/
"Child, I kept my part of the contract.... Now it's your turn to do that."
Hazy and bloodied eyes strained to discern the person who uttered those words. Slowly, the eyes turned, surveying the silent aftermath of chaos.
It seemed as if the nightmare was finally over, and the vision moved forward, navigating through a surreal landscape.
The bodies of monsters lay lifeless on the ground, and the cries of humans were stifled, replaced only by an overwhelming fear that hung in the air like a heavy fog.
"Thank Yo---"
/
"-Ha-ha-ha-ha-" Aether jolted woke up from a weird nightmare, his face drenched in sweat, hands trembling in fear as if he had witnessed something unspeakably grotesque. The remnants of the dream lingered, casting an eerie shadow on his waking reality.
'W-What was that?' He thought, clenching his head in pain, attempting to shake off the haunting images etched into his subconscious.
After a few minutes, he finally calmed down, his breath steadying as he surveyed the surroundings.
The room was more spacious than his cramped storage room....
This time, instead of lying on the cold floor with a single paper sheet, he found himself on a soft bed, its comfort contrasting with the lingering unease from the dream. His hand instinctively reached out to touch the bed, and a sense of tiredness washed over his body..... the kind that only comes after confronting a vivid nightmare.
'It's been ages since I last slept on a bed...' He thought, the novelty of the soft mattress offering a momentary distraction from the unanswered questions that loomed over him.
Yes, both before and after being abandoned by his parents, Aether never had the opportunity to rest in a bed. Initially, it was due to his parents' weirdness, and later, it was because he lacked the financial means to afford one. The luxury of sleeping in a bed was reserved for school days alone.... especially in the Infirmary.
His eyes gradually closed, surrendering to the pull of sleep as a small, involuntary smile erupted on his face.
However, the tranquillity was short-lived...
"You can Leave!"
Hearing a stern voice, Aether immediately opened his eyes only to find a face uncomfortably near his own.
Startled, he jerked backwards, locking eyes with a white-haired middle-aged man whose expression radiated annoyance and disgust.
"W-Where am I?" Aether asked, his voice carrying a mix of confusion and defiance.
The man turned to look at Aether with an even more exaggerated display of disgust and said, "It looks like you have really forgotten everything, tsk, tsk..." He clicked his tongue and then,
"Leave!" The man repeated, his tone harsh, pushing Aether off the bed.
'Thud'
"Ouch!"
Aether winced in pain.
The white-haired man, unfazed by Aether's discomfort, efficiently replaced the bedsheet with a new one, the act dripping with indifference.
Slowly standing up, Aether's body felt like it was truly in pain. He scanned the surroundings again with a clear mind.
As he scanned the surroundings, the sterile atmosphere of the room revealed a tableau of white beds, medicines neatly arranged, and a collection of unfamiliar books scattered about.
'It looks like a clinic...' He thought.
Seeing Aether lingering around, the middle-aged man said with annoyance, "You have to leave; otherwise, I will be the one who gets punished... Leave now!!"
Hearing that, Aether couldn't help but frown, "Why is that?" he questioned while searching for something he desired ever since he found himself in this enigmatic place.... no, World.
'Hmm, It looks like memory loss did alter someone's character....' The man observed Aether's nonchalant demeanour, an indifference that getting on his nerves.
With a sly smirk, he remarked, "I should not treat a SLAVE."
The words hung in the air, a deliberate attempt to elicit a reaction. To the man's dismay, Aether merely glanced at him, shrugging off the provocative term as if it held no weight.
"Why did you treat me then?" Aether questioned, his gaze now fixed on the mirror. He stared blankly at his reflection...
"Hmm...." The white-haired man sighed, realizing his attempt to provoke Aether had fallen flat.
Annoyance seeped into his tone as he conceded, "You should be grateful that Young Miss brought you here!!"
"Young Miss... ah," Aether frowned, his attention caught by the mention of a title. Yet, his eyes and thoughts were singularly focused....
'White hair?'
In front of him stood a teenage boy with striking white hair, dark blue eyes, and a slender frame that seemed fragile enough to be carried away by a..... gentle breeze?
Pathetic!!
Then, Aether couldn't help but notice the uncanny resemblance, his mind racing to comprehend the odd familiarity.
However, what truly rendered Aether speechless was...
'He looks just like when I was in my teenage... though except for the white hair,' Aether mumbled to himself.
'Tap, Tap'
A touch on his shoulder jolted Aether out of his contemplation. He turned to face the man.
"Leave!"
Recognizing the anger etched across the man's face, Aether nodded and began to make his way out.
But before he could close the door completely,
"Where was my room?" Aether inquired as he peeked at the white-haired man.
"Go and ask other lowlives!!" The man retorted, his tone laced with frustration. The transformation in Aether's demeanour seemed to have irked him considerably.
