and hard to open. Her body felt heavy; the ground she sat on was
cold, hard, and unyielding. She pushed herself up, swaying slightly
before standing. (Why does my head feel like it’s full of broken
glass?) She thought. Her vision swam, and then a notification window
popped into existence with a faint ding. (Oh, come on. Not now.) The
window minimized itself with a ripple, tucking neatly into the corner
of her vision.
{“You’re welcome. That’s your notification
tray. System messages stack there instead of flooding your face.
Nice, right?”}
Alyx blinked, then exhaled a shaky laugh. “Willow,
you’re still here.”
{“Where else would I be? I am tied to your
soul, I’m attached to you. Like glitter after a wash, or a
returning ally cat that you feed once. “I have been, and always
will be your … whisp.’”}
“Great. Wait, that is a quote from that old
Space Race TV show. How do you know that?” She rubbed her
temple. “Thanks for minimizing that. I think my brain would’ve
melted.”
{“‘... I drink, and I know things.’ Consider
me your friendly neighborhood headache prevention service at least
half the time.”}
Alyx finally looked up and froze.
Her world was wrong. The sky bled with crimson and
gold; she was used to blue skies. Off in the distance, she saw what looked like floating islands through a rippling haze that looked like the convergence of square waves, huge hunks of earth just drifting overhead as
if suspended in the air, far off and silent. "Ah, Willow... what the fuck is going on? Why are there floating islands, and what is that barrier? Alyx had a knowing feeling that she was on one of those strange floating islands.
{“So, do you remember when I said you have some work to do?”} Willow started in a quiet voice, {"Well, you see, I was sugar coating the situation."}
Her HUD glimmered faintly, an overlay brushing the edges of her
vision. The bars still sat there, nearly translucent in the lower left.
{“You see, I have a direct line to Gaia, and she has already given me the 411 on the situation. The Panet has just woken up, and it's in turmoil.”}
Alyx tilted her head, squinting. “It looks like…
a game. But I can feel it. It’s real.”
{“Exactly, the ultimate 'immersion' mode.
Non-optional, you’ll get used to it or you won’t. It's your
call.”}
She swallowed, then focused on the location
the window minimized to. A message icon was pulsing faintly,
waiting. She willed it forward.
[Congratulations! A new Title has been gained:
Hero (Common)Hero: Survivor of the system integration. You have
gained the Cultivation Trait.]
When Alyx closed that window, another one was
waiting behind it
[Congratulations! A new Title has been gained:
Forerunner (Legendary). The Forerunner title gives you +1 level.
You are among the first to be reborn on your planet. As a
trailblazer, your race template will update at the end of one
'Lunar' cycle. Abilities, Talents, and Skills learned will become
available to others of your race. You gain: +1 Renown.]
Alyx scowled. “Titles? Seriously? What the hell
am I supposed to do with those?” Alyx asked
{“Wear them with style. Titles are system
shorthand for ‘this one matters.’ Titles can tweak the rules
around you. The hero title gave you cultivation. Forerunner… well, let’s say you’re setting the curve for your species. No pressure.”}
“Perfect. The fate of everyone else is tied to
whether or not I screw up.” Alyx said derisively
{“Look at it this way, you get bragging rights
for forever, or ridicule and scorn. Maybe your people didn't want to
be 'Human', someone could have really wanted to be … I don't know, a Dwarf or something.”}
Before Alyx could retort, another window slid
open.
[New Quest Available: Lost?]Search for those
you have lost. Locate them before it is too late. Possible
Rewards: 100 KP. (Automatically accepted; personal quest.)
Alyx’s heart lurched. “Mom and Dad, Brie?
James and Jordyn?” Her voice cracked, hollow against the broken
sky.
{“…Focus, Alyx. Don’t drown in the panic.
Look at your hero sheet. Numbers are ugly, but grounding. They remind
you you’re still standing.”}
With a shaky breath, Alyx whispered, “Status.”
A raw, clinical block of text unfolded—hard
edges, system fonts, sterile formatting.
[Hero Sheet]
Name: Alyx (Aly) VayneRace:
Human [Provisional Template]Titles: Hero, Forerunner
Stats:: Ability:Physical: :'3': {Athletics 4;
Body 3; Strength 3}Mental: :'2': {Instinct 2; Perception 3; Wits
3}Social: :'3': {Arbitration 3; Rebuttal 3; Mental 3}Ethereal:
:'2': {Conviction 2; Focus 3; Quintessence 3}
HFP: Sum of hero's Stats:
Vitals:
Health: 9,
Sanity: 6,
Panache: 9,
Mana: 6.
