing things?
[You are not.]
It spoke again, Yin Hai was questioning his sanity. "What are you, and what are you talking about?" He asked the… thing. Their voice lacked emotion and sounded far from human.
[I am a system, you are my host. My name is 28935567, the STP system. Stand for, Steal The Protagonist]
"What does this have to do with me?" Yin Hai asked, he was confused to the max looking around in the white space. He didn't know if he was moving since everything was white. Almost blinding white.
[You are in charge of me and shall be world-hopping doing the tasks assigned to you. You have had no choice ever since you signed the contract.]
"When did I sign the contract?"
[You have the jade pendant don't you? I can sense it on your body.]
"You mean the jade my parents took care of? Plus where are you?" Yin Hai asked if he still didn't know where it was coming from.
[I'm the pendent, the tattoo that the pendent made. If it makes you feel better, I can turn into a physical form.]
"If it doesn't bother you." Yin Hai said. A blue butterfly appeared, Yin Hai lifted up a finger as the butterfly landed on his finger. It glowed as the system spoke. "Interesting"