Dark.
A dark place where no person would ever want to, or deserve to, be trapped in.
Cold.
It was so cold!
Small.
The space was cramped. His joints had become numb from the extended periods of complete immobility, blood flow limited to dangerously low levels.
Still, he would never dare!
'nonononononono'
NEVER COME OUT!
Even when he felt his stomach shrink, his muscles contract further and further inwards, even when the world of hanging fabric threatened to suffocate him till he would finally... lie utterly still!
JUST FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE!
STOP CRYING!
He felt something wet and gooey. It felt disgusting, and the smell...
'oh, the SMELL!'
BANG
BANG
BANG
The old wood creaked. It wasn't made to take a beating.
No one is, no one should be.
YOU LITTLE BRAT!
Nonetheless, he persevered...
He persevered because he knew...
He knew... that his HERO would come and save him.
'a-All-Might?!'
!!
The sudden light blinded him, but there was no mistake, there couldn't be, he was HERE!
The outline, the golden hair, the wide reassuring smile, it was HIM!
"A-All-Mig-
"EW, YOU DISGUSTING FREAK, WHAT DID YOU DO IN HERE?!"
She shouted.
Why did she always have to shout?
"COME HERE!"
"M-mama...
slap
"SHUDDUP!"
"It's...
slap
"all...
slap
"your...
slap
"fault."
"None of this would have happened to me if it weren't for you and your smell!"
"YOU RUINED MY LIFE!"
She continued beating him, killing him.
Spit flew everywhere.
She was drooling, her eyes bloodshot, her once luscious blonde hair now disheveled, damaged.
All that was left was him. He had absorbed all her essence, her life.
She would take it back, take it all back, there was no price too steep to pay.
She held him by the neck as her hair grew thicker, more robust. It wrapped around him, tightening and tightening.
Until his world was plunged back into darkness once again. All he had ever wanted was to wake up from this horrible dream, to find out it was all a lie.
'akira, AKIRA, aKIra, AkiRA, akira, aKIRA, aKIRa, akiRA, akira, AKIRA, aKIra, AkiRA, akira, aKIRA, aKIRa, akiRA, akira, AKIRA, aKIra, AkiRA, akira, aKIRA, aKIRa, akiRA, akira, AKIRA, aKIra, AkiRA, akira, aKIRA, aKIRa, akiRA, akira, AKIRA, aKIra, AkiRA, akira, aKIRA, aKIRa, akiRA'
...
AKIRA!!
!!
Joey woke up in a cold sweat. That dream had been more than vivid, it felt real. At the beginning, he was just watching, spectating, reviewing an early screenplay. He had all the information, but he still felt disconnected from it.
Now he had become a character in the movie, taking part in it, dutifully merging his sense of self with it.
Like any great actor, he would carry it with him from here on out till the end of time, of his time.
Who knows? Maybe in the end he might even become it.
"NO!"
Joey forced himself to snap back to reality. It was like that moment when one would pull themselves out of sleep's grasp, that cold and swift sensation of shock endured by both body and soul.
'Where am I?' he questioned internally.
The chaotic battle between the mobsters and the assassin resurfaced in his mind.
'I must have passed out, good thing they didn't kill me.'
It wasn't long before he noticed the restraints on his hands and feet, a theme that seemed to be repeating itself a lot lately. First with Tophat, later on with the mobsters, and now with whatever this was.
From the feel of it, he was laying on a standard bed, unfortunately with no source of illumination at all, it was difficult to deduce any further information about his whereabouts.
'aaah, not again.' Joey sighed heavily, already tired of this new world.
Gathering strength in his hands, he attempted to move but had to stop immediately...
"agh."
'My neck!' Joey felt like it was being ripped apart but also completely fine at the same time.
It was a sensation quite close to torture, like someone had poured insects all over an open injury. It was itchy. He felt like there were millions of them crawling all over his skin, maiming it little by little. In order to distract himself from the pain and the fact that he couldn't move or do anything about it, he forced his mind to focus.
'ehm... guide?!' Tophat's parting words had thankfully stuck with him as he called out to his promised help, hopeful it would provide him with a way to escape or at least give an explanation for his predicament.