Alyx winced and shut it away with a mental flick.
“That’s… cold. Like reading a medical chart about myself.”
{“Because it is. System logs don’t sugarcoat
information. That’s my job.”} Willow bobbed up and down.
Her throat tightened. “Numbers don’t fix being
alone.”
{“…No. But they tell you, you’re alive. Step
one: 'check'. The rest… We’ll figure it out.”}
A crack cut through the silence. Alyx whipped
around, and a body dropped to the ground. Alyx recognized it as soon as she saw it, "James!" Alyx gasped. The hemp coughed and groaned. She rushed to his side.
“James! It’s okay... Just breathe.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
He groaned again, clutching his chest, but nodded
weakly.
Alyx scanned the warped ground. “Where’s
Jordyn?”
James looked around. “Right over there, behind
you.”
Alyx’s heart skipped as she turned around and
looked where James gestured and saw Jordyn lying on the ground with
her back to them, had she didn't see Jordyn moving.
Before Alyx could even move, another sharp 'crack' sounded through the air, and then Breyanna snapped into existence and
thumped onto the flood. Alyx’s heart lurched. She sprinted
forward, dropping to her knees, scooping the trembling girl into her
arms.
“Brie!” Alyx breathed, pulling her close,
“Breathe, Brie, just breathe.” After checking on her roommate, Alyx
ran to Jordyn what she told James and Breyanna when they appeared,
trying to steady her shaking frame.
A crystalline chime rang out “dong” in Alyx’s
head, bright and insistent, a resonant, sustained note low-pitched
"thrum," and then another series of chords that resolved
into a satisfying harmony.
[Quest Complete – (Lost?)]100XP awarded
[Congratulations, you have gained a level.]You
have gained enough experience to level up.
[Quest Available – Lost 2]Find your family
next. Possible Reward: Peace of Mind and 200xp,
{“Well, someone’s progress bar just got a
bump. Congrats, Alyx. You’re officially more interesting than you
were five seconds ago.”} Willow’s voice purred in her ear, equal
parts helpful and smug.
{“Oh, and before you ask, no, James didn’t hear
it. That was all you for you, sunshine.”}
Alyx flinched, tightening her grip on Brie. “You
heard that, right?” she asked, looking up at James. “Uh, I love
you too Ally,
letting out another cough.
James frowned, confusion creasing his face. “Heard
what?”
{“Told you,”} Willow chimed again, almost
sing-song.
{“We have a private channel, just you and me,
and all the lovely notifications”}
“Willow,” Alyx hissed under her breath,
“you’re really not helping.”
{“But, you'll thank me when I am.”} the wisp's
brightness dimmed a bit and sounded a hurt.
Alyx felt a tug on her heart as if she scolded her
families cat for being a cat, and knocking her favorite coffee cup
off the counter. She let go of her hold on Breyanna. Breyanna took in
a breath. Moments later, Alyx felt her roommate's reassuring touch on
her arm and the silent communication that Alyx took to mean
'everything was good,' and the subtle weight of 'hold on.'
“What do you mean, Ally?” Breyanna asked,
brushing hair from her eyes. “I’ve been seeing… boxes. Windows
with text filling them. All over, blocking my vision. I didn’t say
anything because I was too scared. But didn't hear anything just
now.”
James raised his hand slightly, nodding. “Same
here. I had seen the windows as well.” He turned, “Jordyn? Have
you seen the windows too?”
Jordyn nodded her head, and James closed his eyes
for a moment. James said, letting out a breath, “Oh, good, I thought I
was going insane.”
“What are you talking about?” Breyanna asked, “I thought you already were.” Jame made a scoffing noise, and
Breyanna chuckled in celebration of the point she just got.
Hearing James and Breyanna's banter like normal felt like a fresh
breath of air.
Alyx exhaled through her nose, realizing it was
like what she had with Willow, at least in part. Alyx took another
split second and then said. “I have an idea of what's going on.
James, do you remember that book you were raving about a couple of weeks
ago?”
James arched a brow. “Darling, I devour books.
You’ll have to be a little more specific.”
Alyx smirked despite herself. “Something like
'Artemis Online' or 'System Rising'. You wouldn’t shut up about
it.”
“Oh, yes,” James said with exaggerated relish.
“That one was delectable. What about it?”
“Those books—they’re in the same genre.
System apocalypse stories. Game mechanics in real life.” Alyx waved
a hand vaguely. “What if this is like that? Strategies from the
fiction might work here.”
