Initiating System recovery.
I groaned. Or, I tried to. My head ached. Though, once I thought a bit harder about it, I realized I couldn’t actually feel my head. I couldn’t open my eyes. Couldn’t hear anything. Nor could I feel my legs, arms, chest… I couldn’t feel my heart beating or my lungs moving. The absence of my heartbeat and breathing freaked me out the most. I was diagnosed with–
Accessing memory.
“Your son isn’t autistic.”
“Then what the hell is he? If there’s one more sleepless night because of things touching his skin and him screaming and crying–”
“Mom, I’m right here,” I said.
“Hush, honey. I’m trying to get you help.”
I turned to the doctor. “I just can’t stand–”
“Yes, I understand,” the doctor interrupted. “You have hyper awareness, combined with an unusually aggressive case of hyper-vigilance.”
“What does that mean?” My mother leaped in again. I wish she would leave the room, but she seized every opportunity to get in the middle of my life.
“Mom, I’m thirteen. I can handle this on my own.”
“Hush, dear.”
“Mom!”
“Hold on, both of you.” The doctor held a hand up to stop my mom from interrupting him again. “There are two things you can do. First, find sheets that are comfortable against your skin. Try silk–”
“Silk! I can’t afford silk sheets!”
The doctor turned his dour glare on her again, waiting for the outburst to subside.
“Silk is a good starting point. That, or high thread count cotton. Unfortunately, the better it feels, the higher the cost usually. The other strategy I recommend is exposure therapy. Get a wool blanket, the itchier the better, and wrap yourself in it. Stay for as long as you can tolerate. It might be only a few seconds at first, but work your way up. Find ways to ignore the sensation, or even accept it.”
I nodded.
Memory completed.
I was back in the void. Feeling nothing. And now I could remember why feeling nothing made me panic. I had been feeling everything for as long as I could remember.
“What happened?”
“You are being integrated into the system. Please be patient.”
“Who is that? Why can’t I feel anything? And how can I hear you?”
“All will be answered in due time.”
I screamed in impotent rage. I couldn’t even clench my fist. Taking a moment, I tried to calm myself. Even though I couldn’t feel my breathing, I forced my mind through the motions as if I could. Calm flowed through my being.
Accessing memory.
Chapter 1
“Bast, where are you going?”
“Drinks, where else?” I replied.
“Hurry up, yeah? Mine is almost gone, too!”
I flipped him the bird, laughing as he spluttered. I wound through the hallway. Halfway down was a large mirror, and I stopped to check myself. A little flush on my fair cheeks from the alcohol. That was accentuated by my long jet-black hair. Piercing ice-blue eyes looked back. I had an easy button-up on over jeans. An understated, timeless look.
I ventured on, trying to remember where the bar was located. The nearest one, at least. I was aware of at least four in the massive mansion. Around the next corner I found one, though it was a mess. The tower of ‘clean’ solo cups had tipped over, spilling all across the table and ground. I shrugged, reaching over the mess to the ice box. A fresh scoop into my cup, then I thought about Zach. He had asked for a drink, even if it was a dickish way to do it. I knelt, grabbed the first cup off the floor, made sure it looked clean, then put a single ice cube in it. With a smirk, I started mixing alcohols.
“Hey, alcohol kills germs,” I muttered. There was nobody in this part of the house. The party had moved elsewhere, probably closer to one of the DJs. The thumping bass from four different songs mixed in the floor, reverberating up my feet. I never paid much attention to what I put in, but I was called a wizard behind the bar. It was the reason he’d asked for a drink, instead of grabbing one himself. My drinks were always fantastic. Which was good, because bad tastes lingered for a very long time for me. I could still smell the tang of sweat, the earthy smoke of weed, and a very liberal helping of spilled beer and liquor.
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I whistled to myself as I topped mine with a fresh slice of lime, his with a cherry, and then made two more for the girls. I couldn’t remember their names, and couldn’t figure out if it was because I was hammered, or they really hadn’t said them. I shrugged, then wandered on back.
“Hey, is it my turn yet?”
