Lil ignores my pleas and continues narrating my life story aloud,

Logstart

‘Seriously, please be okay.’

‘I’m getting nervous now. *Nudge* *Nudge* Is there something I can do to help?’

I squint my eyes as hard as I can, trying to make out the script, the words sort of make sense to me. If I was interpreting what I saw correctly, Lilagni was concerned about me. They tracked me down because I was sweet, and now they’re worried about me?

I gulp back my fear as I query, ‘You can talk? Wait, but you talk like that, can you understand me when I speak?’

Lilagni doesn’t seem to be able to comprehend my speech as they ask, ‘What’s that? You’re moving now, and making sounds, so I guess you’re okay right? I figured you would be, you’re so much higher level than me.’ They pause for a beat as I mull over my statistics.

Lil continues, ‘Your kind soul left an aura all up and down the cliffside of Fire Biome, it was easy to spot with analysis skill.’

Realizing Lil hasn’t responded to my question so much as simply my motion, I’m saddened. Despite knowing it won’t do any good, with melancholy, I state, ‘Oh, you can’t understand me when I speak, that’s… that’s going to make things fairly sad, and still lonely, not being able to be understood.’ I can tell I look crestfallen. I can also tell that I probably looked curious when Lilagni said I had a kind soul, and that my soul left markings all over the place that anyone could see.

Lil recognizes my eagerness to communicate, so they try a different tactic, ‘Your eyes lit up, so I think you understand me. Your soul is a diluted creamy green, normally a party with a red soul and a green soul would clash, but your creamy color might make it okay? Would you be willing to party with me? It might let us use a party chat feature or something. I’ve never been in one, but I’m pretty sure that’s a thing.’

PARTY WITH LILAGNI?

YES/NO

A box popped into view in front of the other box as I was still trying to decipher it. Colored souls clashing? Creamy color making it okay to clash? Form a party? Also, the menu box referred to Lilagni as Lilagni, so somehow the menu box knows how I refer to them. I think at the Yes confirmation. When that confirmation goes through, my world suddenly expands. More mental menu boxes and rectangles that I can’t quite read show up.

‘This feels kind of nice. This is what being in a party with someone feels like?’ I ponder aloud.

‘Yes, and now we can group chat!’ Wow, oh wow, the little draconic sphere is speaking understandably to me! Sort of, they speak in textboxes directly into my mind’s eye, the text somehow produces sound in my head in some fashion. I can’t truly tell if it’s the words themselves being spoken, or if it’s a tonal interference with the constant noise from my tinnitus, or something else entirely.

I realize that I haven’t reacted to its statement, and haphazardly reply, ‘Wait, I can understand you clearly now.’

‘And I can understand you too buddy!’ This red, reptilian-scaled sphere’ exuberance is beyond adorable. Lilagni is joyous at my company, and I can barely comprehend our situation.

‘What’s your name?’ I’ve been referring to them as Lilagni, but, obviously I should call them by their actual name.

‘Well apparently it’s Lilagni, I never really had a name before now, I guess you named me?’ Lil answers. Huh, I guess that makes sense. If this world is as lonely as it seems, names might not be a big thing normally.

I answer as best I can, surmising what little that comes to mind, ‘I guess I did, I don’t have a name either, I mean, I’ve been alone, and no one told me my name, all the boxes refer to me as User.’

‘Well then that must be your name silly. I’m pleased to meet you, User.’ I grimace when Lil calls me User. Lil sees my facial expression and looks saddened.

Oh! Oh I don’t want Lil to think I’m not pleased to meet them. I have to explain quickly, ‘I don’t really like that name, it has bad connotations, maybe you could give me a nickname? I am pleased to meet you, and I’d be honored for you to call me something you like instead.’

My answer seems to perk Lil up, then they pounce around me for several long moments as they chew on their tongue, staring me up and down before coming to a conclusion. ‘Well, you’re red, and green, Red, Green, RedG, Reggie?’

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

I can’t help but to smile at my new friend. I’m not really certain if I should have a name that has some gendered connotations, but I don’t feel like explaining that just yet. ‘I guess that’ll do. I’m glad to meet you Lilagni, I’m Reggie then. If we ever introduce me to someone else, if I’m feeling masculine, we can say it’s short for Reginald I suppose, and if I feel more feminine, Regina.’

‘Oh hey that means queen doesn’t it!?’ Lilagni asks excitedly.

Lil is right, but how did they know that? How do I know that? Before I get lost in my own contemplations, I try to answer, ‘Huh, yeah, although, I think in a different language, but language seems weird here as a concept.’

Lil shrinks down and scrunches their face, seemingly thinking hard, ‘Hm, you’re right about that, come to think of it, what language do you think we’re speaking?’

I scratch my head perplexedly, trying my best to guess, ‘I honestly don’t know, I sort of started existing, and kind of know of things, but don’t remember how I know of things, and that leaves a lot of holes in my knowledge. Like, I know of language as a concept, but which languages are which, and what words I might know from any given language, I don’t know.’

