The door flung open with the dramatic flair of a villain's entrance, revealing the nightmare duo I'd been dreading.
One girl, one boy—both looking like they'd stepped out of a "How to Be a Beautiful Sociopath" magazine.
From Aria's memories, it was sister dearest Marie and brother dearest Julius. My ass, they were dear. These two had the combined warmth of a winter funeral and the emotional depth of a puddle.
I could just guess why they were here—probably for their daily routine of wiping their feet on the family's human doormat.
**[ALERT: ACTIVATING POKER FACE LEVEL 1]**
**[EMOTIONAL NEUTRALITY ENGAGED]**
**[TRY NOT TO LOOK LIKE YOU WANT0 TO COMMIT SIBLING-CIDE]**
Oh, poker face might be better than looking annoyed. Can't have them thinking their punching bag suddenly grew a spine.
"Oh, my dear sister, are you okay?" Marie cooed with a voice sweeter than poisoned honey, approaching my bedside like a predator circling wounded prey.
Her caring facade was so fake it could've been used as currency in a theater production.
"You have no idea how worried we—"
Julius cut in with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. "Speak for yourself and drop the act. You sound like you're talking to a particularly stupid dog."
He remained by the door, probably ready to bolt if Aria suddenly developed a personality.
Marie's mask slipped faster than wet soap. "Sigh, why do you always ruin my fun, Julius?"
The speed of her tone change was so jarring it could've given someone whiplash. One second she was Florence Nightingale, the next she was Cruella de Vil having a bad hair day.
"So, you wretch," Marie continued, her true colors shining brighter than a neon sign, "you think it's funny to act as if you're hurt?"
"Oh, stop it. You know she's never been one to take a joke," Julius snickered like he'd just told the world's funniest joke instead of casually dismissing attempted murder.
"But hey, how did you break four ribs, dear sister?" His concern was about as genuine as a three-dollar bill.
Julius approached the bed with the casual confidence of someone who'd never faced consequences for anything in his life.
"Oh my, the stable master testified that you ride horses like a newborn baby deer having an existential crisis."
"I mean, with how academically degraded she is, it makes perfect sense," Marie added, her voice dripping with the kind of venom that could kill a small village.
They were both so taken aback by my neutral and uncaring face that you could practically see the gears grinding in their heads.
They expected tears, apologies, maybe some groveling—the usual Aria special. Instead, they got the emotional equivalent of a brick wall.
"Hey, do you hear us?" Julius said, clearly annoyed that his favorite toy wasn't responding properly.
Time to mess with their heads a little.
"Yes, Julius, I'm so glad you came to see me in my sick bed. Don't blame yourself for it, but please rest assured—I'll never approach or be anywhere near you since I'm so clumsy and clearly a danger to myself."
I paused for maximum effect, watching their faces like I was studying a particularly interesting science experiment.
"And Marie, I heard the academy semester starts in the next three months. Please be assured I'll not show my face or act like I know you. Wouldn't want to embarrass the family name any further."
Marie and Julius were stunned into silence, their mouths hanging open like fish who'd just discovered they were out of water.
Then they snickered, but it sounded forced, like they weren't quite sure if they should be celebrating or concerned.
"Yes, you know your place," Julius said, but his voice lacked its usual confidence.
They left, clearly uncomfortable with this new version of Aria, but laughed on their way out—a nervous sound that suggested they were trying to convince themselves more than anyone else.
"Oh, she's so gullible," Marie's voice echoed down the hallway, but even that sounded uncertain.
**[ SOCIAL INTERACTION COMPLETE!]**
**[+15 EXP FOR SUCCESSFUL MANIPULATION]
**[+10 SYSTEM POINTS FOR NOT GETTING MURDERED]
**[CONGRATULATIONS: YOU DIDN'T DIE IN YOUR FIRST FAMILY ENCOUNTER!]
Whew! The spoiled brats were gone. Now let's take a look at what I'm working with here.
I've always wanted to say this dramatically: "Status!"
A blue screen materialized in front of me, looking like the world's most depressing video game interface.
**[SYSTEM INTERFACE - Z.A.R.A v1.0]**
**[DEAR USER: I AM ONLY OBSERVABLE BY YOU AND CANNOT BE DETECTED. IN THE FUTURE, PLEASE USE YOUR THOUGHTS RATHER THAN SHOUTING EMBARRASSING COMMANDS LIKE SOME KIND OF ANIME PROTAGONIST.]**
"Uh, I know it's embarrassing, but no one saw me, so it should be fine..."
