System Failure

Kinetsa was slowly stepping away from the child.

Under the starry night, the cold intensified, and the wind blew softly, scattering dry leaves along the path. The stars in the sky shone brightly, silent witnesses to that strange moment.

The child's crystal-blue eyes remained fixed on Kinetsa, as if they recognized her from some forgotten point in the past.

The girl's red hair, with a few green strands mixed in, brushed gently against her back. Her luminous eyes sparkled like the very stars above them. Small drops of tears hung at the corners of her eyes, but even holding back the crying, she stood up from the cold ground.

With slow, barefoot steps, she approached Kinetsa even more.

Nina stood there, watching everything, motionless, taken by a mixture of fear and confusion. It wasn't just Kinetsa who felt that discomfort — everyone around carried the same weight: the doubt and the fear of finding a child in a world of death and destruction.

The little girl, wearing a red kimono already worn by time and dirt, didn't hesitate to grab Kinetsa's arms with her small, cold fingers.

The touch made Kinetsa shiver. The cold emanating from the child's body traveled up her entire arm, making her muscles tremble and weaken. Her eyes widened. It was as if, in an instant, a thousand thoughts struck her mind like thunder.

Her black hair floated gently with the wind. The kind look she usually carried started to distort, overtaken by confusion and fear. A strange little girl, in an unknown world, mentioning her brother's name...

So small, the girl lifted her eyes to stare directly into Kinetsa's face, which was stunned.

— Promise me, miss... — the child's voice came out thin and shaky, but without hesitation. — You have to promise... you must... I need to go back to the human world.

Those words made Kinetsa's heart race. How could a normal child be here, in a game that looked more like a nightmare?

Even nervous, even confused, Kinetsa was taken by courage. Slowly, she reached out and slid her fingers through the girl's bicolored hair, trying to calm her down. Her hand trembled.

— What's your name? How do you know my brother? How do you know me?

The child didn't flinch. She seemed comfortable with the touch, despite the cold emanating from her body. Small sobs escaped her lips, still carrying that little face marked by fear.

— I can show you... but first, you have to promise!

That delicate voice sounded like a plea hidden in fragility.

— I promise... but now you need to tell me how you got here and how you know me... and my brother!

The tension in her voice was clear, despite her efforts to remain firm. Her eyebrows trembled from the pressure, her wrists shook, and her heart beat out of rhythm like war drums.

The girl let out a soft sigh, like someone finally finding trust. Her eyes filled with a small bit of joy.

— Okay... my name is Wen!

She smiled slightly, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

Nina slowly approached. The more she looked at the little girl, the more memories of her own daughter struck her like lightning. Tears began to flow, but she quickly wiped them away.

She got closer and, with a gentle, motherly gesture, placed her hands on the girl's head.

— Now you can tell us... how did you get here?

Her voice came out soft, almost like a mother's whisper, though her chest was heavy with longing and pain.

Wen just looked at both of them with a satisfied gaze, full of trust. No more tears. Only serenity.

She closed her fists. A childlike smile appeared on her lips. Kinetsa and Nina focused on the arms Wen had been holding moments before.

And then… Wen's crystal-blue eyes started to shine. It was a beautiful light, but also disturbing, like falling stars drifting slowly downward.

Soon after, Wen's arms also began to emit the same intense blue glow.

— What... what is that? — Kinetsa murmured, widening her eyes at that hypnotic glow.

Then, blue triangular symbols appeared on the palms of the girl's hands.

Before they could react or ask anything, Wen touched Kinetsa and Nina's arms again.

The light exploded around them.

The world spun.

Their consciousness sank into vertigo, as if everything were spinning, everything becoming blurred and distorted...

∆∆∆∆∆∆

In the human world... inside a building...

The suffocating heat of the surrounding crowd made it almost impossible to breathe.

The walls were decorated with bright signs, and in flashy letters it read:

"Welcome to the game. Sign up and win 2 billion dollars!"

Nina and Kinetsa opened their eyes slowly. Their bodies were there, in the middle of the crowd.

They looked at each other, confused, eyes wide. They recognized that building. It was the same place where they had signed up for the game. But... something was wrong.

They couldn't see any known players. No one there was participating in the current game. Everyone was a stranger. And... they looked different.

Among that indistinct crowd, a man stood out: wearing a black cloak, carrying a sword at his waist. It was him... the Samurai of the Frozen Tide.

Nina clenched her fists tightly. She felt like lunging forward but held back. She needed to understand what was happening first.

They were watching... the past.

Those people there... were the first group of players, the group from three years ago. And they were witnessing it all without knowing how.

Kinetsa's body trembled slightly. The fear was clear on her face.

And then, something caught their attention.

Among the adults... Wen.

The girl was walking in circles amid the crowd. But she wasn't the same Wen they had just met. This one seemed younger... three years younger. A three-year-old toddler, walking barefoot on that cold floor, surrounded by indifferent adults.

— Mommy... mommy, where are you?!

Her childish voice cut through both women's hearts like invisible knives.

— I want my mommy! — she cried, desperate, with tears pouring endlessly.

She stopped walking. She stood still, sobbing, letting the tears fall in the same spot.

Nina and Kinetsa took slow steps forward, trying to approach, not understanding why the girl was looking for her mother right there, amid that chaos.

Then, a robotic voice echoed through the speaker:

"Player limit reached. 50 players registered."

Everyone looked around, excited. The game was about to start.

Nina moved forward, trying to reach Wen.

But it was too late.

A blinding white light exploded. The building was engulfed by white energy. A deafening sound took over, followed by absolute emptiness. The people began to disappear one by one, swallowed by the white beam.

∆∆∆∆∆

Back to reality.

They both opened their eyes abruptly, letting go of Wen's arms, panting and frightened by what they had just witnessed.

Kinetsa was the first to speak:

— What did you do to us?!

She breathed deeply, struggling to gather her thoughts.

Wen only smiled. A gentle, almost pure smile, but with something hidden behind it.

— What you saw... was how I got here. But you promised... promised you'd take me back to the human world!

She spoke with childish excitement, but... her crystal-blue eyes glowed too brightly. As if hiding something greater. Something darker.

As if that child... knew more than anyone there could ever imagine.