My heart races at the thought of it. But I have no idea how...
"Can you?"
"Can I what?" Big Boss spins in place like he's in a playful mood.
"Can you teach me how to open the system menu...?" I ask, a little unsure, my eyes dropping to the ground as I fiddle with the quill in my fingers.
"The answer lies in your tool." I feel the quill vibrate gently. The feather coils around my index finger as a strange sensation floods through me, like something is leaving my body.
"You see, this isn't just a simple artifact. It has three main purposes, two of which you're allowed to learn. As for the third..."
It pauses. A long, thoughtful silence. Maybe it noticed I was about to interrupt. "You're not ready for that one just yet."
"Okay...? That's not what I asked. Just tell me how to open the system window already..." I groan, irritation rising in my chest as I nearly raise my voice, which makes my sister stir.
The glowing WN letters begin to fade into nothingness.
"No—wait! She's asleep... look!"
I start to panic, eyes darting to my sister as I point in desperation. The glowing letters flare back to life, burning brighter than before. Even the feather around my finger begins to unwind, like it's about to fly off entirely.
But then, Big Boss returns.
And the moment he does, the feather tightens. Fast. So tight I can barely breathe.
"Relax. Just let it happen... and don't scream. That's for the best."
The pressure coiling around my index finger threatens to crush the bone into dust.
What the hell?! I thought this was just some kind of ritual, maybe symbolic at most... but apparently...
I stare in horror as my finger bursts into a bloody mist. I can't even feel pain. It was just so... sudden. Too sudden to even scream.
WHAT THE—?! MY FINGER!
I want to scream as immense rage fills my lungs, the metallic taste of blood rising in my mouth. But what grabs my attention is the bloody mist swirling in front of me, condensing into a system screen.
And the quill's feather…
It now replaces my finger, shaping itself to mimic it. It moves with me. Feels like me. As if we're connected by more than just fate.
As if this quill… is part of my body now. Part of my power.
[Name: {{{Quill}}}][Special Power: {{{Author}}}][Class: {{{Farmer}}}]
The first letters begin to take shape in front of my bloodshot eyes. I'm still gripping the quill, completely at a loss. Why is this happening to me? I don't understand any of it…
I glance at Big Boss, but he just floats there, silent, as if he's waiting for me to ask something else.
"Shit… To hell with this. To hell with this whole author thing…" I spit the words through clenched teeth. "Nobody told me I'd have to suffer for this. Nobody asked me if I wanted it. Just give me back my finger!" I mutter, but my heart's not hiding anything—the pain, the anger, it all comes pouring out. I've never felt like this before. At least… I don't think I have?
But maybe it's for the best that I don't. Because what I feel right now… scares me.I want to kill. I want to destroy.
The system window doesn't impress me. Not even a little. There's so much written there; letters crawling like ants, but all I care about right now is justice.
"Relax." Big Boss says it so calmly, and that only pisses me off more.
"Relax!? How the fuck am I supposed to relax with a missing finger!?" I shout, voice cracking at the top of my lungs. My breaths turn ragged, chest rising and falling with a kind of hatred and bloodlust I don't even recognize… but it feels—
"Big Brother?"
Lia's voice cuts into the madness, and suddenly my heart drops. If she sees...
I stare at her in shock, a cold bead of sweat sliding down my forehead. Instinctively, I jerk my hand behind my back, gripping the hard part of the quill with all five fingers.
Wait… five?
I squeeze the quill harder. In disbelief, I reach over with my other hand and run my thumb and forefinger along each knuckle, counting them, tracing each line, almost afraid it's all but illusion.
My index finger is there, whole and warm, I flex it once, twice, just to be sure. The system window is also gone. The feather looks normal as well, and Big Boss is nowhere to be seen. Was that all a dream? Or does the system only open with my blood? Was that some kind of ritual I had to go through? Too many thoughts race through my mind all at once.
"Are you okay?" she asks again. I look up, meeting her worried gaze. I must look like I've seen a ghost.
"I'm fine, Lia," I say quietly. "Just a nightmare. Go back to sleep." I push myself up from the cold ground, moving toward the door.
"Quill, are you really okay?" She gives me that look again—the one that never believes my lies. She always catches them, but never calls me out.
"Yeah…" I reply, not even convincing myself. I force a smile as I open the old wooden door. "I'm just stepping out for a bit. Need some fresh air, that's all. Okay?"
She watches me, eyes trembling with worry. Does she know? How much did she hear?
"Alright, but be back soon, please." She's still half asleep, but I can tell it's not just about sleep.
I nod and slip outside, closing the door behind me. I stare at the quill between my fingers, my mind spinning.
"Show me the screen again," I whisper, my voice tinged with something wild and crazy.
Instantly, just like before, my finger bursts into a mist of blood. The feather twists and binds itself to where my finger was, latching on tight. Power surges through me, raw and electric, as the system window flares to life in front of my eyes.
"Shit… This is both insane and incredible… Why do I secretly like this?"