The rays of morning sunlight peeked through the curtains, casting long, dancing shadows across the room. Nurse Emily, with her gentle eyes and tired smile, stood by the bedside, tucking a clipboard under her arm after finishing filling in the results from the routine check-up she had done on Edwin, a young man who had been fiddling with a worn silver pendant around his neck for some time now while laying on the bed.
"Alright, Edwin," she said, patting his shoulder causing the silver pendant he had been fiddling to slip from his grasp, and swinging gently on its chain. He then looked up at her, his gaze met directly with hers.
"You're looking good," Nurse Emily continued, her voice soft. "Vitals are stable, and the wound's healing nicely."
"Well, that's a relief," Edwin replied, a hint of humour in his voice. "I was starting to worry I'd turn into a zombie or something."
Nurse Emily chuckled, her smile widening. "A zombie, huh? Well, I guess that's one way to look at it. But don't worry, we'll keep you healthy and human, no matter what."
As she spoke, Nurse Emily's gaze soon drifted towards the empty IV bag hanging above Edwin's bed. A small frown creased her brow as she quickly moved to the medical cart she'd brought. She rummaged through the supplies, pulling out a new IV bag and saline solution.
"Just a moment, Edwin," she said, returning to him with a reassuring smile. "We just need to replace this IV bag."
"There we go," she said, efficiently moving to connect the new bag to the tubing and carefully adjust the flow rate. As Nurse Emily worked on the matter, her gaze couldn't help but land the silver pendant that he had been playing for a while now.
It was simple, yet it seemed to hold a certain significance that sparked her curiosity.
"That's a nice pendant," she commented, trying to make small talk. "What's the story behind it?"
"Oh, this thing?," Edwin replied, a small smile playing on his lips. "It's a family heirloom, passed down through generations."
Nurse Emily raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. The pendant, while simple, looked pretty. "Really? It's quite beautiful," she commented, trying to hide her surprise.
Edwin chuckled, "Yeah, my family's taken good care of it over the years."
Just then, Nurse Emily glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh, shoot!" she exclaimed, "I need to get going. I have a few more rounds to make."
"Hey Miss Emily, before you go," Edwin asked, "could you pass me the remote? I can't seem to find it."
Nurse Emily quickly scanned the room for the remote. Her eyes landed on it, lying on the floor beside the small cabinet. It must have fallen when someone bumped into it. She bent down, retrieved it, and handed it to Edwin.
"Here you go," she said, straightening up.
"Thanks, Miss Emily," he replied, taking the remote and pressing a button to turn on the television.
"You're welcome," Nurse Emily said. "Remember, if you need anything at all, just press the call button. And get some good rest."
Edwin nodded. "Alright, Miss Emily. I will."
Nurse Emily smiled and patted his shoulder again before leaving the room with the medical cart.
As she closed the door behind her, Edwin leaned against the pillow and turned his attention to the television. He pressed a button, and the screen lit up.
Edwin sighed as he flipped through the channels, finally stopping on a cartoon. The sound of laughter and animated voices filled the air as he set the remote down.
"It has been like what? Three days since I woke up and I still can't get used to people calling me Edwin," Edwin muttered to himself. He stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.
A light snort escaped his lips and he then muttered, "I guess it can't be helped but over time, I'm sure I'll get used to it."
"Anyhow," Edwin mumbled, his gaze falling back to the silver pendant. He traced the intricate pattern with his fingers, a strange sense of familiarity washing over him. "No wonder it looked so... eerily familiar."
"It's almost identical," he uttered, recalling the split-second glimpse of the pendant hanging from the beautiful woman's neck. "Could there be a connection between her and Edwin's family?"
"Logical speaking, how could there be a connection between a woman from a different complete place and Edwin's family?" Edwin mused aloud. "If there was a connection, wouldn't she be... well, gone by now? Or at least, looking a bit more... aged?"
As his mind raced, trying to connect the dots, Edwin closed his eyes and delved into the original's memories, sifting through each part, searching for any clues, any hint of a connection. Unfortunately, despite the tremendous effort he had put in, he found nothing. Still, a nagging feeling persisted, a sense that he was missing something.
"Let's just not think about it for now," Edwin sighed, rubbing his temples while trying to push that thought aside because his mind was a whirlwind of unanswered questions due to that, and it was starting to give him a headache. "Ugh…"
As he sank deeper into the pillow, his gaze wandered across the room before drifting towards the television. The vibrant cartoon characters dancing across the screen with their exaggerated expressions and high-pitched voices unexpectedly provided a much-needed distraction for him.
