I sat frozen on the edge of the bed, staring at the purple-glowing "bomb" apple on the nightstand and listening to the silence of the room. Then, a voice, small, annoyed, and sounding as though it was muffled by a thousand pillows, drifted up from the floorboards.
"Oh, for the love of the Stars... just eat the fruit already so we can get this over with!"
I didn't think. I just reacted. I picked up a heavy silver candle holder from the bedside table and lunged towards the edge of the bed, peering underneath.
I expected a monster. I expected a ninja. I did not expect a girl about six inches tall, wearing a dress made of literal starlight, attempting to pry up a floorboard with a tiny golden toothpick.
She looked up at me, her glowing eyes wide.
"You... you can see me?"
"I can see the 'Explosive' tag hovering over that apple too," I whispered, my heart pounding. "Who are you? And why are you under my bed?"
The tiny girl stood up, brushed herself off, and suddenly, pop, she was human-sized, sitting cross-legged on my silk duvet. The air smelled like ozone and expensive perfume.
"I am Lumina, the Goddess of Order," she said, tossing her hair. She looked about my age, but her eyes looked like she had seen ten thousand years of history. "And technically, I'm the reason you're stuck in this sweaty, murderous prince's body. You're welcome, by the way."
"You brought me here?" I asked, placing the candle holder back down. "To a place where people put landmines in the fruit bowl?"
"Look, the 'real' Alaric was a disaster," Lumina said, reaching out to poke the glowing status box floating over the apple. "He was meant to lead this Empire against the Great Corruption, but the man had the spine of a chocolate éclair. He died, the timeline broke, and I had to find the first person I could who had at least an inkling of what 'Logic' and 'Code' meant. That person was you."
Lumina leaned forward, her face inches from mine. "I gave you the Eye of the Source. You see the world's 'data.' You're the only person who can see the glitches—the poisons, the traps, and the monsters hiding in human skin."
"And if I don't want to be a hero?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. "If I just want to, you know, not blow up?"
Lumina pointed at the door. "Then maybe you're in the wrong house. Your 'father' wants a soldier. Your 'brother' wants your head. And the person who sent that apple? They're currently standing right outside your door, waiting for the bang."
I felt my blood run cold. I looked at the door. Through the heavy wood, I could see two glowing silhouettes.
Name: Guard Harkan
Status: Traitor (Loyalty: 0%)
Current Intent: Disposal of Body
The scratching started again, but it wasn't Lumina. It was coming from the door handle. Slowly, the lock turned.
"One more thing," Lumina whispered, her form beginning to flicker and change back to her small ball of light form. "The Eye of the Source doesn't just see the present. If you focus hard enough, it shows you the consequences."
She disappeared back into my pocket just as the door creaked open.
I looked at the apple. Then I looked at the guard entering the room with the 'cleaning' cloth in his hand. If I stayed quiet, I would die. If I screamed, I would die.
I saw another prompt flash at the edge of my vision, with a bright red glow to it:
New Quest: The First Glitch
Objective: Survive the next 60 seconds.
Reward: Unlocked Combat Script.
The guard smiled, though it did not seem to reach his eyes. "Still awake, Your Highness? Why don't you have a snack? You look... hungry."
He picked the glowing purple apple, offering it to me.