today was the day. the day Evelyn was waiting for. not only was it the first day of the Christmas holidays, but it was also the release date for the final instalment of her favourite book series. she woke up earlier than usual and was able to see her parents and little brother before they left for work and school. she had breakfast with them for the first time in a while and then waved goodbye as they left.

once breakfast was finished she changed out of her pyjamas

"Have you got it?" Evelyn asked the shopkeeper while trying to hide her obvious excitement. they disappeared into the back room for a moment.

when the shop-keep returned she whispered "make sure you don't tell anyone about this," she handed the book over making sure to brush her hand over Evelyns "I don't want the other customers to find out that you're my favourite" she finished giving Evelyn a wink.

this action made Evelyn blush highlighting her sharp, freckled face. she tucked a strand of her loose black hair behind her ear to reveal her emerald eyes. "thanks Liz." she said before paying and making a swift exit to save herself more embarrassment.

---

Evelyn headed towards the underground hoping to catch the early train back home. a set of traffic lights turned red ahead of her. she pressed the button and decided to open her new book while she waited. upon the signal that the lights had changed, she continued forward across the street. the first foot left the pavement, followed by the second. she looked up for a moment and only saw darkness. endless empty nothingness. Evelyn felt dizzied despite not feeling anything but her thoughts. so that's what she did. think "think, think, think. what happened to me? where am I?" she continued to question herself for what seemed like years "WAIT! I'm not breathing. Oh shit! I'm dead, aren't I!"

"beep"

"And I just paid for that book too,"

"beep beep"

"I guess I was right about not believing in god."

"Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep"

"And now I have tinnitus, god. shut uuuup!"

"bbrrrriiiinng" a final noise came before a voice "child of the All Bearer you have been reborn."

"so I have reincarnated then," she thought to herself. if she had a body she would be making the thinking man pose. "I must be really unlucky then. I can't hear or see through."

"briiing" the noise came again "atoms are not capable of using the five senses or any senses at all"

"ok, so big change then. if I know anything about science, we got protons, neutrons, and electrons." she thinks for a moment then decides to take a chance "hey, system can i see any of my abilities?"

"briiing "

name: Evelyn stein

species: atom

HP: 1x10^-25

magicule: 0

positive: 1

negative: 1

skills: [absorb]

"starting off from zero then." she thought. "hey sys how do I use my skills"

"user must order system to activate skills with a thought"

"Could you tell me what the skill does?"

"skill [absorb] allows the user to pick up ambient particles in the air and add them to their own structure. atoms form through passive absorption by the origin neutron as you use the skill you gain a varied amount of protons or electrons. in some cases, you may encounter a magicule."

"neat, okay then" she floated for a moment "skill activate [absorb]" the moment her thought ended she felt a surge of energy rush into her. she felt like a black hole. the influx of energy gave her a headache, or what could be perceived as such. "stop!" she thought loudly

** notice, sudden use of the absorb skill has overloaded your nucleus! emergency hibernation activating**

"what the f-" she couldn't finish the thought before her consciousness shut down.

*nucleus is expanding*

*healing cracks in core*

*repairing mental damage*

*waking up the host*

"hmmm" Evelyn moaned "five more minutes mum," she said mumbling to herself

*the host has already been asleep for a millennium*

Evelyn's eyes shot open as she heard the voice in her head. "A millennium?! What the hell is going on?" She sat up, or at least tried to, as she realized she had no body to sit up with. "Okay, okay. Take a deep breath, Evelyn. You're an atom now. You can figure this out."

She took a moment to try and gather her thoughts before speaking to the system again. "Hey, can you give me some more information on what's going on? Why was I asleep for so long? And how do I use this absorb skill without overloading my nucleus again?"

"briiing " the voice responded. "After the initial use of the absorb skill, the host's nucleus became overloaded and required emergency hibernation to repair the damage. The host has been in hibernation for approximately 1,000 years. To use the absorb skill safely, the host must start with small amounts of particles and gradually increase their absorption rate. It is also recommended to take breaks in between absorb sessions to allow the nucleus time to properly assimilate the absorbed particles."

Evelyn let out a sigh of relief. At least she had guidance on using this new skill without killing herself. "Okay, thanks for the info. though some warning before I blow myself up would be nice! I think I have a better understanding now. Is there anything else I should know?"

"briiing " the voice responded again. "It is recommended that the host avoid absorbing too many magicules at once, as they can have unpredictable effects on the host's nucleus. It is also advised to be cautious when absorbing particles from other living beings, as it can potentially harm or kill them. The host should also be aware that their actions may have consequences on the physical world and the balance of the universe."

Evelyn let out a low whistle. This was definitely not the life she had expected when she woke up that morning. But she was determined to make the most of it. "Alright, thanks for the warning. I'll be careful. Is there anything else I should know or any specific tasks I should complete?"

"briiing " the voice responded. "There are no specific tasks for the host to complete at this time. The host is free to explore and discover their capabilities as an atom. It is recommended to seek out other atoms and learn from their experiences or absorb more energy from them."

Evelyn nodded, even though there was no one there to see it. "Got it. I'll start exploring then. Thanks for the help." With that, she set off on her journey as an atom, eager to see what the universe had in store for her.

As she floated through the air, she couldn't help but feel a sense of freedom and possibility. She was no longer bound by the constraints of her physical body and could go wherever she wanted. She let out a laugh, the sound echoing through the emptiness of her new world.

Evelyn noticed something new about herself. she could see! or at least sense her surroundings like a radar pulse at a high frequency. as the pulse spread outwards she could see countless orbs floating in the space around her.

but, upon trying to walk, she realised she didn't know how to move without legs. "shit, one problem solved, another to replace it." she thought for a moment " I mean I am ball-shaped. so, maybe if i roll-" Evelyn began to rotate and as she did she could sense the other orbs getting closer.

Evelyn thought it would be a good idea to passively turn her skill on "skill [absorb] activate at one per cent."

<1 NE added>

<1 PE added>

<1 NE added>

<1 PE added>

<1 NE added>

<1 PE added>

<1 magicule added>

{approaching higher being! divert course or you may be absorbed}