A peculiar idea soon flickered as Edwin was enjoying the cartoon characters cavorting on the screen. Without a second thought, his gaze drifted towards the space beside him. He closed his eyes, taking a deep, calming breath.
"Status Window," he whispered, his voice barely a murmur.
Instead of the familiar system window he anticipated, a strange notification appeared. It was a simple, yet perplexing message.
[System Recalibration In Progress]
A frown creased Edwin's brow as he stared at the cryptic message.
"Recalibrating? What on earth does that even mean?" he muttered aloud, his confusion growing. He sat up straighter, his eyes scanning his body, searching for any clue that might explain this odd occurrence. Unfortunately, his mind drew a blank.
Frustration bubbled up within him. He yearned for answers, and he wanted them immediately. In a surge of annoyance, he impulsively reached out and tapped the screen.
To his astonishment, the notification changed.
[Progress at 40%]
[41%]
[42%]
"Wait, what?" he blurted out, his surprise palpable. He tapped the screen again, curious to see what would happen.
[System Recalibration In Progress]
The message reverted back to its original state, and he felt disappointed. He tried tapping the screen several times, but the message stubbornly switched between the two.
"What the heck is going on?" he exclaimed, his voice rising in frustration. He ran a hand through his hair, his annoyance growing. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down.
"Okay, okay, let's think," he muttered, leaning back against the pillow, his gaze fixed on the screen. "What does it mean by 'recalibration'? Is there something wrong with the system?"
A new idea struck him as he sat there, lost in thought. Perhaps this strange occurrence was related to the odd reboot he'd experienced a while back. He remembered the sudden surge of energy coursing through his body, followed by a blackout.
"Could this be a side effect of that?" he wondered aloud, his brow furrowed. "Or maybe it happened when I was in that forest"
"Oh man…If only I had my phone," Edwin muttered, rubbing his temples to relieve his growing frustration. He could've easily yet immediately searched online for answers, or maybe possibly even found a forum where people discussed similar experiences.
As he thought about his phone, a wave of sadness washed over him. He remembered how he'd asked Nurse Emily if there were any of his belongings being kept safely two days ago, only to be met with the disheartening news that his phone, along with his other possessions, had been destroyed during the gate outbreak incident. "Fucking hell…"
"That disaster really messed everything up, huh?" he sighed, recalling the fragmented chaotic scene that the original Edwin went through and after a short moment of thinking, he decided to let this matter go for the meantime because he had already been through a lot, and stressing about this wouldn't change anything at all.
"Whatever this is," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper. "I'll figure it out later when I'm feeling better."
"But honestly, this is a bit disappointing," Edwin muttered, shaking his head. "I was really hoping to see my current status window."
The main reason for his disappointment was a peculiar piece of information he'd uncovered while sifting through his inherited memories. It turned out that the original owner was an Awakened Hunter, and as far as he could understand, Awakened Hunters, or Hunters for short, were individuals who had been chosen by a mysterious system known as the Zeroth System.
This mysterious system, of unknown origin, granted them extraordinary abilities, transforming them into beings far beyond ordinary humans. For example, they could now manipulate and command elemental forces like fire and ice with the mere flicker of a thought. Others possessed the ability to defy natural laws, like transmuting molecules, crafting intricate inorganic structures with a wave of their hand, or astonishingly exhibiting the power to levitate and manipulate objects and cast aside the shackles of gravity.
"Talk about such a cliché troupe," Edwin muttered, a bitter smile playing on his lips. "A chosen one, a secret system, overpowered abilities... it's like a bad anime plot."
He shook his head, a wry chuckle escaping his lips. "I mean, seriously, what's next? A wise old hermit who appears out of nowhere to teach me the ways of the force? Or maybe a hidden prophecy that foretells my destiny as the savior of humanity?"
His musings were abruptly interrupted by a series of knocks on the door. Startled, Edwin turned his head towards the sound. The door creaked open, revealing two men in sleek black suits, their faces etched with serious expressions.
*Knock**Knock*
His musings were abruptly interrupted by a series of knocks on the door. Startled, Edwin turned his head towards the sound. The door creaked open, revealing two men in sleek black suits who entered the room with their faces etched with serious expressions.
"Good morning, I apologize if we took you by surprise," the man with close-cropped hair said, his voice a low rumble. "We didn't mean to startle you."
Edwin blinked, his confusion growing as he had never seen these two before even in the original's memories and couldn't help but ask, "Wh-who are you guys?"
To Be Continued