'Tsk, if he just stayed like a doll and punching bag like before, it would be fun, but now....' The man's thoughts trailed off.
He briskly took the bedsheet that Aether had used, and then, with a sudden and unexpected burst of power,
/Flames/
"sshooooo!!"
....
...
Aether wandered through the area, inquiring with other servants about the location of his room.
Despite their evident disgust when speaking to him, Aether brushed off their disdain, determined to gather the information he sought.
Upon finally locating his room, he entered with a sense of weariness.
'Thud!'
"System!" Aether called out, anticipating the familiar response.... That's the first thing he did.
... but there was no reply, no comforting 'Ding' sound to acknowledge his summons.
"Interface!" Aether changed his words, hoping for any kind of acknowledgement.
.... silence.
"Menu!"
.... nothing.
"Dashboard!"
.... no response.
"Inventory!"
.... still silence.
"Profile!"
.... not a single beep.
"Panel!"
.... the void echoed his calls.
"Sigh, did I just imagine that?" Aether wondered aloud. Before fainting, he was certain he had heard a bell ringing sound inside his head, signalling the presence of the system.
Just as he was about to give up, a spark of inspiration struck him seeing the wooden door. He focused on a basic word, a term he hoped would reconnect him with the elusive system.
"Log"
.....
"Log... in!"
!~Ding~!
"I got this... SHIT!!"
Aether's face met his palm as he stared at the see-through black screen suspended in the air.
[Request: Logging in]
[.....]
[.....]
[Affrimative]
The virtual world seemed to come alive as Aether's consciousness connected with the ethereal interface...
However, suddenly an odd sensation rippled through him, a subtle alteration in his body.
/
Name: Aether
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Level: 0
Title: Slave (Eternal Contract)
Attributes:
Strength: -1
Agility: 0
Intelligence: 3
Magic Affinity: 0
Charm: 1
Compatibility: 82%
Affection Points: 00002 (1000 Affection Points = 1 *any Attributes)
????
/
Even as Aether's inner weeb erupted in joyful cries, his mature side stoically embarked on the task of analyzing the newfound data.
"There is my only name, Aether, so what about 'Ether'?" Aether mumbled, a hint of disbelief colouring his voice.
'So am I truly Aether? But he did only call me 'Ether' though?' Aether's forehead wrinkled with a frown as he pondered whether Velc just misspelled his name.
Then,
'Eternal contract...ah?' Aether's frown deepened; the concept of an eternal contract stirred uncertainty and discomfort within him.
"That means, no matter what, I will always remain a Slave until death?" Aether couldn't help but mumble in fear and anger.
Moving on,
"What the heck was negative strength? Is that even possible?" Veins pulsed on Aether's forehead as he grappled with the notion, his gaze instinctively falling upon his own slender limbs.
'Sigh, I really wonder how in the world I was able to survive until now,' he thought, contemplating the apparent physical weakness.
Examining other attributes, Aether brushed aside concerns about Intelligence with a nonchalant mutter.
"Well, I think at least I have some points in that area," he said, a smug expression momentarily gracing his face.
'Compatibility...?' He wasn't sure what it even meant, 'Like character compatibility or what?' He thought.
"Affections...?" Aether mused, deciphering the potential implications of this intriguing attribute.
As for... ????
"That's the fucking Cheat!!!" Aether's exclamation echoed in the room, his eyes gleaming with a mix of surprise and excitement.
"That's the fucking cheat that literally is an 'OP' Hidden Skill!!" Aether's dark blue eyes shone with newfound curiosity.
He found himself fixated on the mysterious "????" to the exclusion of everything else.
With a sense of curiosity burning within him, Aether attempted to touch the screen. Regardless of his efforts, his hands seemed to pass through it, and the panel remained unresponsive, displaying only Aether's data.
"Hello, System?" Aether called out, his excitement evident in his tone.
Even though he was on the verge of reaching age 30, a supposed perfect adult, Aether's heart retained its childlike wonder.
Perhaps, he mused, everyone carried a bit of that innocence within them.....
"Hello, Log... in?" He tried differently this time once more, yet the silence persisted, devoid of any voice or scribbling on the panel.
"Maybe mine doesn't have a soul," he pondered, his initial curiosity and anticipation waning.
A tinge of sadness crept in as he realized the absence of any companions in this unknown world, compounded by the realization that he was, in essence.... an eternal slave.
That's what his system says.
After a series of other weeb-like chants directed at the enigmatic black panel, Aether's curiosity gradually subsided.
"Arrhh..." He once again felt aching in his body, prompting him to decide on taking a rest before delving into any other matters.
As he lay on the white paper on the floor, Aether couldn't help but smile weakly, "My life never changes... ah."
Even though he worked his ass off to change in his past....
He removed the sack-like dress and, in that vulnerable moment, something caught his attention...
"Hmmm? What's this?"