C6: Five years later
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1 km beneath the waves off the coast of Australia
"Pressure, temperature stable, current not too strong and the place is vacant, the location is clear , we can dock now. I am bored of this underwater adventure and deadlines won't met themselves boys!"
Ordered a shabby-looking blonde lady, wearing a lab coat over her wrinkled shirt and slippers on her feet, to her subordinates. She and her team was operating a government submarine to get into the East dock of the Sphere Complex, a giant construct with the radius spanning 100 km and littered with small dome paneled with pressure-resistant glass 7-inches thick allowing for human activities. Aside from the two dock North and West opening for the those willing to pay for the luxury of living under the sea, viewing the world from below, the other two docks were for researchers, scientists and government VIPs to come and do their things.
The woman, Sheila Wood, was responsible for a top secret project down there, receiving sponsorships around the world for a chance of utilizing her responsibility, the Oracle. After setting foot on the metallic surface of the East Dock, Sheila and her team quickly entered Sphere 67, carrying a black suitcase with copper linings. On her way to the elevator, one of her fellow researcher, Gary Ornst, intercept her.
"Why the hurry, Sheila? What about some time off for your team? They look like zombies and they really need some entertainment. I have got with me some booze, want some? "
Eyeing one of the outreaching hands behind her, Sheila tiredly said.
" Get out of my way, Gary. The board is calling me in to discuss about it. I have a feeling that the encounter won't go down well. I must hurry up. "
" It, so he was correct after all. You mad woman, did you really get your hand on that thing? How much did it cost? No, the right question is how much effort was spent in getting it? Did the ...."
" Later, Gary, and called all your contacts. A bidding is coming up, I can feel it. "
Leaving the conversation behind, she got into the just- arrived elevator and pressed the " Administration" button. The door closed behind her, and she waited, listening to the repetitive elevator music and organizing the benefits and cons to convince the board.
With a dull "Tink", the door opened up, revealing a long hall filled with art pieces and sculptures and she walked down. Despite not knowing their original creators, Sheila was sure that they were expensive, more than her meager wage could ever afford. The floor was tiled with oiled woods and a red luxurious carpet lie contently on top. At the end of the place stood a pair of oak doors with intricate engravings and golden decorations, flaunting its exorbitant price and the mindset of the members of the board.
Sheila took a deep breath before pushing open the door, entering a conference room with 12 seats encircling a sleek, modern chair. She never really understood the court room appearance of the place, and she wasn't paid enough to care. But just as she was about to sit down, a voice came from behind.
" Miss Sheila, too busy for a simple hello? "
Startled, she whipped around before her eyes landed on a muscular man wearing the lion's mask. In the board, to ensure every participant's privacy and aces, a mask rule was set in place, only allowing someone to be called by the mask. But only then were they willing to meet digitally through the hologram system installed here. As the result, it was a surprise for Sheila to witness an anomaly, a board member in the flesh.
" Ah Mr. Lion, I apologize for my careless behavior. I was surprised by your presence here. I would like to inquire why you are here. We didn't stray from the tasks given so it is a surprise for us to have someone as prestigious as you here with us. "
" Just drop the formality, I am having a vacation here so I just visit
to check with my two eyes. "
" Can I ask you a question, Mr. Lion?"
"Go on."
" Why was I called here as soon as I set foot in the submarine? "
" The matter concerns what you got from the Anericans, Sheila Wood. "
An elderly voice rang out behind her. Turning back, she saw an elephant mask sitting on one of the thrones. Before she could response, more masks appeared and after a few seconds, the 12 seats were filled. The elephant mask took control and started the meeting.
"Silence! We are here to discuss what Ms. Sheila has brought back. Can you please tell us of the item you retrieved? "
Sheila steeled up, and started explaining.
" Inside this suitcase contain the code, the core of the Homunculus project from the Stellar Lab of Balam Industry. With the purpose as a self-developing, self-governed AI aimed to undertake any jobs in dangerous zones, this model boosts extreme efficiency and evolutionary traits. To sum it up, a top-of-the-cream AI. I recommend using this model to improve the Oracle's speed, data and energy waste. This can reduce the bloated budget of the project while maintain its computational power. And the allocated usage time of the supercomputer can be increased, isn't it something all of you want before pouring money into it?"
Hearing the proposal, the board erupted into electronics chatter, and after a few minutes, they all reached a consensus.
