Drip, drip.
The sharp sound of frozen icicles echoed through the vast icy cavern, cracking down from the jagged ceiling above. Each impact reverberated like delicate chimes, shattering into hauntingly beautiful sounds that filled the air with an almost serene melody.
"Ugh, there's no end to this creature's energy," muttered a young man, his voice laced with exhaustion and a tinge of frustration. His breath hung in the frigid air as he steadied himself, eyes locked on his relentless adversary. "Even after dealing with all the others, this last one just refuses to give up."
Despite the situation, his expression remained resolute, though faint traces of distress flickered across his face.
"Show me my profile," he said, his voice echoing through the frozen cavern, directed at no human in sight.
[ INFO ▾ QUEST ▸ INVENTORY ▸ SHOP ▸ ]
STATUS
HP : ▰▰▱▱▱ ⁸⁰
DEFENSE : ▱▱▱▱▱ ⁰⁰
MANA : ▰▰▰▱▱ ¹²⁰
STATS
STRENGTH : 13 ▴
AGILITY : 10 ▴
STAMINA : 10 ▴
INTELLIGENCE : 91 ▴
Before him, a bright window materialized, glowing as vividly as daylight, its dynamic interface alive and responsive to his intent. The holographic display hovered weightlessly, casting soft luminescence across his determined features.
"Argh, I can't afford to wait any longer. If I don't finish this, it'll only drain me to death."
"Open inventory," he commanded, his voice calm but firm.
Another window appeared in the air.
With a sudden, deliberate motion, he thrust his hand into the shimmering hologram, his fingers grasping at something unseen within its depths. In an instant, he withdrew a blade—sleek, glimmering, and radiating a faint blue hue, as if forged from ice itself.
The boy adjusted his grip, his movements swift and precise. As the towering beast lunged toward him, its alabaster fur glinting under the frosty light, he acted with practiced precision. With a single, fluid motion, his blade arced through the air, meeting the creature mid-attack.
The blade sliced cleanly through its target, the strike so precise it left a faint shimmer in its wake. The creature, a monstrous being akin to a polar bear yet far more sinister, let out a guttural roar before collapsing, its form crumpling to the icy floor.
The boy exhaled slowly, watching as the once-mighty beast stilled. Its pure white fur, now lifeless, seemed almost serene against the cavern's frozen backdrop. He tightened his grip on the blade and glanced around, wary of any lingering threats, before muttering under his breath, "Finally."
"I can scarcely believe how far I've come in just a few weeks. My life has changed dramatically, all due to this strange system."
"No one would believe me if I said this, but..."
"It's showing me a way out, lifting me from the depths of my misery and hopelessness."
***
A few weeks ago.
"They say, 'If you stare into the abyss long enough, the abyss stares back at you.' "
Is this intended to serve as a warning that gazing into the abyss reveals only darkness? I refuse to believe that, for I am convinced that if one looks into the abyss, all they see is light, not darkness.
"Someone once retorted that i was mistaken and should correct myself. I replied, 'Well then, you haven't looked long enough into the abyss.' "
A young man in his early twenties muttered to himself as he lay on the rough concrete floor of his prison cell. Faint cracks spread beneath him, barely visible. Albeit the floor was rather cold, it didn't bother him. The room was small and had a bed attached to the wall on his left and a shabby sink in the corner. Moonlight streamed through a small window overhead, casting a faint illumination over the room.
These were the long nights of winter. Even though they were the same nights that covered all of humanity, he perceived them as particularly prolonged, enveloping him while the rest of the world slept.
The long nights of impenetrable darkness surrounded him, plunging through his heart with every waking moment. He hadn't experienced restful sleep for a long time.
The young man had just returned from his Rift collection duty, which he was obligated to perform as part of his prison sentence. Given his status as a juvenile offender, he was sentenced to 20 years with the possibility of early parole after 4 years. Having served 6 years already, he had been denied parole twice. No one knew if the man was actually innocent or guilty, but most were inclined to believe the latter.
"The young man's name was David, which he often struggled to remember, along with the incident that brought him here, the memory of which he recalled only vaguely."
David, who possessed both light and darkness powers, both exceptionally rare, his fate was especially unfortunate since he was convicted. He was assigned a Rift collection duty that, while deceptively simple, required steadfast endurance.
He was regularly required to drain his darkness power into Rift reserve crystals, which were later used by the RiftWalkers.