..
...
[ TATAIG SYSTEM ]
[ Synchronization: 100% ]
[ Please confirm permission to start the tutorial process. ]
...
'I confirm.' Joey called out in his mind after a brief pause.
[ Tsumugi Akira: Confirmed as primary { USER }. ]
[ WELCOME. ]
[ The Artificial Tophat Automated Intelligence Guide is a tool designed to accompany and serve the user. Functions include primarily BENEFIT distribution and INFORMATION STORING along with other features. ]
[ Check under {More} for the full extent of available privileges. ]
ping
After the short introduction, a low ring sounded in Joey's mind, followed by yet another message.
[ !UNREAD MESSAGE! ]
[ OPEN : Y/N ? ]
'yes.'
[ These items have been delivered to the TATAIG database : Status page, general info page, karma perks x4, cycle & siphon. ]
'wow.'
Joey watched as text after text popped up in his vision, blinding him. As if adapting to his thoughts, the bright lights soon dimmed, the whole interface blended more naturally with the dark surroundings.
As Tophat had explained, the TATAIG had been specially fabricated by his borrowed divinity, essentially making it a part of him as well.
After a short number of tests, Joey realized that the system as a whole relied on his perception of it, it didn't actually emit any sort of light, but Joey's brain had interpreted it as such. He found he could also change its appearance into whatever he could conceptually imagine, first transforming it into a modern phone.
...
After a while of messing around with a new toy, Joey's mood had significantly lightened. Willing the interface to return to its original, practical, and non-obstructing form, he continued exploring its other features.
'Status Page?!'
[ Status ]
Name : Tsumugi Akira
Age : 10
Constitution : 5 {Dying}
The word was displayed in bright red, aimed to emphasize.
!!
Joey was understandably shocked, a state which didn't last long. Turns out after the first time a person dies, they tend to become desensitized to the act, no longer reacting with quite the same amount of panic accompanying it, or at least that was the case for Joey.
Instead, he remained cool, ordering the system to explain the reason for his Death status.
[ Cycle & Siphon ]
[ Hello Joey, this is Tophat. ]
"Tophat!" Joey was visibly startled at the account of Tophat's voice suddenly transmitting directly into the appropriate center of his mind.
"Where ar-
[ I'm guessing you are currently shouting at the wall, trying to find out where I am hiding, well don't. This is a one-time pre-recording, so listen carefully. ]
[ The Cycle & Siphon feature of my guide is the most important part of your mission, as it is precisely the tool that will allow you to use the transplanted divinity as we have already discussed. ]
[ In an interval of ten years, parallel to your lifespan, you are required to navigate to the Cycle & Siphon page and draw out a set quantity of Divinity. In turn, the Cycle & Siphon mechanic created by yours truly will, in simple terms, exchange that Divinity with a random asset contained in the ▢ ]
The stream of words cut off for a second before continuing...
[ Depending on the precise maturity of the body you have inhabited, you may or may not have already unlocked multiple assets that will accompany you for the rest of your lifespan. ]
[Last but not least, a warning, Divinity itself cannot be controlled or destroyed, only redirected, repurposed, so whatever you receive from it will derive solely from your own fortune, sooooooooo good luck, hihihihihihi. ]
[Don't disappoint me !]
...
"Tophat??"
Silence.
Having grown accustomed to Tophat's infuriating character, Joey couldn't be bothered to react to the last comment but he confirmed that the message had ended nonetheless. He swallowed, clearing his throat, digesting the load of information Tophat graciously dumped on him was a straining task for his tired and hurt self.
'oof, what a mess, I've landed myself right in the middle of...'
Then,
ping
[ !NEW INFO ADDED! ]
Joey once again willed the status page to appear, and indeed a new line of golden letters decorated the interface.
...
Constitution : 5 {Dying}
Mind : 20
Special : Viltrumite cells {Infected}.
...
Author'sNote:
I hadn't realized how much of a slow writer I really am, paired with the fact that I don't have a stack of chapters ready, my schedule is cooked.
oh well here's hoping I improve fast
cheers!
♥ ♡♥ ♡♥ ♡♥ ♡♥ ♡