The sound of muffled sobbing could be heard across the small house. On a closer inspection, one could see a young man kneeling in front of a bed.
Laying atop the bed, a woman who look in a detrimental condition, laid unmoving, her eyes closed. There was a breathing device standing a little away from the bed, connected to a tube leading to the end masking her face.
The breathing device was attached to a screen displaying her heart rate. The lines displayed on the screen were slowly going straight, and the constant beeping sound was getting less and less frequent.
Kneeling beside the bed, the young man banged his head against the metallic bed, repeatedly. He didn't care about stopping, not even after a red liquid began dripping down his forehead. The young man didn't care about his well-being in his current situation.
"No… this can't be. It can't!!! No, no, I won't let you die!!!" He yelled, slamming his fist against the metal, the sound of bone cracking, and a wave of pain assaulted his senses. The young man had damaged his fist in the impact, but he didn't even flinch, even after noticing the bruises that adorned his fist.
In frustration, another loud bang was heard, followed by another, then another. Loud punches could be heard in rapid succession, and not long after, a puddle of blood could be seen flowing peacefully, a residue of the act that had just taken place.
Stumbling as he struggled to stand up, the young man wobbled his way to a table placed at one corner of the room. With his crimson hands pressing against the edges for support, he pulled out a drawer, which instantly fell to the floor, releasing a thud.
Falling to the floor, the young man searched through the documents placed in the drawer, until he found what he was searching for. Clasped tightly in his hands, the document of his birth certificate was stained in his blood.
Releasing loud grunts, the young man staggered and stumbled his way to the door, shaking his hand rapidly, he forgot he had locked the door not too long ago.
Kicking it open, a flash of lightning rippled through the sky. It was raining, but the young man didn't care as he exited his house. Falling to his knees, he let out a loud cry. Whether it was one of despair, anger, or regret, one could only imagine as his blood mixed with the rain, creating another puddle of blood around him.
Having lost a lot of blood, the young man's body became wobbly as his vision began to blur, but before Lossing consciousness, the ripping sound of paper was vaguely heard amongst the multiple droplets of rain.
He had torn his birth certificate and declared in a weak voice.
"I, Peter Martin, am no longer a citizen of the Red Continent."
With his body swaying from side to side, Peter was about to lose consciousness, when he felt something land on his shoulder. A wave of energy entered his body, and his eyes gained back their color. Turning his head, he could see a red butterfly.
'Huh? What is wrong with this butterfly? Aren't butterflies an exception to the evolution?' Peter thought, but the next instant, the crimson butterfly turned into a red mist, before dispersing into the atmosphere.
Closing his eyes, Peter wanted to get his head straight. For one, he had just torn his birth certificate, something that guaranteed his right as a citizen of the Red Continent to be protected at all cost. And secondly, on a closer inspection, he realized that all his injuries had healed. It was quite a bizarre pill to swallow, not that Peter wasn't happy about it or anything.
But the fact that all his self-inflicted wounds, as well as the scars he had been carrying since his childhood, had, by some miracle, disappeared, make no sense to Peter. During his childhood, Peter had always been someone who had been bullied by his peers. Whether it was because of his antisocial behavior, or his tendency to always speak his mind, Peter was someone who had, well, a pretty rough school life, and childhood, in general.
'Perhaps this has something to do with that butterfly. It wasn't a normal butterfly in the first place. It might be an anomaly or some loose experiment created by an organization.
'Still, I won't get my hands dirty poking my nose in someone else's business. I have enough trouble to deal with as I am. For starters, just what did that red butterfly do to me that healed all my injuries?'
While he was thinking about this, a sudden 'ding' sound, resounded. Turning his head, he couldn't see where the sound had come from. From what had just happened to him, Peter thought perhaps those who had created the butterfly were hot after him for some reason.
Having no clue where the sound was coming from, Peter quickly got back to his feet and ran back into his house, locking the door the moment he got in. As an extra precaution, Peter took a couple of chairs from his dining room, pressing the headrest of one against the door knob, while the other he positioned its headrest right underneath the first chair.
Searching his kitchen cabinet, the best weapon Peter could find was a short knife he would use to cut cooking ingredients. Gripping it tightly, Peter tiptoed to the front door, his hands shaking as he pointed the weapon at the door.
'Shit! I'm so dumb! What if they just blast through the ceiling, or maybe come in through the backdoor?!!' Peter, having realized the flaw in his plan, began calculating the safety measures he would set in place to ensure his and his I'll mother's safety.
In the middle of pacing back and forth, something suddenly caught Peter's line of sight. Floating midair, a bunch of messages could be seen, along with a loading bar that was filling up at a consistent pace.
[Message was delivered late]
[System Reboot]
[100% Complete]
[Host has been granted an ancient power?]
[Would you require extra information concerning this ancient power?]
'What is this? Did that butterfly somehow implant an A.I. system into my brain? What on Earth is going on? This reminds me of those new battle mech the government has been designing. Could that red butterfly have somehow been linked to the new line of technology? That could be the only explanation for why the interface looks so similar to that of the mech hardware.
'Also, what happened to the butterfly? Why did it burst into dust particles after giving me this A.I. system? I have so many questions yet there's no one to answer them.'
Placing the knife back in the kitchen cabinet, Peter headed upstairs to check up on his mother's condition. Not too long ago, he had found her in a life and death condition, something which had severely triggered him. Although knowing it was bad if he sees his mother in a terrible condition, he decided to check up on her anyway.
Upon pushing the door open, his eyes instantly flew upon the screen which displayed her current condition. Peter let out a loud sigh upon gazing at the zigzag lines, as well as hearing that rapid 'beep' sound. Peter immediately covered the distance between him and the bed, his eyes glued to his mother, who, on a closer inspection, looked to be sleeping peacefully.
'I can't believe it! Although I don't usually believe in this. This is luck. Mother, I promise, no matter what, I will ensure you get better soon,' Peter brushed aside a few strands of her hair covering her face, before quietly exiting the room.
'Now that I know she's alright, I can focus on this issue,' gazing at the messages blocking his view, Peter carefully read the last of them, and as well, two options appeared underneath. One stated yes, while the other said no.
'I want to choose yes, but-'
[You have selected Yes]
[Wait a minute]
After a total of sixty seconds in silence, another 'ding' sound was heard.
[Host must prove he is worthy of the power, and to achieve that, he must first complete a Quest. The Quest is simple, so if the Host fails, woe onto him for failing the expectations placed on him]
Peter gritted his teeth as he stared expectantly at the A.I. interface, waiting for more information regarding this Quest he had to complete. At this point, Peter had a hunch that this A.I. system had something to do with his mother's stabilized condition. Peter wasn't so sure faith had a hand in it.
[Here is the Quest]
[Quest Received]
[Visit the nearest cemetery and pay your respects to each grave made there]
[Quest Rewards]
[Information about the ancient power]
[A title to help you in life]
Reading through the set of system notifications, Peter let out a sigh as he patted himself on the chest. For a second there, he thought the Quest would be something dangerous, life-threatening if you will. But after finding out what the Quest entailed, Peter was a lot less reluctant to complete it.