Archie woke up in his bed with no sweat on his forehead. He had finally woken up. Archie looked over to his digital bedside clock, noting that the time was 7:45. 'I'm up before I need to be? That's a shock. Maybe I'm in another Night Terror.' Archie said in his head. He listened to the usual moving around of his family, so if this was another Night Terror, he'd be impressed. Archie tried to hum an unrecognisable tune, and, as expected, he couldn't.
'Okay, I think I'm back in reality. I'm not entirely sure, but I'm pretty sure I am.' Archie said to himself, changing out of his pyjamas into his school uniform. He took his phone off charge, making sure today was the day he thought it was. It was Friday, January 12th. Just one more day before he had the weekend off.
A shadowy figure appeared in his vision, scaring him for a second. He jumped back slightly when he saw it, realising it was Alexis, the Night Terror. 'Jesus Christ, I forgot about you.' Archie admitted, causing Alexis to chuckle, walking around his room, phasing in and out of objects. "I guess I'm able to do this now. Maybe it's because I'm not summoned, allowing me to follow you like a wandering spirit. It's a cool idea, plus it allows me to explore the world better!" Alexis guessed.
'Are you summoned right now, or is this a natural state?' Archie questioned, causing both of them to think. "I don't think so, but we'll know when you leave this room. Someone would ask you about a shadowy child following you if they could see me." Alexis answered, unsure of what else they could do. Archie checked the digital clock. It was 7:55. He may as well get some breakfast. Archie walked over to the door, but just before he did, Alexis asked him something. "Hey, are you not going to check your stats? Me becoming your ally should have made you stronger, right?" Alexis asked him, causing Archie to have a "Eureka!" moment. 'Oh yeah! Hold on, let me pull up the menu!' Archie asked, excited for whatever increase he got.
[Total Of Stats: 136 (0 Status Point Enhancers (SPEs) Ready For Use)]
[Strength: 27 (+1)]
[Endurance: 27]
[Agility (Reaction Time): 27]
[Speed: 27]
[Stamina: 27]
'What the fuck?!' Archie yelled mentally, wondering what the fuck was going on. He was unsure why the numbers were that high, but he wasn't complaining. Alexis was cackling away, laughing like this was the funniest thing they'd ever seen. "Oh, that's funny. What were your stats before?" She asked Archie. 'Well...' Archie hesitantly replied. 'Four. Four in every stat, with one extra point in strength due to my ring.'
"Only four?!" Alexis burst out laughing. "I could have killed you by poking you too hard! How the hell did you defeat the Night Terrors before me?" She asked him. 'Well, I almost died the first time, and the second was through pulling out the wind-up key that kept them moving.' Archie responded. "Well, it doesn't matter, but it's nice to know. Still, I'm so shocked that you were that weak!" Alexis explained. "The person who tried to kill me last time, the one who lost their organs, was about five times as strong as you. I'm surprised that you stayed alive through the torture."
Archie just silently sighed, opening the door to his room just as Jess was about to knock on it. "Oh, you're awake already? I didn't expect you to wake up before I called you." Jess told him. Archie grabbed the pen and paper beside him and began writing. "Neither did I." Jess read for him. "Well, it's time to get some breakfast." Jess informed him, spinning around on her heel so she could walk away. 'I guess she didn't notice you. Also, how can we talk to each other without establishing an M-Port?' Archie summarised, adding a question to the end. "Honestly, I don't know how to answer that, but I also have questions. One is about what the hell some of these things are." Alexis replied, pointing at Archie's digital clock.
"How do you read that? It's just random numbers shoved together." Alexis tried to understand. 'It allows me to know what time it is. It's like a clock with hands, but it's easier to read, at least for humans.' Archie tried to explain, although Alexis couldn't understand. "How do you humans read those numbers placed in such a confusing fashion?" Alexis complained. 'I'm going to teach you at some point, okay? Not right now, though, since we have to go to school.' Archie responded, walking out the doorway to the hallway. "We? What's this "we" business? You're the only one who has to go!" Alexis pointed out, Archie smiling in response.
'Well, you're free to stay here, but you won't be able to do anything. If you come with me to see the outside world, you'll be able to learn about new things.' Archie explained before slowly closing the door. 'Although, if you don't want to, that's fine. It's up to you what you decide to do. After all, it's not like we're contracted by blood.' Archie finished before closing the door, leaving Alexis bewildered. They let out a long groan before floating through the door. "Fine, I'll follow you around. It's better than sitting in your room for however many hours school goes on for." Alexis told him. 'Well, that's a positive turn of events.' Archie responded, turning to head down the stairs, but as he reached the stair, he had a question.
'Oh, I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you a boy or a girl?' Archie asked Alexis, who didn't know how to answer the question. "Honestly, I've never really thought about it. It never mattered, so I'm this shadowy, genderless, child-like monster." Alexis responded, not answering Archie's question, but it was a valid answer nonetheless. 'Alright then, you're genderless. I'll refer to you either by name or as they.' Archie concluded as he walked down the stairs.
"I've got to hand it to him. He made that really simple," Alexis said to themselves as they floated behind him. "I'm glad I got a good deal."