Zach put his pool cue to the side and pumped a fist. “Fuck yeah, fresh drinks.”
“Ladies,” I said as I handed their drinks over.
“What is it?”
“Mn-nn,” I grunted. I took a sip and sighed. As always, a fantastic drink.
“Oh, you want whatever it is he made. I’ve never had the same drink twice, and it’s always incredible. Practically an orgasm-in-a-cup.”
“Gross,” I said. I took a sip. He wasn’t far wrong.
“Uh… yeah, I’m good.”
The redhead put her cup down, gave Zach another look, then walked out of the room. He looked after her, then down at his cup, up at me, then picked up her cup and chased after. He knocked into his cue and sent it flying. I caught it right in front of the blonde. I still couldn’t remember if she even gave me a name.
“Woah, thanks. And that’s Betty’s loss, this drink is fantastic.”
“Yeah, no problem…?”
“Isla.” She smiled at me, batting long fake lashes, which drew even more attention to her bright amber eyes.
“Your eyes are beautiful, and unusual,” I said. I took a sip as she smiled again, a little blush creeping up her neck.
“You, uh, want to get some fresh air?”
I nodded, then followed her out. I dropped the cue on the table. I didn’t care who’s turn it was anymore. We walked from the warm confines of the pool room out onto the balcony. It had to be twenty feet wide, in the shape of a large half-circle. The stone railing was just as fancy as the lounge had been, with intricate carvings all long the length. The moon was bright, high over head, bathing the grounds in light.
“Who’s mansion is this?”
“I don’t actually know. I got a flyer at the university today, same as everyone else, I guess.”
“Huh.” I thought about it. The mansion was ultra-rich territory. I’d seen a dozen rooms in my exploration, and every one was full with people. All sorts of entertainment on display, with at least three different DJs blasting dance music all over. Standing with Isla on the balcony in the moonlight… it was romantic. The party was a distant roar. The fountains were nearly as loud. I looked into her eyes, and she smiled. I leaned down, closed my eyes, and…
“Pathetic mortals!”
I felt the world lurch.
There was the sound of exploding earth somewhere nearby.
“Woah!”
The railing crumbled, giving way under my arm. I lost my balance, pinwheeled for a moment, trying to stabilize, but another explosion sent me tumbling. I was on the third story, with stone below. “Fuuuu–”
Memory completed.
Blackness. I don’t remember hitting the ground.
“Congratulations on joining the system! Gathering relevant stats.”
There was silence for a long moment, then I saw a box pop up.
Name: Alabaster Blackwood
Race: Human
Faction: None
Age: 20
Level: 0
XP: 0/100
HP: 0/60
HP regen per second: 0.00
Mana: 0/0
Mana regen per second: 0.00
Stamina: 0/60
Stamina regen: 0.03
Strength: 6
Agility: 3
Constitution: 3
Wisdom: 2
Intelligence: 3
Charisma: 10
Luck: 5
Titles: None
Skills: None
Abilities: Star-born: Dragon
Spells: None
Notes: English
“It seems you experienced a tragedy before the system could integrate your planet. One moment.”
I was left floating in the darkness, staring at the box. It was all I could see. And it made everything very obvious. When I had fallen from the balcony, I died. That was made clear by the glaring ‘HP: 0/100’. I was dead. I am dead. Which is why I am floating in a void. I hope this isn’t what the afterlife is like.
“It seems you were unduly affected by the system integration. There was a first-frame exploit, which caused you to fall. Unfortunately, we cannot bring you back to life- that has yet to be implemented in your world. Revives unlock after one year in the system, approximately 360 of your Earth days. I’m going to escalate your issue. Please wait.”
I had nothing else I could do. I was held captive.
“Issue escalated. Error correction: race change.”
“I was afraid of that.”
The box in front of me disappeared. Pain ripped through my being. It felt like lightning suffused my every atom. I gritted my teeth, groaning through them. I felt like I was going to pass out, throw up, shit my pants, and fall apart at the joints all at once. The pain increased with every second, until my perception went from all-black to a pure, blissful white. I think that’s when I passed out.