When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Nothing came to mind. Literally. I didn’t have any personal experiences to draw from, even though I knew what sorts of things I technically could end up seeing. But there was a very real difference from knowing that I was somewhere, and knowing where I last slept.
It saw a wooden roof. Nothing special, or so I assumed. I gathered that I wasn’t in any special place, even if I couldn’t put my finger on exactly why that was.
I sat up, rubbing my head as I strained to think of anything.
“Oh, the System,” my own voice startled me, eliciting a high-pitched yelp. It was weird, but I couldn’t even remember an instance of speaking. In hindsight, I obviously knew that saying something would make a sound, but I just hadn’t really been expecting it. Adjusting to… whatever had happened to me was already proving to be hard.
Two adults came rushing into the room, both dressed in old, stained clothes. They looked to be around their 50’s, which was a startling conclusion to come to. I couldn’t even remember a single person’s face, so I wasn’t sure how I knew they were in that range. Or at least looked to be in it. “Cyril, she’s awake!” One of them, a woman, spoke in a hushed tone, though not quiet enough to really keep anyone from hearing her.
“Yes dear, I can see that.” The other, a man, responded in a tired tone.
The man, Cyril, took a step closer. I backed away, only then realizing that I was on a bed, and in clothes that didn’t fit me at all. They covered me well enough, but weren’t ideal. They were much too big to move around in easily. “Miss, how do you feel?”
“Who are you?” My voice was shaky. I was scared… I think. It was still hard to tell, as the only other thing I’d felt up until now was confusion.
“I’m Cyril, a farmer. And this is my wife, Lise. She’s a seamstress,” thankfully, Cyril didn’t come any closer, giving me time and space to think. Not that that helped, of course. I couldn’t come up with anything to give me an idea of what these two might be thinking or planning.
“What’s your name, miss?” Cyril spoke up after a couple minutes of me silently staring at them.
“I’m… not sure,” I said, after I couldn’t remember it.
“What does she mean?” Lise spoke in that same hushed tone, as if she was whispering, even though she most definitely wasn’t.
“I’m not sure, dear,” Cyril spoke with a sigh. “Anyway, miss, what does the System say your name is?” He said, turning his attention back to me.
Oh right, the System. I had just remembered its existence before Cyril and Lise came, but the shock of seeing them had thrown it out of my mind. The weird thing was, I only knew about what it was. The System is the binding force of the world, and not a single intelligent being didn’t have access to it. The System allows anyone to accomplish feats that they normally wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. It’s worshiped by many, and utilized by all. And while that knowledge was great to have, I knew nothing about accessing it.
“How do I get the System to tell me my name?”
Lise and Cyril exchanged a look at that. “Right… just repeat the word “status” in your mind.”
I did as instructed, and jumped slightly when a semi-transparent blue square came into vision.
STATUS
Name: Luna Maret
Age: 14
Race: Human
Stamina: 10/10
Mana: 10/10
CLASSES
Class 1: No Class (Lvl 1 - Awaiting Class selection)
Class 2: [Locked]
Class 3: [Locked]
STATS
Strength: 1
Dexterity: 1
Speed: 1
Vitality: 1
Perception: 1
Mana: 1
Magic Power: 1
Free Stats: 0
GENERAL SKILLS
[Locked]
[Locked]
[Locked]
[Locked]
[Locked]
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Cheater of Death: You have been allowed a second chance at life, at the expense of your personal memories. Over time, they will slowly come back, but there is no going back. You will never be the same again. At the same time, this opportunity gives you the chance to become your ideal self. Use it wisely.
“H-how do I make it go away!?” I yelled, kicked, and flailed. For some reason I couldn’t quite place, seeing the System was… intimidating. Like I was staring something terrible right in the face. Or rather, my body was reacting to it, even though my mind didn’t know what was happening. Regardless, I wanted it gone.
“Just close your eyes, sweetie. It’ll be fine,” The feminine voice from earlier spoke again. This time, she actually was whispering.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
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Luna sat in her mother’s lap, smiling as the faceless figure read her favorite book. Even though the words being spoken were unintelligible, Luna felt comforted. She felt safe.
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I opened my eyes again, and was surprised to see, and feel, both Cyril and Lise hugging me tightly. It had briefly reminded me of someone, even if I hadn’t remembered the full memory of it. A lot of it seemed to be missing, or just not included, like I only remembered certain things, which was the truth, I supposed. Still, it was a disconcerting feeling. Aside from what was happening today, that was my only other memory, and it wasn’t even half-complete.
Better news, the screen was gone. I wasn’t sure if closing my eyes did the trick, or if it was something else, but it was gone!
“It’s Luna, I think. I didn’t really look at the weird… thing that much, but I think my name is Luna.”
“Luna… Luna, Luna Luna,” Cyril thought aloud, pulling away. “Nope, I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone from the town named that. Do you remember where you came from, Luna?”
I shook my head.
“Honey, stop pestering her with questions. I’m sure Luna here is just starving after having been asleep for a few weeks.”
Cyril sighed again, “Yes, dear.”
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Food was weird. I had tasted my own saliva, when I first woke up, and wasn’t too surprised by it. Eating an actual meal was another story though. Flavors crashed against my tongue, and at first, I couldn’t tell if I hated or loved the sensation, even though the vegetable stew wasn’t very flavorful, compared to what someone could get in a city.
