I can see the casket. She is right there, in front of me, but her smile is nowhere to be seen. Instead of it, a stiff, wax like expression took its place. I look at her and cannot believe it. Just yesterday she was urging me to learn a bit more for the class finals, but I was just excusing myself telling her that I still have time. Well, one of us at least has some more time… I touch her cheeks with the back of my hand, caressing her face but I cannot sense any warmth back.
As I look at her, I remember the good moments, the bad moments, the time we spent together, trying to search the smallest glimpse of sadness, but my body would not react. Did I loved her? Did I really cared about her? How can I stay here and look at her and not feel just a little bit of anything? As I am lost in my thoughts her mother comes over and looks at me. Her red eyes could not shed another tear. In the background I can see her father, with a black pair of glasses receiving people into the room.
Her mother takes my hand and says something to me, but I cannot hear it. As my vision blackens, the whole scene starts to drift away from me, and dissolves into nothingness. I look to try to see something, but there''s only darkness everywhere around me. I try to move my arms to get a hold of something but there is nothing there.
"So this is death…I imagined it a little bit more lively. No Paradise for me I guess, which I would expect, but this place does not look like Hell either'''' said Darin hoping that someone would be replying to him, but there was nothing. He spent some time thinking. Thinking about his life, about how it unfolded, about his last moments alive and the two boys, but not surprising at all, he thought about Eva. Right then, a sudden high-pitched ringing pierced the ghostly silence, sharp and relentless, like the static of on old TV lost on dead channel. Just a second later, it stopped like it was never there. After a couple of moments, a large booming voice filled the void:
''''STARTING PHASE 3 - TRAINING.''''
Darin was stunned. As if in a dream, the darkness started to fill up with colours. With each blink of its eyes, the background was covered with light, until he could see his surroundings. He was sitting on a hill, with the earth beneath him and the sky stretching endlessly above. Everywhere you would look, were just long valleys filled with green grass and between them small hills that would stretch endlessly. No one was around beside him. As everything unfolded in front of his eyes he was stunned at the reality around him. Slowly but surely looking around, afraid to touch even the grass beneath him, he rose up from his spot. He was wearing the same clothes as in the day he met the young boy. A pair of grey sweat pants and a ripped white T-shirt with a pair of running shoes. As he got up he remembered effortlessly he remembered the fall from the stairs.
''''No pain? I''m healed?" mumbled Darin as he slowly patted his left ribs. His body was really healed up, not even a bruise visible. After a couple of moment he started stretching a little bit.
''''Wow, it''s not just that I am healed, but I feel better than ever before! But…Where I am?"
At that moment something started to materialise itself in front of his eye, a transparent window showing a message. He lunged back scared out of his mind as he did not understand what was happening to him. As he was trying to get a hold of himself, the curious thing about the window was that wherever he was looking at, it was following him, always remaining at around 50-60 centimetres away from his face showing the same message.
"What is THIS!" Darin shouted. He blinked a few times, and in the heat of the moment he noticed that if he closed his eyes, the window would disappear. As he understood what he needs to do, he closed his eyes completely.
"What is going on? I get it, I get it. This is a dream! I am still in front of the burning house, and I am in a coma!" Thought Darin.
Slowly he opened his closed eye just to see if the window was still there, and of course it was waiting for him . He stretched his left arm towards the window.
''''Shoo" said Darin as if he was trying to make an insect go away, but his hand got through the transparent window. It was not solid but in fact you could say that it was an illusion. After a couple of moment, a little bit embarrassed of his reaction, Darin straightened himself up and while looking directly in from of him he touched it again. There was no sensation meeting his hand, only the empty space. He touched his chest, and his heart was racing, the only thought going through his mind was that he is crazy. In the end, he slowly started to breath in and out calming himself down, as he looked at the text.
"Guide
You arrived in the Training Area of the New Player Section of the Tutorial.
Before continuing you need to understand the system. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
To continue, please make the window disappear and re-appear.
Tip* In order to close this window and make it appear again you need to think about doing it with clear intent."
It was a simple description, straight to the point. Darin read the whole thing once more, just to make sure he understood what it wanted from him.
"Cool. A quest. Now I am 100% sure this is a dream." Said Darin as he started to walk from left to right agitated.
"Eva was right, too much time spent in online games will take its toll on my mind, like how I AM NOW SEEING FLOATING WINDOWS" Yelled , as he was trying to make sense of what was going on.
"Oh well, there''s nothing else to do here so let''s see". Mumbled Darin, in his hyperactive mental state. He started squinting his eyes at the window, like he was trying to shoot Lazer beams out of them, but the window was still there, floating.
"It does not WORK! Already a freaking BUG. The developers must not be paid good enough it seems" said Darin as he got frustrated. Right then he took a deep breath and read the text once again.
