Year 0001, The Imperium
---
"Huh!?!?!?"
Something appeared from my view; it was floating with words; I couldn't read it! I tried rubbing my eyes or closing them again.
But there it floated as if its stare pierced at me like I am an idiot!
"What the hell is this? Am I dead? Did I truly die after all of that? H O R S E S H I T*!?*"
[ ... ]
---
[ S Y S T E M ADMIN MAGNUS : GREETINGS MASTER AUGUST! I AM THE ADMINISTRATOR OF SYSTEM CENTUURY.]
I was bewildered by the sound suddenly echoing through my head.
The previous text was, well, as you know, I have no education, so I COULDN'T READ!
I was illiterate.
As if it understood my previous reaction, now this. .sy.sy..tem? Can now speak! I must truly be going mad now.
"What...what are you?"
[...]
[ S Y S T E M ADMIN MAGNUS :
I AM YOUR GUIDE THROUGH THIS WORLD, MASTER AUGUST.
AS PREVIOUSLY STATED, YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY THE GODS, THE ONLY SURVIVOR OF THE MAYA VILLAGE MASSACRE.
AND I WAS TASKED BY THE GODS TO HELP YOU TRAVERSE THE DANGERS OF THIS WORLD.
YOU WHO DIED FROM YOUR PREVIOUS WORLD SYSTEM, AERTHE.
HAS NOW BEEN REBORN AS AUGUST OF SYSTEM CENTUURY! ]
"What?!? I already died?"
[ INDEED, YOU COULDN'T REMEMBER ANY OF IT BECAUSE THE GODS HAVE LET YOU CHOOSE TO EITHER HAVE MEMORIES OF YOUR PAST OR BE A BLANK SLATE.
YOUR PREVIOUS SELF HAS CHOSEN TO BE A BLANK SLATE, AND THAT IS HOW THIS GAME-LIKE SYSTEM WAS CREATED JUST FOR YOU. ]
"....."
---
After a long while of pondering, eating, drinking, and shitting...
I sat back on my father's favorite chair.
DEEP BREATHS
"I'm ready for you now."
This system, or whatever, has taught me that I could indeed close the floating thing...
And if so wishes to access it again in my mind, it would automatically do so.
"System..."
[ S Y S T E M MANAGER DOROTHY: YES MASTER, HOW MAY I HELP YOU? ]
"..."
I still couldn't believe this thing was speaking to me.
But oh well, let me use it for my sanity's sake.
[...]
As if it read my mind ... There was a cold and deafening silence again.
"What should I do now?"
[ S Y S T E M MANAGER DOROTHY: GREAT QUESTION MASTER, FIRST I WOULD RECOMMEND SECURING YOURSELF. ]
"What do you mean by that?"
A rather vague answer from something cold and unemotional, but with some form of intelligence?
[ S Y S T E M : MISSION DETAILS SECURE THE ENTIRE MAYA VILLAGE FROM PREDATORY BEAST ]
[ REWARD:
MINOR REWARD: SLIGHT INCREASE ON BODY CONSTITUTION AND MENTAL STATE, +1
MAJOR REWARD: UNLOCK YOUR PERSONAL PANEL.
[ TIME LIMIT: INDEFINITE ]
My body glowed in colors of gold and blue after receiving the system mission.
My mind ran through a lot of questions, but none were answered.
[S Y S T E M ADMIN MAGNUS: G O O D L U C K MASTEEERRR..... ]
----
The system, as if it had shut itself down from my consistent pestering, left me annoyed.
It expected me to do this mission of his/hers.
I couldn't tell from the voice; it was at times like a teasing old man and sometimes a cold-hearted beautiful woman!
Whatever it is! I wanted to gobsmack its face with my fists!
[ . . . . ]
"Oh?? You can hear my thoughts, huh? You want to play coy with me?!??!? Like you're some deaf weirdo?!?"
[ . . . . ]
---
I remained seated for a while, looking at my mission panel.
Oh well, there is nothing I could do, though I am just a powerless ten-year-old lad.
After sleeping through the night eating I could find down in the basement...
---
The next day, it was almost noon when I woke up, too tired and still a bit bruised.
Surprisingly, though, my recovery rate has gone up.
A beating like that could have been really bad.
As if I gained a miracle.
"Hmmmm, could it be?!? It can't be right that th…thing is too cold... ahhhg, I don't know anymore; see if I care."
[ . . . . ]
I ate through the last of the dried meat in our root cellar before deciding on what to do today.
I wanted to do something more productive.
After eating my meal for the entirety of the day.
I had made my mind up; I walked out the door slowly to see if there were still predatory beasts that had lingered around.
I could barely walk now, but I must push through and look at the overall state of the village.
Maybe I could find something to do in this shit hole of a place, because it had been destroyed...