Bart swallowed hard, unsure how to respond. How do you tell someone that you've taken over their body?

"I... I'm Bart," he said finally. "And I think we're both pretty lost right now."

The boy's eyes widened. "Bart? But...why do you look like me? And why am I... like this?" He held up his translucent hands, staring at them in disbelief.

The system's text appeared again: [This is Lian, the original inhabitant of the body you now occupy, Bart. He will serve as your guide and interface with this world's systems.]

"What?!" Lian cried, looking down at himself. "But... but I'm right here! How can he be in my body?"

[After your death, your consciousness was extracted to serve as Bart's helper. You will retain your memories and personality, but you will also have access to all system information to assist Bart.]

Lian's eyes filled with tears as he processed this information. Bart, feeling a wave of guilt, tried to comfort him. "I'm so sorry, lad. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Lian nodded hesitantly, still looking overwhelmed. "But... my family. My village. What happened? Why can’t I remember?”

[Your village was destroyed by a beast tide. There were no survivors.]

The young teen collapsed to his knees, his translucent form shaking with sobs. "No... no, no, no! This can't be happening!"

Bart knelt beside him, unsure how to comfort the boy whose life he had inadvertently taken over. He reached out, but his hand passed right through Lian's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," Bart said, his own voice choked with emotion. "I wish I could change this."

Lian looked up at him, tears streaming down his face. "Why? Why did this happen? Why am I here if I'm dead? It's not fair!"

[You have been chosen for a greater purpose, Lian. Your consciousness will guide Bart in this world.]

"I don't want a greater purpose!" Lian cried. "I want my life back! I want my family!"

Bart felt tears welling up in his own eyes. "I know how you feel, Lian. I have a son back in my world. I'd do anything to get back to him."

Lian's sobs quieted slightly as he looked at Bart. "You... you have a son? You're a father?"

Bart nodded. "Yes. His name is Tommy. He's eight years old. I... I don't know if I'll ever see him again."

For a moment, Lian's grief seemed to give way to a flicker of empathy.

[I must now transfer all system knowledge to Lian. This will help you both navigate this world.]

Lian's eyes widened. "Wait, what? What knowledge? I don't want-"

[The transfer is necessary. Good luck to you both.]

[Survive.]

With those final words, the screens vanished. Lian gasped suddenly, his translucent form glowing brighter. "I... I can feel it. All this information flooding into my head."

Bart watched in astonishment as Lian's form stabilized. The change was immediate and striking. The sobbing, confused boy from moments ago was gone. In his place was someone who looked the same but seemed... different. Older somehow, more composed. Lian's eyes, still glistening with tears, now held a depth of knowledge that hadn't been there before.

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"Lian?" Bart asked cautiously. "Are you... okay?"

Lian looked at Bart, and for a split second, Bart saw something in his eyes—recognition? Understanding? It was gone so quickly he couldn't be sure.

"I... I think I know what we need to do now," Lian said, his voice steady and confident in a way it hadn't been before.

Bart's brow furrowed. The transformation was too sudden, too complete. "Lian, what exactly happened to you? What kind of knowledge did you receive?"

Lian hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face. "It's... complicated, Bart. There's a lot I now understand about this world, about the system, about our purpose here."

"Our purpose?" Bart pressed. "Lian, it seems like you know something about our situation that you're not telling me. How else could you move forward so quickly from grief to... this?"

Lian's expression tightened slightly. "I'm... not at liberty to say everything, Bart. I'm sorry. There are rules, constraints... things I can't fully explain right now."

Bart felt a mix of frustration and concern. "But Lian, we're in this together. Don't I have a right to know what's going on?"

Lian shook his head, looking genuinely regretful. "I understand your frustration, Bart. I do. But right now, we need to focus on what's immediate and crucial—starting your training. You need to learn how to use Code Essence. That's the key to surviving in this world and... and maybe finding a way back to your son."

The mention of Tommy made Bart's heart clench. As much as he wanted answers, he knew Lian was right about one thing—he needed to get stronger to have any hope of surviving, let alone finding a way home.

"Alright," Bart said reluctantly. "But I hope you'll be able to tell me more soon."

Taking a deep breath, Lian began to explain, his voice growing more confident. "Script Initiation involves drawing in Code Essence from the environment and refining it within your body. Begin by clearing your mind and visualizing the Code Essence flowing around and through you. Then, use a simple command to start the process."

"A command?" Bart asked, his brow furrowing. "I don't remember much about programming."

"In this world, commands are simple statements that follow a basic structure. They typically consist of an object, a dot, and an action, followed by parentheses. Like this: Object.action();"

"Object dot action... parentheses," Bart repeated slowly. "Okay, I think I get it. What command should I use for this?"

"For absorbing Code Essence, use this command: Input.getCodeEssence()."

"Input dot get Code Essence... got it," Bart mumbled, committing the phrase to memory.

Lian's form flickered slightly as he continued, "Now, close your eyes and focus. Visualize the Code Essence, then mentally issue the command."

Bart closed his eyes and tried to focus. At first, all he could think about was the absurdity of his situation, but gradually, he managed to quiet his racing thoughts. He pictured streams of glowing code swirling around him.

Input.getCodeEssence();

As if in response to his thought, he felt a tingling sensation through him. The visualized Code Essence seemed to flow into him, filling every cell in his body.

Suddenly, Lian's voice changed. It became deeper, more resonant, and seemed to echo slightly in Bart's mind:

[Script Initiation Progress: 2%]

[Code Core Formation: Beginning]

Bart's eyes snapped open, adjusting slowly to the darkness. "What was that?" he asked, startled by the change in Lian's voice.

Lian looked confused for a moment, then understanding dawned on his face. "Oh, I think... I think that was me accessing the system information. Did it sound different?"

"Yeah," Bart nodded, "It was like... a system message in my head. Deeper and more... official sounding, I guess?"

"Interesting," Lian mused. "I felt the information coming to me, and I just... shared it. I didn't realize it would sound different."

"So, can you do it again? On purpose this time?"

Lian concentrated for a moment, then spoke in his normal voice: "Yes, I think so. Here, let me try." His expression shifted slightly, and then:

[Script Initiation: This process allows the user to absorb and refine Code Essence, forming a Code Core.]

[Code Core: A central repository for refined Code Essence, essential for executing code-based abilities.]

Bart's eyes widened. "It's like you're tapping directly into the world's code or something."

Lian nodded, a small smile on his translucent face. "It seems I can access and relay system information this way. But I can still talk normally too, see?"

Nodding, Bart closed his eyes again, refocusing on his cultivation. This time, he tried to actively draw in the visualized Code Essence, imagining it flowing into his core and spreading throughout his body.

The tingling sensation intensified. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but it wasn't painful either. More like the feeling of a limb waking up after falling asleep.

"You're doing great!" Lian encouraged.

[Script Initiation Progress: 5%]

[Code Core Formation: 10%]

Suddenly, a loud crash from outside jolted them both back to awareness.

Bart's eyes widened, his heart pounding. He held his breath, straining to hear any other sounds.

For a long moment, all was quiet. Then they heard it - footsteps, moving with inhuman speed.

Oh shit. Something's out there.