{Good job, host!, You survived.}
The system's cheerful voice cut through the silence, like a blade cutting butter.
"You... bastard"
I was on my knees, trying to force air into my lungs. "You said it would hurt just a little."
{That was your first lesson, Sebastian, never trust anyone.}
"You really are a fucking bastard." I coughed, dragging myself upright, my body still unstable from the aftermath.
I wanted nothing more than to kick that system in the ass, but since he didn't have one, I'd do the next best thing, hurt his ego.
Despite all the pain that almost fried my brain, a grin still tugged at my lips. "You know what, you're no longer 'System' from now on, I'm gonna call you 'bastard'."
{Hmph. It's better than the names you gave yourself.}
{Dark... Destroying... Destroyer}
"H-how the hell do you know about that?" I stammered, sweat beading at my forehead.
Bastard didn't answer, he just laughed at me. It wasn't even a laugh, more like a smug hum that said he knew everything about me.
"That's my dark history," I hissed, pointing a finger at the air, "we don't talk about it. "
{Oh, we're definitely talking about it.}
I groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I swear, I'd rather burn alive again."
Bastard spoke again. {Now that I've thoroughly embarrassed you, maybe you'd like to look at your status properly?}
I scowled. "I already saw it."
{Oh, pretty boy, you saw the words, sure. But did you understand them?}
The mockery in his voice made me want to jump off a bridge once more, but curiosity got the better of me.
"Fine," I murmured. "Show me."
Status
Name: Sebastian Nekros
Age: 17
Rank: F+
Affinity: Life, Death, Soulflames
Bloodline: Locked
Attributes
Strength: F+
Agility: F+
Endurance: F-
Perception: F
Willpower: F+
Luck: unpredictable
—
Titles:
-Son of Death
-Apostle of Life
-Anomaly
I gave a dramatic mocking bow. "All knowing bastard, would you bestow me with your knowledge?"
{Yes, this all-knowing, divine, devastatingly handsome System will grace you with its wisdom.}
{Most of this even a toddler would know, but since you're dumber than a toddler, I'll explain}
{Strength is the amount of physical power you have, how much you can lift, how badly you break someone's balls, it depends on your strength.}
{Agility is how fast you are, your reflex speed, and the difference between life and death.}
{Endurance is how tough your body is, how long you last before your body betrays you.}
{Perception is awareness, how sharp your senses are, how fast your mind can process things, and how well you can control mana}
{The others were pretty obvious, but willpower is different.}
{Willpower is the measure of how much of your will you can pour into your attacks and defense, how easily you can control it.}
{At a high enough level, willpower is often the difference between life and death.}
{And finally, luck, it's normally its fate's blessing. But since you're an anomaly, fate can't perceive you. Which means no blessing, no curse, just chaos.}
I rubbed my temples. "So basically, I'm weak, slow, and luck hates me."
{Correct. In other words, you're perfectly qualified to die.}
"Wow. Thanks, Bastard, you're really motivational."
{Don't thank me yet. You're about to get a headache.}
I threw my hands in the air, "What's that supposed to mean? Are you sick, bastard? Can you even catch anything?"
{I can't. But you're about to experience it firsthand.}
"It's okay, I'll get you your medicine after I take a look around."
Bastard didn't respond.
I glanced around, taking in my surroundings. The floor was a beautiful white marble, so polished I could see my reflection in it; the walls were thick panels of glass that stretched from floor to ceiling.
I wasn't in some broken hut. This was a penthouse with a view that in my past life I could only imagine.
My memories, I had inherited, whispered the reason for my extravagant lifestyle. Sebastian's sister, my sister, was the cause of all this luxury.
Alectra Nekros, an older sister, a prodigy, a genius.
She'd been a struggling commoner like most others, but her awakening at seventeen had changed everything, our lives, our future, even this penthouse.
Sister, the words sounded weird in my mouth, like I was speaking in another language, yet despite this, the emotions I felt for her were impossible to ignore.
I had never felt emotions like this for anyone, not even for the people who'd called themselves my parents in my past life.
It was such a perfect moment, but bastard had to ruin it.
{You're blushing, Sebastian, so adorable.}
"I'm not shut up! I don't even know her! She's a stranger."
{Oh, but you do. You know her favorite foods, the way she used to work 12-hour days just to feed you, the way she hummed songs to you when you were sick.}
"... That wasn't me. These memories... they aren't mine. I spent my teenage years in a trash-filled alley, not as a loved little brother."
{Keep telling yourself that. The sooner you accept your new reality, the better, don't delude yourself.}
I clenched my teeth. These memories and emotions weren't mine. They belonged to the boy whose body I had stolen.
But they were inside me now, like they had belonged here, as if they had always been here.
I now had a sister. A family. A life worth something.
For the first time in 17 years, I felt fear, not because of death, but because the thought of losing my sister scared me.
The feeling of losing someone was not new to me, but I didn't want to feel it again.
And then, the door of the room creaked open.
"Sebastian?"
The voice was soft. Careful, but it struck me harder than any weapon. I didn't need to look to know who it was.
It was her. My sister
Leaning against the door was a beautiful woman with long black hair and bewitching golden eyes that seemed to glow in the dim moonlight.
I had never seen her before, yet all I wanted was to hold her and never let her go. Instead, I froze, caught between my stolen memories and my racing heart.