‘That sounds rough Reggie.’ Lil tries to console me, I think. It’s a very neutral response.

I try to measure my own response, ‘I think it might just be that, Lil.’

‘Awe, that’s even shorter, and kinda cute, just like me!’ Lilagni beams, though I can tell they’re jokingly acting full of self-confidence about their appearance.

‘Hah, but you really are cute though. I was scared of you at first, really, extremely scared. You reminded me of Day One.’ At that, tears begin streaming again as my vision tunnels and my pulse pounds in my ears. With my heart throbbing, I don’t hear the sounds of the words showing up in boxes, and with my vision being a pinpoint tunnel I can’t see the boxes. Or rather, I can’t bring myself to even gaze around my mind’s eye interface when so gripped with panic.

‘Reggie? Reggie buddy? What’s going on? Are you okay?’ I realize Lil has been asking me the same question every so often, carefully squishing down nearby, circling me, trying to find some way to interact with me. Coming to my senses, I see Lil with a worried expression on their face, almost tearful.

I don’t want to hide this or lie about it, it’s a serious challenge in my life, ‘I think I’m okay, this just sort of happens sometimes when I think about something scary that happened to me.’

‘Well, what made you think about the scary thing?’ Lil’s curiosity is both innocent, and somehow protective. I think they’re basically trying to ask me what triggers it, so that they can avoid it. That’s amazingly considerate.

‘I don’t want you to think I’m blaming you, but you did Lil, it was my first day that I could remember, and a spherical creature like you attacked me. Well like you, but not like you.’ I clutch my chest and try to keep my breathing calm as I speak with Lil about the events of Day One.

Lil frowns, pouting a bit, before they seem to have an idea flash, causing them to respond, ‘If it helps me be less scary, you can use your analysis skill on me and know everything there is to know about me now that we’re in a party!’

‘I do suppose that could maybe, possibly, help a little, thank you Lil, though I don’t know if I have that skill.’ I gnaw on my lip as I try to recall any of my skills, none of them were labeled analysis.

‘Oh, but you must, you’re level seven, maybe you just never had to use it yet. Just think over to the right.’ Lil is making an assumption about me that’s a little odd, but I guess I’m fairly odd, considering the way this world seems like it’s supposed to work.

‘Over to the right?’ As I ask that, my mind’s eye sweeps to another direction, where I’m greeted with menu boxes that are straight out of a videogame. The boxes contain Lilagni’s stats and skills, like mine, as well as their mental journal of their three years of life, every day of their entire three years, and they’re level three.

‘Do you mind if I look at yours?’ Lilagni asks as I’m somewhat astounded, lost in thought, reading through their memories.

‘Uh, sure Lil, although it might not be what you expect.’ I barely cognizantly reply.

‘What, what the what? How? You’re level seven, but you only have a few days of logs?’ Lil’s face adopts an incredulous expression, like a single-eyed squint.

Lil’s expression is simultaneously silly, scary, and adorable. To answer though, I can only state, ‘Yeah, that’s what I’ve been trying to say, I don’t know, I just sort of started existing here, with a lot of knowledge that I felt like I shouldn’t have from such a short existence.’

Lil starts to pace around me, well, by pace, I mean hop around me. Eventually they conclude, ‘Hm, okay, but we’re friends, and a party now, so if anything else weird happens to you, I’ll know about it, and help you out to make sure you’re okay. You do the same for me, please?’

‘Of course, I mean, you’re literally my only friend in the whole wide world right now.’ I smile at Lil. Lil is such a thoughtful little creature. I mean, three years old, experienced in this dangerous world, but empathetic, caring, and willing to help me out so much?

Lil somehow blushes a deeper crimson than their natural coloration before jocularly stating, ‘Awe shucks, I’m flattered. Well no not really, because I can tell you’ve never met anyone else, but still, I’m glad to hear it pal o’ mine. So Reg, whatcha wanna do today?’

‘The same thing I do every day Agni, try to take over the pond.’ I can vaguely tell I’m referencing something, but I don’t know what.

‘Hm, I could help with that, I am a dragon type! Y’know?’ Lil boasts proudly.

I bite my lips, pursing them I suppose, trying to stifle a chuckle, ‘I mean, you are cute, and vaguely draconic, but like, you don’t have to, I can get us some fish, and I have lots and lots in my inventory. You are adorable, little buddy, that’s enough for me, no need to prove yourself.’

‘P’shaw, shucks. But seriously, watch this!’ Lilagni bounds over to the pond, and in the span of a few seconds, spews six gouts of flame, each one expertly taking out two fish at a time. ‘Tadaa!’ Exclaims Lil, quite proud of themself. Honestly, I’m proud of them too, to be able to call them my little buddy feels like a great accomplishment for the day. I go back to comparing our stats and skills pages.

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