WREN STRETCH OUT his hands. He could hear a few clacking as his bones were taunt from maintaining his sitting position for almost an hour by now. But it didn't bring another pain; instead, it gave him relief, which he really needed after feeling numbed.
It's really bad to the body when you just finished a whole hour of stretching and exercises and then you will take a long break by sitting after. His muscles, which had been stretched, had ended up sore and his body had become numbed from maintaining a single position.
Lesson learned. Next time, he would make sure not to do the same. Since he decided that he would take stretching and exercise in the apartment, then he will make sure to quickly go to the dungeon tower the moment he finishes so that he won't end up in the same predicament.
"Time check," he said while looking for his old phone.
Calling that old still irks Wren. If he could just bring this so-called old phone back to his world, then it wouldn't be treated as old. After all, it was more high-tech than the latest high-tech handphone he had remembered back in his former world.
First of all, his 'old phone' is nothing but an Android phone where the screen is a touch panel but just like the system in this world, the most common phone here was still a holographic, systematic phone that uses holographic interfaces as screens they could touch to make it work.
When Wren activated his phone, a message notification got his attention first rather than the time indicated. It was the name of the sender that Wren couldn't ignore the message.
He didn't click on the message notification and just directly dialed back the number to make a video call. While the call was on the ring, Wren put the phone back on the table to get some new clothes to change his damp sweat clothes.
"Wren? Did you unconsciously dial my number, boy?" A female voice that sounded old echoed in the small apartment of Wren.
Wren knew based on the memory of the original that it was none other than the priestess of the orphanage where he came from. He didn't hesitate to come out of his room while trying to wear his new t-shirt with his right hand while his left hand snatched a jacket.
The weather now was not winter because there was no snow, yet it was really cold. It was not autumn as well because the trees and plants were still blooming with beautiful and aromatic flowers.
According to the original's memories, this season was only one of the eight seasons on Earth. Eight because of the addition of solstice in every season that was more popular to Wren.
Back in his world, a solstice occurred when the sun was very far from the Earth, prolonging the night and shortening the day. While in this world, it has the same meaning but not entirely the same.
Because solstice here is a common occurrence, that's why they added it to the usual four seasons. It all started when the zergs apocalypse devastated the Earth. The humans didn't know what happened but another sun and moon had appeared in the solar system.
While the other planets had disappeared after getting destroyed by the aliens that left the queen zerg before escaping. So the only planet revolving in the solar system was only Earth, together with a larger astronoid belt.
And what was astonishing was how it was the Earth that became the center of the solar system while the two new moons, as well as the two new suns, had orbited around the Earth.
No one knows the reason for this sudden change and no one decided to learn more even after the start of the Genesis Era. Because even the venerable gods didn't think deeply about it, it ended as a mystery, which the humans accepted wholeheartedly.
Going back, this new rotational occurrence on the solar system gave the additional season—solstice. But unlike the usual shortening and lengthening of day and night, the effects of the solstice were how warm or cold the world became.
In other words, whatever the current season was—be it summer, winter, autumn, or spring—as long as a solstice occurred, it would only make the world colder than normal.
And right now, it was honestly still summer yet the coldness of the weather was the same as it was autumn in his original world. If it were spring, the weather might be twice as cold as its autumn. And if it's autumn, there would be the solstice snow, which was thinner than the usual winter snow and was easy to melt. Let's not talk about winter solstice because Wren hated cold.
"Mama, I didn't dial your number accidentally," Wren said when he entered the phone's perspective.
And yes, the name the original had given to the orphanage's priestess is 'Mama', which was what other children in the orphanage had called the kind old woman. And Wren didn't want to change that, even if it was honestly awkward.
"Oh, is that so? Then why did you suddenly call, Wren?" Priestess Carmela asked Wren in her kind voice.
Wren noticed that the elderly seemed to get worried for him. The original never usually calls since he separated from the orphanage. If he wanted to say something to the priestess, he would directly go to the orphanage to share it personally.
But lately, the original never visited the orphanage. He would just directly send the money to the account of the orphanage. So, the priestess will surely get worried. Unfortunately, the kind old woman never got to hear something from the original until his death.
And Wren could sympathize with that with the original. He would certainly do the same if he were the original because they knew that nothing would go right if they included the elderly woman in their worries, which, if speaking honestly, wasn't that uncommon.
After all, it wasn't only the original who dreamed of awakening a system. But different from those people who also weren't lucky to be awakened, the original was more eager in this dream that he put all his hope in it.
Yet he only ends up in disappointment and despair. So, Wren couldn't blame the original for the other's decision to overwork himself. He was sure that the original didn't intendly overwork himself to death.
He might have been so depressed that he had forgotten his health and caused it to his death.
"I had seen your message, Mama. So, I decided to call instead since I am really busy now to visit the orphanage. Don't worry, once I have more time, I'll definitely visit there," Wren said, assuredly.
And it really works because they plastered a genuine smile on the wrinkly face of Priestess Carmela.
"That's really good to hear, Wren, my boy." Then the smile turned embarrassed when she remembered that the other had actually read her message. "As for that message, ignore it, Wren. It was just Lina who once again used my phone and sent that message. The orphanage was really doing well, so there's no need to worry yourself."
"No! That's a lie, Brother Wren!" A youthful female voice interrupted.
Then a teen at the age of twelve appeared before him together with Priestess Carmela.
"Lina! You naughty kid!" Priestess Carmela reprimanded the teenage girl.
But Lina kept her stubborn look as she showed it before her brother Wren, withstanding despite the gentle pull of the priestess.
"Stop hiding it from brother Wren, Mama. You're already too old to find the solution on your own, like you always say. This time, you can't solve it without anyone's help," Lina insisted but her determined gaze was still on Wren.
"Come on. Just keep your brother from it. He already has his own life. Let's just find others to help, okay?"
"What are you saying, Mama? Are you saying that it was no longer Brother Wren's business just because he no longer lives with us? That's the same as telling Brother that he's now an outsider and that he's no longer a part of our family."
Both Wren and the old woman were taken aback by what the girl had said. Wren was shocked because of the kid's sudden outburst. And also because this just showed how important the original was for this kid and to the orphanage.
Unfortunately, the original had forgotten that so when he was on the verge of breakdown, he thought that he had no one to rely on. Wren also knows that the original didn't want the people of the orphanage to know his misgivings; that's why he didn't visit them.
For him, he can't rely on the orphanage because the orphanage was relying on him as well. He would only burden the people there, which he really didn't want to happen so he took everything on his own.