Hollow Vessel

In the modern day, many are dissatisfied with how they live lacking purpose and direction; a goal to strive for that is more than superficial wants and needs. This can lead to a desire for a greater purpose and melancholy for those who can not find it. It is these people who suffer in normality and thrive when the invitation to opportunity finally arrives. 

//

In the darkness behind the lids of closed eyes appeared words that seemed to write themselves in a unrecognisable characters that were both eerily beautiful and harrowing, however their meaning was known in the minds of the readers.

[The potential of Humanity is ready to bloom or wither.]

[Will you realise your potential given by the universe and be more than a empty vessel ?]

[The reformation will soon begin.]

//

Even after the seemingly apocalyptic message disappeared from the eyes of people around the world, its meaning continued to reverberate in the minds of everyone who had witnessed it. A great stillness overtook the world during this time, as though it was afraid of awakening a beast. Though no one could comprehend the announcement, all who saw it felt an overwhelming sense of dread at its words.

Moments later, a shadow seemed to envelop the world and as it spread those caught in its depths felt consciousness leave them as they fell into the darkness.

//

Ashur sat in his apartment, heart pounding as he read the words before him. Like countless others who had seen them, he was gripped by an existential fear, an overwhelming sense of insignificance, as if he were an ant standing before a god.

'What is this? Potential given by the universe? Vessel?'

'Reformation? What the hell is going on!?'

A shiver ran down his spine. He felt something watching him, something vast and unknowable. Then, without warning, his consciousness wavered, his thoughts slipping like sand through his fingers. His vision blurred as his body collapsed, and as he hit the floor, the shadows in the room stretched toward him. They swallowed him whole.

And then, he was gone.

//

As Ashur stirred awake he felt as though he'd been sleeping on gravel rather than his bed due to the feeling of rocks digging into his body. As he lay there feeling a breeze on his face he thought.

'Did I leave the window open? Why is there a breeze? And why is my bed so uncomfortable?'

It was at that moment, when his discomfort became greater than his desire to sleep, that he opened his eyes to a view he would never forget. A valley that seemed endless stretched out before him, filled with towering trees larger than any he had ever seen, their massive forms casting long shadows under the light of two suns nearing their apex.

'There are two suns'

This was the first thing that caught Ashur's attention, even though he had no idea where he was, as if he were still coming to grips with his situation. It was then that he finally remembered the message that had appeared.

"Oh my god, it was real! I thought it was just a hallucination from exhaustion, and now I'm in the middle of nowhere... where there are two suns?"

Ashur did his best not to panic. After taking a few deep breaths to clear his mind, he realized he needed to move—he had no idea what dangers might lurk in this seemingly idyllic valley, and he wasn't about to take any chances.

Carefully making his way down the mountain, he eventually reached the valley floor. As he walked, he skirted around its edge, not daring to enter the woods. Instead, he stuck close to the foot of the mountain where he had awoken, searching for possible shelter. Eventually, he found a cave—fortunately empty. Once inside, he debated whether to prepare a fire or avoid attracting unwanted attention.

'I don't want to freeze if it gets cold, so I may as well,' he thought to himself.

Steeling himself, he made his way to the edge of the woods in search of dry wood. He found a tree reminiscent of a large birch from Earth and pried off strips of dry bark to use as kindling. Gathering more, he returned to the cave, ready to rest.

Sitting with his back against the cave wall, he let his thoughts drift to everything that had happened. It was so surreal that if someone had told him this story before, he would have dismissed it as fiction. Then, remembering the fantasy novels he had read, curiosity got the better of him. It was worth a try. He then spoke in his head before trying it aloud.

'Status' 

[

Name: Ashur

Species: Human

Vessel: Hollow

]

[Due to the effects of (Hollow) current system abilities are limited. Remove (Hollow) to free your vessel and begin your ascension]

Ashur was nearly struck dumb by the words that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. However, they didn't appear in his vision but in his mind, as if they were his own thoughts-yet he knew they weren't his own, but came from some outside force.

'There is actually a system like a novel amazing, but it could have at least have given me magic if its going to dump me in the middle of nowhere'

He couldn't do anything about this now, so he moved on to pondering the vessel the text kept mentioning and the potential of humanity. However, his vessel was marked as (Hollow), which, judging by the system restrictions, was likely not good for his survival. Unfortunately, the system didn't explain how to remove the (Hollow) effect, leaving him with no idea how to address it.

Ashur decided to rest first and wait until morning to make a decision about where to go from here, no longer having the energy to light a fire he just slept there on the floor. His sleep that night was restless, plagued by dreams of Earth being swallowed—unaware that he wasn't the only one who had disappeared.

//

Ashur awoke to the sun's rays spilling into the damp cave. Rising to a sitting position and wiping his eyes, he made his way to the mouth of the cave to gaze at the rising sun. Fortunately, he hadn't had any visitors during the night, but now he needed to find a source of food and water.

Just then, new text appeared before him.

[Initialization complete.]

[Welcome, Ashur (Human), to the universe. You are currently in a temporary plane while planet Earth reforms.]

[Due to system activation, your vessel has awakened but is currently unavailable due to the effects of (Hollow). To remove this effect, you must procure an energy (Universal). Energy can be found everywhere throughout the universe.]

[Human have a low vessel capacity while there vessel is inactive, due to this you have been granted the right to a weapon (Hollow).]

