Alex lay motionless on his bed, his small form almost swallowed by the large quilt. His eyes were fixated on the slightly cracked ceiling, the dust dancing lazily in the beams of sunlight that filtered through the window. His mind was a blank canvas, void of any thoughts, yet his heart raced in a rhythm he couldn't quite explain. He felt... content, perhaps even euphoric.
Mom, Dad... they're here. They're real. They're finally with me. Everything I've ever wanted, he thought, a quiet, blissful smile forming on his face. But as the joy settled within him, a more complicated thought crept into his mind. Do I really want to live this second life just quietly staying with them?
In his past life, he had wealth beyond enough . He had amassed a fortune that could let even his grand children live without worry, yet his parents were never there to enjoy it with him. They had been distant, unreachable—shadows that he could never quite grasp. But now, in this new life, they were here. Real. Present. I need to change that, he thought to himself, his breath catching with determination.
But there was a glaring issue. He was five years old. Physically incapable of working, earning, or making any real impact. He was bound by his age, his small body betraying the vastness of his thoughts.
Then, a memory flashed across his mind—the strange figure who had called himself God. The man had granted him three wishes before snapping his fingers and sending him into this new life. If it's true, if I truly have these wishes at my disposal... I can have anything I want.
But what could he wish for? The possibilities were infinite. He could wish for wealth beyond measure, a life of comfort and luxury. But the more he thought about it, the more those options seemed hollow. What would be the point of getting something without any effort? He didn't want to fall into the trap of living an easy, unearned life. It would get boring, empty.
That's when an idea struck him like a lightning bolt. His eyes widened, a sudden clarity filling his mind. What if...
What if he combined the greatest technological advancements of his time—the quantum computer and artificial intelligence? What if he could merge them into his very brain, creating a system that would allow him to think, process, and strategize like no human could? Like the systems from the novels he had enjoyed in his past life?
A mischievous grin tugged at the corners of his lips. Bingo, he thought, the idea unfolding before him like the perfect blueprint for his future. He could become the system, the source of unimaginable knowledge and power, all while hiding in plain sight as a normal child.
With a sense of triumph, he whispered to himself, "Let's wish for that."
But no sooner had the words left his lips than a sharp, searing pain shot through his head. He winced, gripping the quilt tightly as waves of excruciating agony washed over him. Sweat poured from his brow, his body trembling as though it were being torn apart from the inside. The world spun wildly, his vision blurring until everything went black.
---
Time passed.
The shadows in his room lengthened and shifted as the sun dipped lower in the sky. Outside, the world was peaceful, the golden rays of the setting sun casting a serene glow over the cornfields. Inside, though, all was quiet. Carter and Jane sat downstairs, their laughter filling the air, unaware of the storm of change brewing in their son's mind.
Hours went by, and as evening settled in, Jane finally noticed something was off. Alex had been asleep since morning and hadn't come down for a meal. She sighed, her brow furrowing with concern. She stood from the pile of laundry she had been folding, stretched her stiff muscles, and walked toward the stairs.
"Honey," she called to her husband, Carter, who was seated in the living room sipping his tea. "Can you go check on Alex? He's been sleeping all day, and he hasn't eaten anything."
Carter didn't look up from his book. "I thought he was just tired. Maybe he's been playing too hard. He'll be fine."
But Jane wasn't convinced. "I will just go and wake him up myself," she muttered, half to herself. She placed her hand on the railing and started up the stairs. What could be keeping him asleep this long? she thought, an edge of worry creeping into her voice.
She reached Alex's door and knocked softly, but when no answer came, she hesitated for a moment before gently opening the door. The sight of her son lying motionless on the bed gave her pause. His shirt was drenched with sweat, and his quilt clung to his small body, soaked through. Her eyes narrowed as she studied him, her concern deepening.
What on earth is going on with him?
She stepped closer to the bed, her voice soft but insistent. "Alex, sweetheart, wake up.Are you alright?"
Slowly, Alex's eyes fluttered open. His vision was clouded, hazy with the remnants of the strange experience he had just endured. But even in his disoriented state, he could make out the silhouette of his mother standing beside the bed.
"Mom?" His voice was barely above a whisper. He blinked, rubbing his eyes, trying to shake off the disorientation. "Yeah mom am alright, just had a bad dream, I'll be downstairs."
Jane smiled in relief, but she could still smell the sweat and the dampness in the room. "Go take a shower, sweetheart. You'll feel better after."
She stepped out, closing the door behind her, leaving Alex alone again. He sat up slowly, his body still weak, but his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. The last thing he remembered was the searing pain before losing consciousness, and then, it hit him. The quantum computer. The artificial intelligence. It had all come flooding back in an instant.
He thought of the characters in the novels he'd enjoyed—how they would activate their powerful systems with just a thought. Could it really work like that for me?
Without hesitation, he focused, clearing his mind, and whispered to himself, System.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened. But then, a soft glow flickered in front of him. His eyes widened as a transparent window materialized in the air before him, nothing but a few lines of text that read: "Hello, Alexander Carter."
His pulse quickened. This was no dream. This was real. His wish had been granted.
A jolt of pure exhilaration surged through him, but the joy was tempered by the aches in his muscles and the hollow gnawing in his stomach. The window hovered there, waiting for his next move, but the pull of hunger was undeniable.
He could barely contain his excitement, but he forced himself to sit still. Later, he reminded himself. I'll explore this later.
With a final glance at the glowing system in front of him, he slowly pulled himself out of bed. The tantalizing possibilities of what lay ahead still pulsed through his mind, but right now, food came first.