" We approve the utilization of the AI. It shall be placed under your management. You have got 2 months, prove to us through the collected data that the AI does its jobs, and we will be looking forward to its wide-scale usage across the Complex.
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In a sea made out of countless semi-transparent pillars with particle of different sizes and colors connecting the green, matrix sky and a scratchless metallic surface, a man woke up, dumbfounded by the scenario. He pondered about what little memory he could remember. Kevin, it was his name and his death, run over in a car accident while trying to save a young girl. After remembering his identity, Kevin looked around, seeing those flux of something flowing, like a heavenly waterfalls from the gods. Curiously, Kevin approached one and pushed a finger into a nearby pillars. Immediately, his head was filled with countless codes and numbers, leading to major migraines and headaches.
" Influx of 10438 stocks of Avere sold, total $54799.5 . Mitsubishi stock fell from ¥2067 Y to ¥1985 . Current trade volume of USA stabled around $10.2 trillion. ..."
His brain felt like an overfilled balloon on the edge of bursting. The pressure, despite only existed in his consciousness, was felt across his entire being. Ever fiber of his 'self' strained under the load and they almost buckled, ready to drive him mad. Taking a few imaginary breaths to calm down, Kevin could feel that he had lost something, but he ignored it. He could then confidently say that he hated the experience. Looking around, as a science fiction fan and brainless novels, he didn't take long before making a guess.
" Reincarnation, into the digital world. How? "
A blue panel opened up before him after that line of thought, rendering him speechless. A commonly seen Status box in video games now so out-of-place in the real world, or his real world. Bewilderment filled Kevin's heart.
" A... A system?! Why now??? Let me back! My computer, its history has not been deleted. My meeting with her parents, my promotion party ..."
[ Tink! A reward has been sent to your mail box, please check your inventory!]
A mechanical sound rang out beside him, urging him to check out someone's, most likely some deity's gift. But first, Kevin had to check his status.
" Just the usual, Stats points distributing between the 5 stats, other stats locked behind special requirement. "
But then, Kevin's eyes opened wide in amazement at a strange stat in the long list, igniting his curiosity and passion.
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Outside, in the monitoring room
An atmosphere of anticipation filled the room. The team awaited for the data to finished being transferred and for the AI model to run.
Sheila, of course, remained the most impatient as her life hung on the result.7 minutes passed in her agony, and as soon as the progress bar reached 100 percent. She closely observed the working data, waiting for the improved efficiency to kick in.
A few seconds was enough for the simultaneous drop in energy usage, data storage and many more. The model was a success, Sheila breathed a sigh of relief and started writing a report to send to her higher- ups. The team celebrated as their budget could be increased and utilized for their personal research. In the midst of joy, no one noticed that one of the screen, a mechanical hand with an eye in the middle opened up and glanced briefly before disappearing into the sea of data.
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Somewhere in Japan, in a Starpuck
"The usual boss, make it quick."
Giran stood at the front of the line, ordering a cup of iced latte, away. He was preparing himself for the coming workday by checking out a coffee shop 10 minutes away from his office.
Whilst browsing the Internet through his jailbroken Detnerat phone, Giran received a phone call from his lieutenant. Not thinking much of the matter, he picked up the call and asked nonchalantly.
"Kiro, you fucker, it has only been 12 minutes. Why calling now? Any problem arise?"
What met Giran was a silence, strange for the lieutenant he knew of (a chatterbox usually, but straightforward and serious when it's business). Waiting for a few seconds, without any response from the other side, he was thinking the call was just an accident when a voice of a small girl went through.
"Giran-san, we are waiting inside your office, please come back quickly from your coffee break. We get something to talk with you. "
A sense of unease went up his spine as he knew that his underlings had fallen. Giran paid for the coffee with one of the many counterfeit bills from his worn-out wallet and ran hastily out of the shop and toward the direction of his office, wishing this was a small accident.
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In the office
This was not a small accident. He rushed back as fast as his body could afford. The meeting was ... an eye opener for Giran to say the least. He was scared and fearful for his life, and rightfully so. When he came back, bodies littered the blood-soaked hall with sections of decaying flesh and growing tumors, hair and teeth. The masses still moved and Giran swore he could see their pupils eyeing him. Getting into the place he daily used now felt so unnerving, and Giran forcefully kicked the door to the sides and there he saw it. A young girl, with bushy bluish-grey hair and a dark T-shirt, sat on the sofa while playing Jenga with 10-cm sticks.