James gave her a sly grin. “Darling, that series
was heavy on the fiction and harems. Not much science, but now that
you mention it...” and Jordyn piped up, “Yeah, that would totally
explain why I am having windows pop-up.” James came back into the
conversation with, “You know I only read that book for the naughty
harem parts, right?”
Alyx’s lips twitched, and she ignored the baiting
comment.. “It’s the only framework we’ve got. Dredge up what
you remember. We’ll talk later. For now, we have things to do.”
She steadied herself. A dozen survival fragments
bubbled up—old school camping lessons, faded memories of her dad
and his hundreds of hours of doom-scrolling wilderness hacks. Not
much, but it was something. Alyx started with. “It isn’t safe out
in the open. We need cover, food, and a chance to think. Let's look at
the Commons first, maybe get some supplies. Then we find a place to
hole up. We don't know what has happened, and standing around doesn't
seem like a good idea.”
{“Sound logic. Although you forgot the golden
rule of planning.”}
Alyx made a non-committal noise.
{“First, make the plan. Second, execute the
plan. Third, watch the plan go off the rails. Fourth, throw the plan
away.”}
Alyx groaned; the others looked at her oddly, but
she beckoned to them together, and they started to move.
The silence was eerie. Buildings slumped in
half-collapse. The air was too still, the scarlet sky indifferent
above them. And Alyx noticed something that no one else mentioned,
neither James or Jordyn, nor Breyanna seemed to see the blood-colored
heavens or fractured land the same way she did. Along the way, they
found other people. A pale flash would split the air like a ripple,
and then another person slumped out, dazed and gasping, looking
confused to find themselves on the ground. By the time they reached
the commons, two students and an adjunct instructor had joined them.
Brent, Mariana, Phillip.
The girl, Mariana, recounted her experience in a
trembling voice. “I was walking with two friends when one just…
vanished. The other screamed and ran. I froze. Then two minutes
later, this… “blue box” popped up in front of me. Said
something about ‘Welcome to Gaia.’ And when I read it, it
disappeared. Then more screens, talking about backgrounds, skills,
and traits, or something. It said my race defaulted to Human because
of someone named ‘Alyx the Forerunner.’”
A window flashed.
[Congratulations! You have gained +1 Renown.
Current Renown: 2.]
Alyx flinched as Willow commented.
{“Congratulations. Renown increased. You’re up to two now.”}
Alyx snapped the notification closed before anyone
else noticed. (Perfect timing. What if that had popped up mid-fight?
There has to be a settings window somewhere…)
Mariana hugged her arms tight. “One of the
screens showed how to close them, thank god. Otherwise, I’d still
be trapped behind them. After that, I just… plugged numbers into
something called ‘Stats.’ Next thing I knew, I woke up here with
you.” She bit her lip. “Am I dead? What’s happening?”
“Come with us,” Breyanna coaxed. “We’ll
explain what we can.”
Mariana hesitated. “Where are we going?”
“The Commons,” James answered, offering a
hand. “We need food.”
“But… I just came from there. I have a final
in—” She glanced at her watch. “Oh, God! My watch died... What
time is it?”
James’s smile was weary but warm. “My dear, I
think you’ve already passed your test, with flying colors.”
Mariana reached for her phone and was visibly
distraught. “Oh NO! My phone too? Ah, my photos!... Wait, they are
backed up on the cloud, so they should be fine. Phew, I was worried
there for a second.”
{Are you going to tell her, or shall I?} Willow
half mocked Mariana.
As Alyx saw Breyanna's questioning look on her
face morph to a sincere one, then to an unbelievable one as she realized that
Mariana was mostly clueless.
As the group neared the Commons without any
other resistance. Alyx heard Breyanna say, “There are people inside,
maybe they can tell us more,” and at about that time, one figure got
the other's attention and both of them grabbed something and took
off. The two figures scrambled through one of the other doors away from their
group.
“Wait! Come back!” Breyanna shouted.
But the runners didn’t stop. Alyx considered
chasing them, then shook her head, (No, aren't we here to do the same
thing?) Each of them is weighing the surreal of the moment. Alyx’s
eyes swept at the scarlet sky and the light spilling through the
windows, the quiet halls, the too-still air.
Alyx had just realized, weren’t as many people
as there should be; it was to be expected that a lot of the finals
got done a day or two early, but she expected that the vast majority
of the colleges population was still be around. Where was everyone?
Alyx pondered the reality that “they” were the survivors of an
absurd apocalypse; they didn't have any warning.