Chapter 2 – Flux.
Part 1 - A screen.
The night had been long.
Too long.
Not because of time—I had no way of measuring time out here—but because every moment felt like it was stretching, taut and trembling, like the surface of a drum.
I couldn't sleep. Fear prowled at the edges of my mind.
In a desert this empty, you start to believe danger will slither out of the sand the second you close your eyes.
Now the sun had risen.
Its heat was merciless.
Hot wind rolled across the dunes, scraping my skin with grains of sand.
The air I'd breathed at night had been cold and dry, but this… this was like inhaling fire. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.
"Hah…"
Where the hell do I even go now? No matter where I looked—endless sand. A dead horizon.
Then—
A sound.
My head snapped up.
It wasn't the wind. It wasn't an animal. It was… a glitch.
The stuttering, static-laced sound of an old TV or a broken computer screen.
Impossible. No electricity, no people, not even a camel in sight. This was supposed to be a dead desert.
The Sahara?
It looked like the Sahara I'd once seen on my phone—an ocean of golden waves stretching forever.
And yet—
A flicker.
A screen materialized in midair.
A slab of black glass, faintly reflective, its edges trembling with blue static. It floated at my eye level.
Whenever I turned my head, it shifted with me, like it was tethered to my gaze. The glitching noise deepened, like a voice trying to form words.
"What the hell…" I raised a trembling hand. "Is this real?"
I touched it.
The surface was cool, smooth. My finger left faint ripples, like water disturbed by a stone. When I swiped left, the screen slid.
Right, it slid back. No icons. No text. Just an empty void flickering with static.
Then letters burned themselves across it—white text on black, sharp as a knife:
> [ SCREEN ] : Please give me the Name.
A name?
It wanted a name?
I stared, heart hammering. "Name…?" My mouth was dry. "Screen" was too plain. "Tablet" sounded ridiculous. "Virus"? No, that was just asking for trouble.
The screen pulsed, glitching faintly, as if impatient.
"…Flux," I muttered finally. "Yeah. Flux. Short, sharp. Sounds… alive."
The static flared. The word Flux scrolled across the top like neon handwriting.
> [ SCREEN ] : From now, I am Flux.
[ Flux ] : Choose conversation method:
By word on screen.
By voice in your mind.
Or by both.
×Remember,this setting never change again.
I think it's good to going for both.
[Flux]: From now on, I will speak both in your mind and on-screen.
[Flux]: Only you can hear my voice.
Flux voice is like a cold women voice, so good to hear.
[ Flux ] : If you have questions about me, ask. I will answer while my system is still processing.
Flux say again.
felt like it was watching me. A presence behind them.
[ Flux ] : When my processing is complete, I will stop answering questions. Instead, I will give you tasks. Complete them, and you will grow stronger. Fail, and… consequences follow.
A bead of sweat ran down my temple.
"Consequences?" I whispered. "What kind of system is this…"
Part 2 - Tasks.
Tasks? I didn't sign up for this. My throat burned for water.
"Fine," I croaked. "Tell me where I am. And who—what—are you?"
[ Flux ] : I told you. I am your guide provided by—
(the voice stop flick glitches)
[ Flux ] : …I will help you survive. Become powerful. That is all you need to know.
I swallowed hard. "Great. Do you have… cold water?"
[ Flux ] : Processing… 83%
Eighty-three percent?
Was it… loading?
"Forget it. Just—tell me how to get out of this desert. Are there any humans nearby?"
The reply was instant:
[ Flux ] : North — the capital of Zanbera State: Zanbera City.
South — a small village in another state.
The screen buzzed. Processing complete.
Then another message appeared, this one sharp, clinical:
[ Flux ] : Today's Task Generated –
20 Push-ups
25 Lunges
30 Squats
5 Sets of 45-second Planks
× WARNING: Failure to complete within 30 minutes will result in punishment.
My stomach dropped.
"I'm not doing that. I can barely stand. I need water."
But Flux was silent now, its text vanishing into static.
I glanced North. Maybe the city had people. Water. Even a phone. Anything. I started walking.
Part 3 - Punishment.
Approx twenty-seven minutes of trudging through sand. My lips cracked. My legs felt like lead. Overhead, something moved—a shadow cutting across the sky.
A bird.
Huge.
Its wingspan was monstrous, blotting out the sun for a moment.
I squinted, but I couldn't identify it. Not an eagle.
Not anything from Earth. Its cry rolled over the dunes like thunder.
Then, ahead—
A city.
Walls shimmering in the heat haze, towers rising like jagged teeth.
Five, maybe six kilometers away. Civilization. I'd made it.
