Skills:

Compiling list of skills.

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The skills ran by in an endless tirade. I was able to catch snippets of words and streams as they flew by, but most of it was utter gibberish. I wanted to scream, to cry out, but my entire body was locked in place.

After what felt like a lifetime, the menu finally stopped streaming into my mind.

ERROR 301: Skill list is unbound.

Unable to compile skill list.

My mind seemed to freeze in shock as the pain vanished as quickly as it arrived. I was still trying to recollect myself when I heard something else.

*ding!*

SysAdmin_Luna: I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I can fix this! Just… a second…

SysAdmin_Luna: There!

*ding!*

What?

SysAdmin_Luna: There seems to be an issue finding your past skills and binding them to your list, so I’ll just… give everyone a clean slate. Maybe a limited amount of active skills? Skill consolidation? Go ahead and try it out later and see how it is.

“Hello? Who are you? What is this? Did you make this system?”

SysAdmin_Luna: Who I am doesn’t matter right now, but you’ll get your answer with the next wave regardless. My time to communicate with you is limited, you took too long to wake up and access the system for the first time. I’m currently trying to undo the more disastrous changes that the system caused before it becomes unsustainable.

SysAdmin_Luna: Before you ask, I can’t undo the changes, or stop what’s coming. All I can do is triage. Get back to your house and check on your friends, they’ll be waking up soon and will need your help. I’ll push through a quick patch in the next hour or so, but the second wave is coming exactly 24 hours after the first, so you need to prepare.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

SysAdmin_Luna: Also, before you panic, everyone’s health binding not working was intentional. It’s something I was able to push into the first wave. It wouldn’t be great if you stubbed your toe after a fight and then immediately died, right? Ha ha… yeah. Sorry, again. That’s all from me, for now.

SysAdmin_Luna: Good Luck, Vic.

I blinked owlishly at the screen, trying to wrap my head around the comments. As I attempted to parse the information, though, my body was already in motion.

I didn’t trust this Luna person, but it said my friends needed me. Immediately, I grabbed my phone and tried to call Cindy, but I had no service at all. Then, I tried to call 911, and all I got was a dial tone on the other end.

My heart seemed to squirm in my chest as I fumbled with the buckle and adjusted the seat, allowing me to move the steering wheel without hitting my knees.

As I crammed the keys into the ignition and fired up the car, the storm continued to pour buckets of rain onto the city, while thunder and lightning crackled overhead. My tires slipped and I fishtailed out of the lot, but I wasn’t slowing down for anything.

On the horizon, I could already see signs of disarray. There was smoke starting to rise from a few places across downtown. Even from where I was, I could see a gout of what looked like purple flame shooting out the top of a large office building.

On the street sides, I saw groups of people running around, trying to get out of the rain. Most businesses had “Closed” signs in their windows, and as I passed over an overpass toward downtown, I saw that the highway beneath me was packed bumper to bumper. Obviously, someone else had figured out something was wrong and managed to get the word out.

I thundered down the streets as fast as my 2010 Camry could take, parking in my usual spot on the street outside of Garcia’s store. There were only a couple of people walking around what would normally have been a rather touristy area, which was definitely a bad sign. Knowing that my new appearance would do more than raise a few eyebrows, I grabbed a hoodie from my back seat, threw it on, and pulled up the hood.

As I jumped out of the car and ran through the alleyway to jump the gate, I couldn’t help but notice that my hoodie didn’t quite cover my torso anymore. It was at least two sizes too small. Not to mention how uncomfortable what remained of my workout clothes were. I had grown a LOT.

My feet pounded up the metal steps of the fire escape, and I practically tore through the window at the top, but when I entered the living room, I froze. Cindy was unconscious on the kitchen tile. She must have been grabbing dinner when the change happened, as there was a shattered plate of leftovers scattered across the ground.

Ignoring the mess, I raced over to her side, gently lifting her into a princess carry, and taking her to the couch. It was immediately obvious that Luna was telling the truth.

On either side of Cindy’s head, long elven ears stretched upwards, past her crown. Her hair, which was plain black before, was silky and luminous. It looked more like threads of starlight, splaying out around her. Her pale skin had a bluish, glowing, etheric quality. Her chest gently rose and fell as I watched, her eyes occasionally twitching beneath closed lids.

Once I was confident she was fine I moved down the hall passing my room and Cindy’s going to the large bedroom at the end. Unceremoniously, I threw open the door. Taylor was there, sprawled out on her bed.

Taylor, before the first wave, was a lithe and mousy girl with frizzy brown hair streaming behind her like Hermione Granger, and a wave of freckles covering her nose. She was bubbly and affectionate and usually became fast friends with just about everyone she met.

Now, she was a nature goddess. Plants and vines cloaked her body like a robe, tangled in what remained of the clothes she was wearing. She looked like a cross between an elf from Lord of the Rings, the great fairy from Ocarina of Time, and a bush. Her hair was a beautiful earthy brown and seemed to be woven with twisting vines.

I wouldn’t have even known it was the same person, if not for the stream of freckles covering her nose. I was happy to see at least something familiar on her. It seemed like between the three of us, my transformation had been the most dramatic. They were beautiful elven maidens, and I was a 6’6” muscular cloud. Internally, I sent a curse to whoever had decided to give me such a short straw.

Now that I tentatively knew my friends were safe, I moved back to my room to find some loose clothing that might fit my new body. I tore through my drawers and closet looking for anything but eventually had to settle for exercise clothes, a loose T-shirt, and some stretchy shorts. Which, I guess, was pretty normal for me. I was fortunate that my running shoes still fit as well. When I passed through my bathroom, though, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and had to pause.

I looked like something out of a movie, but there was a big difference between something on a screen, and something real and tangible. The biggest shock to me, though, was that I didn’t think I looked human anymore.

I didn’t look like my mom.

As I stared at my appearance, something inside me broke, and I felt tears rising to the white glowing orbs that had become my eyes. With my sorrow, the lightning moving across my face intensified, matching the rhythm of my shaking sobs. No water fell down my cheeks. I didn’t even have tear ducts anymore.

The thought that I lacked something so fundamentally human brought even more sorrow, and though I was overwhelmed, I recognized an emotional spiral for what it was. Grief was an old friend. With some effort, I managed to push through and around it, but I knew that these were things I was going to have to come to terms with eventually.

Just like everything else.

Not knowing what my next steps were, I moved back to the living room where Cindy hibernated. Hopefully, she and Taylor would wake up soon.