Endros Forest Awakening
[Author's Note]: "I split this into two parts for easier reading. No content was removed.
In thought, or perhaps a void between unknowable realities, a translucent form drifted languidly like a still buoy in a calm sea, reflected through the cold, repeated impact of cosmic currents.
It was as if he was moving through an infinite cycle and endless slumber, his body a part of space.
His heart felt too many stars to name, yet too few to forget. A black meteor loomed at the center, amidst countless smaller meteors breaking apart.
Only one emitted a flashing green light. It drew him like a magnet. His arm moved uncontrollably, reaching out without hesitation.
Tears fell for no reason, drying and scabbing instantly. His body twisted and melted, disintegrating before reassembling into shifting memories.
Before plunging deep into a realm of emotions that could not be described in words….
And
At the far reaches of the universe, on the lush green planet known as Endros, in the heart of a dense rainforest, smoke billowed above ancient, towering pines. Birds fluttered from nests destroyed by the impact.
The Stella spacecraft slid, deeply embedded, through tree trunks. Squirrels scurried up branches. Herds of star deer galloped, shaking the ground and raising dust.
Sharp, crackling sounds like laser guns mixed with the hissing of a hose whipping like a snake over the wreckage. Lime green flames licked and swirled, sending hot air through the atmosphere.
A flickering shadow reflected on the metal side of the spacecraft. [STELLA SPACE] The golden yellow letters, like a beacon of hope, glowed with a faint red light, blinking through the deep crevices of the craft.
Inside the black box, threads of light projected from beneath, weaving muscles into the air. Each movement was steady and precise, no different from meticulously crafted needlework. A human form slowly appeared. It was as if someone was pulling an invisible cloak from a lifeless body.
[System: Initiating owner test mission. Commencing awakening of simulated body.]
The black box rested still against his chest, emitting an electric shock that made his body convulse like a CTR machine.
His eyelids flickered open and closed like stiff hinges. A pale, grayish-skinned boy, about seventeen or eighteen, lay motionless on the shiny spacecraft floor, which began to radiate intense heat onto his skin.
His heartbeat began as a soft, low rhythm, then gradually quickened. The gray skin started to show flesh tones, spreading like ripples in water.
Those eyes slowly opened… after decades of deep slumber.
That moment… was not just a beginning, but destiny itself, like an owner's test. And the universe spoke of this event as its beginning…of the end. From the words of an anonymous person.
A chill spread across his back before panic gripped the naked boy. The smell of smoke stung his nose. A thought occurred to him, and he tried to move.
'Where am I?' He tried to gasp, but no sound came out. It was as if the words in his head were like a mute person without language, coupled with a strange pressure on his chest that made it hard to breathe. And then…
All his memories, they were gone. When he traced his thoughts, it felt like a giant hand was gripping his temples, making his veins stand out. He swallowed hard, trying to grasp the little bit of consciousness he had left.
The temperature in the room began to warm up every moment. Although he wanted to run, his body was now stiff as a stone. All he could do was move his dull eyes, peeking through the hair covering his face.
His gaze fixed on a black box that had stopped moving, perfectly level with his face. A green light blinked rapidly, like a computer system processing intensely, washing over his face, moving from the bridge of his nose to his chin.
{Initiating scan to identify Black Box ownership.}
A woman's voice rang out clearly, as if whispering close to his ear. It was beautiful yet cold, polite like a professional officer, yet the end of her voice trembled slightly.
{Ownership successfully identified. Welcome to Endros. Please name the avatar.}
Her voice, soft, echoed in his head. Thanwa blinked, his heart pounding with a strange feeling. The voice repeated itself. He tried to calm himself.
The current situation shouldn't just be about a name, but the smell of smoke and the room starting to feel like an oven were becoming concerning. Any name would do now, but he had to get out of here first.
{Understood. Proceeding with the command "any name". The box owner has been identified as Thanwa.}
Suddenly, a "ding" notification sounded deep in his ear, accompanied by a circular symbol, likely confirming ownership. But what was more surprising was that she could read his thoughts.
{Welcome back, Thanwa.}
Her voice whispered softly, like an interference signal for a fraction of a second. She trembled with hope, blinking a faint blue light. His fingers began to twitch, and his fingertips started to feel the atmosphere.
The roar of metal echoed loudly. We have to find a way out of here. He surveyed his surroundings, trying to keep his nervousness in check.
A holographic pop-up appeared in the air. He wasn't surprised, as if he was already used to it, and swiped left to see the crafting bar, which currently only allowed basic items to be crafted. Thanwa looked at the status numbers, which were probably calculated mainly from his basic body mass. For him, everything was normal, except for his agility, which was slightly higher than the others.
After exploring, most of what he found were only fragments of materials that could be stored in the black box by touching them and thinking of storing them. The disadvantage was that he had to touch them directly and could not put large items like the spaceship inside. But the best thing was probably the scanning system, which could find items within a range of no more than ten meters.
He just thought in his head, "Scan."
{Starting scan of the area, the beginning of the end.}
Eris punched the air, releasing blue waves that spread throughout the radius, showing points where items or things that could be collected were located. He bent down and picked up a stone before it disintegrated into small polygons and disappeared into the black box. The first thing he wanted to know was how capable she was, and more importantly, he knew nothing about himself at the moment. And it seemed the black box also had limitations, unable to know more information than the current owner knew, for some reason.
Ding.
{Memory Quest: ?: Description: Find the fading shadow in the mist.} [+]
"Wait a minute, I've only just started using it for less than ten minutes, and you're already putting me to work? And it doesn't even specify the target of the quest, which is suspicious."
Thanwa tried to speak in a low voice. He just felt that he should at least be given some time to prepare. He was currently so destitute that he had to gather grass to make pants. The only weapons he could create were things that were unlikely to be useful for fighting anything other than wood and stone. Thanwa sighed and crafted an axe.
{System: Creating "Stone Axe." Please wait a moment.}
A faint mechanical sound came from the black box. Blue light formed the shape of an axe, with a wooden handle and a rough stone blade.
{System: Stone Axe is ready for use in inventory.}
Thanwa smiled confidently. After all, new things always felt good. He tried to summon the axe from his inventory. The axe handle extended from the black box.
"Eris, how do I unlock these toolbars?" Thanwa asked, looking at the other locked
"For skill upgrades, you can generally earn upgrade points on the craft tree page. As for skills related to the black box system, they are upgraded using special skill points obtained from completing special quests."
"It looks like I'll need a lot more items to unlock everything," he chuckled dryly.
As Thanwa walked deeper into the dense rainforest, his eyes scanned his surroundings cautiously. The damp smell of the earth and the faint sounds of insects created an eerie feeling with every step.
He stopped when he found an area that looked like an old battlefield. Dry leaves crunched under his feet. Signs of battle were everywhere. Large claw marks scratched deep, long paths on tree trunks. Some trees were bitten until the wood shattered, while others seemed to have been corroded or melted into strange, gooey tissue.
{System: Added Sub-Quest: "Check Area Safety."}
{System: Sub-Quest: "Release or Help 0/?" Range 800 meters.}
The voice in his head echoed clearly. Thanwa clenched his fists. He looked up at the creeping shadows among the trees. His heart pounded with a sense of alarm.
It wasn't just about survival, but a war between the newcomer and the ferocious creatures that considered this forest their territory... This world still held many secrets waiting for him to uncover, and he intended to use every tool and ability he had to survive and find out who he was and what the black box truly was.
A guttural growl echoed from beyond the mist. Thanwa raised his stone axe—and took his first step into the unknown.
***