These RiftWalkers venture through the Rifts to a realm that is a world of its own. To this day, the Rift domain remains largely unmapped, though some areas have been charted. Still, they are nothing compared to the vast unknown beyond. RiftWalkers claim it is ten times larger than our world and far more dangerous.
Conflicting theories surround the Rifts. Some propose that they all lead to a single world, while others argue that each Rift connects to a different domain. The reality remains elusive, as our comprehension of them is still limited.
"David himself wanted to become a RiftWalker, but fate had other plans."
"In the grand scheme of life, I have surely fallen short. Overtaken by my own darkness, I now stand in a sea of despair," David continued, steeped in regret.
The night unfolded as usual, but as it drew to a close, in the depths of his despair, he succumbed to sleep, overwhelmed by his body's fatigue.
It hadn't even been two hours when David was jolted awake by an alarm, its sound obnoxious and deafening, impossible to ignore as it blared for nearly a minute.
Following the alarm, a recorded transmission instructed all inmates to stand at their cell doors by 7 AM. They are to remain there until the headcount has been conducted.
With groggy eyes, David reluctantly rose from the floor, confused and disoriented, unable to distinguish right from left. He prepared to comply with the daily protocol.
Other inmates, already standing by their cell doors, exchanged impatient glances as they waited for the guards to arrive and complete the count.
David stood quietly at his cell door as guards moved silently through the corridor, taking careful notes of each inmate. The process was efficient and orderly, marked by the soft shuffle of feet and low murmurs that ensured everyone was accounted for before the day began.
Once the headcount was complete, the doors were unlocked, and the guards informed the inmates that they could proceed to the mess hall for breakfast.
David made his way to the dining hall,where he joined the line of inmates. Guards monitores the process closely, and conversation was minimal.
Breakfast might consist of a modest serving of scrambled eggs, a slice of toast, and a cup of watery oatmeal. Occasionally, a small carton of milk or juice is provided.
When his turn came, he picked up his breakfast and proceeded to a secluded corner of the dining hall, where he habitually chose to remain alone.
Breakfast is eaten quickly in a noisy, crowded dining hall. The atmosphere is tense, with everyone keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. Meals are rushed, leaving little time to savor or enjoy the food. Yet none of this bothered David.
True to his routine, he quietly completed his breakfast and made his way back to his confinement.
The only time David looked forward to was during recreational hours, when some inmates engaged in sports while others, inclined toward fitness, focused on weightlifting.
Yet all of that was beyond David. The only place where he could find solace was in the prison library.
As the hour commenced, he found himself in the prison library. It was precisely as one might envision, except for the scarcity of books.
The library was indeed quite expansive, though it held only around a thousand books, perhaps even fewer. Most of the shelves were barren, and not a single inmate was in sight.
David had already read most of the books available, some even twice, during his six years of confinement here.
He began searching for a book that piqued his interest, moving from shelf to shelf without success. He had already read all the others, leaving only those he found unappealing.
Until his gaze fell upon an old book nestled in the corner of the shelf he was examining.
"David had been avoiding it for six years, its worn leather cover and untitled spine rendering it an object that elicited no notice from anyone."
He remained motionless, fixedly gazing at it.
"I have avoided you for far too long. I now consider it time for you to impart your wisdom," David said, articulating his thoughts.
He took the book and moved toward the library desk, positioned behind the shelves.
As he seated himself and turned the worn leather cover, he was surprised to find that the pages were made of glass rather than paper, completely translucent and adorned with arcane symbols he could not decipher. The pages responded to David's touch.
He continued to turn the pages, which, although thinner than typical glass, were heavier than standard paper.
David examined this strange book thoroughly several times.
Noticing that as he applied slight pressure to the pages, they emitted a radiant glow.
In his excitement, he applied more pressure than intended, causing the page to crack. The crack spread to other pages, eventually making the book explode.
In an instant, the impact propelled David three meters through the air, leading to a violent landing on the ground where he felt shards of glass piercing his body.
"Ah, so this is how it ends," he thought as he began to black out. "Death by a book isn't so bad for someone like me..."
▪ ▪ ▪ INITIALIZING ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪ LOADING ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪ YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY
LOGGED INTO THE SYSTEM ▪ ▪ ▪
"He heard a strange voice just before he drifted into unconsciousness."