Where am I?

Draco woke up, something he didn't expect to happen. An unfamiliar white ceiling greeted him and looking around, the room was new to his eyes.

It wasn't anything special; it looked like a simple palate in the hospital. Draco checked and was glad to see no injuries on his body. Perhaps he woke earlier than expected, and they had yet to lay a hand on him.

'What should I do?' Draco pushed the blanket away, weakly trying to force his hands upon the cold floor. The sharp pain in his neck still bothered him; it felt like a rock hit him.

"I have to go." Draco pushed all his pain aside and stepped forth towards the door. He did not know where he was, nor who has attacked him earlier. However, that only determined him even more to escape this place.

Who knew what they were up to.

The door swung open as soon as he pushed it forward; it didn't have a lock. Draco quietly stuck out his head and checked the left first.

Truth to be told, it was something he didn't foresee. There was a horribly long corridor on the left; so long that he didn't manage to see its end. Each side of the walls, Draco noted, were covered in multiple doors, and they all looked the same.

"You have finally woken up." A feminine voice startled him from the right. Draco cocked his head immediately and was dismayed to see a woman standing over there, resting against the wall with a carefree expression.

It was the same woman he had seen in his apartment; the one who survived a trial of bullets with no injuries.

"Who are you! What do you want!" Draco burst out the first thing that came into his mind, as he took on a defensive stance.

The woman regarded him for a few seconds, then glanced away. "Please, keep yourself quiet. Others may wake up because of you."

'Others?' Draco noted, scanning all the doors for potential help. He knew very well that he was no match for this woman; even though she didn't look trained, nor skilled.

Draco breathed out for some time, trying to force all the anxiety away. He then said, in a much lower tone. "Where am I? Kidnapping conviction may cause twenty years in prison, or sometimes a lifetime. Let me go before I turn you and that person into police."

"Police? It sure has been a long time since I have heard something like this." The woman slightly chuckled. Draco didn't know what he expected, but it was not a reaction like this.

"You have misunderstood something." The woman took a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, taking out one of them. "I have not kidnapped you. I just saved your life. If you want to go, I can show you the exit."

'Saved me?' Draco wondered. Perhaps she was talking about that man in the suit, but it was none of his concern. Right now, Draco wanted only one thing. Disappear from this place and see none of these people again.

"Know, however, that leaving right now would mean an inevitable death a few weeks later." She said, igniting a cigarette.

Draco's worry disappeared at that moment and instead was replaced by suspicion. "What do you mean by that?" Draco asked, still keeping his tone lower than usual.

"You also have this, right?" She raised a hand; the one with the cigarette, and Draco finally saw something that caught his attention. She bore the same black ring as Draco.

'This...' Draco was at a loss for words. With all these recent incidents, he had tried to quell these thoughts about the screen and that world. Mostly, he just tried to ignore it. Just like he escaped all of his problems.

However, the screen has never disappeared, and it was pulsating with vibrant blue color; as if eager for something to be done.

'Does this mean she also has a screen in front of her? Has she as well been to that world of beasts?' Draco asked himself. So far, he could tell, the woman couldn't see his screen. Perhaps it was the other way around as well.

"You are quite reserved with words despite the situation." The woman said, puffing out a cloud of smoke out of her mouth. "It is to my liking."

Honestly, Draco just didn't know what to say at the minute. He had a lot of questions regarding this place, the ring, that place. Yet he just stayed silent, observing.

The woman noted the confusion in Draco's eyes and heaved a sigh. "First, let me introduce myself. I am Sophie, a member of the secret organization "Halo". And I am also a Player, just like you."

"Player?" Draco asked. He had heard the system address him the same way, for he was the most interested in it.

"Yes, a player." Sophie puffed out another cloud of smoke, looking rather apprehensive. "You have probably played some games before. This is the same thing except that your life is at risk."

Draco nodded, perking up his ears and trying to digest the information as soon as possible. With each pack of knowledge, the questions in his mind only grew, yet he stayed silent.

'Why am I the one who always has to explain these things? It is the most tiring work.' Sophie lamented, then continued to talk. "This ring. How did you get it?"

Draco glanced at his own hands, wondering whether he should tell the truth or lie. "I got it delivered to my house, and I don't even who has provided it."

"Hmm, so you have basically doomed yourself." Sophie smiled, putting the cigarette away. "I got mine from the convenience store. As soon as I understood the true essence of this ring, however, the shopkeeper has vanished. These rings mysteriously appear as they appear."

