Chapter 3 – The Bag Talks Back
When Mira opened her eyes, the world looked... off.
Everything shimmered faintly, and her hands—wait—her hands were see-through, even her body felt like liquid.
"Oh no," she whispered.
"I died, didn't I?"
Her voice cracked.
She floated above the ground, light as air, tears forming—well, transparent ones—on her invisible cheeks.
Of all the ways to go, this was not on her bingo card.
"I can't believe it," she sniffled.
"I died broke, hungry, and by a bag.
Not even a designer one."
While she was mid–self-pity session, a voice suddenly echoed behind her.
.
.
.
"Dear host, welcome to the Wish System. Your wish is to become a star, correct?"
Mira turned around so fast she nearly spun herself into a ghostly knot.
What she saw hovering there wasn't an angel, or a grim reaper—it was... a pink, jelly-like blob with two bright yellow eyes and a tiny, round mouth.
It blinked cheerfully.
"W-what on earth are you?" Mira asked, blinking right back.
"I'm Viral!" the creature said proudly.
"You know—what makes you go viral? But you can call me Vira.
You're Mira, I'm Vira! Cute, right?"
It wiggled like an excited marshmallow.
"I'm your sweet bag! And also your multiple-world system!"
Mira stared, her expression flat.
"You mean... you're the bag? The bag that killed me?"
Vira tilted slightly, confused.
"Well, technically, you—"
But before she could finish, Mira lunged. "You murderous tote!" she shouted, wrapping her ghostly arms around the blob and squeezing it.
"You traitor! I used my last fifty dollars on you!"
"Hey, hey—stop! You'll pop me!" Vira squeaked, flailing her slimy arms.
"If you kill me, you'll never get back to your real world!"
Mira froze mid–ghost-chokehold.
"What do you mean, get back?"
.
.
.
Panting dramatically, after getting released from Miras death hold,Vira straightened her jelly form and replied,
"You're not dead, Host.
You're just... comalized."
"Coma—what now?"
"In a coma!" Vira clarified.
"Your body's in the hospital.
Time has paused for you. "
"Okay ,and what do you mean by my multi world system ".
"For you to wake up, you'll have to complete a few missions,Host."
Mira blinked.
"Missions? Like—game missions?
Are you kidding me?"
"Nope! I'm what you humans call a system. Specifically, the Wish System.
I can grant your wish—to become a star. Normally,
I'd have helped you in your world,
but since you're kinda... uh... lying unconscious somewhere,
we'll have to take the scenic route."
Mira folded her transparent arms.
"The scenic route being...?"
"Jumping through different worlds!" Vira said brightly.
"Ten of them, to be exact.
In each one, you'll live as a different person and fulfill their deepest wish.
Every success earns you luck points. Gather ten billion of them,
reach Master Stage,
and you can return to your world—before your parents died—and finally achieve your dream."
Mira's eyes widened.
"Wait—before my parents died?"
"Exactly!
A clean slate!
Shiny new life!"
That sounded... incredible.
Too incredible.
Her hope fluttered—then immediately deflated.
"And if I fail?"
Vira's cheerful tone dropped into dramatic seriousness.
"Then your life will become a living nightmare.
Extreme pain, extreme failure, extreme bad luck—"
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Mira waved her hands. "No need for the horror trailer."
Silence hung for a moment
.
.
.
.
.
she sighed.
"Fine.
What's the first mission?"
Vira smiled mysteriously.
"You'll find out when you get there."
Mira raised a brow.
"You will be coming with me, right?"
The jelly creature's grin turned suspiciously sly.
"You'll have to enter and see for yourself!"
Before Mira could argue, Vira pulled out—out of nowhere—a glittering, star-shaped wand.
"Ready?"
"No—wait,
I didn't agree to—!"
"Bibidi-babidi-boo!"
A burst of pink light exploded from the wand, swirling around Mira like a magical tornado.
She felt her soul being sucked forward, weightless, spinning faster and faster until—
Everything went dark again.