Power of Copy & Paste

After wandering for a while through the quiet, empty streets of the city, Adam finally reached a small house at a street corner. The night had grown deep and silent, and the usual city buzz had faded into a calm stillness.

The entire area was hushed, as if everyone had gone to sleep. Adam paused at the curb and looked up at the house. Its front window was lit warmly, and soft light spilled out into the dark.

He felt a sudden rush of embarrassment and hesitation at the thought of ringing the doorbell.

Before he could reach out to press the doorbell, a voice called out from the side. Adam turned his head and saw a man standing not far away.

It was his friend Eric's father, who had just come home from the office. The man was looking at Adam and the bags Adam was carrying with a concerned expression.

Adam fell silent. He did not speak a word. In his past life, he had experienced moments like these—times when fear made him want to run away from a friend's home. Back then, he had been so scared that he had refused to visit his friend's house.

Now, living alone in the city ever since John had driven him out by his landlord, Adam had no one to truly call his own. He had come to Eric's house in the previous loop as well, and he remembered all too well the uneasy meeting with Eric's father.

Adam had thought that Eric's father might not welcome him staying over for a few days, but just as he had expected before, Eric's father had surprised him by listening to all his troubles and helping him out.

In the past, Adam's stay had brought many problems to Eric's family. John had even begun to target them, which eventually forced Adam to leave and return to his village.

Now, however, Adam only needed a safe place to sleep for one night, and he planned to leave in the morning.

As Eric's father looked at him with worry, he asked softly, "Adam, is everything alright? Why are you here so late with all your bags?" 

Adam looked up at him and managed a small smile. "Oh, no uncle, everything is fine," he said. "I was just heading home, but I missed my train. I did not have time to find another way, so I thought I would stay here tonight at your place."

Hearing Adam's explanation, Eric's father's face broke into a gentle smile.

He placed a reassuring hand on Adam's shoulder and said, "You have done well by coming here. Please, make yourself at home." With that, he led Adam through the door into a warm, inviting hallway.

Inside, the house was modest but cozy. The soft hum of a ceiling fan mixed with the low murmur of a television playing in the background.

The air carried a faint smell of home-cooked food, and the walls were decorated with family photos that exuded warmth and history. Adam felt a mixture of comfort and bittersweet nostalgia.

This was not his home, but it was a safe place compared to the cold streets outside.

After some time, he reached a small sitting area where Eric was waiting. Eric, who had been Adam's close friend since childhood, wore an expression of mild surprise as he saw Adam.

"I didn't think things would get so serious," Eric said quietly. "I mean, I never expected John to be after you like this." His voice held both worry and concern.

Adam smiled softly at his friend, trying to ease his concern. "Don't worry, Eric," he replied with quiet confidence.

"I will take care of everything." Though Adam's tone was light, the fire of determination in his eyes told another story.

He knew deep down that things had become dangerous because of John, but he was determined to stand strong.

Eric, still a bit uneasy, nodded and then said, "If you need anything, just let me know. I'll be in the side room. You should try to get some rest now—you have been through a lot today."

With that, Eric excused himself and left Adam alone in the small room that had been offered as his temporary shelter.

Once Eric had gone, the silence in the room grew thicker. Adam set his bags down on a simple wooden table near the window and sank into a soft, comfortable chair.

He looked around slowly, his mind still reeling from the events of the night. Then his eyes were drawn to something unusual—a small, blue light at the top-right corner of his vision.

It was a circular glow that he had seen ever since he had returned to the past, but he had not paid much attention to it before. Tonight, however, with no one around, his curiosity got the better of him.

He shifted his gaze upward and stared at the ceiling. "What is that?" Adam murmured to himself, his voice soft and filled with wonder.

That blue circle had been a constant, mysterious presence since the day he had awoken in the past, and now, in the quiet of the room, it seemed to demand his attention.

With a mix of apprehension and curiosity, Adam focused on the glowing blue shape. Almost as if in response, the blue light transformed into a small, rectangular window that floated in front of his eyes.

The window was clear and bright, and words began to appear on its surface. Adam blinked several times, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Then a message appeared on the blue window, its text simple and direct:

________________________________________________________________________________

  Congratulations, host! You have returned back in time. 

  Because you have time returned, the system grants you a unique skill. 

  Skill – Copy & Paste.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Adam's heart skipped a beat. He felt a rush of disbelief mixed with excitement. He sat up quickly in the chair, his eyes widening as he read the words again. "Am I dreaming?" he whispered, his voice trembling with uncertainty.

But deep down, Adam knew that strange things had already happened to him before.

The odd events, the unexplained feelings, and the twists in his life had become a part of his reality.

"Well," he said to himself with a small, self-assured smile,

"if I think about it, many strange things have happened to me already. This is just one more mystery to solve."

Adam read the blue window's message over and over again, trying to be sure that he had not made a mistake in his reading.

The words seemed too clear, yet his mind hesitated to fully believe them. Every time he read the message, he felt a mix of hope and wariness. Could it be true that he had been given a new skill? A power that would change everything?

Determined to find out, Adam decided to test the mysterious skill. He looked around his simple room—a small space with a bed, a wooden desk, and a window that showed a sliver of the quiet street outside.

On the desk, among a few scattered items, lay a water bottle. It wasn't much, but it was something he could use for his experiment.

Taking a deep breath, Adam picked up the water bottle. His hands trembled ever so slightly as he held it, his eyes fixed on the blue window that still hovered in his field of vision.

Slowly, he raised the bottle closer to his face and, with a soft, deliberate tone, he spoke the single word: "Copy."

For a long moment, nothing happened. Adam waited, his eyes searching the blue window, his mind racing with possibilities.

Had he spoken the right word? Was there some kind of delay? He looked around the small room, half expecting something to shift or change, but everything remained as it was.

Then, just as Adam began to doubt himself, he noticed something small but significant. In the very corner of his vision—at the top-right where the blue circle had always been—a tiny dot of blue light began to shimmer.

It was as if the dot was acknowledging his command. The soft glow pulsed gently, catching his eye in a way that made his heart skip a beat.

Adam leaned forward, squinting slightly as he tried to focus on the dot. It was small, but unmistakably present.

The dot pulsed rhythmically, and for a few moments, Adam felt as if it were communicating with him in its own silent way.

The atmosphere in the room was quiet and expectant, the only sounds being the soft hum of the fan and his own steady breathing.

He repeated the command again, this time louder and with more conviction: "Copy!" His voice echoed softly in the small space.

Yet, still, nothing visibly happened with the water bottle or his surroundings. Instead, the blue dot on the corner of his vision grew ever so slightly brighter, as if it was taking in his words.

Adam's mind churned with a mixture of wonder and skepticism. Was this the real power he had been granted? The promise of a unique skill—one that allowed him to copy and paste? His heart pounded with the thought of what this might mean.

If he truly had such a power, then perhaps he could change the course of his life. Perhaps he could finally take control of the past and shape his future in a way that was entirely his own.