After eating dinner, Lise led me to another room in their house, which was apparently where she did all her work. I was already pretty comfortable with her and her husband, considering they hadn’t shown any obvious intent to hurt me. Plus, I had apparently been sleeping for weeks. Considering I woke up feeling fine, I felt more thankful to them than anything.
“Well, I was expecting to give this to you sooner, but better late than never,” Lise said, before pulling something out from a drawer. It was a dress of sorts, though more practical than something that a wealthy woman would typically wear. It consisted of two main parts that were clearly made separately, then sewn together. The top piece was a simple shirt that seemed to fit me much better than the baggier clothes I was struggling to move around in. The bottom piece was a long skirt that wouldn’t get in the way of anything if I was moving, but still covered most of my legs.
All in all, much better than the prison of cloth I was currently half-trapped in. I undressed on the spot, struggling a bit to do so, and then changed into the clothes that Lise gave me. She had seemed a bit surprised about something, and I only realized later that it was because I had just stripped right in front of her. I still knew of social norms, apparently, but they weren’t ingrained in my mind. I could only imagine how savagely I must have looked when I was eating.
“Well, it does look nice, if I do say so myself,” Lise literally patted herself on the back. To be fair, what she had given me was much nicer than her own stained clothes. It was a wonder why a seamstress would even choose to wear something in that poor of a condition, but I didn’t care enough to ask just yet. Not when there were a million other questions I needed answered.
“How do I stop the System from being so scary?” I suddenly blurted out, unsure of how else to go about asking it.
Lise shrugged. “I’m sorry, but I can’t give you an answer. I’ve never even heard about someone thinking the System was scary,” she had a concerned look on her face. I was pretty sure that meant she was worried about me for some reason.
“Would Cyril know?” I asked.
“It wouldn’t hurt to ask, I guess.”
…
“I’ve heard of some soldiers retiring and refusing to use the System at all, but that’s about it.” Cyril answered when I asked him the question. “I wouldn’t know how to help with that, but you could just try to bring up your status again.”
“We’re here if you need us, Luna.”
I nodded, still a bit confused as to why the two of them were treating me so nicely. I didn’t know either of them, yet I was sheltered, fed, and clothed. And now, they were actively trying to help me get over a strange fear I didn’t completely understand.
“Thanks,” I eventually spoke up. Mostly trying to calm myself, before bringing up my status once again. This time, despite the wave of fear that settled over my body, I didn’t kick or scream or cry. Instead, I forced myself to look at the blue screen, comforted somewhat by Lise as she quickly held me again. I didn’t uncover any half-memories this time. It seemed remembering everything would be harder than I thought.
CLASSES
Class 1: No Class (Lvl 1 - Awaiting Class selection)
Class 2: [Locked]
Class 3: [Locked]
“What’s a Class?” I asked, when I was eventually comfortable enough to speak. Whatever fear I initially felt was slowly fading away, though the process was far from speedy. My body was tense, even if my mind was more confused than anything.
“A Class will give you specialized Skills, which relate to the theme of whatever class you’ve chosen. I’m a farmer, have a farming class, and it gives me skills to make me a better farmer. Lise’s a seamstress, and I’m sure you can guess what her Class and Skills do.”
I nodded, and decided to see if I could select a Class for myself.
Available Common Classes:
Apprentice - All must begin somewhere. Find a teacher, learn their craft, and make it your own.
Hunter - There is no life without food. With your weapons, you kill to feed those that are close to you.
Scholar - Knowledge is the driving force in your life. With it, you can accomplish unimaginable feats.
Warrior - Take up arms, and choose whether you shall defend or attack. Whether you shall take life, or save it.
Available Uncommon Classes:
[Locked]
Available Rare Classes
Calamity Amnesiac - Something terrible has happened to you. Not only have you lost your memory, but your stats and Class as well. This class is not the solution, it is simply an alternative. You will be able to relearn some of the skills and Skills you had in your past.
Available Epic Classes
[Locked]
Available Legendary Classes
[Locked]
Available Mythic Classes
[Locked]
I chose the Rare Class. Mostly because it was Rare, but also because it genuinely sounded better than the other options. Any of the Common Classes would force me to learn new things from the ground up. At least with this Class, I would have an easier time. Plus, it would give me a better idea of who I am. Or was, rather. Soon after choosing Calamity Amnesiac, notifications came into my vision.
System Notification: Class selection complete!
System Notification: New Class unlocked!
Calamity Amnesiac - Something terrible has happened to you. Not only have you lost your memory, but your stats and Class as well. This class is not the solution, it is simply an alternative. You will be able to relearn some of the skills and Skills you had in your past.
Class 1: Calamity Amnesiac (Rare) (Lvl 1)
- Skill Recall (Lvl 1)
- Heightened Learning (Lvl 1)
[Locked]
[Locked]
[Locked]
System Notification: New Skill!
Skill Recall - Certain actions feel familiar to you. Find out what skills you had in the past, and relearn them.
System Notification: New Skill!
Heightened Learning - The speed at which you learn new things is greatly improved. (20% learning speed increase per level.)