Walking up, he tried asking the intruder, questioning how she got in here before being told.
"Sit on the opposite side. My brother has gone to the bathroom, he will come back and we can start talking. "
Not having a combatworthy quirk and seeing the carnage behind, Giran followed the girl's order and sat down, pondering the intention of the one approaching of him in such violent manner. After a few minutes of dead air, a cheerful, a bit apologetic voice of a boy came from the hall.
" Sorry sis, I got lost on the way, thanks for keeping watch."
" Get in here quickly, the man dad asked for is already here"
The girl threw a nod at Giran, and he could feel a pair of predatory red eyes staring straight at him. He was not a man who would play in another's hand, so he met the gaze back. A handsome abeit a bit fat face, the same shabby hair as the girl. He was wearing an expensive suit and carrying himself with confidence, almost to the extent of arrogance. The boy sat down on the opposite, pushed his sister to the side, picking up a piece of toffee from the table and tried it before swallowing while not forgot to exclaimed how sweet it was.
" Ahem, My apology, Giran-san, my sister and I need to have a talk with you but your guards were quite unruly. So we have taken their offer up and have a discussion with them. Is that all right? "
Giran, now less afraid since knowing that the pair needed him for something, something that only an informant at his caliber could provide or his acquaintances could.
" Of course, of course! I am willing to listen. What are your names? It can be difficult to talk without knowing each other. "
" You can just call me Shigaraki, and her, just Mendel is fine. "
"Fine then, now what do you want with a man like me, Shiragaki-san and Mendel-san? "
"Giran-san , our father wishes to purchase your service and your allegiance. You have the right to refuse, of course, but he may be a bit angry at you. So, what is your decision? "
" I will come with you. You do not need to surveil me that much. How can I meet your father then? "
"Here, take my hands, you too Mendel. "
Giran took Shigaraki's hand immediately, and Mendel grabbed his hand tight. Checking both hands were held tight and steady, Shigaraki advised.
"Hold you breaths! "
Before Giran knew it, he was enveloped by a grey sandy matter. The sand almost choke him before receded, showing that they were in a dark dusty room with TVs adorned the walls and in the middle of the room, a man, wearing a dark metallic mask and connected to machinery appeared to be life supports, sat on a wheelchair and stared at him. Giran could feel the overwhelming presence behind the eyes, he straightened up and walked near the disabled man.
" Welcome to the party, Kagerou Okuta, so you decided to join us for today's meal. Please have a seat. "
Having no idea who the man was, Giran, no, Okuta was going to speak up when he felt the wall in front of him opening up, showcasing a luxurious dining long table like the one in European castles.
Uncomfortably setting his butt down, Okuta asked.
"Who are you? And how may I support your endeavor? "
"So polite, so polite. My name, you must have know it in your mind already, right? Okuta? I am one of the forgotten terrors this world has faced, maybe this simple action is enough for you to recognize me."
From the man's 5 fingertips burst different matters simultaneously.
Seeing the scene, the color drained from Okuta face. He knew the man, or rather his record. He who had gained control over both the underbelly of the world and the zenith of society. He who had been so powerful that All Might had to flee to America to avoid his eyes. And he who had confronted Okuta, driving him into a corner, binding his hands. Knowing all of that, Okuta still could not help but utter.
"Multi-quirks, no. Impossible! I heard that All Might already kill you. How? "
"The questions do not hold any meaning when they come to me, as the world bends itself around me, the government groveling at my feet, and death "
A brief silence passed, the man looked nostalgic and then he continued.
"For I am All For One! "
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On I-Island, in a particular dorm room
A Caucasian girl was reading papers packed in a stack on her desk when her dorm's door was opened suddenly.
"Melissaaaaaaaaaaaa! "
"Dad, you are so noisy. Can you keep it down? "
With a little bit of sheepishness, the intruder, David Shield, apologized.
"Hee hee, sorry for that noise, today is your birthday and I figured a gift would be suitable. Anything you want, I can get one for you. Remember, only one. "
"What about the moon? I wonder if you would really steal it as many of you Did mom ask you to do it? "
Hearing question, David could only sighed at his daughter's version of a joke.
"Like mother like daughter."
He knew that she meant no harm and that she found the idea truly hilariois, but to ask that out of left field...
"They are so so similar"
When she was compared with the wife in his memories, he almost believed that the odd personality, the crude joke and a sense of distance from anyone could really be hereditary. She was that way since the beginning, but mellowed out as they went on more dates. She even allowed him a lap pillow in front of others when they were in an amusement park back in the US. That was a fun tim indeed.