"Are there many of us?" Draco asked, relieved because he wasn't the only one faced with this problem. Perhaps if there were a lot of them, maybe they could help him remove this ring.

"Thousands, if not more. You see these doors. There are, or there were, people in those rooms." Sophie said.

Draco thought for a while, then asked: "Were?"

Hopelessness took Sophie's face over, and she answered. "Yes, you got that right. Most of them die in a month." Draco gulped at the discovery, his throat dry.

"You have already experienced it, I presume," Sophie asked, and Draco nodded. It wasn't too hard to understand what she meant. "Have you claimed your reward, then?"

Draco shook his head, glancing over to the pulsating screen. He finally read through the contents.

-

[World: Attack on Titan]

[Reward: A]

-

"Players can't see each other screens. Don't worry." Sophie explained, then added. "The first thing you see - the world you have traveled to, and the second is the rank of your reward for completing the mission."

"So, that place was another world," Draco mumbled to himself, trying to reorganize his thoughts. If someone had told him anything similar before he gained this ring, he then surely would have thought that it was all hogwash. Yet, now...

"In short, you have become like a video game player. Or, how I call us, slaves." Sophie's mind seemed to fall into a state of melancholy. "You travel to other worlds, complete missions established by the system, and then get a reward.

"Not much is known about the worlds we are forced to travel to, but we are slowly gaining more information about certain ones. However, there are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of them. Not much is known about the rings either. How do they appear, how are they infused with the system? Nothing."

She finished her explanation as she sighed and leaned against the wall. It seemed to frustrate for her to talk about it, so Draco asked no more questions and worked with the information he had.

'This is crazy. Should I even believe her?' Draco thought. He didn't want to believe all this otherworldly stuff; besides, Sophie wasn't someone Draco was sure he could trust. He needed a few more bystanders.

"You said that if I leave, I am going to die in a few weeks," Draco said, scanning the hundreds of doors on the sides. 'She said most of them are occupied with players as well... maybe I could talk to at least some of them.'

"That's true, however, I assume you will die even if you stay here," Sophie answered, then suddenly turned serious. "What level of danger were you faced during your first travel?"

Draco stood silent for a moment, then glanced at the pulsating screen. "C," he answered.

"Oh. That's quite commendable that you survived C level in your first travel." Sophie raised an eyebrow, then continued. "As you probably already know, every mission has its level of danger. It stretches from F-S. The first month after acquiring the ring is the hardest to survive for multiple reasons.

"First. You have an incredible amount of missions during the first month. I had 16 missions during it, for example. Some have less, some more.

"Second. The outer danger. You remember the man in a suit who has visited you, right? He is one of the government officials. They are deplorable people, really. We don't know what do they do with the likes of us, but I genuinely think it's something scary."

Draco looked at Sophie for some time, noting her unique style and purple hair, then he asked. "So, you expect me to spend the rest of my life here, hiding from all those dangers? How are you even going to help me with missions?"

"Don't misunderstand. I don't care about your life," Sophie stated with an unreadable expression. "I have seen many players like you. Those who think that they are better off by themselves, yet die or mysteriously disappear as soon as they leave. We, halo agents, just provide your safety for the first month, but we can't help with the missions. If the players survive, they usually have enough power to resist the government, or at least hide. Sometimes, they join us."

Sophie then turned towards Draco, looking him straight in the eyes. "We also provide safety for their families."

At that moment, Draco's body was overwhelmed with goosebumps. He was so concerned about his current problems, and the mystery covering this screen, that he completely forgot about his family.

How are they doing? Are they even safe? What if these government officials have tried to hurt his family? They managed to find him, after all. Why couldn't they find his family, then?

"I accept. Just please keep my family safe." Draco demanded, meeting Sophie's gaze. "I will stay here for a month, then I will think of what to do next. Just keep my family secure, and let me talk to them at least once."

Sophie smiled. "Sure, I will send the agents right now. I will come back as soon as your family is available to talk."

"Thank you." Draco bowed slightly, thinking everything over in his head. He didn't particularly want to stay here for an entire month, but he was left with no choice. That man in the suit was incredibly dangerous; he even had a gun, and yet he was defeated by Sophie.

Draco very well understood that this "Halo" organization was the only one who could protect his family right now.

"Meals come in every afternoon," Sophie said, before turning around and walking away. She seemed in a hurry.

"Draco. My name is Draco." Draco said, loud enough to reach her ears. There was no reaction from the woman. However, Draco could swear that he noticed a smile on her face.