My eyelids lifted and I turned my head around, trying to know where I was. A sharp pain traversed throughout my body leaving me in agony. I sighed heavily as I slowly lifted my body from the soft embrace of what felt like a bed.
'Where am I?' I questioned, looking around the entire room. My memory was foggy and so, I couldn't remember what had happened.
I looked at the room's door—colored in warm brown—and it became clear that I was in my room. But how I got there and why I was there was still a mystery waiting to be solved.
I planted my feet in the ground and stood up triggering the sharp ache once again. Regardless of the pain, I slowly moved my feet around the room toward the bathroom. My head was hot and getting a nice cool shower seemed to be a good solution.
I got undressed, flung my clothes around, wore a bathroom robe, and headed into the bathroom behind the wardrobe.
'Ah yes, my privacy is assured,' I said in relief, still marveling at the privacy the hidden bathroom provided.
I turned on the shower and got to scrubbing. From my head to my toes, the water streamed down like a neverending waterfall. It flowed so effortlessly down my spine, sending chills to my brain.
I held the wall, enveloped in the marvelous feeling I was experiencing. I was relieved, but one thing still bothered me. Why was I here? My hair soon got completely soaked and that marked the beginning of my thoughts.
'Okay, so I remember the fight against the beast. We won and the door opened, and then....' I was completely lost, trying to put my memories together, 'There was this man who stood at the door. It was like a silhouette in the sun's blinding sunlight.' It wasn't right, or rather incomplete.
I turned off the shower and grabbed a towel, drying my hair and body. I put on my robe and rushed to the bed where I stayed, gently laying my head on the pillow and facing the room ceiling.
I heard a vibration from the cabinet beside my bed. I looked at it with an emotionless stare, still trying to remember what had happened. I looked closer, squinting my eyes at the device.
It was a phone, colored in titanium black with rounded edges. It looked fancy and immediately caught my eye. I reached out and grabbed the phone, scrutinizing its design and inspecting its specifications.
'Oh, so it's a modern phone. Their budget must be off the charts.' I chuckled slightly until my eyes coincidentally shifted their gaze to my hands.
'That's it! The Aura Shield. Where'd it go?' Memories rushed into my head, and soon a smile formed on my face.
I had finally gotten my memories back, but I was still unsure of the reason I was in the room. The gaseous release from the cans was my last memory, and so I was still partially lost in the situation I had found myself in.
I quickly turned to the phone, eager to know what caused its vibration. Maybe a useful message? I hoped for the best as I turned the screen on, gazing at a white bubble of text.
It read,
[12 Hours. That's all you have] The phone seemed limited, not like any other personal phone. The text was the only thing the phone showed, and no signs of an operating system were evident.
'Great, so it's not even a normal phone,' I said sarcastically, dropping it back on the cabinet. '12 hours from now until what?' I began questioning as I extended my feet on the bed.
After a quick nap, I felt completely renewed suggesting that my Mana was at its maximum. The possibility of turning off the Aura Shield opened up various possibilities, although I didn't know how I did it, and even worse, I had no idea what it was for.
Perhaps, shielding from normal attacks. But I didn't know what type of attacks; physical or magical, the limit of Aura Shield, and finally, how to evolve it.
'I'm ranked E. That other guy with the immense Aura Shield is most likely ranked above me. That would explain the large Mana he used to sustain such a big Aura Shield. Besides, it was never stated that we all get the system with a starting rank of E.'
I picked up the phone and stared at its screen which showed that only 11 hours remained. I stood up from the bed, and my destination was set to the kitchen as my stomach had begun tormenting me.
I reached out for a few snacks and promised myself to eat healthier from then on. I went back to the bed and started eating the snacks. I decided to check my stats to know what percentage of Mana I had left.
I called out, my voice muffled as the snacks in my mouth obstructed my speech. I took a while chewing and swallowing the snacks, then gently wiped off the crumbs on my mouth with my hands.
'Stats!' I called the word out in the same tone of dominance, replicating the previous time I had called it out.
It took a few seconds until the window appeared in my mind, accompanied by the usual female voice that soothed my mind, although it sounded unnatural.
[Master Noah, here are your stats:
Name: Noah
Beast: None
Mana: 100%
Abilities: Mana Wielding (Rank E)
Skills: Aura Shield (Rank E)
Overall Ranking: Rank E...]
'Great, it's at 100 percent. But, I think I have to learn more about my abilities and skills. First off, what differentiates the both of them?' I looked around in search of any guidance but I was met with none.
I took the time given to us as an initiative to train more and gain more knowledge about my skills and abilities. Besides, I had taken enough rest already. I dropped the snack wrappers and started thinking of how to hone my skills.