After a moment of watching the beautiful view outside, I finally turn back to the room. It is thick with dust, and I know that I have to clean the room before I can rest. I mentally create a plan: the table and chairs first; next comes the bed, then the windows, and the closet to finish it off.
I immediately get to work. The cloth in my hand turns grey as I am cleaning off the tabletop and the wooden chairs.
As I lost myself in cleaning, downstairs, Alice is finally finishing cleaning the first floor. She collapses onto the couch, let out a long, heavy sigh, and feels her face heat up. Every time she closes her eyes, she can't stop replaying that embarrassing moment when we first stepped inside her house.
It's so embarrassing...
She thought as she glanced outside the window.
Outside is turning dark as the sun sinks low.
...I should make dinner for me... and for him too.
She thought again, stood up, and walked over to the kitchen.
Downstairs, the faint clatter of pans tells me she's starting on dinner. I am still upstairs, my arms a bit heavy after finishing with the table, the chairs, and the dust on the windows. Even the bed is finally made.
I turn to the closet and pull it open. The inside is surprisingly tidy, though the wooden shelves look a bit rustic and are coated in a layer of grey dust. A long mirror is stuck on the back of the door of the closet, reflecting the dim light of the room.
I reach in to wipe the dust off the shelves, moving to the mirror next. While I'm cleaning the mirror, I do not notice myself in the mirror until I finish cleaning. After I finish the cleaning, I see something in the reflection that stops my breath. My hand begins to shake uncontrollably, and the cloth slips from my hand.
"Wait… is that me…?"
I don't even realize I said it out loud. My hand moves before I can think, touching my face like I am checking if it was real.
"Haha... What the hell is happening..."
I laughed weakly.
I take a step back and gulp. My eyes widen as I see myself; my face is no longer covered with bruises. I use both my hands and touch my face.
"Wh-what the hell happened to me?!"
I gasped, my breath catching as I stared at my reflection.
"This is... Unbelievable, like a miracle..."
As I am surprised, I start lifting up my shirt, showing my body. The body that was covered with bruises is now gone like a miracle, just like my face. While I am examining my face and my body for a double check to see if this is real or not, I accidentally drop my glasses. I noticed that and tried to grab them and wear it.
When I'm grabbing and starting to wear it, my vision starts to get blurry. My hands are trembling hands and I take the glasses off.
"Wait, don't tell me..."
I mumbling to myself, holding my glasses, but rushing to the window to check my vision.
As I'm looking outside the window, I notice that my vision is also healed, as I am able to see everything from afar as normal people would.
A slight tear comes out of my eyes as my eyes heal. My grip on the glasses loosened because of happiness.
While I'm looking outside the window, a faint blue rectangle appears behind me. Inside that rectangle is an ellipsis, like it's judging me. But when it appeared, the sound came with it, so I consciously turned back.
When I turn back, instead of being surprised immediately, I stare at it for a second. A moment of silence between us before I gasp of surprised.
"Waah!"
I try to take a step back, but behind me is the window. Trapped. I stare, my breath hitching, at the impossible thing hovering in the air. A floating blue rectangular holographic screen, glowing with a soft, electric blue light.
«That's a slow reaction I've never seen...»
The words appeared inside the rectangle as it was trying to communicate with me.
The words on the screen look cool, white glowing in those words. I read it with surprise, and stared at it with confusing.
«When will you stop staring at me?»
I was amazed as it disappeared again and appeared with different words.
What is that thing...?
I thought with a suspicious look on my face before replying to the thing.
"Ah, Oh... What are you? A hologram? An AI?"
I asked it, wanting to discover a newfound thing in front of me.
Don't tell me... that this thing is the blue system in fantasy stories...
«Me? I am your system; my job is to guide you. And hey, don't you dare be disrespectful to me. I'm not a stupid Programs or those glorified chatbots that serves these dirty bastards like you guys on Earth.»
I'm speechless as it just angriness about being compared to AI and the system.
"Oh, my bad and Sorry for saying that... But you are just disrespectful to us and those AI—"
I take a long pause to analyzing it words, and was suspicious that it knew about Earth.
"Hold on, wait a damn minute… did you just say Earth?!"
I asked, surprisingly, about this blue hologram thing I know about my old world.
«…»
It is silent, showing an ellipsis.
We keep silent for a moment; we both stare at each other before I speak.
"I know you have some knowledge about Earth."
I said, forcing a smile as I saw it trying to deny the fact that it knew something about Earth.
«Wh-what? N-no?»
I grab the system and shake it like a vending machine. Angrily and losing patience. I ignore that I can touch it or hold it and keep shaking it.
"I know you knew something; stop denying it and tell me..."
I said with a firm voice, angrily because of this hologram.
"...You said you are the system that guides me, then tell me, you piece of junk, piece of trash!"
«Okay, fine. I know about you and your home, called Earth. Stop shaking me.»
I'm looking at those words, calming down a bit.
"How the hell do you know about my Earth and me?"
I asked, a little furious in that voice.
I go to the edge of the bed that I just cleaned and sit on it. I start relaxing while waiting for the system to answer me.
«You don't need to know about that. I'm here as your guider, so I will show a surprise.»
I look at it confused.
"What do you mean, I don't need to know? Surprised? What?"
A large rectangular hologram appears in front of me. This hologram system looks slightly different, maybe it's a different special.
—— PROFILE ——
Name: Zin Fortis Title: None
Lv. 1
Age: 15
Gender: Male
Race: Human
----
Authority: Unknown
----
Stats:
STR: 1
AGI: 1
END: 1
STA: 1
----
Skills:
None
——————
I stare at it, confused and surprised.
