Chapter 9B: Yourself

“Who are you?” Nell’s own shadow asked her. She realized earlier that she was hallucinating, but it didn’t stop her from answering it.

“I am Nell.”

“No, you are not.”

“What do you mean?”

“You are not Nell.”

Nell went quiet. She stared at her shadow that was projected on the wall of the crevice. The mushrooms bloomed around her as spores rained down upon her. The most she inhaled, the more vivid the illusion became.

“You are a mask, a carapace wrapped around you to hide your disgusting true self,” The shadow replied. “Everything you say, everything you are, is a lie. You took advantage of that girl, you stole her invention and taken her place on Gaia.”

“No…,” Nell denied.

“Yes! You did. You stole her chance at salvation. You left her to rot on that godforsaken seed ship!” The shadow started to yell at her.

“No, no, no, no, no!” Nell clutched her head and screamed. But the shadow kept on pestering her.

“You are a fake, a joke. Nothing more but a jester in an ocean of righteous knights. Your ticket here was stolen from a true genius. You are a thief.”

Nell started crying. She tried her best to deny it. Her past came back to haunt her.

Nell started punching her shadow on the wall. Blood oozed from her fist as she just kept punching and punching the wall.

“I. Am. Not. A. Joke!” She screamed with rage.

Suddenly, she collapses. A memory from her past surfaced.

“Nell, my dear sister. Please,” The girl who looked older but nearly identical to Nell said. “I will not last much longer. I can feel death approaching… Do not cry, my dear sister.”

Nell still cried. She clutched onto the hems of her sister’s skirt, refusing to let go.

“No, Sarah, please don’t go! Please don’t leave me!” Nell cried.

“I have to Nell. My time in the world is up.”

“B-but sister! Please!”

“There is no use begging Nell. You have to grow up someday. You can’t always rely on me.”

Sarah wrapped her arms around Nell’s head.

“There, there, everything will be all right.”

Nell’s crying began to calm down.

“I will leave everything I have to you. Please, go in my place. Make the world know about us forgotten sisters. Let them know the name ‘Nell and Sarah.’ Please, do this for me?”

“Y-yes sister.”

Nell sniffled as the warmth of her sister slowly faded.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

When she finally opened her eyes, she was back in the crevice. The mushrooms have stopped raining spores on her, and the hallucinations have faded. Her fists that were a bloody mess had now dried up, leaving a layer of scabs.

The game message showed that her HP was getting dangerously low.

Nell finally remembered her purpose. The reason why she worked so hard in the first place.

“I did not steal her ticket. She put her final hope on me. I must use this chance to shine.” Nell yelled at her shadow on the wall which is now nothing but a reflection of herself.

Nell realized her true purpose. The world around her was her prison. The giant creatures lurking around was the weight of her sister constantly pressing down on her. The crevices were the places she kept hiding from her responsibility. It was now time to be bold, be strong, and to complete her task. She can’t delay it over the fear of failure.

“Sarah, the entire world will know about us soon. Just wait a little longer.”

A smile returned to Nell’s face. It was as if the horrors of the past six days were all washed away.

Nell grabbed the mushrooms and walked outside. It was time for her to hunt. She must first pass this meager test.

______

Alex watched as the world went by. It was a dream come true. She was just an observer of nature. On top of the tree, she had a view of a wide area. Everything that played out was in her sight and was hers alone. There was no one else to share this vision. Alex felt lonely.

It was then she realized the mistake of her wish. She didn’t want to be an observer. She wanted to share the sights, the experience, with people she cared about. Her friends, the old man, all people who she wanted to share the sight with.

To be a lone observer is a depressing situation. What use is a great view if you have no one to share it with?

The epiphany that Alex had woken her up from the stupor she was in for the past six days. This world may be a brilliant wonderland, but what of it?

The things that the old man gave her were all very pretty. All the inventions are beautiful and brilliant. But what use is it for it to rot away as just ideas within the necklace. The old man gave it to her to bring to the world. To share his brilliance with everyone.

He gave her an entire world. A world to show everyone.

“I am not an observer,” Alex finally stated.

Indeed she is not. She was the old man’s hands and eyes. She will show his brilliance.

“I am the electric tree that shines with the old man’s ingenuity.”

With this realization, Alex began to think about her project due soon. This test is just a small part of her life. What was important, was the project that she will show Dr. Ptah.

She must take this chance to shine. To really let the old man’s teachings bloom. Dr. Ptah is just the first step towards revealing to the world the wonders of the gear.

Her thinking was suddenly interrupted by the sound of her stomach growling.

“I guess it’s time for food,” She laughed at herself.

The large bulbous tuber was sliced open. Inside was a delicious looking white flesh dotted with many purples dots. It looked like it was as numerous as the stars in the sky. Alex impaled slices of the tuber and some fish on a few sticks. Slowly, she roasted them over a fire.

Thankfully the water had receded enough to leave an open dry patch of ground around her.

The earthy aroma combined with the sizzling fat that rolled off the skin of the fish filled the air. It tickled Alex’s nose as well as stimulated her dormant taste buds. She began to salivate in anticipation.

She poked at the tubers, testing its doneness. Once it was soft enough, she took it off the fire. The small fish had been well rendered by the flame until it became crunchy. The tuber was cooked well and an alluring wisp of steam emitted from it.

Alex took a bite of the tuber after blowing on it lightly. An amazing earthy taste filled her mouth. It was satisfying to bite into. The longer she chewed, the sweeter the taste. While her mouth was still preoccupied with the tuber, she took a nibble at the fish. Its crunchy texture accompanied the soft, warm tuber. The salt that came from the water left the fish slightly savory.

The combination left Alex in a blissful trance. It was honestly the most delicious thing she had eaten in her life. A tear was nearly shed over it.

Alex looked at the food in her hands and opened the small window that now appeared above it.

Now that she consumed the food, she can receive information about it from the AI.

[Taro and fish skewer: +50 HP Regen for 20 minutes. Regenerate stamina if HP is max.]

So the tuber was called taro. Her HP quickly filled up. She could feel her body grow less fatigued as soon as her HP capped.

“Such an amazing feature,” Alex said to herself. Once again the world reminded her that she was in a simulation.

She loses HP every time she gets hurt. She also loses HP when her health deteriorated due to environmental conditions. Such was the world of ARK.