"Wait, you can talk?" Jung asked.
There was silence. No response was heard, and Jung's question was ignored.
"Why aren't you replying?" the boy asked, repeating it more than once.
After a brief pause and another unending silence, the answer came.
[Check Your Status!]
Jung obeyed and did exactly that.
««Archetype System V1.0»»
««Reward: Bonus Skill Based On Your Archetype. "Wait, your version changed?" Jung asked and was ready for another stillness. [You Are Correct!] He was wrong, as the answer came right away. Yet, it wasn't enough. "Now you are sapient and have gained consciousness? If you can talk, it would be great if you could explain things to me." [I Am Not Your Companion, Nor Am I Trying To Help You. We Have A Symbiotic Relationship. All I Want To Do Is Document You and Your Progress. If You Need My Help Beyond Your Current Status Window, Then You Need To Find Ways To Upgrade Me.] The voice felt eternal, like a whisper from a loved one. It was peaceful, divine, and exquisite, and she continued. [And Before You Say Something, No, I Am Not Going To Tell You How To Do That. Have Fun And Stay Silly!] 'That's strange,' Jung thought as he felt the system had gone to sleep. It was a foreign feeling, and listening to her felt familiar and unruly. 'She said that if I want to get my first archetype, I need to kill the matching archetype.' He was in a tough spot as he barely knew anything about this new world. Yet he felt no anxiety. On the contrary, he felt excited—he stood before immense opportunities that promised him new experiences. 'But it didn't say anything about monsters.' Jung saw the opening and speculated about it. 'It means I can get an archetype just by killing humans as well.' After pondering for a few more minutes, Elara woke up. She was a cheeky little creature, like her older brother. With one eye open, she checked if he was watching, and spotting Jung beside her, she immediately jumped up and hugged him. Elara's first word was 'broder,' as she could barely pronounce it. For Jung, it was one of the most memorable moments of his lengthy life. Sometimes he assumed that just seeing her happy and healthy was all he wanted. It was enough for him to enjoy his peaceful life with his loving family, and it wasn't always about grand adventures. Jung hugged his newly awakened sister. It was apparent that she wanted to play, and as an older brother, he couldn't escape that duty. "Wait, what is that?" the boy asked himself as he watched Elara. He saw an object that wasn't there before. There was a sign or a mark above Elara's head. It was a light blue crown, dancing in the air as if it represented something. 'I have seen it.' Jung immediately found the mark familiar. It was the Mark representing the Ruler Archetype, and seeing that meant several things. Once the system went through its first advancement, he could see what archetypes people and possibly monsters had. Coming as welcomed news, it was an important and useful ability that would help him greatly. But there was a caveat. Not a simple one at that. The Ruler Archetype was an irregular, rare, and difficult class that needed immense resources. Elara's condition was hard in itself, and her having such a demanding archetype would complicate things. 'Fuck, fuck this shit.' Jung was angry and barely held himself back from cursing aloud. He looked at his sister, who was waiting for his attention. She had a hard time doing so, but she did it anyway. Seeing her adorable face and witty expression, which clearly resembled his own, Jung's anger disappeared, but it caused him to fear losing someone he wanted to protect. The boy found a new resolution to gain strength and resources by any means necessary. That was the day when he decided to use the system to the best of his abilities and aid his sister to save herself. He knew it wouldn't be an easy task. Nevertheless, Jung was determined, as he finally found someone he cherished. It wasn't only Elara. Lisa and Baki were great parents, and he wanted to make their lives peaceful as well. He took his sister to another room. As much as he wanted to play with Elara, first, he had to talk with his father and mother. The couple was busy making food for the family. "Oho, look who woke up!" exclaimed Lisa as she greeted her children. 'I can see them,' Jung thought as he saw the signs near his parents. One was the Lover's Mark. It had the shape of a heart and a light red colour. The second one was the Sage Mark. It was a green book with an eye on the cover. "Mom, Dad, I have pressing matters to settle with you," Jung spoke nothing like a child, as per usual. His parents were used to it and didn't have much of a reaction. Still, Baki opened his mouth with a warning. "If it's one of your pranks, I will spank your ass, and believe me, your mother can't stop me." "Come on, Dad! You are still angry about the bucket of water I used to wake you up?" Jung considered carefully. "No, wait, it's about that one time when I replaced the insides of your bread with my notes? No, I get it, you found out that I stole the orbs you had in your pouch." "Wait, you robbed me?" Baki couldn't believe his ears and went to check his satchel. "Jung, stop teasing your father and tell us what you want!" said Lisa and signalled to her husband to come back, as her son's statement was not true. Somehow, she could always read him. Lying to her was impossible, but Jung swore that one day he would be able to deceive her. Baki was back, with an angry and funny expression. He didn't say anything for quite some time. Lisa was the one who initiated the conversation. "What do you want, Jung? You look troubled." 'Of course, she could tell.' The boy wasn't even surprised. "I want you guys to train me, teach me, instruct, guide, or anything, really. As long as you can make me strong and educated, I am ready for everything." Hearing a five-year-old child talk like that wasn't a joyful occasion. All parents, especially good ones, want their children to never have anything to worry about. Yet, here they were. Listening as their carefree child talked about a topic so heavy and demeaning. It wasn't something they wanted, and there was no way they would help him. "No, no, no and no! That is my final answer," said Baki as he clenched his fists. His frustration wasn't directed at Jung, he was genuinely annoyed. "What is your reason?" asked Lisa, and got an angry look from her husband. "Why are you aski…" He wanted to question it, but Jung cut him short. "I want to protect my family," answered the boy, and one could easily notice the commitment in his attitude. "It is our job to protect you guys!" spat Baki, who looked even more—wait, what was this emotion? Sadness, pain, anguish? Jung could easily read these feelings, but had a hard time understanding them. They were emotions he never experienced, and he was confused. He was glancing around like a lost puppy. 'Why is he feeling that way? Is it something like what I feel for Elara? If it is, he should understand me and support me.' "Your father is right. It is the parent's responsibility to protect their child. I don't know why you are in such a hurry, but we want you to live a normal, peaceful life." This was the end of the conversation, but a mere two years later, this promise was broken. It happened soon after Elara was gone.