[Loading World…]
"I'm screwed!"
The scream belonged to a man plummeting from the sky. Gravity ruthlessly pulled him down, straight into this world of code.
Thud!
"Ow…"
He pushed himself up slowly, his eyes scanning the surroundings in a daze.
"This place… Where the hell am I?"
Towering buildings stood before him, but what was strange… were the weird lines of text floating all over their walls. They looked like programming code, but not in any language he could recognize.
"And this… what is it?"
He walked closer, reaching out to gently touch the building.
[Building Code: Locked Access - Owner Only]
BEEP!!!—
A sharp warning tone blared. A flash of red light seared across his hand, leaving a faint burn mark in its wake.
"Tch… My hand…" He flinched, snatching his hand back instantly.
Suddenly, the building's door slid open.
A man in digital armor stepped out, his expression unfriendly.
"Hey, kid! This ain't your place. Get lost!!"
And with that, he slammed the door in his face. BANG!!
"What the hell was that…?"
He looked around, trying to get his bearings.
"How… how did I get here…?"
"Why can't I remember anything…?"
He watched the people walking by. Each of them had something floating in front of their face. It was like a "window," displaying some kind of information—a ceaseless swirl of code, letters, and numbers.
"What the hell is that…"
He reached out to touch the window floating right in front of his own face.
EEE! EEE! EEE!!—
The moment he touched it, a crimson-red screen flashed into existence.
A massive force sent him flying back, slamming him into the same building again.
"Damn it! What the hell is going on?!" he groaned in pain, before shouting at the top of his lungs, "What is happening to me?!"
The building door opened once more.
The same armored man appeared… but this time, he wasn't empty-handed.
He was holding an energy spear, his face grim and serious.
"Stop causing trouble!"
"Didn't I tell you this isn't your place?!"
He raised a hand and typed something into his info-window.
[Weapon: Spear { Size: 20; Power = 45%; }]
The spear in his hand instantly grew in size.
The armored man drew the spear back, aiming it right at him.
"Wait! Just listen to me!"
"I don't know what's happening! I'm not your enemy!"
But no one was listening.
BOOOM!!
The spear was slammed into the ground right in front of the building, sending dust and smoke billowing across the street.
The crowd of onlookers began to whisper.
"That's the Prime Minister's building…"
"That guy shouldn't have messed with it…"
From within the smoke, two figures dashed out.
One was carrying the dazed man on their back.
They quickly vanished from the scene.
The armored soldier walked over and retrieved his spear. He watched them go with a cold, steady gaze… before turning and walking back into the building.
A short while later,
the man began to stir. He slowly opened his eyes.
"Wh… Who are you…?" he asked weakly.
The other person gently set him down.
"I should be asking you that."
"You really shouldn't have gone near that building."
"How was I supposed to know what it was?"
"And this place… where is it, really?"
"What do you mean?" The other person narrowed their eyes. "Don't tell me… you don't remember anything at all?"
The man fell silent. But it was a question… he truly couldn't answer.
His rescuer held out a hand.
"Give me your hand. And say 'Consent'."
"What are you going to do?"
"Just say it."
He hesitated for a moment.
"…Consent."
[Information Name: Void]
[Data: None...]
"No data at all, huh… Just a name," the other man said, frowning slightly.
"So, it's Void."
"Void…? Who's that?"
"Is that… my name?"
"Yep. That's all that came up," he replied. "As for me… I'm Cypher. Nice to meet you."
Void met the gaze of the man named Cypher, completely bewildered.
What's the deal with this guy… and what the hell is really going on? he thought to himself.