Error 404: Reality Not Found

The first thing Serenya registered was the smell.Not the sharp, sterile tang of disinfectant she remembered from hospitals, but something gentler like ozone and clean rain, with a faint floral undertone that didn't quite belong. It was comforting in an artificial way, the scent equivalent of a lullaby that didn't know the lyrics.

Her eyelids fluttered. Light streamed in from somewhere, soft but persistent, illuminating the inside of her mind before her body even caught up. Her limbs felt too light. Her thoughts were sluggish. A faint beeping rhythm hummed in the background, soft and regular, like a mechanical heartbeat beside her own.

Heartbeat.

Her eyes shot open.

Serenya sat up so fast her vision split in two. A wave of dizziness punched through her skull, and she clutched her head with a groan. The skin beneath her fingertips met with soft fabric—bandages. Her brow furrowed, the confusion slicing through her panic with cold precision.

Bandages?

Where was the pain in her chest? Where was the numbness, the tightness, the heavy collapse of death?

She looked around.

And then she froze.

This… wasn't a hospital. Or at least, not any hospital she had ever seen.

The walls were smooth and seamless, made of some opalescent material that shimmered faintly with shifting colors pink, blue, soft lavender changing like liquid moonlight depending on where she looked. There were no machines with blinking red lights or tangled cords; instead, a single, translucent panel hovered mid-air beside her bed, projecting her vitals in floating script and animated graphics. The screen pulsed gently with each breath she took.

The bed she lay in molded perfectly to her shape too perfectly. It wasn't metal or fabric or anything she could name, but it felt warm and pliant under her skin, like memory foam kissed by science fiction. Even the blanket wrapped around her was unlike anything from her world, light as air yet warm, with a subtle floral pattern that shifted whenever she blinked.

A large circular window stretched from floor to ceiling on the far wall, offering a view of a city that shimmered with impossible geometry. Buildings floated. Lights danced in the sky. Roads curled like ribbons, suspended in the air, with vehicles that didn't touch the ground but glided silently, effortlessly.

This wasn't Earth.

This wasn't home.

She stared at her hands, willing herself to breathe, willing her mind to slow down.

Before she could spiral further, the door to her left slid open with a soft hiss, revealing someone entering the room.

A woman stepped inside, wearing what could only be described as the futuristic evolution of a nurse's uniform. It was sleek and pale blue, with glowing threadlines tracing the contours like veins of light. Her eyes were warm silver, her hair a glossy shade of coral-pink tied into a high ponytail that flowed like water. She held a glowing clipboard in one hand and a soft smile on her lips.

"Ah, you're awake," she said gently. Her voice had a musical quality, melodic but grounded, like a chime that knew how to carry weight. "How are you feeling? The doctor said you might be disoriented after the head trauma."

Serenya blinked.

"Head trauma?" she echoed, her voice raspier than she expected. "No, no, wait there must be a mistake. I… I had a heart attack. I collapsed. At a concert."

The nurse tilted her head. "Concert?"

"I was going to meet Asher Nyx," Serenya continued, her voice rising. "I was there. I saw him. They picked me. The stage, the lights my heart it stopped. I know it did."

The woman frowned slightly and stepped closer, placing the clipboard on a shelf that retracted seamlessly into the wall. "You were found unconscious outside the East Plaza. A head injury. No signs of cardiac trauma, I assure you. You've been in recovery at Orialis Medical Sector Nine for two days."

"…Orialis?" Serenya repeated.

"Yes." The nurse's brow furrowed. "You don't recognize the name? Or the city?"

"No. What city?" Serenya's voice cracked. "What country? What planet?!"

The nurse's frown deepened. "You may be experiencing memory fragmentation. I'll call the doctor immediately." She tapped something on her wrist and the panel on the wall blinked, flashing new data.

"I'll return shortly," the nurse added, already stepping toward the door.

"Wait!" Serenya called, but the door had already hissed shut behind her.

She was alone again.

And the silence hit harder this time.

She stared at the space the nurse had occupied just seconds before, her mind whirling in directions that made no sense. "Orialis Medical Sector Nine"? No cardiac trauma? A head injury?

Serenya reached up and touched the bandage again. It felt real. Too real.

She took a deep breath and turned her attention to the room. If she was stuck here, she might as well figure out where "here" was.

The room was eerily beautiful in a sci-fi dreamscape sort of way. There were no sharp corners, no harsh lighting. Everything was curved and soft and glowing—like the world had been designed by someone obsessed with comfort and aesthetics. Even the air felt cleaner. Lighter.

The hovering screen beside her changed color every few seconds, showing her heart rate, brainwave activity, and a strange symbol she didn't recognize—three stars in a circular orbit around a spinning microphone.

She squinted.

Then the headache came.

Not sudden or sharp, but slow and rising, like a radio frequency building behind her eyes. She grabbed her temples and groaned.

The panel flickered.

Then words appeared.

[System Initialization – Star System loading…]

Her stomach dropped.

[15%…]

"What the hell is this?" she whispered.

[42%…]

The air in the room thickened. Time seemed to slow, not in a dramatic cinematic way, but subtly like the world was holding its breath.

[76%…]

The screen flashed gold.

[100% – Star System successfully linked to Host Serenya Vale]

Everything around her stilled.

Utter silence.

Then, without warning, confetti exploded in mid-air. Gold, silver, pink. It rained from nowhere, glittering down like the universe had just thrown a surprise party for one.

A cheerful digital voice boomed through her mind, but not in the room. No speakers moved. No lights blinked. It came from inside.

[WELCOME TO YOUR NEW WORLD, SERENYA VALE!]

She blinked.

"What the—"

[Congratulations! You've been selected as the Host of the exclusive STAR SYSTEM, the number one interdimensional stardom integration program!]

"No. Absolutely not. Shut up."

[Your journey to the top begins now! Build your fanbase! Win auditions! Outshine your rivals! Experience fame, heartbreak, and glory like never before!]

"SHUT UP!"

[System detects emotional instability. Would you like a calming song?]

Serenya stood, ignoring the dizzy spell that followed. "Listen, you glitchy voice in my head whatever this is, I didn't sign up for it. I didn't agree to ANY of this!"

[Consent is not required in cross-dimensional resurrection events.]

She stared at the ceiling. "Resur—are you telling me I DIED?!"

[Affirmative. Cardiac failure detected. Vital functions ceased for 4 minutes and 16 seconds before interdimensional extraction.]

Her jaw dropped.

Her hands balled into fists.

"And you just just what, brought me here like I'm some fantasy anime heroine with a sparkle filter?! I didn't even get to meet Asher, you robotic asshole!"

[Please refrain from hostile language toward your system guide.]

She raised both hands.

And flipped the system off.

Double middle fingers. Full glare. No regrets.

"There. Consider that my formal review."

[Rude gestures recorded. Mood: defiant. Personality tag: volatile.]

"I don't care what you record! Send me back. I want to go home. I want my world, my friends, my concert—"

[Return is impossible. Your previous body was compromised. Timeline has moved on.]

She stared, frozen.

"You mean… I can't go back? Ever?"

[Affirmative.]

A lump rose in her throat. She bit it back, swallowed hard, and sat heavily on the edge of the bed.

Silence.

[But you can become what you always dreamed of.]

She didn't respond.

[Serenya Vale… would you like to become a star, just like your precious Asher Nyx?]

The question hovered in the air, burning and electric, as the digital confetti slowly faded around her.