**[SYSTEM FACEPALM DETECTED]**
**[MOVING ON...]**
The stats that appeared made me want to cry, laugh, and question every life choice simultaneously:
---
**[ CHARACTER STATUS]**
**Name:Aria Montclair
**Age: 15
**Race: Human (Barely)
**Level: 1 (Rock Bottom Tier)
**Title: [Disgrace to the Montclair Family]
**Secondary Title: [Walking Disaster]
**[CORE ATTRIBUTES - MAX LEVEL: 10,000]**
**Health:** 120/10,000
*"Even a sickly houseplant has better vitality"*
**Strength:** 12/10,000
*"Couldn't lift a teacup without risking a hernia"*
**Stamina:** 3/10,000
*"A three-legged turtle could outrun you"*
**Intelligence:** 45/10,000
*"At least you can read... barely"*
**Agility:** 8/10,000
*"Molasses in winter moves faster"*
**Charisma:** 2/10,000
*"Personality of wet cardboard"*
**Luck:** 1/10,000
*"If it weren't for bad luck, you'd have no luck at all"*
**[SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES]**
**Mana: INACTIVE
*"Your magical circuits are more blocked than a clogged drain"*
**Aura: INACTIVE
*"Your fighting spirit is in a coma"*
**Spirit Affinity:89/10,000
*"Surprisingly decent! Spirits apparently pity you"*
**[ RESOURCES]**
**EXP:15/100 (Level 1)
**System Points:10
**Currency: 3 copper coins (Poverty Level: Extreme)
**[SYSTEM STORE - LOCKED]**
*"Unlock at Level 2"*
*"Preview: Skills, Martial Arts, Rare Items, and Maybe Some Self-Respect"*
---
"Holy moly," I whispered, staring at stats that were lower than my expectations for a decent wifi connection.
"These numbers are so bad they're insulting. A baby would have better stats than this walking disaster!"
**[CURRENT OBJECTIVES]**
**[1. SURVIVE THE NEXT 24 HOURS]**
**[2. REACH LEVEL 2 TO UNLOCK STORE]**
**[3. AVOID GETTING MURDERED BY FAMILY]**
**[4. MAYBE EAT SOMETHING THAT ISN'T GRUEL]**
"Wait, Zara, you're telling me I'm basically playing life on nightmare difficulty with tutorial stats?"
**[SYSTEM RESPONSE: ESSENTIALLY, YES. YOUR PREVIOUS BODY WAS TREATED LIKE A CRASH TEST DUMMY FOR FIFTEEN YEARS. THE FACT THAT YOU'RE STILL BREATHING IS GENUINELY MIRACULOUS.]**
"And the store has skills and martial arts? Please tell me there's a 'How Not to Die Horribly' manual in there."
**[STORE PREVIEW AVAILABLE]**
**[SKILLS: BASIC COMBAT, ETIQUETTE, POISON RESISTANCE]**
**[MARTIAL ARTS: BEGINNER SWORD FORMS, DEFENSIVE TECHNIQUES]**
**[RARE ITEMS: HEALTH POTIONS, STAT BOOSTERS, PLOT ARMOR (LIMITED STOCK)]**
I was drooling over the possibilities when footsteps echoed in the hallway again.
Different footsteps this time—heavier, more authoritative.
**[ WARNING: HIGH-LEVEL INDIVIDUAL APPROACHING]**
**[THREAT LEVEL: UNKNOWN]**
**[RECOMMENDATION: PRETEND TO BE ASLEEP AND PRAY]**
"Oh, come on! Can't a girl get five minutes to process her terrible life choices?"
The footsteps stopped right outside my door.
A deep voice spoke through the wood—cold, commanding, and familiar in the worst possible way.
"I know you're awake, Aria. We need to talk."
My blood turned to ice water.
It was the Duke.
My father.
And from Aria's memories, when the Duke wanted to "talk," it usually meant someone was about to have a very, very bad day.
**[EMERGENCY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED]**
**[GOOD LUCK, USER. YOU'RE GOING TO NEED IT.]**
The door handle turned with the sound of impending doom.