Ring
"Puff..." Draco groaned, his eyelids slowly rising upwards, merely to be greeted by the everlasting darkness. Slowly rising from his mattress and brushing through his hair, Draco felt his mind slowly awakening.
"I should have gone to bed earlier," Draco mumbled, walking through the shadows of his room with no worry. Eventually, he stopped in front of a mirror, looking at his own features with an optimist.
Even though he had spent most his time in his room studying, he never forgot to proceed with his workout. His abs were clearly defined, matching with his puffed chest.
Draco would definitely be popular with girls if he only ever left this damned room. It has been already a few months since he failed the civil exams, and he had spent the entirety of his free time in seclusion... studying.
Girls could wait. Education, however, was mandatory.
Draco took one last glance at his face, highlighting the white hair almost covering his stressed, tired eyes. A visit to the barbershop would never hurt. Eh... maybe later.
Ding!
A sudden chime into the door startled him, as he tripped over his own leg and fell to the ground. He struggled to get up, still hearing the buzzing sound in his ears.
Who was it? His parents didn't seem to care that much about him anymore since he failed the civil exam. Instead, they focused on his younger brother. Oh... a poor thing.
Ding!
The buzzing didn't stop for a moment. Someone was incredibly eager to rush into this apartment. Draco grew wary, considering ignoring the person on the other side of the door. Curiosity and excitement, unfortunately, took over.
It seemed to him that he hadn't talked to anyone in centuries. Even if it was just a beggar, perhaps it was worth it.
"Wait a minute!" Draco yelled, promptly throwing on one shirt he had found on the ground. Silently, Draco pushed the door open, glancing through the hole for any danger.
To his surprise, no one was standing on another side of the door. He was only greeted by the midnight darkness and some fresh air. Maybe it's the neighbors pulling off those ancient pranks?
Honestly, he couldn't even be angry. Ringing the doorbell of someone and then running away was quite exciting during childhood. Draco was about to close the door and call it a day... when he saw something from the corner of his eye.
A package was lying just below his feet, and Draco crouched to pick it up. Since moving into this apartment, he has ordered nothing except some fast food. So, getting a package was quite bizarre.
At first, Draco thought that perhaps his parents still didn't forget about his existence. Yet, the animosity of the order made him think otherwise. No address, no date, nothing.
"How strange," Draco said, ripping the paper apart. It was a long and irritating process since paper seemed to be never-ending. He eventually got to the object; it was a simple, black ring. It wasn't placed in a box, nor were there any notes or instructions.
"That's it?" Draco wondered, inspecting the ring closer. To be truthful, with all this mystery around this package, he expected something grander. But a ring is better than nothing.
"Maybe it's a present from my secret supporter." Draco smiled, imagining an attractive woman in his head. He smiled for a few more seconds before trying on the ring. Whoever has sent it here, Draco felt obliged to at least try on this secret ring.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, he felt an unimaginable pain passing through his body. He has never went through something like this. It seemed as if each of his bones were getting broken and readjusted.
Draco tried to scream for help, only to feel his throat burning from inside and out. He was trying so hard to resist this mysterious power, this pain...
To no avail, however. A few seconds later, he felt his own eyes closing and his body turning cold. How did he even die in the first place?
.
.
.
.
"Eh?"
Strangely enough, Draco's consciousness never drifted away. He could still feel the pain and exhaustion, but it seemed to trickle away. Heat accumulated within his body again, as he breathed out a few times.
"What the hell is that ring?" Draco cursed quietly, bootlegging all of his power to take it off. Yet, the ring didn't seem to bulge at all. It stayed on his finger as if glued.
[I wouldn't recommend moving right now. Your body is still weak]
A feminine voice echoed in his mind, and Draco looked around in startlement. There was no one in the room, yet he had heard someone talking. A hallucination?
[I am not a hallucination]
The voice mumbled within his mind again, and Draco could feel some sort of energy forming inside him. "What are you? What the hell is even happening?" Draco asked in frustration.
[I am a system. You have just finished the integrating process. I am now a part of you till the day you die]
The voice in his head didn't have any accent, nor any emotions of what was it saying. Draco gnashed his teeth in anger, trying to get the ring off his finger. To no avail, however.
[It's impossible to remove the ring once it has been established. Cutting the finger off would result in death]
"Stop talking in my head," Draco said, pressing his hands against his ears, trying to force this voice away. "I don't care if you are system or a god, just leave me alone."
