'Is this what the religious freaks call The Afterlife?'
'Afterlife is just a bunch of invisible weirdos popping messages on a screen before your face?'
'Where's Void? Where can I see Void?'
Eric thought to himself.
'It sure is dark in here. I know hell when I see one...and this is more hell than I have right to.'
Suddenly, the blue screen he saw earlier appeared before his face again and, without waiting to read the content therein, he swung his hand out to snatch the screen from his face. But each time he tried, he never got hold of anything. His hand went through more easily than a knife through hot butter, yet he tried frantically until the screen disappeared.
'Am I seeing things now?'
'I must be seeing things. It's the afterlife after all.'
'If I'm dead, then Void must be here, somewhere.'
'I think that screen was trying to tell me something. But how can I bring it back now that it's gone?'
Immediately he thought about it, the screen popped up again, coming as a shock to Eric even when he'd seen it happen three times already. Before him, on the screen were signs and symbols that seemed to indicate letters but were alien to Eric. It appeared as just a jumble of carelessly drawn lines.
[Translating System Words to Host's Understanding]
[Translation Complete]
'Whoa...'
[Welcome to ..?.. System]
'Welcome to the... what system?'
[You have been allowed to live a second life due to your strong will to live and be strong. Follow the Tasks listed and make the most of your new vengeful life]
'Oh. Okay. That's some high ranking trash talk right there.'
[Also, the ...?... system requires that you transmigrate after your task in this world is fulfilled]
[You will automatically vanish from this world...]
[Into the world of my choice...where you belong]
'What the fuck is even that? I only want to know where Void is. Thanks for the help, but just tell me where Void is.'
[You Drift in the Silence Between Death and Life. You're in the Void, Eric]
'And how am I supposed to look for Void in a void? Please, just let me see him. Just once. Please.'
[Do You Not Burn To Avenge Void?]
'I do. I surely do, and I wished it more than anything that's happening right now. But what can I do, uh? I'm dead, see?'
[You Are Not Dead...Anymore, Thanks To The ...?... System]
'What a bunch of baloney. I know what living feels like, and this is not it. I'm not dead but all I see is a total darkness and a holographic screen displaying the most unnerving notifications ever? What's worse is, I'm talking back to it.'
'And why the hell are you calling me Host?'
[Because The System Has Claimed You To Be Its Bearer]
Eric was confused. 'Why am I even talking to you? I must be going nuts myself.'
He blanked out and was lost for thoughts.
[It Is Time You Get Your First Task Started, Host]
'Which is?'
[In The Grand Scheme, Getting Your Butt Out Of This World]
[In The Less Grand Scheme, Getting Your Butt Out Of This World]
[That's The Only Scheme. This World You Were Born In Reeks Of Mundanity]
Eric laughed roughly... If whatever he felt he was doing could count as a laugh.
[Am I a Joke To You?]
[Anyway, I'm Starting...]
[You Know How You Warm Your Fingers, Popping Them Before Grabbing The Console For A Deathmatch?]
[Here's Your Warm Up Exercise]
A list opened up before him and on it was a title "Primary Quest." There was another section by the side which displayed "Main Tasks," but it was blurred out and, from Eric's game knowledge, he knew it could not be opened just yet. He would have to unlock some previous tasks before he could reach there.
'This is kinda interesting,' he thought, having a sudden change of mind as the screen suddenly got more engaging with the task bar. 'If only this was a thing while I was alive.'
[Host Seems Unaware Of His New Existence]
'Huh?'
[For The Last Time, You're Not Dead]
[Open Your Eyes, Host]
'It's open, damnit. I can't see anything here.'
[Open Your Eyes, Host]
He finally did, and...
Suddenly, Eric felt like he was in his physical form again, not floating about in a void. He could hear the faint sound of something blaring near him. He could also feel something hot licking at his skin. His back itched irritatingly where he lay motionless. Then slowly, he started opening his eyes to a dim light hanging directly above him. He was in a strange room that was unnecessarily too hot for whatever weather the heat was turned on for.
[First Task Has Been Assigned. Host Must Get Started]
[PRIMARY QUEST: KILL YOUR KILLERS]
'Get out of my head.'
"I need to get out of here. It's too hot. I don't know how I'm supposed to complete a task with this level of heat."
He turned around to examine his environment and only then did it hit him where he was. Around him were about five bodies, butt naked and lined on long tables. The light from the room cast an orange glow on the bodies, but Eric knew the bodies were just pale even with the optical illusion.
'These are dead... bodies.'
"What?!"
'Am I really alive? This is the crematory. Bad hells, I was about to get burnt.'
'I need to get out of here.'
'Wait, where's Void's body?'
He looked into the intense furnace through the transparent cover to see if it was Void's body being cremated, but there was no way of knowing. He just took solace in the fact that he was the next in line for cremation, so the current one in that furnace must be Void's body.
Eric jumped down from the tall table and scurried to the door in a bid to escape, but the door was locked from the other side. He felt something move down his torso, hitting both of his inner laps.
He looked down only to realize he was butt naked as well. He saw a door by his right side which seemed to be a changing room, but when he got there, all he saw were dirty, bloodied clothes of the dead brought here for cremation. He searched the pile of clothes until he saw his own brown sweater.
'Since there are no good clothes to wear, I'll rather wear the one I'm most familiar with, even if it's the one with the most blood'.
He almost broke down again, remembering how Void was killed like some mere beast some moments ago.
'I'll get them, this time, Void. I promise.'