"Think about doing it with clear intent…" Right as he was thinking about that, the window disappeared.
"Wow! It worked. Now let''s try to make it appear once again. Do I really want to do that? I mean, it might be dangerous, or maybe these are the early signs of schizophrenia?" As he said that his impulses made him look for his phone, maybe there was something he can search on the internet.
"What the fuck? Where is my phone? Where is my smart- watch?" Yelled Darin trying to check his pockets and wrist.
"So funny guys! What is this a new reality show? Make the depressed guy freak out of his mind. Give me my phone back!"He was trying to make someone, anyone, answer him. A cool wind breeze passed him by with no answer to give. He sighed deeply and started to look around. For miles there was nothing to see, only valleys and hills. To his back, a single tree was accompanying him on the top of the hill he was staying on. He took a quick look behind it, maybe there was someone or something that would help him out, but nothing. He was all alone here. After a couple of moments he closed his hand and said
"Ok screw this. WINDOW appear! Window Materialise! Quest! Guide! God dammit, Appear Now!" Right then, as the frustration hit its upper limits and the anger could be felt through the air, the transparent window reappeared.
"Guide
First Task Completed
Congratulations Darin!
There is no reward beside the feeling of accomplishment for now."
Darin got scared a little as he was not expecting the window to materialise out of thin air, but then he read the text and got annoyed.
"So you got a sense of humour right?" As he got ready to punch the air again, the text started to fade away and be replaced with something new. He squinted his eyes until the text was readable.
"Guide
Second Task
Now that you understand how to make System Windows Appear and disappear it''s time to check your Stats. You just need to think about the word with intent, as you did with the previous window and the goal of this task will be achieved.
Goal - Open and read your Stats description.
Reward - Inventory Unlocked."
"Now this is starting to become problematic. First it was the window, not it asks me to open my Stats Panel…This is straight out of games… Did I also hit my head when I fell down the stairs?" Darin questioned himself.
"Well, here goes nothing…" Thinking about the word, trying to do it as the last time he said it
"Stat Window ".
A New Window Pop ed up, different from the one earlier.
"Player Information"
Name - Darin Windrow
Level - 0
Class - N/A
Health - 20 HP
-Physical Statistics-
Strength - 3
Constitution - 3
Dexterity - 3
-Mental Statistics-
Intelligence - 2
Wisdom - 1
Charisma - 0
"What the… This is a Game! It''s got stats and levels and everything related to RPGs." right then his face started to show a hint of frustration. "Ok, I get the level, but the numbers are not correct! Intelligence 2? Wisdom 1? Freaking Charisma 0??? Hey hey hey, I know how to speak with people!" Right then some embarrassing memories filled his mind and he stopped himself.
Annoyed he read the text of the first window once again.
"Check my stats description?" As he said that he looked back to his "Player Attributes" area at the statistics. There was nothing there beside the words and numbers, but when he concentrated on the first word, Strength, something else appeared.
"Description"
"Strength - measuring physical power and carrying capacity "
"Constitution - measuring endurance, stamina and healthiness"
"Dexterity - measuring agility, balance, coordination and reflexes"
"Intelligence - measuring deductive reasoning, critical thinking, cognition, knowledge, memory, logic and rationality"
"Wisdom - measuring intuition, self-awareness, common sense, restraint, perception and insight"
"Charisma - measuring force of personality, persuasiveness, leadership and successful planning"
The first window appeared in front of the Stat Window suddenly.
"Guide
Second Task Completed!
Congratulations!
Reward - Inventory Tab Unlocked."
"Ok, Ok I get it now, the next quest is to open my inventory" Said Darin. As he was trying to read a little bit more of the description of his stats the Guide started to change its text as earlier.
"Guide
Final Task
You got a hint of your new system and how everything works. It''s time for your final task.
Goal - Open your Inventory Tab.
Reward - Wood Stick"
As he was reading the text, the word Reward got his attention "A Wood stick? What''s next kill slimes? So many JRPGs references". Even though he complained he slowly said "Inventory".
"Inventory"
The window was empty as he was expecting it to be, but right above it something else pop ed up. It was a semi-transparent figure. The silhouette was featureless, resembling a 2D human shape. Overlaid on it were various slots for equipment out of which three were filled, the rest of them empty waiting to be filled.
"Equipment"
Sweat Pants
Damaged T-shirt
Running Shoes.
It showed exactly what he was wearing right now. Even though he got himself accustomed with the whole idea behind the window, he was still awed about everything that unfolded in front of his eyes.
"Guide
Final Task Completed!
Congratulations!
Reward - Wood Stick"
Tip* - Equip your new weapon to continue"