Jason Squinted, his mind racing. He was pretty well-read, and even while the doctor did not mention it, he had read up on the after-effects of falls.
There was mention of something about personal side effects. Maybe even hallucinations were possible. But this… his this not feel like a hallucination. This felt more like a real thing that was happening to him.
As Jason focused more on the Blue Box, examining it, the Blue Box seemed to respond, expanding as he focused on it. And then suddenly, Jason found words flickering on his screen as if waiting for him to notice.
Jason's breathing halted as he saw the blue panel. Now it was not like some blue box. It was like some holographic Panel that floated in mid-air right above him. If the blue box was linked to his eye, moving with him as he did, the Panel was still in space, and Jason could turn his head while the Panel stood still.
Okay… Okay… where was the game show host, huh? It's gotta be. It's gotta be a prank because there was no way Jason was caught there with no real words to say. There had to be a punchline to all this.
Jason had even all but forgotten the pain in his ribs as he stared at the thing floating in the sky. It had words on it, so what he did was focus on them and read them, trying to find out what exactly was waiting for him.
|————————————
| Message |
—————
Congratulations, due to some conditions having been met, you have been chosen as the holder of the Master Programmer System. Welcome, and the System wishes you good luck in your journey to becoming a Master Programmer!
————————————|
Jason's brain struggled to keep up. Master Programmer System? What the hell was this? Was he still dreaming? Maybe he hit his head harder than he thought after all… Because there was no way.
He had a nerdy friend who was always telling him about Systems he had read about in fantasy stories, and although that friend had left town, going to a University in another city, Jason had forever remembered the man. That was his most genuine friend… different from the calibre of friends Jason had come to make recently.
Anyway, what was a Master Programmer? Was it really what it sounded like, the biggest nerd in the universe who could debug any piece of code, program any solution in code? Was that what it was?
Because if that was what it was, then it sounded boring!
Jason rubbed his eyes, hoping the words would disappear or maybe change to something cooler like some Unlimited Money System. However, when he opened them, noticing that what he was seeing was remaining the same, he sighed.
So stubborn… Why was it still stubbornly floating in front of him like that?
Even while Jason sat there, confusion and curiosity warring inside him, his heart pounded. Is this real? Or was his mind playing tricks…
A phrase was replaying in his head. "Chosen as the holder…" Holder of what? A System? Jason has seen plenty of strange things in life, living in a wonderful world of technology and that had exposed him to AI, Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality. But this was different. This felt different to him. It felt personal… It was as if the Universe had decided to drop something right at his feet. Right into his lap.
Taking a deep breath, and he winced as he realised he was still injured at that moment. Damn it how could he forget? Jason hesitated before deciding to focus on the box, almost instinctively willing to show him something, anything.
And to his amazement, it actually responded.
Another Announcement Panel Popped u[ in front of him.
|————————————
| Message |
—————
Would you Like to Begin your Tutorial?
Y(Accept) || N(Deny)
————————————|
Jason's lips parted in disbelief. A tutorial? Now his hallucinations were giving him Tutorials? How fantastic. Mom, Dad, I've really made you proud have I not?
Fuck that shit!
Jason wanted to say No, but right before he did, he could not help but think back to the past few months. All those times, he had felt like his life was spiralling out of control, of how powerless he had been to change things.
He had been kicked out of his family, denied his parents' inheritance, kicked out of University because he was unable to pay for his tuition, forced to receive debts because his family did not want to bury his parents properly…
He had been dumped by his girlfriend and had his friends create barriers with some of them even claiming that he was never at their level when before they would act chummy with him.
He was down in the gutters right now. He had nothing, nobody. Why was he hesitating? Why was he even saying No to this… What did he really have to lose here?
His life was already a mess. And even if he was imagining all this, who would hurt him? Maybe… just maybe… this was his chance to turn things around. With a small, shaky nod, Jason focused his gaze on the Y and intently accepted the Message.
And with that simple choice, his world shifted. From that moment on, everything would change. Even he had no idea yet at that moment.