At that moment, something clicked in his head. A screen, translucent and blue, appeared right in front of his eyes. He regarded it for a few moments, disbelief clear on his expression.
[You have requested some silence. I shall do as demanded]
"This voice turned into a screen?" Draco heaved a long-lasting sigh, eventually placing his hand on his forehead. Suddenly, he slapped his own cheeks.
'Not a dream.' Draco thought, having his eyes set on the ceiling. He could still feel the pain clearly; it was definitely not a dream. This screen that had just appeared before him... was real.
"I have to get myself together and figure out what's happening." Draco sighed, settling his gaze onto the screen. The contents on it had already changed as Draco read through them.
[1:49]
[1:48]
[1:47]
'A timer?' Draco thought to himself, finally finding the courage to begin the conversation with this voice. "What's this?"
Silence. Draco waited for a few moments, regarding the surrounding room, the screen. Yet, it was all useless. No one answered.
"Hey, system or whatever you are. What is this timer?" Draco asked, this time much louder. Nobody answered again. [0:26]. The time on the screen was nearing its end rapidly, and Draco panicked.
Considering the pain earlier... who knew what would happen when the time run out. Breathing heavily and falling into fear, Draco did what every sane human would do.
He grabbed the kitchen knife and got ready to defend himself.
[0:01]
As soon as the timer ended, Draco felt a blinding light piercing through his eyes. Before even realizing it, his entire body was enveloped in this mysterious light.
-
Draco opened his eyes, feeling a sparse breeze pass through him. Whenever his eyes rolled, he could only see the blueness of the sky. Sunlight was falling onto his cheeks, somehow warming him up.
"Where the hell am I?" Draco shook his head, rising from the grass. Perhaps it was just a dream, but he was definitely no longer in his room. South, North, West, or East. All he could see was the never-ending grass and a few hills on the horizon.
"Puff..." Draco breathed heavily, trying to comprehend the situation. The ring on his hand still didn't disappear. The kitchen knife did, however.
Ding!
The screen suddenly popped in front of Draco as he stumbled backward and fell onto the ground. It wasn't just his imagination. The screen and that blinding light were probably the reason he was currently here.
"System! Where the hell am I!" Draco shouted at the of his lungs, his voice filled with hatred. If only he didn't put on that ring... maybe nothing would have happened.
-
[Mission difficulty: A]
[Survive the ordeal of Titans for 30 minutes]
[Note: The difficulty may emanate if the player keeps on shouting]
-
Draco stood still for a few moments, noting the contents with confusion and a touch of fear. So far, the screen didn't appear to say any falsifications. An ordeal of Titans? That definitely seemed like trouble.
"Player? Titans?" Draco whispered to himself, keeping his tone low as possible. The screen suddenly shook, and another timer appeared on it.
[30:00]
"No way." Draco's forehead broke into a sweat. Since the timer has begun, does that mea- Draco looked around in startlement. Far in the south, above one hill, stood a creature Draco has never seen before.
It was enormous; it had a strange, yet human appearance. Neither of its eyes seemed to function properly. However, it had somehow sensed Draco standing over there.
Draco gulped. He never felt this kind of fear; it seemed as if he was standing in front of a violent bear, which was eager to devour him. Draco didn't move an inch, trying to not catch the attention of the creature.
[29:28]
He didn't know why he looked at the screen; perhaps for some kind of encouragement. However, once he saw the time of the clock, his body grew stiff.
This creature was most probably the infamous Titan, and that meant that there was a whole ordeal coming his way. He didn't know whenever all the creatures were as blind as the one before him, but he didn't want to risk it.
There was no longer any thought about it being a dream; the scent of the grass, the fear, and the thumping of his heart were way too real. As predicted, the number of creatures grew with each moment, as some of them were already making their way towards him.
Draco stood in silence, glued to the ground itself. He didn't know what to do, where to go. With a side glance, Draco saw the contents of the screen again.
He had to hold on for 29 more minutes and then these creatures would disappear. Was that right? He didn't know what to expect, but he tried to believe this information and dissolve all his other questions and worries for now.
Was that even possible to survive between these beasts for 29 minutes? Draco did not know, but he wouldn't just give up without trying. Nobody would want to die as an eighteen-year-old, not understanding where he was or what was happening.
"I will survive..." Draco whispered, searching for some sort of comfort in his own voice. Regarding the group of Titans once last time, he set off sprinting the other way from them.
As if lit up by some sort of fire, the creatures started following him with more urgency. Perhaps they were never blind. Perhaps they were just playing with him like some kind of toy.