Everything felt so burdensome.

Opening my eyes was a challenge. My head was spinning, and my body felt heavy. How annoying. I went to bed at my usual time, at nine o'clock. I woke up without an alarm, not oversleeping in the slightest. Yet here I was, lying in bed, with both my body and mind refusing to cooperate. It must have been because of that.

That dream... I couldn't quite remember what it was about, but it had been significant enough to drain me emotionally.

How strange for something like this to happen. It was also unusual for a dream to affect me so profoundly that my body wouldn't get up. Even for those like myself who have exceptional memories, having a dream and then forgetting about it was normal. Remembering usually meant processing information from the outside in, while dreams emerged from within the brain and returned there.

In essence, how information was processed during live events and dreams differed. It was pointless for me to keep racking my brain over this forgotten dream—No.

The dream had left an impact on me, one I didn't particularly like. But again…

'Thinking too hard about it feels pointless.'

So, even though my body felt weak, I forced it to move, though I shivered in the process. I gathered all my strength to raise my limp hand and reach for the wall. I wasn't doing this just to help myself sit up (though that was the main reason). I was also trying to give a command.

"Window..."

RGB light gathered around my palm as my hand pressed against the wall. Then, from my palm, that pool of light surged towards the window, flowing through the wall like a wave. The curtains parted, and my eyes, accustomed to the dimness, squinted. Blinding, indeed.

A low voice echoed through the room, along with the sudden flood of light. "Good morning, Chen Luo. The current time is 06:15AM. The weather outside is pleasant—67°F, with light breezes and clear skies. Open the window for fresh air."

At that, my bedroom window parted open automatically.

Now, the only remaining issue was the heavy weight pressing against my head.

"Urgh..."

Annoyed—and maybe with just a touch of patience—I massaged the bridge of my nose, feeling my fingers slowly rise to my forehead, then to my head. By the end of it, my hand was grabbing my hair. Starting the morning like this was no good; I'd probably end up grumbling or making a terrible face. I usually did, even without the headache. But today, I could feel the negative energy radiating stronger than usual.

Ah, well, to hell with how I feel.

I forced myself to stand. The coldness of the floor hit me hard, sending a wave of goosebumps up my legs the instant my feet made contact with it. Reflexively, my hands slipped under my clothes, seeking the warmth of my own body as I walked.

Even worse, this overwhelming disgust weighed on me more than I expected, making me stumble slightly until the room system finally kicked in. "Chen Luo, you seem unsteady this morning. Would you like assistance or a health check?"

'Heck with health check.'

I waved my hand.

"Understood. I will keep the lighting soft for now. Remember, hydration can help with morning grogginess."

Yeah, yeah, hydration. That was precisely why I wanted a shower.

I entered my room's bathroom, allowing the sensors to detect me. I opened my clothes, went to the shower stall, and cleaned up.

But even after all that, the weight of my unsatisfying sleep still clung to me. I stared at my face in the mirror—disheveled, tired. Every detail screamed exhaustion, from the slightly furrowed brows to the hair that stuck up no matter how many times I brushed it.

'Seems that dream really affected me...'

But what could I do? Even when I had a plan or followed my usual routine, there were always unexpected things that I couldn't fully control.

Life was full of surprises, after all.

In the same way as what was happening right now.

After changing clothes in my room, I noticed a white box sitting uninvited on top of my closet. Who the hell put this—Wait! I'd never seen it before?

'A box that... escaped my memory?'

HOW ABSURD! There was no way I could forget something like this! Let me emphasize: my memory was perfect. I remembered every experience, every item I'd collected, every move I'd made, every place I'd been—Tsk!

I meant everything!!

So then, what was this? What was happening right now? My feet instinctively stepped back, but my eyes couldn't look away from the box.

'Maybe I am still asleep?'

Right! As I discussed about the dream, it was natural to not remember it, right? In that case, I tried to pinch myself—

Slap!

Urgh, my hand moved before I could stop it.

I didn't enjoy it. But slapping myself was faster and more effective than pinching.

"Hurts!"

That meant I wasn't asleep. I was fully awake, sane (maybe?), and aware! But then… what was that box? When did I even get it? How had it escaped my notice until now?

And most importantly, why couldn't I remember it? If I'd forgotten about this, what else had I forgotten without realizing it?! Of course, I'd never let my parents—or even my sister—put their things in my personal space. Not even their socks. So, this box couldn't possibly be theirs.

So why? How?!

Try to think! Thiiink, Chen Luo, THINK!! Remember why you owned this thing!

I hit my head—couldn't! I couldn't remember anything about this white shit! My mind seemed to be betraying me! How could I trust myself if the memories I'd always held dear—those that shaped who I was—could just disappear?! Because... uh, people were made from their experiences, right? What if it turned out that, all along, my experiences were fake. I didn't exist. Nil. All just bullshit. It was like being dead, but the brain was still working, only to show mere illusions.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

So, how do I even describe this? Not to you, or him, or her, or anyone else... but to me?

