Everything felt so burdensome.
Opening my eyes was so challenging, my head spinning. My body felt heavy as well. How annoying. Even though I went to bed with my usual schedule, right at nine o''clock. Then I woke up properly, without any alarm. Not oversleeping as well. Yet, here I was, laying on the bed with my body and my head refused to cooperate. It must be that.
That dream... I''ve already forgotten what it was about, but it was notable enough to drain me emotionally.
How strange for something like this to happen. Also, it was unusual for me to be so overwhelmed by a dream that my body refused to get up. Even for those like myself who have exceptional memories, having a dream and then forgetting about it was normal. Remembering meant processing information from the outside in. While dreams emerged from within the brain and returned there.
In essence, information processed in live events and dreams differs; it was pointless for me to rack my brain for this forgotten dream—No.
The dream affected me in a way that I didn''t like the most.
But again...
''Thinking so hard about it feels pointless.''
So, even though my body felt weak, I forced it to move; in spite, I ended up shivering. I tried my hardest to raise my limp hand and contact the wall. I did this not just to help me sit up (though that was the main reason). But also to give a command.
"Window..."
With my hand still pressed against this wall, RGB light gathered around the wall on my palm. That pool of light was then sent surging towards the window, like a wave of light flowing through the wall. The curtains opened, and my eyes, used to the dimness, narrowed. Blinding, indeed. Which was accompanied by a low voice echoed in my room.
"Good morning, Chen Luo. Current time 06:15 AM. The weather outside is pleasant with a temperature of 67°F, light breezes, and clear skies. Opening window for fresh air."
And my bedroom window opened automatically.
Now, the remaining problem was this heaviness in my head.
"Urgh..."
Annoyed—and perhaps with a bit patience—I massaged the bridge of my nose, which slowly rose to my forehead. Then, my head. I ended up grasping my hair during the process. Starting the morning with this kind of feeling and condition wouldn''t be good; I might end up grumbling or making a terrible expression. I usually did that even without this headache. But I could have given off a stronger negative aura.
Ah, well, to hell with feelings.
I forced myself to stand up. The coldness of the floor spread to the point that I got goosebumps as soon as my feet touched the floor. My hands reflexively slipped under my clothes, feeling the warmth of my own body as I walked.
Worse, this disgusted emotion had a heavier impact than anticipated, enough to make me stumble till my room system responded. "Chen Luo, you seem unsteady this morning. Would you like assistance or a health check?"
''Heck with health check.''
I waved my hand, struggling to do something so basic.
"Understood. I will keep the lighting soft for now. Remember, hydration can help with morning grogginess."
Yeah, yeah, hydration; that was why I wanted to take a shower.
Entered the bathroom in my room. Allow the sensors to detect me. Opened my clothes. Went to the shower stall. And finished cleaning up.
But even after all that effort, including the shower, the weight from my unsatisfying sleep still lingered. Look at how messy that face stared at me in the mirror; every detail, from slightly wrinkled brows to hair, which stuck up no matter how many times it was brushed, revealed exhaustion.
''Seemed that dream really affected me a lot...''
But what could I do? Sometimes, even if I had a plan or even did scheduled activities as usual, there were always unexpected things I couldn''t fully control.
Life was full of surprises, indeed.
Exactly like what was happening right now.
When I was done changing in my room, I saw a white box occupying the top of my closet without permission. Who the hell put this in my room—Wait. I never saw it.
''A box that... escaped my memory?''
HOW ABSURD! There was no way I could forget something like this! I meant, let me emphasize: my memory was perfect, and I clearly remembered every experience, every item I had, every move, every place, every—Urgh!
I meant EVERYTHING!!
So what was that? What was this?! My feet reflexively stepped back, but my eyes couldn''t escape from the box.
''Maybe I am still asleep?''
Right! As I discussed about the dream, it was natural to not remember it, right? So I tried to pinch—
Slap!
Urgh, my hand preceded me.
I didn''t enjoy it. But slapping myself was faster and more effective than pinching.
"Hurts!"