"Ha ha, yes she did, she did ask for the Moon once, but she later changed it to another more feasible gift, a dinner by the riverside, that was our 3rd anniversary without you in the picture and ... "
" Dad, let's just go. Listening to you will take a decade and I will become an Irish farmer in the famine. Aren't you hungry yet?"
Surprised at his daughter's willingness to tag along with his offer, David started wondering whether this was just a robot and she was elsewhere doing her things. A look of amazement urged Melissa to talk more.
"I at least know how to joke too, Dad. Stop being shocked and wasting our time! ?
They then both prepared their clothes before getting in a autonomous vehicle Edison, chatting about small things in their daily life. The journey was peaceful and Melissa wished the scene could remain the same years later.
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Nevada, USA
" Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Leave me fucking alone! "
Shouted a boy, running from a bunch of dogs chasing relentlessly. His face filled with terrors and his breath labored. Any passerby would have pity the boy and called a hero nearby but unlucky for him, he was in the sparse outer circle of the town. The boy grunted and cursed, with sweats falling like rain, moving his legs as fast and striding as far as possible to avoid a bite in his jeans and another rabies vaccine. Experienced as he was with the chase, the boy took lefts and rights turns without hesitation, but the pursuit never ended. The dogs chased the boy to the vicinity his home and with how eager his mother was in chasing away the animals ( he hated when he had pissed her off) , he had to jump the fence into the back garden and headed straight to the closest peach tree.
" What the fuck did I even do to you guys?! I just ran by!"
Exclaimed the boy while struggling to climb up the tree, fearing for his pants and mother's scolding. He then hid among leaves away from the dogs' gazes, limited his breathing to the minimum and stayed still. 15 minutes of fruitless attempts of getting onto the tree passed, and the dogs just barked at him a few more times before running away at the sound of the backyard door opening.
"Why are you up there kid?! Get down! I almost shot you into Swiss cheese! "
" Thanks Mr. Smithson, you really got my back there. Can I come in to wash my face? You know how strict my mom is. "
" Just get in. Sam! Get down here. Little Alex needs to borrow your T-shirt and a towel. He looked as if he have rolled through a tar pit. "
" Little Alex comes over?! Did he get chased by the dogs again? Tell him to wait and stay still!"
Running noises could be heard from above, and a teenage girl appeared at the top of the staircases, carrying with her a blue, oversized T-shirt and a fresh towel.
Samantha, the girl, threw Alex what she carried and started bickering with her father.
Ignoring the tensioned atmosphere behind, Alex ran up stairs, into the bathroom and started stripping. His body was marred with wounds, not from abusive family, but rather from the pure number of accidents and fights he had gotten into. The sting of water flowing on his skin had grown familiar and he could feel the aching leg muscles now finally able to relax. One good thing that had come out from all of this was that at least he was fit from all the running and dodging.
" 3 incidents today, at least my record is good after all of that. "
Despite the numerous fights and accident he got into, he got away due to him being just a bystander being dragged into the center and he didn't actively participate in any of those, only dodging and running.
After getting out with a new cleaner look, Alex rejected the offer for dinner at his neighbor's house and ran back to his house.
" Took you long enough. Take the plates to the table for me. "
His grandmother ordered at the sight of him. Sighing in resignation, he follwed the command like a soilder to their superior, and after an hour of meal time and 2 hours of homework, Alex fell on top of his bed, head on the soft pillows while eyes gazed outside up to the night sky. He did want to call his oversea mother, but she said the last time they had been on the phone that she would become burdened with too many projects in coastal Australia and would not be able to answer him due to exhaustion. He wished that he could become brave enough to go there and help her, but at last, a kid in primary school could do no such thing. He could only give superficial compliments and wishes. Thinking for a bit, he tapped on the bed lamp button and the night rushed in like a tsunami, plunging everything in darkness. The moon became the only lighthouse amidst the turbulent ocean that try to submerge anyone witnessing it.
" Why do so many people became angry and fought around me? I didn't do anything and I am quirkless!"
The young boy pondered before falling into Morpheous' embrace. The moon stayed above him, ever watching, ever seeing.