Reading the text, Ashur felt as though he had learned both a great deal and nothing at all at the same time. He now knew for certain that he wasn't on Earth and that he probably wasn't the only one. Although the sight of two suns had already given it away, it was still good to have confirmation.

'So I'm definitely not on earth, but I wonder if earth is being restored then, Does that mean every single human was transported?'

Ashur couldn't help but wonder about the fate of any children who had been pulled into this mess. Would they also be dropped in the middle of nowhere? Worry for the few friends he had stirred within him, but at least he didn't have a family to be concerned about. As sad as, that thought had made him before, in this situation it was probably for the best.

For now, the only thing he could do for his friends was survival and hope they did the same.

Moving on to his next steps for survival, Ashur decided that his best bet lay in this vessel. The need for energy to remove (Hollow) was an unknown how the hell was he supposed to find this so-called "Universal" energy or what the "Hollow" weapon even was.

Just as he had this thought, a new line of text appeared before him.

[

Choose a weapon:

1:Knife (Hollow)

2:Sword (Hollow)

3:Spear (Hollow)

4:...

]

The list of weapons continued, naming obscure ones Ashur had never heard of, but he couldn't find any firearms that would have been the easiest to use to a practical level. All the weapons also carried the same (Hollow) effect as he did, leading him to guess that they might also be capable of containing vessels.

'A weapon huh. It would probably be best to choose a versatile weapon to maximise the number situations it can be used properly.'

He decided that a sword would probably be the best choice, as it was known to be one of the most versatile weapons.

When Ashur selected the option for a Sword (Hollow), a new list appeared, overwhelming him with countless sword types. He settled on a choice the weapon he was most familiar with, capable of cutting, stabbing, and even smashing when gripping the blade properly.

The moment his choice was made, the longsword materialized before him. It was a plain weapon, yet Ashur found beauty in its simplicity. The long silver blade gleamed, its straight, undecorated cross guard to protect the hands. The handle, large enough for two-handed use, was wrapped in black leather and a simple silver pommel at the end ensured proper balance.

Ashur stretched his arm out, gripping the handle firmly. Feeling the swords weight in his hand, a smile made its way onto his face. He gave it a few swings, trying to get used to the feel of it.

'I've always wanted a sword shame that I only get one in a survival situation. It does look awesome though'

For now, he decided to focus on finding water. Stepping out of the cave, he moved toward the centre of the valley, eventually reaching the tree line and entering the vast forest. He walked at a steady pace, ears straining for any sounds, but the forest was strangely quiet.

The atmosphere of this forest was unlike any he had ever experienced on Earth, he felt his inner tension grow due to the eerie feeling. His grip on the sword tightened as a bad feeling settled over him. Turning to glance over his shoulder, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Before he could fully turn back, something slammed into his side. The impact sent him tumbling, a sharp pain flaring along his left side. Gritting his teeth, he raised the hand that had been clutching the injury, his fingers coming away slick with red.

Before he could collect himself, Ashur heard something approaching. He did his best to roll out of the way and then when he struggled to his feet, he finally got a clear look at his attacker.

"You have got to be kidding me."

He would have laughed if not for the fact that the creature before him had nearly skewered him. It was a rabbit, but unlike any he had ever seen. A single blade like horn jutted from its forehead, and its dark tan fur, which might have been considered cute under normal circumstances, was now slick with his blood. Its beady red eyes locked onto him with a disturbing intensity.

The next moment, the rabbit launched itself at him again. Ashur did his best to dodge, swinging his sword in retaliation, however the creature's small size made it difficult to hit with the longsword, especially while wielding it with one hand and injured.

Gritting his teeth, he swung again narrowly missing. The rabbit landed, turned sharply, and prepared to attack once more. Ashur adjusted his stance, gripping the blade halfway down with his injured left hand to half-sword, giving himself more control over his swings and thrusts..

The rabbit leaped forward, aiming to gut him like a fish. Ashur held his ground, waiting for the right moment. As the creature closed the gap, he sidestepped and thrust his blade forward. This time, Ashur felt flesh split as his strike landed. The sword sank into the rabbit's back, blood spraying across the ground.

Ashur exhaled in relief. Then, he froze. The rabbit was still moving.

Gritting his teeth, Ashur pressed his weight onto the sword, pinning the creature to the ground with unexpected difficulty for its size. The blade sank deeper resistance giving way as a sickening crack echoed through the air. The rabbit let out a shrill cry before the light finally faded from its beady red eyes.

As the adrenaline of battle wore off, Ashur dropped to his knees, the pain and blood loss catching up to him all at once. Kneeling on the bloodied grass feeling sick and light headed, with his vision fading in and out.

"Why the hell was that rabbit so strong!?" he called out, even though there was no one to hear him.

At that moment, new messages appeared before him.

[Rabbit Slain]

[Energy (?????) received.]

[Due to inability to absorb Energy (?????), Ashur (Human) will receive available Energy (Life).]

The instant the words materialized, a strange sensation washed over him. The pain and exhaustion drained from his body, his wound knitting together at a visible rate. Letting out a deep sigh of relief he pushed himself back to his feet, grabbed his sword, and picked up the dead rabbit.

He would have time to examine the notifications and recall the battle later. Right now, he didn't want to stay in this area any longer, the scent of blood or the noise could attract more enemies. And if a rabbit was that strong he didn't even want to imagine what the stronger creatures were like.