This meant I wasn''t asleep. I am fully awake, sane (maybe?), and aware! So what was the box? When did I get it? How did it evade my notice until now? And most importantly, why didn''t I have any memory of it?!
If I forgot, what else did I forget when I wasn''t even aware I could forget?! Ahhh! I stepped back even further. B-But then, what about that time?! When exchanging information, it seemed like there was no problem? Of course, I never let my parents or even my sister put their stuff in my personal zone. Even if it was just their socks. So, this item''s presence was puzzling. It couldn''t 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 any about this white shit! My memory seemed to betray me! How could I trust myself if the memories I held dear, those that created my identity, could vanish?! Because... uh, people were molded from experience, 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 Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
So, how would I describe the situation? Not to you, him, her, or anybody else but to me?
''How to make me understand myself if it comes to this?!''
Dizzy.
My legs unexpectedly failed to sustain me. With the impact of my dropped knees, water dripped onto the floor, reminding me that I had already broken out in a cold sweat. All along. Yet, my hand chose to cover my mouth instead of sweeping it as I endured the disgust, nausea, sickness wrapped around my stomach—Urgh, no, no, no.
Who allowed emotions to take over?!
Take a breath. Take a BREATH, damn it! Good, good. Just like that. Keep breathing, Chen Luo. Life wasn''t all about memories; there were choices, consequences, paths. Relax. Nice! Your breathing started to regain its regularity. And to soothe your aching heart, let''s try the following approach.
Re-sorting my thoughts.
''Could this have something to do with my dream?''
Actually, that was just the result of a quick thought, but let me think about it carefully.
In psychology, real-life objects might turn into symbols in our dreams, indicating unconscious feelings. So, even though I couldn''t remember that dream, it might have been my mind''s way of thinking about these hidden things—the existence of the box led to the fact I could forget.
When I woke up and saw the actual anomaly—the box—it instantly made me more sensitive.
That was why I aware only now.
Ah, yes, it was genuinely soothing to make absurd things appear more reasonable. I started to feel somewhat energized again. I wiped the remnants of the tears, the sweat, or whatever it was, from my cheeks and sat. To get rid of the residual vertigo, I massage my head.
''It is time to make sense of everything.''
About why and how I got this box.
Yesterday was just my high school graduation day. This box could have been a surprise gift from my family. Or even from him.
''Considering he likes to come in as he pleases...''
Just to be sure, I snapped my fingers, and a holographic screen appeared before me. My hands quickly navigated through the interface, pressing a few keys and entering the PIN to access the system deeper. After a sequence of swift taps, another screen popped up—the surveillance settings display. This allowed me to check my home''s CCTV and pinpoint when this unknown item had been placed atop my wardrobe.
Finally, a notification flashed: Data sorted. Ready for playback.
I hit [Play] and discovered two 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 seemed to be the time for action, as thinking and considering things like this raised more questions. I rose up, grabbed the back of my computer chair, and moved it closer to the wardrobe.
Then 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 and towered eye-to-eye with that 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, now, me, being paranoid again...''
This habit of being pessimistic was difficult to escape, whether I liked it or not. With one long exhale and feeling that everything was fine—except for the white box—I enclosed my fingers around it.
''There, and... whoa!''
It was heavier than it looked! With a size similar to that of a helmet box, it required both hands to hold securely. Carefully, I climbed down from the chair while clutching the box tightly to my chest. The moment my feet touched the ground, the chair emitted a chime. I kicked it, causing it to slide back to its original location, allowing me to walk freely.
The mysterious box ended up on my computer desk.
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... it was the crowning jewel of the NeuroVerse system! Owning just one copy of this device was the dream of many! Honestly, this was also my own personal want. But the current situation made it feel wrong! Why did this problem get more complex the more I wanted to solve it?!
It was so tiring! The longer I kept this thing here, the worse. I''d rather—
"—sell this."
Yeah. Rather than wasting time attempting to solve a problem with no meaningful feedback, it was better to think about income to attend university. Selling an item for a fixed price was an easy way to make money, but determining the correct value could be challenging; rare stuff like this was often hard 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 its words met my eyes, my breathing stopped when I saw a simple yet enigmatic message...
[No matter what, you can''t run]