There was a loud explosion. People were screaming. He heard another blast and looked left to see a destroyed glass tube.
"Hey, let me out!"
He pleaded, banging his fist on the glass tube he was in. In the distance, he saw a silver-haired woman in a white lab coat giving orders to her technicians.
"Hey, lady!"
He called again, but she couldn't hear him. He felt a vibration in his pocket and took out his smartphone. Its screen was white, and it began to glitch. The room suddenly burst into flames. His eyes widened as a wall of fire rushed at him. He backed into the glass wall.
"So, is this it? Is this my end?"
He wondered, tears streaming down his eyes. The floor of the tube began to glow.
"Huh?"
There was a flash of blue light just as the facility exploded.
The griffin roared as it plummeted downward. It opened its wings and caught itself just in time. A fireball from nowhere blasted it into the ground. A strong blast of wind blew down on it, holding it in place. It raised its head and roared. An earth spike shot out of the ground and stabbed it in the head, coming out of its beak.
("You shouldn't play with your food,") a female voice said.
"I caught it, didn't I?"
("Honestly, Kojo, if you had not used the statistics I provided, this wouldn't have lasted five seconds.")
He sighed.
"Kojo."
That's the only name he could remember right now. That, and him almost burning to death in some kind of lab. He woke up in this world six months ago in a cave with no memory besides his ordeal.
SIX MONTHS AGO...
"Where am I? Am I dead?"
He said when he woke up.
("No, you're still very much alive,") a voice said in his head.
"Who are you?"
("I am an Artificial Intelligence created by Dawn Enterprises.")
"Okay, then why am I in a damp cave, and why are you in my head?" He suddenly remembered what happened and sat up.
"Wait, the fire..."
("You don't have to worry about that.")
"Huh?"
("Do you know who you are?")
He thought hard.
"No, I don't. I know my name was Kojo, but I can't recall anything beyond that."
("It's to be expected. Don't worry, you'll get your memories back with time. I downloaded some of your personal info before we came here, so I'll help you.")
Kojo got to his feet. He looked around.
"A cave?"
He said, observing the glowing blue crystals protruding all around. He walked to a pool and knelt down, looking at his reflection. He had shoulder-length white hair, and his irises were red. His skin was slightly dark skinned. He had earrings and was in some kind of hoodie, black pants, and sneakers with some weird designs on them.
"I may not remember how I looked, but I look like a game character."
("You are a game character.")
"Eh?"
("Dawn Enterprises has been trying out a new project. Project: Light. Its aim was to create a means of human transport via a controlled rip in space.")
"Sounds cool, like it's from a sci-fi movie."
("Well, it is the year 2578. Or was. I don't know anymore.")
"Huh," Kojo said, putting his hands in his hoodie pockets and walking towards the mouth of the cave.
"What role did I play in it?"
("Based on your personal data, you're a 27-year-old African student working part-time at the Oceania Restaurant as a cook. You're also a game creator. Basically, you're a weeb in all interpretations of the word.")
"I feel like I should be taking offense," he said, walking out of the cave into the night. He looked up and noticed that there were three moons in the sky.
"O...k...?"
He lowered his gaze to the forest in front of him.
("Dawn Enterprises had met with several failures with our project, as test subjects lost their lives.")
"And I somehow wound up in that tube because...?"
He said, making his way through the forest.
("The director, Doctor Suzanne Sakaguchi, thought it was about the body chemistry of the one being transported.")
"So, I voluntarily signed up knowing I'd die?"
("Nope. You were kidnapped on your way to sell this character. Your profile says you've trained in quite a number of martial arts, but you were not stronger than the sedative they used.")
"I feel like you're mocking me."
("No, I'm just saying. Anyway, if the operation was successful, you'd walk away with an apology and 780,000¥.")
"But it failed, and I ended up here, wherever here is."
("It didn't fail. On the contrary, it saved us. During the server fluctuation, I tried downloading info from your phone, which happened to be in your pocket. Just then, the servers got fried, and I got stuck with you. The machine managed to start seconds before the facility exploded. Your body was destroyed, but somehow your consciousness survived and bonded with me. We were in some kind of void but got pulled into this world, absorbing energy as we came. I used it to build this body for us.")
"You could have given me my original body back."
("I could, but you'd be weak. While you were out, I used one of your abilities to get more information.")
"Abilities?"
("There are strong foes here. You need a strong body, one that will help you survive, or do you want to die again?")
"Nope."
("Thought so. This is the game character you were going to sell. You called it Atari.")
"Huh."
He stopped walking.
"I don't know how my life was, but this second chance is a blessing. Thank you, uh, what's your name?"
("They didn't give me a name. They just said 'computer' when they needed me. Somehow, I've gained a consciousness of my own.")
"That's why you're so gabby."
("Hey! That's no way to talk to a lady.")
Kojo giggled.
"How about I call you Sysia?"
An interface suddenly appeared in Kojo's head.
"What the...?"
(Storing Data...
Name reset: SYSIA.
Username: _)
"Well..."
He thought for a moment.
"My name is Kojo. I don't remember my last name, though. Okay, how about Atari?"
Store name as Atari Kojo.
(Saving...
Save complete.
User: Atari Kojo.)
"Nice."
He heard a growl behind him and turned. A massive direwolf moved toward him, fangs bared.
"Hey, Sysia, you mentioned something about abilities..."
("Yeah. You have two.
SEARCH: enables you to see your opponents' weaknesses.
STORE: enables you to store objects in a dimensional pocket.
MIMIC: enables you to copy powers, abilities, and techniques permanently on physical contact.")
The wolf made a swing at him.
"Physical contact? Well, that's dumb."
He said, rolling out of the way to avoid a lunge from the wolf.
("Hey, I didn't program you, you did.")
"Dammit."
((SEARCH))
He saw all the weaknesses of the wolf: its neck, belly, and left hind leg.
"Nice," he thought, rushing at it. It swung at him, knocking him into a tree.
"Oww," he said, rubbing his back.
("Condition has been met. Mimicking ability.") ((HOUND))
Fur grew on Kojo's forearms. Claws extended from his fingertips. He also grew fangs.
("Heightened sense of smell, eyesight, and taste. Your hair's become even silkier.")
"Nice," Kojo said. He squared up, facing the direwolf.
"Sysia, set new objective: Survive."
He then lunged at the beast, spilling blood with one slash.