Scary images, screams, and sights of people having their heads cut off boomed. The images wouldn't stop as they got more intense. Soon, they were so strong and surreal that it woke Ash from his sleep.
Ash let out a shock as he jolted himself upright after that intense fever dream. He breathed manically as he tried to catch his breath before he gave himself a panic attack.
That wasn't the problem, though; the thought that crossed his mind was, how did he get home?
He remembered nothing about the end of the night other than fighting that Kraegan. He was also worried about whether the girl made it out alive. He rushed to the bathroom to check himself for injuries, clues as to what happened last night.
Ash flicked the light switch to the bathroom. He was dazed for a moment at the sudden light, disorienting him. He looked at the mirror first thing, and he thought his mind was playing tricks on him.
He was different, a whole lot different at that. He was taller; his original height was at least 5'6", and now he stood close to 6ft. He wasn't skinny either; he had muscle mass now, a physique close to that of a welterweight fighter. All the cuts and bruises he had had the day before were gone. He still had the tattoos from before. The one on his upper back was the phrase 'freedom before defeat' in Latin, and the four black bands on his forearms. He got them to represent his dead family. The school made an exception to his ink because they were memorial tattoos.
His face was the same, just more slender and defined; the only big difference besides his new physique was his neck. A scar around it that was never there before.
"What happened? How did I change so much? This isn't possible? There's gotta be an explanation."
Ash wondered how he had gotten this way, and when he asked for answers, a screen appeared before him. It had a black standard box, like most, for computers or games, with red gothic trim on the outside and red lettering.
{Congratulations. You have been chosen to be the next heir to the ****** System.}
"What the hell?"
Ash was confused. He saw the status screen before him. Normally, he wouldn't be surprised; anyone could see a screen like this if they had the Scan Skill or an identification device like the military or medical facilities use when assessing stats and powers. This one was different: it was automated with a Siri-like voice and called itself a system.
"What is this? What system?"
The screen spoke again, beginning to explain itself to Ash.
{****** System is one of four original systems. Displaying current information. User: Abraham 'Ash' Van Raven, Race: Human, Age:17, Stats: HP/100, Vitality/150, Strength/40, Agility/200, Stamina/200, Potential/A, Martial Skills/0.}
"What are these? Usually, when a status screen pops up, it only displays name, level, and skills, not these details. Uh, system, can you display my current level and skills?"
He asked like he was talking to his phone.
{Current level: Lvl X, Skills: Intermediate knife Proficiency. Abilities: Grade C-level Telepathy. Slayer Arts: 0.}
Ash was confused; the last message said "Slayer Arts," when it should have said "Divinity Arts."
"What's Slayer Arts?"
{Slayer Arts are the Unholy Martial Skills focusing on combat tactics related to killing and punishment weapon styles. User is no longer able to learn Divinity Arts. Slayer Arts can be achieved by secret achievements, fighting with weapons meant to cut and maim, or by obtaining Seven Sin Weapons or Scrolls.}
Ash gulped. The message sounded more sinister than he expected.
"What have I gotten myself into? Unholy style fighting skills. This sounds like something from Hell itself. But if it's meant purely for killing, maybe I can use this to find that Kraegan and kill it."
Ash quivered at the thought. The idea of killing the Kraegan from last night, and any others, excited him. "Hang on a minute, Lvl X? What the hell is that? I was Lvl 5 originally. What happened to my level?"
{Lvl X is a special level granted to the user of the System. It is the unbound level; as such, a user can infinitely upgrade stats, abilities, and skills. Lvl X can also grant the ability of Transcendance Skill to upgrade and unlock another's hidden talent with the user's permission.}
"So I can raise myself with no limits, and I can make others stronger? I don't get how I can level myself like this, but I'll have to test it out soon." Ash needed to cool off. It was too much info at once to handle. The screen turned off when it was down, explaining itself to him. Ash then took a cold shower to calm his nerves. Though his body felt the rush of cold water, his head didn't, and he didn't even feel the drops of water touching his face. He nodded off for now; he needed to get ready for school, but it finally dawned on him: how did he get home, and what happened to his bike?
Ash frantically got out of the shower to find his phone in his ruined pants. He hurriedly pulled it out to check if anyone had messaged him or reported an abandoned motorcycle from last night. He tried to unlock the phone by entering the PIN and scratching his fingertips along the screen cracks to get it open. When he did open it, it said he had three messages and one missed call from Lita. He read the messages first before the voicemail
-Are you ok? Your bike is here. Did something happen?-
-Ash, where are you? It's been three hours, and your bike is still here? Call me back?-
-Ash, you're worrying me. Where did you go? It's 9pm, and your bike is still here. You would never abandon it. Where are you? Please let me know that you're ok.-
Ash felt terrible. Lita was his only friend, and she was scared about him being unsafe. He heard the voicemail; it was just the school calling to let him know he was absent from morning classes. Ash looked at the time and realized it was close to 3pm; he had slept for most of the day. He manically called Lita back. She was usually out of school at this time because she had to leave early for work, as she had two jobs.
It took three tries, but he got hold of her, who answered with haste and concern.
"Ash! Is that you? Where are you? What happened last night?"
Ash was about to answer when the screen popped up in front of him.
{New Mission Alert. Mission Objective: Keep the events of last night secret and ease the young girl's mind. Reward: $20,000 in a personal bank account.}
Ash noticed this and couldn't believe what it told him. He would get a lot of money just for lying to Lita. He didn't like the idea because she was his friend, but he had no way of explaining it last night without sounding crazy or scaring her.
"I ran out of gas. I went to get some, but I was jumped on the way back. I only just woke up, I don't know how I got back, but I'm ok now."
"Are you home? I can call out today to check on you?"
"I'm fine, actually. But where's my bike? Is it safe?"
"Your bike is safe. I got it towed to my house. Don't worry, my dad hasn't touched it. But I'm coming over, no excuses. I need to know you're ok."
Ash tried to get in a few words, but Lita already hung up before he could say anything.
{Mission Complete. The user is rewarded $20,000 to their personal bank account.}
Ash sighed in relief. He was able to keep what happened secret for now, but he felt he was being bribed to lie.
He had to make sure the money being transferred to him was for real. He opened up his bank account, and it was true. He now had $20,000 in his checking account. No trail of who sent it either, just the account enigma updated. His savings still had the $4,000 from his parents and Amelia's life insurance untouched.
"The system rewarded me with money for lying. I don't even understand how that's possible, money just appearing out of nowhere in my account. What have I really gotten myself into?"