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Dinner time at a certain household
" Nii-san, you are on the news! "
The TV was showing the scene of a hero, whose armor consisted of light armors around his body and flexible joints for elbows and knees, saving a middle-aged woman from a bulky man stealing her purse l. The criminal was pushed out by rocket-powered arms and stalled by his sidekicks. The captured man grew angry and started thrashing around, trying to drag the fight to another area. Seeing the unruly man and his despicable behavior, the hero Ingenium finished the whole thing by giving the villain a quick punch in the solar plexus, rendering him unconscious on the sidewalk. He then asked his sidekick to apprehend the man before running off to another location.
A young Ida Tenya shouted whilst pulling his brother's legs, the Ingenium's legs. The hero, Ida Tensei, knowing that his brother's antics stemmed from a sense of admirance, urged Tenya to finish his meal, so as to grow up fight and protect the civilians together with him.
" Yes nii-chan. I will eat all the vegies and grow up just as strong as you! "
Turning away from the persuadable brother, Tensei turned to look at the more problematic kid, his sister.
" You haven't even touch your food, what is on your mind Temari? The food has already gone cold? "
Ida interrupted. His face covered with yellow eagerness to become stronger and side with his favorite Here and also his brother.
" Can I have her plate too? "
His parents also chimed in, suggesting the same thing as Tensei.
" Temari, eat your food now. The rice has already become soggy. "
A girl, the same age as Ida Tensei, her dazed eyes suddenly refocused, recognized the situation. She offered a curt apology, picked up her spoon and started feeding herself .
" Sorry. "
Hearing how different their sons and daughter had responded and seeing how they were so different in temperaments, the father temporarily thought Temari was due to hospital mistake, but he quickly erased that thought as he looked at her. Engine exhausts grew out from her calves, the same way as his sons and father but in a more robust manner, and that face, that face resembled her mother so much that they were often referred to as a pair of sister. ( He felt lucky that his wife remained youthful and healthy). While one remained hot and affectionate, the other, he would dare not say in front of his wife for her scolding really scared him, was really cold, calculating, and scary, in the sense of recognizing something unusual and cannot shake the image off. Nevertheless, she remained his daughter despite how different she was from other family members of the Ida household.
After dinner
" Are you reading your boring books again Temari? "
Tenya asked, looking at the pile of books on his sister's study desk. The titles eluded his grasp, with words he had a meager understanding from the school books. From " Basic Economy In The New Era" to " Basic Understanding: Regulations In Transportation And Tourism" and "Stock Market For Idiots", their content as dry as sand and their thickness comparable to pillows, the books lied half-opened with highlighted words across the pages. Tenya remembered asking why Temari read such sleep-inducing books, she answered in a strangely adult voice.
" What runs the world is not heroes and police. The ruling authority do so through the use of laws. Knowing what to avoid and how to avoid will save my skin."
" I don't believe you, heroes are strong and cool and they save people and they help others and ... . So they run the world!"
" Just my opinion. "
The conversation ended there, leaving Tenya clueless on his sister's thought. But that was because he hadn't sensed Temari's gaze on him, an emotionless look as if watching a puppet controlled by others, and her soft mutter.
" Maybe you are right, Tenya, power sometimes does indeed govern. "
She then tore a blank page from her notebook and started scribbling, sometimes stopped to think then began writing again. What was written, remained know only to the girl, but taking a peek from behind, one could see a silent declaration, not only to herself, but to the world .
" Goal: Never get caught. "
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China, Information and Prediction Department ( IPD)
One of the secret department reporting directly to the president, aiding the decision-making process and future planning of the Party and its Leader. Due to its secretive nature, the location chosen for the department was in a remote flatland with bushes scattered around. The place was large, spanning a km square. It consisted of a building complex for quirk research and their applications in future predictions and chronotech.
In the place's center, a room filled with experts and personnel who possesed chronoquirks from minor to average strength ( slowing down time, freezing an object's time, remove perception of time, etc.), they were having an emergency meeting to discuss the worrying results they had just found.
"为什么结果变成空白?昨天还好好的,还显示3年后的未来." ( why is the result returning blank? Yesterday it was fine and still showed the future 3 years from now. )
"我不知道.也许数据纯度太低了?" (I don't know. Maybe the data purity is too low?)
" 你指责我的团队就是自寻死路.数据可能会被你们这些混蛋操纵." (you are courting death by blaming my team. The data could be manipulated by you motherfuckers. )
Countless allegations and countless curses were thrown around , but at the end of the day, the issue remained. The future had strayed from the foreseen path and remained opaque.
