The Administrator's Game

Lyrasia's body felt weightless, her mind drifting in a peaceful, almost ethereal calm as she lay on her mother's arms.

The soft rhythm of her heartbeat and the warmth surrounding her lulled her back into slumber.

She had barely registered the exhaustion that clung to her like a second skin when her eyelids fluttered shut again.

However, sleep wasn't as kind this time.

Instead of the dreamless oblivion she had expected, she was thrust into a world of blinding white light, a world that felt artificial, distant.

It was as if she had been yanked out of her reality and placed into an environment where even time seemed to stand still.

The world felt digital, like it was made of data, like the very fabric of reality was a simulation.

Confused and disoriented, Lyrasia slowly pushed herself up from the ground or whatever this blank, glowing surface was, and looked around, but there was nothing but pure white stretching endlessly in all directions.

"Hello?" Her voice echoed in the emptiness, but there was no response.

Then, from the blankness, a figure formed. It was a humanoid shape, cloaked in an unidentifiable aura that seemed to shimmer with static energy.

Lyrasia squinted, unsure of what she was seeing. It wasn't human, not exactly. The figure hovered, its form radiating power, a sharp contrast to the serenity of the space around them.

"Who are you?" Lyrasia asked, her tone wary, but curious.

The figure's presence felt unfamiliar, as if it didn't belong in this space.

But its voice was clear, emotionless, and chillingly polite.

"I am the Admin," the figure said in a neutral, almost mechanical tone. "You are the one chosen to assist in bettering the Merlysian Realm."

Merlysian Realm? Chosen? "Wait, what? The Merlysian Realm? I've been sent here to help it?" She frowned, feeling the stirrings of suspicion creep into her mind. "How do I know this is true? Are you just another elitist trying to use me?"

The Admin's form flickered, its image distorting for a brief moment. The voice remained the same, but there was an undeniable sense of something. off. "You have been reincarnated for a purpose," it said, its words deliberate, carrying an aura of finality. "You possess the necessary attributes to fulfill this mission. The Merlysian Realm requires your help."

Lyrasia's skepticism only deepened. "You're not going to exploit me like those corrupted people from my past life, are you? I've been used before, and I'm not keen on repeating that."

For a brief moment, the figure paused, the air around them growing heavy with something unspoken.

Then, to Lyrasia's surprise, the Admin's form began to shift, distorting further.

It crumbled and morphed into the appearance of a little girl, no older than seven or eight. She wore an innocent smile, her eyes red and hair white.

"What the hell?" She rubbed her eyes, unsure whether this was some sort of trick. Was this some kind of joke? "So, now you're a kid? Really? What's going on here?"

"You are free to choose, Lyrasia. But you will soon learn that everything is connected. Even those you cannot see, feel, or understand... they all have a part in your fate."

"Nice try, but I'm not buying it. This whole thing feels like one big set-up. If this was a mission to 'help,' you wouldn't need to pull tricks like these."

Before the little girl could respond, the world around Lyrasia began to shift.

The edges of the blank white space cracked, the very reality of it fracturing as though it were made of glass.

Lyrasia felt herself being pushed backward, her senses spinning, her vision distorting.

"Wait! I'm not—"

But it was too late.

Suddenly, Lyrasia felt the familiar softness of her crib beneath her, the safety of the room she had grown accustomed to.

Her heart raced, the remnants of the dream still fresh in her mind.

She gasped for breath, trying to shake off the disorienting experience. It had all felt so real.

Her head throbbed as she sat up, taking in her surroundings. There was the same room she had woken up in earlier, the soft pastel walls, the warm sunlight filtering through the window.

Everything was normal. Or so it seemed.

Lyrasia rubbed her eyes, trying to process the sudden shift. Had that all been a dream?

Or was it something else?

She glanced around, her senses still heightened from the unsettling conversation with the Admin or whatever it was. It was hard to tell if any of it was real or if it had just been a hallucination, a fevered dream.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Lyrasia's gaze snapped toward the sound.

Her father, Felix, stepped into the room, a big smile on his face.

He had his arms outstretched, holding something close to him.

"Look who I brought home, Lyrasia!" Felix announced cheerfully. He turned toward the figure in his arms, and Lyrasia's jaw dropped.

To her shock, it was the same little girl she had just seen in her dream.

The same mischievous soft smile.

The same bright eyes that seemed to shimmer with something familiar.

"No way," Lyrasia muttered under her breath, rubbing her eyes once again. This couldn't be real.

Felix laughed as he carefully placed the little girl next to Lyrasia in the crib, smiling at her in the way a parent smiles at a child they adore. "Let's welcome your new big sister to the family, Lyrasia! I'm sure you two will get along great."

She looked from the girl to her father, to the soft smile on his face.

It was so normal, so ordinary. But how could it be? Was this just another coincidence? Or was there something more sinister going on behind the scenes?

The girl, now in the crib with Lyrasia, giggled and waved at her. "Hi, little sister. I'm your new sister."

She stared at the little girl, trying to make sense of what was happening.

The Admin had said everything was connected. But what did that mean?

Was she really supposed to believe all of this? Was this some kind of test? Some kind of twisted game?

But there was no time for more questions.

Felix was already doting on the little girl, his back turned as he fussed over her.

And Lyrasia, still reeling from the dreamlike experience, could only watch in stunned silence.