The villagers now looked at us like we were divine.
Some whispered prayers when Aelira passed. Others knelt when I walked by. It was weird. Uncomfortable. And after everything that happened, I didn't feel like I deserved any of it.
We sat under a tree—one that didn't contain someone screaming inside it. Just the three of us. Me, Aelira, and Lucen.
Aelira stared off into the village, her arms loosely crossed. Lucen was chewing dry bread with a blank look on his face. Like he hadn't nearly turned people into furniture.
The silence between us was heavy—until I broke it.
"…So that blue screen thing… what even is that?"
Aelira blinked and turned toward me. "Wait—you can see it too?"
"Uh, yeah?" I said. "I've seen it a few times. Mostly when something weird happens or when I do something I probably shouldn't."
Aelira let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Thought I was going crazy for a while."
Lucen's chewing slowed.
"…Blue screen?" he repeated, eyebrow raised.
"You've never seen it?" I asked.
"No."
Aelira smirked. "Guess you're not special after all."
Lucen scowled faintly. "Special's just a matter of perspective."
I wasn't sure what it meant, but I was more focused on something else. The blue screen hadn't shown up in a while, and I had a dumb idea.
"Maybe I can just… summon it?" I muttered.
Aelira blinked. "Wait, what are you—"
I stood up, raised one hand toward the sky like a wizard trying to cast a divine login prompt, and said loudly:
> "Status window, open!"
…
Nothing.
"…System, activate!"
…
Still nothing.
"Menu! Dashboard! Interface! Google! Anything—"
Lucen squinted at me like I'd just lost my damn mind.
"…Are you having a stroke?" he asked, genuinely.
Aelira snorted. Then outright laughed, covering her mouth. "You look like someone trying to order fast food from the clouds."
I sat back down, red in the face.
"Worth a shot," I mumbled.
---
We let the laughter fade.
Then Aelira said quietly, "So… you can see it. That means that only people with special abilities can see it."
"Yeah," I replied. "But my ability… it wasn't granted, was it?"
She shook her head. "No. Yours wasn't from the system. It was placed on you. Like a curse—or a crown."
Lucen, still chewing, raised an eyebrow. "And mine?"
"You're a wild card," Aelira said without hesitation. "You don't fit in the system. And frankly, after what you did, I'm not sure the system even wants you."
Lucen didn't argue.
He just kept chewing.
---
As the sun sank lower, the villagers continued building around us—eyes filled with reverence, hope, and maybe… fear.
Aelira sat beside me, more relaxed now. Maybe laughing helped.
And me? I still had no idea how to control my ability—or the screen—but for now, I had something better.
People.
And one very annoying ally who couldn't see anything.
---
[To be continued…]