'How the hell am I supposed to understand myself if it comes to this?!'

Dizzy.

My legs suddenly betrayed me. As my knees buckled, water dripped to the floor, a cold reminder that I had been sweating all along. Despite it, my hand instinctively pressed against my mouth, choosing to suppress the nausea, the sickness curling in my stomach—Urgh, no, no, no.

Who let emotions take the wheel?!

Take a breath. Take a BREATH, damn it! Good, good. Just like that. Keep breathing, Chen Luo. Life wasn't just about memories; it was about choices, consequences, and paths to take. Relax. There, your breath was starting to even out. Now, to soothe this aching heart, let's try something different.

Re-sorting my thoughts.

'Could this have something to do with my dream?'

That was a passing thought, but... let me think it through carefully.

In psychology, real-life objects could transform into symbols in our dreams, reflecting unconscious emotions. So, even though I couldn't recall the specifics of that dream, it was likely my mind's way of processing hidden feelings (the presence of the box somehow led to my forgetfulness).

When I woke up and saw the box—the actual anomaly—it instantly made me more aware, more sensitive.

That was why I only realized it now.

Ah, yes, there was something comforting about making the absurd seem more rational. I began to feel a sense of energy returning. I wiped the remnants of tears, sweat, or whatever from my cheeks and sat up. To shake off the lingering dizziness, I massaged my temples.

'It is time to make sense of everything.'

About why and how I got this box.

Yesterday was my high school graduation day. This box could have been a surprise gift from my family... or even from him.

To be sure, I snapped my fingers, and a holographic screen materialized before me. My hands moved quickly, navigating through the interface, pressing a few keys, and entering the PIN to access the system further. After a few swift taps, another screen popped up—the surveillance settings interface. It gave me access to my home's CCTV system, allowing me to track precisely when this unfamiliar box had been placed on top of my wardrobe.

A notification blinked on the screen: Data sorted. Ready for playback.

I hit [Play] and uncovered two key facts.

One: the box had appeared well before my graduation… not just a few days or weeks. In fact, the footage went as far back as years—three years worth of evidence, showing that the box had been there, untouched and unnoticed, all this time.

Two: it was me myself who put the box there!

'Damn, this is getting hard!'

Now was the time for action. Thinking and mulling over these things only led to more questions. I stood up, grabbed the back of my computer chair, and pulled it closer to the wardrobe.

Then I whispered, "Stabilize for ascend."

It was a directive to lock the chair; I wouldn't slip when stepping on it.

I stood tall on the chair, now eye-to-eye with the box.

But before I went to get it, I paused, eyes darting here and there. Even after that pause, my hands reached up to brush or rearrange the items on top of the wardrobe. Who knew if there was another anomaly like a recording device or such?

'Ah, here I go again, being paranoid...'

No matter how much I tried, this tendency toward pessimism was hard to shake. With a long exhale, I reassured myself everything was fine—except for the white box. Finally, I wrapped my fingers around it.

'There, and... whoa!'

It was heavier than it looked! About the size of a helmet case, it demanded both hands to hold securely. Carefully, I climbed down from the chair, clutching the box tightly to my chest. When my feet touched the ground, the chair emitted a chime. I kicked it lightly, sending it sliding back to its original position, which freed me to walk without obstacles.

The mysterious box ended up on my computer desk.

It was not new. There wasn't a seal on it, and I could easily open the top, front to back, side to side.

The interior featured a dark velvet that visibly absorbs the light around it, a contrast that highlights the objects lying within. A silver-ish helmet looked quite expensive at first glance. I brought it up and observed—

"A VR:Scanner?!"

Yes, I was so shocked that my voice echoed in the room!

Because there was no way! This device was the crowning jewel of the NeuroVerse system! Just owning a single copy was the dream of many. Honestly, it had been my personal dream, too. But in this moment, it all felt wrong. Why did this problem get more complicated the more I tried to solve it?!

It was exhausting! The longer I kept this thing here, the worse it felt. I'd rather—

"—sell this."

Yeah! Rather than wasting time solving a problem without meaningful feedback, focusing on earning money for the university was better. Selling an item at a fixed price was an easy way to make money, but determining its actual value could be tricky; rare stuff like this took a lot of work to price accurately.

As VR:Scanner was no longer in production.

'And auction up we go!'

That encouraged me to get moving, close the box, and repackage the VR:Scanner so it would exit my life.

Forever.

But as I reached to put the VR:Scanner back in the box, I noticed a slight "white." My hand froze. I set the helmet down on the table and looked closer. Inside the helmet, between the padding, there was a folded piece of paper. I took it and unfolded it.

As the words met my eyes, my breath caught in my chest. There, in simple yet cryptic handwriting, was a message that seemed to stop time itself...

[No matter what, you can't run]