I took a deep breath to steady my heart and quell a strange rumble coursing through my veins. It was a feeling that was hard to explain, almost like a thousand ants were gnawing away at the very fiber of my being. I rolled my head and cast a quick glance around the room I was standing in as the rumble slowly faded, only to be replaced by a headache that nestled deep within the depths of my brain.

I sat in the middle of the university's school library and was in the middle of using what precious little time I had to study for all of my midterms. Though, as much as it annoyed me, that strange feeling pulled me from the depths of academic insanity. I gently set down a textbook worth more than my car onto the table in front of me and leaned back into my chair as another strange feeling buzzed within me once more and pulsed in tandem within my heart.

What was wrong with me? Was I dying? A low groan pushed through my lips as I sat forward in my chair and rested my head against the cool wooden table. On the bright side, my student loan might be forgiven if I died. Might, being the key word. Knowing how my country operates, it's just as likely that somebody would use an ouija board to summon me and still have me pay off my debts.

The buzz left my body again, and I reached down to my front pocket and pulled out my phone. With practiced ease, I found the camera app, turned it on, and quickly looked at my face. The first thing I did was recoil at sight. I hated it more than anything else on this planet. How often have I been told that I wasn't feminine enough for some people?

Carefully, I looked at my face to make sure there wasn't anything out of place and to gleam any sort of information that I could out of it. All that was really there was a heart-shaped face I grew to hate, matched with a set of cerulean spheres enshrined by dark rings brought on by inescapable exhaustion, other than that, it was the face of a young woman, who still has yet to find herself in the wild landscape of college, or just life in general.

I stared at my face for a moment and brushed back a few strands of my raven-colored hair before I sighed and dropped my phone to the side. It was probably for the best if I went to the hospital, but I knew for a fact that I couldn't afford it. That would be the straw that broke the camel's back for my financial situation. I sighed as I reached out, grabbed my history textbook, and carefully placed it into my bag.

Maybe I should go home and try to sleep this off. Sleep does wonders for the body, and unfortunately, I've been neglecting that for the last few years in lieu of studying. If there was anything that my father taught me, nothing good ever comes without a struggle, and boy, was I struggling to get somewhere in life.

I sighed as I zipped my bag up, flung it across my shoulders, and cast a furtive glance around the library to see if anyone else was around. Though thankfully, it was as barren as usual. Not a lot of people come around these parts anymore. What's really the point when you have all these books in the palm of your hand?

There is only one reason I really visit this place, and that was for the peace of mind that it gives me. Sometimes the sweet silence is medicine for my soul, and if it were up to me, I would be here every day, but life is cruel. I shifted the bag on my back once more and swept away the raven black hair that had fallen into my eyes. I guess I better get home then. At least this way, I could still get some sleep, though I was dismayed at losing a few hours of study time.

I pushed forward through the library as another wave of buzzing struck me. This time, the feeling was far more intense than before, making my world swim. Nausea twisted around my stomach like a viper. I stumbled, and my vision blackened around the edges, and pressed my hand against the wall to steady myself.

Bile rose to the back of my throat, and I could feel my body flushing. What was going on with me? I forced my eyelids apart as I spared one last glance around the library, trying to place my eyes on a doorway, but the bookcases seemed to stretch into eternity as I desperately tried to find a way out.

But just as fast as it came, the bile in my throat receded, strange lights danced across my vision like a macabre parade as words came into existence.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Greetings, Ariadne D'angelo! The planet with the designation of XRV 323, also known as 'Earth', has now passed the threshold of the universe and has now entered the Aether. You will now have access to a deep-delving OS to help your body acclimate to your new surroundings. Please refer to our help menu for any further questions! Good luck, and remember, Fortune favors the bold!

As the words slowly poured into my vision, a ruffling sound caught my attention. My head whipped to the side as the last bit of news fell away from me. My heart thrummed in my chest as time slowed down as a book flew toward my face. It was turned on its side and splayed open, revealing a row of long teeth fashioned from paper and a long tongue-like apparatus forced backward by its mad dash through the air.

My mind went blank as I stared at the strange creature until finally, a small voice in the back of my mind screamed at me to fight. I stumbled backward and raised my hands to stop whatever creature this was.

I caught the book by its edges as it tried to slam its teeth into whatever it could get, and its long tongue reached out toward me and dripped some sort of viscous silver liquid. It struggled against me, and I could quickly feel the muscles in my arms giving in to the strength of the monster before me.

It flailed wildly, and teeth caught flesh, and waves of searing hot pain scintillated across my nerves. I gripped the edges harder and pulled as hard as I could. The strange monster above me squealed as the sound of paper being torn filled my ears, and with another hard jerk, the book ripped cleanly down the center, and the monster died in my hands.

I tossed the book to the side, and across my vision, another set of words appeared as if an invisible hand was carefully crafting each one.

You have slain a level one small mimic. Bonus experience points have been earned for a solo kill.

Path of the Hunted (U): You are hunted by beings that are far stronger than you, yet you cling to life. Will you remain the prey or become the hunter? +1 Vitality +1 Constitution

Congratulations! You are the first to slay a monster and the first to take damage! Doing so has granted you two unique paths! Path of the Hunter (U): You are a thrill seeker, hunting that which can kill you. But can you remain the hunter or will you become the prey? +1 Strength +1 Vigor.

The pain in my arms brought me back to reality as I pushed myself off the floor. Just what the hell was going on? Quickly, I scanned the area as fear mingled with confusion. The once comforting drab appearance of the university library now sent pangs of fear through me. Bookshelves I once loved were now houses to the horrors lurking within.

Pain danced around my arms as I stood up and felt warm trails of liquid ebbing down my arms in tandem with my heartbeat. Fuck, this shit really hurts. What was that thing called again? A small mimic? I leaned against the wall, took a few more steps, and paused again to listen to the area.

Yet the only sound I could hear was that of my breath, and my heart went wild in my chest. My instincts told me this place wasn't safe, and I needed to get out of here. My eyes wandered again, more by the various things that now existed within my eyesight. At first, they were like tiny specs that existed in the corner of my eyes, but the second I shifted my focus to them, they grew in size until I could discern what they were. 

But as much as I wanted to sit there and try to figure out what they were, I needed to get somewhere safe. I pushed through the library at a snail's pace, pausing at each sound as my heart went wild in my chest. My muscles ached from how coiled they were, ready to react to anything else that may jump out at me. 

But thankfully, nothing else came. The library was as quiet as when I first got here, and not a single book was out of place. But something still gnawed at the back of my mind as I glanced around and reached for the door. Carefully, I pushed it open and glanced out into the hallway. Both sides of the hallways were empty, and not a single sound reached my ears. Just doors that seemed to stretch into eternity in each direction and lights that shined a baleful white light onto the ground. I rushed out of the library, shut the door behind me, and slid down its length until I hit the floor. I winced as I shifted slightly, reached for my phone, and quickly typed in my pin code.

My first instinct was to call my parents and see where they were. Without thinking, I quickly speed-dialed my mom and placed my phone to my ear.

All lines are busy; please try again later.

The sickly sweet robotic voice graced my ears, and a tiny sliver of frustration built within my chest. "Fuck." The words left my lips and were thick with frustration. How much worse could this day get?