"Is that… a [Profile Window] you always see in fantasy stories?"
I asked the system, unsure if I'm right or not.
A small screen appeared, words forming across it.
«Yes. It is a [Profile Window]. It helps you view your abilities and status. Without it, you would be no different from the people of this world.»
"Oh… that's cool. But what is the [Unknown] in [Authority]?"
«[Authority] is your main power—your core ability. I am unable to fully access your profile, as we are not part of the same system. However, [Unknown] is an unusual designation for an authori—»
The words suddenly distorted.
The screen flickered, glitching mid-sentence.
A red hologram screen suddenly appears in front of me, which surprises me. A glowing red screen, which kind of hurts my eyes. It's like a blade through the moment of silence.
I ignore it and check the glitching that the other system got.
"Uh… are you okay?"
The glitching is still going, the screen flickering in a way that didn't feel right. I frowned, confused, not understanding why the system is suddenly acting like this when it has been perfectly normal just moments ago. It doesn't make any sense.
A minute has passed, or maybe longer, before the glitching finally stops. The screen is still again, as if nothing happened.
My eyes widen slightly as I stare at it. The system isn't showing anything new. Instead, there is only an ellipsis on the screen… like it is loading.
And then, slowly, the same words appeared again, the reply to my [Profile Window] question
«It helps you view your abilities and status. Without it, you would be no different from the people of this world.»
I sit there, looking at those words with a strange feeling. A cold shiver approaches me.
W-what is happening...
After the system's strange behavior, something inside me feels off. A mix of confusion and suspicion at the same time, as if my instinct is trying to warn me that something is wrong in this moment.
«Are you okay?»
The system displayed words, as if it were reacting to my strange silence.
"Ah- no... I'm fine, I just wonder about my [Authority]."
I replied to it, trying to convince myself that everything is fine.
«[Authority]? What [Authority] do you have?»
"Oh, uh, something like [Unknown]."
«[Unknow—?»
The glitch comes back again, with the red system.
But this time, the glitching is more unstable as the system is trying to release the tension. The creepiness and terror of the glitch are making me feel dangerous. A cold shiver down my spine as I am watching it. I ignore the red system again.
«What a we—weird [Authori— @#!&%»
The glitch is getting worse. I instinctively grab my [Profile Window], moving it farther away from the system guider, afraid it might get infected by the same corruption.
"System? Guider? You good?"
I asked, still watching as it became more and more glitched.
Finally, it stops completely. The glitches vanish, disappear as if nothing happened. The system is silent, no movement, no system sound. An ellipsis again, on the screen, as the system is trying to load.
Could it be... I can't able to share my [Authority] information with anyone...?
I thought with suspicion. My instinct, my theory, is right as the system repeated what it showed.
«It helps you view your abilities and status. Without it, you would be no different from the people of this world.»
It showed up again, confirming my theory about its weird behavior.
*The system... will get reset into a specific time... if I tell it about my [Authority]*
I looked at it with a serious expression on my face.
«What's wrong with your face, Zin?»
"Ah, no, I'm fine..."
I pause and continue.
"...Do you know why I get into this world?"
I asked it, hoping and seeking an answer.
As I am waiting for the answer, the red hologram system appears again, and this time I notice it.
I stared at it with confusion and surprise.
What? Beyond Authority...?!
As I try to understand what the red hologram mean, the system that I ask the question appears with words, try to answer my question.
«I'm sorry to say this, but this is out of my competence.»
This time, it is not glitching anymore.
"Oh... ok."
...I knew it would say that...
I let out a quiet sigh and push myself up from the bed. Without thinking too much, I start walking toward the open closet. I stop and lean down, reaching for the glasses I had dropped earlier. Then I stand up straight, closing the old closet doors.
Outside, the sky was already changing. The cloud and sky painted with orange are slowly disappearing, replaced by darkness. It feels like the darkness is stealing the moment.
The moon is starting to rise high, shining like a lamp hanging in the sky. Around it, scattered stars are beginning to shine, supporting the moon to light the darkness in this world.
As I finish picking up my glasses and closed the closet door, a question suddenly came to my mind.
"Oh, by the way, can anyone able to see you?"
There is a long pause between us after I finish speaking. The system's guide screen is completely blank as it is trying to find a good answer to my question.
"Uh... Hello?"
I said, trying to call the system.
«No one can see me, except you.»
"Oh... Thanks for telling me."
I place my glasses on the table, then turn toward the door.
"I need to go see what Alice is doing, so don't just pop up randomly to surprise me."
I said and shook my head, trying not to imagine how I would react if the system pops up while I'm talking to Alice.
Hope... nothing will go wrong.
I thought, laughing weakly, making the system look at me with confusion.
My hand hovers over the door handle for a brief moment before I grab it.
The latch of the door clicks softly as I open the door and step outside the room.
{Hallway}
The hallway outside my room is already completely turned into darkness. Like it's covered with ink.
I hesitate at first, but I continue walking through the hallway. But then I see a faint light from downstairs, barely lighting the end of the staircase. I move toward it carefully, trying not to trip over.
I need to be careful...
I thought, trying to walk steadily.
The stairs creak with every step I take; the sound cuts through the silence, like in a horror movie.
By the time I reach the bottom, with a glance, I notice that the first floor is clean, different than earlier when I first came here. Alice is almost done cooking and looks happy while cooking.