Twisted Fate
Darkness.
Silence.
I don't know how much time has passed.
I can't feel my body.
I can't feel anything.
Where… am I?
I try to open my eyes—if I still have them.
And suddenly…
BOOM.
A deafening sound shakes my consciousness, as if something had exploded right in front of me.
My vision is flooded with light… a golden, blinding light.
Then…
Pain.
Pain.
An indescribable agony, as if my entire being were being reconstructed from nothing.
A torment beyond imagination.
I want to scream.
I want to escape.
But I can do nothing but endure it.
And then…
Air.
I feel air filling my lungs.
I can breathe!
My heart beats.
I can feel it pumping blood through my body.
I have a body again!
My senses return all at once.
The scent of iron and earth.
The sound of wind whistling in the distance.
The cold, rough surface of a stone against my skin.
...This is not "I'm Human."
A bad feeling creeps up my spine.
I swallow hard.
I try to remember…
Who am I here?
What character am I in this world?
What role do I have in "The Path of Ascension"?
My vision is blurry, but little by little, I manage to focus on my surroundings.
I'm lying on something rough, like straw, covered by a coarse, irritating fabric.
I look around. It's a rundown cabin, made of old, rotting wood. There's no floor, just damp earth. The roof is full of holes, and the walls have cracks where the cold wind seeps through. I can barely see anything. It's nighttime.
The only light comes from the Moon, faintly shining through one of the openings in the roof.
But something feels off.
The Moon is not white.
It's a deep shade of purple.
I blink several times, trying to convince myself it's just my blurred vision, but it doesn't change. It's enormous, either too close or simply too big. Its violet glow dimly lights the interior of the cabin, just enough to make out silhouettes and shadows.
The sound of rain surrounds me. Water drips from the roof and slides down the walls, forming small puddles on the dirt floor.
I try to remove the cloth covering me, but as soon as I do, a gust of freezing air pierces my body.
It's unbearably cold.
I take a deep breath and cautiously pull my hands out from under the blanket.
—At least I have hands...
Finally.
I can't see them well in the darkness, but the shadows of my fingers confirm they are there. I bring my hands to my face and feel my features. Mouth, nose, eyes…
And something else.
A bandage.
My head is wrapped in bandages.
I frown, trying to recall what happened, but before I can think of anything, I sense movement beneath the blanket.
A shiver runs down my spine.
Without thinking, I jump back, distancing myself from the strange straw bed.
—Brother…?
A child's voice.
A small dark figure emerges from the blanket. It moves slowly, as if trying to sit up.
I freeze.
—Cough… Cough… Cough…
A sudden coughing fit shakes me.
—Brother!?
The voice sounds more urgent. The shadow moves closer.
I instinctively raise a hand, trying to signal that I'm okay and that it shouldn't come any closer.
But the coughing worsens.
—Cough! Cough! Cough!
I feel something viscous rise up my throat, and a metallic taste floods my mouth.
Blood.
My knees give out, and I collapse onto the damp earth, supporting myself with one hand as I continue coughing.
Suddenly, the rough fabric is draped over me again.
—Brother, get back in bed… you need to rest.
I turn toward the voice with difficulty. Despite the darkness, I can make out the figure. It's small. A boy… no, a girl.
Her cold hands grip me with surprising firmness, and in my weakened state, I don't resist as she guides me back to the bed.
My mind is hazy. I don't understand anything.
—Cough… Cough…
My coughing gradually subsides until it finally stops.
—Brother… please, rest…
The little girl curls up against my chest, burying her face.
Now that she's closer, I can see her a little better. She looks about ten years old, with short, messy hair.
Her shoulders are trembling.
She's crying.
I close my eyes, trying to process what's happening.
This is too fast.
Just moments ago, I was sentenced to death. Then, I fell into an infinite void of darkness, where I encountered my own novels. I was forced to choose a world at random. And now… I'm in a ruined cabin with a girl calling me "brother."
None of this makes sense.
—(At least let me process this absurd situation…)
At that moment, a translucent window appears before my eyes.
[Welcome to this new world]
My heart skips a beat.
—(No way…)
I try to turn away, but the grayish box remains floating in my field of vision.
[Activating system]
My brow twitches.
—(You… you have to be kidding me!)
[Status Window ^^]
And there it is.
The classic cheat system.
I clench my teeth.
If this was a joke, it was a cruel one.