The Head Management of the place, Xingguan Xing, massaged his wrinkled temples and puffed out a smoke ring. He was thinking on how to break the news to the top dogs of the government without being exiled or losing his life in a " suicide".
" 我是不是应该逃跑?不,猎犬会立刻抓住我.我还可以做什么?我的侄女还在上高中,只要她留在这个腐烂的国家,她就会成为人质." (Should I just run away? No, the Hounds will catch me immediately. What else can I do?
My niece is still in high school, a hostage as long as she remains in this rotten country? )
He hesitated in his thoughts for a long time but in reality, only a few minutes had passed. He stood up, silencing the crowded room, and proposing something shocking.
"我们已经是10年的同志了,我信任你们所有人,反之亦然.这条路会走向死亡,不仅会走向你,还会走向你所有亲人的死亡.我提出一个拯救我们自己和他们的计划." ( We have been comrades for 10 years, I have trust in all of you and vice versa. What this path will tread to is death, not only to you but all of your loved ones. I propose a plan to save ourselves and them. )
With all eyes and ears now on him, the middle-aged Director said mere two words.
"恶棍攻击" ( Villain attack)
The silence lasted for a brief second before all thing broke loose. People were discussing the feasibility of the plan, the methodology and the repercussions for failing. Some hands shot up, the owners, after talking with their group of interest, asked fundamental questions.
" 我们还能欺骗他们的眼睛和鼻子多久?"
(How long can we deceive their eyes and noses? )
"我们应该把这次袭击归咎于哪个团体?" (which group do we blame the attack on? )
" 之后我们做什么?" ( What do we do afterward? )
Xingguan Xing answered with no hesitation.
" 一周,我们给上级提供的最新未来报告将在下周之前使用.我们必须在那之前准备好一切. 我还在想,但破坏力越大越好.也许是中国统一阵线的黑暗凤凰.仍有待讨论. 我们会假装死亡,躲在. 边境城市 每个人都会先逃到另一个国家,然后再飞 往美国 我们稍后会在纽约重新集结."
( " A week, the latest future report we provided for the higher-ups will be used by next week. We must prepare everything before that time.
I am still thinking, but the more destructive the better. Maybe the Dark Phoenix of the United China Front. Still open to discussion.
We will fake our death and hide in border cities. Everyone will escape to another country first before flying to America. We will regroup later in New York." )
" 如果被抓了,你可以把我卖掉.但以后,请替我照顾一下我的侄女,可以吗?"
( If captured, feel free to sell me out. But afterward, take care of my niece for me, can you? )
Everyone nodded, agreeing to the old man's wish. The meeting went on longer, tackling the details. A researcher nicknamed Rabbit, went back to his dorm, start packing essentials before putting in a picture of his sister and him 2 years ago.
" 所以它再次发生,我会非常想念你"
[ So it happens again ( happened), I will (would) miss you dearly, sis]
A Week Later
On the newspaper, a title could be seen.
< Dry season wildfire burned down a large area of regrow forest north of Xian. Is this an effect of GLOBAL WARMING?>
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Midnight, somewhere in the mountains
The sky had already turned cloudy from the evening rain. The air stank with moistures and earthy smells and the road stayed slippery and puddled. On one particular section of a 2-lane road in a mountainous region, one could see charred rubber marks on the road leading to a broken-through road barriers. The situation was clear, an accident due to slippery road. Dropping 20 meters below, a burning car could be seen. But strangely, all of the victims, a pair of parents and a young boy lied away from the flame, away from the risk of explosions.
Looking closer, one could see a pair of red eyes staring at the barricade, a gaze filled with contempt and a tinge of sadness. Jumping down and approaching the being, the girl, Ina Minaru came into sight. Her hair dishelved and her skin bloody. Her clothes charred and holed, with bloodstains covering a majority. In her bruised right hand, a phone dialing the emergency service number. The place was remote, and they would take at least 20 minutes before getting there, between an ambulance or a hero, Ina really wished a hero would come to carry her parents and brother up.
Not her. She had already signed a deal with a devil, entrusting her future in the grasp of a heavenly mechanism. A system. The space above her right middle finger would remain simply air but in her eyes, showcasing a simple question, a question she had a definite answer to.
[ Would Host accept this System?]
[ Yes/No]
[Reward: 3 Healing Liquid Vial (Enough for a dive off a cliff)]
"Yes"
And then, space was filled with an ominous red, coating everything like a layer of skin.