I threw my head back and laughed, the sound hoarse and ragged.
"I'm saved!"
But Flux's text snapped back onto the screen and she say.
[ Flux ] : 30 minutes passed. Tasks not completed. Punishment commencing.
"Punish—"
Agony tore through me.
My heart clenched.
Blood filled my mouth.
I collapsed, clawing at my chest.
"AHH—!"
[ Flux ] : Survive for 20 seconds. Good luck.
Twenty seconds of this? I couldn't breathe. Couldn't even scream properly. Blood splattered the sand. The screen pulsed faintly, like it was enjoying this.
"Please—!" I gasped. "I'll do them! I'll do all the tasks! Just—stop—"
[ Flux ] : 10 seconds left.
Ten more seconds. My vision blurred red. Pain like molten glass poured through my veins. This wasn't a system. This was a predator.
Finally, Flux say…
[ Flux ] : You survived. Good job.
One more chance to complete the tasks. Let's go.
Air rushed back into my lungs. My heart stuttered, then started again. The bleeding stopped. I collapsed forward, heaving, my palms sinking into the hot sand.
"…This…" I rasped. "…this is what dying feels like."
No more hesitation. I turned toward the city, but forced myself to drop into the first push-up. I would not risk punishment again.
Part 4 – Rewards and the City Gate
I collapsed onto the sand, muscles trembling, every fiber screaming in protest. But I had done it.
Somehow, against the desert, against exhaustion, I had finished every task. Every push-up, every lunge, every plank—it was done.
A heavy silence hung in the air, broken only by a familiar, static-laced voice. Or rather—text. Flux appeared again.
[ Flux ] : Today's goal is complete. You've gained some experience. Good job.
Relief hit me in a wave, but it barely had time to settle.
[ Flux ] : Your attacks have increased by 5%.
I blinked. Attacks? My mind still ached from the exercise, but… stronger? That was a start.
Then came the reward options:
[ Flux ] : Now, choose your reward:
1. 2 liters of cold water and Alcesus meat.
2. Sprint speed boosted by 10%.
3. Waiver of tomorrow's daily tasks.
I froze. My throat burned; my mouth felt like sandpaper. Water… that sounded perfect. But the city was close. I could get water there, maybe even food.
Still… it was five, six kilometers across the slope. And that sun isn't going to wait for me.
Sprint speed. A ten percent boost. Could I even feel that difference? Maybe—it could help me cover distance faster, avoid danger, survive.
Tasks tomorrow? A tempting thought, but irrelevant compared to survival now.
I bit my lip. My stomach growled faintly. My hands itched for water. Decision made.
"Water," I whispered. "I'll take the water."
[ Flux ] : Here is your 2 liters of cold water. Your other half of the reward (the meat) has been stored in your storing compartment.
[Flux]: Do you want me to explain how the storing system works?
"No. First… just the water."
[ Flux ] : Okay. Here is your reward.
A shimmering pot materialized in midair. Two liters of ice-cold water, suspended as if the desert sun didn't exist. My reflexes flared; I grabbed it before it hit the sand.
If I had missed… I shivered at the thought. Not just my reward, maybe my life lost to the merciless desert.
I tilted the pot, letting the water rush down my throat. Cold, sweet, pure salvation.
My body sagged as the first drops slid past my lips, every swallow a tiny explosion of relief.
Gulp… gulp… gulp…
A little water remained. Could I store it in Flux's system? No. Then… waste it. I poured the rest into the sand, feeling slightly guilty but knowing survival came first.
The water revitalized me instantly. Energy surged through every aching muscle. My heart beat stronger, my legs steady.
"Finally," I muttered, shoulders trembling with both exhaustion and relief.
"No matter how I got here, no matter what I went through… I survived this desert. That's all that matters."
I looked ahead. The city loomed beyond the slope, massive and intimidating.
Its gates rose like the teeth of a giant, walls stretching higher than I could measure. Civilization. Life. Hope.
And danger. My chest tightened.
At the entrance, two guards stood motionless. One on the left, one on the right. Their swords glinted in the sunlight. My stomach sank.
I ducked behind a stone about 200 meters away, watching. Who were they? Friendly? Hostile?
This gate… nobody had passed through it yet. The desert made this entrance nearly unreachable. And here I was—small, vulnerable, and exhausted.
I needed to observe. To understand. Every detail mattered.
My pulse thumped in my ears, my hands gripping the edge of the stone.
One wrong move… and I could be dead before even entering the city.
Now… I had to move.
Courage wasn't optional. It was survival.
I took a deep breath, tightened my fists, and prepared to step out from cover.